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WSESD Board Meeting Minutes November 12, 2024

by Not Signed In | Education

Summary
● The Board reviewed and established the meeting dates between now and the end of the calendar year, making changes to the standard schedule as needed due to the holidays.
● The Board voted to include a report from the WSESU Board on the WSESD Board meeting agendas.
● Issues with the food service company was touched upon. As the food services falls under that WSESU jurisdiction, it will be discussed more at their meeting 11/13/24.
● The meeting dates for the Finance Committee were altered slightly as related to the budget development. They will occur at 5 pm on Tuesday 11/19/24, Monday 11/25/24 and Monday 12/2/24.
● The Board accepted, with regret, the resignation presented.

Windham Southeast School District Finance Committee Meeting

by Not Signed In | Education

The Budget Planning Timeline is a document used to help guide the building of the budgets. Previously, the document held the timeline for the three entities (WSESU, WSESD and VSD), but has been changed to outline the budget timeline for each entity independently. Dates are outlined, but are able to be changed as needed.

The Budget timeline gets developed starting with the Annual Meeting date (3/18/25). Dates are populated by working backwards from that date. Mr. Rucker reviewed the timeline, explaining how dates were determined for each of the steps along this process.

An Irish Christmas with John Doyle and Mick McAuley at Next Stage

by hahrenholz | Music

Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music celebrate the season with an evening of traditional Irish, British Isles, and original holiday music by John Doyle and Mick McAuley on Thursday, December 19 at 7:00 pm at Next Stage.

Both natives of Ireland and each from musical families, John Doyle and Mick McAuley are true powerhouses in traditional Irish music. Their nearly telepathic musical connection began in the truly groundbreaking Irish-American band Solas. Both now have flourishing high-profile solo careers and periodically come together to brush off some Solas standards and lots of their individual material, played together, for these magical musical evenings. An Irish Christmas transports audiences to the quiet, small villages of rural Ireland through the songs, tunes, and stories most familiar to these two world-class artists.

Over the past four decades, instrumentalist, composer, producer, and singer/songwriter John Doyle has solidly established himself as one of the most versatile, creative, and prolific voices in folk and traditional Irish music. In 1994, John brought his brilliant and innovative guitar stylings to the nascent Irish super-group Solas, which soon took the folk and Celtic music worlds by storm. With Solas, he performed internationally to sold out audiences, and appeared on many television and radio programs, including NBC’s The Today Show, A Prairie Home Companion, Mountain Stage, E-Town, and World Cafe. As part of that critically acclaimed group, he also received three NAIRD awards and a Grammy nomination. In the years since going out on his own, John has recorded two solo albums and has become a highly sought-after accompanist and session player for the likes of Joan Baez, Eileen Ivers, Tim O’Brien, Linda Thompson, Seamus Egan, Alison Brown, and Kate Rusby.

Tara Cheney on “Here We Are”

by Wendy O'Connell | Entertainment

TARA CHENEY has created HEART ROSE CLUB, a dynamic community space located in the majestic old Shriner’s Building. Tara has won many awards as a leader in our community – Check out this show and hear about the creative ways she’s strengthening our town, including dinner/dance events, yoga retreats and live music……..And in her other business, Vermont Roadworks!

Antje Duvekot and Goodnight Moonshine at Next Stage

by hahrenholz | Music

Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present an evening of contemporary folk music with Antje Duvekot and Goodnight Moonshine (Molly Venter and Eben Pariser) on Saturday, December 14 at 7:30 pm at Next Stage.

Antje Duvekot is a German-born, American-raised singer/songwriter whose songs have been critically praised for their hard-won wisdom, dark-eyed realism, and street-smart romanticism. Her bicultural upbringing and relative newness to English have helped shape her unique way with a song, giving her a startlingly original poetic palette. They are the keys to the powerful, even revolutionary, empathy that informs everything she writes. She has won some of the top songwriting awards including the Grand Prize in the John Lennon Songwriting Competition, the Kerrville Folk Festival Best New Folk Award, and the Boston Music Award for Outstanding Folk Act.

WSESD Special Board Meeting Minutes – October 29, 2024

by Not Signed In | Education

Summary

● The Board voted to have Superintendent Speno to engage in a process to review the notation of class rank on student transcripts.

AGENDA

I. Call to Order

DS called the meeting to order at 6:02 pm

DS read the hybrid meeting statement

DS amended the agenda to transition this meeting from an Executive Session to an Open Public Meeting.

DS requested acknowledgement of community parents that they recognize that their anonymity cannot be protected as this is an open public meeting.

Parents acknowledged verbally.

WSESD Board Meeting Minutes October 22, 2024

by Not Signed In | Education

Summary
● Updates were presented from the Leadership Councils now that the school year is well underway.
● Discussed maintaining the privacy of students related to the review of district-wide and individual school data related to behavioral incidences, use of restraint, health and safety.
● Presentation was given regarding Family Engagement efforts across the district.

