Gilmanton Women’s Club News
The
Gilmanton Women’s Club will be holding our annual Pies on the Common
fundraiser on October 10, 2015. Join us on the front lawn of the
Gilmanton Academy Bldg. Rte.140 & Rte.107 from 10:00 a.m. until
2:00 p.m. We will be offering, our much sort after scrumptious
homemade pies, along with apples, pumpkins and cider. In addition,
there will be a number of local vendors offering more wonderful
arrays of harvest products.
Come
and enjoy the pleasantry of this Fall season event.
Two New Hampshire Schools Selected As Blue Ribbon Award Winners By
U.S. Department Of Education
U.S.
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan recognized 335 schools as
National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2015, based on their overall
academic excellence or their progress in improving student academic
achievement. The program recognizes schools in one of two
performance categories. The first category is “Exemplary High
Performing,” in which schools are recognized among their state’s
highest performing schools, as measured by state assessments or
nationally-normed tests. The second category is “Exemplary
Improving,” in which schools that have at least 40 percent of their
students from disadvantaged backgrounds demonstrate the most
progress in improving student achievement levels as measured by
state assessments or nationally-normed tests. Canaan Elementary
School and Gilmanton School were chosen as “Exemplary High
Performing” schools.
“We are
pleased that Canaan Elementary School and Gilmanton School are being
recognized as among the greatest schools in the country,” said
Commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Education, Virginia
M. Barry, Ph.D. “Schools across New Hampshire are demonstrating that
all students can achieve to high levels. These two schools represent
all the excellent schools in New Hampshire that are working hard to
improve achievement for all students.”
Award
Winners
Tucked
between the Connecticut River and the peaks of Mt. Cardigan, the
Canaan Elementary School is located in a rural setting, serving
students in grades PK-4 from the communities of Canaan, Dorchester,
Grafton, and Orange, NH. We are a family- and community-oriented
school with a marvelous blend of veteran and new staff, all working
together to support each other and to ensure success for each
student academically, socially, emotionally, and physically. With a
strong focus on respect, responsibility, and safety, CES students
are fully engaged participants in their learning, and we are proud
of the accomplishments they have made over the past several years,
as shown by our consistently high scores in the NH State
assessments. Teachers at CES have worked diligently to align
curriculum with Common Core Standards and have designed and
implemented formative assessments that help us discover gaps in
student learning so they may be addressed. Our students love being
tested, so they can show us what they know! They are proud of each
step in their progress, celebrating not only their own growth, but
the growth of each of their peers. Teachers have also become strong
school and district leaders, and have opened up their classrooms to
each other, seeking feedback that will help them grow as well.
Meeting as grade-level teams on a regular basis, our staff have
truly become a professional learning community. Parents and
community members support the school in many ways, and we are proud
of the relationships we have built.
Gilmanton School sits beside a rural highway in the center of a
small town in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. Gilmanton takes
pride in its rural character, steeped in historical landmarks,
one-room schoolhouses, stately colonial homes, and stone-walled
enclosures. In fact, many students are descendants of the original
town residents, and they have strong links to the local farm
industry. Gilmanton School has a welcoming atmosphere built around a
culture of collaboration and shared leadership. This present-day
culture is a shift from ten years ago when low test scores and poor
morale were the norm. The professional staff worked hard to analyze
the root cause of poor student performance and they became actively
involved in aligning curriculum and using data to focus on students
instructional needs. Personalization has become the heart of
Gilmanton Schools instructional philosophy. Differentiation is
central to this instructional approach, and grade-level teams meet
frequently to discuss student progress. Each grade is assigned daily
literacy and math blocks, during which students are placed in small
groups for skill-based instruction. All available personnel work
with students of varying abilities during these blocks, reinforcing
school-wide inclusion. Mastery of skills is the ultimate goal for
each student. Gilmanton residents support the school by making
budgetary decisions that have a positive effect on the education of
the children. Community members enrich school programs by sharing
expertise and time with the children. Student test scores have
steadily improved in this culture of collaboration and
personalization. More important, students are learning.
Each
year since 1982, the U. S. Department of Education seeks out and
celebrates great American schools, schools demonstrating that all
students can achieve to high levels. The National Blue Ribbon School
award affirms the hard work of students, educators, families, and
communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students
master challenging content. These Blue Ribbon Schools are an example
of what teachers and students can achieve.
The
principal and one teacher from each school are invited to celebrate
the honor at an awards ceremony scheduled for November 9th and 10th
in Washington, D.C. Each school will receive an award plaque and a
flag as symbols of their accomplishments. The award flag gracing an
entry or flying overhead is a widely recognized symbol of exemplary
teaching and learning.
For
more information about this and other award/recognition programs
coordinated through the Department of Education log on to
www.education.nh.gov/recognition/index.htm.
Obituaries
Rev.
Joseph E. Stopyro
Gilmanton Iron Works - Rev. Joseph E. Stopyro, 58, a long-time
resident of Gilmanton Iron Works, died Tuesday, September 22, 2015,
at Massachusetts General Hospital, surrounded by his loving wife and
family.
Born in
Syracuse, NY on December 23, 1956, Joseph was the son of Joseph C.
and Mary (Flanagan) Stopyro. While living in Gilmanton Iron Works,
he had owned and operated Stopyro Enterprises for many years and was
an ordained minister and former pastor of the Living Word Assembly
of God Church. He and his wife had just recently moved to Center
Barnstead.
Rev.
Stopyro is survived by his wife, Anna (Haynes) Stopyro of Center
Barnstead; 4 sons, Stephen and his wife Cristen, Daniel and his wife
Laura, Jedidiah, and David; 6 grandchildren, twins Caleb and
Benjamin, Adelia, Daniel, Kenndan and Mallorie; brothers, Michael
and Andrew Stopyro; sisters, Terry Underwood and JoAnne Hollington;
and nieces and nephews.
Services were held Saturday, October 3rd, oficiated by Pastor Gary
Cote.
Tom
Petit of the Still Oaks Funeral & Memorial Home is assisting with
arrangements and offers an on-line guestbook at
stilloaks.com.
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