Live reporting: Action items to Closing

4. Action Items

a. I recommend not accepting any new School Choice students for the 2015-2016 School Year.

motion to approve, seconded passed 6-0 

b. I recommend approval of the Budget Transfers as detailed.

motion to approve, seconded passed 6-0 

c. I recommend acceptance of a check for $1,000.00 from Walmart for Supplemental Curriculum Materials at Davis Thayer Elementary School.

motion to approve, seconded passed 6-0 

d. I recommend approval of the request for HMMS to take 6th & 8th grade students to Mystic Aquarium in CT on April 1, 2015 as detailed.

motion to approve, seconded passed 6-0 



5. Information Matters

Superintendent’s Report

Sabolinski - it is great to be back, thanks to Sally for an amazing job in all sorts of little crisises
thanks to all in the Central Office staff for their help
I am not totally cleared to be back, I can ambulate a little more

Remington Middle  School  play 60 grant received

NEASC letter from accreditation, FHS is not on warning status for first time since 1996
it has been a long journey, thanks to the community for stepping up
next NEASC visit will be 2017, next year will be self study to prepare for the following year
we have been givning them updates yearly and they have appreciated the progress

Best Buddies Dodgeball tournement, sign up now
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczeFpIdnduSnlQZ3c/view?usp=sharing

School Committee Sub-Committee Reports

School Committee Liaison Reports

Trivia Bee - Apr 8th
November - Harlem Wizards will return for a visit

motion to adjourn
passed 6-0 via roll call vote

Live reporting: Discussion only

3. Discussion Only Items

School Choice Vote

we have currently still 17 students, but have not accepted new students
we have some issues on the horizon, a new housing development 280 apartment units in the Garelick Farm area;  would have an impact on the Oak/Horace Mann schools

recommendation to continue not engaging in school choice
class size is down to where it needs to be (with a few exceptions)
the impact of class size on achievement is profound
opening it up would not be good at this time
the school committee needs to vote and we can notify the state by May 1

Capital Plan Update

a snowy winter season, the town's budget has been overshot by $500,000
there may not be a lot of funds left in the allocation after the snow is paid
the budget subcommittee meets next Wednesday

removed 2 of the 6 original requests
Chromebooks and
look to fund from available operational funds
the justifications are the same

Live Reporting: School Committee - Mar 24, 2015

Present: Douglas, O'Malley, Rohrbach, Clement, Mullen, Trahan
Absent: Jewell


1. Routine Business
Citizen’s Comments - none

Review of Agenda - none

Minutes: I recommend approval of the minutes from the March 10, 2015 School Committee Meeting.
Motion to approve, seconded, passed 6-0

Payment of Bills Mr. Clement
Motion to approve, seconded, passed 6-0

Payroll Mrs. Douglas
FHS Student Representatives
Mock trial made it to the final 4, lost to Pioneer Valley
Senior Banquet
Spring sports started this week
Franklin Friday - themed clothing
partnered with local business, winning grade gets prize 1st prize from Elizabeth's Bagels; next prize coming from The Cake Bar

Correspondence: none


2. Guests/Presentations
a. Best Buddies – Elizabeth Fitzmaurice and Stephanie Geddes

Intro by Supt Maureen Sabolinski (yes, she is back)


Documents for the Best Buddies portion of the meeting can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/03/best-buddies-update-to-school-committee.html

FPS Best Buddies Keller Elementary from Franklin Matters

Franklin was identified as a host community for the 1st elementary program

Stephanie Geddes, IEP coordinator

started in 1997 in High School
then expanded to middle school in 2007
and now to elementary in 2015

proposed in May 2014 to do so; followed up in Sep 2014
Best Buddies doesn't have a program but Franklin wil do this as a pilot

Sarah Fishman and Britt Dubendris are the advisors for the pilot

come to the April 9th PCC meeting at Keller School
to learn about the pilot

Keller community got a letter last week, this week with get the BBK bulletin (see documents for a copy of the BBK bulletin)

a lot of Twitter action
@kellerschool  #1bbkeller
@fps4students

Great news: 1st elementary school program at announced for @KellerSchool #1bbkeller @fps4students pic.twitter.com/FzoEuymuTo
— Steve Sherlock (@FranklinMatters) March 24, 2015

Clement: This is great, I love every aspect of this. how long until we can get it into all the elementary schools?

