July 29, 2005
….“Men who for truth and honor's sake
Stand fast and suffer long.
Brave men who work while others sleep,
Who dare while others fly...
They build a nation's pillars deep
And lift them to the sky.” Ralph Waldo Emerson “A Nation’s Strength”
Greetings from Wayne Central. Below are a few items of interest.
Board Letter:
Board Letter:
1. Wayne Educational Foundation: Last night thirteen people met at R-House Realty to discuss forming the Wayne Educational Foundation. I thought it was a great meeting and their seemed to be considerable enthusiasm for forming a foundation. We plan to meet again on Thursday, August 11th to select a board of directors. I think this is another good step we are taking to go from a good school district to “The best school district in New York State.” 2. Student Injury: Yesterday one of our students, Sara Sipple was struck by a car while riding her bicycle. She was flown to Strong with neck and head injuries. We learned this morning that she has been released from the hospital. Sara is a sophomore at our high school.
3. Construction Update: They have stopped tearing apart and have begun putting things back together. Freewill is coming along quite well. I expect the carpet and flooring will be done by next week. Similarly things at OP appear fine. Our plan is to have the custodians get those buildings ready first and then put everyone on the high school at the end. They are beginning to put in the grid work for the ceiling tiles. Tiles are already being installed in the library. That room looks much better. The painters have primed most all of the walls in preparation for the textured paint that is being applied. A bit of bad news is that the asbestos team left a hose on which soaked a part of the old gym floor. The floor is buckled. LeChase is suggesting a section will have to be replaced. This will be covered by their insurance but it is impossible to match the wood so there will be a 20X20 patch. We have worked hard (and spent considerable money) to make the old gym look as good as the new one. I do not want a patched look. I have asked them to consider ways to dry out the old wood and reuse it.
4. County News: Last week I told you about the absent county executive. In case you haven’t heard she is resigning to run against county chairman Marv Decker for Wolcott Town Supervisor. Also Donna Chittenden of Sodus has announced she will seek the chairmanship position next year. Donna has favored taking the sales tax back from schools. I believe that if she is elected, she would push hard for the take back. You will recall that in the last vote Marv voted against taking it back. She voted in favor of it. We will keep you posted as events unfold.
5. Freewill Lightning Strike:On Tuesday evening lightning struck the end light pole at Freewill Elementary (near the road) traveled down the pole and shattered the concrete base. It then traveled up the wire to the next light pole cracking that concrete base, traveled up the next light pole and blew that fixture off, then followed the wires all the way to the building and burned out the electrical contact that controls the pole lights. It also blew a fuse on the electrical pole that feeds electric to the building and blew the main breaker for the entire building. We were notified on Wednesday morning when Mike Frederes, Walworth Highway Superintendent noticed parts of our light pole shattered in the road. Fortunately, the generator did a great job and kept things going till we arrived. This will result in an insurance claim as damages will likely exceed our $1,000 deductable.
6. Pat Yates Progress:As you know,Pat’s initial surgery appears to have been successful. The Dr.’s believe that the cancer was isolated to the one area of the sinus and the facial bone and did not spread to other areas. She is undergoing chemo treatment currently and Dr.’s are now beginning to target a radiation treatment area. She had a bout with pneumonia but has recovered from that. She enjoys hearing from people and has her cell phone handy. She is keeping her spirits up and so are Craig’s. Thankfully, it appears that it has not spread and while her battle has only just begun, there is much to be hopeful about. We will continue to keep her in our thoughts and prayers.
7. Athletic Logo: Attached is a new athletic department logo that they plan to standardize so that we don’t have so many different logo’s being used. The color is set now with a pantone # so that it is always printed in the same shade.
8. Upcoming Events:
8. Upcoming Events: 7/25 – 8/8 – Administrative Vacation Block Out Dates – No Meetings Scheduled
8/25 – Board of Education Meeting – Location TBD – 7:00 p.m.
Letter to the Board
