Tuesday, January 06, 2015
News to Know December 3, 2014
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This
communication is put together and distributed on a volunteer basis by resident
Corinne Stridsberg simply in an effort to share information and build
community, it is not from the town of Berlin
Please share this
with your Berlin
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NOTES:
MEETINGS TONIGHT & NEXT WEEK
REGARDING BUDGETS - SEE BELOW
One last reminder about
the River of Light Lantern Parade Waterbury 5pm sharp.
Details and photos here: https://ariveroflightinwaterbury.wordpress.com/
You don't have to have a
facebook account to access the Berlin , Vermont
Below you will find:
GOOD NEWS
WCSU BUDGET TO BE PRESENTED FOR ADOPTION 12/3/14
U-32 PUBLIC BUDGET FORUM WED. 12/3/14
BERLIN
BERLIN BUSINESS / PROPERTY OWNERS
ALONG US ROUTE 302:
U-32 COMMUNITY
SUBSTANCE AWARENESS TRAINING
VT-ALERT - FREE SIGN-UP FOR WARNINGS AND EMERGENCY INFORMATION
LOCAL
EMERGENCY SITUATION NOTIFICATIONS
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GOOD
NEWS
Looking for some good news? There are places
that focus on just that!! http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/
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BERLIN
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WCSU
BUDGET TO BE PRESENTED FOR ADOPTION 12/3/14
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U-32
PUBLIC BUDGET FORUM WED. 12/3/14
Greetings from your U-32 School Board of Directors. In November we mourned the tragic loss of a student, senior Joey Laquerre ofEast Montpelier . Our sympathies and best wishes go out to Joey’s loved ones.
The Board has revised the school’s weapons policies so that no knives are allowed in our school; there is no longer an exception for knives with smaller blades. This should provide needed clarity and help our school be safe for everyone.
Also, this month we held our first forum to discuss the 2015-16 school budget. About a dozen attendees heard about our first draft budget which limits expenses to approximately 2% increase over the current year. Unfortunately we are facing a reduction of an estimated 19 tuition-paying students (coming from beyond our five towns) and associated revenue, forcing us to have to consider additional cost reductions. Drafts of all school budgets are posted at www.wcsuonline.org.
We know that property tax rates are a major concern and we want to hear from you about priorities as we shape our school budget. The next budget forum will be7:00pm December 3rd at U-32. You are welcome to join us at 6:00 that night for a Supervisory Union
full board meeting where there will be consideration of the SU budget and early
results from an efficiency audit being conducted to identify opportunities to
save money across our six schools.
Happy Thanksgiving from the U-32 Board!
Adrienne Magida vtmagida@aol.com
U-32 School Board Chair
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U-32 Budget Draft 1: http://wcsuonline.org/images/stories/u32%20draft%201.pdf
Greetings from your U-32 School Board of Directors. In November we mourned the tragic loss of a student, senior Joey Laquerre of
The Board has revised the school’s weapons policies so that no knives are allowed in our school; there is no longer an exception for knives with smaller blades. This should provide needed clarity and help our school be safe for everyone.
Also, this month we held our first forum to discuss the 2015-16 school budget. About a dozen attendees heard about our first draft budget which limits expenses to approximately 2% increase over the current year. Unfortunately we are facing a reduction of an estimated 19 tuition-paying students (coming from beyond our five towns) and associated revenue, forcing us to have to consider additional cost reductions. Drafts of all school budgets are posted at www.wcsuonline.org.
We know that property tax rates are a major concern and we want to hear from you about priorities as we shape our school budget. The next budget forum will be
Happy Thanksgiving from the U-32 Board!
Adrienne Magida vtmagida@aol.com
U-32 School Board Chair
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U-32 Budget Draft 1: http://wcsuonline.org/images/stories/u32%20draft%201.pdf
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BERLIN MONTESSORI SCHOOL
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The Montessori School of
Central Vermont observed what’s become a Thanksgiving tradition of serving
“stone soup.”
The folk story of stone soup tells of hungry travelers who come to a village. No one in the village is willing to share food with the strangers. The travelers respond by telling the villagers they will teach them how to make soup out of stones. One by one, villagers make an offering to the soup of various ingredients until a feast is born.
At the Montessori school inBerlin
School Administrator Lana Bodach-Turner said the lesson is that when everyone contributes even just a little, something bigger can be created.
