Saturday, August 1, 2009

PMC - Franklin Water Stop

The Pan Mass Challenge had a water stop this morning at the Remington/Jefferson School on Washington St. It was quite a colorful and festive affair. One rider after pulling over to catch her breath, asked what town she was in. When my wife and I answered, Franklin. She responded; "Oh Franklin, yes, you're a great water stop!"

Here are some pictures of the riders and greeters today:




May the road be kind to all the riders today, and may the wind be at your back!

If you would like to contribute to a rider, you can search for a rider by name here.

For some of the many Franklin PMC riders, there donations pages can be found here:

To donate to Ethan Pearl's ride, logon to https://www.pmc.org/egifts/default.asp?Add=EP0070,

for Michele Pearl, https://www.pmc.org/egifts/default.asp?Add=MP0164 ,

for Jeff Roy, https://www.pmc.org/egifts/default.asp?Add=JR0142

for Jeff Nutting, https://www.pmc.org/egifts/default.asp?Add=JN0077

for Sue Rohrbach, https://www.pmc.org/egifts/default.asp?Add=SR0109


On this day

You can check out Wikipedia to find out what happened on this day in history.

Digging into the archives, the posting here a year ago reported on vandalism, car thieves, and the Digital Credit Union expanding by opening their office on RT 140.

In 2007, Oak St Elementary School received word that it's kindergarten had been certified by the NAEYC and the Boston Globe wrote about the short cut utility poles. I had just before that posted pictures of those poles that could be seen along Union St.

Thanks for stopping by to visit Franklin Matters. If there happens to be nothing new on the front page, please feel free to dig into the archives. You might find something of interest that you had previously missed.

FHS Update and Amendment to the Program of Studies

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

via FHS Principal's Blog by lightp on 7/31/09

Please excuse the date on this letter, but as I prepare to leave for vacation, I wanted to post a copy of this letter which will be sent next week to the FHS Community. The letter is designed to highlight and explain changes that will or have occurred at FHS as we prepare for the coming year. Guidance Counselors will be in the Office on August 18th and 19th to answer questions or resolve scheduling conflicts.

Click below for a version of the letter that can be downloaded and printed.

FHS Update


Things you can do from here:

Friday, July 31, 2009

This is an election year for Franklin

Did you know this was an election year?
Yes, Franklin voters get to decide who will serve in the open positions shown in the table below.

Do we know who is running for these positions yet?
No, the nomination papers will be available from Deborah L. Pellegri, the Town Clark, beginning Monday, August 10th. You can take out nomination papers up until September 11th. All papers need to be returned by September 15th.

So we won't know who is running until September 15th?
Officially, yes. It is likely that as the people declare they are running there will be some announcements, press releases, etc. as their campaign gets underway.

Will Franklin Matters cover the election?
Yes, I will be providing as much information here as I can obtain. My disclosure statement can be found here or in the right column on the Franklin Matters blog.

When is election day?
DATE: TUESDAY, November 3, 2009
TIME: 6:00 AM – 8:00 PM
PLACE: FRANKLIN HIGH SCHOOL FIELD HOUSE ON OAK STREET for ALL PRECINCTS

When is the last day to register to vote?
October 14, 2009 at 8:00 PM at the Town Clerk’s Office, First Floor, 355 East Central Street, Municipal Building.

What if I am going to be out of town on November 3rd?
Absentee ballots will be available beginning October 13th.

What do I need to do to get an absentee ballot?
Absentee ballots are now available in the Town Clerk’s office. A registered voter who will be unable to vote at the polls on election day due to the following reasons may vote absentee up to 12:00 noon the day before the election:
(1) absence from your city or town during normal polling hours; or
(2) physical disability preventing you from going to the polling place; or
(3) religious belief.

All absentee requests must be made in writing with an original signature (no faxes or e-mails are accepted). If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call Deborah L. Pellegri, Town Clerk, at 508-520-4900.


Name # of Openings Incumbent Term of Office
Board of Assessors 1 Position (For 4 years) Robert Avakian 2009 to 2013




Board of Health 1 Position (For 4 years) Bruce Hunchard 2009 to 2013




Planning Board 2 Position (For 4 years) Anthony Padula 2009 to 2013

* 1Vacant
2009 to 2013




Planning Board (Associate) * 1 vacant position (For 4 Years)
2009 to 2013




Town Council 9 Positions (For 2 Years) Joseph McGann 2009 to 2011


Deborah Bartlett


R. Scott Mason


Christopher Feeley


Judith Pond Pfeffer


Thomas Doak


Shannon Zollo


Robert Vallee


Stephen Whalen




School Committee 7 Positions (For 2 Years) Cora Armenio 2009 to 2011


Susan Rohrbach


Paula Mullen


Edward Cafasso


Roberta Trahan


Matthew Kelly


Jeffrey Roy


* These positions were appointed to fill vacancy until the next scheduled election thus, individuals holding these positions are not considered incumbents.

Please call Deborah L. Pellegri CMC, Town Clerk with any questions at 508-520-4900.

PanMass Challenge rides through on Saturday

Be aware that along the following routes and approximate times, the PanMass Challenge will ride through Franklin.

  • Between 7:10 and 10:10 a.m., riders will pass through North Street in Bellingham and continue toward Prospect Street in Franklin.

  • Between 7:20 and 10:45 a.m., riders will pass through Prospect Street in Franklin and continue toward Otis Street in Wrentham.

