In the News...

Lowell Sun, August 23, 2019

Away at Camp Sunshine this summer in Maine, were from left, front row, Sierra Quinty and Vanessa Delk. Rear row, Beth Quinty, Jim Quinty, Sean Doyle, Eleanor Capasso, Shaunessy Straitiff, Brandon Vachon and Catherine Quinty. Not picture: Aileen Peddie, Dejah Fleurancois.

CASCO, MAINE – A group of Ayer Shirley Regional High School students and a teacher from the school are spending a week at Camp Sunshine on beautiful Lake Sebago, but it’s not a vacation.

They’re volunteers at Camp Sunshine, a retreat for children with life-threatening medical conditions and their families. According to the organization’s website, it has served over 50,000 people in 27 countries since the camp was founded in 1984.

On a mission to provide respite, relaxation and recreation in an environment as close to a summer resort as possible, with specially-trained staff, doctors available 24/7, hospitals, emergency and urgent care facilities nearby, Camp Sunshine offers age-appropriate activities for children and families facing similarly serious challenges, where the kids and their adult family members can mix, mingle and bond.

“Everybody gets to play,” said Jim Quinty, who headed up the excursion with his wife, Beth.

Camp Sunshine relies on volunteers, some of whom return year after year, according to the website.

Group members who met last week at Far and Near in Shirley to go over the trip itinerary one last time before heading off to Camp Sunshine included the Quintys, town residents who fit that profile.

The two longtime camp volunteers recruited students to join them and added a teacher to the roster.

“Last year, we took five kids along,” Beth Quinty said.

This year, there are more than 10 students in the group, plus the teacher chaperon, Lolly Capasso.

Beth and Jim Quinty have been volunteering at Camp Sunshine for many years, before and after they married and had children. In fact, it’s where they met.

Student volunteers this year included Brandon Vachon, Shaunessy Straitiff, Vanessa Delk, Sean Doyle, Mairead Harley, Dimitiri Battle, Dejah Fleurcoise, Qeanu Smith and Quinty siblings, Sierra, Deran and Catherine.

Once there, the students will get an introduction to the camp and a full day’s training for their roles as volunteers. They will stay in a dorm-like facility built for the purpose a few years ago. Early on, volunteers camped out in temporary trailers, Beth Quinty said.

Camp Sunshine guests stay in fully-equipped suites.

Volunteers are assigned to various age groups and pitch in where they’re needed, Jim Quinty said, from sports to arts and crafts to helping out in the dining hall and more. Evenings, there’s entertainment. “After a week,” they’ll be exhausted,” he predicted, adding that when the group returns, they’ll all be back in school the next day, students and teacher alike.

But it all sounds rewarding. “I like working with kids,” said Catherine Quinty, who is considering a career in physical therapy. She’s been going to Camp Sunshine with her parents for years.

“As a kid, I made a really good friend there who was losing her hair,” Catherine said, due to previous treatment for her illness. (None of the guests at Camp Sunshine are in active treatment while there, her mom said.) The other girl, who has since died, liked to braid her pal’s long hair. One summer, Catherine had her head shaved in solidarity with her friend, she said. It’s all grown back now, abundantly.

Another student in the group said he looked forward to a “powerful, challenging experience.”

Beth Quinty hopes they will all want to do it again and that some of them might sign up for a fundraising “Polar Plunge” later this year to benefit Camp Sunshine.

In case you missed it...

August 26, 2019



Dear Parent/Guardian,

Breaking News! 
The first day of school is Wednesday, August 28 for students in Grades 1-12. Kindergarten starts on Tuesday, September 3. Preschool begins on Thursday, September 5.

Welcome Back to School! For our new families, a very warm welcome to you! You have made the right choice for your child’s public education. Our teachers are outstanding, and we pride ourselves on academic excellence.

We are all very excited to begin the 2019-2020 school year. The administrators and teachers have worked very hard this summer preparing for the start of school. We expect every child in the school district to thrive under our care and you should, too. Please never hesitate to contact your child’s teacher to discuss your concerns. Teachers also love to receive positive feedback!

Safety is our first priority. For the last five years, the District Safety Team has met monthly to ensure we are best prepared should we have an emergency. The Safety Team is comprised of Ayer & Shirley Police & Fire Departments and district administration. Each school has a Building Safety Team, which meets monthly. Please refer here for general safety guidelines and procedures. This document is also on the website under the Parent Tab. Throughout the school year, we will practice safety drills and you will be notified by the principal subsequent to each drill.

Through the hard work of many in the district, we developed a District Strategic Plan to guide us for the next three years. It is focused on the following Strategic Objectives:

• Teaching All Students
• Educator Effectiveness
• Social Emotional Learning
• District & School Culture
• Family & Community Partnerships

How will we support these strategic objectives? In addition to the robust curriculum and abundance of resources already implemented in our schools, below are new programs and innovations:
Focus on Social Emotional Learning - Together with you, we want to build strong skills in students on self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.

