Vacation? What vacation?

While students and teachers have been away we have been getting the floors rewaxed and completing some much needed painting and physical improvements inside. The front lobby is looking great and I think everyone will notice the improvements!

Enjoy the rest of the break.

See everyone in 2010...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

I hope everyone has a great holiday and a safe holiday break! That's it, simple message.

Till next time...

All You Can Eat!!

Who doesn't love those four words!! Brings a smile to my face every time I see or hear it!

The Oxford Volunteer Fire Department
ALL YOU CAN EAT BREAKFAST
Sunday January 3rd, 2010

7:30 -- 11:00 am

$6 Adults
$5 Seniors
$4 Children 12 and under

Come, pig out, support a good cause!

Till next time...

Snow!

Looks like the snow is really coming down now! Hope it stops soon so that we don't have too much to move before Monday morning! We'll just have to wait to see.

Till next time...

Oxford Central School Teacher of the Year

It is the time of year when we start to look at our staff for the fine work and efforts they put in everyday, and recognize one person to represent the school as the Teacher of the Year. As in the past we would like to have two parents on the committee to review the nominees and recommend a teacher. If you are interested, drop me a line via my email at bmagnuson@oxfordcentral.org.

Thanks.

Till next time...

H1N1 Update

I am including a few lines from an update I received yesterday concerning a recall of vaccines for the H1N1 virus. This notice is from the Warren County and New Jersey Health Departments, and the entire letter can be accessed later today via the H1N1 link on our website.


Summary: As part of its quality assurance program, Sanofi Pasteur, Inc., performs additional routine, ongoing testing of influenza vaccines after the vaccine has been distributed to health care providers to ensure that vaccines continue to meet required specifications.In recent testing of the amount of antigen in its influenza A (H1N1) monovalent vaccine, Sanofi Pasteur found four distributed lots of single-dose, pre-filled syringe pediatric (0.25 mL.) vaccine with antigen content lower than required potency levels. The manufacturer is conducting a non-safety related voluntary recall of these affected lots of vaccine.

Till next time....

Facebook: The Saga Continues...

Come on... where is everyone? Watching my "Friends" total climb is like watching the tote board of a telethon! you just keep hoping it climbs higher and higher.

For those of you who are new to FaceBook and not the seasoned veteran that i clearly represent, you can go to www.facebook.com and log-in. The school site is oxford central.

Till next time...

Monday morning QB

Man, I am tired from the energy I expended trying to push the Giants past the Eagles last night...

Thought I should take the time to thank Mr. and Mrs. White and their two boys Jacob and Noah, for hosting the Kids 4 Kids PTA Family Fun Night this past Friday night! The event was attended by more than 60 parents and students and everyone had a great time. More than 4 dozen toys were donated to the Oxford Rescue Squad Toy Drive and from the Student Council, more than 150 pounds of food was also donated!

This was a wonderful event and I hope that we can continue to build on this success.

Till next time...

Budget and Finance Public Meetings

The first one was held yesterday and the public was in attendance! One person, Mrs. Riley, but that is a start. We are having another public meeting on January 11th at 1:00 pm. This is an opportunity to get information about the proposed budget as it is being put together.

Till next time...

Facebook

Well it happened. The stars lined up, Pluto is no longer a planet, and Oxford Central is on FACEBOOK!

In order to try out another way to share information, I have started a Facebook page that everyone can join.

Till next time...

Crummy Weather...

is on its way! Even if not tonight, soon! Please be aware that I am sending out another test message tonight to remind everyone about the student Council Canned Food Drive that will continue tomorrow night, Wednesday December 9th as part of the holiday Concert.

If you do not get the call, and you have actually seen this blog, please let the Main Office know as soon as possible.

Till next time...

Phishing

No, I do not mean travelling around with the former band!

I am referring to the email and text fraud that tries to get people to give up valuable information and/or put viruses on your computer.

Apparently it is happening under the guise of messages from the CDC or a county agency trying to get people to register for H1N1 information.

The Warren County Health Department wants everyone to know that they are only disseminating information via the schools and their website, not emails or texts messages. If you get an email asking you to download a form or give more information, please do not! Call the Warren County Health Department at 908-475-7960.

Stay Healthy!

Market Day Pickup is tonight

Our monthly Market Day pickup is tonight, Thursday, December 3rd. As usual, the pickup will be in the school cafeteria from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm.

