The Wrentham Times

4th Annual Volunteer of the Year Award Nominations Sought

The Board of Selectmen is accepting nominations for the 4th Annual Volunteer of the Year Award. This award is given to residents that have gone above and beyond to volunteer their time to the Town. Nominations may be submitted to the Board of Selectmen's office until October 7th in two age groups, under 18, or 18 and over. The winners will be acknowledged at the November 14th Special Town Meeting. If you would like to nominate a resident that you think is deserving submit this form to the Selectmen's office. 

Wrentham Fire Department Open House

The Wrentham Fire Department will host its annual Fire Prevention Open House at the Public Safety Building, 99 South Street, on Sunday, October 2, 2011 between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. During the Open House we will be providing free blood pressure checks, tours of the station and the fire apparatus. In addition to the scheduled events residents are invited to pick up fire prevention information, TOT Finder decals, and other safety related  information.

A collection of photographs and videos of your fire department in action will be on display. Refreshments will be served and both Smokey the Bear and Sparky the Fire Dog are expected to make an appearance.

 

Lights, Camera, Action!

This past Tuesday the Looking Glass Cafe and downtown Wrentham will serve as the set for the independent movie Siren. The movie is said to be about a cursed woman with the unwanted ability to make most men fall madly in love with her simply by smelling the irresistibly potent pheromone she gives off.  The filming has taken place primarily in Millis but will spend the day shooting in picturesque Wrentham. (Pictured: The Siren Crew starting a day of filming in Wrentham. The photo was taken by Jesse Peyronel, the films director and posted to his Twitter feed @JesseDir)

Vinessa Show plays the women and has been seen in other films and TV shows including  3:10 to Yuma, House MD, and the Hills Have Eyes.  The film also stars Robert Kazinsky who has appeared in Law & Order LA and Brothers & Sisters. 

The production crew has permission to film on the town's sidewalks and has hired police details for the day. 

Wrentham and KP MCAS Results Released

The MCAS results for 2011 were released this month and for the most part painted consistent performances for both the Wrentham Public Schools and King Philip Regional School District. Both KP and Wrentham did have areas where numbers dipped, but there were few major swings in either direction.

At Wrentham Public Schools, 81 % of the students are advanced or proficient in language arts and 78 % are advanced or proficient in mathematics resulting in the district being classified as "High Growth and High Acheivement" by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. "Since 2006 our Language Arts scores are up 9 % and our math is up 23 %," explained Wrentham superintendent Jeff Marsden. "These increases are a direct result of the hard work of the teachers and students. These results underscore the District's commitment to continuous improvement."

Marsden did say that the 3rd grade language scores will need to reviewed further with an 11 % decrease in 2011. "For the past two years, our 3rd grade MCAS [scores]have been some of the top in the state," he said. "Our dedicated staff is currently assessing the root causes of this drop." Marsden noted that in 2011 grades 4 and 5 experienced increases ranging from 1% to 13% and grade 6 continued to perform at a high level. "Our special education subgroups at the Roderick School, especially grade 5, have shown significant improvement," Marsden said.

King Philip Regional School District results remained consistent with 2010. Both the 10th and 9th grade remained steady with 92 % and 88% of the students being advanced or proficient respectively. The seventh grade had a slight improvement with 88 % of the students being advanced or proficient up from 84 % in 2010. The mathematics results were the most uneven with the 7th grade seeing a 4 % increase in the number of students being advanced and proficient while the 9th grade dropped 4 % and 10th grade decreased 2 %. The science performance was also down with 48 % of the 8th grade students being advanced and proficient. In 2010 54 % fell into that category. Also, the 10th grade science results dropped from 88 % in 2010 to 82 % in 2011.

"Results show that, overall, our student performance in English and Math has continued to receive a very high rating. We continue to be proud of these strong indicators of success," said Elizabeth "Dr. Liz" Zielinski, superintendent of KP Regional School District. "Under federal guidelines of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), we are issued an accountability status based on our annual progress for the district, school (aggregate), and for subgroups within the school. While our overall MCAS district testing performance has been consistent, performance of students within the special education subgroup at the middle school level indicates that we do have some students who are in need of more support. The NCLB designation based on the special education subgroup performance for middle school mathematics is Restructuring- Year 2."

Zielinski added, "Ongoing action is continuous as King Philip Regional principals, teachers and parents work together to ensure that all students are successful."

Wrentham Public Schools MCAS 2011 Results

King Philip Regional School District MCAS 2011 Results

Marching Band to Compete Saturday

King Philip Regional High School and Oliver Ames High School will host nine bands from across Massachusetts on Saturday, October 1st at Oliver Ames High School, Easton, MA located at 100 Lothrop Street, North Easton, MA. The bands will compete in the KP Fall Classic, a show sponsored by the United States Scholastic Band Association. The event starts at 5:55 pm with Oliver Ames kicking off the event and the KP Marching Band closing the show at 8:45 pm with their performance of "The Gallery." KP's show will take you on a world tour of cultural exhibits. Fans will visit Latin America through Afro Cuban music, Asia via a Korean Folk Song, home to the US for a stroll down Bourbon Street in New Orleans and then back in time to the Roman Empire. Tickets may be purchased at the gate and are $8 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. The King Philip and Oliver Ames Music Associations will sponsor concessions. Please come out and enjoy local bands as they present their 2011 competitive shows. For more information, visit the KP Music website. 

