PLENTY TO CHECK OUT AT LIBRARY

SEP

13

QuaranTEEN Open

• Saturday, September 13 at 1:00pm - 4:00pm Next Week · 71°F / 57°F Chance of Rain

• Show Map Lynn Public Library 5 N Common St, Lynn, Massachusetts 01902

Quaranteen is now open 5 days a week! Teens ages 12-18, bring your library card and stop in Mondays - Thursdays between 3pm and 7pm and on Saturdays between 1pm and 4pm. Featured technology includes Macs and Dells, Xbox 360 with Kinect, Makey Makeys, iPads, and more!

*Programs are subject to change, please call ahead at 781-595-0567 ext, 109.

LEARNING SOMETIMES COMES FROM LIVING LIFE

The problem with education administration is they thing that TIME-ON LEARNING is the same as TIME FOR LEARNING. Let me tell you a little story. See it's not the number of facts we accumulate in our brain but rather learning how to use our brain. It's not endless testing that makes us smart (I mean other people because I am surely NOT) but rather it is living the variety of life.

You never know what is going to spark a students desire to seek knowledge so you can never underestimate even the smallest activity. Now people make fun of WV when it comes to education. I'm right sure we never done a lot of things right but at least we celebrated the holidays and only took STANDARDIZED tests once a year. We had a lot less structure and NO SUMMER READING. Every year we would have a BIG school-wide HALLOWEEN COSTUME contest where the HOMEROOM winners would compete with the other classes for a grand prize. My last year, my sixth-grade tear, I was so desperate to win I dressed up in a BIKINI. Well I did win. Even with all those interruptions, I turned out okay.

Well wait a minute, I'm just a POOR, DISABLED POET maybe I'm not the BEST example. Okay lets switch example here for a minute and see if I can come up with a BETTER one. Well there was this one kid STEVIE MIKES. Steve's house was just down the street. He was in my little brothers class and was subjected to the same distractions I was and had roughly the same quality of elementary and secondary education I had. In fact many of the same teachers. He did turn out a little more successful than me.

He ended up working for the JET PROPULSION LABORATORY out in CALIFORNIA and played a KEY ROLE in programming the MARS ROVER. Although I was a couple years ahead of him in school so we never had any classes, he was in my CUB SCOUT TROOP and for a will my mother was our DEN MOTHER and I remember this one meeting in our basement where we made MODEL rockets and I always wondered how much that SPARKED his interest in science or maybe it came from some of the elaborate HALLOWEEN his own MOM made. Back then, back in WV NOBODY bought costumes off the rack. Once I seem to remember some costume with aluminum foil like a robot or something like a robot. The thing is we may never know what was the ACTUAL catalyst  or maybe it wasn't one, it was the variety of experiences of living life that triggered the expression of his imagination. That is why creativity is VITAL in learning because  REAL education is express best by being able to pull FACTS you learn from LOTS of different places to come up with something NEW,

PS. As an extra added bonus to this post I am going to share a video STEVE shared yesterday. It is so cool.

Got a minute? Find out why NASA explores Earth more than any other planet.#EarthRightNow

1:18

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TIGERS TAKE IT ON THE CHIN

The TECH TIGERS have been tripped up by POPE JOHN PAUL II  36 - 14. Next weeks game will be at MANNING FIELD on SEPT 12 @5 pm.

GORDON'S GONE BUT FOR HOW LONG?

Facts about FORD going forward weren't the only nuggets of knowledge to be gleaned from yesterdays meeting of the minds. Some interesting nuances were floated that well weren't too flattering for ALL of those in the severing of ties crowd.

When the SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT COUNCIL was discussed and the not too coincidental placement of VAL BUCHANAN from GORDON COLLEGE on it and the possibility of her staying on it or the need to REPLACE her. DEB RUGGERIO,the new FORD interim (ha,ha,ha) principal, who also is technically the principal at HARRINGTON where VAL sit on their SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT COUNCIL as well. DEB played it off like she really wasn't sure if she would be allowed to stay.

