Cavendish Update: 5/31/13 Help 1st Responders/News

Information can also be posted on the Cavendish VT Facebook Page 

The Cavendish Update for 5/31/13 Contains the Following:

1. Special Notice: Make Sure Emergency Responders Can Find You

2. Cavendish Related News

3. Cavendish Town Elementary School (CTES) News

4. Cavendish Historical Society (CHS) News

5. Don Dawson at Glimmerstone June 7

6. Events

1. SPECIAL NOTICE: MAKE SURE EMERGENCY RESPONDERS CAN FIND YOU

This week, representatives from Ludlow Ambulance made a request that Cavendish residents-whether in a village or more rural setting-properly identify their house. Recently, there was an issue where they had difficulty finding a patient because there were no house numbers visibly displayed. In emergency situations, where a matter of minutes can make the difference, it is critical that  emergency responders can easily see your address.

Even though we’re a small town, those working for Ludlow Ambulance don’t necessarily know the roads,  let alone who someone is or where they may live or have been injured. To give first responders the best chance of finding your home:

• Know your house number. If you don’t know it, call the town office 226-7292.

• Use reflective numbers so they can be seen at night from a distance.

• Use numbers at least 4 inches high. Do not spell out the number or use italic fonts.

• If the home is set-back from the roadway, numbers should be larger and/or posted additionally on a mailbox or fence post visible to the street.

• Check your visibility by going out at night and driving by your house. Can you easily read your house number? Can a passenger read the number?

Put yourself in the position of a responder that may not know your street or neighborhood and see if you can make it easier for them. This truly can make the difference between life and death.

2. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS

In Comes the Flood, and Up Goes a Great BigWall: Small town, big heart. Cavendish took a nasty hit from Tropical Storm Irene in August 2011. But when it was over, and the devastation observed, the 1,400 residents just put on their work gloves and set out to restore their town. Of particular importance to the community was Greven Field, where kids growing up spent most of their spare time playing baseball and dreaming of bigger things. Valley News 5/21/13 

Habitat for HumanityNow Accepting Home Applications: The Greater Springfield Vermont Habitat for Humanity is accepting applications for a three-bedroom home that will be available in the Springfield area soon. Completed applications must be received by May 31. Applicants must show a specific need for decent affordable housing, have a family income of no more than 60 percent of the country’s Housing and Urban Development median income and no less than 45 percent according to the size of the family. They must be a family that has lived, worked or worshiped in the towns of Andover, Baltimore, Chester, Cavendish, Grafton, Ludlow, Springfield, Weston, Weathersfield and Rockingham for the past year. Rutland Herald 

TwoRivers SU To Move to Fletcher Farm House: The merger of the Windsor Southwest Supervisory Union, of which Cavendish is a member, has merged with the Rutland-Windsor Supervisory Union (Ludlow, Mt. Holly, Plymouth) to form the Two Rivers Supervisory Union (TRSU). This change has necessitated a need for new office space. Business operations at the new supervisory union office, Fletcher Farm, 611 Route 103 in Ludlow (across from the Fletcher Farms athletic fields) will begin on July 1. Telegraph 

ProctorsvilleAuthor Publishes “Letters to My First Love:” Camille L. Latreille is a corporate executive with a passion for writing. Born in Canada and now residing in the United States, Camille makes her home in New York City and Cavendish, Vermont. Her new book has been released by Dorrance Publishing 

3. CAVENDISH TOWN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (CTES) NEWS

•  Agenda for the June 4 school board meeting, 5:30 pm in the multi-purpose room, has been posted to http://cavendishvt.blogspot.com/2013/05/ctes-board-meeting-agenda-for-june-4.html

• Minutes from the 4/30/13 school board meeting have been posted to http://cavendishvt.blogspot.com/2013/05/ctes-board-meeting-minutes-for-43013.html

• Celebrate Irene Pearson Day!: The staff at CTES is celebrating the retirement of school secretary Irene Pearson with a day of honor on June 5 (Wednesday).  ‘Irene Pearson Day’ will be a day filled with tributes to the many ‘hats’ Irene has worn during her 21 years at the school.  The morning will be reserved for students and staff.  The afternoon is open to the community from 2:00 to 3:00 pm.  The community is also invited to an evening reception in the CTES Art Center from 6:00 to 7:00 pm.  We hope to see as many people as can join in this celebration!

