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Volume LIX No. 45 “A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book” –– Irish proverb Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Mixed feelings
on start time
At forum, parents split along
Alden, high school lines
By Justin Graeber, Clipper Editor throng broke up into smaller
justin@duxburyclipper.com
groups, each with a member
The new school start times of the start time implementa-
continue to divide Duxbury, as tion committee. Each group
evidenced by the wide variety answered a series of questions
of responses from parents at about what parts of the change
a forum, held Monday at the were working, which weren’t,
high school. and what could be done bet-
“Tonight is a night for peo- ter.
ple to give us your input,” said The answers from parents
facilitator Pat Jackman, who were all over the spectrum.
is a Duxbury resident himself. Some high school parents
“We want to know how the said their children were happy
process is going.” with the change –– some said PATRIOT GAMES: Duxbury Middle School had a special visitor on Tuesday –– Patriot running back
Around 100 people at- their kids had less homework Laurence Maroney. Maroney was the guest of seventh grader Tyler Hutchinson, who won the “Take a
tended the forum, held in the time and family dinners were Player to School” contest sponsored by the NFL’s Play 60 program and JC Penney. Maroney came to
Tyler’s house and snapped a photo with the family before heading off to school. Pictured are Maroney,
student lounge at Duxbury impossible. Some parents of
Tyler, Gabrielle, Garrett, mom Lee and dad Scott.
High School. The gathered Photo by Mike Halloran
continued on page 18
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WEATHER ALMANAC
When snow warnings are Observations From Saturday October 31 Through Friday November
issued, residents are requested 6, 2009
to park their cars off the street
High Low Rainfall 6AM Sky Conditions
to avoid damage to the vehicle
and to expedite plowing and Saturday 71 45 Trace” Broken Clouds
sanding operations. Vehicles Sunday 62 44 0.24” Overcast
obstructing plowing or sand- Monday 53 44 0.04” Broken Clouds
ing operations will be towed at Tuesday 58 44 -- Thin Overcast
the owner’s expense.
The Town is not respon- Wednesday 59 37 -- Clear
sible for damage to lawn ar- Thursday 51 40 -- Overcast
eas, fences, steps, shrubs, trees Friday 42 35 -- Broken Clouds
Willow Tree Angel Collection or mailboxes that are located
within the street layout. Resi-
Total: 0.28”
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Alden in ‘restructuring’ for Recommended in Karen Brown’s Guide, 2009 New England
GMC-Envoy
“We need to make sure they 25 students above and beyond
feel comfortable in this learn- that who have other disabili-
ing environment.” ties, who will get direct in-
A restructuring plan can struction in a resource room
For Sale!
take many forms, including a setting –– although he stressed
government take over of the he didn’t know the exact num-
schools and a mass dismissal bers off the top of his head.
of all staff associated with The co-teaching model is new
MCAS. However, Duxbury has at Alden this year. Trombly
chosen the “fundamental re- said that because the school
forms” option, which includes has third and fifth graders in
a new co-teaching model, the same building, it triggers
where special education teach-
ers work in the classroom with
some of the MCAS subgroup
reporting. Just
0
mainstream teachers. There
are also other programs, such
He said that the current
fifth graders have made im-
$5,90
as Response to Intervention, provements in their test scores
Six Traits Writing, the DESE since they last took the MCAS
Writing Workshop and differ- in third grade. He also said
entiated instruction. Alden students made more
Walsh said that Duxbury is progress in AYP than schools
not the only high-performing like Scituate, Marshfield and UÊ££x]äääÊià UÊ6/6Ê-VÀii
school district that has strug- Mansfield. He added this was
gles with MCAS testing in the true even for the special edu- UÊÀi>ÌÊ
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special education subgroup. cation subgroup. UÊ{7
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He also said that the MCAS is For other schools, the
a particularly challenging test, MCAS related news was much
and other states have lower sunnier.
Ì>VÌ\ÊÌ`Ü>ÀÀiÓxJ
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standards when it comes to No “We set our goals very
Wednesday, November 11, 2009 Duxbury Clipper 5
Beach buntings
S
By Fahy Bygate, Clipper Columnist
ongbird migration is over. The warblers, vireos and
tanagers are mostly gone. As we know, the ones that
stay all winter, the chickadees, titmice, woodpeckers,
cardinals, etc. have gone into deep undercover like CIA agents.
With my feeders empty and deserted, I hit the beach. It isn’t Family Owned &Operated
Since 1923
too early for a premature Snowy Owl to show up at High Pines.
There could be Harlequin Ducks off the Gurnet. Loons in the
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over they move south. Some 20 Holman Road, Plymouth and surrounding towns
years they make it to southern
Massachusetts and to Duxbury Beach. These are birds of open
spaces and long views so the cold winds and blowing snow of
our winter beach are balmy breezes and tropical sunshine to
them.
These are incredibly cute birds. They are pure white in the
Arctic breeding grounds but when they reach us in November
they have acquired patches of warm brown on the face and
black on the wings and tails. Once here they hunker down in
the dunes and feed off of the seeds of the grasses and weeds.
When you disturb them they fly in quick, darting flocks that
seem to roll over like snow blowing across the beach. When
they fly, their cry is a sweet call.
Like the canary in the mines, Snow Buntings can alert us
when their habitat is threatened. Lately, global warming has
caused early thawing of the tundra causing woody plants to
thrive. The open spaces are being replaced with tall plants and
Snow Buntings don’t do trees. They have declined 64 percent
in 40 years. For millions of years these birds have adapted to
their habitat. They don’t lay their eggs on the ground as most
tundra birds do; they lay them in the crevices of rocks where
it is safer even though that means it is harder to keep them Macdonald
warm. So, the male bird feeds the female so she can sit on the
eggs 24/7. Getting dad to serve breakfast in bed every day is & Wood
one adaptation even we humans haven’t managed. Yet global
warming is threatening them every day.
To see these little guys, just drive down to the beach and
watch for small flocks of little white birds with soft brown
patches. Listen for their call. Put Snow Buntings on your life
list!
Duxbury residents pose with Senator Brown: Ryan Boehm, Mara Maddox, Rita Strong, Senator Brown, Paula Harris, Deb
Bowen, Bill Harris and Steve Bowen.