SOLON & BEYOND, Week of October 6, 2016

by Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percy
grams29@tds.net
Solon, Maine 04979

Good morning, dear friends. Don’t worry, be happy.

The Solon Pine Tree 4-H Club met on September 17 with President Adam Peters presiding. The members have exhibited in four fairs this year and have done very well.

This being the last meeting of  2015-2016 year the members worked on their record sheets. The members voted to display their projects at the Coolidge Library in observance of National 4-H Club week.

After the meeting the club members went to North Star Orchard. They enjoyed a wagon ride and picked a bag of apples for themselves.

A re-dedication of the North Anson Congregational Church was held on September 25, at the church. Every Thursday, there is Bible study at 11:30 a.m., and choir rehearsal at 6:45 p.m. All are welcome and encouraged to attend. A potluck luncheon followed the service.

This is more news from the Solon School newspaper: Students in grades K-1 will be given the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) assessment in September to help identify students who might need extra help to enable them to reach benchmarks for their grade level in reading by the end of the year. They will be assessed again in January and May.

All first grade students are given the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) to help monitor their reading achievement and design programs to increase their reading skills. These tests are also given to new students and those who have received Title 1 services in the past.

All students in grades K-5 took the Measures of Academic Progress from the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) last spring. This test will be given again in reading and math in the spring to assess students’ progress over the course of the school year. Kindergartners and new students will take the test this fall, and teachers can choose to test their students in the fall and winter if they wish to do so to monitor students’ progress.

In the spring, the students in grades 3-5 will participate in the Maine Educational Assessment (MEA), taking tests in reading, writing, and math. Fifth graders also take a science test.

The Solon Fire Department Auxiliary will be having a spaghetti dinner on Saturday, October 8, from 4 – 7 p.m., at the Solon Elementary School. There will be a door prize and a 50/50 raffle. All proceeds will benefit the Solon Fire Department.

And so I leave you with Percy’s memoir once more in hopes of cheering you. It is entitled, Measure Your Lifetime in Blessings: “Measure your lifetime in blessings, Not in the years you have known… Count up the number of people you’ve touched, Add up the love you have shown… Measure your days in the gladness That you and your loved ones have shared … Tally the smiles on the faces of friends, Total the times you have cared … Yes, measure your lifetime in blessings, And you’ll always remain in your prime – For youth is a feeling you keep in your heart, Whether 7 or 79.” (words by Larry Sandman)

Blessings are where we least expect them! The other day Lief and I were in Ken’s having lunch, and as he always does, he had said the blessing before we ate.  A couple came up to our table and the woman grabbed Lief’s hand , and sincerely thanked him for saying the blessing. That is the second time this has happened, when people that we don’t know, (the other time was up in the ‘County’) stop and comment about the blessing. With God, having been taken out of so many things, I’m not surprised at their caring, and it does mean so much