Fitzmaurice: We're doing it at a pace that ensures we can do it well. We have it elsewhere, It is on the cusp at Dean College. it is going to be a zip code event. 

Sabolinski: Karen Spilka was helpful in this, it was not an immediate sell. We gave them a lot to think about. Our goal is to have chapters yesterday in each of the schools. The work of this group has gotten us to where we are, once we get this going, maybe a year from now, we'll be able to get this ging at the other elementary schools.

Fitzmaurice:  You had me all in at hello. We haven't looked back.

O'Malley: this kind of program is about the best of who we are. We operate best when we connect. The kids will get the benefit from this.

Sabolinski: we do want to acknowledge that Jeff Roy's office has helped us, the Streeter family has helped and supported us. They are helping to sponsor the Dodge ball tournament. Pre-K through college is our vision.

Register for the 5th Annual Franklin & Bellingham SNETT Road Race

Help support our effort to develop the Southern New England Trunkline Trail into a multi-use path for Franklin and Bellingham Registration: 8:30 – 9:45am Start Time: Walk 9:45 AM / Run 10:00 AM Start / Finish: 628 Washington St. Franklin, MA (Remington School) Run: 5 mile loop of paved roads through residential neighborhoods Walk: 1.5 mile & 3.5 mile walk through residential neighborhoods Entry Fee: $25 prior to race day $30 day of the race $15 Students Participation Medals to All Registrants Post race refreshments Prizes awarded by category Commemorative T-shirts Participation Medals & Raffle Prizes Race Timing by Spitler Race Systems or download and register by mail

Join & Support | Contact Us | Forward this email Franklin & Bellingham Rail Trail Committee

Franklin & Bellingham Rail Trail Committee · PO Box 68 · Franklin, Ma 02038 · USA

National Medical Academy: Nurse Aid Training

National Medical Academy offers the newest medical training program specializing in Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Training. CNA classes are a full-fledged course that has been recently licensed by the state, which allows any individual to succeed in the field of health care. 

National Medical Academy

Designed by the industry professionals, the Nurse Aide Training Programs offered by National Medical Academy will mold individuals into health care professionals, particularly directed to the path of nurse assisting – be it in major hospitals, health care centers or assisted living settings. 

In addition to that, National Medical Academy is focused on the system of Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Training and thus, individuals who want to be involved in the health care industry can now obtain the CNA certification through their Nurse Aide Training Programs. 

National Medical Academy, moreover, encourages individuals to opt for taking up a course as highly needed as Nurse Assistant Training nowadays. There is truthfulness to the fact that the health care industry does not substantially function without the help of certified nurse assistants (CNA). What's more, the United States appears to increase demands for nurse assistants every year and that makes nurse assisting one of the most in demand jobs that there are, not to mention that the compensation is relatively good. 

For additional information, visit the official website of National Medical Academy through the link below:
https://nationalmedicalacademy.com/

Enrollment in our CNA programs are VERY LIMITED to 5 students per class.

Enroll Today before the class is FULL!!!!!

To register for a CPR training - Click Here

"A business built on referrals" (Just ask a neighbor)

 Learn about our Referral Rewards program Click Here

Please think GREEN before printing this or any email.

Boston Globe Subscribers: Redeem your GRANT voucher before it expires!

Fellow Boston Globe subscribers, there are lots of choices to make for how you would apply your grant. Please consider the Franklin Food Pantry as one.