Please remember the special family fun night coming up NEXT Friday, December 11th--Kids 4 Kids Holiday Fun Night. Everyone is invited and the event is free! All students will be able to create some crafts, have fun in the gym and just enjoy themselves. All those who attend are asked to bring an unwrapped toy that will be directly donated to the Oxford Rescue Squad Annual Toy Drive. 7:00 start time.

Please remember that students should be accompanied by an adult the entire time they are here!

I only have eyes for you!!!

http://photos.lehighvalleylive.com/express-times/2009/12/cow_eye_dissection_eye3jpg.html

That is the link that will take you to the most recent picture of our students, Katie and Kylie, who were participating in the PTA sponsored Cow Eye Dissection." This program, sponsored by our PTA, was delivered four times yesterday to our 6-8 grade science classes and gave them a hands-on look at the cow eye and the human eye. The students really enjoyed themselves! I hope to have a few more pictures up on the OCS website. The program was brought to us from the Liberty Science Center!
P.S. The picture is also found in the local section of today's Express-Times.

Till next time...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hoo Boy!! One of the best days of the year coming up! Thanksgiving! I, like most guys, will be stuffed and zoned out in front of the television by 5:00pm.

Enjoy the Holiday. Remember the school will be closed Thursday through Sunday, 11/26-11/29. Will reopen on Monday November 30th!

Till next time...

GASO--What the Heck is that?!

Want to know what our REBEL II chapter is promoting for tomorrow? Check out the home page on Thursday and click on the link, G.A.S.O.--What the Heck is That? It could save someones life...

Till next time...

TWITTER, act 2

Looks like it might have been a good idea to write how to find my tweets, or how to follow my tweets. Again, that does sound funny coming from me! Anyway,

my user name is:

oxfordcentral

till next time...

TWITTER

Well, I finally did it! I am trying out Twitter. Yes, I am all a-twitter! If you would like to receive instant tweets from the school and become a "follower" of the OCS Twitter tweets ou will need to log-in to Twitter.com and register. Then you can become a follower of my tweets. Jeez, it sounds so goofy to be typing the word tweets!

Anyway, I will be giving this a try to provide another way to keep people updated about what is upcoming or happening here at the school. Things I will try to tweet (remember I am almost 50 and tweeting may take some getting used to):

school weather closings, emergency notices, upcoming events at school, reminders about new information coming home or new stuff on the website, etc...

What I will NOT tweet:

That I am brushing my teeth, washing my car, completing mundane tasks of my life--(even though being a superintendent is a very glamorous life), staring into space, ranting at the NY Giants, etc...

Don't worry, this will not be a voyeuristic look int my bizarre existence!

Let's give it a try and see how it goes...

Till next time....

Our Stimulus Money and an important letter....

are discussed in this blog entry. We have all heard many different ideas pertaining to the stimulus money that schools in New Jersey were given as part of the recent American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. I have included a letter that we put together so that our entire community could understand the financial realities of the stimulus money and the ramifications of this money. The letter is below:



Dear Oxford Residents:

On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which authorizes the expenditure of billions of dollars to revive the nation’s economy. ARRA could possibly be the greatest single infusion of federal dollars into education since Congress passed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965 during Lyndon Johnson’s presidency. Oxford is to receive ARRA funding in the following three areas:

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) (July 1, 2009 – September 30, 2011)
Oxford has been approved to receive $4,945.00 in ARRA funds under the NCLB Title I Grant which must be spent to “Strengthen Education, Drive Reform, and Improve Results for Students”. NCLB is a Federal Grant Program and therefore the manner in which funds can be spent is restricted. These funds are in addition to the regular NCLB funds received.

The US Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education has suggested that funds be spent on:
· Programs or activities that can be conducted productively for two years and then terminated;
· Costs related to attracting effective teachers to Title I schools (40% or more of its students that come from low-income families); or
· Conducting pilot programs to test approaches in Title I schools that, if successful, may be supported with other funds in the future.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (July 1, 2009 – September 30, 2011)
Oxford has been approved to receive IDEA funds in two areas; Basic (ages 5 – 21) and Preschool (ages 3 – 4). IDEA Basic will receive an additional $86,197.00 and IDEA Preschool will receive an additional $3,117.00 for a grand total of $89,314.00 in ARRA funds which must be spent to “Drive School Reform and Improvement”. IDEA is also a Federal Grant Program and funds may only be used to provide special education and related services to children with disabilities. These funds are in addition to the regular IDEA funds received.

The US Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education suggest the funds be spent on such items as:
· On-site professional development for special and general educators that leads to certification;
· Induction and mentoring programs for special educators;
· Technology hardware and software to improve achievement for students with disabilities;
· Assistive technology devices and services for students with disabilities.


