Culture story sections
The committee discussed the best way to utilize the shared drive that was created for board members. Beyond the use for creating a resource of publications to subscribe to, which was voted on at the 11/14 WSESD meeting, the drive could be used to house orientation and meeting documents for board members to read.
The Windham Southeast Supervisory Union Board will meet at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, December 13 2023 in the WRCC, Cusick Conference Room, and remotely via Zoom.
PUTNEY – Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present roots, ragtime, and jazz quartet DiTrani Brothers plus Jatoba’s multi-instrumentalist /singer Jason Scaggs at Next Stage on Saturday, January 6 at 7:30 pm.
DiTrani Brothers, by way of bent melodies and driving rhythms, play perilous tunes for the hopeful, with elements of Balkan music and early American jazz/swing. They deliver both wistful and raucous performances at venues ranging from The House of Blues in New Orleans to DIY backyard stages. Originally from North Bend, WA, brothers Bobby and Walker DiTrani began writing songs together while traveling across the country, playing music on the streets. Since then, they’ve recorded two albums and toured throughout the US with drummer Eddie Gaudet. Now a quartet with acoustic bassist Benjamin Richards, they just released their third album “Dust Harvest.”
Greg Worden is a mainstay of downtown Brattleboro, bringing beauty and ingenuity through art and crafts at Vermont Artisan Designs. A tireless advocate for Brattleboro, Greg serves the community with heart, insight and experience.
The Windham Southeast School District Communications Council will meet from 12pm on Friday, December 8, 2023. The meeting will take place in the WSESU Central Office Conference Room at 53 Green Street and remotely via Zoom.
AGENDA
I. Call to Order [6:00 to 6:05]
II. Student Issues [6:05 to 6:15]
III. Administrative Report [6:15 to 6:50]
– Social Emotional Learning [35 Minutes]
IV. Education Tax Rate – Budget Impacts & Legislative Action [6:50 to 7:35]
Superintendent Mark Speno, Curriculum Coordinator Brin Tucker, BUHS teacher Celena Romo, Oak Grove Principal Mary Kaufmann, Putney Central School Principal Jon Sessions, and Academy School teacher Laureen Reavey presented an update on the implementation of Multi-Layered Systems of Support (MLSS)
CALL TO ORDER—6:03 p.m. – Anne Beekman, Chair
On a motion by the chair the board voted to amend the agenda to include retirements.
On a motion by Deborah Stanford the board moved to approve the minutes of November 8, 2023.
Mark announced the upcoming retirements of Sue Mitchell, a Special Education para at BAMS, and Paul Smith, the WSESU Curriculum Coordinator.
WSESU Business Administrator Frank Rucker shared and reviewed a document: “Windham Southeast School District General Ledger – Elementary FY25 Proposed Budget [By School].” Highlights included:
• This document is on the website.
• It contains two different summary formats: by school site, and detailed.
• An explanation of how the two different summary formats are organized.
• The total spending on this part of the proposed budget is $26,450,000, up from the current year’s budget of $26,437,000. This is for all three secondary school sites: BUHS, BAMS, and WRCC. This budget is almost level-funded.
• FY25 goes from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025.
BCTV Channel 1078 Weekly Listing for 12/4/23
Monday, December 4, 2023
5:55 am BUHS Athletic Hall of Fame – BHS/BUHS Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony 10/28/23
8:00 am Democracy Now! – Democracy Now! Daily Broadcast
9:00 am Energy Week with George Harvey – This Week’s Energy News
10:00 am Veterans Events – Veterans Town Hall 11/5/23
An enigmatic Chinese proverb goes something like this: A farmer and his wife have a newborn son, and the neighbors come over to congratulate them. “Now you have an heir to work the field, how great!” The farmer says…”We’ll see.” The child grows to be a strong young man, he indeed was a helper to his parents, but one day he falls off a horse and breaks his leg. The neighbors converge to offer their sympathies, the farmer simply says, “We’ll see.“ Soon thereafter state officials arrive to conscribe all young men of the region into military service. The farmer’s son is deferred because of his disability. The son says to his father, “I guess that was a blessing in disguise.“ ”We’ll see…”
The Esplanade:
The Windham Southeast School District Independent Budget Review Committee Meeting will take place Tuesday, December 5, 2023 at 5:00pm in the Cusick Conference Room at BUHS
WSESD Policy and Amendment Committee will meet Tuesday, December 5, 2023 at 2:30pm
in the WSESU Central Office, 53 Green Street, Brattleboro and remotely via Zoom
I. Approval of Minutes and confirmation of next meeting date
The minutes of 11/7/23 meeting approved by assent.
Agenda was amended to correct the date of next scheduled meeting.
The next Policy and Amendment Committee meetings are scheduled for:
The Windham Southeast Supervisory Union Board will meet at 6:00 PM on Wednesday,
November 29, 2023 in the WRCC, Cusick Conference Room, and remotely via Zoom.
BCTV Channel 1078 Weekly Listing for 11/27/23
Monday, November 27, 2023
5:20 am Windham World Affairs Council – America & China – From ‘Old Friends’ to The ‘New Cold War’
6:55 am Brattleboro Literary Festival – Missing– Angie Kim & Jean Kwok
8:00 am Democracy Now! – Democracy Now! Daily Broadcast
9:00 am Energy Week with George Harvey – Energy Week #548 – 11/9/2023
Have a question about the history of your house, business or Brattleboro relatives?
Researcher LEE HA can help you discover and explore some of Brattleboro’s best stories, artifacts and photographs. Lee also talks about some very cool community projects that the Brattleboro Historical Society is currently involved with.
The seventh annual Writing to the Light Writing Circle led by writer and educator Deborah Lee Luskin will take place in person on Sunday, December 10 at the Moore Free Library, 23 West Street, Newfane. The workshop will start promptly at 1 pm and end at 3:30.
At this annual end-of-year fundraiser for the Moore Free Library, writers of all kinds and all levels of experience are invited to reflect on the light in their life in a supportive writing circle. We will write to illuminate our inner light, honor our inner voice, and tell whatever stories rise to be told. Prompts and guidance for automatic writing will be provided. Collectively, we will create a safe space for those who wish to read their new words.
Summary:
● Student representatives spoke about bullying and inappropriate behavior that is going unaddressed in classes at BUHS, and the need to cultivate a positive and loving culture in the community.
● Superintendent Speno introduced a book, “Introduction to the Governance Code,” that Board members and administrators will read and discuss at next June’s retreat.
● Putney Central School Principal Jon Sessions and Guilford Central School Principal John Gagnon gave presentations about family and community engagement via the leadership council and parent-teacher organization.
● WSESU Business Administrator Frank Rucker gave an outline of the timeline for the budget development process over the next few months.
● The Board voted to approve pre-qualification for four firms to bid on the Oak Grove School HVAC project.
● The Board approved payrolls and warrants that included the final payment on the 22-year bond for renovations to BUHS.
The Windham Southeast School District Finance Committee will meet Tuesday, November 28, 2023 at 5:00pm at Guilford Central School, 374 Schoolhouse Road, Guilford.
