(Continued from Page 3)• In addition, this season the Symonds PTA donated gently used outerwear - coats, snow pants, boots and new books for students, and Hannaford gift cards for families in need. • The staff purchased Christmas presents for 13 students and referred five families to the Elks Holiday Giving program.Wheelock “Wheelock students collected food items for eleven Thanksgiving baskets that were donated to our families,” said school secretary Anne MacKenzie. “The PTA provided gift cards from Hannaford’s to be included in each basket.” She added that the school is doing the same for Christmas. • Students have been collecting pennies for the Red Cross drive to help victims of Hurricane Sandy, and instead of exchanging holiday gifts, students and staff will donate money to the Red Cross for Sandy relief.

• Students and staff wrote letters of support and donated items to send to U.S. troops. Keene Middle School• “Seventh grade Cluster D students are collecting Toys for Tots,” said social studies teacher Eric Stinebring. To kick start the effort each of the cluster teachers - Chris Barry, Donna Fairbanks, Guy Harrington, Rich Marcou, Eric Stinebring and Elizabeth Sylvia - donated $20 and gave each child in the cluster $1 to purchase a gift. Many of the students augmented that with their own funds. Maddie Tremblay purchased a Barbie Doll with money she earned doing chores around her home. Allison Monacelli purchased a number of items including a make your own hot wheels set. “My baby cousins are addicted to hot wheels so I thought that would make a good gift,” she said. Allison contributed money she earned cat sitting to buy that and other gifts. Sean Corrigan,

with help from his parents bought a football. “I like to toss around a football so thought some other kid might like to too,” he said. Last year Mr. Stinebring said the cluster donated 230 toys and hopes to do the same or more this year. “Our original donation of $1 to each student is multiplied many times over,” he said. “The gifts selected are sure to be enjoyed by the children who receive them.” • Special Education teacher Marianne Lavatori spearheaded a clothing collection for Linda’s Closet, which provides clothing to women who need professional clothing to enter the workforce. Cheshire Career Center • Eileen Holmes, chair of the Health and Human Services Department said, “For the 7th year in a row, students in Deba Robarge’s Seasonal Foods class completed their community service by preparing a donation for Thanksgiving dinner at Keene’s Community Kitchen. Students baked 17 loaves of pumpkin bread and 21 pumpkin pies for their holiday meal. • “Students made over 90 hats to be given to area schools. They also made stockings and gift bags for homeless shelters, and shopped for 6-8 children in need this Christmas,” Mrs. Holmes said.Keene High School • “The National Honor Society is hosting its annual Christmas party for RISE for baby and family at the United Church of Christ,” reports adviser Amy Chapman. “Students will help set up, serve food, sing carols, and make cookies,” she notes. • Patrick Lagace, adviser to the Keene High School Student Council & Renaissance Club, said, “This amazing group of young people baked tons of desserts and helped work a booth at

The spirit of giving abounds in Keene schools

the Pumpkin Fest to help raise money for the David Hudgik foundation. They also went shopping and bought all the fixings to provide four families in need a full Thanksgiving dinner. In addition they fund-raised and donated $1,000 to help fund the Disney trip for the KHS Communication Collaborative. This month they went to a local retirement home and made gingerbread houses with some of our elderly residents. We are

truly blessed to work with such amazing young people.” • Social studies teacher Peg Ransom notes, that for the sixth year, teachers bought holiday cards, which they have students in their class “sign and write messages of thanks, gratitude and support to our military.” She said the cards are collected by the Red Cross and distributed to active and military veterans. “This year about 120 cards were signed by about 475 students!”

Fuller School Student Council, under the guidance of advisers Linda O’Connor and Tom Sullivan, made posters to bring holiday cheer to residents at the Westwood Care and Rehabilitation Center. Pictured from left to right are Karthik Chalumuri, Casidy Barcome, Eliza Holmes , Ashlee Discenzo, Noah Timmer, and Timothy Velazquez.

