My Southborough

Pumpernickel Puppets show at the Library – December 27

by beth on December 18, 2018

Above: A crowd of kids enjoyed the entertainer the Library brought in over last Christmas break. Next week, the Library hopes the scheduled puppet show will be as enticing. (images left and right from Facebook)

The Southborough Library is bringing back the Pumpernickel Puppets to put on its popular “Sir George and the Dragon” show. The show will take place over school break next week.

The event is open to all ages, but the show is geared towards kids ages 3 and up.

And it’s been three years since “Sir George” played at the Library. That means there’s a whole new crew of tots to be entertained. (Plus, some who may have vague fond memories of the show.)

Show promos describe:

Join an adventurous princess as she journeys to Mystery Mountain to visit the Great Green Dragon. Along the way you’ll meet Zelda the babysitter, a silly bat, Sir George and his clumsy dog, and of course the lovable dragon. Will Sir George slay the dragon? Not to worry–everything ends happily in this fun show.

The puppeteer promotes that his shows:

are presented with a cast of colorful puppet characters, audience participation, live voices and sound effects and fast paced scripts that not only entertain, but stimulate children’s imagination and creativity. A demonstration period follows every performance giving the audience some insight into what happens behind the scenes.

The show will take place on Thursday, December 27th at 3:00 pm on the main, upper floor. The entertainment is sponsored by The Friends of the Southborough Library.

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Jr membership for 4th-8th grade musical families (and supporting NSMA)

by beth on December 18, 2018

Above: At a Neary winter concert, members of NSMA touted the new jr level membership when they gave out music lesson scholarships to 4th and 5th graders for the first time. (photo by Beth Melo)

For years, the Northboro Southboro Music Association has supported instrument and choral music programs in our public school district. This fall, they expanded beyond middle and high school to include supporting the 4th and 5th grades. With that change, they announced a new “level” of membership discounted for elementary and middle school families.

The best perk that the NSMA traditionally offers members is the free admission to Algonquin concerts. Full members get two free tickets to the annual Pops extravaganza plus free entry for the whole household to all of Algonquin’s other in-house instrumental and choral concerts, including Jazz Night.

For families with students in an ARHS musical group, it should pay for itself. But, if your kids aren’t in high school yet, the $50 standard dues may seem to high.

That’s why NSMA launched the junior level for families with students in middle school or lower.* The discounted membership is just $25. They’ll still enjoy free admission to most of the Algonquin shows. (Only the Pops tickets are excluded.) The concerts are a great way to foster the lower students’ growing interest in music. (Click here to open the reg form.)

Of course the true benefit to both memberships is knowing that you are supporting the district’s public school music program. NSMA uses the money for:

Equipment purchases for our schools (e.g., new risers for the ARHS Chorus room, new Pep Band clothing, new ARHS choral dresses, sound equipment for Trottier Middle School and band storage for Melican Middle School.)
Regular support for music faculty and students as needed.
Senior Scholarships for college-bound musicians.
Music Enrichment Awards for students.

This year, the association added elementary scholarships to the traditional enrichment awards for middle and high school students. This fall alone, they gave out several thousand dollars in $100 scholarships for private music instruction.

If you want to support NSMA’s efforts, memberships aren’t the only way. Click here to find online options for purchasing spiritwear and/or making donations.

You can also do both in person this Thursday night. Algonquin is holding its annual Holiday Concert. (If you do have junior musicians or singers in the family, they may enjoy seeing the older kids big holiday show.) NSMA will be accepting donations at refreshments tables and volunteers will be selling spiritwear.

And look for the association’s new offering for sale – car magnets.

For more on the concert, click here for the related post.

*Families who have at least one Algonquin student in the household don’t qualify for the junior membership.

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St. Mark’s skating rink: Free Skate and Sticks & Pucks

by beth on December 18, 2018

St. Mark’s School is opening its doors to the public again for some free skating over winter breaks. Check out the schedule for the day after Christmas, Wednesday, December 26th, through Saturday, December 29th.

It’s followed by another chance on January 21st, and finally the week of February 18th. Sessions alternate between Sticks and Pucks and Free Skate times.

St Mark’s Gardener rink is inside the Michel Faculty Athletic Center. It can be accessed off School Street (map).

Admission is free, but there are no rentals, so you’ll need to bring your own skates. Some rules do apply. For details, open the flyer – click here.

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This week in sports: Borough’s Cup Champs; Gonk athletes named Telegram All-Stars

by beth on December 18, 2018

Above: Above: ARHS Hockey held on to the Borough’s Cup. Player Jack Thibideau, who scored Saturday’s game-winning-goal, strikes a pose with the trophy while sporting “the jacket”. (image cropped from pic tweeted by @GonkHockey)

Algonquin’s Boys Hockey took the Borough’s Cup back home. It was the team’s third time as the champs and 2nd consecutive win. They beat Westborough 3-2 on Saturday in the early season tournament. (It looks like @THawkTweets caught the excitement of the game cinching goal below.)

