Picking out the annual Halloween costume for your children can be more difficult than finding your grandmother a classy Christmas gift at Wal-Mart.
Take our older boy Timmy Junior, 4, for instance. He initially expressed interest in being a simple ghost – the scary kind, not friendly Casper mind you. That’s easy: a white bed linen, some face paint, and a hood instead of shelling out $40 at I-Party for basically them same thing.
Then, Junior’s mind started dancing. His costume ideas went wild, including anything from transformers, race car driver and Handy Manny to Mader from the movie “Cars”, firefighter, and alien.
Our younger Chris is also dressing up this year, but he’s two. He’ll wear what we want him to wear. He could be a bad banana and he wouldn’t know the difference.
Timmy’s a bit different, to say the least. Every time he got a new costume idea in his head, he would spend the night and the next acting out all of its manifestations. This little fella loves Halloween.
The challenge is my darling wife does not like Halloween, which I find odd given her entire family hosted some of the most famous of all Halloween scare parties while growing up in Spencer. Perhaps she just got burnt out. Her mom still dresses full regalia like a witch every Halloween, sitting on the front porch handing out candy.
Anyways, the night before Halloween festivities commenced – four days before the actual holiday – we still had no costumes for either child. My wife had this grandiose idea to convert old boxes kicking around the house into the tow-truck named Mader, and after I gathered them all up, she changed her mind. Too many paper cuts and how ever would Timmy navigate pre-school and playgroups wearing this giant box? Now I have all these boxes that I don’t know what to do with.
So I finally put my foot down on the eve before Timmy’s first of many Halloween parties. I wisped the family into the truck and drove to Wal-Mart, a sure bet for something cheap and manageable.
Well, Wal-Mart was picked cleaned of needed sizes, and all that remained that would fit were attack force Delta type costumes, which my lovely wife refuses to purchase.
So, in the end, the store my wife visited with Timmy two weeks earlier we ended up back in – on deadline. Timmy found a ghost costume for $12, not bad, and Chris got his how so ever cute dinosaur outfit. Thank goodness.
Now if we can just get Chris to keep the dinosaur head on him. He just keeps ripping it off, so daddy decided to wear it for him instead.

By Melissa Fales
Reporter
mfales@turley.com

Moment of silence

At the start of their Nov. 4 meeting, the School Committee observed a moment of silence in memory of committee member Kara Brown’s husband, Aaron, who died Nov. 2 from injuries he sustained in a motor vehicle accident on Oct. 31.

Cell phone use to remain prohibited on school buses

The committee met with Paula Crowther, a representative of First Student bus company, regarding the district’s policy banning cell phone use on school buses. The committee has been reviewing this policy since concerned parent Paul Morris questioned whether asking bus drivers to enforce it took their attention away from the road at the risk of student safety.
Crowther said that Ware’s approach to student cell phone use is not unique. To her knowledge, none of the other local towns First Student services, including Granby, Belchertown and the Pathfinder district, allow cell phone use on school buses. Committee member Danielle Souza said that times are changing and with cell phone use so widespread, parents expect to be able to reach their children at all times. Committee member Brian Winslow said that even the longest student bus ride is only 45 minutes long. He said there is no reason for students to be on their cell phones, pointing out that the district’s policy is that all changes to student drop off locations have to be in writing, in advance, through the school. Committee member Aaron Sawabi said he wanted First Student to understand that the school district doesn’t expect bus drivers to enforce the policy in any way that would jeopardize the students’ safety. “They need to focus on driving,” said Sawabi.
Superintendent Mary-Elizabeth Beach asked First Student to post a sign on the bus stating that the use of cell phones, MP3 players, and cameras is not allowed. Students caught using any of these devices will simply be written up. It will then be up to their school principal to determine the consequence, just as it would be if they were found misbehaving on the bus in any other way. Beach asked bus drivers to be consistent as possible. “If you see the phone, give them the ticket,” she said.
A notice will go out to parents with report cards on November 9 reminding them of the district’s cell phone policy.