Well I was at the LSC meeting where ties were cut and DR. LATHAM made it pretty clear that ALL ties were to bee cut. Don't take my word for it, go back and WATCH the tape. So of course I had to speak up and tell her, "NO MEANS NO".

Well it turns out, not not necessarily in this CASE. LSC member RICK STARBARD who was also at yesterday's meeting said, "We are not sure yet as a PRIVATE citizen".

REALLY RICK, are they playing that game now. Check the record RICK did not vote in favor of severing ties. I was in agreement with him on that but I thought the LOSS was a loss. I know all those people in the audience wearing light blue LPOBE shirts sure did.

Even when I disagree with him which is often enough, I know RICK to be a STAND-UP guy and I don't think he would have interjected the wiggle without wanting some BACKUP from somebody.

NEWS ITEM:WATCH TO BE SOLD?

Given the current climate, both political and economic, it is with a heavy heart I am contemplating  following in the ITEM'S footsteps and completing a transaction that would transfer ownership of the WATCH to a new steward.

Currently my revenues are nonexistent and I do realize that my suitors may be limited. However I've been getting CRAZY hits lately and I really would ENTERTAIN (I LIKE THAT WORD) and offer to PARTNER-UP with someone who generate some cash flow here.

I don't really want to be involved in any of the money-making business BUT....I guess we'll

CROSS THAT CASH STREAM WHEN WE COME TO IT!

WORKING ON "NIGHT MOVES"

Yes that song brings back memories of HIGH SCHOOL and my first car, a 1968 DODGE DART. Now I am sure since I am on my FOURTH wife, you've jumped to all sorts of scandalous conclusions. Actually I am reveling in the memory of listening to the first cassette, BOB SEGER AND THE SILVER BULLET BAND, in my newly installed tape player. The only time the back seat was involved was during the installation of the speakers. I was a good boy, I WAS.

What I really want to talk about now is the FUTURE. You see in the past there were some 350 or so adults in NIGHT SCHOOL at FORD SCHOOL in various classes, mostly ESL and GED. From what I gathered from our meeting of the minds yesterday,"No need to wear shades because the future ain't bright!".

Oh there was talk that there may well be a need for another location given the numbers up here but there are ready a couple locations currently, one of which is HARRINGTON (IMAGINE THAT!). The new FORD/HARRINGTON principal (Defined position seemed a little vague to me) is not necessarily against the idea and might even advocate for it......BUT......there is a form to follow and a PROCESS to PROCEED with. So all inquiries will be directed to someone in CENTRAL OFFICE and a pamphlet will be coming shortly (TRANSLATION OF MY PERCEPTION OF INTERPRETATION) - "It'll be a while".

I love being proved wrong because that means things are being DONE RIGHT!

TRAVELING TIGERS TO TAKE ON POPE TODAY

Yesterday saw the first practice of an important RITUAL. My son came home in discomfort after his blessing last night. Of course after three plates at the PRE-GAME TEAM DINNER what can you expect? That boy can eat. Of course back in the day, my DINNER TABLE EXPLOITS were legendary also. I guess he gets it honest.

The first game of the the football season is tonight at 7pm and the opponent will be POPE JOHN PAUL II in HYANNIS. MA. This will be a tough test as I believe PJPII is rank #1 in Div. 6 which the division LVTI falls in. Don't bet the farm on that because rankings and all that riggamorrow ain't for whimps like me!

CROSSES AT THIS BORDER MAY BE BURNING

Hi All, 

I wanted to let you all know that Mayor Kennedy is speaking at the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) in DC tonight.  For those of you who are not familiar with CIS, I can give a brief description, but the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) provides far more detail of CIS and it's sister organizations, the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) and Numbers USA.  Together, these organizations form the backbone of the anti-immigrant movement, and all three were founded by John Tanton, a now retired ophthalmologist from Michigan.  

To give you an glimpse of the ideas that underpin these organizations, SPLC notes that, "John Tanton has not merely flirted with and adopted many of the core ideas of white nationalism over the past three decades. He has carried on correspondences with some of the key leaders of the white nationalist movement, meeting and even vacationing with some of them, and pushing many of their central ideas."