Scanning the SchoolsSupplement to the Keene Sentinel, Vol. 44, No. 2 Union School District, Keene, NH www.sau29.org December 2012

A Keene School District Publication

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4 SCANNING THE SCHOOLS DECEMBER 2012

At a special meeting in November, the Keene Board of Education voted to restructure Keene’s elementary schools from 5 schools to 4 schools beginning in the 2014 school year. Under the new model, Jonathan Daniels will be closed as an elementary school, the preschool will move from Wheelock to Daniels, and the four remaining schools (Franklin, Fuller, Symonds and Wheelock) will remain Kindergarten through 5th grade. The Board also approved the formation of the Keene Elementary Building Committee: Neil Donegan, Chair, Rich Beard, Dennis Donegan, Bill Gurney, Rand Lounsbury, Misty Martinez-Bohannon, Gwen Mitchell, Carl Panza, Tom Remillard, and Amy Strong. The Committee will determine what specific renovations and life safety upgrades must be made to the buildings in order to accommodate the shift from 5 to 4 elementary schools. That information will determine the dollar amount of a bond article that the district will put before

Keene Board asks forVoter support

Kindergarten - is your child ready? “It’s awesome to be prepared and know what’s expected,” said an enthusiastic Meriah Orfanidis, mother of four-year-old Amara and three-month-old Seth. Meriah and her husband, Jeremy Helming, have signed on to a new program offered free by the Keene School District to help parents prepare their children for kindergarten. It’s called Ready for Kindergarten and is part of the Keene Board of Education’s goal to have 90% of 3rd graders reading at grade level. Meriah first heard about the program at her daughter’s preschool earlier this fall. “There was a flier in her cubby. When I read it I thought ‘This would be great. This would be perfect,’” Meriah said. “We all want to have

our children be as successful as they can be and this is a great way to do that.” Ready for Kindergarten is a research-based program that provides parents with the training, tools and guidance by professional educators to help them help their children build the skills needed to be successful in school. Funded through the federal Title 1 program and overseen by project manager Jan Barry, the program is in its first year. Mrs. Barry notes that twelve families have enrolled. She’s hoping more will come on board next year. “We’d love to have sixty families,” she said. “Twenty in each group: two and three year olds, three and

four year olds, and four and five year olds.” Two KSD educators have signed on to assist Mrs. Barry with the program – Lisa Abohatab, a reading specialist at Jonathan Daniels School and Lisa Munroe, a kindergarten teacher at Fuller. “The first five years of children’s lives are so important to learning,” notes Mrs. Munroe. She sees the wide variety of readiness for kindergarten every fall when she welcomes a new class. “There a huge range of ability,” Mrs. Munroe adds.

Research shows that up to 40% of children entering kindergarten are behind

(See Ready/Page 3)

Meriah Orfanidis sits with her four-year-old daughter, Amara Helming, as Amara matches upper and lower case letters to an alphabet card. Meriah and her husband,Jeremy Helming, have signed up for a new program called Ready for Kindergarten offered free to parents of two to five-year olds to help them help their children be prepared for the rigors of kindergarten. It’s part of the Keene Board of Education’s goal to have 90% of third graders reading at grade level.

voters in March 2013. If the bond is approved by a supermajority of the voters (60%), work will begin in the summer of 2013 and be completed in time for school in the fall of 2014. You might ask why the school district is proposing these changes to our elemen-tary schools? The Keene School District is facing serious funding challenges. While per-student expenditures are in line with New Hampshire averages at Keene High School and just slightly above average at Keene Middle School, over the past ten years Keene’s elementary school costs have been 24-40% higher than state averages. The district further projects that our community could face steeper cuts in state and federal funding. The goal for the restructuring is to maintain the educational programs the community values most, while reducing operating costs by an estimated $570,000 per year after the cost of the bond. For more information about this committee and all the work that led up to its formation, please go to the web site www.keeneschoolsolutions.org.

Keene Middle School special education teacher Marianne Lavatori, left, accepts clothing donated by world language teacher Jean Winter as part of the staff’s collection for Linda’s Closet, a non-profit organization that provides professional clothing for women who need them for interviews or for jobs.

Students, their families and Keene School District staff have been busy this holiday season carrying out good deeds to benefit area families in need. Some of their many efforts include:Jonathan Daniels “Traditionally we, through the generous support of the Jonathan Daniels Association and JD families, provide holiday food baskets to JD families in need,” said Principal Patty Yoerger. • In addition the school sets up a Christmas tree in the main hallway that becomes a magnet for winter hats and mittens, which are donated to families who need warm winter clothing.Benjamin Franklin “Benjamin Franklin staff made 120 apple pies and sold all of them just before Thanksgiving to raise money to help our families,” said school secretary Ceil Scranton. • The school has also set up a “giving tree” which is being adorned with hats, mittens and scarves for children who need warm clothing this winter.