State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF) (July 1, 2009 – June 30, 2010)
New Jersey received $1.3 billion in State Fiscal Stabilization Funds under ARRA to be used for education. Oxford is receiving a total of $381,099.00 in SFSF funds. Unlike NCLB and IDEA, the funds received under SFSF are NOT in addition to funds already received. In New Jersey, Governor Corzine used some of the national ARRA funds to replace the deficit in education funding for the 2009-2010 school year for those school districts that receive Equalization Aid (a portion of some school district’s state aid determined by district property wealth and district income). If this was not allowed under ARRA, state aid to Oxford and other districts which receive Equalization Aid may have been cut for the 2009-2010 school year.

The State of New Jersey allocated some of the ARRA funds in this fashion in order to save and/or create jobs for this school year. If Oxford’s state aid would be reduced by $381,099.00 the district has but two options available to close the revenue gap; raise taxes or cut expenses. Since only a fraction of the school district budget is discretionary the district would have to lay off approximately 16% of its staff and made drastic program and facility cuts. This would have a devastating effect on the educational programs and level of services that are currently provided in the district.

There are many variables that the district takes into consideration in constructing a responsible and educationally sound budget. This year we face a gubernatorial election which has, in the past, typically delayed notification to school districts as to the amount of state aid they will be receiving. This leaves districts the daunting task of formulating a budget without knowing exactly how much aid they are going to receive.

The goal of your Administration and Board of Education throughout this process is to promote transparency and accountability in its fiscal operations. We continue to ask questions, seek answers and explore alternate means of funding that will maintain the quality educational programs currently provided for all our students.

Thank you for your time and should you have any questions or if you would like additional information regarding the ARRA funding, please feel free to contact us at (908) 453-4101 or go to www.recovery.gov .


Very truly yours,



Robert J. Magnuson Patricia A. Decibus Milissa Dachisen
Chief School Administrator Business Administrator Vice-Principal
Ext. 2100 Ext. 2105 Ext. 2104

Money, Money, Money...

It is time for another go 'round of budget preparations for the 2010-2011 school year....

This school year, as we prepare to put our budget together for the 2010-2011 school year--a process that has already begun-- we will be hosting a number of planning sessions and we invite those citizens who would like to have input into the process to attend the meetings. The meeting dates will be:

Thursday, December 10, 2009 10:00 am;
Monday, January 11, 2010 1:00 pm;
Wednesday, February 11, 2010 10:00 am.

Please give the Business Office a call if you will be attending. The meeting room will be based on the number of people who express an intent to attend.

Till next time...

What goes on at school...

when the students and teachers are off? Plenty! The cafeteria floor was rewaxed! The air filters in all our air conditioning and heating units have been replaced, state reports have been filed, the front door that was delivered with a big scratch--cleverly concealed by me with a green crayola-has been replaced with a brand new door and our front steps have been repaired. I included a picture of the steps. See everyone on Monday, November 9th.

Honor roll updates

A few parents asked me last night about the honor roll requirements for this school year. This past school year we began to look at our grading procedures and our report cards as well. A committee was formed to analyze changes that could be made and we decided to amend the honor roll requirements and make a few subtle changes to the report cards.

In order to be on the honor roll a student in grades 3-8 must have an average between 83 and 93 and have no grade lower than an 83. They must also maintain conduct that is satisfactory or above in all classes.

The high honor roll is computed with an average of 94 or above in all classes and no grade lower than an 85 in any class. They must also maintain conduct that is satisfactory or above in all classes.

This change is reflected in Board Policy 5124 and is also in our 2009-2010 Parent/Student handbook on page 23.

Till next time...

Could it possibly be...

the end of the first marking period? Time certainly goes by fast! Hopefully everyone remembered to shift their clocks back one hour this past weekend and this is always a good time to remember to check and change the batteries in the smoke detectors in your home!

Tomorrow is the New Jersey election for governor but here at OCS the race is over! In our student body mock election held last Friday, Republican candidate Mr. Chris Christie won the race for governor! Let's see how the students of OCS fare against the rest of the state on Tuesday November 3!

Don't forget that this week school will be closed on Thursday and Friday--November 5 and 6.

I am also looking for a new football team! The Giants are slowly torturing me...

