Woodstock CT Café

by Nary

When people become angry and cynical about PZC (or the Academy’s MO) — there is a good reason for it. If you’ve seen NO conflict of interest while on PZC, you’ve had blinders on (to Jeff). I believe you practice no conflict of interest and for that, I am grateful.

My intention isn’t to attack you or anyone else, but Woodstock residents need to know what goes on for most people either don’t or can’t attend meetings to see and listen to things first hand. The minutes of meetings do not adequately cover what citizens and voters should know.

I’ve sat in a Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Agency Meeting where the members expressed their pleasure over a three-page letter written by former headmaster, Rich Foye. In the letter, Foye effusively thanked the IWWA for its “support of Football in Woodstock.” Not one member acted as if they understood the inherent danger of expressing anything after reading the letter. Obviously, we want Inland Wetland members who care about the protection of Wetlands and Watercourses. It really shouldn’t matter how these same members feel about football in Woodstock. How do those two subjects intersect as it pertains to their role as board memebers? But, this type of town board response and action is all too common in Woodstock.

Many board members work very hard and do so for no expectation of any type except in the knowledge that they care enough about their community to volunteer their time and talents. Read the rest of this entry »

by Newcomer

This Academy field expansion has been controversial, especially for the abutters to to the project. Since we’re in a period of economic downturn, I’d prefer to see the WA BOT take this time to do some longe-range planning, if they haven’t already, and engage in some conversations with the residents/taxpayers of Woodstock. If the BOT had meetings all around town like the P&ZC is doing with their POCD, it would be a great opportunity for members of the community to give WA some ideas and input as to their plans. In return, WA would come away with a firm grasp on what the taxpayers will/will not support.

Personally, I think that field expansion or no field expansion, WA is going to outgrow their present location at some point no matter what. I understand the historical significance of the original site to the institution and that should be preserved. But if they need to add science labs and need greater handicapped accessability, as well as an athletic complex, as has been reported, then I would really like to see the BOT start serioiusly exploring the idea of developing a junior and senior campus. I would like to see them put out a search-ring for large parcels of land not too far from the present location and consider building a second campus. The second campus could include all of the things they think they are going to need based on projected enrollment and legality (in the case of IDEA compliance for handicapped accessability). Such a site could include an indoor and outdoor athletic facility. Make some preliminary plans to explore such an option and then host public meetings around town to see if people are willing to support bonding to fund such an expansion. Read the rest of this entry »

The Woodstock Public School System is rolling out a new standards- based system for assessment, intervention and monitoring of progress for all students.  A major concern for parents as well as teachers is how to help children who experience difficulty in school. All parents want to see their child excel, and it can be very frustrating when a child falls behind in either learning to read, achieving as expected in math and other subjects, or in getting along socially with peers and teachers. The federal government has directed schools to focus more on helping all children learn by addressing problems earlier, before the child is so far behind that a referral to special education services is warranted. These laws require schools to use a new data-based identification and intervention system called Scientific Research-Based Intervention, or SRBI (you may also hear your child refer to this as RTI or Response-To-Intervention).  SRBI is based on universal screenings of all students and then periodic progress monitoring of struggling students through assessments in core academic competencies.  Through a multi-step approach to providing services and interventions to struggling learners at increasing levels of intensity, SRBI  is designed to close the gap between what a student is expected to do and what a student can actually do.   The purposes of SRBI are to promote better instructional practices, identify struggling students and prevent them from falling behind, bridge the gap between special education and general education and ground the identification of special education students in a rigorous, data-based, targeted intervention process. 

The SRBI system places children in one of three tiers.  Approximately 80% of children are expected to be identified as Tier 1, meaning that interventions with these students will consist of differentiated instruction within the general education classroom plus three universal screening tests to ensure that they are progressing as expected for their grade level in literacy (reading and writing), mathematics and behavior. Tier 2 students are a group of students, expected to comprise approximately 15% of the population, who will receive direct, systematic instruction in small groups and in the larger classroom setting and whose progress will be monitored more frequently.  Finally, Tier 3 students, around 5% of the population, will receive more intensive interventions in the core academic areas and more frequent progress monitoring focusing on the reasons the student has failed to respond to previous interventions. 
Read the rest of this entry »

An inquiry was made to Barbara Newman (Army Corps of Engineers) as to the status of the Academy application to develop its athletic fields (its ‘Events Complex’).

The response was as follows:

“I believe the DEP is going to request some more info on the mitigation plan.