• The school is also collecting money for gift cards, which will be given to families in need.Fuller School “Fuller School student council collected 500 pounds of canned goods from students and staff for the St. Vincent de Paul Food Center,” said third grade teacher Tom Sullivan. • Profits from a bake sale and the school store will be used to buy Toys for Tots. • Students created posters to be hung a local nursing home. (See photo on page 4) Symonds School School Nurse Diane Meagher reports, “With the assistance of the Keene High School Early Childhood Education students and Cheshire Career Center preschool families the school distributed Thanksgiving food baskets to families in need. • Symonds 17th annual Turkey Trot, which drew about 650 participants, collected 1,475 food items for the Keene Community Kitchen, plus hats, mittens and personal care products.” (See Giving/Page 4)

The Keene High School Alumni Fund named math teacher Natalie Frazier Ahnert as its 2012 Outstanding Educator. Alumni were on hand to unveil a plaque in her honor. Pictured from left to right are: Jack Little, KHS Principal Lynne Wagner, Mrs. Ahnert, Walt Shelley, Pat Clark, Charles Clark, Tim Robertson, Carolyn Loos and Ray Jobin. Alumni accept student nominations for this coveted award. The award was started in 2000 by the KHS Class of 1950 as a way to celebrate its 50th reunion and honor outstanding educators. All KHS alumni are encouraged to donate - contact rjobin@myfairpoint.net

Ahnert Outstanding Educator Franklin teachers honored

The Harris Center for Conservation Education named Franklin School 4th grade teachers, Gail Woolridge (center) and Andrea Dube (right), recipients of its 2012 Educator of the Year award. “Because of their enthusiastic support for Birds Across America curriculum, students have learned first hand about worldwide efforts to monitor bird populations and experience the wonder of interacting with wildlife on their own school grounds,” said Harris Center Teacher/Naturalist Polly Pattison (left). Students pictured, from left to right, are Jasmine Warner-Demond, Bailey Roberts, Landon Hinrichs, and Lucy Walton.

The Finance Committtee of the Keene Board of Education holds review sessions on the proposed 2013-14 school budget (public welcome):• Jan. 5, 8 a.m. LGIA,KHS• Jan. 12, 8:30 LGIA, KHS

SCANNING THE SCHOOLS DECEMBER 2012 2 SCANNING THE SCHOOLS DECEMBER

Plans for the development of an Outdoor Classroom and Activity Center (OCAC) to be located in Tenant Swamp behind the new Keene Middle School (KMS) on Maple Avenue are moving right along. “We’ve had the support of so many people and organizations,” said Miranda Nelken, KMS art teacher and point person for this enormous undertaking. Since we last wrote about this project in April, Ms. Nelken has been busy lining up donors and overseeing the state permits required for such a project. “KMS overlooks Tenant Swamp one of the richest wildlife areas and most significant historical sites in southwestern New Hampshire,” Mrs. Nelken said, explaining that 12,000 to 13,000 years ago it was the site of a thriving Abenaki Indian settlement and is now home to an interrelated ecosystem featuring birds, amphibians, lichens, ferns, mosses, flowering wetland plants, deciduous and coniferous trees. “OCAC’s overarching goal is

to help young people develop the capacity and commitment to serve as stewards of the natural and cultural resources in their community. It will add a whole new dimension to public education and will have a powerful impact on students of all learning abilities,” she said. She notes that in addition to the OCAC, the area around the middle school provides a number of areas for public use including a softball field, a basketball court, soccer field, track, swings, picnic tables and rest rooms. This $500,000 project will feature an information gazebo, designed and constructed by Eagle Scout and Keene High School student Sawyer Baldwin. “A paved path will lead to a hard packed earthen ramp that gently descends the steep embankment to the edge of the wetland and a large 12’ x 20’ deck that will serve as the outdoor classroom for such activities as bird watching, an open-air studio for artists, and a place to conduct research on the

KMS Outdoor Classroom on trackwetland,” Ms. Nelken said. “From there an eighth mile long timber frame boardwalk will loop around the wetland passing through several important ecological areas that support a diversity of plant and animal species.” Much of the preliminary work has been done. Next on the agenda is the launching of a fundraising campaign in 2013 called ‘Buy a Plank.’ “It’s a way for individuals, foundations and businesses to support the project and be recognized on a plaque along the boardwalk,” Ms. Nelken said. She noted that the project has just received a $6,400 grant from the Dorr Foundation to purchase water quality test probes. “The City of Keene continues to be very supportive of the project, as has the Keene Board of Education,” Ms. Nelken said. “Keene State College graduate students have been working with students in science classes, and KSC art students are helping create art for fliers.” She also notes that the Silvio Conte

Wildlife Refuge is offering instruction and challenges for student to research, and Antioch New England Graduate School provides consultation services. “It’s a unique project promoting a broad range of purposes,” she said, it:• creates a new community green space• provides students in public and private schools an outdoor classroom to monitor plants,

Ready(Continued from Page 1)where they should be – 20% are one year behind; 10% are two years behind; and 10% are three years behind. The rest are either at grade level or more advanced.

