The
2010 LBC Missions Conference will be held Oct. 13-17, Wed.-Fri.
at 7 p.m., Saturday, 5 p.m., Dinner; Sunday, 10:30 a.m. and 6
p.m.
Refreshments to follow and Special guests.
Contact us at Landmark Baptist Church, 103 Chichester
Rd., Loudon, NH 03307.
Phone, 603-798-3818
www.LandmarkBaptistChurch.info
Celebrating Birthdays are: October 6, Shirley
Waters, Morgan Ward; October 7, Jason Darrah; October 8,
Ann Emerson, John Fraser; October 9, Art Morse, Bev
Drolet; October 10, Hank Stapleton; October 11, Carolyn
Reed.
A Very Happy Birthday To One And All.
Celebrating Anniversaries are: October 6, Dana and
Cathie Tuttle; October 11, Barbara and Paul Merrill.
Best Wishes.
Fuel Assistance Community
Action Program will be at Pittsfield Community Center on
October 18, and 25. Please call for an appointment.
485-7824.
Several of the building markers
placed on houses by the Pittsfield Historical Society
are fading and in somewhat disrepair. This fall they
will be removed, repainted, repaired and placed back on
the buildings as time and weather allows. If there are
any questions please call 798-3984.
Grace
Locke and Beverly Price recently returned from a 10 day
vacation to Glacier Park, Montana. While there, they
stayed at Glacier Park Lodge, and took some local tours
of the glaciers and other points of interest. They also
spent a few days in Chicago where they had time to
sightsee in the “windy city”. A great time was had by
both.
On Wednesday, October 13th, the
Pittsfield Area Senior Center will be holding a special
event. From 10:00 a.m. to noon, Carol Watters will be
teaching punch quilting. Those planning to participate
should being scissors and a ruler. If you have a
favorite woven cotton fabric and low loft batting, you
may bring those along as well. The Community Center is
located at 74 Main Street, Pittsfield.
Come join The Greater Pittsfield Chamber of Commerce as
we enjoy our monthly Business After Hours. The
event will be held at Century 21, Thompson Real Estate
Tuesday October 12th from 6pm to 8pm. This event
is located at 1033 Suncook Valley Highway, Epsom, NH.
There will be light refreshments served. A tour
will be given to all that participate in this event.
This is a networking opportunity for your business, so
remember to bring your business cards. Everyone is
welcome to come. If you are not a member and are
interested in becoming one, this is a great opportunity
to learn what The Greater Pittsfield Chamber of Commerce
is involved in and how it could benefit your business.
Find out more information about this and upcoming events
at www.pittsfieldchamber.org.
It’s 4-H Cookie & Candy Bar Sale Time Again!
4-H Clubs are
celebrating National 4-H Month with many special events
throughout October. One big event that the Victory Workers 4-H
Club, which serves the greater Pittsfield Area participates in,
is the annual 4-H Cookie Sale, which begins on October
6th. This is the main fundraiser for our 4-H Club. It helps
support camp scholarships and monthly programs for 4-H member’s
ages 8-18. Members learn life skills by selling cookies
including goal setting, communications, safety, marketing and
money and time management.
Several cookie varieties are
available including Chocolate Covered Mint Patties, Lemon Crisp,
Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter
Patties, Fudge Graham Squares, Frosted Oatmeal, Raspberry Flip
Shortbread, Assorted Sugar Wafer Sticks, Fudge Covered Crème
Wafer Sticks, Chocolate Chip Crème Sandwich and Coconut Crème.
4-H members are also selling candy bars.
You do not
pre-order 4-H Cookies. They are available for delivery NOW. The
cookies are only $3.50 a package. The candy bars are $1.00 each.
Your support to the 4-H youth in your community is greatly
appreciated. If a 4-H member has not contacted you, please call
4-H leaders Pamela Clattenburg, 269-3200; Pauline Wheeler,
435-8752; Mark Riel, 435-6346; or Corine Miller, 435-8497.
The
American Legion Wins Long Fight On Behalf Of Gold Star Parents
Congress awards state veterans home privileges to all parents of
fallen warriors
After a decades-long campaign waged by The
American Legion and sympathetic advocates, the U.S. Senate last
night cleared legislation that will grant state veterans home
care privileges to all Gold Star mothers and fathers; parents
who have lost sons or daughters during military service.