Principals present information on the Growth Model

The principals of the three district schools presented information on a new method educators are using to assess student MCAS scores. The Growth Model is a way to measure individual student progress on the standardized tests by tracking their numerical scores from one year to the next. Some benefits of using the Growth Model are that it helps educators identify strengths and weaknesses, it highlight areas where extra help might be needed, and shows how the same group of students performs over time. Beach said the state has put the Growth Model in place in answer to the No Child Left Behind mandate to have multiple methods of evaluating the test data. For more information on the Growth Model visit www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/growth.

Order Thanksgiving rolls now

By popular demand, the Stanley M. Koziol Elementary School cafeteria staff will once again make their dinner rolls available for Thanksgiving meals. The cost is $5 for a pan of 16 rolls, with all proceeds going to the Ware’s Christmas for Kids fund. To order, call the SMK cafeteria at 967-5248 between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. by Wednesday, Nov. 18. The rolls will be available for pick-up on Wednesday, Nov. 25 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.

EDITORIAL (OPINION)

Most public school policies in our region state that cell phones are not to be used during normal school hours, and school hours typically include the time when students board busses until they exit.
Cell phone use on school buses, however, is an interesting issue to re-explore, as the Ware School Committee now finds itself exercising. As technology continues to advance, the various uses of cell phones aren’t just limited to talking.
Students now enjoy a multitude of screen options, including text messaging each other, composing prose, posting and sharing photos and artwork, searching and interacting with various Internet engines, blogging, capturing instantaneous video, audio and pictures, airing digital music files and radio stations, and playing endless video games. This just begins to touch the options available now and in the future – all without speaking a word on them.
The big question is where do school bus companies and school policy makers draw the line?
It is relatively easy to concede that young adults talking or using cell phones or any digital device during school classroom hours should be strictly prohibited, unless it is part of a curriculum lesson plan. They are too distracting to the student who is there to learn, and also to their peers and ultimately teachers.
The same argument can be made for school bus drivers. If 20 of the 40 children sitting on a bus are talking on a cell phone, it certainly can mess with a driver’s focus on what’s ahead of them instead of what’s behind. Moreover, at what age do you cutoff any technical use of cell phones? We see grammar school kids carrying them around now texting friends.
The so-called gray area always enters the picture with policy development and revision. Kids will always manipulate loopholes in rules. It is relatively easy to enforce a no-cell-phone use stanza like Ware’s through use of bus video and better parent and driver awareness. The challenge is controlling all of the other uses digital devices present. Snapping and distributing instant pictures of a student riding a bus whose parents have not signed a privacy release waiver form could potentially pose a significant legal and safety issue for a school district and the family.
Likewise, sharing insensitive or disparaging images or music can alarm some. Allowing any cell phone use heightens security concerns of possible theft and then perhaps financial liability for that crime.
A point was made during a recent Ware School Committee meeting that before the advent of cell phone texting, students traded baseball cards around and the like. It is a good point and actually demonstrates how technology continues to evolve. Phone cameras and Internet browsers are like a new form of the flashy color baseball card.
That said, school bus is an extension of school. Kids talking on cell phones does constitute a distraction and area school committees should double check their own stanzas to clearly detail a cell phone use policy as relates to the existing bus company rules.
For Ware, that process begins at its next meeting on Nov. 4. Clearly, kids can’t be allowed to talk on the phone during school hours, which includes school busses.
Here’s the gray area: We don’t think banning personal digital devices will work for other cell uses like texting, and could actually perpetuate the problem, as kids seem to shun bad rules.
It’s like smoking cigarettes in school. Kids will always find a crevice to challenge our rules.