TOMAHAWKS WIN!!
The Thawks successfully defended their Boroughs Cup Title beating the Rangers 3-2. Don’t sleep on the boys 🤫😤 #RollThawks #PureGrit pic.twitter.com/eqtCwlhwiL

— Algonquin T-Hawks (@THawkTweets) December 16, 2018

But it was the Girls’ regular league play that got more press. The team of mostly young players has been making an impression on the ice. The Metrowest Daily News covered the team’s 3-0 win over Medway/Ashland yesterday:

The Algonquin/Hudson co-op girls hockey team is loaded with freshmen and sophomores this season.

Normally one would think a bunch of underclassmen would present some difficulties, but instead Tomawhawks head coach Mike Hodge has watched his team thrive. . .

the Tomahawks remain unbeaten (3-0) and have now outscored their first three opponents by a combined score of 22-2, all with just one senior and six juniors to go along with four sophomores and seven freshmen.

Fittingly, it was sophomores Kerryn O’Connell and Heather Hodgkins, along with freshman Sabrina Ferro, who potted three third-period goals for Algonquin/Hudson while freshman Lana Pacific earned the shutout in net.

Algonquin’s Swim and Dive Teams are getting some attention as well. The Boys and Girls won their first three meets by wide margins. Covering the second meet, Southborough Wicked Local wrote:

Junior Lizzie Meschisen won the 1-meter diving event with a new school record of 275.55 points – breaking the previous record she set on Tuesday – as Algonquin (2-0) beat Grafton, 106-72, in a non-league girls swimming meet at Clark University on Thursday

Meschisen qualified for states with her scores from both Tuesday and Thursday.

Junior Alexi Wong won the 100-yard freestyle and 100 backstroke as well for the Tomahawks.

Reflecting on the prior season, the Worcester Telegram posted its new round of All-Stars yesterday. For the second time, Gonk Golf Champ Jack Tobin was named his sport’s Player of the Year. Other Algonquin athletes selected for fall sport dream teams were Matthew Umphrey (also for golf), Gabby Alberghini (for Volleyball), Tyler Potter (for Girls Soccer), Tess Reyes (for Cross Country), and Sophie Scearbo (for Field Hockey).

Now, here are the ARHS varsity games on tap for the rest of the week. [click to keep reading…]

Tagged as: ARHS_sports

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The week in government: Planning; BOS Closing ATM Warrant; and Combined Schools on Superintendent search survey results and process

by beth on December 17, 2018

Post image for The week in government: Planning; BOS Closing ATM Warrant; and Combined Schools on Superintendent search survey results and process

Here is a selection of the committee and board meetings for the week along with my selected highlights from the agendas. All these meetings are open to the public, so you’re welcome to stop on by.

Be aware that changes to the meeting schedule are known to happen throughout the week. For an updated list of meetings, visit the town website.

Monday, December 17, 2018

Northborough – Southborough Regional School Committee – Capital Planning Subcommittee, 5:30 pm @ Margaret Neary School, Office of the Superintendent, 53 Parkerville (agenda) Agenda Highlights: FY20 Draft Capital/Maintenance plan

Northborough – Southborough Regional School Committee – Operational Budget Subcommittee, 6:00 pm @ Margaret Neary School, Office of the Superintendent, 53 Parkerville Rd (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Discuss FY20 Budget

Planning Board, 7:00 pm @ Hearing Room, Town House, 17 Common St (agenda, meeting materials) Agenda Highlights: Hearing on 0 Firmin Ave Major Site Plan; discuss Ken’s Food site plan changes, Illa Bella Estates Covenancy Extension vote, and 2018 Master Plan – Broadcast live and replayed by SAM*

Tuesday, December 18, 2018

Board of Trustees Southborough Library, 6:00 pm @ Cordaville Hall, Room B, 9 Cordaville Rd (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Downstairs reconstruction update; Final Discussion and vote on funding of Local Hazard Mitigation Plan; Discuss Facade Restoration project plan; Finalize FY20 budget

Board of Selectmen, 6:30 pm @ Hearing Room, Town House, 17 Common St (agenda with packet) Agenda Highlights: Interviews for Veteran’s Agent position, Conservation Commission and various committees; Update on Bill’s Liquor sales violation; Notice of Right Way Auto non-compliance with license conditions; Closing of Town Warrant for March 23 Annual Town Meeting; OML meeting complaint assignment to Town Counsel; Discuss Intermunicipal Agreement with Millis for EDC position and legal opinion on appointing authority for Recreation employees – Broadcast live and replayed by SAM*

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Northborough – Southborough Regional School Committee, 6:30 pm @ Algonquin Regional High School Library, 79 Bartlett St, Northborough (agenda) Agenda Highlights: FY20 preliminary discussion; 2nd readings of policies – Broadcast live by NCAT**

Southborough Housing Authority, 6:30 pm @ Colonial Gardens, 49 Boston Rd (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Discuss and approve FY19 budget

Combined meeting of Northborough School Committee, Southborough School Committee, Northborough – Southborough Regional School Committee, Northborough – Southborough Superintendency Union #3, 7:15 pm @ Algonquin Regional High School Library, 79 Bartlett St, Northborough (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Draft of 2019-20 school calendar; Superintendent Search survey results and process discussion; Personnel Report – Broadcast live by NCAT**

*Southborough Access Media will broadcast the Planning and BOS meetings live on Verizon-37 and Charter-192. Click here to see this week’s schedule with rebroadcast times. (Videos are also usually made available through their YouTube channel by the following morning.)