Heretofore, since the post-Civil War era, only parents who had
sacrificed all of their children in service were eligible for
veterans’ home residency. The passage by unanimous voice vote
followed overwhelming passage of similar legislation at the end
of June.
“To lose one’s child to the service of our country
is the ultimate sacrifice a parent can make,” said Tim Tetz,
Director of The American Legion’s Legislative Division. “We owe
them much more than a debt of gratitude. It is heartening to see
that Congress is now making an honorable payment on that debt.”
Tetz, formerly the Executive Director of the Nevada Office
of Veterans Services, was among those who urged Senator John
Ensign (R-Nev.) to introduce enabling legislation into the
Senate making that state one of the prime driving forces behind
the move to open veterans’ home care to more Gold Star parents.
Tetz credited Ensign as being “hugely supportive” of the Senate
measure. Nevada’s Gary Bermeosolo, Legislative Chairman of the
National Association of State Veterans Homes, also offered his
thanks by saying “(we) appreciate the efforts of Senator Ensign
and Congressman William “Mac” Thornberry of Texas (who
introduced the House bill in late January) to correct the
inequity created by the onerous definition requiring Gold Star
Parents to have lost “all” of their children to wartime service
in order to be considered for admission to a state veterans
home. We prayed that they would be successful with their
efforts.”
The American Legion’s effort to honor all Gold Star
parents with much deserved care goes back many years. It was a
special project of Paul Morin, who served as the Legion’s
National Commander in 2006-2007 and was superintendent of a
veterans home in his native Massachusetts. “The contribution of
Commander Morin and fellow American Legion movers and shakers in
correcting this inequity cannot be overstated,” concluded Mr.
Tetz.
The House and Senate bills will now be presented to a
joint conference committee for reconciliation of any differences
with the final version to be forwarded President Obama for his
signature.
Nearly $85,000 Raised For Cancer Patients In Need
Cancer
patients and their families face many uncertainties including
diagnosis, treatment options and oftentimes, financial concerns.
Trying to figure out how to pay for transportation to treatment,
needed prescriptions, supplements and other essential items can
add stress to an already extremely stressful situation. The Gene
Gillis Fund at Concord Hospital Payson Center for Cancer Care
helps support Payson Center patients in need with any
out-of-pocket expenses associated with their treatment.
The
5th annual Pedaling for Payson fundraising event held on
Saturday, September 18 raised nearly $85,000 in contributions,
corporate sponsorships and in-kind donations to support the Gene
Gillis Fund. The cycling event included 240 participants who
rode in either the 75-mile, 50-mile, 25-mile or 5K “Family Fun
Ride.
“On behalf of Sharon Nall, Dan Rivard and myself, I
would like to express our utmost gratitude for the countless
hours of work put into this event by our committee members,
Concord Hospital’s Philanthropy staff and employees, and all of
our volunteers. We are deeply grateful for the spirit of
generosity displayed by all of our participants and sponsors,
whether their gifts were financial or in-kind,” said Kevin
Swenson, event tri-chair and platinum sponsor. “This years event
goals were very ambitious and thanks to a lot of dedication, we
met or exceeded those goals. We look forward to starting to plan
for next years event ever mindful that what was begun five years
ago is indeed “making a difference” for so many people in our
community.”
VA
Improving Veterans’ Access To Health And Benefits Information
21st Century Technology Will Improve Service
The
Department of Veterans Affairs is launching a multi-year
initiative called Veterans Relationship Management (VRM) that
will greatly improve Veterans’ access to health care and
benefits information.
“VRM will transform Veterans’
interactions with VA by using innovative 21st century
technologies,” said VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki.
“Veterans
will have a better experience when they contact VA for
assistance, and our employees will be able to quickly convey
accurate, up-to-date information through call centers and the
Internet.”
Ultimately, Veterans will find enhanced
self-service capabilities, and VA employees will have the best
tools to serve Veterans, their families and survivors better.
By the end of 2010, VRM will deliver improved telephone services
to enable Veterans to reach a call center agent faster.
Recording and review of calls will ensure the quality of
services provided to Veterans. To help guarantee success, VRM
enhancements will be rolled out in six-month increments.
An
important component of VRM is the Internet site, which puts the
Veteran in the driver’s seat for information. VA collaborated
with the Department of Defense to provide a single sign-on
capability for both Servicemembers and Veterans. Single sign-on
will quickly establish an individual’s identity and allow that
person to complete transactions without having to re-enter
information.