GRANT: Globe Readers And Non-profits Together View web version Time's running out! Your $50 GRANT voucher expires soon. Dear Stephen, There's still time! Remember to take a minute to recognize your favorite charity through GRANT (Globe Readers And Non-profits Together). Exclusively for Globe subscribers, this incredible community initiative gives you an easy way to support the non-profit of your choice — at no cost to you or the charity you select. Here's how it works: Choose a non-profit organization in your area that you would like to recognize. Submit your selection by visiting BostonGlobe.com/GRANT and entering the following voucher number: (insert your own voucher #). Your non-profit accumulates GRANT dollars which it can later redeem for free ad space in the Globe (the more GRANT dollars earned, the larger the ad space provided). Please use on or before April 30, 2015. As a subscriber, you have $50 GRANT dollars to allocate to the certified 501(c)(3) of your choice. Stay up to date on subscriber contributions made to each organization by checking our 2015 Non-profit Leaderboard. For additional information on GRANT, please visit BostonGlobe.com/GRANT. Thank you for subscribing to The Boston Globe and joining us in supporting our remarkable community. Warmly, The Boston Globe To ensure you receive Globe GRANT emails, please add GRANT@globe.com to your address book. We value your privacy. If you have any questions, please call 1-888-MY-GLOBE (1-888-694-5623). Address: The Boston Globe 135 Morrissey Boulevard Boston, MA 02125 ©Copyright 2015 Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC

In the News: pothole money, charter school expansion

As announced in the Milford Daily News, Franklin will receive $140,000. This will help to offset the snow/ice budget which exceeded its amount by $500,000.

As part of a $30 million release, the state gave area towns an average of $100,000 each to fix potholes caused by this winter’s extreme conditions. The apportionment numbers for Gov. Charlie Baker’s Winter Recovery Assistance Program were released late Friday. 

Franklin and Milford received $140,000 and $122,000, respectively. On the low side, Hopedale received $26,000 and Mendon received $41,000. 

Though the funds come out of a separate account, they follow the Chapter 90 formula, which fuses municipal road miles and population to come up with a fair price.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20150324/NEWS/150328628/1994/NEWS



As announced here earlier, the Charter School has selected Daedalus as the project manager for their expansion project.

“Our ultimate priority is to stay here in Franklin,” said Heather Zolnowski, the head of school. “If not, we’re looking for somewhere as close to where we are now as possible.” 

Over the next decade the school plans to increase enrollment by 450 students. Already, prospective students from Attleboro, Bellingham, Blackstone, Holliston, Hopedale, Medway, Mendon-Upton, Milford, Millis, Norfolk, Plainville, Walpole and Wrentham have the same opportunity to enroll at the school as those from Franklin. 

The school will not expand the number of seats offered until after it has moved, and a timetable has not been finalized.

Continue reading the full article here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20150324/NEWS/150328592/1994/NEWS

Tri-County cheerleading squad heads to Nationals

The Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School Varsity cheerleading team are preparing to compete at the U.S. Spirit national cheerleading competition for the first time in school history. 

The Tri-County squad placed third in Division III at the MSSAA 2015 Winter Cheerleading State Competition at Wachusett Regional High School last Sunday to earn its invitation to the national competition. 

The team's road to nationals included a 2015 Mayflower Athletic Conference Championship and a 2015 Division III South Regional Championship.

Continue reading about the Tri-County trip to the Nationals here
http://www.thesunchronicle.com/sports/local_sports/tri-county-cheerleading-squad-to-make-nationals-debut/article_31c4abba-d76c-5bfa-b2ec-7e6b4ea8ea7c.html

Tri-County rotating header image

LETTER TO EDITOR: PARCC is Failing Teachers and Students | Framingham, MA Patch

A group of Framingham elementary school teachers have written a Letter to the Editor that was published in the Framingham Patch:

As teachers we cannot stay silent as PARCC makes its way into our classrooms.

In the words of Soujourner Truth at the 1851 Women’s Convention, “Where there is so much racket there must be something out of kilter.” Nationally, we’re hearing a racket about the problem of standardized tests driving instruction, knocking the process of education clearly out of kilter. Here are a few reasons why: 

1. Test Prep takes time away from REAL Reading, Writing and Math Instruction.

PARCC website

Continue to read the article to see the other reasons listed for their objections to the PARCC test.

http://patch.com/massachusetts/framingham/letter-editor-parcc-failing-teachers-and-students-0#.VQ830LCbmvY.gmail


In a related post, there is information on how to opt out of the PARCC or MCAS tests. 
http://www.citizensforpublicschools.org/the-facts-on-opting-out-of-mcas-or-parcc/

Last Chance to sponsor a team for the 18th Annual Trivia Bee

The Franklin Education Foundation will hold its 18th Annual Trivia Bee on Wednesday, April 8th, 2015. There will be live music by the Franklin High School Jazz Band, a raffle table, and refreshments.