In their 2009 report [PDF] on the network of organizations that Tanton created, the SPLC notes  that, "Tanton has for decades been at the heart of the white nationalist scene. He has met with leading white supremacists, promoted anti-Semitic ideas, and associated closely with the leaders of a eugenicist foundation once described by a leading newspaper as a 'neo-Nazi organization'."

Included in Tanton's correspondence with other white nationalists, he once stated his belief that, "[F]or European-American society and culture to persist requires a European-American majority, and a clear one at that."

CIS initially began as a project of FAIR in 1985, but quickly split off to become an "independent" think tank for the anti-immigrant movement.  The organization's academic standards are non-existent, and they write entire papers bashing immigrants only to admit that there is no actual data to support their position.  The reason becomes clear when you see that their staff and board members have written for vdare.com, a white nationalist website.  Indeed, their Senior Policy Analyst once said that immigration threatens, "[T]he American people as a whole and the future of Western civilization."

We think it is deplorable that the mayor of Lynn would be speaking to such a group.  We ask that you call the Lynn City Hall and let them know that it is unacceptable for Mayor Kennedy to be speaking to such a group.  You can reach City Hall at (781) 598-4000.

Thanks,

Sarang Sekhavat
Federal Policy Director
Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition
105 Chauncy St. 9th floor
Boston, MA 02111
(617) 350-5480 x212
ssekhavat@miracoalition.org

Become a MIRA member

A COMMUNITY MEETING

Well we had our meeting with the NEW FORD TEAM and I must say I was IMPRESSED. The NEW PRINCIPAL DEB RUGGERIO was pleasant and SEEMINGLY open to working with the HIGHLANDS COALITION going forward so everything is going to go smoothly through this transition period. Yep, that' what I MUST say. I mean I was told by a fellow HICO member when I mentioned about writing about the meeting, "Be careful".

Putting my hand to my chest,"Me....". She quickly mentioned she was looking forward to reading my blog. She was a SMART lady NOT to try and hold the reins  on this wild pony.

OKAY MY IMPRESSIONS AND OBSERVATIONS.

I am sure it was just a coincidence he was there but IF I was smart enough to be intimidated I would have been when I walk into the schoolyard going to our scheduled meeting (for about a week now) and out there on his phone was OFFICER FERRARI the TOP COP for LPS.

The meeting actually took place in DEB'S office with chairs around a round table with about six chairs crammed around it while DEB sat behind her desk. Actually there ended up being extra chairs crammed in the doorway. I had one of those.

When I first walked into the office and signed the sign-in sheet and said who I was, my impression was that MS. RUGGERIO didn't know me from ADAM or at least there was no acknowledgement of recognition. HECK, I THOUGHT EVERYBODY KNEW ME. Surely she has heard of the WOTRING WING being built at the new MARSHALL.

When everybody finally squeezed in this tight space we had along with my self were the Executive Director of the HIGHLANDS COALITION WENDY JOESPH, CHAIRMAN LESLIE GREENBERG,LISA CONNALLY from THE FRIENDS OF HIGH ROCK TOWER, DEB HINES parent, KRISTIN MELENDEZ, parent, and MARIAM the LONG_TIME COOK at FORD (back from PRE-DR.CRANE mind you). Not to be outdone, the SCHOOL was represented by DEB RUGGERIO, GALE THOMAS, ALICE GUNNING, SUE ROWE (DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT of LPS), TOM BORGUE (ASSISTANT BUSINESS MANAGER for  LPS) and observing LSC member RICK STARBARD. LPS was not going to be outgunned at this gunfight. Well I did tell everyone I wrote a blog. Didn't want to be accused of carrying a concealed pen.

Well the right things were said, sort of. I mean we will have a place to meet as long as we follow the process for protocol. That's why TOM aka THE TREE NAZI (his words not mine, long story but I will say he was UNFAIRLY dubbed) was there because that's one of the things he does. He did provide some useful info - that the CITY not LPS actually controls usage of outside grounds, ie parking lot and say GARDEN (note to self).

