LIVERMORE FALLS – Parents will soon receive notification that SAD 36 will be establishing a new kindergarten program that officials hope to begin in January.

Rather than label the proposed venture as pre-kindergarten, it will be called a two-year kindergarten, to align it with essential services, and will be held at the Livermore Elementary School.

Principal Terrie Roberts admitted to directors Thursday that the building will be crowded with the new class but she maintained that establishing the second-year program is very important.

“It’s not an easy thing to accomplish, we really don’t have any spare space, and we need to fill positions.” The district’s home-school coordinator will be working with the program, she said, and parental involvement is sought.

“That this is not child care, it is not play school, this is an educational program,” Roberts stressed.

Parents have contacted the district, asking for the program, said Superintendent Terry Despres. “It’s so important that we get to these students now, to get them into the process of education.”

The time line is for notification to go to parents in November, to take registrations in December and to start classes in January, he said.

Although the new venture will start in the Livermore building, Despres hopes to move it into the Cedar Street facility next year.

That had been the plan this year but Head Start, which is housed there, was slow in starting this year due to federal financing.

He has been assured by Head Start management that it will be a joint venture next year, Despres said, and the staffs will work together.

The district has purchased the property on 13 Griffin Field Road and, once the sellers vacate, it will be put out to bid to be moved. Despres has contacted the National Guard about working on the land that can be included in the district’s athletic program.

The corner lot at Griffin Field Road and Highland Avenue, which the district purchased recently, will be cleared and leveled to prepare it for parking by daytime teachers. That will clear the lot at the middle school to bus parking.

He has an offer on both the remaining doublewides, the superintendent said.

A bus load of students and parents recently visited the new Winthrop High School facility that Chairwoman Denise Rodzen described as a highly functional building. Despres encouraged the entire board to visit.

Principals Rod Wright and Matt Gilbert have been awarded a $27,000 grant for an after-school program and the district has also received a $2,000 grant from Promising Futures.

Grace Eaton reported on the Reconnecting Youth model that she is using in her skills training program. Students are invited to participate, she said, and they have to want to be in the program to realize it will help them.

Program goals include increased school performance, drug use control and mood management.

Financial support of trips will be included in a policy which will provide guidelines and boundaries for fund raising. “We need a policy, we have it all over the place, it should fit an overall plan,” Despres said.

“I’m concerned about the fund raising, we’re trying to do double and triple hits,” he added.

Director Eric Rodzen suggested that internal fund-raisers become dedicated to a specific class, rather than having them compete against each other. “Everybody’s doing good things, but too much can cause exhaustion and hard feelings,” he said.

Guidelines on the use of facilities must be followed by players in the Chrome Cleat Football Game, directors agreed. They will need to fill out a proper form, have proper equipment and protective wear and show proof of insurance.

Any group asking to use the field should follow those same guidelines,” he explained to the directors. “If there is any injury, you (the school) are liable.”