MALDEN - July 21, 2010 - The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education cited the increased academic rigor and stronger expectations for student performance when it voted 8-0 to adopt the Common Core Standards in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics on Wednesday, making Massachusetts the 27th state to adopt the internationally benchmarked academic standards that promise to keep the Commonwealth's students national leaders in education. The Common Core Standards will continue to be assessed through the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS), ensuring that all Massachusetts students continue to achieve at the highest levels in the nation and preparing them to succeed in the global economy.

Launched in June 2009, the Common Core State Standards Initiative is designed to develop and implement a single set of national standards in ELA and math to define what every student should know and be able to do in order to be fully ready for post-secondary education or a successful career. Massachusetts played a leading role in the development and review of the standards over the past 13 months. Curriculum experts and educators from across the Commonwealth reviewed and submitted comments on drafts that were incorporated throughout the development process to ensure that the expectations set in the final versions met or exceeded the state's strong standards for students.

Legislature Passes Municipal Relief Package

Brings Cost-Savings to Communities; Facilitates Mutual Aid and Regionalization

BOSTON - July 16, 2010 – The Massachusetts Legislature yesterday evening passed a municipal relief package that establishes a statewide mutual aid agreement to allow cities and towns to share resources, permits municipalities to extend funding schedules for pension systems and allows for regionalization efforts among municipalities. The measure will give cities and towns across Massachusetts new tools and encourage innovation in managing their budgets and in these challenging fiscal times.

 “In these tough fiscal times, this bill will give municipal officials more tools to trim costs, to deliver services more efficiently through cooperation among communities, and to tackle administrative problems in innovative ways in order to govern as effectively as possible in this time of lean resources,” said Senator Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton), Senate chair of the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government and co-author of the bill.

[Effective 14-July-2010 -- webmaster]

The Westborough Department of Public Works Has Issued Mandatory Water Use Restrictions in Accordance with the DEP Water Management Act Permit # 9P4-2-14-328.01

WATER USE RESTRICTIONS

Nonessential outdoor water uses that are subject to mandatory restrictions include:

No nonessential outdoor water use from 9 am - 5 pm,  for example:

• irrigation of lawns via sprinklers or automatic irrigation systems;
• washing of vehicles, except in a commercial car wash or as necessary for operator safety; and
• washing of exterior building surfaces, parking lots, driveways or sidewalks, except as necessary to apply surface treatments such as paint, preservatives, stucco, pavement or cement.

The following uses may be allowed when mandatory restrictions are in place:

• irrigation to establish a new lawn and new plantings during the months of May and September;
• irrigation of public parks and recreational fields by means of automatic sprinklers outside the hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and
• irrigation of lawns, gardens, flowers and ornamental plants by means of a hand held hose.

Water uses NOT subject to mandatory restrictions are those required:

• for health or safety reasons;
• by regulation;
• for the production of food and fiber;
• for the maintenance of livestock; or
• to meet the core functions of a business (for example, irrigation by golf courses as necessary to maintain tees, greens, and limited fairway watering, or irrigation by plant nurseries as necessary to maintain stock).

[Received last Friday -- webmaster]

Dear Westborough Little League Families,

We hope you are having a great start to your summer and staying cool!

The Westborough 10-year old All Star team is participating in the Jimmy Fund baseball tournament, and the team will be out in the community during July to help raise donations for the Jimmy Fund/Dana Farber Cancer Institute. This is a great way to teach children the importance of helping others.

We will be directly contributing to the Jimmy Fund in the following ways and would like your help in spreading the word to family/friends:

• The players will be out in their uniforms collecting in our community—look for us this Saturday at the town dump. 
• Strike Out Cancer Read-A-Thon – open to children of all ages—the goal? To get kids reading! Donate $10 online at: www.jimmyfundevents.kintera.org/littleleague2010/westborough10yearoldallstars
  Click on “Read-A-Thon” and make your donation. Then, email Jen McGrath at: jmcgrath819@verizon.net to register your child. Please provide your name and your name(s) and age(s) of your child(ren). Upon receipt of your registration, you will be provided instructions. There will be fun weekly prizes, a chance to win a $50 Target gift card and an ice cream party in August. 
•  Come to our player-run carwash, date to be determined.

Also, on Sunday, July 25 from 4:00-7:00 p.m. at Target Field, come to our Home Run Derby/ Family Field Day. This is a great way to have fun with your entire family and friends at an affordable price! The cost is $5 per child for unlimited game activities such as:

• Baseball home run derby
• Lots of Field Day games, both baseball and non-baseball related
• Face painting
• Arts and crafts

There will be food, fun, and prizes to be had! There will also be a baseball card maker and raffles.

All proceeds from this event will be donated to The Jimmy Fund. So, please bring your family and friends, and help the Westborough 10-Year old All Star team take a swing at cancer!

We need your help to make this a successful fundraising campaign. Please help by spreading the word.

For more information, contact Jane Flerra at: janeflerra@yahoo.com, 508-898-9962 or Jen McGrath at:jmcgrath819@verizon.net or 508-836-3634.

Thanks for your support! Happy Summer!

Westboro Little League and Softball, P.O. Box 164, Westboro, MA, 01581 http://www.westborolittleleague.org, tmcgoldrick@charter.net, 508-981-5468
SportsManager site: www.sportsmanager.us/WestboroLittleLeague.htm
To register on-line: www.sportsmanager.us/links/WestboroLittleLeague/OnlineRegistration.asp
Parent Login for updating information: www.sportsmanager.us/links/WestboroLittleLeague/ParentLogin.asp :