By CHARLENE LOVETT
This August is busier than usual as we prepare for both a new school year and a primary election. On Saturday, Aug. 25, Claremont will be hosting both the Back to School Festival and a visit from one of the gubernatorial Candidates. The festival will be held in Barnes Park from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Candidate Steve Marchand will be at the Sugar River Valley Regional Technical Center (SRVRTC) at 7 p.m. Both are open to the public.
Creat-ing a framework that supports student achievement is not limited to the confines of a school building. It requires community engagement, which is why School Administrative Unit (SAU) 6 has organized a Back to School Festival for years. With organizations throughout the city participating, this year’s festival celebrates the beginning of a new school year with fun-filled events, and a variety of free services and supplies.
Among the services offered is screening for lead poisoning. For the second year in a row, Valley Regional Hospital (VRH) will provide this service as part of our community-wide effort to address childhood lead poisoning. Two VRH nurses will be administering the test which is done by analyzing blood droplets obtained from a finger stick. The results of the test will be available on site. If a child’s test shows an elevated level of lead, the nurses will refer the child’s parent/guardian to their doctor. If the child does not have a doctor, the nurses will provide a list of health care providers who are accepting new patients.
According to the Claremont School Board policy on lead screening, all children entering pre-Kindergarten or kindergarten need to have two blood level lead tests documented. By offering this free service at the festival, parents will be able to easily fulfill this requirement. For further information regarding this policy, please visit the SAU6 website and click on Claremont School Board policies.
Later Saturday evening, the city council and school board will be hosting a visit by gubernatorial Candidate Steve Marchand. Earlier in the year the governing bodies agreed that it was important to invite the candidates to Claremont. By doing so, the candidates will hear what issues impact us locally, and we will learn how they would address them if elected.
Steve Marchand was the first candidate to accept our invitation, and one of the two Democrats running for governor. He will be at the SRVRTC at 7 p.m., and the public is invited. Candidate Marchand was the mayor of Portsmouth and is the director of corporate relations for the University of New Hampshire. He is the son of immigrants from Quebec, and this is his second run for governor.
Given the primary is on Sept. 11, there are not many more opportunities to meet the candidates and share your concerns. For those who are unable to attend, the event will be televised and available on claremontv.org. If you have questions and cannot be there, please forward them to me at the email address below.
While a date hasn’t yet been set, we are still working with Candidate Kelly’s campaign coordinator to schedule a visit before the primary. We are also hoping to have a similar event with Gov. Sununu prior to the general election on Nov. 6.
Charlene Lovett is the mayor of Claremont, and welcomes your feedback. Please email questions, comments or concerns to her at [email protected].
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