Greenwich Roundup: Thursday, February 28, 2008

Thursday, February 28, 2008

02/28/09 - Greenwich Newswire

Greenwich News Reports

FOREX-Dollar hits record low vs euro for second straight day
Reuters - USA
"Bernanke has yet to make a remark that shows open concern about dollar weakness," said Alan Ruskin, chief international strategist at RBS Greenwich Capital ...

Dollar holds near greenback peak, slides against others
National Business Review - New Zealand
"Bernanke has yet to make a remark that shows open concern about dollar weakness," said Alan Ruskin, chief international strategist at RBS Greenwich Capital ...

Greenwich, New Canaan neck-and-neck in FCIAC swimming
Greenwich Time - Greenwich,CT
The Greenwich High School boys swimming team has plenty of work to do tonight if wants to reclaim what it ownded for almost four decades -- the FCIAC ...

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News Reports From The Greenwich Post

http://www.acorn-online.com/news/publish/greenwich.shtml

Greenwich Crew fares well at annual event in Boston
Greenwich Post - Greenwich,CT,USA
Greenwich Crew was well-represented in this year’s CRASH-B. Sprints World Indoor Rowing Championships. The event, which takes place at Boston University’s ...

Is pill popping prevalent in Greenwich? Town health planner urges ...
Greenwich Post - Greenwich,CT,USA
“There is a significant substance misuse problem amongst Greenwich youth despite our local, regional and state efforts,” Ms. Paulmeno said. ...

Greenwich attorney plans hotel, housing downtown
Greenwich Post - Greenwich,CT,USA
An aggressive plan is being developed for Benedict Place, including underground parking, new stores, increased green space, new housing and a luxury hotel, ...

Cards hockey team stunned 5-3 in FCIAC semis
Greenwich Post - Greenwich,CT,USA
This was supposed to be the year the Greenwich High School girls ice hockey team got over the hump and claimed the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic ...

Greenwich Blog Posts

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Manage Your Library Card Online
Where: Greenwich Library at Training Center Learn how to use your library card on the Greenwich Library website to search the catalog, reserve materials, freeze your holds, renew items and manage your account.
Greenwich Library Today's Events - http://www.greenwichlibrary.org

Tommy wants $28M for Conn. estate
GREENWICH, Conn. -- Tommy Hilfiger has put his Greenwich, Conn., estate on the market.
Star-Gazette.com - Local News - http://www.stargazette.com

New Construction & Teardowns In Greenwich CT
By Cher
Here’sa snapshot of new construction sales in Greenwich over the last 6 months:. 35 Close Road - sold 8/07 for $14700000. Built 2006 - 14070 SF on 5.29 acres. 110 DOM. 4 Cherry Blossom - sold 8/07 for $10750000. ...
Teardown Post - http://blog.teardowns.com

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02/28/08 - Greenwich Children Left Behind

District wary of science test

By Andrew Shaw
Greenwich Time - Staff Writer

Greenwich educators are anxious about the outcome of the upcoming state standardized tests that will include a science portion for the first time.

Why are our Greenwich School Administrators "Anxious" about a State Standardised Science Test?

Could it be that the Greenwich School Administrators have failed to properly educate Greenwich Children?

The Connecticut Mastery Tests, given each March to students in third through eighth grades, assess math and reading skills and knowledge. The results are used to benchmark each school's annual academic progress under the federal No Child Left Behind law.

Why are the very high paid Greenwich School Administrators having trouble meeting the very basic "No Child Left Behind" standards in the wealthiest town in the wealthiest state in the wealthiest nation on the face of the earth?

The inclusion this year of a science portion will test fifth- and eighth-graders on their knowledge of grade-level content and their understanding of how a science experiment is designed.

What's The Big Fat Deal About A Basic Science Test!!!

Personally, I was born in the "hills and the hollars" of the Ozark Mountains of Missouri and by the eighth grade I understood the scientific method and was able to present a controlled science project at a science fair.

Superintendent of Schools Betty Sternberg has cautioned the Board of Education that this year's science results will likely not be impressive.....

The Extremely High Paid Ms. Sternberg was not in Greenwich about 15 years ago when a national news magazines ranked Greenwich High School as one of the Top Ten High Schools In America, but many Greenwich Residents remember.

...Truxtun Southworth, the program administrator for science and math, said he wished the state would have given earlier guidance on exactly what the students will see on the test. That was not done until recently.