The Bee is the FEF’s largest fundraiser and has enabled the organization to donate over $300,000 to the Franklin Public Schools since 1997 for innovative education programs that would not otherwise be possible.

NEW THIS YEAR: MIDDLE SCHOOL TRIVIA BEE PRIOR TO THE REGULAR BEE!

Trivia Bee - Apr 8th

The Bee will be held at the Thomas Mercer Auditorium at the Horace Mann Middle School. The middle school Bee will be held from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. and the theme will be general trivia.

The regular Bee will be held from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. and the theme will be movie trivia. For the regular Bee, teams consist of three people sponsored by local businesses, civic groups and individuals. Organizations may send their own team or may sponsor a team of Franklin High School students.

Anyone interested in sponsoring a team, donating an item to the raffle table, or bidding on naming rights for the final championship round should contact Kit Brady at cbbrady1@comcast.net. All entries must be received by March 25th.


For more information about the Franklin Education Foundation, please visit our website at www.franklined.org or visit us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/franklined.org)

"instructing its attorney to draft a favorable decision"

The 280 unit apartment complex touted for the Bellingham end of RT 140 apparently is going through. 70 of the 280 units would be available as affordable housing.

“We’ve tried to be very responsive to every concern and issues that has been raised,” said Mark Vaughn, the attorney for the project. 

The developer also had to make concessions for a historical structure on the site — the fifth oldest property in town, according to the Historical Commission. The commission will allow Acme Jazz to demolish the existing structure, but requested a marker signifying the historical importance of the property. 

Early on, town officials in Franklin and Bellingham (the development sits near the border between the two communities) were concerned about increased traffic on Rte. 140. 

In response, Acme Jazz agreed to widen the roadway for a new westbound left-turn lane for vehicles entering the site. And the developer pledged to extend the sidewalk on the south side of Rte. 140 into Bellingham and build a new sidewalk at the entrance to the property.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20150323/NEWS/150328942/1994/NEWS

The background info on the plan can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/03/zoning-board-of-appeals-march-19-agenda.html

Franklin, MA: School Committee - Agenda - Mar 24, 2015

Vision Statement

The Franklin Public Schools will foster within its students the knowledge and skills to find and achieve satisfaction in life as productive global citizens.

AGENDA

"The listing of matters are those reasonably anticipated by the Chair which may be discussed at the meeting. Not all items listed may in fact be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by law."

Franklin School Committee: Douglas, Rohrbach, Mullen, Trahan
back row - O'Malley, Jewell, Clement (Town of Franklin photo)

1. Routine Business

Citizen’s Comments
Review of Agenda
Minutes: I recommend approval of the minutes from the March 10, 2015 School Committee Meeting.
Payment of Bills Mr. Clement
Payroll Mrs. Douglas
FHS Student Representatives
Correspondence: none

2. Guests/Presentations

a. Best Buddies – Elizabeth Fitzmaurice and Stephanie Geddes

Documents for the Best Buddies portion of the meeting can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/03/best-buddies-update-to-school-committee.html


3. Discussion Only Items

School Choice Vote
Capital Plan Update

4. Action Items

a. I recommend not accepting any new School Choice students for the 2015-2016 School Year.
b. I recommend approval of the Budget Transfers as detailed.
c. I recommend acceptance of a check for $1,000.00 from Walmart for Supplemental Curriculum Materials at Davis Thayer Elementary School.
d. I recommend approval of the request for HMMS to take 6th & 8th grade students to Mystic Aquarium in CT on April 1, 2015 as detailed.

5. Information Matters

Superintendent’s Report
School Committee Sub-Committee Reports
School Committee Liaison Reports

6. New Business

To discuss future business that may be brought before the School Committee.

7. Adjourn

Best Buddies - update to School Committee - 3/24/15

The Best Buddies program is expanding within the Franklin School district. This presentation document is scheduled for discussion at the School Committee meeting on Tuesday, Mar 24, 2015.