Ole DEB, now she took a little OFFENSE at RUMORS going round that she was planning to close the garden. "Why I never!" she said and I say, "Fair enough". Actually her name never really surfaced in any of the new LANDSCAPING rumors. She and MR, BORGUE advised against believing RUMORS and believe it or not I agree with them.....

IF.....

some of them weren't TRUE. This is the POLITICAL  big leagues.  You ain't dealing with no ROOKIE here! Often there is a thin line between fact and fiction. No one can run away of you if you keep holding their feet to the FIRE!

ETHICAL CONFLICT COULD BE AN ITEM

Things should be looking up for the public perception of LYNN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. The REALITY may not change but the APPEARANCE sure might. I could be wrong in my command of the facts here leading to a mistaken conclusion. I know some of my more thoughtful, more intelligent readers will be quick to point out the error of my ways.

Isn't the new purchaser of the ITEM, GRANT COMMUNICATIONS, the same PR firm LPS hired to "GET THE WORD OUT" around the beginning of the
MARSHALL BOND PUSH? Are they still under contract?

NOTHING LIKE CUTTING OUT THE MIDDLE MAN!

CAN YOU KEEP ANOTHER SECRET?

Now, don't tell anyone cause I want to SURPRISE them. Later today I will be joining with some others from the HIGHLANDS COALITION to meet with DEB RUGGERIO, the INTERIM PRINCIPAL at FORD SCHOOL and the TRANSITION and a couple other IMPORTANT people I'll tell you later.

Hopefully this will be a productive meeting and our relationship will remain secure. You know I am going to ask about the library. I hope it all goes well cause you know the old saying, "HELL HATH NO FURY LIKE A POET WITH A PEN!".

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SO LONG STACY

Looks like LPS is losing yet another important cog to to the leadership team. Now both former Level 4 have serious disruptions to their respective specific administrations.

 Stacy, who has recently been named the Principal of the Hadley Elementary School in Swampscott. Her passion for children and dedication to quality education are the foundation for her incredible work ethic

What  effect will this have on these schools going forward?

I am glad for STACY, she was stymied at LPS. I do not think she was going to move up anytime soon here IRREGARDLESS of her respective talents or abilities. Sad but funny because the PRINCIPAL position is one of the least stable things in our system.

Her fate was sealed at the interview for the COBBETT principal position when MAYOR KENNEDY publicly questioned why she would even apply for the position given the fact her HUSBAND, FORMER COUNCIL PRESIDENT TIM PHELAN was running against her. Funny I didn't know the MAYOR hired the principals and even if she did STACY deserved ETHICAL treatment. I hadn't noticed that she was conjoined at the hip with her husband. This latest loss is just another leftover from a sickened political system.

PERCEPTION REFLECTION

Facts have their rules
Or so they teach in every law school.

Two wrongs may be right
If you have a dog in the current fight.

What matters is how you look
When you go by the book.

It doesn't matter what the truth may be
What is important what others see!

FLASH FIRES

Colleges reaching out to fill Gordon gap

Plenty of kids with new KICKS,
LPS up to old TRICKS!

GORDON made GO,
Now time for a SHOW.

VAGUE we will BE
So that you do not SEE.

The PROBLEMS we will FACE
When we try to REPLACE.

BANK ON THIS

In honor of Hunger Action Month, The Cheesecake Factory is conducting a Peanut Butter Drive to support local Feeding America food banks. Feeding America is "the nation's largest hunger relief organization." Their national network of more than 200 food banks distributes over three billion pounds of food and grocery products to America's hungry each year. Please consider donating at https://overtonfoundation.ejoinme.org/peanutbutter and please choose CCF Northshore/Peabody for your restaurant location. THANK YOU!! And please share this!

Peanut Butter Drive Donations

overtonfoundation.ejoinme.org

Donation Page

FRIENDS OF LYNN HERITAGE STATE PARK

HOST THE 6th WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL

CONTACT:

         David Gass                781-595-8701          dagass22@gmail.com

   Cherish Casey            617-849-2985          chrshcasey@yahoo.com

The World Music Festival will be held on Saturday, September 13^th from 1 – 6:30 PM. Lynn Heritage Waterfront Park (off the Lynnway)

The festival celebrates some of the many cultures on the North Shore.   