Thanks,

Barbara Newman
Army Corps of Engineers”

see http://www.woodstockrepublicans.com/id18.html

for example:

6. What do you see as being the most important issue facing Woodstock today?

332 people answered     
a)      Educational  funding    36%
b)      Planning and Zoning    14%
c)      Relieving tax burden    21%
d)      Preserving our dairy farms and open space  29%

The Woodstock Middle School Public Speaking team is proud to announce a victory in their first competition this season against Tyl Middle School, Montville, CT. on Nov.4, 2009 at Woodstock Middle School. The students competed in all 6 categories. There were 30 participants in grades 5-8. These students have been practicing diligently twice a week from Sept and will continue through May. The next competition will be hosted by Tyl Middle School in February.

The following students participated in the competition. (For those who placed in their event, it is so noted in parenthesis.)

Impromptu: Brooke Cheney,(1st), Nick Wootton (2nd), Richard Bibeault (4th).
Storytelling: Natalie Bissette (2nd), Jared Lator (4th).
Poetry: Emily Faist & Jordyn Woodland (1st),Rhone O’Hara (2nd), Madison Dean.
Expository: K.C. O’Hara (1st), Michael Audet & Shylynn Albert (2nd), Erin McDowell & Megan Houlihan (4th).
Persuasive:Bill Wong (1st), Will Smith (2nd), Jack Liggett, Roxanne Garceau.
Dramatic &Humorous: Noble Valentine & Hannah Mueller (1st), Makayla Wilk & Shiann Herrick (4th),Pat Houlihan & Jack Kelley.

Congratulations to the entire team for their hard work and effort! They carried themselves with honor and respect representing their school, their families and their community. Thank you to the Woodstock Education Foundation for funding this program, we are very appreciative of their efforts for which many programs would not exist.

This program reflects the best of Woodstock Public School’s mission which emphasizes “a love of learning in an atmosphere based on respect and trust.”

We are grateful to our volunteer judges who graded students competing in their respective categories. We are thankful to them for their time and effort. Judges present: Myra Anderson, Ann Redfield, Barbara Wright, Stephanie Gosselin, Bob Kirk, Kim Weber, Linda Sullivan, Lindsay Paul, Jean McClellan, Sally Keil, Jim Thompson,  Luisa Jones, Valerie Law, Bill Loftus, Monique Wolanin, Karen Marshall, Ken Ebbitt, Brad Davis, Sandy & George Groom, Steve Adams, Jill Schneider and Alexandra Lyman.

A special thanks to our coaches and organizers of this program, as well as their commitment & dedication, Dena O’Hara, Maggie Houlihan, Sharon Wolf & Deb Faist.

by John

I grew up in Rowayton CT on the Long Island Sound. Rowayton was a town where everyone knew each other unlike Woodstock which is much larger. We had many interesting people living around us some of who were actors. In “Hollywood Comes to Woodstock”, I mentioned Meg Foster who is famous for her very blue eyes. Meg was my sister’s best friend growing up as Meg’s family lived over the stone wall (lining our properties). The thing that stands out in my mind about Meg, who was 5 years younger than me, was that she liked catsup on her sphagetti and rice when she ate at our house.  I also recall, she had a very red face as a kid; but things changed after she went to Julliard. The next thing I knew about Meg was that she was on my favorite TV show ”Hawaii Five-O” and other weekly shows. She also played a small role in “All the President’s Men” (1976) with Redford and Hoffman starring as Woodward and Bernstein – the movie about Watergate. However, she only starred in B-movies.

Our other neighbor, Andy Rooney (60 minutes; not an actor but might as well be) actually took me to one of the last baseball Giants games at the Polo Grounds before the Giants moved to San Francisco. As a railroad commuter to NY Andy would play hide and seek with the conductor by hiding in the restroom. His excuse was that he should not have to pay for a train ticket if there was no seat and he would have to stand. This ‘fight’ went on for many years until Andy’s legs gave out.

Then there was Treat Williams who grew up with my brother (seven years younger than me). I always felt that his first major movie “Prince of the City” was a great movie. Funny, it never shows up on TV.

My favorite local actor was Stefan Schnabel (shown in Firefox with Clint Eastwood) who was in many great movies and a very successful Broadway actor (starred in “Plain and Fancy” and “Three Penny Opera”). I organized the Stefan Schnabel ‘fan’ club at my college and when one of his movies was on TV, I would place his signed picture on top of the TV so that all my frat brothers could have a religious experience while watching the movie.