• Therapy Dog - Our new School Psychologist, Beth Foley, comes with her therapy dog, Lady. Much research supports the use of a therapy dog with adolescents as having positive outcomes. Ms. Foley is assigned to the middle and high school. More information will be sent to you on how the dog will be used with students. Please see the policy on therapy dogs approved by the Ayer Shirley Regional School Committee.
• Early Learning Center (ELC) - All three pre-school classes are located at Page Hilltop along with Family Partnership and Ayer Child Care.
• Early Childhood Pathway at Ayer Shirley Regional High School - Juniors may take two dual enrollment courses in articulation with Mount Wachusett. Senior year they complete their practicum at the ELC.
• Implementation of a Developmental Guidance Curricula - The school counselors in all schools will teach lessons in the classrooms to all students in the domains of academic/technical, personal and social, and workplace readiness.

To keep you updated on district/school happenings, we will continue sending out the Weekly Update every Monday at 4:00pm. Be sure we have your current email. On Friday, August 23, 2019, we sent an email notification to all parents/guardians requesting you update your contact information in the Parent Portal. Please be sure to complete this prior to the start of school. If you need assistance, please contact the Administrative Assistant at your child’s school.

News flashes and all the great happenings in our schools throughout the year are posted on our website at www.asrsd.org, on Twitter, and on Facebook.  Please consider joining Twitter; many teachers post information on Twitter. My handle is @MaryMalone7.  Please sign up here to receive posts on Dr. Malone’s Blog. 

In the coming days, your school principal will send out information on your particular school and always feel free to contact them.

School	Principal	Extension
Ayer Shirley Regional High School	Mr. Spencer Christie	x 1300
Ayer Shirley Regional High School	Ms. Roberta Aikey	x1206
Lura A. White Elementary School	Mrs. Beth Lewis	x1101
Page Hilltop Elementary School	Mr. Fred Deppe	x1400

On behalf of all in the school district, our best wishes to all of our families for a pleasant and wonderful school year.

Most sincerely,
Dr. Mary Malone
Superintendent of Schools

Looking for new ways to be involved in public education? The Department of Education is looking for parents to serve on its Board. Please see below.

The Department of Education is seeking parents to serve on their Advisory Council. Please consider this wonderful opportunity to get involved in education at the state level. The Parent and Community Education and Involvement Advisory Council of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is extending the deadline for submitting applications. The advisory council meets three or four times a year to advise DESE and the Board on topics related to family engagement including the development of information for families.

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and résumé to Kathy Rodriguez at krodriguez@doe.mass.edu or the Office of Adult and Community Learning Services, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148 by September 16. The Department particularly encourages applications from individuals who represent diverse communities and who represent historically underserved students.

Page Hilltop Receives 2019 Best of Ayer Award

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Page Hilltop Elementary School Receives 2019 Best of Ayer Award

Ayer Award Program Honors the Achievement
AYER August 16, 2019 -- Page Hilltop Elementary School has been selected for the 2019 Best of Ayer Award in the School category by the Ayer Award Program.
Each year, the Ayer Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the Ayer area a great place to live, work and play.
Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2019 Ayer Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Ayer Award Program and data provided by third parties.

About Ayer Award Program

The Ayer Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the Ayer area. Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value.
The Ayer Award Program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in our community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to recognize the small business community's contributions to the U.S. economy.
SOURCE: Ayer Award Program

CONTACT:
Ayer Award Program
Email: PublicRelations@2019companybest-ofselection.com
URL: http://www.2019companybest-ofselection.com
###

Communication from Lieutenant Cromwell, Shirley PD,

 The Shirley Police Department, Societal Heroin Addiction Awareness Resource Project (S.HA.A.R.P.), Rx Abuse Leadership Initiative (RALI) and Code 3 are partnering to bring the RALI CARES educational trailer to Massachusetts. The goal of this collaboration is to educate community members about early warning signs among teenagers and children.

The RALI CARES trailer is an interactive experience, set up as a mock teenage bedroom for families to walk through and look at possible warning signs of drug abuse or use. As attendees walk through, law enforcement and experts will answer questions and teach participants about warning signs, potential areas of concern, and how to talk to children. It can be an emotional experience as parents walking through are hit with the reality of how normalized this issue has become.

The trailer was designed with the help of former addicts as well as parents, who pointed out location and concealing tactics they had used while struggling with their addictions. The trailer is a helpful tool in prevention and early warning sign education.

This trailer will be set up at the Ayer-Shirley Regional Middle School parking lot (1 Hospital Road, Shirley) on August 29, 2019 from 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm. Thank you and we hope to see you there.

Thank you,
Lieutenant Cromwell, Shirley PD

Dear Shirley Residents,

We are all well aware, the Ayer Shirley Regional High School athletic fields need to be renovated.  A debt exclusion election was held last December in Ayer and Shirley. The debt exclusion passed in Ayer, but not in Shirley. The Field Project Renovation Committee commenced working on plans in 2017, and since then costs have increased significantly due to inflation and a very robust construction boom. As a result, we have reduced the scope of the project.