Hundreds expected at Lynn Heritage Park for a day of international music and food. The festival will kick off National Welcoming Week, Sept. 13-21.

The festival features Women of the World, an ensemble of Berkley College grads who celebrate diversity and the quest for world peace through music. Hear them at: http://www.womenoftheworldmusic.com/. They placed 1^st at the 2014 National Championships at Harmony Sweepstakes A Capella Festival. One of their singers is Deborah Pierre, a graduate of Lynn Classical High School. 

Musical groups include:

Fargenign	Jewish and Russian songs
Cape Cod African Dance and Drum	drum and dance
	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhS9d-jzdmY
Cultural Latina Group	Lynn’s youthful Dominican dancers
Josue Giron	6 year old mariachi at Washington School
	https://www.youtube.com/user/jg0153
Julio Bare Ralph Tufo David Gass Henri Onel	Pete Seeger and songs of the civil rights movement
Walnut-Da Lyrical Geni Band	hip hop rock funk band with a social  conscience

Ethnic food vendors.  Bring a chair or blanket and enjoy the fun of world folk music.  Rain date is Saturday, September 27^th  1 - 6:30.

Major contributors are: Mass. and Lynn Cultural Council, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay,  Mayor Kennedy, Lynn Item, Highlands Coalition. 

LOOKS LIKE LIL'LORI MAY BE ON TO SOMETHING BY WONDERING WHATS GOING ON?

Lori D'Amico‎Lynn School Watch

1 min · 

"Iarrobino did not name the two colleges in contact with Superintendent Catherine Latham" Why not? Isn't this suppose to be great news? And just what services are they offering? One would think certain committee members and administrators would be shouting this great news and all the details about it from the roof tops. I would love to get excited about this, but at this point, it sounds like LPS is simply trying to put the public at ease about their decision.

http://www.itemlive.com/news/colleges-reaching-out-to-fill-gordon-gap/article_265306d0-3300-11e4-abf5-0019bb2963f4.html

Colleges reaching out to fill Gordon gap

Less than a week after the School Committee cut ties with Gordon College over hiring practices, other area colleges expressed interest, according to a School Department spokesman, in reaching out to local...

ITEMLIVE.COM

NEW YEAR, NEW POSITIONS

CLAIRE PAPPAS starts the new school year as the SPED HEAD at ENGLISH. Also ANTOINETTA DIMEO-ZAVRAS will be the DEPARTMENT HEAD of all things SOCIAL at ENGLISH.

RICK REACHES OUT

Rick Starbard, Lynn School Committee· 

Welcome back LPS students and staff. Have a great year!!

Of course, some of you STAFF aren't supposed to see this. LPS has a POLICY!

ARE YOU LONELY TONIGHT?

Colleges reaching out to fill Gordon gap

Great story to run the first day of school. Maybe it might even be true, at least parts of it. Now I am sure even my haters out there will vouch for the fact I know a thing or true about printing things that smack of fiction.

This story had to be written given all of  the questions be put out there by some people, I won't mention any names, who have been pounding this issue. The message they are trying to send is it doesn't matter who you partner is someone will be there. Maybe so, but don't forget the old adage, "FOOLS RUSH IN".

Having had FOUR wives, I know something about replacing partners. After my first divorce, I got married again probably two or three months after my first divorce was finalized. My SECOND divorce was SIX months later after a month of separation. My THIRD marriage came after FOUR months dating and resulted in my THIRD divorce being one the longest running court cases in the history of SALEM PROBATE COURT (not a distinction I am PROUD of because EVERYBODY is a LOSER).

Luckily on my FOURTH try, NINE plus years later, looks like I made it. My point being just because you can fill a GAP doesn't mean you got a GOOD match. Plus sometime BREAK-UPS can be messy. Believe me, I know,

NEW DATA DIVA TO BE LPS'S CAPTAIN CRUNCH

LYNN CATARIUS has been named ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF CURRICULUM/DATA ASSESSMENT/CURRICULUM INTEGRATION.Someone has got to keep track of all those TEST SCORES justifying all those HIGH-PAYING administrative jobs.

