Located in South Norwalk, the Maritime Aquarium attracts not just local people, but families, contingents of school kids and adults from all over the northern New York suburbs and much of Connecticut. It’s an easy 30 or 40 minute drive from the Bedford area and worthy of visiting again and again.

So when your kids tell you they’ve already “been there, done that” ages ago at the aquarium, here’s what you say: “Hey, not only are the sharks, seals and other aquarium stuff still there, the meerkats haven’t left and now there’s a dinosaur exhibit (and a 3-D simulator ride to go with it). And there are some new IMAX movies, too.”

Then show them this Patch video to seal the deal. (They’ve got videos on the aquarium’s website, too.)

If you plan ahead and reserve spots, there are often special events going on at the aquarium.

Maritime Aquarium
10 North Water St., Norwalk, CT
203-852-0700
www.​maritimeaquarium.​org

IF YOU GO: Open seven days a week 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (They only close on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.)

COST: Aquarium only. Adults $12.95; children (ages 2-12) $9.95; seniors (65+) $11.95. Some attractions, like the simulator ride, carry an additional charge.

Norwalk Patch Editor David Gurliacci contributed to this article.

We’re looking for basic tag sale information in our towns. Feel free in the comments section below this article, to tell us:

• Where (street address and town)
• When (time and days)
• Whatever else (Is it an estate sale? Is it at your house? Got anything special? A fundraiser for a local nonprofit organization?)

We’ll add more rows to the table as we get more information from you to help our readers plan their outings. (Nobody needs to be spending more money on gas these days!)

Want to add a tag sale for inclusion on a future weekend? It’s easy! Just log into your local Patch (free account) and click on “Post Your Own Event” at the bottom of the calendar right there on the homepage.

Here’s what we’ve found so far — happy hunting! (And be sure to upload a photo of your great find to this article.)

 

White Plains	10 Quarropas St.	Sat., July 16 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Mamaroneck	413 Carroll Ave.	Sat., July 16, 10 a.m. -4 p.m. and Sun., July 17, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. if needed
Greenburgh	7 Balmoral Crescent	Sat., July 16,  9-5 p.m. (Cash and Carry)
Ossining	11 Park Ave.	Sat., July 16, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Scarsdale	163 Boulevard	Sun, Jul 17 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Mohegan Lake	1639 Horton Rd.	Sat., July 16 and Sun., July 17, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Brewster	Corner of Cameron Rd & Rhinecliff Rd	Sat., July 16, 10 a.m.- 3 p.m.
Brewster	415 Brewster Hill Rd.	Sun., July 17, 6 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Chappaqua	Brittany Court	Sat., July 16, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Rye	18 Fenton Street	Sat., July 16 and Sun., July 17, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Rye	13 Johnson Place	Sat., July 16 and Sun., July 17, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Rye Brook	15 Maple Court and  16 Beacon Ln.	Sat., July 16 and Sun., July 17, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Port Chester	24 Halstead Ave.	Sat., July 16, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Yorktown Heights	Hyatt St. off of Granite Springs Rd	Sat., July 16, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Pleasantville	55 Suzanne Ln.	Sat., July 16, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Briarcliff Manor	37 Tulip Rd.	Sat., July 16, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sun., July 17, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
New City	76 Eberling Dr.	Sun., July 17, 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.
New City	10 John St.	Sun., July 17, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Nyack	40 Piermont Ave.	Sun., July 17, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Pearl River	119 W. Crooked Hill Rd.	Sat., July 16, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Pearl River	126 East Carroll Str.	Sat., July 16, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

The Bedford Central School District Board of Education officially began the 2011-12 school year by picking up where it left off.

On Thursday morning, incumbents Eric Karle and Mark Chernis, who were each re-elected in May for additional three-year terms, were each sworn in at the start of the meeting. Superintendent Jere Hochman, who received a contract extension, was also sworn in. The board leadership remains the same, as Susan Elion Wollin was voted in again as president, with Chernis picked again to be vice president.

Once the board was settled, they took reorganization votes on topics ranging from board members’ committee assignments, to administrators taking on secondary roles, to school lunch prices.

Notable Items Include:

Gembka Appointed Interim Pound Ridge Principal

Unable to immediately get a suitable permanent replacement for former Pound Ridge Elementary School Principal Peter Politi, the school board voted to appoint Timothy Gembka to fill the role on an interim basis for the next year.

Gembka, who is retired, previously served as principal at Beginning with Children, a Brooklyn-based charter school. Before that, he served as an elementary school principal in Ossining.

Gembka said he is “really excited and enthusiastic about bringing my skill set and my knowledge” to the district.

The appointment came after an unsuccessful permanent principal search during the spring, in which more than 200 applicants were involved.

“I just didn’t find the right match through that process,” Hochman said in an interview.

Morrow, Shady, Appointed to Audit Committee

The board voted unanimously to appoint Erin Morrow, Bedford Hills, to a two-year term on the district’s Audit Committee, until June 30, 2013. Morrow’s background includes work at public accounting firm Grant Thornton, with risk and compliance experience.

“She’s as perfect as it gets for this job,” said Chernis.

Current committee member Amal Shady was reappointed to a one-year term, until June 30, 2012.

Teacher Evaluations, Collaborative Input, Discussed

In Hochman’s report to the board, he talked about how administrators are working behind the scenes to prepare for the new APPR mandate evaluation system for teachers and principals, which he called “consuming as it was billed to be.”

Andrew Patrick, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, noted an ongoing “constructional coaching” program among a cohort of teachers, ranging from K-12, while working with each other to improve their instruction.

Hochman Lays Groundwork for School Year District Goals

In a fashion similar to what members of the public have seen with his budget timelines, Hochman laid out a detailed presentation of what the district’s goals and objectives should be for 2011-12. The presentation, complete with elaborate and detailed examples and categories, included a description of organizational goals (those for the district, schools, departments) and personal goals (for the school board, teachers and staff). Considered organizational goals range from looking at a capital plan, to a tiered teaching model, to state of the district reports. Personal goals include working in the APPR, meeting both state and district teaching standards (for faculty), and board evaluation for the superintendent.

Hochman also noted that the district’s various committees have come up with a list of 30 possible policy change items for future consideration. They range from changing school start times, to the capital plan, to building a sense of community across the district’s elementary schools. The items on the list are not final, however, and an update will be made to the board in the fall.