MADISON, CT – The Country School (TCS) is hosting a Virtual Open House on Monday, Jan. 25, at 6:30 p.m.
Hear from the admission team, current parents, students, faculty and administration.
Learn about the school’s admission process; rigorous academic program; Signature Programs of STEAM, Elmore Leadership, Global Citizenship, Outdoor Education, and Public Speaking; rich offerings in the arts and athletics; and TCS’s Merit Scholarship opportunity for students entering Grades 4-8.
The Country School honors students’ creativity, sense of wonder, and intellectual curiosity. The school’s integrated curriculum aligns academics with a commitment to character and leadership development.
Founded in 1955, The Country School serves students in Pre-School through Grade 8 on its 23-acre campus in Madison, Conn.
Register for the Open House at this link. You will be sent the Zoom link for the event after registering.
For more information about The Country School, visit www.thecountryschool.org.
OLD LYME — This meeting was rescheduled from Jan. 20, when the meeting had to be cancelled due to loss of internet connection.
Date: Saturday, February 20, 2021
Time: 4:00-6:00 pm
Place: Thach Preserve, 131 Brush Hill Rd., Lyme CT
To register: e[email protected]
You are invited to a walk guided by photographer Joe Standart, to experience light before and after the sun sets.
Reservations are required. Space is limited to 10 people including the leaders. Please be safe- wear a mask when meeting in the parking lot. Social distancing guidelines will be followed.
The walk is part of the Lyme Land Trust amateur photography program: Imagining Lyme – A Visual Exploration of Lyme’s Preserves, which encourages people to expand their visual awareness while highlighting the beauty of Lyme Preserves through photographs.
The deadline for submission of photos for the fall/winter season using the category “Light” is March 19, 2021. Three photos of distinction will be chosen.
Saturday, March 13 and April 17, 10:30 am:
“Forest Bathing along the Artists’ Trail”
outdoor experience with certified forest bathing guide Regan Stacey at the Florence Griswold Museum, ($45, for either on-site event).
Register at https://
Spring Equinox Flower Walk – Forest Bathing
Date: Sat March 20
Time: 10:00-11:30 am
Place: Young Preserve, Gungy Rd., Lyme CT
Contact Email: regan@
Photo by Jonnelle Yankovich
Celebrate the day on a gentle walk with periods of reflection and guided meditation. Flowers will be provided for you to carry and take home. If you wish to bring your own, please do. The walk is about 1-mile over easy to moderate terrain. Forest bathing is a supportive practice that invites us to engage with nature as we take in the restorative health benefits of being in the forest.
$30.00 per person. Registration required. Lyme Land Trust members receive 15% off with the discount code LLT15.
To register
The group is limited. Social distancing guidelines will be followed.
For more information and to view upcoming programs:
Lyme Land Trust Events
Meeting ID: 882 1266 5835
Passcode: 838868
Membership of FOWC is: Single – $15; Household – $25. To renew or become a member, send payment to FOWC, PO Box 333, Hadlyme, CT 06439.For more information about membership, volunteering, or FOWC goals & mission, send email to: [email protected]
Saturday, April 17,
10:30 am:
“Forest Bathing along the Artists’ Trail”
Enjoy an outdoor experience with certified forest bathing guide Regan Stacey at the Florence Griswold Museum, ($45, for on-site event).
Register at https://
Thursday, April 22:
Earth Day!
Get in on the count with CT Audubon’s annual Backyard BioBlitz and help count nature’s species including birds, insects, fungi, and plants with iNaturalist ID app.
Learn more at www.ctaudubon.org
OLD LYME — A small but mighty single cell organism, plankton, pictured above, is the base of the marine food web.
In a free lecture presented by the Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center on April 29 at 6 p.m. via Zoom, Hans Dam, Ph.D., Professor in the Department of Marine Sciences at the University of Connecticut, will speak about the evolutionary ecology of plankton and its vulnerability to climate change. His lecture is titled, The Secret Life of Plankton: The Base of the Marine Food Web.
Register to obtain the Zoom link for the presentation at ctaudubon.org/
Dr. Dam is a biological oceanographer interested in the ecology and evolution of planktonic organisms: the tiny creatures that control the biology of the sea.
He will describe the macro-power of these microorganisms and help attendees to improve their understanding of the invisible life teeming in a tablespoon of river or Sound water.
Dr. Dam’s current research focuses on how copepods, the most abundant animals on Earth, adapt to the ocean’s warming and acidification.
Another area of his work is the evolutionary “arms race” between grazers and toxic plants.
Dr. Dam has published more than 100 papers and trained a generation of oceanographers. He has also spent 20 years advising the State of Connecticut about water quality in Long Island Sound.
Included with participation in the lecture is a special offer: a dinner available for pick-up on the day of the event prepared by renowned chef Ani Robaina, formerly chef at the Microsoft Conference Center and the Pond House in Hartford and currently owner and chef at Ani’s Table. The cost is $75.
This is the third and final presentation in The Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center’s Connecticut River Lecture Series, now celebrating its seventh year with presentations that feature prominent scientists focusing on critical environmental issues. Named for the internationally and locally renowned artist, scientific illustrator, environmental educator, and conservation advocate, the Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center is known for its work in environmental education, conservation, research, and advocacy.