By Melissa Fales
Reporter
(mfales@turley.com)

Discussion continues re: students using cell phone on school buses

The School Committee resumed their discussion of whether or not students should be allowed to use cell phone while on school buses at their Oct. 21 meeting. The issue was initially brought up by parent Paul Morris at the committee’s Sept. 30 meeting. Morris said he understood the district’s policy that students’ time on the school bus is considered an extension of the school day, and therefore cell phone use is not permitted. However, he questioned whether the bus drivers should be the ones trying to enforce that policy on the bus at the expense of safe driving. He argued that a driver who is looking in the rear mirror trying to catch a student texting does not have their eyes on the road where they should be.
Committee member Brian Winslow said “Unless we’re going to create 2 different policies, we can’t allow cell phone use on the buses.” Winslow also said the committee should consider the future implications of any policy decision they make about cell phones, reminding them that there would always be new advances in technology to contend with.
Committee member Aaron Sawabi said that he thought the built-in cameras on many cell phones might be an issue for some. “That introduces a new element to the rules,” he said. “Some parents might not want their kids to have their pictures taken.” Chairman Christopher Desjardins pointed out that there is no ban on cameras on the bus, just cell phones.
Sawabi said before the committee can make any decision, it needs to speak with a representative from the bus company, First Student, and come to an agreement on the school district’s expectations and the company’s safety concerns. “We need to have a mutual understanding of what we expect them to do,” Sawabi said. Superintendent Mary-Elizabeth Beach said she would ask First Student to send a representative to the committee’s next meeting on Nov. 4 to discuss the issue.

Hill responds to committee discussion at last meeting

4th grade teacher Bill Hill addressed the committee regarding concerns raised at their Oct. 14 meeting about alleged inconsistencies between what 3rd grade students and their parents were told to expect in 4th grade during an open house in April and the reality they faced when school started in September.
Hill, who spoke to the parents and students at the open house, said he was not at the meeting as a spokesman for the 4th grade, but as a concerned individual. “I don’t believe I was inconsistent with my message from April to September,” he said. Hill said teachers are always looking for ways to improve the transition from Stanley M. Koziol Elementary School to Ware Middle School and admitted that the 4th grade has its own special challenges once students arrive, but said he felt the message presented to students and parents had been consistent throughout the process.
Sawabi thanked Hill and said that unless parents are willing to come forward and openly discuss their specific concerns, there is no way for the committee to address them or for teachers like Hill to consider them. Committee member Kara Brown, who had brought up the concerns about the transition into 4th grade, said she thought the committee’s discussion had “opened some doors” to make improvements for the district. Brown said she had spoken with 3rd and 4th grade teachers as well as SMK Principal Marlene DiLeo about ideas on how to better prepare students for the change and to help them adapt.

Nominations for Ware High School Athletic Hall of Fame now being accepted

Ware Middle School Principal Robert Warren announced that after an 8 year hiatus, the Ware High School Athletic Hall of Fame Committee is meeting again. He said the committee is seeking nominations from the community for worthy candidates, with the expectation that between 5 -7 alumni athletes will be honored at an induction dinner and ceremony in the spring of 2010. In order to be considered for nomination for induction in 2010, candidates must have graduated in 2004 or earlier. Nominations should include the reason why that person deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. Submit nominations to Athletic Hall of Fame Committee Chairman Michael Robidoux via the ware public school website at www.warepublicschools.com, then clicking on “sports” and his email address.

By Melissa Fales
Reporter
(mfales@turley.com)

Focused forum re: cell phone use on buses set for Oct. 21

At their Oct. 14 meeting, the Ware School Committee resumed their discussion of whether students should be allowed to use cell phones on school buses. Policy subcommittee member Kara Brown said the current cell phone policy in the student handbook is unclear. She is reviewing other school districts’ cell phone policies to see how they handle the issue.
Brown has also interviewed bus drivers, parents and teens about cell phone use on buses. Brown said the bus drivers offered several reasons against allowing it. She only found one parent who thought allowing cell phone use on buses was a bad idea. “Most of them think it’s their choice as a parent to allow their child to have a cell phone,” said Brown, adding that parents seem to like the idea that their child can reach them quickly. As for the students, “A lot of them didn’t know they weren’t allowed to text on the bus,” said Brown. At the suggestion of Superintendent Mary-Elizabeth Beach, the committee will make the issue of student cell phone use on the school bus the topic of a focused forum to be held at their next meeting, Oct. 21 at 6:30 p.m. All parents and students are invited to attend.

