March 21, 2021 ~
Building Community One Positive Story at a Time
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Your BuzzAround supports the dignity of all human beings, is actively anti-racist, and supportive of good law enforcement policies. |
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Kudos Town of BW team member & groundskeeper Ray Wilcox, Jr.
He works hard keeping up the basketball courts & area.
Mr. Wilcox works for the Recreation Department and helps with upkeep of Legion Field area.
Thanks, for all you do for the Parks and Rec Department. I know first hand how how hard you work and the true asset you are to the department and the town!
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Bridgewater Fire Department 1844
Bridgewater Firefighters proudly protect the twenty-eight thousand residents living in an area of twenty-eight square miles.
The organization of the Bridgewater Fire Department dates back to 1844 as a volunteer fire brigade.
In 1923, after a devastating fire at the former Normal School, presently Bridgewater State College, the fire department was reorganized.
The original station was constructed in the 1860's and additional additions were made to the facility in 1951, 1960, and 1972.
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Academy Building Municipal Offices
66 Central Square
508-697-0921
Services available through phone, email & website only
Bridgewater Public Library
15 South Street
508-697-3331
Cole-Yeaton Senior Center
10 Wally Krueger Way
508-697-0929
Food Pantry
Central Square Congregational Church
71 Central Square
508-697-6016
Thursdays - 10a - 1p
1st Monday of each month from 6 - 7:30 p
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Congratulations!
Irma Sankunas
won a $15 gift certificate to Pinches & Pounds Candy Store Rt 18, Whitman.
Play our
Historical Tidbit Trivia Game
at the bottom of this newsletter.
You could win a
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Where Do We Go From Here
Thursday, March 25th
6:30 - 8:00p
Via Zoom
The 2020 election is over; the traditional transfer of power is now complete. With each new US Administration, the impact of new policies is felt locally, nationally and globally.
Bridgewater Communities for Civil Rights (BCCR) is sponsoring a forum to examine the impact of this election around the world and in our own community. Join us as professionals share their perspectives and discuss the global, local, financial, historic, and legislative impact of the 2020 election.
Bridgewater residents, and BCCR members, Carlton Hunt and Mark Linde will facilitate the dialog.
Click here to register for the zoom meeting.
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Bridgewater COA Presents a Series on Aging & Social Justice
March 30 & April 13
2:00p
Imagine living in Bridgewater in the 1950’s & 1960’s and up to today as a person of color – attending story time at the library, going to high school and encouraged NOT to go to college, raising a family, or relying on The Green Book to safely travel within the United States.
In collaboration with Bridgewater Communities for Civil Rights and Bridgewater State University, we present a three-part series on Aging and Social Justice.
We encourage all ages to participate in this Zoom program to listen, learn, reflect, and take action on social justice issues.
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CPC Public Hearing
March 24th
6:30p
Learn what Bridgewater's Community Preservation Act is all about!
Find out about the McElwain School project, the High Street Bridge project and historical resources in town. Find out what local affordable housing trust could do for you. See what open land and farms could be protected or ideas for parks and recreation sites.
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Working hard to make patients comfortable & healthy!
Physical distancing • spaced appointments
• bacterial cleaning between patients.
Take care of yourself – See your chiropractor today!
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63 Main Street, Bridgewater (508) 697-0050
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We want to hear your voice!
L&P Educational Services invites parents/guardians to the Bridgewater- Raynham Regions School District to share their experiences!
Help us to increase our understanding of the experiences and perceptions of parents/guardians regarding matters related to equality, diversity & inclusion.
Focus group sessions will be
March 23rd or 25th:
6:00 - 7:00p for Prek - 4th grade
7:15 - 8:15p for Grades 5-12
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Easter Bunny Drive By
Good News!
Easter Bunny Drive By is back by popular demand!
Friday 4/2 & Saturday 4/3 (weather permitting) EB himself will be cruising the streets of Bridgewater & will pause for a photo with your children (from a safe distance).
Email kasalmon.gbwot@gmail.com with your name and address. We’ll add you to our stops & email you the route on 3/31. (We may not be able to fulfill every request.)