Stefan never missed a moment to have a good scene. Once in downtown Rowayton a mother and her young son with Roy Rogers six-guns passed Stefan on the sidewalk in front of the grocery store which Stefan had just exited with a full bag of groceries. The kid drew his six-guns and started shooting. This triggered Stefan to go into a very serious dying scene with canned goods and vegetables all over the sidewalk. I am sure the kid never recovered from this experience. Read the rest of this entry »

click to expand

The statistics in the box below are for the entire month of October … phew .
“Unique visitors” are defined by having a unique Internet Protocol (IP path).
“Visits” are the number of times visitors have entered the Cafe and then left.
“Pages turned” are clicks on an article.

Visits and page turns up to 9 PM Nov. 4th (for computers with small screens Nov 2, 3, and 4 may not be seen until the image drops down below the right sidebar).

Page turns on specific hours of the day Nov. 1st through 9PM Nov. 4th.

 from Nary

These classic insults are from an era before the English language
got boiled down to 4-letter words.

The exchange between Churchill & Lady Astor:
She said, “If you were my husband I’d give you poison.”
He said, “If you were my wife, I’d drink it.”

A member of Parliament to Disraeli:
“Sir, you will either die on the gallows or of some unspeakable disease.”
“That depends, Sir,” said Disraeli, “whether I embrace your policies or your mistress.”

“He had delusions of adequacy.” – Walter Kerr

“He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire.” – Winston Churchill

“I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure.” Clarence Darrow

“He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary.” – William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway).

“Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I’ll waste no time reading it.” – Moses Hadas

“I didn’t attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.” – Mark Twain

“He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends..” – Oscar Wilde

“I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend…. if you have one.” – George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill
“Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second…. if there is one.” – Winston Churchill, in response. Read the rest of this entry »

 Steven Spielberg stunned by what he finds while touring Woodstock with Jennica Heifer, ace reporter for the Villager.

“Pathetic earthlings, who can save you now?” Emperor Ming

Why it’s our Boards of Finance & Education, of course!

The story of Woodstock’s epic struggle in pursuit of responsible financial management combined with investment in education for Woodstock’s children spread across the country like wildfire. Even Steven Spielberg commissioned a screen play to tell the story on the big screen. Spielberg came to Woodstock to scope out the setting for his new film in the making. As we strolled around Woodstock gingerly stepping over cow pies, listening to the croaking frogs, and admiring the flocks of turkeys in the fields, I asked Mr. Spielberg what the name of his new movie might be. He said he had thought of a few working titles like “War of the Wor.ds”, “Grapes of Woodstock’s Wrath”, etc. But no final decision has been made. I then asked Mr. Spielberg to tell me who would play the leading characters in this landmark film. He said that he had assembled a fine cast. He indicated that although he had not met any of the characters in the screenplay, he had sort of developed an impression of these people from their roles in the narrative of the screenplay. He also spent several hours at Java Jive to get a feel for what the town is really like.

Regarding the Board of Finance Spielberg said, “Obviously there is only one leading actor who exhibits the strength and fortitude of Glenn Converse. For Glenn, I have signed up Gerard Butler of “300″ fame. For stalwart George McCoy I have lined up Russell Crowe known for his “Perfect Mind” and his “Gladiator” approach to politics. For Richard Cass, I have signed up the very wise Pierce Bronson who has Bond like qualities but can sing like Abba. Finally for Mike Dougherty, me thinks George Clooney who played a fireman (putting out fires for his law firm) in “Michael Clayton”.

Regarding the Board of Education Spielberg said, “Obviously there is only one fine actress that could possibly play the heroine, Lindsay Paul. Yes, I have lined up Harvard-educated Laura Linney to play Ms. Paul. For the role of Kevin Ford I thought that I would snag Bill Nighy. As for other key members on the BOE, Kirsten Rigney, I thought because of her intellectual and professional persona she should be played by Charlize Theron and Carol Andrzeicik should be played, for obvious reasons, by Phoebe Cates. For Sara Harkness we thought Tilda Swinton might be a good choice because of her mission in “Michael Clayton” although the verdict is still out (this is a pun because “Michael Clayton” was all about a verdict). To round out the educated side of the Board of Education, we selected Prince of the City, Treat Williams , a Rowayton kid who lived near the Leavitts, to play Scott Sincerbeaux and Al Pacino to play Tony Walker. Finally, a well known acting duo will play Steven Rosendahl and Brian Musumeci.” Read the rest of this entry »

I can’t say that the strategy of the DTC was to lay low to suppress the vote to aid Richardson’s election … but I am convinced that this was the strategy of Jim Kaeding, Margaret Wholean, and Craig R. Powers (who publicly stated that he wouldn’t support Cass). As Chairman of the DTC, Kaeding apparently did nothing to promote their own Democratic candidates for the Board of Finance, the only contested race. His last attempt to persuade voters was a week or two before the June 9th referendum to repeal the BOE. So Dick Cass and Charles Super had to rely on outside forces since rhetoric by itself will not work.