Till next time...

state assesments

Many of our parents received a letter recently from Mr. O'Brien, the Principal of the Warren Hills HS. The letter discussed how the HS had not met Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in one out of 40 different sub-groups. The letter discussed a number of actions that the HS has taken to overcome this AYP setback. I wanted to let everyone know that we have been doing the activities mentioned in the letter for quite some time. Students at Oxford have enjoyed a double block of Language Arts for many years--longer then many can remember--and our recent curriculum mapping and revisions(in conjunction with the Warren Hills Cluster schools) have allowed us to ensure the highest quality of instruction and the most up-to-date curriculum. As part of our on-going professional development plan, we have been working with all of our students to improve their writing. We continue to do this by instituting the MyAccess writing program, developing our writing skills in the primary grades with 6 Plus 1 writing and through increased vigor to improve our writing!

Oxford students continue to demonstrate a high level of academic success as they enter either the Vo-Tech or Warren Hills High School. This is a true testament to our students, their parents, our staff and the programs we use here at OCS.

Till next time...

Fire Safety et al

et al... my shot at Latin! What a great day of presentations by our own members of the Oxford Volunteer Fire Department! Special thanks to Kevin, Mitch, Tim and Chelsea for their time and effort in bringing this important message of fire safety to our KG-4th grade students. Let me tell you... IT IS NOT AS SCARY IN THE TRAILER AS I THOUGHT!! The students did very well! They listened to directions and they learned many facts about protecting themselves in a dangerous situation. Kevin even let me sit in the driver's seat of the fire truck! Man, that was cool! Maybe next year I can take it around the block! Hey, a guy can dream....

The pre-schoolers were out at the pumpkin patch today, and they had a great time! I think the pumpkins were bigger than they are! Thanks to the parents and teachers for making this trip a successful outing!

Finally, our 5-8 grade enjoyed the Science Circus presented by the PTA and the Liberty Science center! The sight of Scott'S hair sticking straight out was priceless!

Thanks again to the Fire Department and the PTA for their help in bringing these assemblies to the school.

Till next time...

Safe School

I am proud to announce that the school district has been selected by the School Alliance Insurance Fund as a recipient of the Safety incentive Award for our efforts to provide a safe and secure school building! This award is given annually to a select group of schools and districts who work to improve the safely of the school. Ms. Decibus and I will be accepting the award next week at the School Alliance meeting held during the School Boards workshop.

Another positive result of our efforts to continually improve the district!


Till next time...

Science and the PTA

Tomorrow marks the first of a series of enrichment activities we are providing for the students. Of course we could not provide these high quality programs if it were not for the dedication of our PTA membership. The PTA does so many wonderful things for the community and I thought I would take this opportunity to reach out to everyone to ask that you support their membership drive and their fund-raising activities. They truly do make a difference in the lives of our students!

Over the next 30 days we will be hosting a "Dragons and Dreams" science-telling (October 15th)through the assembly presented by Piccirillo's Science Telling! I have seen them and they are great! I think our KG-grade 5 will truly enjoy the experience.

On October 23rd we are hosting the Liberty Science Center program, "Science Circus" They will provide a hands-on assembly for our 5-8 graders. Then on November 30th they will be back to host a full day of lab work with our 6-8 grade! Cow Eye Dissections! How cool is that! We will have a guest lecturer and the students will be able to participate for a full hour long science lab!

But, as I mentioned... we do not get to do these awesome things without our PTA! Special thanks to Mrs. Cupo for her efforts in helping us get these great programs.

A million dollars...

will NOT be given away at this Thursday's school board meeting. However, we would love to see you there anyway! The meeting starts at at 6:00pm and as always will be held in the cozy confines of the OCS Library.

Friday October 2, 2009

This past Friday marked a rather bizarre twist in our OCS history; we had a bomb scare. I will say a scare more than a threat. On the heels of the letter that went home last week and the pone call, I want everyone to know that we will be actively pursuing the information we have concerning the person responsible, until we have exhausted all leads. It is unfortunate that we had a student who felt that this type of scare was appropriate. Putting everyone in jeopardy is never appropriate and we will take this matter seriously until we have a resolution. Anyone with any information they may have concerning this event should feel free to contact me here at the school. As I said in my voice message, I hope this is the first and last time we have this type of event!

A New Addition of our OCS Family!

It has been a few days now since we added another future teacher to the OCS family! Mr. Penner and his wife, Mrs. Penner(who is a teacher in Washington Township) have added a future Social Studies Teacher--I hope-- to their family. Michael Joseph Penner was born on Monday September 28th at 1:19 pm, probably interrupting an episode of Judge Joe Brown! Michael weighed in at 7 pounds, 15 ounces!
Congratulations to the new parents.

