Tonawanda News Renovations on the Tonawanda Middle and High Schools music rooms could begin this week as part of the districts nearly $12 million endeavor, capital project managers told the school board at Tuesday nights regular meeting.

We met with the contractors at a kick-off meeting, but we havent received the contracts back yet, Gloria Ciminelli, of Pike Co., said. Once we get them, construction will begin.

Earlier in January, the board held a special meeting to approve the bids for the project to ensure construction began on time. The renovations were set to begin today, Ciminelli said.

The bids were very successful, we were under budget and it will allow us to start on time, she said.

The district originally planned to complete additions at the school for the two rooms, but the bids for that portion of the project came in more than $600,000 over budget.

The board then decided to renovate the two rooms instead of completing the expansion. The work will include raising the roof of the band room and expanding the width of the choral room to provide more space and better acoustics.

But change in plans meant the projects architectural firm, Wendel, had to go back to the drawing board and prepare an addendum for state Department of Education approval. The addition was initially set to be complete in November.

Once construction begins, the demolition of the choral room will take place first, and temporary enclosures will ensure the safety of students. Demolition of the band room will take place next.

When the weather breaks, in mid-March, well take the band room roof off. Thats a major part of this project, Ciminelli said.

The work will be complete by the end of June.

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Music room construction set to start at City schools

263 Riverside Dr Northfield, IL 60093 - Home for sale
263 Riverside Dr Northfield, IL 60093 3 bedrooms, 1686 square feet, MLS# 08482764 http://263RiversideDr.com Northfield 3 bedroom, 2 bath ranch in N...

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263 Riverside Dr Northfield, IL 60093 - Home for sale - Video

Eversenses add-on to their existing thermostats uses Apples Bluetooth iBeacon technology to intelligently regulate room temperature.

Jan 13 2014, 8:16am CST | by Bijon Kumar Pramanik

Auras are small iBeacons that will soon become an addition to the EverSense smart thermostat. It will allow iBeacons to sense nearby iOS devices and adjust the room temperature accordingly. After the setup, the house owner will be able to control any room temperature with an Aura by entering that room.

Thermostats are normally placed in hallways and similar places. The temperature in out of the way places such as hallway is often different from the temperature in other rooms. A temperature in the kitchen is very different from the temperature in the living room or hallway. With Aura, EverSense takes care of this problem. The user can add more Aura iBeacon sensors any time. Since they use NFC and Bluetooth Low Energy, they can last about two years.

iBeacons can be any small devices with Bluetooth, or iOS devices. They allow businesses to send any type of information to iOS devices near an iBeacon. Apple is currently using the iBeacons to send to their customers in-store notifications. MLB, Macys and InMarket are also using iBeacons, and CES is using them for the scavenger hunt event.

EverSense expects the new Aura iBeacon to be available to the owners of their thermostats sometime this year.

Source: 9to5mac

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EverSense introduced at CES its new ‘Aura’ iBeacons for room temperature control

MiniBooks

Click here to go to the list of Mini Books Emergent Readers, Easy to Read Books and Theme Books.

Reading and Language Arts

Teacher's Guide to The Library of Congress http://edudemic.com/2013/01/the-teachers-guide-to-the-library-of-congress/

Scholastic Newsletters with ideas to promote practicing skills at home http://www.scholastic.com/familymatters/read/all/newsletter_archive.htm What Kindergarten Teachers Wish Parents Knew http://www.scholastic.com/resources/article/what-kindergarten-teachers-wish-parents-knew 4 Ways to Help Your Child Focus http://www.scholastic.com/resources/article/4-ways-to-help-your-child-focus/ Social Skills and Challenges in Kindergarten http://www.scholastic.com/resources/article/social-skills-and-challenges-in-kindergarten/

Classroom Freebies http://www.classroomfreebies.com/p/about-classroom-freebies.html http://pinterest.com/theocblog/classroom-freebies/