Committee adopts substitute nurse reimbursement

At Beach’s request, the committee voted to adopt a rate of $125 per day for the district’s substitute nurses. Beach explained that the district’s previous rate, instituted at least 2 superintendents ago, was $75 per day. However, 3 years ago the school began paying substitute nurses $125 per day with grant funds that have since run out. She said the district regularly uses the same two substitute nurses and that it’s unreasonable to expect them to now accept $50 less per day. She said other potential substitute nurses wouldn’t accept $75 per day either. She estimated that the district uses a substitute nurse between 6 and 12 days per year, adding that sometimes they are called in to assist with things like vision or scoliosis testing.

Ways to improve transitions between schools suggested

As part of their on-going discussion on how to reverse the trend of students school choicing out of the district, the committee discussed the challenges of students transitioning from elementary school into middle school and from middle school into junior high school.
Brown recounted a conversation she had with a mother of several children in the district who said she was “on the fence” about choicing out. The mother said there were “inconsistencies” between what she was told to expect when her child started Ware Middle School and what actually happened. She felt the information she received at the open house in the spring was somewhat “sugar-coated” and did not adequately prepare her or her child, particularly in terms of discipline and personal responsibility. “That jump from 3rd grade to 4th grade was enormous,” Brown said. Chairman Christopher Desjardins pointed out that there was a different Ware Middle School principal at the time of the spring open house, which might help explain some of the discrepancies.
Committee member Aaron Sawabi added that the 4th grade’s move to WMS two years ago was so recent, the school, teachers and students are still adjusting to the change. He suggested that during the open houses at all schools, the expectations could be spelled out more concretely and written down so everyone understands them.
Stanly M. Koziol Teacher Charlene Desjardins suggested that some parents coddle their children too much. She pointed out that she went through the Ware School system, going from SMK to South Street School to Church Street School without having any orientation ahead of time. “We never had a tour of the building, we never met our teachers ahead of time, yet we survived,” she said. Winslow said some of the onus to help children adapt to new expectation falls on the parents. “Transition is not all on the school,” he said. “Some of that is the parents’ responsibility.”
Beach acknowledged that transitions are a challenge and said she would work with administrators and teachers to see how they might better address them. One suggestion she had was to give the 3rd graders more homework in June to help prepare them for the heavier workload in 4th grade.

School Committee meetings now available online

Ware Community Television’s Stanley Ciukaj announced that streaming video of School Committee meetings and Ware High School football games are now available on the Ware Community Television website at www.waretv.org. The videos are also accessible on the Ware Public Schools website at www.warepublicschools.com. Ciukaj said it takes approximately 12 hours for the videos to appear online.

Recycling event raises $1600

Beach announced that the electronic recycling event held Oct. 3 was a success, with a net profit of approximately $1600 raised for the Technology Department.

Board authorized future action by dog officer if necessary

By Melissa Fales
Reporter (mfales@turley.com)

