Things to do: Mackworth Island Trail in Falmouth

From Trails.org-- Mackworth Island Trail 1.25 miles Mackworth Island is a legislated bird sanctuary and is connected to Falmouth by a causeway at the mouth of the Presumpscot River . It is the former home of James Phinney Baxter and of his son, Governor Percival Baxter, and was deeded to the State of Maine in 1943. Currently it is the site of the Baxter School for the Deaf. The island is open to visitors from dawn to dusk. The perimeter path is maintained by the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands. A detailed trail map can be borrowed from the guard at the gatehouse near the parking area. An outhouse is also available in the parking lot. This easy trail circles Mackworth Island and offers excellent views of Casco Bay. The trail surface is wood chips and packed soil, which may be slippery when wet, but the terrain is generally level, with moderate slopes not exceeding 10%. There are no steps or other major barriers to wheelchairs on the main loop. Small side trails follow steep slopes to the shore and may be inaccessible to some visitors. A new staircase with handrail has been added to a side trail on the south side of the island.

Trail Access: A public parking lot for about 20 vehicles is located at the entrance to the island off Route 1 at the end of the Andrews Avenue causeway. No parking is available on the causeway itself or in the surrounding neighborhood. METRO Bus Route 7 stops on Route 1. A fun outing with family or friends any time of year!

Try Speedskating at the Family Ice Center in Falmouth

Try Speedskating!

10:00 to 11:30 AM 

Sunday, February 27, 2011

A great opportunity to try the exciting sport of short-track speedskating. Ages 9 and up. Helmets, gloves and long-sleeves required. Soft knee pad recommended. Some skating experience needed. Speedskates included.

Family Ice Center

20 Hat Trick Drive

Falmouth, ME

Phone: 712-2309

Cost: $20, $15 under 18

Meet author, librarian & historian William David Barry at the Falmouth Library

March 8th at Noon 

Meet author, librarian & historian: 

William David Barry 

H will be giving a talk about 

"Deering: a Social and Architectural history." 

A LunchBox Friends program

Free class at Skillins Greenhouse - register early

The Garden Journal

12pm Falmouth Skillins Greenhouse

 Saturday, February 26, 2011

Gardening seasons are behind us and more lie just ahead. 

Learn some neat ways to record what we have done and what we have dreamed; 

Let’s plan on what we will do and on what we want to see! 

Join celebrity writer and gardener KCB of Skillin’s Garden Log fame and let’s learn together about how to be impulsively organized. It’s time! 

FREE classes will be held Saturday at 12pm. 

Space is limited so reserve today for the classes of your choice! 

Call the Falmouth store 781-3860 (1-800-244-3860) to register. You may also register by emailing us at skillins@maine.rr.com, just specify the date, time, and location! Class participants receive a special Skillin’s 10% discount coupon for use on the weekend of your class. 

http://www.skillins.com 

Skillins Greenhouse, Route 88, Falmouth

Live Raptors at Gilsland Farm in Falmouth Maine

Special Presentation: Live Raptors from Wind Over Wings

There is nothing quite like experiencing majestic birds of prey up-close and personal.

 

Hope Douglas, of Wind Over Wings, will bring a live golden eagle, peregrine falcon, red-tailed hawk, and northern saw-whet owl to share with us. Learn about their natural history, current status in Maine, and what you can do to help protect them.

Activity Details

Date:
Friday, February 25, 2011

Time:
10 am

Location:
Falmouth

Fee:
Members: $10/adult, $5/child
Nonmembers: $15/adult, $10/child

Directions

By public transportation:Take METRO Route 7 from Portland or Falmouth Center. Northbound buses depart hourly from Monument Square at half past the hour. The bus stop is located on Route 1 at the end of the Gilsland Farm driveway.Complete route map and schedule.

From the north: take I-295 to exit 10 and then left on Bucknam Road. At the light turn right onto U.S. Route 1 and continue south for one mile. After the blinking light at the intersection of Routes 1 and 88, Gilsland Farm Road is on the right at the light blue sign.

From the south: take I-295 to exit 9. Continue 1.9 miles north on U.S. Route 1 and turn left onto Gilsland Farm Road at the light blue sign, immediately before the intersection of Routes 1 and 88.

A Common Yarn

A Common Yarn

Bring your knitting and sit, knit & chat with your neighbors working on their own projects. 

3:30 - 5:30 Tuesday afternoons and/or

1-3pm Thursday afternoons

at the Falmouth Memorial Library! 

5 Lunt Road, Falmouth Maine 04105 

(207) 781-2351

Something new for you at the Falmouth Library

New! 2nd Saturdays 
Something new for you!
Each 2nd Saturday of the month through May.
(March 12, April 9, May 14)

Book Chat Cafe: 9:30 - 11 amCome in and chat with others and discuss what you are currently reading. Coffee, tea, goodies provided. An very informal book group.

Growing Your Family Tree: 1-2:30 pmFor beginning genealogists ready to explore their family trees. Suggestions, tips, bibliographies to get you started.

Mix It Up: 2:30 - 4pm
Explore mixed media to create art. Materials provided. For older children (13 & up) and adults are welcome.

Falmouth Town Hall is going green

GOING GREEN:

The wood chip boiler that came on line for the first time this winter is proving to be worth its weight in, well, wood! The district is realizing savings of 50% to 60% versus oil. And, it is a marvel of both low- and high-tech engineering. A tour of the boiler plant is being planned for March, and more information will be forthcoming once a firm date and time is set.

January Falmouth School Board Updates

SCHOOL BOARD REPORT, JANUARY 2011 – BETH FRANKLIN, CHAIR

With yet another snowstorm bearing down on Southern Maine, we’re facing snow day #4. At this rate, Independence Day may take on a whole new meaning for our children!