The same research shows that those children who start behind usually stay behind. “That’s why we started this program,” Mrs. Abohatab said. “We want to empower parents with knowledge and tools to help them prepare and support their children in school.” It is also cost effective. Children who are behind often need remedial services. “Schools spend twice as much on students who are behind as those who are at or above grade level,” notes the Ready for Kindergarten booklet. Mrs. Munroe said that the kindergarten curriculum has changed over the years. “It used to be preparation for school, now it is school,” she said. “We are not trying to pressure preschool parents, rather we want to give them a guide, a framework, to build on what they are already doing at home.” The program consists of four meetings and educational materials such as books, alphabet letters, and an erasable white board for writing letters, words, and numbers. The first step is an orientation for parents, which took place in October. That is followed with three 90-minute workshops, each focusing on a different area of child development. The following lists some of the targets for five-year-olds entering kindergarten:• Language and Literacy - reading together daily- recognizing and naming 12 – 15 letters and sounds- able to repeat beginning and ending sounds in words-prints his/her first name

• Math and Reasoning- counts in order from 1 – 20- recognizes numbers and quantities to 10- names and sorts items by color, shape and size- understands concepts such as greater than, less than, equal to• Social and Emotional Development - settles in to new groups and situations- can concentrate on a task for 5 minutes- can follow simple directions- shows kindness and concern for others. “What I like most about it is being prepared and knowing what is expected of me as a parent and what is expected of Amara as a student,” said Meriah. One aspect she has found most helpful is the materials she has been given. “There are books for us to read together, a white board and marker for her to practice her printing and letters, and a box of letters,” she said. What she was most surprised to learn was how important it is for a child to recognize lower case letters. “I’ve worked with her on capital letters,” Meriah

said, “But when I realized that most of the material she reads is in lower case I was like yeah that’s right,” she said as she watches Amara match up lower case letters to an alphabet chart. Such literacy activities are referred to as ‘play with a purpose’, said Ms. Abohatab. “Setting aside a small amount of structured time each day to focus on the readiness targets should improve the likelihood that they will enter kindergarten ready to learn,” she said. The first few years of a child’s life are vitally important to development. “From birth to age five a child learns at a speed unmatched the rest of life,” notes the Ready booklet. Meriah couldn’t agree more. She says that Amara is like a sponge, just absorbing so much, so quickly. “She loves to learn, and I love being part of the process,” she said. To find out more about this free program, call Mrs. Barry at 357-0088 Ext. 102, e-mail Ms. Abohatab at labohatab@sau29.org or Mrs. Munroe at lmunroe@sau29.org or log on to http://www.sau29.org/knedist.

School Publication Scanning the Schools is published four times a year by Public Information Coordinator Christine H. Weeks. Copies are available at the SAU building,193 Maple Avenue Scanning the Schools is on line at www.SAU29.org.

animals and water quality• builds partnerships between our school, city and community• promotes reflection of the amazing natural and cultural history of this site. “We are very grateful to everyone who has been a part of the process and welcome new supporters as we continue to build awareness of the project in the upcoming months,” Ms. Nelken said.

Meriah Orfanidis reading one of the books included in the Ready for Kindergarten program to her daughter Amara.

Harris Center educator, Laurel Swope, shows a four-toed salamander discovered in Tenant Swamp to a group of KMS 6th grade science students. Pictured, counter clockwise from Ms. Swope, are: Jordan Poisson, Harry Thomas, Damien Winslow, Nate Chadwick, Caleb Stemp, and Nate Fisher.

Keene Middle School Cluster D collected dozens of Toys for Tots. Pictured here, from left to right, Allison Monacelli, Mariah Gage, Maddie Phaneuf, Maddie Tremblay and Sean Corrigan.

The spirt of giving abounds in our schools