Cavendish Update 4/6/18 Power Outage/News/Events
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This morning 5,125 Green Mountain Power (GMP) customers are without power in Vermont, of which 182 are in Cavendish. Last evening GMP said they wouldn’t be getting to our area until later in the day on Saturday. Compounding the problems is the weather forecast for today: A mix of snow and rain will be observed from late this morning through early this evening. Snow accumulations of 1 to 4 inches will be possible across the area with the highest amounts falling over the Green and northern Adirondack Mountains. Gusty winds will develop tonight with gusts of 30 to 40 mph across the Saint Lawrence Valley and 20 to 30 mph elsewhere.
Please check the Cavendish VT Facebook page for updates on the situation and whether a temporary shelter will be opened to help those in need of a hot shower and/or a hot meal. You don’t have to be a Facebook subscriber to see this page.
4/6/18 Cavendish Update
1. Cavendish Related News
2. CTES/GMUSD News
3. Cavendish Library Events
4. Events
1. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS
Cavendish Historical Society April Brief: Check out what CHS was doing in March and what is planned for the months ahead at the CHS Blog.
Permit Required for Open Burning in Cavendish: As the snow leaves the ground a burn permit is required for all open burning. Burn permits can be obtained from the Fire Warden or one of his three Keymen, who can be reached as follows:
Roger Sheehan, Cavendish Fire Warden 226-7692
Robert Glidden 226-7302
Raymond Fitzgibbons 226-7288
Shane Turco 802-342-3935
Please help eliminate unnecessary fire calls by acquiring a burn permit.
BRGNS Customer Appreciation Day: The staff and volunteers at Black River Good Neighbor Services thrift store in Ludlow invite all customers and clients to drop by on Wednesday, April 18th for their annual Customer Appreciation Day. There will be free snacks and coffee, door prizes, and great deals on merchandise. The thrift store is located at 37B Main Street behind the Ludlow Community Center and provides funding for the many food and service programs that they operate. The thrift store relies on donations of gently used merchandise from local area residents and re-sells items at great value. Doors open at 10:00 a.m. and all are welcome. For information about the store, about food or financial programs, or about volunteer opportunities, please call Audrey at 802-228-3663.
VT Officials: Don-t get tricked by tax time scams: "Nothing strikes fear into many people more than the idea of taxes -- the IRS or even the Vermont Tax Department. But rest assured that the IRS doesn't do business this way and the Vermont Tax Department doesn't do business this way," according to VT Tax Commissioner Kaj Samson. Officials say anyone who receives a threatening call or email should hang up or delete the message and report it to authorities. WCAX
2. CTES/GMUSD NEWS: With the voters rejecting the Green Mountain Unified School District (GMUSD) budget in March, there are now a number of meetings taking place in order to revise the budget and bring it back for a vote in May. In addition, there is an ongoing search for an Interum Principal for Cavendish Town Elementary School (CTES) as George Thomson is retiring in June.
• CTES Interum Principal Forum: Meet the Finalists Night on April 11 (Wednesday), 6:30pm at the school to help select the next principal for CTES. Parents and Community members will be split between the two candidates in separate rooms and will have 30 minutes to ask questions and get to know the candidate. The groups will then switch and meet the 2nd candidate. Participants will be asked to complete a form in order to share thoughts on each candidate. Information provided will be used by the board in helping them select an interim principal.