COMMUNITY DIALOGUE SCHEDULED:

Our fifth~Community Dialogue~is scheduled for~Friday, March 18 from 10:30-2:30~at Falmouth High School.~ Please mark your calendars and watch for more information about this important event.~ Through a series of dialogues sponsored by the participants, priorities for the schools are established to guide the district's continuous improvement efforts for the next two years.~ We greatly appreciate hearing ideas from teachers and staff, students, parents, school and town officials, and community members. And, we are working to make child care available so that more parents of younger children can attend. Stay tuned for more on child care options for that day.



HIGH SCHOOL BELL SCHEDULE:

Staff at the high school continues to debate and discuss various bell-schedule models. After being presented with a draft of a schedule created in conjunction with school leadership, several other models were proposed. Staff are continuing to have input via a school blog, where they can also participate in a straw poll rating guide geared toward determining what schedule best meets the needs of all students and the school in general. Students have also been part of the discussion through advisory and school “teas” with Principal Palmer. The goals are to create a schedule that allows for better curriculum delivery and pacing, allows K-12 professional staff to be shared between all buildings, and that creates opportunities for all students to receive academic ad other support from all staff members multiple times per week during the regular school day.



FALMOUTH DISTRICT COMMUNITY AND ST. ELIZABETH’S NON-ESSENTIALS PANTRY:

The efforts of Falmouth students and their parents have evolved to the point where 80% of the clothing, books, toys, and housewares distributed through St. Elizabeth’s Non-Essentials Pantry come from Falmouth. Students of all ages, from the elementary schools to the high school, have been involved in contributing to this thriving program.



FALMOUTH MIDDLE SCHOOL SELECTED:

Falmouth Middle School has been selected to represent schools across our state and the nation by participating in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). NAEP is given by the National Center for Education Statistics within the U.S. Department of Education and tells us what our nation’s students know and can do in key subject areas. It is the largest continuing and nationally representative assessment and has been providing valid and reliable data on student performance since 1969.

The results of NAEP are published in a report called the Nation’s Report Card, which provides information about student achievement to educators, parents, policymakers, and the public.

In our school, the NAEP assessment will be given to all 8th grade students on February 11th in mathematics, reading, or science. In addition to subject area questions, students will be asked some questions about themselves and their educational experience. You can access student and sample assessment questions at http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/parents/.



BUDGET DELIBERATIONS:

The next School Board workshop will be held next Monday, February 7, at the FHS Music Room. The Board will be focused on finding reductions to offset the anticipated $800k revenue shortfall, resulting from decreased state and federal funding. The workshop will review the following agenda items:

Review of proposed Tier 1 Savings, including:

Grade 2 Teacher

Strictly meets class size policy

Grade 5 Teacher

Strictly meets class size policy

Grade 7 Teacher

Strictly meets class size policy

MS World Language (1.0 Full Time Equivalent)

Schedule adjustment/class size

MS Music (.5 FTE)

Schedule adjustment/class size

MS Special Ed Teacher (1.0 FTE)

Enrollment/case review

Reduction to 35 hrs max. for Ed Techs

Reduction of teacher contact time

HS admin support reduction (to 35 hrs/wk)

Reduced services/reallocation

K-5 summer school

FY12 hiatus – new school move

MS/HS summer courses

Student fee for materials/teachers

HS study hall monitor (1.5 FTE)

Reallocate duties to HS staff

Business Office hrs/schedule adjustments

Office hours/coverage reviews

MS Library ET hours reduction (15 hours)

Reduction of services

HS Library ET hours reduction (20 hours/wk)

Reduction of services

Grounds/mail run position elimination

Reduced services/reallocation

HS RTI Teacher (.6 FTE)

Schedule/enrollment

Review of Tier II additional reduction options:

IEP coordinator summer school oversight

Offset pay with comp time during year

District Service Learning program (1/3 red.)

Reduction of program services

Gr 2 World Language elim. (.5 FTE)

World Language starts at Gr. 3

Gr 3-5 World Language elim (2.0 FTE)

World Language starts at MS

District health services review

One-campus study

Social Work/Behavior

One-campus study

SpEd out-of-district placement review

Student need

HS schedule additional sections review

Enrollment/student need

Custodial services review

K-8 needs analysis



New proposals brought by the Leadership Council/Building Adminstrators. This discussion will include a presentation by the Kindergarten Study Group on the possible options for full day kindergarten, an extension of the current Play & Learn program, and the implications of those choices.

Following the presentation, the Board will welcome public questions and comments on everything presented. The essential questions to be answered are:



1. What programs do you wish to see retained in the upcoming budget?

2. What programs are not a priority for you?

3. Of those programs that you support, are you willing to support an increase in the mil rate to see those programs continued?



The School Board will be adopting the budget at the March 21st meeting in order to present it to the Town Council on March 28th. The Town Council will be taking public comment that evening, and on April 11th and 25th.

Congrats to the Falmouth HS Debate Team!

DEBATE TEAM SCORES!


Janury 2011 the Falmouth High School Debate Team won the state championship, the Sportsmanship Award, and their coach, Michelle Lafond, was named Coach of the Year. This is a truly remarkable accomplishment by all involved!

Here is the list of highlights by Falmouth students:

Novice Public Forum: 1st Place Ryan Tartre & Sean Connolly

Varsity Public Forum: 1st Place Kyle Grigel & Michael Norton; 3rd Place Molly Paris & Katie Ventura; 5th Place Reid Pryzant & Toby Aicher
Novice Lincoln Douglas: 1st Place Josh McGovern; 3rd Place Chris Coughlin; 4th Place Ben Dobbins

JV Lincoln Douglas: 1st Place Emma Sapat; 2nd Place Lee Larson

Congressional Debate Sweepstakes - 5th Place Will Ryan