WARE – At an Oct. 6 dog hearing regarding two aggressive dogs on Laurel Drive, Dog Officer Traci Brearley ascertained that the dogs’ owner has moved out of town and taken the dogs with him. However, Brearley asked the Board of Selectmen to grant her the authority to remove and, if necessary, destroy the dogs at the owner’s expense should he move back into town with them. “These dogs are a huge safety hazard,” Brearley told the board. “They have been terrorizing the neighborhood and impeding the quality of life for the residents.”
Brearley presented copies of letters from Laurel Drive residents complaining about a pit-bull named Queen and a corgi mix named Dora owned by Jason Lazarz of 20 Laurel Drive. In the letters, neighbors allege that the dogs would sometimes bark continuously all day long. They detailed incidents where the dogs were loose, wandering the neighborhood threatening residents and other dogs. One resident wrote that the situation with the dogs “has completely gotten out of control” and suggested it was only a matter of time until the dogs seriously injured someone.
According to Brearley, the dogs had taken over the whole neighborhood to the point where children could not play outside for fear of the animals. She noted each time she was summoned to Laurel Drive with complaints about the dogs either excessively barking or running loose. Often, Lazarz was not at home and the responsibility of caring for the dogs fell to Maria Delrosario, also of 20 Laurel Drive. Brearley spoke to Delrosario and explained that even though she did not own the dogs, as their caretaker, she would be held accountable for the dogs’ actions. On one occasion when Brearley did speak to Lazarz, he indicated he would likely be leaving the area and/or getting rid of Queen.
Lazarz did not attend the hearing. Delrosario was present and told Brearley Lazarz is no longer living with her on Laurel Drive. She said she believes he has moved to Monson and taken Queen, Dora, and Dora’s five puppies with him.
Selectwoman Melissa D. Weise asked what would happen if Lazarz and the dogs return to Ware at some point in the future. According to Brearley, this is a real concern as Lazarz changes his address frequently and has lived at at least two other locations in Ware with the dogs in the past. Brearley suggested that if Lazarz and the dogs return, the only safe option would be to have the dogs removed from the town. She asked the selectmen for permission to do so and presented copies of the town by-law stating the board can grant her the authority to restrain or dispose of dogs as necessary. She said Queen would have to be euthanized because she is too aggressive to be placed in a new home. The board unanimously voted that should Lazarz return to town with Queen and Dora, the dog officer has the right to remove the dogs and dispose of them at Lazarz’s expense.
Brearley also noted she has issued 4 citations regarding the dogs for infractions including failure to vaccinate, failure to license, violation of the leash law, running at large, and having a vicious or barking dog. To date none have been paid. She told Delrosario that she is named on two of the citations, totaling $425. If those fines are not paid within 21 days, Brearley warned Delrosario she will be taken to court.

WARE TOWN HALL NOTEBOOK

Vote to accept sewer line tabled

Due to lingering contractual issues between W/S Development Company and the town, the board’s vote to accept the Lowe’s sewer line expansion was tabled once again. At the Oct. 6 Board of Selectmen’s meeting, Interim Town Manager Mary Tzambazakis said attorneys are still working on securing an easement for the town for a portion of the line on W/S Development property. Once all of the legal issues are resolved, residents will have to vote to accept the easement at Town Meeting.

Intergovernmental agreement with Hardwick a no-go

Tzambazakis announced that the proposed intergovernmental agreement to share a wastewater treatment plant operator with the town of Hardwick will not take place. She said Hardwick declined to sign the amended agreement she proposed which made the two towns equally financially responsible for the position. Selectman John A. Desmond said he thought the initial proposal favored Hardwick and offered kudos to Tzambazakis “for making sure the town is well-represented.” Tzambazakis said the town will soon be advertising for the position.

Robbie’s Place public hearing postponed

A scheduled public hearing regarding an alleged violation of the entertainment license at Robbie’s Place, 80 Pulaski Street, was postponed until a later date, yet to be determined.

Selectmen outline goals for the year

The selectmen reviewed a master list of their goals for the year, synthesizing the suggestions of the individual board members. Chairman Nancy J. Talbot suggested the board choose a few to focus on. The board agreed with Selectman William R. Braman’s assertion that developing a comprehensive master plan for the town was a major priority and their top goal. Acknowledging that it would be an expense, Selectwoman Melissa D. Weise said the town should hire an outside mediator to oversee the master plan process. “The rest of us are too close to the mountain,” she said. At Weise’s suggestion, the board agreed that finding a solution for Nenameseck Square that maintains its cultural and historical significance while ensuring the safety of the town’s residents would be a possible first step in their work on the master plan.
The board’s other goals are to focus on the town’s fiscal year 2011 budget and to review and begin implementing the 33 recommendations that came out of the recent audit by the Department of Revenue. Talbot suggested that work on the goals be regularly listed on meeting agendas, so as to keep the board on task.

