Community Corner
2nd Edition: Religious Material Distributed in First Grade Class (And More…)
Welcome to "About Town with Mark Snyder," a column that will keep you up to the minute with what's what, who's who and what's going on around town. If you see or hear something we could use here, let us know by sending an e-mail to pmpco@aol.com.
RELIGIOUS MATERIAL DISTRIBUTED IN FIRST GRADE CLASS: Some parents of l first graders in one classroom got a bit of a surprise earlier this week.
A mom of a girl in one of the classes sent the kids home with "goody bags" in honor of her daughter's birthday. The bag contained a Children's My First Bible, A Jesus fish eraser, and a pencil that had erasers on both ends and was inscribed with the words, "Life without Jesus is like this pencil. No point to it."
One parent, who wrote About Town, noted, "I am a Catholic, but I found it offensive. I can only imagine how any non-Christian parents would feel."
Find out what's happening in Stoughtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
School Principal Lynne Jardin sent home a letter to parents Thursday, Dec. 8 apologizing for the incident.
She wrote, "It has come to our attention that a birthday 'goodie bag,' that was brought in by a student on Tuesday, had items that were of a religious nature. Please be advised that school policy prohibits the distribution of religious materials through the schools. We apologize for any misunderstanding and will take the appropriate measure to insure that this does not happen again."
Find out what's happening in Stoughtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Parents I spoke with appreciated Jardin's letter, and each mentioned how much their children loved this particular teacher.
Jardin, who said she had received no complaints about the incident, invited parents who have comments or questions to contact her at 781-344-7008 or via email at l_jardin@stoughtonschools.org.
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DIRT DAWG SPORTS GRAND OPENING: Three Stoughton residents, Rich Jasmin, Don Connors and TJ Fisher are co-owners of a new 17,000 square foot softball and baseball training facility in Canton called Dirt Dawg Sports.
The Stoughton Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting for the facility on December 8th.
Pictured (left to right in the media gallery) are: Dirt Dawg co-owner T.J. Fisher, Sandra Davis, Tony Sousa, Chamber Vice Chairman Mark Snyder, SCC Board members Lester Davis, Rick Kaplan and Cindy Pazyra; Co-owner Don Connors, Rob Brown, Tommy Jasmin and co-owner Rich Jasmin.
Connors and Jasmin are long-time coaches and directors of Stoughton's youth baseball programs, at all levels. (Courtesy photos by Joanne Schneider).
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SENIORS GROUP SUPPORTS FOOD PANTRY: Mike Sammarco and the Crew at Sons of Italy Hall, together with the wonderful volunteers of the , raised funds for the St. Anthony's Free Market Thursday night.
St. Anthony’s Free Market is the food pantry associated with , which serves those in need in Stoughton.
So many people showed up that every seat was filled, and each table was recycled, more dinners were served, and extra food was ordered.
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BREAKFAST WITH SANTA: Saturday, December 10, 2011, from 8-11 a.m. there will be a at the at 445 Central Street.
The event includes: Photos with Santa, a tasty breakfast, stories and music, a chance to write a letter to Santa, you can decorate your own picture frame, take part in a raffle and so much more fun!
Cost is only $10 per person ($5 for Old Colony YMCA members). Walk-ins on a space available basis. For more information, call 781-341-2016.
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Bruce Promisel, a Randolph native, who now calls Stoughton his home. And, to Steve Leventhal, a young Republican activist, who has been involved in bringing speakers to Ahavath Torah Congregation.
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