MODERN WAY FOR A NEW DAY

HOME ACCESS CENTER System Update | September 2, 2014
	The Home Access Center is currently disabled while we finalize the set-up for our new school year. The System will be available shortly, thank you for your patience. CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE HOME ACCESS CENTER INFO PAGE

ASYLUM OF ANOTHER KIND

You know this place was 20 about miles from where I went to college at WEST VIRGINIA WESLEYAN COLLEGE. It is called the TRANS-ALLEGHENY LUNATIC ASYLUM.You guessed it, it is where they used to keep CRAZY people. No I didn't used to  live there. My ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY used to say something about the first ever LOBOTOMY being performed there. Not a flattering legacy.

100–110 S River Ave, Weston

WV, United States

It is abandoned as a hospital now and now tries to capitalize on its
storied past. With all the ABUSE that used to go on in mental health, it is not hard to imagine multiple ghost tales. The hauntings have even landed the institution on national TV a few times. In fact this fall it is going to be featured on the season premiere and 200th episode of GHOST HUNTERS on SCI-FY..

One thing all these ghost-type shows to do to give themselves credibility, an air of believe-ability is to try and DEBUNK the sighting, just to see if MAYBE there was a REASONABLE explanation for the sightings. That minimum level of scientific standards has not been used in LYNN'S UNACCOMPANIED MINOR SIGHTINGS. Instead MAYOR JUDY has been presenting GHOSTS as actual sightings (what did I tell you about LAWYERS) and weaving a web of BOOGIE TALES to be told around the campfire started up by HATERS and RACISTS. That is not to say there aren't real concerns and real PROBLEMS but let's  roll up our sleeves and deal with what we can, what in the end we have to.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE WOTRING WING!

Maria Carrasco - Lynn School Committee

1 hr · 

Keep updated on the building of the new Marshall School project

Lynn School Department

Superintendent Latham welcomes you to the official Lynn Public School Department website.

LYNNSCHOOLS.ORG

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ONLY SEPARATION HERE IS THE WHEAT FROM THE CHAFF

Join

Sacred Heart Harvest Festival

Friday, November 7 at 3:00pm

Sacred Heart, 571 Boston Street, Lynn MA

NURSES TAPPED BY COMMITTEE

At the school committee meeting last Thursday they exercised the only HIRING I believe they so save the ACTUAL hiring of the SUPERINTENDENT (whose 3 yr. contract will be at end soon) when they "VOTED" on the hiring of 5:

HEIDI FERNANDES RN, BSN
SAMANTHA IAPICCA, RN, BSN
ANNE MARCOUX RN, BSN
FRANCINE RINFORT-CRONIN RN, BSN
LAUREN RODRIQUES RN, BSN

EVERYONE HAS AN OPINION

Don't let anyone try and fool you we got a CROWDING problem in LYNN but it is a PEOPLE problem and not a GUATEMALAN or CENTRAL AMERICAN one. Our mandate is to EDUCATE not DISCRIMINATE. You may not like the way they got here but GUESS WHAT, "THEY'RE HERE". Right now our local energy needs to be focused on how to deal with what we have.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/08/30/doing-right-children-chelsea/mMQi2RET1PuVzXAwSrySOM/story.html

Of course the MAYOR has her view and here it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tZP1I-C06c"

Of course its a VIEW or OPINION too. She is entitled to have one. It is NOT wrong but then again it isn't right either. What I would like to see specific facts and figures on what we need,

EVERYONE ALREADY AGREES WE HAVE A PROBLEM.

Fear mongering doesn't SOLVE anything!

TEE UP FOR TECH

Only a month away. Thank you to those that have already signed up to support us, including: Mayor Judy Flanagan-Kennedy, Ward 6 councilor Pete Capano, School Committee members, Patti Capano, John Ford and Rick Starbard, The Hagerty family, Rick's Auto Collision, Deb Gorey, The Lazy Dog, Lynn Tech Evening School. As more names come in, we will promote them. Please sign up!!

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