The Walpolean

YMCA Program Provides Essential Supports for Students and Working Parents

Providing youth with opportunities to continue to learn and engage in meaningful activities at the end of the school day can boost their academic success. To help motivate and inspire kids to learn, Meeting Waters YMCA is offering an afterschool program to school-aged children up and down the Connecticut River Valley. The Y’s ASPIRE afterschool program combines academic support with play and offers a caring and safe environment for youth who might otherwise be left unsupervised.

During the school year, 15.1 million U.S. children are left unsupervised after 3 p.m., according to the Afterschool Alliance, a nonprofit public awareness advocacy organization. With the start of the new school year, Meeting Waters YMCA encourages parents and caregivers to make sure that children are involved in safe, educational experiences after school.

“The combination of enrichment and extended learning opportunities is essential to increasing children’s success in school,” said Susan Fortier, Senior Program Director at Meeting Waters YMCA. “YMCA afterschool programs promote a love for learning, social and emotional development, healthy choices, character and creativity, and provide children with an extra support system through positive role models to help them achieve and reach their full potential.”

Studies show participation in afterschool programs helps boost school attendance and academic performance and reduces gaps in academic achievement among children from disadvantaged households.

Each day at Y-ASPIRE, youth receive help with homework, engage in physical activity, receive a healthy snack, and work together on a group project organized around the monthly Y-ASPIRE theme. Financial assistance is available to those in need, to ensure every child has the opportunity to learn and grow at the Y.

Y-ASPIRE takes place at all three Brattleboro elementary schools, at Dummerston School, at Meeting Waters YMCA’s program center in Bellows Falls for students and families of Central, Saxtons River and BF Middle schools; and at its new site at Walpole Primary School which serves  students and parents from all three Walpole schools.

For more information about Meeting Waters YMCA’s Y-ASPIRE after-school program, please visit meetingwatersymca.org, email info@meetingwatersymca.org or call their office nearest you—Brattleboro: 246-1036 or Bellows Falls: 802-463-4769.

Founded in 1895, Meeting Waters YMCA is a charitable, social service organization serving the Brattleboro, Bellows Falls, Springfield and Fall Mountain regions. It strengthens the foundations of community through youth development, healthy living, social responsibility and family strengthening.

Remember when they had Cherries, Cherries and more Cherries?  Now it’s Peaches!  Looks like fun plans for Sunday as well as peaches to eat. – Lil

Alyson’s Orchard has a magnificent peach crop this year and they are ready for picking now!  This week you can pick your own ‘Red Star’ freestone peaches, Saturn (donut) Peaches, plums and Paula Red Apples.

This Sunday is the annual PEACH FESTIVAL from 11AM – 3PM at Alyson’s.  Dust off your rolling pins and enter a peach dessert (pie, cobbler, cake, pastry or your own special creation!) in the PEACH BAKE-OFF between 9 and 10 AM on Sunday.  Judging will take place at 10 AM and prizes will be awarded.

Other activities will be a Peach Eating Contest and Pit Spitting Contest, a Little Miss Peach Competition (girls 6 months to 12 years should come dressed in festive peach colored clothing), wagon rides, peach picking, Walpole Creamery Ice Cream, face painting and BBQ food.  For more information go to http://www.alysonsorchard.com and check out Upcoming Events or call Fran at 603-756-9800.

Looks like a beautiful day for the Farmer’s Market from 4:00-6:00.  I noticed on Facebook that Great Brook Farm will be cooking burgers so dinner tonight could be as easy for you as it will be for me!  Walt Sayre will even be there to entertain you.

Tomorrow at 1:00 is the hearing on the report from the Hooper Study Committee.  They put in countless hours to research and prepare the report.  Seems like the least we can do is go and listen.

Thursday, the 22nd is the Parent Forum at FMRHS from 6:30-8:00.  Dr. Jane Bluestein will be speaking for parents and the community in general about “Using Boundaries to Build Responsibilty, Cooperation and Mutual Respect’ with our children.  There is no charge for this.

