TOWN TOPICS, PRINCETON, N.J., WEDNESDAY, NOvEmbER 8, 2017 • 14
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enrollment figures, but also by changes in 21st century teaching and learning, Cochrane told School Board members at a meeting last month. “Schools are not buildings, but the people in them,” Cochrane said. “But the buildings can serve those people. How can we create spaces that will connect, support, and inspire those people?” Cochrane described his presentation as the first of many that will take place as
the process moves through the initial design phase to submission of initial plans to a design-adjustment phase, with transparency and substantial input from all stakeholders, board members, interested community members, staff, and students. “We’re excited to begin this work,” Cochrane continued. “We’re excited to have input from the staff and the community, and we’re excited to continue reporting back to the people.” The school district’s planning, he emphasized, is still at the idea stages, with no decisions yet finalized and
no designs yet approved. Cochrane noted that 21stcentury education calls for the creation of spaces that facilitate active learning, with learners working collab or at ively w it h clas s mates and others around the world, with areas that encourage integrated and interdisciplinary learning rather than the traditionally depar tmentalized spaces and curricula, and courses that are research-driven (often web-based) rather than textbook-driven. Ideas under consideration for the referendum include major construction at PHS
that would add the equivalent of 12 classrooms of flexible instructional space plus expansion of the cafeteria; the new community school for fifth and sixth grades, possibly on the Valley Road site; one or two new athletic fields with turf, plus additional space for wrestling; security and HVAC upgrades for all the schools, including air conditioning for the PHS gym; an alternate space for the central administration and transportation should the Valley Road building become a new fifth and sixth grade school; and spaces for a district pre-school center
and possibly another elementary school. Cochrane emphasized the importance of fiscal responsibility in developing referendum plans, with the goal of a modest tax impact and subsidies from state grants and alternate revenues. —Donald Gilpin
Meeting, 55-Plus Club With Physics Professor
“Relativity, Black Holes, and Gravitational Waves,” will be the topic of a presentation by Steven Gubser, professor of physics and associate chair for undergraduate affairs in Princeton Uni-
Holiday Happenings on the Square FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24:
Annual Tree Lighting
Immigration Issues And Free Legal Advice
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8:
Princeton University’s Holiday Jam & Toy Drive SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10:
Breakfast with Santa at the Nassau Inn THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14:
Annual Menorah Lighting SUNDAY, DECEMBER 24:
Carolers on the Green
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versity’s physics department, at the meeting of 55-Plus at 10 a.m., Thursday, November 9, at the Jewish Center of Princeton, 435 Nassau Street. Everyone is welcome. Admission is free, with a $3 donation suggested. Gubser’s talk will be about how gravity and black holes work, and about the recent remarkable discover y of colliding black holes at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO). Starting with a discussion of the relativity of time, the talk will move on to how sure we are that black holes exist in the universe, and how the LIGO discovery clinches the case and at the same time demonstrates the existence of gravitational waves. Steven Gubser is a theoretical physicist specializing in string theory. Gubser is the author of The Little Book of String Theory and co-author with Prof. Frans Pretorius of a forthcoming book, The Little Book of Black Holes, both published by Princeton University Press. 55 -Plus was organized in 1986 as a non-sectarian group to promote social contacts and friendships among men and women who are either retired or who have flexible working hours. Members meet at 10 a.m., usually on the first and third Thursday mornings of each month (except late June, July, and August) to listen to and discuss a wide range of topics presented by prominent speakers. 55Plus meetings are open to the general public.
HOLIDAY PHOTOS & FAMILY PORTRAITS Friday nights and weekends PHOTOS WITH SANTA Saturday and Sunday afternoons A portion of all photo sales will be donated to HomeFront.
Strolling Holiday Music every Saturday and Sunday from 1-3pm
Free legal advice on immigration and other issues will be offered to all interested people on Wednesday, November 29 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the second floor Conference Room at the Princeton Public Library. The Ask-a-Lawyer Program is co-sponsored by the Latin American Task Force, the Princeton Public Library, and the Mercer County Bar Association. Ask-a-Law yer began in 1999 to meet the need expressed by the local Latino community and is offered quarterly by the Latin American Task Force of Princeton. Local attorneys volunteer their time to provide individual consultations. The lawyers will answer questions in their areas of expertise as much as possible, and make referrals when necessary. Though not definitive legal consultations, this offers an opportunity for a brief review of current applicable law or to get a second opinion. Spanish interpreters will be available. For more information, call (609) 924-9529 ext. 1220.