Town Hall to be used for Christmas decoration prep, Holiday Flair in Ware

The board approved the use of the Town Hall’s Great Hall for Christmas decoration prep and for visits with Santa during Holiday Flair in Ware. Holiday Decorating Committee member Peter Harder said some 75 Christmas trees and other decorations need some overhauling before they can be displayed. Work on the decorations will take place over the course of a few weeks. He also asked for permission to use the municipal bucket truck to hang the decorations around town.
Holiday Flair in Ware Committee member Sue LaBarge said Holiday Flair in Ware will be held on the evening of Nov. 27, the Friday after Thanksgiving. She said Santa’s spot in Veterans’ Park last year “was cold and crowded” and suggested putting Santa in the Great Hall, where children would be warmer while they waited for their turn to sit on his lap.
Talbot raised the question of liability should someone get hurt or property get damaged during these two activities. Braman said since the Holiday Decorating Committee is appointed by the board and Holiday Flair in Ware is a town event, both activities would be covered under the town’s insurance policy. The board voted to approve the use of the Town Hall for both activities and to waive the fee in both cases.

Ware Community Television now has streaming video

Braman announced an additional service now offered by Ware Community Television. Select archived programs of town events, including selectmen’s meetings, school committee meetings and Ware High School football games, are now available for viewing online by visiting www.waretv.org and clicking on “streaming video.”

By Melissa Fales
Reporter
mfales@turley.com

Citizen warns of H1N1 vaccination risks

Resident David Kopacz appeared at the Sept. 30 School Committee meeting to discuss the survey the district sent out asking parents if they would want their children to receive H1N1 vaccinations if they were offered at the school. Kopacz outlined concerns he has about the vaccinations and said the public should understand all of the risks associated with the vaccine before making that decision. “I’m not here to tell people not to vaccinate, I’m here to advocate for fully-informed consent,” Kopacz said.
Kopacz has followed the H1N1 coverage in the media and attended a seminar held by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) about the virus. He said the CDC and the United States Food and Drug Administration have granted preapproval for the vaccination and he questioned the safety risks of lowering the standards for its testing in order to meet expected demand. Kopacz also questioned a possible link to autism with the number of vaccines today’s schoolchildren already receive.
Superintendent Mary-Elizabeth Beach explained that the purpose of the survey was to get a sense of how many vaccines might be needed, not for parents to grant consent for their children to be vaccinated.
Kopacz asked the school committee to re-issue the survey with information he has about the governmental testing and the additives found within the vaccine.
Chairman Christopher Desjardins asked Kopacz to forward his information to the central office so the school committee can review it.

Parent questions policy against student cell phone use on school buses

Paul Morris, a parent of Ware School District students, raised his concern about the district’s policy forbidding students to use cell phones on school buses. He said bus drivers are attempting to enforce the policy at the risk of the safety of the students. “It takes their attention away from the road where it needs to be,” Morris said.
Beach explained the district handbook says students are not allowed to use cell phones during the school day, which is defined as from when the student steps on the bus in the morning until they step off the school bus in the afternoon. Morris agreed it would be inappropriate for students to use cell phones while in school, but thought it was harmless for students to use cell phones on the bus. He said most students aren’t talking on cell phones, but holding the devices in their laps and texting, making it difficult for bus drivers to see who is using them. Morris said a bus driver looking in the rear-view mirror trying to catch students texting is not driving safely. “Is it worth it?” Morris asked.
Desjardins questioned why cell phones are forbidden on buses. He noted the use of MP3 players is allowed, and said if the concern is that students with cell phones won’t be paying attention in the event of an emergency, students listening to MP3 players would be even less likely to hear emergency instructions.
Committee member Kara Brown suggested reasonable cell phone use should be allowed and if students abuse the privilege, they should be disciplined as with any other bus conduct issue. Committee member Brian Winslow said the district needs to define what reasonable cell phone use is.
The policy subcommittee will revisit the policy and contact the bus company for its input.

