Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Demo at Derby Public Library to focus on summer recipes

 


DERBY - The Derby Public Library has scheduled a cooking demo at 6:30 p.m. June 27.

The topic will be Spice Up Your Summer.
Stacey Ference of Savour Catering will talk about different 
spices and show how you can use them in your summer 
recipes.   
There will be samples of all demonstrated foods.  
The class is for ages 18 and older.
Registration is required.
  
For more information, stop by the Library at 313 Elizabeth
St., call 203-736-1482 or visit www.derbypubliclibrary.org



This is a press release from Cathy Williams, Director, Derby Public Library.

Griffin Hospital in Derby to host presentation on benefits of yoga

Griffin Hospital Life after Stroke Support Group will host a presentation on the benefits of yoga for stroke survivors June 9. / Submitted photo

DERBY - The Griffin Hospital Life after Stroke Support Group will host a free presentation on the benefits of yoga for stroke survivors from noon-1 p.m. June 9 at the Center for Cancer Care at Griffin Hospital, 350 Seymour Ave.

Tanya M. Sage RYT, will present “Yoga and Stroke - Yes you can!” an interactive program that shows how she uses yoga to move through the limitations of stiffness and increase mobility after stroke.

The Life after Stroke Support Group at Griffin Hospital meets monthly and is open to stroke survivors between the ages of 20 and 65. 
This group will provide information from health experts, resources and support for individuals who have suffered a stroke in the prime of their lives. 
Caregivers are also welcome.

For more information, contact Griffin Hospital Rehabilitation Services at (203) 732-7445.


This is a press release from Griffin Hospital.

Shelton Historical Society to take part in CT Open House Day


SHELTON - On June 11, Shelton Historical Society will be
among many attractions across the state participating in Connecticut Open House Day at its complex at the Shelton History Center, 70 Ripton Road. 


From 11 a.m.-3 p.m., guests will enjoy celebrating
“School’s Out!” at the Trap Falls School, a one-room school similar to many that were once in operation in rural Connecticut.

Visitors will enjoy games and goodies in an environment that invites them to discover how it felt to spend an entire school career in one room with students of all ages

Follow a map to complete chores and challenges in several places-in addition to the school-throughout the one-acre complex.
Those who complete the tasks will have an opportunity to
enter a drawing that will be held the following week during
the Society’s Vintage Vehicles Antique & Classic Car Show.

This event is free and open to the public. 

For information, call 203-925-1803 or visit
www.sheltonhistoricalsociety.org.

Annual event
Connecticut Open House Day is an annual event scheduled the second Saturday of June, where cultural organizations
and tourism attractions throughout the state open their
doors to Connecticut residents, inviting them to discover-and rediscover-Connecticut's fascinating world of art, history, film, and tourism with a variety of special visitor
incentives. 

The unique one-day event is part of a broad state initiative that began in 2005 and is coordinated by the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism (www.CTvisit.com).


This is a press release from the Shelton Historical Society.

Conroy to host forum on livable communities at Derby Senior Center

DERBY - State Rep. Theresa Conroy, D-Seymour, is hosting a forum on livable communities from 10-11:30 a.m. June 9 at the Derby Senior Center.
State Rep. Theresa Conroy

The “Road to Livability” is an AARP program designed to provide individuals and families with tools to create a place where you can live in comfort and safety no matter what stage of life. 

The 45-minute workshop includes a comprehensive packet of resources, step-by-step visuals to follow during the discussion and tools to get you started today. 
Learn more at www.aarp.org/livable.


This is a press release from Conroy's office.

Seymour Library to host talk on history of English royal family's jewels

SEYMOUR - The Seymour Public Library will host a presentation by Patricia Carr about the history of the Queen’s jewels at 6:30 p.m. June 28.


Carr will discuss stories attached to the previous owners, and the personal sentiment of the Queen toward the stones.


The library is at 46 Church St.


This information is shared from an online community calendar sponsored by The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven and The New Haven Independent. 



Lawmakers hail funds for school upgrades in Ansonia, Derby, Hamden, Naugatuck

HARTFORD - State Sen. Joseph J. Crisco, Jr., D-Woodbridge, and state Rep. M. Linda Gentile, D-Ansonia, announced today the State Bond Commission has approved nearly $3 million for general improvements to school buildings in Ansonia, Derby, Hamden, and Naugatuck, thanks to votes they made in 2015 to support Connecticut’s public schools.

On Friday, the State Bond Commission approved a combined $2.79 million for Ansonia, Derby, Hamden, and Naugatuck to make various school improvements, including windows, doors, boilers, heating and ventilation systems, communications/technology systems, lockers, floors, ceilings, restrooms, lighting, energy efficiency, entryways, driveways, parking areas, play areas, athletic fields, various equipment, roof repairs, and installation or upgrade of security equipment.
Ansonia and Derby received $1.225 million each; Hamden, $95,000; and Naugatuck, $245,000. 
The funding was approved as part of the 2015 state bonding bill, which pays for state capital projects and grant programs, including school construction, economic development, municipal aid, and housing development and rehabilitation programs. 
Crisco and Gentile both voted for that bill.
“Maintaining and modernizing the educational infrastructure that local taxpayers and the state created long ago is one of the most important functions of government; this funding  protects our investment and allows school children to prosper and grow in ways we could not have envisioned when some of these schools were built decades ago,” Crisco said. “I’m proud to be a part of protecting and updating our school buildings to ensure the success and well-being of our children.”