Self-service access through the Internet site (www.ebenefits.va.gov)
is already available in some benefit areas, including military
personnel records, VA home loan eligibility certificates, and
status information on compensation and pension claims.
VRM
is just one of the many initiatives VA is launching to help
Veterans get timely access to health care and benefits.
VA
provides tax-free compensation, pension, education, loan
guaranty, vocational rehabilitation, employment and insurance
benefits to eligible Veterans, their families and survivors
through 57 VA regional offices.
Disability compensation is
paid to a Veteran for disabilities that are a result of - or
made worse by - injuries or diseases that happened while on
active duty, active military, naval or air service. Pension is a
benefit paid to wartime Veterans with limited income, and who
are permanently and totally disabled or age 65 or older.
For
additional information, go to
www.va.gov or call VA’s toll free benefits number at
1-800-827-1000.
Letter
Dear Suncook Valley folks:
After four good years in
Pittsfield I am moving to Colorado. Before I go, a few folks
need to be recognized:
•Neighbor Extraordinaire Bruce Cheney,
who checked on me during nor’easters, and taught me how to
handle an ancient tiller. And his wife, Judy, for the yummy
cookies!
• Duane Family Farm, for the warm smiles, laughing
at my misadventures, and the delicious produce and pies.
•
Christina Heppding of Ever-Green Stables in Center Barnstead,
who brought horses and horseback riding back into my life.
Thanks for making my dream come true!
• Carol and Henry Smith
in Center Barnstead—always full of good humor when my very
clever horse escaped and ended up on their delicious lawn!
•
The staff of Clark’s Grain Store, for friendly encouragement and
good advice.
• Ric Howes at Greenleaf Auto, for valuable car
and truck advice, and good cheer.
• Granite State Auto for
taking good care of my Beetle and now my truck and me.
•
Laurie at the Pittsfield Post Office, who kindly helped me to
ship oodles of heavy cartons.
• The nice folks at Valley Dam
Feed Store, for figuring out how many bales of shavings would
fit in my Beetle—nine!
• Marty and Anne Boisvert, for
allowing me to use their barn for the last four years, etc.,
etc. You guys are the best!
• Finally, anyone and everyone in
and around town who ever lent a helping hand or greeted me with
a genuine smile and a “hey, hon’ (or darlin’)!”
So, many for
the warm wishes and the many kindnesses, small and large. If you
see a silver Tacoma with a cap and cargo box heading west, give
me a wave! So long and be well!
Sincerely,
Julie Klett
From The Superintendent’s Desk
Submitted By John J.
Freeman, Ph.D.
SAU 51 Superintendent Of Schools
As you may
recall, the school district began planning for a redesign of our
Pittsfield Middle High School about a year ago. This
redesign was prompted by several factors: the anticipated second
consecutive year of staff reductions, challenging economic
conditions, a decline in student enrollment, and the
disappointing performance of our school on the state assessment
tests. In March, you may have received a letter that outlined
some of the key immediate developments that would begin to
effect a major redesign of our school.
Then, in early spring
of 2010, we learned that PMHS had qualified for a large grant –
known as the School Improvement Grant (SIG) – from the federal
government under the authority of the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The grant funds are being awarded
to schools identified by the state as “persistently
lowest-achieving schools.” The identification of eligible
schools was based on student achievement levels as measured by
the state’s annual assessment program, the New England Common
Assessment Program (NECAP). The grant will bring more than
$2 million to PMHS over the next three years.
After
reviewing and analyzing a wide range of data in developing a
plan for the grant’s application last spring, a team of more
then twenty-five school district educators, including teacher
leaders and administrators from both PES and PMHS, expanded on
the early redesign work and identified three goals for the
three-year grant period. In brief, these goals state that
by the end of the grant period in June 2013:
• At least 85%
of all Pittsfield students will achieve at the proficient or
proficient with distinction levels in the state assessment,
NECAP;
• All students and adults in the Pittsfield school
district will experience a safe, respectful, responsible climate
in our schools; and
• Each graduate of PMHS will leave our
school with a realistic, ready-to-activate plan for post
secondary college and/or career.