2nd Annual Electronic and Appliance Recycling Fundraiser

Beach reminded all residents that the district’s 2nd Annual Electronic and Appliance Recycling Fundraiser will be held this Saturday, Oct. 3 in the lower parking lot of Ware Junior/Senior High School from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., rain or shine. The slogan for the event is “If it has a plug, recycle it.” Fees range from $2 for small appliances such as toasters to $15 for larger appliances such as stoves and refrigerators. All proceeds benefit the Technology Department. Ware High School football players will be on hand to help unload heavy items. Any senior citizen who has an item or items they would like to recycle should call the superintendent’s office at 967-4271 to make arrangements to have their items picked up.

By Melissa Fales
Reporter (mfales@turley.com)

WARE – Effective immediately, a grade of 64 or less is a failing grade at all schools in the Ware School District. The School Committee met Sept. 23 to vote on the matter. While a 65 has always been the minimum passing grade at Ware Junior Senior High School, at the start of the school year the lowest passing grade at Ware Middle School (WMS) was a 60.
The decision to raise that number to 65 was made in an effort to have consistency in the grading process throughout the district. The impact trickles down to Stanley M. Koziol Elementary School (SMK) where students don’t earn letter grades, but teachers will still need to adjust their grading process accordingly. “It’s important for us to get this passing grade established now because the clock is ticking,” said Chairman Christopher Desjardins.
The issue of what should constitute a failing grade first came before the committee in August when they briefly considered lowering the passing grade at the high school from a 65 to a 60 in order to keep the grades in line with other area school districts. The committee ultimately decided that they didn’t want to lower the district’s expectations and academic standards in order to conform to what the other districts were doing.
During the discussion at the committee’s Sept. 2 meeting, it came to light that the passing grade at WMS was a 60. Despite the committee’s desire to have consistency between the schools, there was some concern about whether or not it was appropriate to change the established grading standards after the school year had already begun. At the suggestion of Superintendent Mary-Elizabeth Beach, the committee opted to use the WMS open house on Sept. 17 as an opportunity to speak with parents and staff about changing the lowest passing grade now or whether to wait for the next school year.
School Committee member Kara Brown said those questioned were very receptive to the idea. “Not one teacher or parent we spoke to at the open house was against changing the minimum passing grade to 65 immediately,” Brown said. Brown also said WMS Principal Robert Warren is on board with the decision to raise the passing grade.
At the meeting on Sept. 23, Kara Brown presented the table of letter grades and their corresponding numerical grades which is currently in use at the high school. According to the table, a student receiving a numerical grade between 65 and 69 receives a letter grade of D and a student receiving a numerical grade below 65 receives an F. The committee voted unanimously to approve the table for all district schools. The teachers at SMK who use a grading system of 1,2,3,4 will use the table as the basis for the rubric they use to determine their students’ grades.
Brown added that although tests and assignments have already been graded during the first few weeks of school, teachers have not yet entered any grades into the computer system that prepares report cards. When those grades are entered into the computer, any previously earned marks in the 60 to 64 range, considered passing grades at the time, will be entered into the system as a 65.

By Melissa Fales
Reporter (mfales@turley.com)