• School Nurse Leigh Dakin Retires: Leigh Dakin has been a school nurse for many years, most recently at CTES for five years.  For the past three years, Leigh has split her time between serving as a Representative in Montpelier and as our school nurse.  A reception in her honor is planned for Wednesday, June 12th, at 56 Main Street Restaurant in Springfield, starting at 4:30 PM.  Please RSVP to Mary Putnam at CTES 226-7758.  We hope you can join our celebration of Leigh’s retirement from school nursing.

4. CAVENDISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY (CHS) NEWS

• Phineas Gage Facebook Page: On Sept ember 13, 1848 Phineas Gage, a foreman, was working with his crew excavating rocks in preparing the bed for the Rutland and Burlington Railroad in Cavendish. An accidental explosion of a charge he had set blew his tamping iron through his head. It entered under the left cheek bone and exited through the top of the head. The rod, covered with brains and blood, was found approximately 30 yards from the site of the accident. Thus began the first documented case of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the medical literature.

Since Gage continues to be of interest, and is still being studied, the Cavendish Historical Society (CHS) receives many inquiries about him. To foster the international discussion about what happened to Gage in the eleven years he lived after the accident, CHS has established the Phineas Gage CavendishFacebook page.  This site is a place to continue the discussion, hopefully to obtain new information, and separate fact from fiction where possible. Be part of the discussion and “like us” at the Phineas Gage Cavendish Facebook page. Note that anyone can read the site, but you must subscribe and "like" the site in order to post. 

• Museum Opens June 2: This Sunday, June 2,  is the first day of the CHS Museum season. With so many different activities underway at CHS, not all of the exhibits have been finalized. The Museum will now be open every Sunday from 2-4 pm until Columbus weekend. Arrangements for touring exhibits can be made at other times by calling 802-226-7807 or e-mailing margoc@tds.net

• Solzhenitsyn Exhibit: To inquiries about the Solzhenitsyn exhibit, there will be a summer exhibit at the Museum this season, with the permanent exhibit at the Stone Church hopefully established by the summer of 2014. We will have the Stone Church open on July 6, as part of Summer Fest and again on July 27, as part of the Town Wide Tag Sale.

• Summer Fest: The annual plant sale will be July 6, and once again there will be a chance to get the best hosta at the lowest price in town. There will also be a sale of Gloria Leven quilts. If you are interested in booth space at this event, please contact Margo 226-7807 or margoc@tds.net as soon as possible. Space is going quickly.

5. DON DAWSON AT GLIMMERSTONE ON JUNE 7TH

Glimmerstone Mansion is now accepting reservations for our outdoor patio dining and music event scheduled for Friday, June 7th (rain date Saturday, June 8th). Dinner will include pub and fine dining menu selections. Bring your lawn chair and enjoy a live acoustic guitar performance by Don Dawson (music from the 60's to present) under the pergola. You can check out Don Dawson's music at www.AcousticDawson.com. Please call 802-554-0045 for reservations.

Our pub and fire pit will be open to the public during this event for those who do not want dinner and music.

6. EVENTS

To learn more about upcoming events in Cavendish and surrounding towns go to:

-  Events listed by month 

-  Events listed by day  

To register an event.

CTES Board Meeting Minutes for 4/30/13

Present:

Board:  Dr. Bont, Amanda Tyrell, Stuart Lindberg and Scott Ranney

Administration:  George Thomson-Principal, Linda Waite- Superintendent

Public:  LPCTV, Virginia Walsh Mack-Recording Secretary, Peggy Svec, Tracy Churchill, Michelle Lindberg, Mary Putnam and Richard Putnam

Call to order

Linda called the meeting to order at 5:37 p.m. and welcomed Scott to the board and asked for nominations for Board Chair. 