FPS Best Buddies Keller Elementary from Franklin Matters

Best Buddies logo

Additional documents referenced during the discussion can be found here



Intro letter
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczVk5lUGJMR2N5bms/view?usp=sharing

Dodgeball flyer
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczeFpIdnduSnlQZ3c/view?usp=sharing

Best Buddies Bulletin
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczMXU0Zk5FVkNwWGM/view?usp=sharing

Artifical vs. real turf

In the updates from Town Administrator Jeff Nutting, and confirmed by School Building Committee Chair Tom Mercer, the bids for the new practice field at FHS came at at about $800K. This was less than the expected $1 - 1.1M budgeted for.

Saving money is always a good thing. Since the discussion started last year, the Franklin Matters Twitter account has been copied on some tweets about the issue with crumb rubber as we have reported on the discussion.

For example:

#dangerous #fields tonight at 11PM on @cbsboston investigates #crumbrubber infill on #syntheticturf CC: @FranklinMatters @jeffroy
— Turf Grass Forum (@turfgrassforum) March 19, 2015

screen grab of CBS Boston video report on health concerns with artificial turf fields

Last Wednesday night's I-Team report can be viewed here:




While it is important to note that of the 51 studies cited not one proves a connection, there is also the issue that the studies did not look at the long term effects. So while it is good that we will save money spring sports teams can play on the limited turf fields now (Beaver St and the high school field) rather than waiting for the snow to melt, we should also recognize that our kids are participating in a study of the long term effects.

The current turf fields were cleared with the help of funding provided by the local lacrosse and soccer leagues. It is okay to plow the artificial turf fields but not to do so on real turf fields.

The 'practice field' on the grounds of the new FHS had been budgeted for as regular grass and changed during the Town Council meeting in November
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/11/the-town-council-reorganizes-sort-of.html

Last Wednesday nights brief update
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/03/live-reporting-legislation-through-to.html

If the embedded video doesn't work properly, you can also follow this link to view it on the CBS Boston website here
http://boston.cbslocal.com/2015/03/18/i-team-health-concerns-raised-over-artificial-turf-fields/

Property lines, permits, and erroneous enrollment numbers were key topics Wednesday

The quick summary of the Town Council meeting on Wednesday is as follows:

1. The Council approved acceptance of several roads that have a a defined road plan and property lines. Some of the early developments had property lines where the ownership went to the middle of the road. In those cases, for the town to take responsibility for the road, it would need to reach agreement with all the home owners; which can be a tedious if not almost impossible task. There are several developments where these road plans are being worked and these tonight were the latest in the series where progress has reached a good point.
2. Ownership and property lines also arose from a citizen comment. The resident had purchased a home 40+ years ago, had water problems reportedly from the street which the Town at the time corrected with a pump and drainage. Turns out the land never really should have been built upon, the town workers then should not have spent public money for a private benefit. The pump recently failed which the town did replace but also said that this was the last time they were doing anything about it, leaving the homeowner in a real quandary. Fortunately, all parties will work together to see if they can reach a satisfactory conclusion.
3. Gus Brown, the Building Inspector, provided an overview on the work of his department. The presentation doc can be viewed below.
4. The School Budget got some good news this week. What had been a $600K shortage due to the Charter School funding and reimbursement process turns out to not be the case as some erroneous enrollment numbers were used which caused the problem in the first place. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) will be reworking the numbers to use the proper set of enrollment and this situation should be resolved. 
5. The Town is still awaiting the arbitrators decision on the fire fighter union. This decision would affect the budget as the union has not had a contract for 3 years. The decision has been planned for by putting away some funds to cover but how much will be covered will be dependent upon the decision and then whether the Town Council accepts the decision. Hence, the overall FY 16 budget process is starting real slow this year. One thing is sure, there will be a balanced budget before June 30, 2015. Stay tuned for further developments in this space.

