The Friends of Storrs Library is actively seeking new board members.
The Board meets once a month at the library. Enthusiasm and a love of our town library are the only requirements.
For more information contact :
Beryl Salinger Schmitt:
yipsister@comcast.net or
Karen Jordan:
karinina58@hotmail.com
“Macular degeneration is the leading cause of severe vision loss in people over age 60. It occurs when the small central portion of the retina, known as the macula, deteriorates. The retina is the light-sensing nerve tissue at the back of the eye. Because the disease develops as a person ages, it is often referred to as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Although macular degeneration is almost never a blinding condition, it can be a source of significant visual disability.” Source: http://www.webmd.com/
At the recent Special Town Meeting there was a warrant article aimed at reinstituting the service. Town meeting members speaking in favor of the article claimed that they were "entitled" to the service because they pay high real estate taxes. As the town navigated through past budget shortfalls, the leaf collection program was a casualty due to its lower priority as a town service.
On Tuesday, October 28th and Tuesday, November 4th, the voters of Longmeadow have an opportunity to responsibly plan for the future of our children and our town. This can only happen with a vote of YES on Articles 6 & 7 at Town Meeting and Question #4 on the election ballot to authorize a Feasibility Study to investigate renovation or new construction at the high school. I urge you to join me in voting yes for the following reasons:
1) The high school desperately needs to be renovated or rebuilt. As anyone who attended or watched the recent building tours or forums with the School Building Committee knows, the building does not help promote student learning. Our students are learning in spite of the building and thanks to their hard work and the dedication of the high school teachers. The town’s students and teachers deserve a building that facilitates their intellectual engagement and does not serve as a distraction.
2) This project demonstrates responsible stewardship of town resources. As our largest town owned building, upkeep of the high school is the responsibility of every adult resident in Longmeadow. In order to make a truly informed decision on the fate of the high school, we must complete this comprehensive Feasibility Study. Without it, we cannot proceed responsibly.
3) This is the only way we can receive state aid to help pay for the project. The state has committed $2.5 billion over five years to support school building projects. Thanks to the hard work of our town leaders, Longmeadow was one of only 49 schools (15 high schools) out of 423 submissions chosen by the state to proceed with the state funding process. If we fail to support the Feasibility Study, it is doubtful that we will become eligible for state funding for the high school in the near future.
4) The financial impact is minimal. We are voting to fund a $750,000 study which will cost the average Longmeadow taxpayer (home value of $370,000) $30 per year for five years (total of $150). This is an excellent investment in the future of the town. The Feasibility Study will both provide us with the information necessary to make an informed decision on renovation versus new construction and enable us to obtain millions of dollars in aid from the state once we make the decision. We need to take this first step in order to proceed further with the state.
5) This project will help keep Longmeadow an attractive place to live and work. Longmeadow’s outstanding reputation in the region is due, in part, to our long-standing commitment to high quality public education. Passage of funding for the Feasibility Study will continue this positive tradition and send a strong signal to families looking to move into the area and teachers looking for the best employment opportunities that Longmeadow is committed to quality facilities and the long term improvement of our high school.
In closing, I hope you will join me in supporting the future of our town; vote YES on Articles 6 & 7 and Question #4.
The LCTV talkshow "Put Up Your Duqs" will have an in depth interview with a representative of the Committee for Small Government, which is pushing for the repeal of the state income tax in Massachusetts.This your opportunity to LISTEN, LEARN and ASK QUESTIONS! So please join the School Building Committee at one or more of these events! Now is the time to get involved!
The School Building Committee is committed to educating our Longmeadow Residents about the High School Building Project. In order to be an informed voter at the Town Meeting and on Election Day, the School Building Committee is asking for residents to attend one (if not both) of the following activities:
Tour the High School; See first hand the learning environment our children experience everyday.