*Northborough Cable Access Television will live broadcast the Wednesday night school committee meetings on Verizon-29 and Charter-194. (Note: The meeting will eventually be rebroadcast. But expect to wait several days before a time and link are posted to NCAT’s schedule.)

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Events this week: Girl Scout Troop meeting sampler, Senior Cookie Swap, Holiday Concert, Blue Christmas and Winter Solstice

by beth on December 17, 2018

Above: A few of the events coming up this week (top image cropped from 2017 concert video; others from promos)

Here are highlights of what’s happening around town this week.

[Note: The highlights don’t include ongoing weekly programs. For those listings and more, check the Event Calendar.]

Tuesday, December 18, 2018

Senior Center early closure (11:00 am – 5:00 pm): The center is closing early just for the day.

Poetry Workshop (6:30 – 8:30 pm) @ Southborough Library, Main Level: (Rescheduled from last week.) Everyone is asked to bring in five copies of their original poetry for supportive feedback. If you don’t have a poem, come and share your insights.

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Holiday Cookie Swap w/Lunch (Senior Center Program) (12:00 – 2:00 pm) @ Southborough Senior Center: Sign up at the front desk to join in this fun Holiday social event. Please bring 3 dozen cookies along with your recipe by 9:30am if possible or whenever you can between 9:30am and 11:30am for set up purposes. Event begins with a light lunch and sign up is required. For details, see related post.

Daisy Troop Meeting Sampler (5:30 – 7:00 pm) @ Pilgrim Congregational Church, 15 Common Street: This event is to recruit for two new Girl Scout Daisy Troops are being formed in town. Girls will get to experience an abbreviated Daisy troop meeting while parents/caregivers participate, as well. For details, see dedicated post.

Cook Book Club (7:00 – 8:00 pm) @ Southborough Library: (Rescheduled from last week.) Join the Library for its monthly cookbook group. This month’s selection is BraveTart: Iconic American Desserts by Stella Parks. Participants will each cook a different dish from the selected cook book of the month. To avoid overlap, email Marianna (at msorensen@southboroughma.com) with your selection.

Thursday, December 20, 2018

SEF Bertucci’s Fundraiser (11:00 am – 10:00 pm) @ Bertucci’s Italian Restaurant, 160 Turnpike Rd, Westborough: Fundraiser for Southborough Education Foundation. If you mention the fundraiser or show the flyer, 25% of the bill from Dine-in, Carryout or Bertucci’s-own Delivery will be donated to the non-profit. (This is only for the Westborough location.) For details, see dedicated post.

ARHS Holiday Concert (6:30 pm) @ Algonquin Regional High School, 79 Bartlett St, Northborough: Holiday music performed by all of Algonquin’s Choral groups and Orchestra. (Note, that times are 30 minutes earlier than past years.) The evening starts in The Rotunda with performances by their a cappella groups. Next up are small chamber groups and a jazz combo in the lobby of the auditorium, where student art will be on display. At 7:00, the concert in the auditorium begins featuring their orchestra and choral groups. For details, see related post.

Blue Christmas service (7:00 pm) @ St Mark’s Episcopal Church: A community wide “Blue Christmas” service that focuses on the coming of Emmanuel into our world. This quiet service of prayers, readings and candles allows a chance to find solace as we enter the Twelve Days of Christmas. Open to all. For details, see dedicated post.

Friday, December 21, 2018

K-12 Early Dismissal (10:35 am – 12:00 pm): Southborough and Northborough Public Schools have a half day going into winter break. ARHS dismissal is 10:35 am, Trottier and Neary at 11:20 am, and Woodward and Finn at noon.

Winter Solstice at Chestnut Hill Farm (3:00 – 5:30 pm) @ Chestnut Hill Farm, 5 Chestnut Hill Rd: The farm is hosting a special winter solstice event for families to enjoy. Pre-registration is strongly suggested as registration is limited. The registration fees are: $9 per member or $24 per member family; $15 per non-member or $30 per non-member family. Children under age 4 are free. For details see dedicated post.

Saturday, December 22, 2018

Chess program at Library (2:00 – 4:00 pm) @ Southborough Library: This program is geared toward players ages 12+ who are interested in learning beginner chess skills. See dedicated post.

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