Franklin Building and Zoning Department from Franklin Matters

Magnolia Heights, a 140 unit development at Chestnut Ridge, RT 140

For additional info on Magnolia Heights, one of the developments underway that the Building Inspector is visiting regularly, check their webpage
http://www.seniorlivinginstyle.com/p/independent_living/amenities_11072/franklin-ma-02038/magnolia-heights-gracious-retirement-living-11072



You can find all my notes reporting live during the meeting here:

• Live reporting: Legislation through to closing

• Live reporting: Presentations

• Live reporting: License Transactions

• Live reporting: Public Hearing on street acceptanc...

• Live reporting: Town Council - March 18, 2015

Economic Development Committee meeting on Pond Street traffic study

Sharing an email from Town Administrator Jeff Nutting:

Good Morning 

The chair of the ED committee has asked to post an economic development meeting next Wednesday at 6 pm prior to the planning workshop to discuss the attached daft traffic report prepared by BETA about potential development of the Pond street site. The Traffic engineer Greg Lucas will be in attendance to explain the report and answer questions.

Call with Questions 

Thanks 

Jeff

Franklin Municipal Building

A key quote from the report attached below

"As can be seen in the above table, operational concerns for the movements to and from Old West Central Street are further exacerbated by the addition of trips from the theoretical Pond Street development. Although overall intersection LOS remains at an acceptable level, the development will further degrade existing areas of concern."

Fortunately, there are some recommendations that can work to alleviate the traffic concerns. They will require further study before MassDOT accepts and funds the work.

Tri-County Children’s Center To Host Open House And Registration

The Tri-County Regional Children’s Center, located at 147 Pond Street in Franklin, will host an Open House and Registration from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, March 27.

Parents are encouraged to bring their children so that they can participate in many of the same activities they’ll enjoy as preschool students. Each child will be given the opportunity to select a prize.

The Children Center's Preschool Program is open to children who are three years old by September 15, 2015 and no older than four years, 9 months by December 15, 2015. Sessions are held every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 8:50 a.m. to 11:20 a.m. The cost is $36 per week.

The Toddler Program is open to children who are between 18 months and 30 months by October 1, 2015. Sessions are held on Mondays from 9:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. Parents or caregivers are required to stay during the toddler session. The cost of the Toddler Program is $8 per week.

High school junior Corrinne Lombardi, of Wrentham, works with 

a preschooler in the Tri-County Children’s Center

Tuition is subject to change. A $25 non-refundable fee is due at the time of registration. Parents or caregivers must bring their child's birth certificate to registration.

Enrollment is limited to residents of the 11 towns within the Tri-County district, which includes Franklin, Medfield, Medway, Millis, Norfolk, North Attleboro, Plainville, Seekonk, Sherborn, Walpole, and Wrentham. A random drawing of names will be held to determine enrollment.

Under the direction of three instructors, Michelle Tilden, Lisa Oxford and Dina Taylor, each of whom possesses extensive training and experience, high school students in Tri-County’s Early Education Program plan and implement curriculum for the center’s preschool and toddler programs.

On a typical day in the center, the children are given the opportunity to participate in a variety of open-ended art projects and scientific inquiry that embraces their natural sense of curiosity and wonder. They also participate in language activities, play board games that support mathematical and language concepts, browse the center’s extensive library, and simply enjoy playing with their peers. Children have the opportunity to enjoy the center’s natural outdoor play space, which is an extension of the indoor classroom.

“Our program is based on years of sound research regarding developmentally appropriate practice,” instructor Michelle Tilden explained. “What we offer for children encompasses the whole child’s developmental needs: physical, cognitive, social, and emotional. It is not just academics. Will they learn those foundational academic skills? Absolutely! But not at the cost of their natural joy, wonder and curiosity.”

To learn more, please call the school at 508-528-5400 or visit the center’s website, tcchildrenscenter.com

Tri-County RVTHS, located at 147 Pond Street in Franklin, is a recipient of the High Schools That Work Gold Achievement Award and serves the communities of Franklin, Medfield, Medway, Millis, Norfolk, North Attleborough, Plainville, Seekonk, Sherborn, Walpole, and Wrentham.

Greater Boston Food Bank Update: Meet Lyn, Client and Volunteer

The Franklin Food Pantry is proud to be a Strategic Partner of the Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB).