As you might expect, our
planning team has developed a number of objectives and
strategies within each of these three ambitious goals. I
would like to take this opportunity to share with you some of
the exciting activities that will contribute to the attainment
of our three SIG goals and the redesign of PMHS that will result
in a more personalized, high-achieving learning environment.
• Extra-Curricular Activities. Educational researchers have
found that participation in extra-curricular activities is
highly correlated with academic success. Here at PMHS, our
students are generally very involved; our athletic program
engages a high percentage of our students in our small high
school. However, we know that we have room for
improvement.
Last spring, our students were surveyed
regarding interests in extra-curricular activities that we don’t
currently offer. As you can imagine, suggestions ranged
from somewhat impractical suggestions like football, to more
do-able suggestions, like arts clubs. Our ARRA grant will
be providing seed money for the start-up of new extra-curricular
activities. Keep watching for new clubs and groups to be
forming over the next three years.
• Math Instructional
Coaching. It’s pretty obvious that instruction is one of
the integral factors that lie at the heart of academic
achievement. As we move forward with our redesign, work to
strengthen our teaching to more effectively respond to different
student needs will be at the heart of our work. In this
regard, we’ve been fortunate to secure the services of a
high-quality math instructional coach, Mr. Rob Lukasiak.
Mr.
Lukasiak has long experience as a math teacher that includes
both high school and college level assignments. He’ll be
here in Pittsfield on a regular basis – about every other week
throughout the grant period – to model math teaching, share new
strategies with our math teachers, observe classes and provide
guidance to our teachers, participate in math department
meetings, and assist teachers in assessing student progress and
needs through collaborative evaluation of student work, among
other activities.
Don’t forget to ask your math
student about his/her experience with Mr. Lukasiak in math
class.
• Student Advisories. Student advisories – a
combination of what we older folks knew as homeroom period and
solid guidance counseling – can serve as strong supports for
academic achievement as well as contribute to a positive,
personalized school climate. Our student advisories are
featuring a new look this year as they have been moved from
first period to the middle of the day and have been trimmed from
a full period in length to about a half period in length.
Importantly, each of the advisory groups – grades 7-8, 9-10, and
11-12 – will feature their own specialized themes based on the
needs of students at these different ages. Among other themes,
for example, our 7-8 groups focus on a successful transition
from elementary school to high school, our 9-10 groups focus on
self-exploration in the context of future career development,
and our 11-12 groups focus on developing personal plans for
post-secondary goals.
Our work with advisories will keep the
best of the best from past advisories as well as personalize our
work for greater student success in the context of our three SIG
goals; advisories, as you can and will see, play a central role
in each of the three goal areas.
Hoping that this provides
you with a bit more information about the exciting transition of
PMHS, I’ll close for now; I look forward to sharing more
information about our redesign.
Save Your Land!
Have you ever thought about permanently
protecting your property for the future enjoyment of your
children and grandchildren? Besides leaving a legacy of open
space for generations to come, you may be able to realize some
tax advantages to conserving your land, as well.
The
Pittsfield Conservation Commission is sponsoring a FREE workshop
on Thursday, October 28, 7-8:30 PM at the Pittsfield Town Hall.
“Conserving Your Land: Options for Landowners” will be presented
by Tom Howe, Senior Director of Land Conservation at the Society
for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. Tom is a recognized
state-wide expert in conservation easements and other land
protection strategies.
In this interactive workshop you will
learn how to:
• conserve your land permanently for scenic
enjoyment, wildlife, farming, forestry and/or recreation;
•
set up a conservation easement;
• meet your financial as well
as conservation objectives;
• decide which conservation group
to work with, understand how the process works, and know whom to
contact for next steps.
Tom is making available at cost ($4)
a booklet entitled, “Conserving Your Land: Options for NH
Landowners,” which may be purchased at the end of the workshop
(saves having to take notes).
Please join us! Refreshments
will be served.
Amazing Gift
The Pittsfield Youth Baseball Association is
pleased to announce a major donation to the renovation project
at Pittsfield Youth Athletic Park. John Frederick Nutter, who
had already contributed to the project in the past, contributed
a large sum of money to establish a fund specifically for
lighting the new upper field.