When: October 18th
Two tours are scheduled/11:30am and 3:00pm
Where: Tours will begin at the front entrance of the school
How Long: Tours will last about 1 hour followed by a 30 minute gathering to answer questions.
Attend a Public Forum; Listen to members of the Building Committee discuss the project and ask them questions.
When: October 14th at 9:00am OR October 22nd at 7:00pm
Where: The October 14th Public Forum will take place in the High School Auditorium
The October 22nd Public Forum will be held in the Business/Technology Center (BTC) at the High School. (Directions to the BTC will be posted inside the school)
How Long: Each forum will consist of a 20 minute presentation followed by a 40 minute public discussion
Why is the School Building Committee scheduling these activities:
Fall town meeting will be held on October 28th at 7:00pm in the High School Auditorium.
This is a VERY IMPORTANT meeting for all residents who are concerned about the condition and future of the High School. There will be a warrant article to appropriate the funds needed to begin the study of a long term solution for the high school building.
If the warrant article passes at Town Meeting then we must turn our attention to November 4th. On the ballot there will be a debt exclusion question to raise the funds needed for the high school study. So please note that if the warrant passes at Town Meeting that does not mean we have the funds, it only means that we may use the funds if they are approved on November 4th.
If the warrant article fails at Town Meeting then the November ballot question is null and void and we do not have the choice to raise funds on that date. The Select Board will need to decide if they wish to hold a special town meeting and special election to raise the high school funding option to the town again. This second go around is not guaranteed and costs the tax payers money.
We simply cannot let this unique opportunity pass us by. If so, we will be giving up potentially millions of dollars in state reimbursement. Now is the time to get involved!
As Longmeadow moves forward on the path toward the construction of a new high school, the newly formed Longmeadow School Building Committee should consider our new high school project being included in the Massachusetts School Building Authority's Model Schools Program. This program considers use of existing designs in order to reduce the overall cost. According to a recent article in the Boston Globe the town of Norwood, MA which is ahead of Longmeadow with the new HS building process is considering this option. With this new program the state also provides financial incentives for towns involved to reduce the financial impact.
The picture above shows Whitman-Hanson High School in Whitman, MA built in 2005 which currently accommodates 1,250 students in grades 9 through 12 and is projected to meet the district’s needs for 50 years. The 232,000-square-foot school cost $49.2 million.
According to an article in the Patriot Ledger.... "the school is also a pilot project for the Massachusetts Green Initiative, a partnership between the School Building Authority and Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. Natural light reduces consumption of electricity. The building is well insulated and has a 51-kilowatt solar electric array on the roof. A 20,000-gallon underground tank collects storm runoff from the roof; the water is used to flush the school’s toilets."
Perhaps, we might not end up with a "unique" building structure but the financial impact on our town might be significantly reduced.
Longmeadow was selected this week as one of the "Top 10 Healthiest Places to Retire" by the online version of the US News and World Report.
Selection criteria was as follows:
"These are places way ahead of the healthy living curve—they provide numerous places to exercise, promote strong social support, and encourage healthy lifestyle habits. And each has a little something extra, too."
Read the full story on Longmeadow and don't miss the photo gallery .... you will see some familiar faces and names.
Some personal reflections...
My wife and I have lived in Longmeadow for 28 years- the last 5½ years after my retirement from Monsanto/ Solutia. In contrast to a number of our friends and my work colleagues who have moved elsewhere for warmer weather and other reasons, we consider Longmeadow our retirement home and are very happy with the lifestyle that we enjoy here.
If you have some comments about this US News and World Report, please take some time to share them on the LongmeadowBuzz blog.
Longmeadow Public Schools
Opening Day
August 26, 2008
WELCOME AND WELCOME BACK!
E. Jahn Hart, Superintendent of Schools
Longmeadow, Massachusetts
Good Morning and welcome back to school! I hope you had a chance to enjoy the breakfast pastries and coffee. It’s always a joy to arrive on Opening Day and reunite with friends as well as to meet new colleagues.