For the past year and continuing in 2021, the Center has served young people and adults across the region with small group programs like bird walks and owl prowls, virtual CT River ecology and other courses, seasonal nature crafts and activities for kids via Zoom, as well as an upcoming multi-disciplinary, summer camp program.
More information is available at https://www.ctaudubon.org/
LYME/OLD LYME — The Lyme-Old Lyme (LOL) Schools Board of Education (BOE) will hold their District Budget Meeting Monday evening, May 3, in the Board of Education Conference Room at Center School starting at 6:30 p.m.
The Budget Meeting will also be live-streamed at this link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF2_W7yYtFwx067Ici9776Q/videos?view=57
Public comment can be made in person or virtually via this Zoom link: https://region18.zoom.us/j/83527766795 and using Meeting ID: 835 2776 6795.
Those choosing the virtual option to make public comment will be required to follow the same expectations as those commenting in person, i.e., after being recognized by the chairperson, participants must state their name and place of residence before making their comments to the board.
The proposed budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year totals $34,874, 548 representing a 0.47 percent increase over the current year’s budget. When this total is combined with last year’s decrease of 1.06 percent, the total change over two years is -0.6 percent or $210,210.
In the Letter of Transmittal accompanying the printed budget, LOL Schools Superintendent Ian Neviaser and Region 18 Board of Education Chairman Diane Linderman say, “We have developed a budget that continues to support all of our award-winning academic and curricular offerings, which are commensurate with, and often superior to, both public and private schools throughout Connecticut.”
Members of the BOE are expected to vote at the meeting to move the public vote to approve the budget to an in-person referendum the following day, Tuesday, May 4.
Voting will take place from 12 noon to 8 p.m. at Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School for Old Lyme residents and Lyme Town Hall for Lyme residents.
Information on absentee ballot and voter information is available at the following links:
- for Old Lyme residents:- https://www.oldlyme-ct.gov/town-clerk/pages/voter-information
- for Lyme residents:- https://townlyme.org/
Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School will not be closed during voting hours — students will be following a regular school day.
Voting will take place from 12 noon to 8 p.m. at Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School for Old Lyme residents and Lyme Town Hall for Lyme residents.
Information on absentee ballot and voter information is available at the following links:
- for Old Lyme residents:- https://www.oldlyme-ct.gov/town-clerk/pages/voter-information
- for Lyme residents:- https://townlyme.org/
Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School will not be closed during voting hours — students will be following a regular school day.
LYME/OLD LYME — Can video gaming be dangerous for kids?
On Tuesday, May 4, from 7 to 8 p.m., Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau and the Lyme-Old Lyme (LOL) Community Coalition are sponsoring a Zoom presentation on youth gaming and gambling. The Parent Teacher Organizations of Lyme, Mile Creek and LOL Middle School are co-sponsoring the event.
This free, interactive workshop will discuss an overview of youth gaming and gambling. Learn from experts about risk factors, and protective factors for prevention, treatment, and recovery. All are welcome.
The presenters are Kaitlin Brown and Kelly Leppard, who both have extensive experience in this field.
Brown is Director of Programs & Services with CT Council on Problem Gambling. Kaitlin is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Drug and Alcohol Counselor, Internationally Certified Gambling Counselor, and holds and International Gaming Disorder Certificate.
Leppard serves as the Primary Prevention Services Coordinator for Problem Gambling Services with the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, and Certified Prevention Specialist.
LYME — On Saturday, May 8, the Lyme Grange hosts a Plant Sale from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Grange sited on the corner of Sterling City Rd, and Rte. 156 in Lyme.
A great selection of perennials and annuals will be offered for sale.
All proceeds benefit the work of the Grange.
OLD LYME — On Saturday, May 22, enjoy a day of outdoor fun and family friendly activities at the Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center’s Pollinator Party.
This is an opportunity for families to visit the new home of the RTP Estuary Center at 100 Lyme Street in Old Lyme, the former home of the Bee & Thistle Inn.
There will be scavenger hunts, a pollinator planting station, rock painting, and plenty of time to meet staff and board members, ask questions, and have fun.
This is a free event for all ages but registration is required. Suggested donation is $20.
Pollinator seeds have kindly been donated by the Dominion’s Project Plant It!
Masks are required and social distancing guidelines will be followed. In order to meet social distancing guidelines, families are asked to register for one of three times slots listed on the registration site at https://www.ctaudubon.org/
For more information about the Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center and its programs, visit https://www.ctaudubon.
OLD LYME — The Old Lyme Land Trust owns a large field lot at 14 Sill Lane. The Trust recently had a contractor clear the very overgrown northeast corner of the property, which was extremely overgrown with invasive plants.
On Saturday, May 22, from 9 to 11 a.m., a Work Party is now planned with the aim of cleaning up the remaining surface to keep the area mowed and prevent the invasive plant from growing back.
The location for the event is 14 Sill Lane — park along the road in front of the stone wall.
Bring gloves, metal rakes, pitch fork, perhaps a tarp.
The plan is to haul the debris to the transfer station. If you can provide a pick-up truck or dump trailer, it would be much appreciated.