Holy smokes--- Is it October already?

Since I needed a jacket this morning, I probably should not be surprised. There are many cool things happening here at OCS this month:

PTA meeting on October 6th in the library at 7:00 pm
There will be a county-wide in-service day on October 12th. Students will be off!
On October 15th the PTA will be sponsoring a "Sciencetelling program" for our pre-school through 5th grade students!

Our 6-8 grade will participate in a Science Circus presented by the Liberty Science Center and sponsored by the PTA! This will be held on October 23rd.

Ms. Dachisen and renowned special education attorney, Mrs. Nathanya Simon, will be here at OCS to discuss special education laws as they pertain to Section 504 of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA). This informative program will be held in the OCS Library at 7:00pm.

The K-Kids will be sponsoring their first dance of the school year on Friday, October 30th. The dance is open to all of our 7th and 8th grade students. Only OCS students may attend and students who are absent from school on October 30th--MAY NOT attend.

As you can see, quite a full month....

Courage is...

Courage, the first of our character education themes, is a concept that is certainly understood by the students in Mrs. DiRenzo's and Mrs. Esposito's first grade classes! The students have been learning this component of our character education program and I was lucky enough to get to read them all! They have a good grasp of what courage is! Here are a few of the statements I read: "Courage is being on stage." "Courage is when you are in the Army." "Courage is sleeping outside in my tent." "Courage is riding on a roller coaster." Courage is taking medicine, even when you don't want to." "Courage is going through a spooky tunnel." "Courage is pulling out your own tooth." "Courage is diving off the diving board."

All good thoughts that represent the idea of Courage. Well done to both first grade classes!

Till next time...

School Board policies

In case you were sitting at home today thinking, "I wonder where I could find all of the school board policies that are used to run the school district?"

Wonder no more... they are now found on the Oxford Central website, in alphabetical order by subject! If you go to www.oxfordcentral.org and then scroll down to Policies and Information, you can click that link and find the entire board policy manual. The list is arranged alphabetically and if you click on the policy you wish to view, a PDF file will open.

Each policy contains the legal references that are based on state laws and court cases in NJ and, in some cases, the U.S. At the end of each policy there is are cross-references that will give you ideas about other polices that may apply to the policy you are searching.

Till next time...

Cookies anyone?

A few teachers have mentioned that there might be some parents who have experienced difficulties getting emails through to teachers or are having trouble getting some pages from our website. This may be due to the cookies that are set by your home computer. You might need to readjust the cookie setting on your computer. Also check to make sure that the address you use for emailing a teacher or other staff member is -----@oxfordcentral.org or if that does not work, try -----@mail.oxfordcentral.org.

That should help. If you still experience problems, give me a call. Remember that if you believe you are sending a teacher an email, they will respond within 24 hours. If you don't hear from them, it may be an email delivery problem.

Till next time...

Busy the next six days...

We are pretty busy this week. Tuesday night will be our 5-8 grade Back-To-School Night and Thursday Night will be our regular school board meeting. Prior to the board meeting on Thursday, I will be available to lead a building tour to update anyone who might wish to stop by! The building tours will be between 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm.

We will be conducting the first of our twice annual bus evacuation drills this Wednesday. This is a practice drill for all of our students so they learn how to exit the bus in the case of an emergency. This drill does not apply to only to our school bus riders, but to every student! We will be holding a Character Education assembly this Friday to illustrate this month's theme--Got Courage?

Finally, There will be two big events this coming Monday, September 28th! We will be holding a blood drive for the community on Monday from 3:00pm - 8:00 pm in the gym and we will also hold a presentation on AD/HD, presented by our behavioral specialist, Mrs. Danielle Tarantino. Mrs. Tarantino's presentation will begin at 7:00 pm and will be held in the school library.

Till next time...

Constitution Day, 2009

Yesterday, September 17th, was Constitution Day in New Jersey. In order to commemorate and highlight this cornerstone of our nation, all grade levels participated in at least one activity built around the importance of the Constitution. Some of our middle school students created graphs based on the ages of those who signed the document--Jonathan Dayton (of NJ) was the youngest. Do you know the oldest? In science, students employed the scientific method to analyze the key elements of this "American Experiment." Third grade students reviewed the Preamble and then created lists of how they could be responsible students. Our Pre-Schoolers created a Pre-School Constitution. I have attached the picture.

Till next time...

September 11th

I don't think any of us could ever forget where we were or what we were doing at 8:46 am on September 11, 2001. It is certainly a moment in time that I will forever remember, being in front of a group of high school students who needed me to help walk them through those events as they unfolded. The most powerful memory of my 18 years in the classroom. Today I spoke briefly about this event, here are my thoughts...

