New Boston News : education

Libraries offer adult reading programs

Goffstown Editor — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:19:00 GMT

BY CAROLE KLEMENT HUXEL

Many times, adults may ask themselves, “Why should children be the ones having all the fun?” Well this summer, the adults are the center of attention at the Goffstown and New Boston public libraries.

Both libraries already have adult programs in place for their patrons. Book discussion groups take place inside the libraries and online. Audiobooks are available on cassette, CD, iPod Shuffle, direct download and a new audio format called the Playaway. There are enrichment programs during the day and in the evening to accommodate a variety of schedules, and the Goffstown Library offers a monthly writer’s group called The Blank Page.

Patrons don’t look for adult-themed summer reading programs, yet they are very receptive to the idea once it’s offered.

“We knew there would probably be an audience,” said Sandy Whipple of Adult Services and Outreach in Goffstown.

Pat Fickett, assistant director of the Whipple Free Library in New Boston, said, “A lot of the moms are mentors for their child’s reading program,” so the initial audience was already built into the library.

The Whipple Library has nearly three dozen adult readers signed up for their program, even though summer is considered a slow time of the year.

The librarians in Goffstown wanted to do a Medieval theme program for a long while, and director Dianne Hathaway had no problem deciding on Readers of the Round Table for summer 2008.

“A Medieval theme is so rich with material and potential,” said Whipple. The summer began with a Medieval Faire, complete with period costumes and entertainment, and carried through many of the family programs in July.

Whipple Free Library in New Boston chose Basking in Books as its adult theme, reminding patrons that summer reading should be, “A time to bask in books, follow an author, an interest or just dabble in the delights of reading whatever you desire.”

Both libraries are holding raffles that encourage adult readers to enter their name in a weekly drawing each time they finish a book or attend an event. Prizes contributed by many local restaurants, gift shops, gas stations, spas, flower shops and bakeries, among other well-known establishments, are going out to several people each week.

Among the many scheduled events in Goffstown were a program on the American Ballad, featuring John Perrault, former poet laureate of Portsmouth, and an introduction to labyrinths with local artist Diane Ryan.

“We started talking about this last year and wondered, ‘Why not?’” said Whipple. “We began providing adult programs almost monthly in January, and we’ve been focused outward on the entire community,” not just children.

This year, 2008, is an important year for the Goffstown Library, as they have opted to participate in the Finlay Challenge.

The Finlay Foundation has challenged every public library in New Hampshire to increase their cardholders, and the library with the biggest percentage growth will win $25,000. The Readers of the Round Table summer reading program was already well in the planning stages when the challenge was announced, but the staff in Goffstown are using every opportunity to win that reward.

State to decide when school year ends in New Boston

Goffstown Editor — Wed, 16 May 2007 20:35:00 GMT

BY ROD HANSEN

Students at the local school won’t have to make up for time missed due to the April floods, if the state Department of Education grants the district a waiver.

Members of the School Board voted to request a waiver at their meeting on Wednesday, May 9. If granted, the waiver would allow the school to end its year Friday, June 22, rather than Tuesday, June 26.

Superintendent of Schools Darrell Lockwood will apply for the waiver through the commissioner of education, New Boston Central School Principal Rick Matthews said.

School Board member Jamie Neefe moved that Lockwood apply for the waiver. The motion passed unanimously without discussion.

The waiver will compensate for days lost to the spring nor’easter, which forced New Boston Central School to close the week of April 16-20.

Prior to voting to apply for the waiver, board members and Matthews spent the previous half-hour considering how the school could improve its emergency procedures in future natural disasters.

Many roads were closed throughout town during the storm’s first few days, cutting school bus transportation off from neighboring Goffstown.

Lockwood said he had been in communication with Matthews throughout the emergency, and also kept in contact with Road Agent John Riendeau to track the progress on road repair.

River Road posed one of the School District’s main concerns during the storm aftermath, Lockwood said.

That road, also known as Route 13, is the main thoroughfare connecting Goffstown and New Boston.

“Did I hound them about it? Absolutely. But I wasn’t pushing to have something opened prematurely,” Lockwood said.

Several communications measures could improve residents’ information in future emergencies, Lockwood said. He advocated adding an emergency section to the student handbook and updating the school Web site to include information on transportation options.

School Board member Kevin Collimore recommended using the school Web site to post directions. He noted that many of the calls to the Police Department during the storm involved people seeking alternate routes to their homes.

Travel to and from the school was difficult during the emergency because the road in front of the building had washed out, Matthews said. Families using the school as an emergency evacuation center had to get there via a special access road behind the school.

A total of 11 families went to the school for evacuation purposes, while approximately five stayed overnight, Matthews said.

Lockwood and Matthews said many of their problems during the storm occurred trying to communicate with the media.

Although Goffstown and New Boston are both a part of School Administrative Unit 19, Matthews said some outlets failed to understand that New Boston could be closed while Goffstown was not.

“Some of (the media outlets) had a hard time separating Goffstown from New Boston,” Matthews said.

To supply parents with the latest information at times of failed Internet access and power outages, Lockwood also recommended establishing a system where Matthews can leave a voice mail message informing parents of the latest developments.

NBCS tries new approach to student behavior

Goffstown Editor — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 14:47:00 GMT

By Rod Hansen
Staff Writer

Recognition can work just as well as punishment in creating an orderly school environment.

That’s the guiding theory behind PBIS, an approach to education that centers on recognizing good behavior as a means of creating an orderly school environment.

Educators at New Boston Central School have adopted PBIS, or Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, as a means of improving student behavior this year.

The strategy provides staff and students with clear and consistent expectations, and praises children who meet behavioral standards, said Assistant Principal Tori Tuthill.

“It’s an opportunity to work together on expectations for both staff and students,” Tuthill said.

The program will focus on several areas of concern throughout the year, beginning with hallways, she said. Specifically, the program will first concentrate on unstructured time in the hallways, such as when children are walking to use the restrooms.

Expectations for hallway behavior are posted throughout the school, Tuthill said. Students seen following the rules are given a ticket in recognition of their good behavior. Students to receive 10 tickets are given a colored bracelet for their achievement.

School officials hope to award 80 percent of the students with bracelets, Tuthill said, and ordered enough bracelets for all of the school’s 526 students, she said.

To keep expectations consistent throughout the school, rules for behavior are also posted in teachers’ areas, Tuthill said.

“We (teachers) need to be quiet in the hallways too,” Tuthill said. “It allows for consistency, that teachers follow the same rules as students.”

Other areas to be covered throughout the school year include bathrooms, recess, cafeteria and work completion, said Principal Rick Matthews.

The school’s participation in PBIS originated with Matthews, Tuthill and school board member Audrey Schneider attending a workshop on the subject last October.

Following that, Eric Mann of the Bedford-based Southeastern Regional Education Services Center gave a presentation on the subject to the staff of the New Boston School District.