Hope to see a lot of people at all three events. – Lil

The Walpole Historical Society will sponsor another free Genealogy
Workshop on Saturday Saturday September 14, 2013 from 10-12 noon.
Jeanne & Peter Jeffries have pursued Genealogy for over 30 years and
welcome beginners as well as experienced persons. Hints regarding
research sources as well as stone walls will be shared. Call for
reservation at 603 756 2933. More information can be found on the
Walpole Historical Society web site: http://www.walpolehistory.org .

WALPOLE COMMUNITY CROP Hunger Walk to be held on Saturday, September 21, 2013.

Looking to make a difference in these trying times?  The WALPOLE COMMUNITY CROP Hunger Walk has set a goal of 50 Walkers and hopes to raise $5,000 to help stop hunger and poverty here in our community and around the world, through self-help initiatives.  A portion of the funds raised here in Walpole will go to the Fall Mountain Food Shelf.

Last year, 41 walkers raised more than $3,543 in our CROP Hunger Walk.  Help us break our record. Get a group of friends together and come join us.

Haiti is one part of the world where CROP Hunger Walks are making a big difference.  In the aftermath of the killer earthquake, Church World Service was there with much-needed emergency assistance.  With the recovery effort in full swing, CWS is helping families and communities to rebuild homes, food supplies and livelihoods.

CROP Hunger Walks also play a role in the U.S., helping communities ravaged by floods and tornadoes to recover.

For more information about the WALPOLE COMMUNITY CROP Hunger Walk, contact Jana Sellarole at 756-4380 or Ellie Shaw at 756-4866.

1. There is no half day for freshmen the day before school starts. On day 1, August 27th, there will be activities for freshmen to familiarize themselves with the high school and meet peers in each grade level.

Thomas H. Ronning, Principal

On August 21st the public is invited to a special Floral Design and Horticulture display at Alsyon’s Orchard.  Designs will be judged by the Monadnock Garden Club earlier in the day, but the public is invited from 1:00-2:30 PM.  There is no charge for this and guests can pick up some new ideas for making their own centerpieces and/or floral displays for the home.

Thanks for letting us know about this, Peggy Dion. – Lil

Peggy Dion asked me to remind the Women of Walpole that there is a meeting on Wednesday the 14th at 2:00.  She was hesitant to post the address since it is at a private home but she told me that group members would know where. – Lil

Regina Borden sent the agenda for the Tuesday meeting and wanted to be sure that I pointed out the change of location.  The floors in the Town Hall won’t be ready for Tuesday so the meeting will be at the church. – Lil

TOWN OF WALPOLE

PLANNING BOARD MEETING

PO Box 729

Walpole, NH 03608

AGENDA

MEETING DATE:  Tuesday, August 13, 2013, at 7:00 PM.

 **NOTE CHANGE OF LOCATION:  First Congregational Church, Walpole, NH**

Open Meeting:

1.  Roll Call – Designate Alternates;
2. Approve Minutes of Regular Meeting on July 9, 2013.

Public Hearings:

Proposed Amendment to the Site Plan Review (Continued from July Meeting)

“Changes and Alterations in an Approved Site Plan”

Subdivision – One Lot Into Three Lots:  Richard S. Francis, III, Ramsay Hill, Tax Map #011, Lot #007-001, Rural Agricultural Zoning District.

Site Plan Review – Change in Use from Office to Multi-Family Residential: Bruce R. Carruthers, 28 Main Street, Tax Map #019, Lot #042, Commercial Zoning District

New Business:

Rice Mountain Estate:  Mr. Gerenser requested that this Public Hearing be tabled until the September meeting.

 Old Business:

1.  PB Alternate Members:  Clarify Terms of Office for Two Alternate PB Members.

Other Business:

Planning Board:

1.  Workshop Session:  There will be a Workshop Session on Tuesday, August 27, 2013, at 7:00 PM in the Town Hall Downstairs Office.

Communications and Miscellaneous:

1.  Handouts, Announcements and Other.

Adjourn Meeting:

Just finished a wonderful Bar-B-Q chicken dinner sponsored by the Congregational Church.  The food was exceptional and the weather could not have been better.  Next comes the band concert sponsored by the Savings Bank of Walpole.  Couldn’t get much better still.  The weather explains why we live in New England and then dinner and concert explain why we choose to live in Walpole.  Thanks, everyone!