Students in Amy Rushford's Eastern World Heritage class gathered in the ConVal High School library this morning to learn about conducting effective online research.

Librarian Ashley Mudrick introduced students to the Gale In Context database that the ConVal library subscribes to. Gale offers students access to topic overviews, primary sources, biographies, and critical essays in geography, government, history, and more. Periodical coverage includes full-text newspaper, magazine, and journal articles from vetted sources. Multimedia sources include images, maps, charts, graphs, videos, and audio selections such as podcasts, archival film clips, and broadcast video.

Librarian Rachael Bowman then reviewed with students the proper way to cite print-based and Internet-based resources with NoodleTools. The app allows students to conduct research, organize their notes, cite their sources in different formats (APA, MLA, Chicago-style, etc.), and collaborate with others if they are working on a group project.

The use of Gale in Context and NoodleTools are just two examples of the purposeful use of technology at the freshman high school level at ConVal, which prepares students for research projects at higher levels, including college and university after graduation.

At Hancock Elementary School, Miss Goodington’s students have been deeply engaged in their astronomy unit over the past few weeks. They have been learning how to research a topic, write about it, and present it to others.

As part of their Library Media Residency this week, students showcased their hard work by creating impressive videos where they read aloud the research-based reports they wrote themselves/

Please see the video here.

Peterborough Elementary School marked the 100th day of school with a variety of activities, including movement, STEM, and art stations.

Students engaged in heart-shaped artwork creation, movement exercises, and cup stacking challenges to build the tallest structure. 

Charlie, our therapy dog, received well over 100 pets from students! 

We are grateful to all the volunteers who contributed their time to make this event a success. Thank you, PES families!

Mrs. Perreault's class recently kicked off World Read Aloud Day with Scholastic Story Voice — a special free read-aloud of "No, David" by author David Shannon. World Read Aloud Day is dedicated not just to reading, but to the art and practice of reading aloud. 

No, David! is a 1998 children's picture book written and illustrated by David Shannon. Shannon wrote a story by himself when he was just five years old, and later in his life, he rediscovered his story and decided to publish it after re-writing some of his original work.

The book focuses on the story of a mischievous child named David who misbehaves constantly and is always faced with a reprimanding “No, David!” from his mother. Important themes such as discipline, proper behavior, parental love, and childhood essence are evident throughout this children’s book through words and illustrations.

No, David! was recognized with a variety of different awards and honors, and there were many adaptations that were made in the following years based on the book.

More than 140 residents attended the Community Forum in the Lucy Hurlin Theatre at ConVal High School on Wednesday, February 12. Another 122 viewers followed the evening's live stream online.

The Forum's agenda included presentations on the ConVal District Budget, the Collective Bargaining Agreement with the teacher's union (CVEA), the warrant articles related to the trust fund warrants, the petition article imposing a per-student cost budget cap on future budgets, and the proposed withdrawals by Dublin and Francestown from the ConVal School District.

During the Q&A portion of the Community Forum, the greatest number of comments and questions revolved around the petition warrant article, the proposed town withdrawals, and the consequences that would result from the votes on these warrant articles.

If you could not attend the event in person or were unable to watch the live stream, you can watch the recording at this link.

Members of the ConVal School Board and the District Administration gathered at Hancock Elementary School on Monday night for a public hearing on the petition warrant article that would impose a $29,000 per student cap on the ConVal Budget.

About 40 residents listened as Curtis Hamilton, the School Board Representative from Greenfield, explained how the proposed cap amounts to a de facto $2.9 and $5.4 million cut to the annual budget. The reductions required under the proposal would irrecoverably change the educational opportunities for students attending ConVal.

This would include the loss of all athletic programs, co-curricular, and student leadership opportunities at the middle and high school levels, the elimination of all enrichment programs, the termination of curricular offerings like Honors and AP courses, as well as cuts of administrators at the SAU level and in community schools. In addition, just in its first year of implementation, up to 15 teaching positions would have to be cut in order to meet the cap-mandated budget reductions.

During the question-and-answer portion of the public hearing, residents asked how the $29,000 cap number came about, what additional cuts would have to be made, and what could be done to defeat the petitioned warrant article at the polls.

Additional meetings about the petition warrant article will be held over the next two weeks in Dublin, Peterborough, Francestown, Antrim, Greenfield, Temple, Bennington, and Sharon.

Kindergarten registration and screening for the northern tier of the ConVal School District will be held on Tuesday, February 18, from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm at Antrim Elementary School, 10 School Street, in Antrim. A snow date is scheduled for Thursday, February 20, at the same time and location.

The child must be accompanied to the registration and screening by a parent or legal guardian and must be five years old by September 30, 2025.

Pre-registration for this event is required. Please call Melissa Gatto at (603) 924-7503 ext. 2032 to schedule an appointment time.

About 40 students gathered in the ConVal High School Library on Friday for a virtual author visit with Neal Shusterman.

Shusterman is an American young adult fiction author who writes in the science fiction and dystopian genres. He is known for blending philosophical and ethical dilemmas with gripping narratives. His books often explore the consequences of advanced technology, the morality of life and death, and personal identity.

His award-winning novels include the dystopian trilogy Arc of a Scythe series, the four-book series Unwind, and the novel Dry which explores a world suffering from a catastrophic water shortage. His latest book, All Better Now, is about an unprecedented, highly lethal virus whose survivors experience an unexpected long-term effect: utter contentment. 

Shusterman has received the 2015 National Book Award for Young People's Literature for his book Challenger Deep, and his novel Scythe was a 2017 Michael L. Printz Honor book. In 2024, Shusterman received the Margaret Edwards Award honoring his "significant and lasting contribution to writing for teens."

Organized by the ConVal librarians Rachael Bowman, Ashley Mudrick, and English teacher Liz Moore, the virtual author visit was shared with both Great Brook School and South Meadow School via Zoom.