“I know that the administrators in the Ansonia and Derby school districts are appreciative of these funds," Gentile said. 
“It’s important that we provide the best possible environment for students to achieve academically, socially and physically. These dollars will be put to good use at school buildings in both towns.”
This funding is specifically tied to the state’s Alliance District program, which Connecticut created in order to support 30 different school districts seeking to dramatically increase student outcomes and close achievement gaps by pursuing innovative reforms. 
In total, Connecticut’s Alliance schools serve more than 200,000 students in 410 different schools. 


This is a press release from Crisco's office. 

Valley Shakespeare Festival conducts workshops, performs at Perry Hill School

Students watch performance of Shakespeare's 'Pericles, Prince of Tyre.' /Contributed photo






















SHELTON - Perry Hill Elementary School welcomed Valley Shakespeare Festival into its classrooms last week to conduct workshops and performances of William Shakespeare’s “Pericles, Prince of Tyre.”  

The four-day residency in the school was part of the company’s Education Initiative program which is co-sponsored by the Shelton Board of Education and the Valley Community Foundation.  
Earlier in the month the group brought its program to fourth grade students in the district’s Booth Hill, Mohegan, and Sunnyside elementary schools.  

The program is designed to comply with the State of Connecticut’s Common Core Standards and integrates the study of language arts with geography and history through the magic of live theater.  

Classroom workshops 
The program begins with classroom workshops conducted by Valley Shakespeare Festival’s professional teaching artists, during which students are introduced to the major themes of the play, its geographical and historical significance, and language, through games and activities.  
Valley Shakespeare Festival also provides in-depth study guides to the schools for teachers who wish to even better prepare their students in advance of the program.
The second part of the program is a 70-minute adapted live performance of the play by the very same actors who conducted the classroom workshops.  
Having already bonded with the performers in the classroom, the students are immediately engaged in the performance, which is not performed on a raised stage, but directly on the floor, surrounded by the seated students.   The performers actively involve the students, both physically and intellectually, in the action of the play by performing directly with and among them.

The performance phase of the program is immediately followed by a 10-15 minute question and answer session during which students are invited to ask the performers any questions about the play, the acting vocation or about the actors themselves.

By beginning its Education Initiative program at the elementary level Valley Shakespeare Festival hopes to instill an appreciation and hunger for studying classical literature, and to alleviate the stigma often associated with what some would call “archaic texts.”  
The company strives to remind everyone that language is a living and constantly evolving force, and that literature and theater are the oldest, yet most enduring forms of human communication. 
The themes presented in classical literature are perennial; they deal with the human condition, making them just as relevant today as they were the day they were written.


Valley Shakespeare Festival hopes to be able to add succeeding grade levels to the program each year to ensure continuity for the students so that, by the time they enter high school (which is when they are usually introduced to Shakespeare’s works), they will be prepared and excited to explore the texts.

This is a press release from Valley Shakespeare Festival.


Derby Day downtown festival to feature family fun, live music, vendors


Photo slideshow shared from Ansonia Memorial Day Parade

St. Michael's Post 1562, Catholic War Veterans of Derby, participates Sunday in the Memorial Day Parade.

I'm sharing a slideshow my husband, Ralph, created from photos I took Sunday at the Ansonia Memorial Day Parade.

Here's the YouTube link:  https://youtu.be/R4lalX4iBTo


It was a wonderful parade and the weather was picture perfect! 

Knights of Columbus to hold dinner at Assumption Church hall in Ansonia


ANSONIA - The Knights of Columbus Valley Council 23 will host a Father's Day pasta dinner June 18 at Assumption Church hall, 61 N. Cliff St. 

The menu includes meatballs, sausage, salad, bread and butter, desserts, coffee, tea, and soda.

The dinner will begin at 5 p.m.

Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children.
BYOB. 

Proceeds will benefit the Robert Knott Scholarship for Assumption School students.

For information call 203-881-2624.



This information is shared from an online community calendar sponsored by The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven and The New Haven Independent.

Knights of Columbus to hold dinner at Assumption Church hall in Ansonia


ANSONIA - The Knights of Columbus Valley Council 23 will host a Father's Day pasta dinner June 18 at Assumption Church hall, 61 N. Cliff St. 

The menu includes meatballs, sausage, salad, bread and butter, desserts, coffee, tea, and soda.

The dinner will begin at 5 p.m.

Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children.
BYOB. 

Proceeds will benefit the Robert Knott Scholarship for Assumption School students.

For information call 203-881-2624.



This information is shared from an online community calendar sponsored by The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven and The New Haven Independent.