Lesson Plan Diva Freebies http://www.lessonplandiva.com/p/freebies.html

Lots of Free Printables! http://www.3dinosaurs.com/ http://pinterest.com/cassie_osborne/ http://kindergartensmorgasboard.blogspot.com/p/freebies.html http://livinglifeintentionally.blogspot.com/2011/10/my-printables-page.html http://livinglifeintentionally.blogspot.com/p/preschool-packs.html http://www.1plus1plus1equals1.net/2012/09/all-printables-a-z/# http://homeschoolcreations.com/

Teaching Ideas http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/english/contents.htm http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/

Heidi's Blog - Free Printables for Language Arts http://heidisongs.blogspot.com/ http://www.heidisongs.com/free-downloads/

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Worksheets @ Mrs. Jones' Room

Singer Michael Martin Murpheys idea for a concert series at The Riverside Hotels Sapphire Room didnt quite begin as a wildfire. It was more like a spark.

Two weeks earlier, Murphey had never heard of the place. He was just stopping in Boise to see his friend, country singer-songwriter Andy Byron, while passing through to visit his mother in Oregon. But Byron was excited. He talked Murphey into performing, then hastily arranged two shows at the intimate Sapphire Room. To the mens surprise, both sold out.

He was knocked out by it, Byron says. Over lunch Downtown the next day, ideas slowly began galloping like that mystical horse Murphey rode to the top of the charts back in 1975.

He looked across the table at me, Byron recalls, and he says, You need to start a music series over at that place. You need to call it Andy Byrons Americana Music Series. You need to bring in acts like me its a perfect room for that type of thing.

And he says, Theres going to be tons of acts like me that need to fill dates. Its a perfect thing to do on the weeknights. And it would be a great venue for them.

Aside from working with Murphey, Byron had never promoted a concert. But hes taking the leap. The series is a welcome addition to Boises concert scene, particularly for fans who crave an intimate room dedicated to the dying art of appreciating live performance. Here are the initial acts (with tickets available at americanamusicseries.net):

Country singer Suzy Bogguss, Feb. 26 and 27 (Someday Soon, Outbound Plane, Drive South).

Country singer and soft-rocker Michael Johnson, March 12 (Bluer Than Blue, This Night Wont Last Forever).

Country-tinged Irish-American group Solas, April 1 and 2 (who broke out in the mid-1990s with help from NPRs A Prairie Home Companion).

Singer-songwriter Karla Bonoff, April 9 and 10 (who wrote Bonnie Raitts Home and Linda Ronstadts Someone to Lay Down Beside Me, as well as landing her own hit in 1982 with Personally).

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Deeds: Sapphire Room blossoms with Americana series

Tom Graham lit up the room when he walked into the first Newburyport indoor track meeting this season.

With his attendance, Graham effectively committed to changing winter sports from basketball to indoor track for his junior season. It came as welcome news to the Newburyport coaches and athletes. After all, Graham set the school record in the 400 meters (50.01) last outdoor season.

He showed up, and we all had smiles on our faces, Newburyport coach Tim Foley said. We cant wait to see how hell do in the championship season.

Graham has already made a lasting impression through the first nine dual meets, all of which have resulted in Newburyport victories.

He set a school indoor record in the 600 (1:24.97), smashing the previous record set in 2011 by John Stansel, who is now running at Bates College.

Growing up, I always noticed I was a little quicker than everybody else, Graham said. Orginally, I figured track would be good training for other sports. Once I found that I was pretty gifted, I was more interested and serious.

Graham is training with the distance runners this winter under coach Don Hennigar in hopes of expanding his repertoire.

Foley says that Grahams training has made him more versatile and valuable to the three-time defending Division 4 state champions.

He has Gods gifts, Foley said.

Hes working with Donnys group, and now he can run anything from the 100 to the mile. He can also clear 5-10 in the high jump. We use him wherever we need him.

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Addition of Graham sparks Newburyport track team

ANTIOCH -- The work is over; now it's time to play and learn.

After almost two years of renovation, Special Haven is reopening a bigger and better version of its multisensory room for children with special needs.

The nonprofit will celebrate the project's completion from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, with a ribbon cutting, Lego playtime with Bricks 4 Kidz, and performances by Elite Dance Studio and magician John Gardenier.