What is going on here?

Is a high paid administrator like Truxton Southworth teaching our children?

Is Truxton Southworth in charge of teaching basic science and mathematics, or on how to cram for a basic standardised test that measures the minimal proficiency?

Greenwich, like other districts, focuses a lot of class time on literacy and math, but not nearly as much on science, which may affect test scores this year, Southworth said.

What other districts are we talking about?

Darien, New Canaan, Ridgefield, Westport, and Wilton?

Or are we talking about....

Bridgeport, Danbury, Norwalk, Stamford and Stratford?

"The ones that haven't had the spotlight on them some time drift to the back," Southworth said....

Duh!!!

...Kathy Greider, deputy superintendent of teaching and learning said it may be difficult to decipher if students who do poorly on the science portion are having trouble with science, or if in actuality they are poor readers or poor at math.

Well maybe we should conduct a $100,000.00 study?

Or maybe, we could just start teaching our elementry children basic science principals.

...Science isn't the only area educators have an eye on this year. Greenwich had poor districtwide results last year on test questions gauging a student's ability to make connections from the reading material to their own life....

No wonder, that Greenwich High School is no longer listed as one of the Top Ten High Schools In America.

02/28/08 - News Reports From Greenwich Time

Class action status denied in beach lawsuit
By Martin B. Cassidy
Staff Writer

With a trial approaching, a federal judge has granted the town a partial victory by rejecting a Stamford bicyclist's request to add a discrimination claim to his pending lawsuit that Greenwich's beach access fees for out-of-towners are unconstitutional.

In her six-page ruling last week, U.S. District Court Judge Janet C. Hall upheld the town's argument that Paul Kempner, 77, a Stamford shoreline resident, could not pursue a discrimination claim himself because a town policy change giving free access to town beaches to Kempner and others over the age of 65, made his claim moot....

... Last year Hall ruled Kempner could sue the town on his claim the town violated his individual free speech rights, and a trial is expected to begin on that issue on April 15....

... Last week was the third time Hall threw out Kempner's claim that the town beach policy's of charging out-of-towners more than residents was discriminatory, because it unfairly restricted access to town beaches to non-residents.

Kempner declined comment on the ruling yesterday, saying he was unaware the issue had been decided, and calls to his attorneys were not returned.

Michael P. Shea, a Hartford-based attorney for Day-Pitney LLP, who is representing the town in the case declined comment.
Stanwich School presents traffic plan
Stanwich School will encourage car pooling and monitor the traffic around its proposed new campus to lessen congestion on neighborhood roads, but officials will not agree to mandatory busing.

State GOP touts wellness plan
Republicans yesterday proposed paying Connecticut residents to stay healthy, while Democrats rallied in favor of providing paid sick days for part-time workers.

Antares makes its pitch to Manhattan
Antares executives met with real estate brokers in Manhattan on Tuesday night to pitch their projects and Stamford as a desirable, less expensive alternative to Manhattan.

Studio deal for town surprises lawmakers
Speaker of the House James Amann is scrambling to persuade the General Assembly to give Blue Sky Studios Inc. a $25 million tax break to move from White Plains to Greenwich this year.

02/28/08 - Greenwich Gossip - If you've been looking with a house with a separate closet for your belts

Tommy Hilfinger Sells a House

Well, at least he put it on the market. When and for what price it sells remains to be seen. The initial asking price is $28 million.

As faithful readers of this blog will recall, it was less than ten months ago that Tommy was planting trees. Click here 4/14/2007 09:56:00 AM to read the story, and here 5/01/2007 01:57:00 PM to see the pictures. Today, the trees look as though they've always been there. By the time spring gets here and the house-lookers are out in force, they should be pretty handsome.

What does 28 mill buy in this Town these days? The mandatory minimum of 20,000 square feet which all serious home-buyers are looking for, of course; an "infinity-edge" swimming pool; a tennis court; a basketball court (Tommy plays basketball?! That's new news to your scribe!); a pool pavilion; a 2,000-bottle wine cellar; a sauna and massage room; a suede-lined home theatre for two dozen of your closest friends (popcorn machine included); and "lush gardens". Oh, and let's not forget the allee of instant trees.

For those who may not yet know what an "infinity-edge" swimming pool is, it is a pool at the far end of which the water seems to fall away over the edge of the pool in an apparent drop into the landscape beyond.....