I would like to once again acknowledge and thank people who support the work of educating Longmeadow’s children.
I would like to thank the School Committee for volunteering their time to improve and advocate for our schools and to acknowledge the current members of the Longmeadow School Committee: Christine Swanson, Chair; Rob Aseltine, Vice-Chair; Gwen Bruns, Clerk; Mary Vogel; Geoff Weigand; John Fitzgerald; and Armand Wray. Thank you for all that you do on behalf of our students.
Thanks to all of the other volunteers who give of their time and resources to enrich the learning experiences of our students and staff. Special appreciation goes to LEEF, to the various PACs, PTOs, booster clubs, and other groups who do so much to enhance our educational environment.
I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the presence of Chris Halista, President of LEEF who has asked me to give you a few reminders:
In the past seven years, LEEF has raised over $1,000,000.00 and awarded over $562,000 for 144 teacher grant requests. Chris has asked me to urge you to start planning your LEEF grant requests NOW! She has provided flyers with information about LEEF, as well as her home phone number and the LEEF web site. Thank you, Chris, for all that you and LEEF do to support our schools.
I would like to extend thanks to the Town departments, boards, and community organizations who partner with us to provide essential services to the schools of Longmeadow.
Thank you to all of you who are here today: the educators, support staff, and all the many specialists and special people who work in our schools.
I want to extend my appreciation to the folks who worked all summer to clean and prepare our schools for today’s official opening. As was done last year, I convened a meeting in June with all of our building custodians and principals to invite them to set reasonable expectations for summer cleaning and to give feedback about areas for improvement. They identified three key cleaning priorities: (1) clean all carpets and rugs, (2) clean all floors, and (3) clean bathrooms thoroughly. Again, those priorities were met and exceeded! As you walk through your buildings, take a moment to admire the results of their hard work and be sure to thank them. Our maintenance workers were involved in multiple Capital Improvement projects throughout the schools, and the grounds crews are working hard this week to spruce up the landscaping. Kudos to the entire custodial and maintenance staff!
We should recognize our wonderful school secretaries who ordered materials, greeted families, answered phones, and met the many and assorted needs of students and parents during the summer. Thanks to my assistant, Dianne Georgantas, who took on the responsibility of centralizing student registration in our office – to increase consistency and efficiency and to reduce the burden on school secretaries. Dianne NEVER has a quiet moment and somehow manages to retain her patience, grace, and humor. We are truly blessed to have Central Office staff who continually look for ways to make improvements.
Kudos to the many teachers and other staff who worked on curriculum, procedural updates, and New Teacher Orientation this summer. You will reap the rewards of their curriculum improvement efforts over the next few days. . . . thanks especially to Maureen Wilson, Karla Zukowski, Joanne Paar, Karen Palazzi, Dale Skowera, and retiree Gail Meehan who continues to help with our New Teacher preparations.
I am thrilled to welcome all of the new staff this year, including Kim Stillwell and Chris Collins, our two new principals, who have been working hard all summer to meet and hire staff and to become immersed in the Longmeadow School cultureJ
I want to speak to you this morning about continuous improvement in Longmeadow: continuous improvement in (I) the operations and physical environment, (II) in teaching and learning, and (III) towards ensuring a safe, secure, and caring learning environment.
All of you, whether veterans or new employees, know that Longmeadow is committed to continuous improvement. Last year we made some substantial improvements to our operations and physical environment. We instituted the AESOP web-based/phone system for attendance reporting and substitute calling; the ConnectED communication system; new security measures and systems in every school and central office; and new phone systems. We also made substantial technology and budget improvements.
We made advances in teaching and learning last year by purchasing much-needed reading and social studies textbooks as well as math Investigations materials; and by continuing and expanding our use of John Collins writing and Lesson Study. Two other administrators, 6 teachers, and I took a graduate course in gifted education and we will establish a district committee to look at ways we can improve challenges and enrichment for all students.