The room is located inside the Intuitive Healing Center, 213 G St.

Assemblyman Jim Frazier, D-Oakley, will be attending Sunday's event.

"Special Haven is filling an ever-growing need for the special needs community in Antioch and the surrounding areas," Frazier said in a news release.

The multisensory room, the first of its kind in East Contra Costa County, now has a lot of activities and specialized equipment aimed at stimulating the senses of those with autism, brain injuries, behavioral issues and developmental delays. It helps encourage learning, improve a child's focus and builds self-esteem, said Christine Schwab, a Special Haven board member.

"It provides access for a very fun and soothing, therapeutic experience," Schwab said.

The $36,000 addition, which was made possible by a grant and training assistance from the Christopher Douglas Hidden Angel Foundation, includes bubble tubing from the floor to the ceiling, a ball pit that includes lighting, a tactile corner, color-changing fiber optics, a stereo system for music and vibrations and a waterbed with speakers underneath.

The Antioch room is unique because it is open to the public, as similar rooms are usually attached to a school or hospital, Schwab said. The cost is $5 for a one-hour session.

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Celebration to be held for reopening of Antioch multisensory room

Sitting on a bench beneath an enormous 70-year-old magnolia tree in Norfolk, Va., I gazed across the waters of the Lafayette River. The huge cranes and derricks of busy Portsmouth and Norfolk harbors dominated the far shore. When the tree whose shade I was enjoying was planted, though, the view would have been far different, more bucolic, with tree-lined banks, extensive wetlands and sandy strands.

Behind me, the rambling Hermitage Museum has undergone an equally impressive transformation.

Details: Norfolk

Originally a five-room summer residence built for William and Florence Sloane in 1908, the house over the years was added to, remodeled and literally turned 90 degrees to accommodate the growing art collection of Florence Sloane, a transplanted New Yorker who came to Norfolk with her husband, who owned several nearby knitting mills. The house eventually became the family home, where the Sloanes raised their two sons. Today, the mansion contains one of the finest Asian art collections in the Southeast, as well as American impressionist paintings and a sculpture collection.

Its a hidden gem, said curator Colin Brady, who greeted my wife, Carol, and me at the front door on our recent visit.

Wed just driven up the entrance road that winds through the estates 12 acres of gardens, walks, woods and fields in a residential area of Norfolk. The drive gave us a sense of the place. The house is a 42-room Arts and Crafts structure built in the Tudor style, with Gothic- and Tudor-inspired rooms. In addition to the museum and gardens, the estate includes a Visual Arts Studio, where art courses and workshops are available to the public, and a Studio Artist Cottage, offering studio space to guest artists.

Florence Sloanes collection, which spans 5,000 years of art, started in 1901 with her sisters gift of a Japanese bowl. For the next 50 years, Florence would dedicate her life to the thoughtful acquisition of art, showcasing it in her ever-expanding and evolving home. And that collection remains here today, complete under one roof.

Brady took us first to the drawing room, done in Gothic revival style, with a hand-carved rood screen and a pipe organ, a Steinway piano and the family silver. Built in Philadelphia in 1922 and transported to Norfolk by rail, the room felt like something out of Elizabethan times with its oak paneling, half-beam ceiling, plaster walls and walnut floor. Mrs. Sloane wanted her house to be 500 years older than it actually was, Brady said. And thats certainly the feeling it conveys.

Evidence of Florence Sloane is everywhere. A handle placed unusually low on the drawing room door tells a story of its own. Standing only 4 feet 10 inches, Florence required latches that corresponded to her height. In the large painting of her with her Russian wolfhound, Zonoza, that hangs in the central gallery downstairs, the artist rendered the dog shorter than it really was so as not to accentuate Mrs. Sloanes diminutive stature.

The dining room is a hand-carved wood masterpiece. Artisan Charles Woodsend took three years to construct this room, which felt to me like the interior of a wooden sailing ship. The walls and ceiling are hand-cut wood. The large wooden table and other furniture are also hand-carved. A blue Persian carpet designed by Sloane graces the floor.

