Do you want to weigh in on a topic? Do you have a group to thank for support? Is there something you would like to see covered in the Star? Write a letter to the editor. Letters are limited to 400 words and writers are limited to one per month (30 days) per writer. We require a civil tone and reserve the right to refuse to run any letter. Letters must be signed and include an address and phone number for verification and are published as space permits. If more letters are received than can be published on any issue, we will publish a representative sample. We look forward to hearing from you.

English at Large thanks volunteers

English at Large is a nonprofit organization that provides individual and small group instruction through a volunteer network to adult immigrants and other newcomers who want to acquire English language skills as they adapt to life in the U.S. Our volunteers give life to this mission; this year alone, 178 local residents provided almost 4,000 hours of service to 535 learners in 21 communities in Middlesex County. Through their efforts, local newcomers develop the English language skills and acquire the cultural knowledge they need to fully engage in their communities and fulfill their life goals.

Volunteer Appreciation Week reminds us to stop and say “thank you” to our volunteer Tutors, Conversation Group Facilitators, Intake Assessors and Testers, as well as our program and office volunteers. Your efforts, as EAL volunteers, open doors of opportunity to English language learners, and make our communities richer in the process. You make a difference everyday and the impact is immeasurable.

We invite the Winchester community to join us in thanking our local volunteers: Barbara Cracknell, Anne Doyle, Isobel Magee, Elizabeth McNamara, Lynne McNamara, Cynthia Randall, Doris Taber, Jeri Taylor, Janice Wilson and Yan Xu.

— Maureen Willis, executive director, English at Large

‘Hate Has No Home Here’

I read, with great interest, Mr. John Natale’s colossal misunderstanding of the “Hate Has No Home Here” signs. Natale’s first mistake was claiming the signs read, “Hate has no place in this home.” Mr. Natale is incorrectly assuming that the owners of the sign are finding it necessary to state that there is no hate in their home. But, as the American flag depicted on the sign signifies, the posters are referencing the entire U.S.A., a country that does not tolerate hate in spite of its current leadership. Those people who have chosen to place a “Hate Has No Home Here” sign on their lawn are standing behind their belief that the country should be free of hate.

Mr. Natale also lists questions that have remained unanswered, so it is my duty to define his burning inquiries:

1. Question: “Who are the haters that you, the sign owner, are referring to?” Answer: Bigots who are trying to take away protections for transgender students, deport refugees and build a very expensive wall to keep illegal immigrants out (which is completely pointless and not helping your cause, but I digress).

2. Question: “What, or whom, do the haters hate?” Answer: Perfectly innocent human beings who happen to be different from the haters.

3. Question: “What is the evidence that there is significant hate in our community?” Answer: Me getting called homosexual slurs by students and adults alike.

4. Question: “Obviously, you are so morally superior that you may declare everyone who disagrees with you a hater (side note: this first part is a statement, not a question). Where, when, and how did you become the Lord High Decider of Morality?” Answer: Never. We just put a lawn sign down. Calm down, dude.

As I stated previously, the signs are not talking exclusively about Winchester. The signs are about the whole United States. They also aren’t implying you are a hater if you disagree; where did you get that idea? Also, Mr. Natale, if you’re going to ask us to do you a favor and take the signs down, do humanity a favor and take your Trump signs down. Finally, if you are going to say signs exhibit “snowflake sensitivity,” take a moment to think about how you are writing an angry letter to a newspaper about a lawn sign.

— Luke Macannuco, seventh-grader, Brookside Avenue

School Committee violates Open Meeting Law in taxpayer-funded discussions

Massachusetts Open Meeting Law requires that voters are given the opportunity to know what government is doing. OML mandates public and open meetings, formal prior announcement and sufficient detail to allow voters to plan attendance accordingly. The intent is full public disclosure of considerations, votes and spending decisions around governmental action.

Nine complaints since March document sequential OML violations by Winchester School Committee, mostly around the subject of Taxpayer-Funded Full-Day Kindergarten. OML violations effectively deny voters the necessary notice and awareness of meetings and agendas so that they can provide their input before permanent decisions are made.

On Feb. 28, SC voted to place a warrant article at Town Meeting on May 1 asking for hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars, to pay for year 1 in a transition to a singular full-day kindergarten option in town. The vote occurred despite interested families expressing overwhelming willingness and ability to pay for kindergarten tuition, as reported in SC’s own February 2017 survey.

This meeting (and others before and after) violated OML. SC then denied multiple requests for properly noticed public hearings on its decision to pursue taxpayer funding for full-day kindergarten, a decision that simultaneously axes both half-day and three-day kindergarten options utilized by about one in four or five families. Tuition-funded kindergarten would allow kindergarten choice to be preserved, enabling parents to best meet the diverse needs of individual children.

School Committee has now received notice by the Attorney General’s office regarding its OML violations. A formal ruling will be delivered by the AG in the weeks to come. As a possible tell of what’s been communicated, School Committee squeezed in a remedial meeting this past Tuesday on April 25 with a mere four days’ notice to the public (did you know about it?), just days before the Town Meeting vote.