Comments from the Community: None

Approval of Minutes of February 19^th & March 4^th, 2013

Amanda made a motion to approve the minutes of February 19^th and March 4^th, 2013 as presented.  Motion approved.

Reorganization

Elect Board Chair: Stuart nominated Dr. Bont as Board Chair.  Motion approved.

Elect Board Vice-Chair: Scott nominated Stuart as Vice-Chair.  Motion approved.

Elect Board Clerk: Amanda nominated Scott as Board Clerk.  Motion approved.

Elect Supervisory Union Board Representatives: Dr. Bont will be one representative as board chair.  Dr. Bont nominated Amanda as a representative.  Motion approved.  Dr. Bont nominated Sharon as a representative.  Motion approved.

Personnel

Approval of Resignation Letter: George informed the board he received a letter from Leigh Dakin resigning as the CTES Nurse.  Amanda made a motion to accept Leigh’s letter of resignation with regret and thank her for her service at CTES.  Motion approved.    

School Nurse Contract: George recommends hiring Mary Putnam as the CTES school nurse.   Scott made a motion to hire Mary Putnam as the CTES School Nurse for the FY’14 school year at .85 FTE.  Motioned approved.

FANS Unit Report: George said the students have had a very good year and have made gains.  A bigger variety of literacy materials have been provided.  There is an opportunity for the professionals to meet daily.  They are much better able to address the diverse needs in the classroom.  Nonfiction materials have been a success.  George commended Peggy for her success with the program.  Peggy thanked Beth Walker, Connie Kendal and Kim Currier for their work in the program.

Dr. Bont asked for volunteers for the reading program.  George said they would welcome anyone who would like to come in and work with the students.  Scott asked if we should advertise.

George said the wrestling program has grown; they are very dedicated.  Two students did well at the state level.

Amanda asked about testing.  Fountas and Pennell will be used to test next week.  The students were tested in October.  There are two teachers in the classroom all day.

Two Rivers Supervisory Union Update

Linda gave the board a draft copy of the Two Rivers Supervisory Union “State of The Union” (attached).  She asked the board for questions or comments after reading the draft.

The central office will be located at the Fletcher Farm.  The next board meeting will be on May 16^th.  Stuart said he has been reading about the legislature regarding the central office roles. 

Principal’s Report

George reported CTES will be reimbursed for the entire school roof at 100%; up to $92,000.00.  The board thanked George.  This project needs to be put out to bid.  Scott made a motion to put the roof project out to bid.  Motion approved.  Linda extended huge congratulations to George for his hard work on this project.  Stuart and Scott volunteered to serve on a facilities committee.    

George handed out the budget summary and said there are no surprises. He said they are in good shape with the budget.  George has advertised for a school counselor; this is a .40 FTE position.  He hopes to have a nominee at the next meeting.  The administrative assistant to the principal position will be advertised with Irene’s retirement.  

George reported on H538 which is a bill in the state legislature dealing with small schools.  George got a message from VSBA saying the implications could possibly hurt small schools.  He went over the provisions that may reduce funds to CTES.  The bill also has a provision for a small school quality study.  Stuart said he is concerned with the possibility of having to make cuts at CTES.  Amanda urges community members to get involved.  Stuart reminded voters to look at legislator’s voting records. 

The school health index has been completed.  George said Mary was very involved with this project.  The document that was used didn’t really fit for a small school. 

NECAP assessments and MAPS testing will be taking place in the next few weeks.

Variety Show was fun.  The grade six play was well done.   PTO has been raising money for the activities at the school. Grade three will have their play at the Weston Playhouse.  The performance will be June 8^th. The sixth grade will be going to Keewaydin.

Amanda asked for the current MAPS scores to compare when completed.  George said he will bring a report with the results of the tests.  The Fountas and Pennell data has been put together.  Linda said all students made progress but with confidentiality issues she can’t share the information with the board.  Parents will get the results for their child.   

 

Superintendent Report

Linda handed out the code of ethics for the board members.  She asked the board members to read, sign, and return the form to her.