• GMUSD Vision Board Struggles to focus on firm direction in second meeting: The second GMUSD vision board meeting was big on identifying lofty aspirations for TRSU district schools but could not agree on a singular focus for moving forward next week when the finance committee joins the group to begin working on the specifics for a revised budget. In spite of a letter from Cavendish parent Christine Balch being read aloud, outlining her vision for student opportunities (STEM, language immersion, agricultural programs) the meeting was dominated by Two Rivers Supervisory Union (TRSU) Curriculum Director, Michael Eppolito, whose process did not bring about any conclusions. As board chair Marilyn Mahusky noted, “until we can understand some of these bigger ideas, vision, and then compare it against what we’re doing, we’re not ever going to be able to figure out where we’re going.” VT Journal
• GM Vision Panel Weighs Planning vs Acting-Act 46 opportunities seem out of reach for next school year: For the second time in a week, the group charged by the GMUSD with examining a vision for its three schools to see what added educational opportunities could be included in the next school year was instead ankle deep in paper provided by the supervisory union. Once again, as in the previous meeting, the discussion was a struggle between what can be done to fulfill some of the educational opportunities promised in the Act 46 merger of Green Mountain High and Cavendish Town and Chester-Andover elementary schools into GMUSD and a more academic exploration of what the vision of the school system should be and how that would inform curriculum decisions. Cavendish resident Sara Stowell remarked that “the thing that irked” her was “when Meg (Superintendent Powden) said we couldn’t afford the things in Act 46. While committee member Doug McBride has recently advocated for foreign language immersion – creating a bilingual school – the Act 46 study committee only pointed toward basic foreign language instruction in elementary schools. Nevertheless, fellow board members and administrators spoke specifically against McBride’s suggestion as if it were on the table and never mentioning the full-time Spanish teaching position that had been. Chester Telegraph
• Why voters rejected the GMUSD BUDGET “Why did you vote against the GMUSD Budget?” was a question posed in two online venues. Out of 183 people who responded to The Chester Telegraph Poll, the results were as follows:
• A lack of transparency (50 votes)
• Staffing choices during the process: Cuts to nurses, added administrators (48 votes)
• Budget did not contain the promised educational opportunities for children (41 votes)
• Did not save money promised by Act 46 (37 votes)
Two comments were provided:
• State offered to provide health care for all teachers and purchasing power of the whole state. Teachers union rejected it. They don’t want to lose power? Many jobs don’t even offer HC, so they should be glad to have it. Well, do they want to lose more people from the state and have less kids? My taxes have doubled in eight years. I cannot afford that. And many can’t either. The state is at negative growth now. They are all too ‘good ole boy’ small town nonsense and don’t want to abrogate power. Well, then they just have to get over it.
• We do not have confidence in the superintendent’s willingness to cut admin costs while increasing educational opportunities. The Supervisory Union and its Admin costs should be cut across the board. Her actions thus far indicate that she is out of touch and not putting the students first. A raise for herself? Really?
Cavendish Connects Facebook page had two user comment on why they voted against the GMUSD, both called for the closure of the TRSU.
The next meeting of the Vision Committee, which will be with the Finance Committee, is on Monday April 9, 5:30 p.m. at the Chester Andover Elementary School Library.
3. CAVENDISH LIBRARY EVENTS: The Cavendish Fletcher Community Library presents "Books Beyond Bedtime" a free, family friendly, hands-on literacy event and live animal show at the Cavendish Town Elementary School on Saturday, April 7 from 1:00-4:00. Activities include cooking, book making, giveaways and an animal show by Wildlife Encounters. Please contact Kata at 226-7503 for more information.
The Library celebrates the finale of its year-long Rural Libraries Program, in partnership with the Children's Literacy Foundation (CLiF), with a fun storytelling event with John Churchman and his dogs, of the Sweet Pea and Friends series about life on the farm. John and his furry friends will visit the library at 11:00 for pre-schoolers and then visit kindergartners through 6th graders at the Cavendish School. All children in attendance will be able to choose two new books to keep.
This event concludes the library's year-long Rural Libraries program, which brings authors, illustrators, and storytellers to local children, along with new books for the library and school, and two new books for each child at each storytelling event. The Children's Literacy Foundation's mission is to nurture a love of reading and writing among low-income, at-risk, and rural kids up to age twelve in VT and NH.
4. EVENTS
APRIL 7 (SATURDAY): Books beyond Bedtime, live animal show and literacy event at CTES 1-4 pm.
APRIL 9 (MONDAY): GMUSD Vision & Finance Committees, 5:30 pm at the Chester Andover Elementary School
APRIL 10 (TUESDAY): GMUSD Finance Committee, 5-5:30 at the Chester Andover Elementary School
APRIL 11 (WEDNESDAY): Meet the Finalists night for the CTES Interim Principal, 6:30 pm at CTES
APRIL 12 (THURSDAY): TRSU Executive Committee 5:30-6:00 CTES; TRSU Full Board Meeting 6:00-7:30 in the CTES multi purpose room
For information on upcoming events, go to the Cavendish Connects Calendar. For area events, check the Okemo Valley Chamber of Commerce calendar.