Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Take a trip down memory lane.
Reading students started school last week and North Reading students started school today. So we thought it would be fun to ask what your memorable first school days were? First day of high school? First day of seventh grade? What made first school days memorable then? The smell of the air becoming crisp? Your new school clothes? Seeing all your friends and other kids you haven't seen? Meeting your new teachers and comparing class schedules with friends? And of course, what are some funny anecdotes you'd like to share? Discuss in the comments below.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Upload your photos, add a full-sentence caption and in the credit field note the photographer's name.
Wednesday marked the first day of school for students of Reading Public Schools and with that in mind we'd love to see all your photos of your kids readying for the big day. Did you have a little one going to school for the first time? Or a high schooler dressed up for the start of their senior year? Whatever the case may be, upload your photos to this post and we'll create a photo gallery. Before you start trying to upload photos, make sure you've created a Reading-North Reading Patch user account (if you don't already have one), then log in. Once logged in, click the "Upload Photos and Videos" button found above or below the photo gallery. After yor image has uploaded to the site, mae sure to include a full-sentence caption and type in …
Are you aware of these state laws on school buses?
Reading schools are back in session and North Reading will start next week. Here are a few Massachusetts' state laws about school buses you might not have known. #1. Everyone knows to stop when a school bus is loading and unloading passengers, but what you may not know is that if you don’t stop, you could get a ticket of up to $250. That fine can go up to $2,000 and a suspended license of up to a year for subsequent offenses (MGL 90-14) #2. Oh, speaking of stopping behind a stopped bus, even fire trucks, police cars and ambulances with their sirens on have to stop until the passengers have been loaded or unloaded. (MGL 89-7B) #3. Tell your kids to sit down, because bus drivers can be fined up to $500 if they drive the bus when the kids …
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
New national study indicates that drug and alcohol use during the school day is a bigger problem than previously thought.
According to a new study by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, roughly 17 percent of American high school students engage in smoking, drinking or doing drugs during the school day. The study also said that approximately 86 percent of students indicated that they knew of classmates who abuse drugs or alcohol during the school day. This was the 17th such study conducted by the NCASA. The group interviewed more than 1,000 students ages 12-17, according to an article appearing on Huffington Post. Perhaps more disturbing aspects to the survey included roughly 50 percent of the students indicating there was a place on there campus where students reguarly went to do drugs or drink alcohol. And about 44 percent said they knew of…
Monday, August 27, 2012
Check out the new traffic plan for the middle school.
Construction at North Reading Middle School has started, and the school building project is on track. According to middle school Assistant Principal Michael Maloney, the biggest change so far that will impact parents and students is the new traffic plan. With the new traffic plan, students will no longer have to walk through an active traffic lane to get to a bus or vehicle. There is a lane for students traveling to school on a bus and a separate lane for students traveling to school in a vehicle. Here are some directions provided by school administrators that parents should know before school starts: (the attached PDF shows the new pattern on a map and lists the directions.) If you notice a car accessing the parking lot during the drop…
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Find out how Reading and North Reading per capita spending on education compares to 25 cities and towns in Massachusetts.
As the school year approaches, parents will hear about new investments in their local school system or, sometimes, cuts to teachers and budgets. But how much do North Reading and Reading spend on education for each person in town—in financial terms, its per capita education spending? The Pioneer Institute, a Massachusetts public policy research organization, recently released a spreadsheet tool to accompany its new handbook, "Guide to Sound Fiscal Management for Municipalities." The spreadsheet tool allows anyone to compare how much a city or town spends on various services, and how much the city or town spends per capita. Patch used the tool to compare 25 cities and towns in the area on per capita education spending, with the Pioneer …
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Here are some local school supply deals to check out while shopping for back to school items.
Shopping for back to school items this week? With Reading going back to school at the end of August and North Reading heading back early in September, it is time to buy school supplies for your kids. Here are some places to shop:
Monday, August 13, 2012
The modular classrooms have been moved and the parking lot is being repaved.
After passing at Special Town Meeting and Special Election earlier in the year, the North Reading school building project is underway. So far, the modular classrooms at the middle school have been moved, and a temporary parking lot has been paved. The modular classrooms were moved to the other side of the middle school so construction for the high school can begin, according to Superintendent Kathleen Willis. Last Friday, a new parking lot was paved at the middle school. The parking lot is temporary and will be utilized by the staff at the middle school until they move to the old high school in 2014. Parking is in the process of being reconfigured. There will be a new drop off and pick up procedure for students, Willis said, and the …
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Five things principals, educators, PTA members, parents and students need to know.
The school year will be starting soon in Reading and North Reading, and Reading-North Reading Patch will be there to cover all the big news. But we can’t do it without your help. To make sure you get the most out of Patch this school year, we invite you to get active in the news-gathering process. There are five things you can do to make sure your school and its students get all the coverage they deserve from Patch: You can also become a blogger and share your school's news directly with Patch readers on a regular basis. To find out more about using Patch this school year, just email ashley.troutman@patch.com.
Do you remember your favorite lunch box? Today's kids have as many options as ever but nothing will take the place of the Partridge Family or Scooby-Doo.
Lunch boxes have changed in design and shape over the years, but the basic idea is the same. Along with space inside for a cold drink, sandwich and snack, the cover is devoted to a favorite cartoon, character, TV show or movie. That's why Justin Bieber and Darth Vader and Japanese cartoon characters are staring out at shoppers from the shelves of Target. Back in the '70s, the lunch boxes were aluminum. In the '80s, they gave way to plastic. Vintage lunch boxes now are highly collectible. They are displayed as collections in people's homes, and sometimes they get their own art gallery shows. Do you remember a favorite lunch box? What was it? Tell us in the comments section. Have a picture handy? Share it with Patch!
Charles Towne
6:58 pm on Friday, September 7, 2012
Are Drugs/Alcohol A Problem At Reading High School? Apparently, yes. 38 Minors Charged With Possession of Alcohol in Reading more ›