There is no fee, although donations are welcome via Venmo= @Pam-Madden or snail mail to: GBWOT PO Box 414, Bridgewater, MA 02324.
Any donations allow us to provide assistance to local families in need during a year when so many need it more than ever and our fundraising efforts are limited.
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“When My Heart is Almost Breaking”
A musical meditation on mortality and resilience in honor of Good Friday from Central Square. Congregational Church
April 2, 4:00p
Featuring Brianna J. Robinson, Soprano, and
Julia Scott Carey on piano
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The blind spot of good intentions
As the mother of a mixed-race child, the issue of equity and education is part of my life. Racial reckoning... antiracism... inclusion... belonging...equity... these are words that have become part of...
Read more
www.lizdempseylee.com
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Posts on inclusion
shared with us from
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Chocolate Scoreboard
Easter is the largest chocolate shopping holiday of the year. What’s really going into the chocolate we buy? Here is surveyed the world’s biggest chocolate companies to find out! Some chocolate companies are rising to the challenge of making cocoa sustainable, but others continue to ignore consumer demand for deforestation-free and child labor free chocolate. This guide breaks down company commitments and policies. Together, Mighty Earth, Be Slavery Free, and Green America are closely monitoring corporate implementation of these policies, working to transform the chocolate industry into one that prioritizes people and the planet. Check out the list www.greenamerica.org/chocolate-scorecard. |
Book Babies
Expand your child's mind with the latest stories narrated by Bridgewater's own Mrs. Davis for Book Babies; rhymes, songs, and lots of fun.
Grab your blanket and your hot cocoa and travel to a new world you never been before!
So click here and let the journey begins!!!
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COA Historical Tidbits by David Moore
Every Friday
Zoom meeting
Join COA with a brief and intriguing history presentations about Bridgewater's monumental land marks with David Moore, member of the Bridgewater Historical Commission. Where we learn about the Academy Building, Torrey House, Bridgewater Canteen, the Eddy/Washburn/Hooper Hardware store, and many more! Attendees will be able to pick topics for the following week. After the presentation an exercise will follow by the Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program. So come and join us on a road of enlightenment to built our future.
To join the Zoom experience click here.
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2021 seed packets are in stock! Get yours Today!
1000 Plymouth St (Rt 104) • Bridgewater • (508) 697-0357
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Plymouth County Extension
Plymouth County Extension is a social service governmental organization that focuses on Entomology (the study of insects). They provide information about different insects and their different traits and how does it affects our environment and also environmental issues in Plymouth County.
They also, provide youth programs for different ages (5-18 years) by teaching them hands activities like camping, raising animals and many more. This program called 4-H. They also assist the youth community by providing experiences like animal science, healthy lifestyles, science, engineering and technology; community service, citizenship & leadership opportunities, and public speaking programs.
To learn about Plymouth County Extension you can connect on Facebook here and for the youth program website click here.
You can also call at (774) 773-3404.
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Hilltoppers Men's Group is back!
Every Thursday
2pm
Cole-Yeaton Senior Center
Join us on an afternoon of "real talk" about sport, military, food and how things used to be. Please leave the politics at the door! The program will be a small, 10 person group to start, for safety precaution space has a lot to offer with good chairs & an extra large TV.
All men are welcome!
or call us at 508-697-0929.
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Spring's 'Big Night' - Online Mar 26
This multimedia program will highlight what's referred to as the 'Big Night', or the incredible spring migration of frogs and salamanders to vernal pools to breed. Vernal pools are seasonal freshwater ponds that often go unnoticed in local...
Read more
www.massaudubon.org
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Try our frozen
meals-to-go, like yummy American Chop Suey!
FREE delivery in surrounding towns!
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120 East Grove St, Middleboro
Open Thursdays & Fridays
Booking Food truck now for YOUR
next special event!
Gift Certificates Available
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Do you have shoulder pain?
This video explains when/how to know when to get it looked at!
