Lexington Student Art Show to Open April 2

The art show opening and auction scheduled for 6:30 to 8 p.m. that night at Cary Hall.

  Artwork created by Lexington Public Schools students, in mediums ranging from the classic to the technology-based, will be on display at the Cary Memorial Building from Tuesday, April 2 through Saturday, April 6. The K-12 District Art Show will open at 6:30 p.m. on April 2, according to a press release from the Friends of Lexington Music, Art and Drama Students (FOLMADS), and the exhibit will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. that Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 6. According to the press release: Artwork will be exhibited from all classes, including those classes that are technology-based (animation, web design, and TV production). A student/faculty art auction will also be held at …

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PHOTOS: Topping Off a New Estabrook School

The ceremonial final beam was hosted and secured to the framework on Wednesday, March 13 at the elementary school in Lexington, the latest step toward a new school and pushing the PCB saga into the past.

  Exciting news out of Estabrook School, where the design team dropped its final, ceremonial framework beam before an eager audience earlier this week. According to an announcement from Regan Communications, the topping off ceremony was attended by hundreds of students and residents, who watched the final beam hoisted up and secured into the framework. Estabrook students reportedly had he chance to sign the final beam before it was put in place. Shawmut Design and Construction was the construction company selected to build the new Estabrook Elementary School in the fall of 2012. And this latest ceremony comes just a few months after an October groundbreaking ceremony, which marked the ceremonial start of the building project. The …

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Paving the Way for Safe Routes to School in Lexington

The town plans to use an MAPC wellness grant received earlier this week to study school zones and achieve 100 percent enrollment among its public schools in the Massachusetts Safe Routes to School program.

The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) earlier this week announced awarding Lexington a $6,800 wellness grant as part of the Middlesex Community Transformation Grant. According to Judy Crocker, the town’s Safe Routes to School coordinator and author of the grant, Lexington will use those funds to commission of study of the town’s school zones and reach 100 percent Safe Routes enrollment among the Lexington Public Schools. The Massachusetts Safe Routes to School program provides resources and educational tools to promote walking and bicycling as ways to get to and from school. Lexington’s model, however, extends to students who are bused, students who carpool and even students who are driven. “No matter how you get to school," said …

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You Ask, Patch Answers

When Is the Last Day of School?

As February vacation winds down with snow showers in the forecast for four out of the next seven days, some are wondering when the Lexington Public Schools are scheduled to let out for summer vacation.

As February vacation winds down and we head into a weekend wherein forecasts are calling for up to another foot of snow, it seems like an appropriate time to peek ahead at when the 2012-2013 school year might end.    According to the Lexington Public Schools most recent calendar, published last Wednesday, Feb. 13, the tentative final day of school will be Friday, June 21. Planned makeup days, if needed, will be June 24, 25 and 26. And the Lexington High graduation, meanwhile, is scheduled for Sunday, June 9. Of course, this is all subject to change. And possible snow showers are in the forecast for four out of the next seven days.

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Was Holding School Today the Right Choice for Lexington?

When the announcement was made that the Lexington Public Schools would be in session today, Feb. 11, some parents seemed pleased. But with sidewalks and parking lots still snow-covered, the morning commute was difficult for some.

The recent blizzard blanketed Lexington under almost two feet of snow, but the roads around town are clear and school officials decided to hold school today, Feb. 11. That announcement was made Sunday, and with it came encouragement from school officials that parents should drive their children to school today, because many sidewalks and parking lots are still snowy. Meanwhile, plowing operations are expected to continue for the next few days to widen roadways and re-open sidewalk around town. As the latest and last mass communication from the town reports: “Sidewalks are being plowed, but due to the amount of snow it will take several days for all sidewalks to be passable.” With that in mind, in an automated call last night, LPS officials…

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Lexington Schools, Library Closed Friday, Feb. 8

In advance of an impending blizzard, the Lexington Public Schools and Cary Memorial Library will be closed Friday. Town activities are also cancelled for Saturday and Sunday.

According to a notices on the Lexington Public Schools website and on the Cary Memorial Library's twitter feed, both the schools and library will be closed on Friday, Feb. 8 in anticipation of a snow storm that could cover Lexington and the surrounding areas under up to two feet of snow. The announcement, posted to the school website, says: Due to the impending snow storm, all schools and offices will be closed Friday, Feb. 8. Only essential personnel are to report to work.  All school and town activities are canceled for Saturday and Sunday. Cary Memorial Library will be closed on Friday. More storm information will be available on the Town of Lexington website.  Please note that every effort will be made to post update storm related …

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UPDATE: Officials Respond to LHS Gun-to-School 'Rumor'

Social media posting raised concern; investigation turned up no credible threat, officials said.

There were increased police patrols and presence around Lexington High School today, Dec. 21, following alleged threats that a student would bring a gun to school, according to a Lexington Police Department spokesman. The investigation into the alleged threat is ongoing, Lt. John Mazerall said Friday. Meanwhile, Associate Principal Adam Goldberg said Friday was more or less a normal day at LHS, but deferred additional comment to Superintendent of Schools Paul Ash.  Ash also said it seems things are going smoothly at LHS on this final school day before winter vacation. The superintendent's office has not received calls today about the issue, and there is no indication the events of last night had any impact on attendance today, he said. …

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Officials' Words On the Sandy Hook School Shooting

On Friday evening and over the weekend, officials in Lexington released statements in response to the school shooting in Newtown, Conn. and shared tips for talking about it with kids.

Twenty-six lives were taken last Friday morning in a gruesome mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. that cut America to its core.  That evening, and in the days that followed the Dec. 14 massacre, we heard from a tearful President Barack Obama and solemn law enforcement officials, and were moved by the various television tributes, like Saturday Night Live's "Silent Night" cold open. Here in Lexington, the questions came fast and furiously. Among the FAQs were inquiries about school security procedures and how to discuss these tragic events with children. Meanwhile, Lexington Public Schools staff was informed of the situation and made preparations in order to be able to communicate with parents and students as …

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LPS Provides Tips for Talking to Kids About Newtown Tragedy

A letter sent home to parents – and shared here – provides “some words of support over the weekend should this event come to your child’s attention. And an email sent Saturday morning provides age-appropriate guidelines for talking to children about trage

  “Shocked” and “saddened” are words many have used to describe the tragedy that struck Newtown, Conn, on Friday, Dec. 14, and the Lexington Public Schools are no different. “We are all shocked and saddened by the shootings at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut,” Superintendent of Schools Paul Ash wrote in an email to Patch. “No words can explain such a horrible act. Explaining school security standards, Ash said at each K-5 school, the school doors at locked when school begins each day. And all school principals have been trained in security measures should an intruder enter the building. “The training program was funded by a federal grant and security materials are in each school,” Ash said. “Since some measures …

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