Hayley Reardon, Sam Robbins, and Emily Margaret at Next Stage

by hahrenholz | Music

Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present a triple bill of contemporary folk singer/songwriters – Hayley Reardon, Sam Robbins, and Emily Margaret – on Friday, November 29 at 7:30 pm at Next Stage.

Hayley Reardon is a critically acclaimed singer/songwriter and a storyteller in the truest sense of the word. Her songs serve as postcards from an artist brave enough to take the road less traveled. Hayley dove head first into music at the young age of 15, and has spent much of the past decade writing, recording, and performing music around the world. With more than 85 original songs released to date, Reardon’s music has been featured on multiple Spotify and Apple Music editorial playlists, boasting more than 7 million streams on Apple Music alone.

Raised in a coastal Massachusetts town north of Boston, Hayley spent three years based in Nashville followed by six years carrying her songs and stories all over the globe. She has played nearly 300 shows across Europe, and was awarded a six-month artist-in-residency program in Dachau, Germany. She has shared the stage with renowned artists including Lori McKenna, Rodney Crowell, Dar Williams, and Anaïs Mitchell, and was nominated as 2023 Vocalist of the Year by the Boston Music Awards.

Renee Woliver on “Here We Are”

by Wendy O'Connell | Education

SENIOR SOLUTIONS has so many !  And RENEE WOLIVER tells us what’s readily available for local folks over 60. Renee also talks about her life-long work in communication, non-profits….. and women’s hockey!

Next Stage Arts presents Multidisciplinary Flamenco Artist Laura Sánchez

by hahrenholz | Arts

Next Stage Arts presents multidisciplinary flamenco artist Laura Sánchez, with her work Welcome to Holland!? on Sunday, November 24 at 7:00 pm at Next Stage Arts, 15 Kimball Hill, in Putney.

Step into a world of resilience and inspiration with Welcome to Holland!?—a breathtaking multidisciplinary flamenco performance that will touch your heart and ignite your spirit.

Join us for a transformative 75-minute journey that beautifully intertwines flamenco, poetry, humor, and film, celebrating the incredible strength of caregivers. Experience the story of an immigrant mother as she navigates her unique “Holland!?”—a landscape reshaped by trauma. Watch as everyday objects transform into powerful symbols of hope, guiding her through challenges and illuminating the path to belonging. This transformative journey challenges stereotypes about motherhood and disability, shedding light on the diverse experiences of caregivers and fostering empathy towards non-traditional families.

NXT Gallery Presents “Water: Shape and Time,” Photographs by Nick Ellison

by hahrenholz | Arts

The NXT Gallery is pleased to present “Water: Shape and Time,” an exhibition of palladiotypes by photographer Nick Ellison. The exhibit runs November 16 through February 9, with an opening reception on Sunday, November 17 from 3 to 5 pm.

Nick Ellison reminds us that time is a critical element of photography. From exposure to development to printing, each step in the process is defined by time. At each step time is taken to allow the chemical and physical processes to create the final image. Ellison has chosen to have an element of water in each photograph in this series as a way to depict the passing of time to draw attention to change that is often overlooked. He is trying to narrow the gaze, to focus in on these particulars, on how time changes our view of the environment, because it’s happening incrementally, and we often don’t have the time to notice. But if you pause, as a photograph asks you to do, you can see that the force and power of the water, just like time, offers change.

Windham Southeast Supervisory Union School Board Meeting Minutes – October 21, 2024

by Not Signed In | Education

There was no public comment.

Mark gave an overview of the new HR Clerical position at the Central office being proposed.

Given the new programs and responsibilities including Grow Our Own, Title 9 and HHB oversight, workforce recruitment, onboarding and exit interviews, etc, the central office is in need of additional support. In the current budget, we will use unutilized funds. Next budget year, the plan would be to add this to the office budget. This is a part-time position with benefits.

Next Stage Arts Presents Dynamic Eight-piece Band Hazmat Modine on 11/16

by hahrenholz | Music

Next Stage Arts presents dynamic eight-piece band Hazmat Modine, on Saturday, November 16 at 7:30 pm at Next Stage Arts, 15 Kimball Hill, in Putney.

Hazmat Modine is “a uniquely intercontinental sonic collage encompassing a tremendous range of instrumental, vocal, and conceptual originality–all with a lot of soul and groove.” This dynamic eight-piece band has toured and performed original songs for 25+ years with genre-defying music that is quintessentially New York–vibrant international cultures meets American Roots. Diverse backgrounds in Gypsy Jazz, Downtown Avant Guard loft music, Blues, Soul, Country, Rock n’ Roll, and Roots is written and performed by musicians whose ages span every decade from their 20s to 70s.