The folk story of stone soup tells of hungry travelers who come to a village. No one in the village is willing to share food with the strangers. The travelers respond by telling the villagers they will teach them how to make soup out of stones. One by one, villagers make an offering to the soup of various ingredients until a feast is born.
At the Montessori school in
School Administrator Lana Bodach-Turner said the lesson is that when everyone contributes even just a little, something bigger can be created.
http://www.mscvt.org/
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It's a busy time
of year. The second draft of the school
budget which will be voted on at Town Meeting will be reviewed at the School
Board Meeting at Berlin Elementary School 6:15pm .
This meeting will be a community budget forum with hopes that folks will
turn out to hear this second draft of the budget be presented and then offer
input. Please take time from your busy
schedule to attend.
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BES Budget Draft
1: http://wcsuonline.org/images/stories/Berlin%20draft%201.pdf
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Of note, the
next time the Berlin Elementary School Board meets is on Wednesday, December
3rd as part of the Full Board Meeting at U-32 and following that the Berlin
Board will meet regarding their Work Plan.
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Draft minutes
from November:
http://berlinschool.org/images/SB%20Draft%20Minutes%2011-10-14.pdf
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School Board
Member Contact information:
http://berlinschool.org/index.php?option=com_contact&view=category&catid=40&Itemid=81
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BERLIN BUSINESS / PROPERTY OWNERS ALONG US ROUTE 302:
Berlin business/property owners along
Rte 302 are invited to attend a meeting with the Berlin Economic Development
Committee (BEDC) on Wednesday, December 10th from 8:00AM to 10:00 AM at the CV
Chamber of Commerce. Invitations are going out Thursday, December 4th
to these business/property owners, but the meeting is open to all business/property
owners in Town. The purpose of the
meeting is three-fold: To present the current status of the proposed bike path
along US Route 302 with presentations from Jon Kaplan,
VTrans, and Bob Wernecke, Berlin. Steve Gladczuk from Central VT Regional
Planning will also be on hand to talk about the Central VT Bike Path.
Second, the BEDC will update property/business owners on what is going on
in Town from an economic development standpoint, and third, the BEDC would like
to hear from attendees what their issues and concerns are and how the Town
might be able to make things easier for them to succeed and potentially
grow. Reservations strongly encouraged by calling Pat McDonald, Chair of
the BEDC at 802-371-7080 and Dana Hadley, Town Administrator at
802-552-8801. Coffee and Danish will be
served.
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U-32 COMMUNITY SUBSTANCE AWARENESS TRAINING
Parent Group
meeting Thursday, December 11th at 6:30pm -
this month the meeting is part of
a series of sessions U-32 is holding about healthy decision-making around
alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD) for middle school students. Debby Haskins will be working with groups of
students during the day and then holding this evening session that parents and
the public are welcome to attend. As
incentive to encourage evening attendance, a
drawing will be held for attendees, with a $25 gas card being offered by
Central Vermont New Directions Coalition, and a $25 gift card to Bear Pond
Books proved by U-32.
~
About the
presenter: Debby Haskins has a Master's in Counseling and is licensed as an
Alcohol & Drug Abuse Counselor with 23 years of experience. Currently, she is the Executive Director of
the Association of Student Assistance Professionals of Vermont (ASAP of Vermont Vermont Central Vermont .
Her passion is working with adolescents and their families in breaking
the cycle of addition. Her years of
experience as a coach, parent, and teacher guarantee an interesting,
informative, lively, and experiential presentation.
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VT-ALERT - FREE SIGN-UP FOR WARNINGS AND EMERGENCY INFORMATION
Are you signed up for VT-Alert?
By doing so you can receive warnings and emergency information via the web,
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LOCAL EMERGENCY SITUATION
NOTIFICATIONS
The Berlin Emergency Management Team has an email group to better keep you informed on emergency situations and dangers facing the town. To join this list click on http://groups.google.com/group/berlin-emergency-management/and click on “Join group” blue button.
The Berlin Emergency Management Team has an email group to better keep you informed on emergency situations and dangers facing the town. To join this list click on http://groups.google.com/group/berlin-emergency-management/and click on “Join group” blue button.
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# posted by Corinne's blog of Berlin and area happenings @ 7:43 PM 