Linda reported the Support Staff will have a meeting in May to follow up on leave time.  The teacher’s contract has reached a tentative agreement.  She is waiting for the rewrite and salary schedule.  Linda gave the board copies of a special legislative bulletin.   

Other Business

This meeting was warned.  This will be K.P.’s last meeting as the LPCTV recorder.  The board thanked him for his service.

Executive Session

None

Adjournment

Scott made a motion to adjourn.  Meeting adjourned at 6:51 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Virginia M. Walsh Mack

Recording Secretary

CTES Board Meeting Agenda for June 4, 2013

The Cavendish Town Elementary School Board Meeting  will meet in the multi-purpose room on June 4, 2013 at 5:30 pm. The Agenda will be as follows:

AGENDA

1.     5:30 p.m. - Call to order

2.     5:32 p.m. – Comments from the Community

3.     5:45 p.m. - Approval of Minutes of April 30, 2013 – (Action Requested)

4.     6:05 p.m. – Personnel

a.) Nomination - Guidance Counselor – (Action Requested)

5.     6:10 p.m. - Roof Bid Award – (Action Requested)

a.) Project Financing Discussion

6.     6:20 p.m. – Two Rivers Supervisory Union Update

7.     6:30 p.m. - Principal’s Report

a.) MAP Assessment Report

8.     6:45 p.m. - Superintendent Report

9.     6:50 p.m. - Other Business

10.  6:55 p.m. - Executive Session – (if necessary)

Motion _______ Second_______ Action _______ Time ______

11.  7:00 p.m. – Adjournment

Motion _______ Second_______ Time ______

Cavendish Update 5/24/13 Summer Edition/News/Memorial Day

Information can also be posted on the Cavendish VT Facebook Page. 

The 5/24/13 Cavendish Update Contains the following

1. Summer Time in Cavendish

2. Cavendish Related News

3. Lyme Disease Prevention and Treatment

4. Japanese Knotweed Removal

5. Cavendish Memorial Day

6. BRGNS Thanks Post Office and Customers

7. Events

1. SUMMER TIME IN CAVENDISH

As Memorial Day weekend ushers in the “Summer Season,” there have been several requests for information:

• A Cavendish subscriber requested that information about Lyme Disease be posted. While gardening last summer, she received a deer tick bite, underwent a course of antibiotics and was successfully treated. See Item 3

 • The VT Agency of Natural Resources is urging those towns that were flooded by Irene to do what they can to remove Japanese Knotweed as soon as possible. See item 4

Three other items of note:

• Memorial is celebrated on May 30 in Cavendish. See item 5

• As this is vacation season, and the town is now part of the Scenic 100 By-Pass,  a Cavendish Visitor’s Guide is now available on line. Please e-mail comments and suggestions to margoc@tds.net or call 802-226-7807.

• The summer 2013 catalogue of classes at Fletcher Farm is now on line. There are classes for young artists. Note that Cavendish residents receive one class a year at half price.

2. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS

Twenty Mile Stream Burglary: On Sunday May 19, between the hours of 9:30-11:00 someone stole a toolbox out of a vehicle located on Twenty Mile Stream Road. The person robbed was Adam Blanchard. Anyone with information is asked to contact the State Police. (802)875-2112

Internment for Paul Kingsbury: The internment for Paul Kingsbury will be today Friday, May 24 at 11 am at the Cavendish Cemetery on High Street.

CTES Board Meeting Change: The Cavendish Town School Board meeting will not be held on May 21st but will be on June 4th as the roof bid will be ready to be awarded at this time.

Notice to Cavendish VT Taxpayers: Notice from the Cavendish Listers regarding grieving of tax appraisals will be on June 5 from 9 to noon and from 1-5 pm. The full notice is available on-line in the 5/22/13 Vermont Journal’s legal section. http://www.vermontjournal.com/content/notice-taxpayers

3. LYME DISEASE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT

According to the VT Department of Health (VDH), in 2011, there were over 500 reports of people with Lyme disease who were likely exposed in Vermont. Windsor County was among the counties with the highest levels in the state. May, June and July are when most infection occur.