Lighting was a part of the
original plan but had to be eliminated when ledge was
encountered which cost over $100,000 to blast and remove. Lights
will allow PYBA to hold evening games and tournaments, a feature
unique for a town of Pittsfield’s size. Indeed, lighting will
place the town among the elite communities of the area
John,
or Fred as he is known to many, was born in Pittsfield and grew
up in the “Beehive” on Park Street. His mother Maude is well
remembered for her shoe store there.
Several months after
World War II began and while still in high school he joined the
Navy. After serving in the United States and on Johnson Island,
he returned to Pittsfield in 1946 for a short while and earned a
“War Diploma.” Moving away he later became highly successful in
the wholesale pharmaceutical business.
Mr. Nutter has never
forgotten his old home town and has contributed to many of its
local causes. In addition to PYBA, the American Legion, the
Historical Society and Pittsfield Youth Workshop are indebted to
him for his generosity.
Thank you Mr. Nutter for all of your
support.
Artist Gene Matras To Speak At Pittsfield Historical Society
Pittsfield Historical Society Presents Artist Gene Matras
October 14, Thursday night at 7PM.
Professional artist
Gene Matras will speak about his pen and ink pictures of the old
barns and scenes around Pittsfield. He will tell how he began
and where he’s gone. The detailed drawings of rural life have
been winning awards for more than 20 years.
Forests,
pastures, mountains, and wildlife have been his inspiration. Mr.
Matras’s prints are produced from the original by the off set
lithography process in limited editions; numbered and signed by
the artist.
The program is open and free to the public. It
starts at 7 PM in the Historical Society behind Jitters.
Yes, it’s true! November is your lucky month!
The Pittsfield
Players have it on “good authority” that a very famous woman
will be returning to the “place she belongs.”
Who is she?
Watch for details in coming weeks.
St.
Stephen’s Says Thank You
St. Stephen’s Church wishes to thank
all who made purchases at our Town-Wide Yard Sale and Old Home
Day. We were very fortunate to reach our goal so our outreach
project could be realized. We have been able to make sizeable
donations to the food pantries of each of the surrounding
communities, and also were able to make a donation to the summer
recreation programs that enabled added youth to attend special
programs. It does our “little church with a big heart” good to
say that Hannaford Brothers of Northwood donated an abundance of
the food for our lunch specials, and for our raffle baskets. We
give them a huge round of applause, and a huge “thank you."
Our
next sale will be our Holiday Fair on November 20th from 9 a.m.
to 2 p.m. We will be selling raffle tickets for the “Town Green”
quilt, which was crafted by the Barnstead Quilters. Proceeds
from the sale of tickets will be given to the surrounding towns’
food pantries. Come join us on November 20th - lunch will be
served!
Greater Pittsfield Chamber Of Commerce Business Showcase
The
Greater Pittsfield Chamber of Commerce hosted a Business
Showcase on September 25th at Pittsfield Elementary School.
Forty exhibitors participated in this event. Visitors from the
public had a chance to visit with local businesses from
Barnstead, Chichester, Epsom, Northwood, Gilmanton, Boscawen,
Alton, Concord, Manchester, Rochester, Northfield and
Pittsfield. Several Door prizes were given away to the public at
the end of the event, including the Grand Prize of a one year
Family Pool Pass donated by the Red Roof Inn of Loudon; First
Prize $100 Cash; Second Prize $50 Cash; as well as several gift
certificates for goods and services by the exhibitors. The
Chamber would like to thank all the exhibitors for their
participation and effort to make this event a success. Thank you
to Pittsfield Elementary School for the generous use of the
facility. Thank you to the Rotary Club and to the Fire Fighters
Assoc. for use of their folding tables; to PYW for feeding us
well, and a very heartfelt thank you to the Suncook Valley Sun
for all of their support in advertising this event.
If
you have questions or comments about this or future Business
Showcase or any of the Greater Pittsfield Chamber of Commerce
events, please contact us at
www.pittsfieldchamber.org.
Help The Project At Pittsfield Youth Athletic Park
On
Saturday October 9th and 15th from 8:00am to 4:00pm small bushes
and perennials will be planted at the Tilton Hill ball fields. A
considerable amount of weeding will also be done. This is a
great opportunity for PYBA participants and their parents to
help out and demonstrate their community spirit. Please contact
Larry Berkson at 798-3984 or
[email protected] if you will be able to participate.
Volunteers are welcome for an hour or two if that is all the
time that they have to spare. Bringing shovels, iron rakes and
pitchforks would be helpful.