Rockingham Nutrition and Meals On Wheels Program will be holding a “Winter Special” on Thursday, January 14, 2010, at all of our Rockingham County Locations.

The meal will consist of Roast Pork with black currant sauce, herb and onion stuffing, Greek spinach, snowflake dinner roll, mint fudge brownie, (diabetic dessert, cookie).

There is a suggested donation of $2.00 per meal. Reservations are required. 603-679-2201.

National Blood Drive Month

A Blood Drive will be held Thursday, January 7th at Pittsfield Elementary School on Bow Street from 3:30 to 8:00 p.m. (Note the extended time.) The Drive is sponsored by the PTO. Childcare will be provided. Dunkin Donuts has an offer, “give a pint, get a pound, when you help save lives by giving blood.” The need is constant. The gratification is instant.

Northwood Friends Of Recreation Basketball

Grades K, 1, 2, 3, - Boys and Girls start on Sunday,  January 10th.
Grade K - 1 p.m.; Grade 1 - 2 p.m.; Grade 2 - 3 p.m.; Grade 3 - 4 p.m.
Same time every Sunday from January 10th to February Vacation.
Grades 4-8 have already started and are having some very competitive games every Saturday.

Questions or further information, please call Dave Ruth at 942-5121.

CBI Helps Students Find Their Voice

Community Based Instruction (CBI) is a program created 5 years ago at Coe-Brown Academy, designed to help juniors and seniors transition into the post-secondary school world. We explore the areas of vocation preparation, economics, independent living and social behavior as well as provide academic support.

While there is an ongoing structure to the class, the curriculum is created in response to student need and input. One of the most engaging projects of the past semester was one that came out student’s participation in a popular school-wide fundraising activity.  We translated the uncomfortable feelings some students were expressing (whining about!) regarding the event into a unit called Active Citizenship. We started with a  “gripe” session, followed by brainstorming for constructive solutions, and finally, consultation to generate a cogent proposal for modification.

One of the students emerged as the organizer of the input, another as the secretary and all students gave constructive opinions. (Teens can be really reluctant to do this!) The instructors were able to take a background role as facilitators. The result was the creation of a proposal that was submitted to the administration and Student Council with suggestions for how to make this fun event more accessible and comfortable for the whole school community.  The advisor to the Student Council acknowledged the proposal and gave information about the best channels for input.

 In a time when educational models are changing, CBI aims to show students how to amplify their voices and to take an active role in creating their own relevant learning experience.

Northwood Budget Public Hearings Commence

With the Holiday Season behind us, it is time to turn our attention to the School and Town budget process. Historically attendance at these public hearings has been sparse, with only a handful of folks attending.

The School Public Hearing will take place on Saturday, January 9th at 9:00 A.M. at the Northwood Town Hall. The Town and Water District Public Hearings will be held on Saturday, January 16th at 9:00 A.M. at the Town Hall.

The Public Hearings are scheduled, so you the taxpayer, can have your say in the development of the final budget presented at the March School and Town Meetings. Your voice is very important at this stage of the process. Please plan on attending these important hearings. Thank-you

Bob Holden