Author Stephen Puleo to speak at Fiske Library Book Club

The Wrentham Book Club at the Fiske Library is pleased to announce that Stephen Puleo, historian and  award winning writer, will visit the Book Club on Thursday, September 29, at 6:30 pm to discuss his book, Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919. The meeting will be open to the public. Mr. Puleo’s other books include A City So Grand (Boston, 1850-1900) and The Boston Italians. Fifteen Massachusetts cities and towns have selected Dark Tide for community-wide reading programs, which encourage all residents to read one book at the same time.

The meeting will be held in the Sweatt Room at the front of the library, which is located at 110 Randall Street in Wrentham; the phone number is 508-384-5440. In lieu of his usual speaker’s fee, Mr. Puleo requests contributions be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). His niece, Megan, has juvenile diabetes, and a portion of all Mr. Puleo’s book sales go to this charity. Contributions are strictly voluntary, but a shoebox at the door will allow us to collect donations in a private and respectful manner. If you wish to contribute, please place a sealed envelope with your contribution in any amount and drop it in the box as you enter. Checks should be made out to JDRF—Megan's Marchers. Please feel free to bring your personal copy of the book to be signed by the author, as time permits.

This Weekend: Can and Bottle Drive for Playground; Mapping Wrentham Wraps Up

The Rice Complex Playground folks are holding a Saturday morning can and bottle drive. The funds raised will be used to purchase playground equipment for a children's area at the Rice Complex. The drive will take place 9 am to 1 pm, over at the Rice Complex, on Emerald Street.

Also, the Mapping Wrentham Exhibit  that opened on Wrentham Day at the Old Fiske Library will open again this weekend from 10:00 am to 12 noon. This is the last opportunity to see the exhibit.  Wrentham Cultural Council member, Mare Amrose, says Mapping Wrentham was well received by the public. "The interactive map activity where visitors were asked to place a star on their property in Wrentham was a big hit. Even adults were happy to take a sticker and place it in just the right spot." To learn more about the Wrentham Cultural Council, visit their newly launched web site.

Marching Band to Preview New Show

The King Philip Marching Band will perform its annual Preview Show on Sunday, September 18th at 6pm at the KP Regional High School football field. The band will present their new 2011-2012 competitive show.

Busy September Weekend with Yard Sales, Mexican Dinner, and Local Exhibit

In addition to the Cracker Barrel Fair this weekend, there are other interesting happenings taking place.

This Saturday there are two yard sales being run to support local organizations. Wrentham Cub Scouts Pack 131 is having a yard sale from 9 am to 2 pm at the town parking lot at the intersection of 1A and 140. Also this Saturday, starting at 8 am and running to 4 pm, the 4 Paws Animal Shelter will hold a yard sale in their effort to establish a shelter for dogs, cats and small animals for Wrentham, Plainville and surrounding towns. The 4 Paws Yard Sale will take place at 67 South Street in Plainville.

The KP Dare Support group is also holding a Mexican dinner in the Fellowship Hall of the Original Congregational Church in the center of Wrentham on Saturday from 5:30 pm to 7 pm. The serving will be buffet style, and the menu will be chicken or beef tacos with lettuce, diced tomatoes and onions. Rice and beans and chips and salsa will also be available. Beverages and cake will be provided and there is an option to pack all the food up and take it home. Cost is $9 per person, with $30 family maximum. Tickets can be purchased at the door.

The Mapping Wrentham Exhibit that opened on Wrentham Day at the Old Fiske Library will run this weekend and next weekend from 10:00 am to 12 noon. Over 160 people visited the exhibit on Wrentham Day and according to Wrentham Cultural Council member, Mare Amrose, Mapping Wrentham was well received by the public. "The interactive map activity where visitors were asked to place a star on their property in Wrentham was a big hit. Even adults were happy to take a sticker and place it in just the right spot." To learn more about the WrenthamCultural Council, visit their newly launched web site.

Cracker Barrel Fair Starts Thursday Night

The setup is almost complete for the 31st Annual Cracker Barrel Fair. The fair starts Thursday and will be open through Sunday. A few of the planned highlights include the music of the Hitmen Friday evening, and a performance by Wolf and the Jazz Daddy’s Saturday starting at 7 pm. There will also be a fireworks display at 9:50 pm. On Sunday, there will be oldies performed by The Reminisants and a dance presentation by Showcase Dance Productions.

Hayrides will be running and the Norfolk County 4-H Club will host agricultural exhibits including a Pet Parade Sunday morning. Local artisans, magicians, animal shows, jugglers and face painters will all be on hand. The food booths will be open offering a variety of cuisine and the Cracker-Barrel Classic 5K Road Race will take place Saturday at 9 am. Refreshments will be available for the race courtesy of TheTavern of Wrentham.

A flea market will also be held starting Saturday morning. The Fair is held on the Wrentham Developmental Center ground and hours are 5 pm to 10 pm on Thursday and Friday, and noon to 10 pm on Saturday. Sunday the Fair opens at noon and closes for another year at 6 pm. Parking costs $3.