Longmeadow High School was removed from warning status by the New England Association of Schools & Colleges (NEASC) and we received an invitation by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) to conduct a feasibility study of the high school. Recently we were named as one of 8 schools in the state who appear to be a good match for the model schools project, which (if approved) would result in a new building (not a renovation), reduced building costs, increased reimbursement from MSBA, and a savings of about a year on the planning and construction timeline.
Goals this year include (I) the advancement of improvements in operations and the physical environment. Christine Swanson has already outlined the School Committee’s goals of Budget, Buildings, and Balance.
(II) Our teaching and learning goal this year is to advance our work in curriculum, instruction, and assessment to the persistent examination of these four critical questions:
Your administrators and I have been engaged in joint professional development this summer that will continue throughout the year as each principal advances building-level structures for collaboration in learning.
Our final goal of the year (III) is to ensure that we provide a safe, secure, and caring learning environment. Last year, I told you about some interesting research that concludes that superior learning takes place when classroom activities are enjoyable and relevant to students' lives, interests, and experiences. The primary aim of education is not to enable students to do well in school, but to help them do well in the lives they lead outside of school. The world is changing and, as Arthur Clarke said, “We need to educate our children for their future, not our past.” I proposed that we assure that our students are engaged in joyful, relevant learning. I want to reiterate that proposal and add to it. One of your colleagues lent me a book a few months ago: Jodi Picoult’s Nineteen Minutes. I confess that I didn’t want to read it. But I did. It is a frightening and relevant novel. Bullying has expanded to “cyber-bullying” and has affected the lives of many of our most vulnerable students. Last year, our secondary students heard Ed Garrity speak about this issue and I know that Longmeadow middle schoolers have been reading The Revealers this summer. When I looked at the student work that was sent to me this June, I was fascinated by the responses to the prompt regarding “The greatest thing a teacher or staff member did for me this year.” It was clear how the actions of one caring adult can make a lasting difference in the life of a child. Thank you for what you do already for our children and please continue to keep your eyes and hearts open.
It is with pleasure that I am now going to share with you samples of the student work that came to me from our wonderful schools. I was pleased to see evidence of
Yesterday I filled two art display boards in the lobby with a small fraction of the many student feedback forms I had received. If you didn’t have a chance to look at them this morning, take a few moments to check them out. I will be posting this presentation on our web site (this file is quite large- 8.9 Mb so be patient if there are extended download times when viewing). Each of you – whether educational or support staff - has the opportunity to encourage and nurture children every day. Thank you for the many ways that you keep your “eyes on the child”! Have a great year!
E. Jahn Hart, Superintendent of the Longmeadow Public Schools
This fall Massachusetts voters will be asked whether or not to eliminate the state's income tax. The issue, relentlessly pushed for years by the state's Libertarian Party is a perfect example of why the Framers of the Constitution sought to create a "representative" democracy at the national level and to guarantee it in each state.
However, your understanding would be wrong!
It is also not true that there are a extraordinarily large number of homes for sale in Longmeadow at this time. According to Realtor.com there are ~ 111 homes up for sale through MLS + another 15 homes via FSBO for a total of ~126 which is about normal for this time of the year- only about 2.3% of the total number of homes.
Here are some sobering facts....
However, there is some good news...
No question that it is still pretty tough to sell a house in our town but Longmeadow is still a very desirable place to live and the Longmeadow real estate market reflects that value.
If you are interested in more information on this subject, visit Real Estate Buzz at LongmeadowBiz.
If you haven’t visited the local blog- A Tasty Thought by JG or browsed through her family favorite recipes on her webpage on LongmeadowBiz, you are missing an opportunity to impress family, company or both. 
, the Select Board directed the Town to develop a local action plan for sustainability in conformance with ICLEI’s Cites for Climate Protection Campaign and this responsibility was added to the RETF.
