10 - April 6, 2012 | Pelham - Windham News Eggs Everywhere at Windham Town Hall


by Len Lathrop Think Saturday morning, April Fools Day, at 9:45 a.m. with a


touch snow in the air. Now add 4,200 multi-colored Easter eggs. Yes, we are at the Windham Recreation Department’s 2012 Easter icon held at Town Hall. This annual event runs regardless of rain, snow, sleet, or sunshine by Rec Department. This year there were three different groups of children at 9:45 with 3 to 5-year-olds 10:30 the 2-year-olds and the 6 to 9 scheduled at 11:15. Children in all shapes and sizes with masks and Easter Bunny ears and tails covered by winter coats enjoyed the fun. Cheryl Haas of the Recreation Department thanked Boy Scout Troop 226 for their help and the many high school students that have help her every year. The 500 children who attend had a great time for all and all the children left with many, many eggs.


staff photos by Len Lathrop


Natalie Duncan, 3 years old, needed a little help from Mom with carrying her basket


Checking out his eggs is 4-year-old Nate Kaplan


News Blais Coco and his daughter Kiley wait for the cart of the 3 to 5 year old’s egg hunt.


making beautiful smiles


everyday And they’re off ; the 3 to 5 year old group collects their eggs at 9:45 am.


Two-year-old Joseph Swannack was waiting for his age group to collect eggs


News 952-4848 46 Lowell Rd, Windham •


www.pelletiersmiles.com 1533 Lakeview Ave, Dracut 978-957-7170


Senior Director Sara Landry are preparing the Senior Center new addition to accommodate Selectmen’s meetings from mid-June to mid-September. The two department heads are working together to improve the additions acoustics. The recent sunny and breezy conditions


Pelham Town Hall


by Tom Gaydos, Town Administrator The annual Easter Egg Hunt sponsored by the Recreation Department was postponed until this Saturday, the 7th. Be sure to be on time as the actual hunt starts at noon sharp! Recreation also has job openings for softball scorekeepers, lifeguards and a Director of waterfront (town beach) activities. Applications can be made at the Recreation offi ce or on line. Cable Director Jim Greenwood and


have made for great conditions for brush fi res. Already, the Fire Department has extinguished a couple last week. Please be careful with fi re and report sightings of smoke or smell of fi re quickly as high winds can spread a fi re in the blink of an eye. The local contractors job fair for the fi re station project saw 22 express an interest in providing some service to Eckman Construction, the Project Contractor. We are pleased they agree with our philosophy that hiring local contractors will improve the overall quality (Pelham Pride) as well as keeping local tax dollars local. The qualifi cation process is continuing and it’s not too late to become a qualifi ed provider


to Eckman. Contact the Town Hall for details. Police Offi cer Bismark Montano has returned to duty after serving a year in Afghanistan. We are proud of Bismark as well as all our Offi cers who served our country. Pelham has had fi ve offi cers serve in the last few years. The Police are again offering the Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) system training this April school vacation. The training teaches not only defense techniques but more importantly it teaches awareness and techniques to avoid being a target. Many parents have found the program instructive for their high school and college age children. Of course, many mothers have attended as well! Contact the Police Department non-emergency line at 635-2411 for more details. More information is also available at RAD’s website at www.rad-systems.com.


Release of the 2012 Adequate Yearly Progress Reports Free Landscape Design Services Available • Plant your Forsythias NOW! 5 Plants for $99!


THIS SATURDAY, from 10 am- 2 pm Join us for our Annual Egg Hunt Starts at 11am!


Red Cedar -Hemlock Blend - Black Cedar - Pine Order Mulch Today! Assorted Pansies Easter Plants & Fresh Florals


41 Range Road, Rte 111• Windham, NH • www.delahuntys.com • 603-893-7155 New Hours: Monday thru Saturday 7:30am - 6pm • Sunday 9am - 5pm


submitted by NH Department of Education Commissioner Virginia M. Barry, Ph.D. has announced the release of 2012 Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) reports for New Hampshire schools and school districts including the preliminary designations for new schools and districts in need of improvement (SINIs and DINIs). “Over seventy percent of schools and sixty-fi ve percent of districts failed to make AYP in 2012. This is ample evidence that the accountability system is broken, not that the vast majority of schools in New Hampshire are failing,” stated Commissioner Barry. “In New Hampshire we need an accountability system that rewards the great schools and accurately identifi es those schools and districts that need our support,” Commissioner Barry added. The 2012 AYP Reports are based on the October 2011 New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) results for grades three through eight and eleven, together with the 2010-2011 NH Alternate Learning Progressions Assessment (NH-ALPs) results for grades two through seven and ten, and the Class of 2011 graduation rate. AYP is calculated through an index system, with schools and districts receiving full credit for each student that scores profi cient or better and partial credit for student scores below profi cient. To make AYP, a school or district must meet performance targets established for students in reading and mathematics, as well as meet state targets for student NECAP participation, attendance, and graduation (at high school only). Student performance is summarized for the whole school and subgroups of students including, by race/ ethnicity, socioeconomic status, educational disability, and non- or limited- English profi cient. To make AYP a school or district must meet the targets in every category (NECAP participation, performance, and graduation/ attendance) for every subgroup. To comply with the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), all students within a school and district must demonstrate profi ciency by 2013-2014. One hundred and twenty- one (26%) schools made AYP in all areas measured and


332 (71%) schools did not make AYP in one or more areas. The remaining 12 (3%) schools are subject to review until AYP can be calculated (some of these are very small schools which complicates calculations of AYP). In addition, 27 (33%) high schools missed the graduation rate target, and one elementary school missed for its attendance rate. Schools not making AYP for two consecutive years in the same content (i.e. reading or math) area are designated a School in Need of Improvement (SINI). Based on the 2012 AYP results, thirty schools are identifi ed as new SINIs, increasing the total number of schools identifi ed for improvement to 330 (71%). Schools not making AYP have 30 days to fi le an appeal with the State Department of Education. Five schools in need of improvement made AYP for the second consecutive year, and therefore exited improvement status: Lin- Wood Elementary, Pittsfi eld Middle School, Sanbornton Central School, School Street School in Rochester, and White Mountains Regional High School. To calculate AYP at the district level, student data are aggregated


by grade span groupings: elementary/middle (grades three through eight) and high school (grade 11), and then compared to the performance targets in reading and mathematics. For the district to receive a negative AYP designation, both grade span groups must fail to make AYP in the same content area. Districts not making AYP for two consecutive years in the same content area are identifi ed as Districts In Need of Improvement (DINI). Of the 161 AYP district reports issued, 52 (32%) districts made


AYP and 107 (66%) did not make AYP, with two (2%) districts in need of additional review and not receiving an AYP determination at this time. An analysis of the new results shows that two districts made AYP for the second consecutive year and exited improvement status: Newmarket and White Mountains Regional Districts. Sixteen new districts are preliminarily identifi ed as in need of


improvement, increasing the number of districts in improvement to 101 (63%). The appeal process and timeline for districts is similar to the process provided for schools. In accordance with state and federal law, SINIs and DINIs must develop improvement plans focused on the category (or categories) that resulted in a failure to meet AYP targets.


Deputy Commissioner Paul Leather noted, “New Hampshire is nationally recognized for innovative practices, including course competencies. AYP as an accountability system does not capture the performance of our schools and districts in implementing these practices, which is why the Department is working closely with our schools around the future of accountability.” Individual school and district reports, together with SINI and DINI information, and additional information about understanding AYP can be found at www.education.nh.gov/instruction/accountability/ ayp/2012.htm.


Pelham Town Hall


Visit with the Easter Bunny!


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