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Norfolk’s Hermitage Museum, home to an impressive art collection

Homeowner Lynn Foster doesnt search for words when describing the renovation-and-restoration project that on Wednesday won her a Polly Earl Award from the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach.

Its about a love affair rather than just a home. I fell in love with this house, Foster said about the top-to-bottom project at her landmarked Mediterranean-style house at 424 Brazilian Ave.

The lake-block house was designed in 1930 by noted society architect Maurice Fatio and christened Tradewinds, the name it bears today.

Foster accepted the award during a private ceremony that was held in conjunction with a meeting of the foundations trustees at the nonprofits headquarters.

The Polly Earl Award, established in 2005, honors small-scale, historically sensitive renovation projects. It complements the foundations Robert I. Ballinger Award, a similar award that honors projects carried out at large estates.

With a home in New York City, Foster, a retired investments executive, bought the house to use as her primary residence in 2011. She then worked closely with her two grown sons to hone ideas for the renovation. One son, John Claflin of Los Angles, is a screenwriter with professional experience designing homes. The other, Richard Claflin of New York, also is a screenwriter.

They turned to architect Patrick W. Segraves of SKA Architect + Planner, who had worked at the property 25 years ago.

We wanted to make the house 21st-century livable while keeping its integrity and charm, said Segraves, who pointed out original features such as the saltbox-style, the pecky-cypress ceiling in the two-story-tall living room and the Cuban-tile floors.

His plan included a 348-square-foot addition at the rear of the main residence that provided enough space on the ground floor for an en-suite third bedroom, which Foster uses as a sitting room, and a larger master bedroom above. Both rooms have views of the pool.

Completed in 2012, the yearlong renovation increased the size of the house to nearly 4,000 square feet of living space, inside and out. Overseen by contractor Benno Chip Janssen III and project superintendent Dave Elhage of Janssen Construction, the renovation replaced every window and door with mahogany-framed, impact-resistant versions.

Link:
Polly Earl Award honors owner for renovation of 1930 Fatio house

Several new faces and a few familiar ones were sworn in at municipality reorganization meetings throughout the area Jan. 6.

The board room at the Abington Township building was packed with friends, family and community members as newly elected Court of Common Pleas Judge Gail Weilheimer swore in re-elected Commissioners Larry Jones, Ward 3; Stephen Kalinoski, Ward 6; Peggy Myers, Ward 8; Thomas Farren, Ward 12; and Lori Schreiber, Ward 14, in addition to newly elected Commissioners Michael Markman, Ward 2; Jimmy DiPlacido, Ward 4; Benjamin Sanchez, Ward 7; and Tom Hecker, Ward 10.

Many of the commissioners expressed their excitement to start a new year, work with one another and improve the township.

Also sworn in was re-elected tax collector Jay Blumenthal, who was named the townships treasurer.

There were numerous appointments made Jan. 6 as well.

Commissioner Wayne Luker was appointed the new board president and Commissioner Steven Kline was appointed vice president. Both men received applause after they accepted their new status on the board.

I want to personally thank my fellow commissioners for their vote for president of the board of commissioners of Abington Township, said Luker, who has served on the board for 22 years. This is an honor, and I consider it a vote of confidence that I will lead this board in a positive direction. My expectations are high that we all will use our talents, time and energy to further the success of this first-class township.

In addition, Rex Herder was reappointed township solicitor for a six-month term, Michael Powers was named township engineer for another two-year term and Township Manager Michael LeFevre was appointed to the office of secretary and Finance Director Susan Matiza was appointed assistant secretary.

In Cheltenham Township, newly elected Commissioner Ann Rappoport, Ward 4, and re-elected Commissioners Morton Simon, Ward 6, and Art Haywood, Ward 2, were sworn in, according to the township managers administrative assistant Anna Marie Felix.

Veteran commissioner Harvey Portner was appointed the new president of the board and fellow long-standing board member Morton Simon was appointed vice president, she said. Continued...

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Board rooms across the area reorganize