	Email not displaying correctly? View it here.
March 18, 2015
Follow GBFB on    The Greater Boston Food Bank's (GBFB) Brown Bag program provides supplemental groceries to more than 8,000 seniors every month, ensuring they don't miss meals and receive the nutritious food they need to stay healthy. Lyn, from Amesbury, regularly receives groceries from one of GBFB's Brown Bag programs. She's also a proud volunteer, helping others in need. Read more about Lyn on the GBFB blog. GBFB is committed to supporting healthy lives and communities through the food we distribute and the nutrition education programs our Registered Dieticians offer. Did you know that 81% of our 51 million pound distribution meets the highest nutritional rankings? Team GBFB also follows the same healthy lifestyle. During National Nutrition Month®, we're sharing some of our nutritious recipes and tips on staying active. Follow our National Nutrition Month® posts throughout March. Mike and Peter will be racing to End Hunger Here at the 2015 Boston Marathon. This is both Mike and Peter's first marathon and they are running to raise funds for the one in nine residents of eastern Massachusetts who struggle to have enough to eat. Learn more about Mike and Peter, their motivation to run for GBFB, and how you can help them reach their goals. Get Our Annual Report At GBFB, we strive to operate as efficiently as possible. During fiscal year 2014, we achieved some major milestones and want to share them with you in our annual report. Thanks to our supporters, we're on our way to making an even greater impact in 2015. Recipe of the Month A great shipment of green beans arrived this week! Green beans are full of vitamin A and can be served as a side or within a dish. Check out some of the green bean recipes we offer to clients.

The Greater Boston Food Bank  |  70 South Bay Ave. Boston, MA 02118-2700 Phone: (617) 427-5200  |  Email: info@gbfb.org  |  Privacy Policy  |
Copyright © 2015 The Greater Boston Food Bank

Upcoming Events in Franklin, MA Area: FRI 3/20/15 - 3/26/15

FRI 3/20   8-9:50pm   Frozen Friday DJ Public Skate at Pirelli Arena 

SAT 3/21   9am   Softball Players Clinic at FHS, grades 1-6, registration required
SAT 3/21   9am  Franklin Library Book Sale until 4:00 PM
SAT 3/21   2pm   The Music Man at The Black Box
SAT 3/21   7:30pm   The Music Man at The Black Box
SAT 3/21   8pm   Jonathan Edwards Concert at Circle of Friends Coffeehouse

SUN 3/22   9am   Franklin Library Books by the Bag Sale until noon
SUN 3/22   2pm   The Music Man at The Black Box

WED 3/25   12-2pm   Adult Painting at Franklin Art Center
WED 3/25   12-2pm   Dean College Opportunities Fair

THU 3/26   7pm   Computer Safety Class by PC Handyman, registration required at FUSF

For all the Town of Franklin Public Meetings click HERE.

For event details click HERE.

*If you have any suggestions or events for the calendar, please email Renata@BetterLivingRE.com

MBTA Update: Starting Monday: Franklin Line schedule change

Franklin Line schedule changes begin Monday, March 23. See mbta.com/winter for full schedule information. Ten trips will be restored and one trip changed on the Franklin Line beginning March 23: Departing Forge Park/495 Train 702 (5:40 AM to Boston) Train 716 (12:05 PM to Boston) Train 726 (8:50 PM to Boston) Departing Walpole Train 732 (7:54 AM to Boston) Departing Norwood Central Train 736 (5:22 PM to Boston) Departing South Station Train 733 (6:55 AM to Walpole)  Train 709 (10:50 AM to Forge Park/495)  Train 737 (4:45 PM to Norwood Central)  Train 719 (5:10 PM to Forge Park/495) no longer stopping at Hyde Park or Endicott  Train 721 (5:40 PM to Forge Park/495)Train 725 (7:35 PM to Forge Park/495) Last updated: Mar 19 2015 05:11 PM Click here for more information: http://www.mbta.com/winter/severe_weather/ Sent by the MBTA. Manage subscriptions Manage account One-click unsubscribe Help when the snow recedes, you're not sure what you'll find (like this on the Franklin/Dean platform)