Come see us at Physical Therapy U
75 Scotland Boulevard, Unit A
Bridgewater
(508) 697-2000
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Bridgewater-Raynham’s Work on Staying in School
By Alyssa Buffington, student writer, UMASS Dartmouth
Louisa wheels her cart of teaching supplies to the next classroom of Mitchell Elementary. It’s time for music class, but her options for today are – again – limited. Most instruments cannot be shared, and the kids aren’t allowed to sing. After passing around some small drums that can easily be disinfected, Louisa leads the class of first-graders in an isolated dance routine. The kids copy the dance moves of the others around them, beating the drums while an infectious rhythm. With a kick here and a butt-wiggle there, each kid copies the sporadic dance of their neighboring classmate, sitting several feet away. After the bell sounds, she leaves the touched drums in a bin to be disinfected later and takes her cart to the next room. It’s not the type of music class she’s been teaching for years, but it’s all she’s been able to offer since September. At least the kids get a chance to move and enjoy music. The following day shakes Louisa to the core. The class of fifteen first graders she was with yesterday has been quarantined due to a positive COVID-19 test. Fear creeps into Louisa’s mind: “Some days I feel better than others, because you know we’re not allowed to know who is positive and who is sick, but most days I feel safe.”
Louisa is one of many teachers living through the confusion of in-person classes in the Bridgewater-Raynham school district. Since committing to the hybrid method in September, each school has worked diligently to allow safe in-person classes. Similarly, at LaLiberte Elementary in Raynham, the conditions are strict. A typical day for an elementary student at these schools quickly becomes a rollercoaster of perks and restrictions before the ride ends all too soon.
Among the restrictions for students and staff are wearing masks; staying six feet apart; following blue directional tape on the hallway floor; eating safely wrapped lunch in a new location; leaving an empty seat between kids on the bus; keeping belongings in buckets; constant disinfecting and COVID-19 tracking. These new routines are a lot for students to manage, but students with special needs tend to have it worse. “They can’t use a lot of hands-on things unless they’re in plastic bags. Teaching these kids is harder; you can’t even have groups. We can only try our best,” says Kathleen, a Special Education Teacher at LaLiberte. One-on-one teaching is nearly impossible to do safely because teachers are not allowed near enough to direct students, and kids can’t see the enunciation of letters behind a teacher’s mask. Without this intimate space, students with special needs cannot keep up with the standard, distant learning teachers tend to use. Challenges like these only cause a greater disconnect between special needs students and learning.
Knowing these limitations, is the school operating best with an in-person approach? Louisa and Kathleen say yes. “Talking to other teachers, we want [kids] in school every day,” says Kathleen.
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WEEKLY TRIVIA GAME
Have fun with us and bee entered to win a
$50 gift certificate to Beauty Counter products through Independent Consultant Christine Harkins.
Historical Tidbit Question:
When was the original Bridgewater fire station constructed?
Email us your answer at:
Please include your name, phone number with your answer.
By entering, you give us permission to print your name in next week's Buzz Around.
On March 24, 2021 we will randomly pick a winner from the correct answers.
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Bee Bold
“Our critics make us strong!
Our fears make us bold!
Our haters make us wise!
Our foes make us active!
Our obstacles make us passionate!
Our losses make us wealthy!
Our disappointments make us appointed!
Our unseen treasures give us a
known peace!
Whatever is designed against us will work for us!”
~ Israelmore Ayivor
“The way of the superior person is threefold; virtuous, they are free from anxieties; wise they are free from perplexities; and bold they are free from fear.” ~ Confucius
“She wanted a new beginning, so she opened the door and walked boldly into the unknown.”
~ Rosangel Perez
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"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life."
~ Mary Oliver
I plan to Bee Bold.
~ Jacquie
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The Buzz Around is brought to you this week by: Jen Bellody, Mohamed (Moe) Ibrahim, Janice O'Brien & Jacquelyn Rose |
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Copyright 2021 Buzz Around Bridgewater. You have our permission to share and copy this issue in its entirety as much as you like. If you take it in part, please give credit. ("Buzz Around Bridgewater 3/21/21")
Disclaimer: At the Buzz Around, we promote community and family. Occasionally, there will be links to town committees and other non-profit groups, as a way of sharing local information. Individual groups are responsible for how they represent themselves on their websites and in their promotional materials.
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