Voters deserve better compliance with the law from their elected officials. Voters require timely, responsive disclosure of facts and circumstances from School Committee, with enough respect for citizen time and calendars to allow for responses to be made. This is consistent with the oath they each took to represent the voters. Instead, a quick “do-over” meeting was held that provided little time for voters to absorb, ask questions or influence the process.

We expect our students to study, learn and demonstrate understanding in school; what happens when School Committee flunks that same assignment?

— Claire Barden, Bonad Road

Hats off to John Natale for ‘hate sign’ letter

Hats off and thank you to John Natale for his April 20 Letter to the Editor addressing the proliferation of red and blue lawn signs around town. Thoughtful questions were asked and very legitimate points were made regarding the actuality of “Hate” living in the Winchester community.

Maybe it’s time to take the signs down, enjoy the spring and move on from the divisive slogans.

— Patricia Doherty, Wedgemere Avenue

‘Hate Has No Home Here’ campaign continues

We are responsible for launching the “Hate Has No Home Here” campaign in our town. We wanted to take the opportunity to share more information about this campaign and its intentions and to celebrate the welcoming and inclusive values in our community.

Over 100 residents attended a civic gathering sponsored by the Winchester Multicultural Network entitled “Strengthening Winchester” on Feb. 2 (see article on Feb. 12 from the Winchester Star). It was inspiring to many of us to see so many people from different parts of our town wanting to become involved. During the meeting, we split up into groups — some thinking about intergenerational issues, some looking at schools, some proposing dialogues across the various constituencies in Winchester, and many other issues. Our group was interested in looking at ways to publicize the town’s Human Rights Statement, specifically signage that could demonstrate who we are as a community. Consequently, we decided to join the nationwide “Hate Has No Home Here” initiative in our town. The campaign, which was started by two elementary school students in Chicago, is intended to remind passersby that we stand united with neighbors and business owners who espouse inclusive values. The effort is entirely non-partisan, which is why the signs are printed with one side in red and one side in blue, and is spreading rapidly throughout the country. In fact, there was a front-page article on March 29 in the Boston Globe about the campaign in Watertown (Lexington, Arlington and other neighboring towns are also participating). The languages featured our local reflect the most prevalent ethnicities and cultures in Winchester: Portuguese, Mandarin, Arabic, Hebrew and Spanish.

We are astonished at the positive response and have already distributed nearly 200 signs since we began in mid-March. We have a goal to distribute 500 signs by Town Day on June 3. Residents can purchase signs at the Winchester initiative’s Facebook page. Additionally, the Network is supporting our campaign by providing a link to purchase signs on their homepage (wmcn.org). A $5 donation is requested to cover costs. For information about the nationwide campaign, visit hatehasnohomehere.wordpress.com; for information about efforts in Winchester, visit: wmcn.org/hate-has-no-home-here-campaign-in-winchester and facebook.com/HHNHHWinchester. We are happy to answer questions you may have about the initiative locally or nationwide. Contact us through email at: hhnhhwinchester@gmail.com.

— Committee members: Marla Harris, Thornberry Road; Anna Hood, Highland Avenue; Shyamal Jajodia, Oneida Road; Shelby Meyerhoff, Winford Way; Stephen Perepeluk, Fenwick Road; Steve Smith, Thornton Road; Paula Zaiken, Church Street

‘Stamp Out Hunger’

In an attempt to curb hunger, the National Association of Letter Carriers will host its 25th annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive on May 13 to stock local food pantries. Council of Social Concern’s Food Pantry is the grateful recipient of the food collected from Woburn and Winchester residents on that day. In the past, letter carriers have collected and delivered thousands of pounds of food to the Food Pantry. Although this is extra work for them, they are enthusiastic and happy to do so, because they know that it makes an enormous difference in the lives of people that live in the communities they serve.

Nearly 49 million Americans — 1/6 — are unsure where their next meal is coming from. This includes 13 million children as well as about five million seniors over age 60 — many of whom live on fixed incomes and often are too embarrassed to ask for help. We may not realize it, but every day we see people who need food assistance in order to adequately feed themselves and their families. Hundreds of our neighbors in Woburn and Winchester rely on Council of Social Concern’s Food Pantry when their circumstances leave them with nowhere else to turn. We are counting on your generosity once again to help keep our shelves stocked through the summer months. Hunger is a problem we can all do something about, so please join with your letter carriers to make this the most successful Food Drive ever.

Please remember to put out your non-perishable food donations before 9 a.m. on May 13. Your letter carrier will collect it for Council of Social Concern’s Food Pantry. If you would like to make a monetary donation to the Food Pantry, please make your check payable to “Council of Social Concern” and write “Food Pantry” in the memo line. Leave it clearly marked for your Letter Carrier.

Thank you.

— Debbi Pisari, Food Pantry director, Woburn Council of Social Concern