WARE – An additional afternoon bus will be added to accommodate the students from Stanley M. Koziol Elementary School and Ware Middle School who are dropped off at 4 popular day care facilities in town. At the Sept. 16 School Committee meeting, Chairman Christopher Desjardins announced that arrangements have been made for the approximately 37 students who go to day care sites on Mountain View Drive, Coffey Hill Road, Monson Turnpike Road and Malboeuf Road in the afternoon to all ride together on a separate bus.
The bus is the committee’s solution to the district’s problem of bus overcrowding. At their Sept. 2 meeting, the committee acknowledged that the 75 new students who enrolled the district this school year do play a factor in the dilemma. However, because the 75 students are spread out across town, First Student was able to accommodate them without the need for an additional bus. When planning the bus routes for the year, First Student assumes round trip transportation from a student’s home to school.
The overcrowding became a problem on certain routes in the afternoon because parents asked for their children to be dropped off at day care facilities instead of at home. This led to additional students riding on buses that traveled by popular day cares.
The committee discussed the option of holding a lottery for the extra seats on those buses once all of the students who lived on that route had a guaranteed seat. However, it was unclear what would happen to those students who did not get a spot on the bus and how that would affect their families. Desjardins said the committee realized they needed to find an answer that would fit the needs of today’s working parents. “We spent the last 2 weeks trying to come up with a solution for this,” he said. “We can’t just expect people to change their work plans all of a sudden.”
Following conversations with First Student about how to tackle the problem, Desjardins said they decided to target 4 day care centers in town and add one bus to service those sites. The bus will hold 40 students, allowing for the possibility of others being added to the route.
Since the town is struggling with a budget deficit, and it’s the town that pays for the school district’s transportation, the committee initially thought adding an additional bus would be cost prohibitive. However, it appears that the additional bus will have a net cost to the town of only $1260.72. Desjardins explained that the bus will travel 22 miles per day for the remaining 168 days in the school year. The town is billed $2.695 per mile, for a total of $9960.72. However, First Student owes the town a $2700 fuel credit leftover from fiscal year 2009 which put in place during times of higher gas prices. The additional $6000 will come from a fuel tax savings that will be realized once the school district, rather than the bus company, begins purchasing the fuel for the buses. Because the school district doesn’t pay the state fuel tax on the gas, there will be a significant savings. Interim Town Manager Mary Tzambazakis has agreed that the remaining $1260.72 can be absorbed by the amount the town has already budgeted for school transportation. Desjardins said that when the bus contracts are sent out to bid in the future, they will include the additional bus.
The district is also reminding parents to follow the new procedure and give 3 days notice for any anticipated change to a drop-off location. SMK Principal Marlene DiLeo said too often parents are calling the school at 3 p.m. requesting a change to a drop-off location, leaving the school scrambling. Desjardins said parents don’t understand how complicated a small change can be. For a student to be dropped off at a different spot, the school needs to notify the bus company. The school also needs to pass on the name of the adult who will be picking up the child at the bus stop. “We will never leave a child at a bus stop with a person we don’t have a name for,” said Di Leo. When requesting a change to a drop-off location, parents are reminded to include all of the information requested on the form that went home with each student on the first day of school. At Desjardins’ suggestion, Superintendent Mary-Elizabeth Beach will look into having the form available on the district website.
Beach said the school district and First Student will continue to work together to evaluate transportation needs as the school year goes on. “We care about the students’ welfare and safety and we’re doing everything we can to make this work,” Beach said.

To the Editor:

I am heartened by the recent public outcry at town hall meetings across the country by people opposed to the government’s plan to take over the health care industry. We currently have a $1.8 trillion budget deficit, yet our leaders in Washington wish us to concede to their desire to spend another $1.5 trillion and construct a socialized medicine plan.
Our new president and his supporters have demonized doctors, the pharmaceutical industry, and insurance companies. It is not surprising that now the White House has a website that encourages its followers to inform on opponents to the proposed Big Brother health care plan even if they hear people talking against it through casual conversation.
The United States has the best health care in the world. Most Americans don’t want to pay for abortions. They want to choose their own doctor, keep their own private health insurance, and not see rationing.
Obamacare would cause a huge reduction in the quality and affordability of health care. It would increase the federal role in telling doctors and hospitals what constitutes appropriated medical practice. The government would seek direct control of our personal finances and decide whether old people should live or die. A great deal of our freedom and liberty would be surrendered to a much more powerful government that would yield greater authority over our personal decisions.
I again applaud those who have refused to accept the lies of our ruling class and their bold attempt to expand raw political power.

Jim Stafford
Hardwick