Good morning. This is Mr. Magnuson and I want to take a few moments to speak to everyone about the importance of this date, September 11th, in United States history. On this day 8 years ago nearly 3,000 Americans were the victims of a series of terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington, DC and western Pennsylvania. It is fitting that we remember this event as a test for America and for ourselves. As a nation we were tested that day, however the test continues. I think the best way we can honor the memories of those Americans who lost their lives is to make them proud. Make them proud of our hard work, our strong resolve to help keep the world safe and our efforts to work hard in school which can only lead to a stronger community and a stronger America. So today, as you go through the day take the opportunity to think about the 3,000 Americans and the events of that fateful day. Do your best, do the right thing everyday and you will serve their memory proudly, everyday.

Thank you.

Big things happening...

This week and for the next few weeks! Tomorrow night, Wednesday September 9th at 7:00 pm we will host a H1N1-Swine Flu question and answer period here int eh OCS Library. Mrs. Nyman will join me to discuss the flu and how we are preparing for the upcoming flu season.

September 15th will be our first Back to School Night from 6:00-8:00 for grades Pre-K through 4. Come on out and meet the teachers.

September 22nd will be our second BTS Night for grades 5-8. Same time, same place!

See you at BTS Night!!

Till next time...

Now that school is open...

I have received a few requests from the community about coming in to see what the inside looks like! I would like to invite community members who might not have children in the school to come over to the school on the following dates:

September 9th between 6:00 pm and 7:00 pm. This will allow me to show people around prior to our H1N1 program which will begin at 7:00 pm and be held in our Library.

September 10th, prior to the start of our school board meeting I will be available to show off the interior renovations. The board meeting starts at 6:00 pm.

September 24th, prior to our board meeting. This meeting will also start at 6:00 pm.

Till next time...

The outside keeps getting better!

That's right, that is none other than our own Mrs. Ellen Doyle who has been toiling away to help us get the outside of the building under control and looking great! Not only do they look terrific, the flower pots will also serve to help keep students way from the edge of the concrete! Another step toward a finished building....

Closer every day!

Kindergarten Orientation was held this morning and the building is truly looking ready! The custodial staff have been working many long hours to get the building in shape...

10 days to go...

and we are getting closer!

Just another Friday at OCS...

Just a few more pictures from inside and outside. Plenty of action around here... never a dull moment these past few weeks! Mrs. Miller is back!! Here is the proof.

It has been a few days..

since we took you up on to the roof. Here are a few pictures of that project.

More pictures means we are closer to the end!

Things continue to move along. Interior railings are going up in the stairwells, classrooms are being cleaned and readied for teachers and students, the front stairwell railings are on site and ready to be installed and there is one scary looking machine out front! It looks mean just sitting out front!

...And Down the Stretch They Come...

Well we are certainly heading down the homestretch! Every day seems to bring another new addition or change to the building.

The stair well treads are down, the doors are going up and the bulk of the work is coming to an end. Enjoy today's pictures....

Thursday photos....

Things took a backwards step this week when the new floor in one of our Kindergarten classrooms needed to be taken up and laid again. However, both KG classrooms will be ready for our Kindergarten orientation on August 26th! The security vestibule is shaping up in the main lobby and the new treads are going down in the stairwells. Don't believe the rumors you hear... Students are still scheduled to report on September 2nd!! Enjoy the pictures.

up on the roof...again

The weather has been cooperating and the roofing project is moving along. Most of the roof is completed. There is still the job of installing the flashing and the stone that will serve as the final components of the roof project. Here are some pictures of the roof as of yesterday.

When the sun beats down and melts the tar up on the roof....

that's a good thing? Hot weather means that we can get a roof on the building and things have been cooking up there! Here are some pictures from a few days ago. Look for more tomorrow.

Construction Update #2

More pics of "progress"

It is Amazing what happens in a week...Part 1

So many changes, that it will take two posts! The roof is going on, the floors are being repaired, the main office remodel is underway and many other things are happening around here. The floors in the Kindergarten, Pre-School, and second grade classrooms are done! Upstairs floor work will be done in a day or two.

front steps and classroom floors...

The front steps are being framed out so that concrete can be poured, the classroom floors are being refinished in three rooms so we can bring them back to their glory days! One of the downspouts in the front of the building is being tied into the existing underground pipe that we found below grade and one of the basement egress hatches is being repaired!