What is the goal?

The goal is to build a multi-use athletic facility that is safe and accessible for every student and resident in Shirley and Ayer. This renovation will serve our future generations for 50 years to come. The current fields were built in 1964, which was 55 years ago. 

Our regional high school is a community asset and will continue to attract new homeowners to Shirley and Ayer. The renovations of the fields complete the high school renovation project.

How did we reduce the scope of the project? 

The softball field will not be moved to the lower playing field, and we will not install a third soccer field. The cost of demolition and earthwork is exorbitant. 

What is the reduced scope project?

We will work with the existing footprint of the field complex, which retains track, soccer, football, baseball, lacrosse, and softball. In the future, field hockey could be added should we have the demand. 

What renovations must be done?

The entire field complex needs to become ADA compliant; the track needs to be replaced; new bleachers are needed as spectators have great difficulty viewing an event from the current bleachers; both baseball and softball fields need new natural turf fields, new fencing, and dugouts. We need to move the soccer field off the clay infield of the baseball field for the safety of the athletes. We need a new press box with handicap access, a multi-purpose building to house the ticket booth, concession stand, restrooms, storage area, and a mechanical room. The football field will have a synthetic turf field, which will be widened to host all field sports including soccer and lacrosse. The new synthetic running track will have an 8 lane straightaway. We will have new fencing, a retaining wall, new lighting, and a new scoreboard. There are no extras built into this project. These are the features for the project, but final decisions on the specifics of the features will be made in the design phase.

With respect to the lower playing field where the football team practices, the School Committee appropriated funding to regrade the field, which includes the removal of boulders and leveling the field as it is quite uneven with hollow spots. We repaired the access path to the field due to its hazardous condition. 

Features of the Field Renovation:

1. Synthetic turf football/soccer field 
2. A synthetic running track with 8 lane straightaway 
3. Aluminum bleachers @ 400 seats
4. 2,000 square foot multipurpose building which includes restrooms, storage, ticket booth, concession stand, mechanical room
5. Existing natural turf baseball field with overlay soccer field refurbished with new infield, new fencing, dugouts, and patch, and overseed outfield. Move the soccer field away from the clay infield; add a retaining wall
6. Existing natural turf softball field, refurbish with new fencing, dugouts, and patch, and overseed outfield
7. New press box with handicap access

What is the timeline for the renovation?

It is anticipated the project will take approximately one year to complete. If all goes according to the plan, the project will commence in March 2020 and the baseball/softball fields will be completed in September 2020 and the stadium will be completed in Spring 2021.

What is Next?

The Shirley Board of Selectmen voted on Monday, July 22, 2019, to hold a debt exclusion election in Shirley.  Voting will take place on Saturday, September 28, at the Town Hall from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm. The voters will be asked to approve funding of UP to $6.2 million for the high school athletic field renovation. The residents of Shirley will be responsible for 42% or $2, 604,000 over 15 years. This number does not include interest.

Please contact Town Administrator, Mike McGovern @mmcgovern@shirley-ma.gov, on specific questions pertaining to the tax implications.

Please note, the Town of Ayer passed the debt exclusion in December and is not required to hold another election. The Town of Ayer is responsible for 58% of the 6.2 million, which is $3,596,000.

The School Department will hold a public forum in the ASRMS Library on Tuesday, September 10 from 6:00-7:00 pm.  In the meantime, should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me or School Committee Chair, Michele Granger. Mrs. Granger may be reached at mgranger@asrsd.org, and please contact me at 978-772-8600 Ext. 1508 or by email at mmalone@asrsd.org. We are happy to provide interested individuals tours of the field. 

Should the project receive approval from the residents of Shirley, the project will then enter the design phase. This is the phase when actual decisions in the design of the field are made by a committee consisting of school department personnel and residents of Shirley and Ayer. It is important to note the project CANNOT exceed $6.2 million and it could very well come in at less than $6.2 million. In fact, the high school renovation project came in less than projected. It was projected to cost $56,543,765 and when completed the actual cost was $54,919,050, which yielded a savings of $1,624,715. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this communication. 

Most sincerely,

Mary Malone, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools 

Please join us for the 13th Annual Holdenwood Trail Run on Sunday, September 29th!!  This is a wonderful family & community event and a fun trail run/walk on the gorgeous, well-groomed Holdenwood Trail in Shirley. Online registration is now open and all ages are encouraged and welcome to participate - please visit http://wwwholdenwoodtrailrun.org/ to sign up today!!  Register before Labor Day and receive a FREE 2019 HTR t-shirt, and if you are one of the first 300 to register you will receive a race hat & tote bag!  Race day registration starts @ 9 a.m., 2K run/walk starts @ 10a.m., 5K/10K starts @ 11a.m.  All proceeds benefit the Ayer Shirley Education Foundation (ASEF) and its mission to enhance the educational excellence in the ASRSD. Thank you so much for your support and see you on the trails on September 29th!!