By contrast, George McCoy openly stated his support for education and got elected by a significant margin (almost three times the number of votes that Richardson got). This stance taken by George displayed the courage and unprecedented honesty of his candidacy. Congratulations, George.

Outside forces recognized the importance of this race (its impact on the composition of the BOF) and had no choice but to choose between Cass and Super to defeat Richardson. These forces chose the experience and past performance of Dick Cass. During this campaign, I could not erase from my memory the fact that Cass had tried to help Glenn Converse pass the 2009 budget. Shortly after that effort there was an illegal reversal of the vote which should never have been allowed.

There must be members of the DTC who are revolted by their Committee’s lack of advocacy of its own candidates. For this reason, you need to rally your members and remove Kaeding from the Chair … and his ‘Secretary’ (Ms. Wholean who is actually Treasurer of the DTC) as well. But you’ll have to do this alone because there will be no crashing of the annual meeting by outsiders. Why would anyone want to associate themselves with such a shabby operation.

Registered Voters – 4689 in 2007 and 5049 in Nov. 2009
Ballots Cast – 2043 in 2007 and 1489 in 2009
% of Voter Turn Out – 44% in 2007 and 29% in 2009

First Selectman

SEATED Allan Walker (R) – 1197

Selectman

SEATED Chan Paquette (R) – 917
SEATED Mitch Eaffy (D) – 450

Judge of Probate

SEATED Mary Ann Champney (R) – 935
Bill Brower (D) – 436

Town Clerk
SEATED Judy Walberg (R) – 1230

Treasurer
SEATED Barbara Rich (R) – 1167

Tax Collector
SEATED Linda Bernardi (R) – 1201

Board of Finance (full seats)

SEATED George McCoy (R) – 976
SEATED Richard Cass (D) – 718
Charles Super (D) – 390
Dave Richardson (I) – 388

Board of Finance – Alternates

SEATED Mike Dougherty (R) – 964
Margaret Wholean (D) – 441
SEATED Powers (D) – 639

Board of Education (3 elected; vote for 2)

SEATED Scott Sincerbeaux (R) – 869
SEATED Anthony Walker (R) – 958
SEATED Sara Harkness (D) – 646

Planning & Zoning Commission

SEATED David Fortin (R) – 977
SEATED Joseph Adiletta (D) – 811
SEATED Gail Dickenson (D) – 850
SEATED Syd Blodgett (D) – 862

P&Z Alternate

SEATED Ken Goldsmith (D) – 767

Board of Assessment Appeals

SEATED Edward Larson (R) – 1101

Economic Development – 2009

SEATED Nora Valentine (R) – 706
Richard Canavan (D) – 628

Economic Development – 2010

SEATED Michael Bernardi (R) – 852
Richard Cass (D) – 509

from the RTC

An exit survey will be conducted by the Woodstock Republican Town Committee on November 3, election day. We are hoping to obtain information from the voters that will help us understand what is important to them and how we can campaign more effectively. We will not be asking voters for their name or personal information. We will not be asking them who they voted for or what party they are affilliated with. The poll will be completely anonymous, confidential, and will take only a minute to complete. This poll will be held outside the Town Hall upon exiting the voting arena from 6 AM to closing. A self-explanatory form will be given to the voter to complete on-site and then self-submitted into a concealed box on the survey table. Please stop by and fill one out. We want to hear from you!

Bill Sowka, Secretary

from John

Dick Cass (Democrat) is a true gentleman and has the Town of Woodstock’s best interests at heart. For the past two years Dick has served on the BOF as an alternate member. During these two years Dick actively participated in meetings as a result of other members’ absences. Before his work as an alternate BOF member, Dick was appointed to the BOF to replace an elected member. As a result of his experience on the BOF and his dedication to the Town, Dick has a thorough understanding of the budgeting process and the Prop 46 computation formula that must be followed each year during budget development. Dick has spent countless hours each winter sitting in on the Selectmen’s budget meetings in order to prepare for the town budget development process which begins in March for the BOF.

Beyond his involvement with the BOF, Dick and his wife Jean have lived in Woodstock for 28 years. His three children attended Woodstock schools including the Academy. Before his move to Woodstock, Dick graduated from Harvard University and obtained his Masters in Social Work in the field of Community Planning and Development. During his career Dick worked in the areas of youth and family issues, community organization, administration, public and private grants management, and non-profit housing. Based upon his personal character and experience, Dick Cass is the kind of person that we should elect to the BOF.

Elect Dick Cass on November 3rd!