Ticks prefer wooded and bushy areas with high grass and a lot of leaf litter, so avoid these areas when possible. To keep ticks off your skin, apply an insect repellant with 30% DEET on exposed skin and clothing when you go outdoors. Wear long pants, long sleeves and long socks. Tuck pant legs into socks or boots and shirts into pants to keep ticks on the outside of clothing. Perform routine tick checks.

Remove ticks with fine tipped tweezers. Grab the tick close to the skin. Do not twist or jerk the tick. Gently pull straight up until all parts of the tick are removed. Do not use a burnt match or swab with alcohol or petroleum jelly (Vaseline).

If a tick is attached to your skin for less than 36 hours, your chance of getting Lyme Disease is small. Symptoms-fatigue, chills and fever, muscle and joint pain, headache, swollen lymph nodes, rash-can begin three days after a tick bite, or as long as 30 days after, but usually appear within one to two weeks. If you develop symptoms, contact your health care provider.

You can be successfully treated for Lyme Disease with a course of antibiotics, particularly if it is caught shortly after infection.

To learn more: Download a copy of the VDH’s Be Tick Smart: What you should know about tick bites & LymeDisease; go to the VDH website LymeDisease in Vermont or go to the Centers forDisease Control & Preventions (CDC) Lyme Disease site.

4. JAPANESE KNOTWEED REMOVAL

Sand deposited by Tropical Storm Irene was responsible for knotweed fragments along our rivers. Knotweed can regrow from very small pieces. Digging it up now will eliminate the need for multi year management plans often requiring herbicides. Eliminate new knotweed in mere minutes, by digging up the whole plant. Dispose of plants in burn piles. The window of opportunity will close at the end of June. Start your search where the flood left debris behind and make sure you get all the roots. FMI: http://www.vtinvasives.org/invaders/japanese-knotweed

5. CAVENDISH MEMORIAL DAY

Cavendish will celebrate Memorial Day on Thursday May 30, 2013.

Ceremonies begin at 10 am at the Cavendish Town Elementary School. This year the parade will be in Cavendish Village and will end at the Cavendish Cemetery on High Street. Program schedule. 

As we remember our veterans, check out the following

• ThreeCavendish WWII veterans speaking to CTES 6th Graders

• The LastBomb-1945 US Army Air Forces Bombing Japan: Documentary about the bombing of Japan by the American military and the related activities in the Pacific Theater of Operations (PTO) during the later states of World War Two. The film focuses heavily on the B-29 bombers operated by the United States Army Air Forces 21st Bombing Command. Dr Seymour Leven, one of the veterans who spoke to the 6^th graders, was a gunner on one of the B-29 bombers that is part of this film.

6. BRGNS THANKS POST OFFICE AND CUSTOMERS

The staff, volunteers and clients of the Black River Good Neighbor Services’ food shelf extend their thanks to all who participated in the U.S. Post Office’s 2013 Stamp Out Hunger National Food Drive – the largest one-day food drive in the nation and probably in the world.

Mail carriers for each of the towns and villages that BRGNS serves, Ludlow, Cavendish, Proctorsville, Mount Holly and Plymouth, collected food along their routes on May 11^th and donated that food to BRGNS.  Those donations helped to fill shelves and will help to feed the hungry for several weeks. 

The Executive Director at BRGNS, Audrey Bridge said, “Unfortunately, we have a continuing need in the Black River Valley for the services of a food shelf, but with the generosity of citizens and the help of groups like the U.S. Postal Service we can continue successful fulfillment of our mission.”  Equally important is the donation of time by all of the wonderful volunteers who helped collect, sort and shelve the food items.  “Anyone can help, said Bridge, “just come to our thrift store at 37B Main Street, and we’ll find something for you to do.” 

7. EVENTS

This weekend is open studio in Vermont, and includes studio tours in and around Cavendish. Even though Cavendish celebrates Memorial Day on May 30, other towns will be holding events throughout the weekend. To learn more about upcoming events go to:

-       Events listed by month 

-       Events listed by day  

To register an event.