For more information about the Pan-Mass Challenge, including the routes, events and history, and how to make a donation, go to www.pmc.org.

A few of Franklin's riders were highlighted earlier this week here

If you know of other Franklin riders, please let me know so I can share their info here as well.

Want to cut college costs?

There will be a free college seminar at the Norfolk Public Library on how to cut $42,000 in college costs. Insights on why good students do not get into their first-choice colleges will also be reviewed.

Tuesday evening, August 4, at 7 PM

If you can't make it on Tuesday, this seminar will be offered again during the remainder of 2009. You can check out the full schedule here.

Who is the presenter?

Paul uses his own proven marketing techniques - just like the colleges use to sell their product to your student - to sell your student to the colleges. And he coaches your student through the entire process so that you don't have to pull out your hair.

In short, your anxiety, worry, and stress levels are dramatically reduced. Also, your relationship with your student is enhanced and the senior year is nourishing and productive – as it should be.


Paul Hemphill

Biz: 508.520.6642

Biz: 888.876.1863

Fax: 508.528.1946

http://files.killercovers.com/graphics/EasierWaysToPayForCollege/images/PH_PayForCollegeDVD&Case4_2.jpgCollegeGameCoverSideFullWYALBookCoverWrap4Brochure_300dpi4


Paul is a member of the United Regional Chamber of Commerce.


"Fun-ja-cational!"


The program's co-directors, Kristy Yankee, a French teacher and director of foreign languages at the high school, and Kristin Cerce, a former physical education/health teacher who will teach science this year, said the program has been a great success.

"I think the kids are making so many friends, new friends. As the week progressed, they really opened up. Every day, they have bigger smiles on their faces," said Yankee.

Read the full article about the High School Experience in the Milford Daily News here.


Thursday, July 30, 2009

Walgreens foundation


The foundation is taking shape for the Walgreens at the corner of 140 and King St.


Change the math pyramid

Are you going to use calculus in your real life? Probably not. The odds are you would make better use of statistics! Listen to this simple proposal on a change to math curriculum.



What are the odds of this proposal succeeding?

What is a better sale? 2 for 1, or half off?

"Franklin's pretty pro-active"


"The problem is, mankind has created a bunch of impervious areas. Water used to land on grass and work its way into the ground, but asphalt doesn't allow it to seep into the ground, and pollutants like antifreeze washes into streams and rivers," Cantoreggi said.

The new system, located next to the police station on Panther Way, will capture stormwater from places such as Highwood Drive and the police station parking lot, and treat the water before it goes into a stream, said Rich Niles, project manager with Comprehensive Environmental of Marlborough, the firm hired for the project design and permitting.

Read the article about the latest effort to treat stormwater before it goes to the Charles River in the MIlford Daily News here


"soccer balls and monetary donations are still needed"


"We're both soccer players, so we knew this would be something we were both interested in," Katinas said. "We decided to make it as a community service project because we get to work with children with special needs and they don't have many opportunities like this."

The camp, which is part of the Franklin Soccer School, will be held at Carpe Diem Field in Franklin from Aug. 3 to 6 from 5 to 6 p.m. for children ages 6 to 14.

----

For more information on the Summer Challenger Soccer Camp, visit Franklinsoccerschool.com/capstone.html or e-mail Frongillo and Katinas at Info@franklinsoccerschool.com.

Read the full artcile about this summer project in the Milford Daily News here


Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Tinkering with Imagination

J K Rowling said in her address at the Harvard Commencement in 2008:

Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation. In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathise with humans whose experiences we have never shared.


Gever Tulley builds upon the imagination that kids have in his Tinkering School.



Do you let your kids tinker?

How do you feed your imagination?

"stronger sales can be attributed to better values"


Matthew Kelly, a Franklin real estate agent who owns and runs Team Kelly with Re/Max, speculated that Franklin is rebounding well because it's a family town with top-rated schools and is "a commuter's dream."

"I call Franklin a blue-chip town," said Kelly, pointing out its access to commuter rail and its reasonable driving distances to Boston, Providence, the Cape and two airports.

Read the full article about the area's real estate market in the Milford Daily News here.

There are a number of other local blogs covering real estate in Franklin.

Century 21 realtor Warren Reynolds writes on his blog 02038.com and posted this update: Video on Franklin Real Estate Market

Kathy Stankard, a Re/Max realtor, has her own blog with frequent updates Franklin Massachusetts Homes Blog


"Everyone is so supportive, it's just amazing,"


On Saturday and Sunday, the Pearls and about 20 teammates, including Franklin Town Administrator Jeffrey D. Nutting, Franklin School Committee Chairman Jeffrey Roy and School Committee member Susan Rohrbach, will ride for Emily.

Ethan Pearl will trek 48 miles in the "Teen Stride," and his mother will ride 182 miles, from Sturbridge to Bourne, and then from Bourne to Wellesley.

Read the full article about the Pan Mass Challenge in the MIlford Daily News here

The Pan Mass Challenge will be held this weekend. If you have not already contributed to someone doing a ride, please consider doing so. There are hundreds of worthy stories similar to Emily's.

To donate to Ethan Pearl's ride, logon to https://www.pmc.org/egifts/default.asp?Add=EP0070,

for Michele Pearl, https://www.pmc.org/egifts/default.asp?Add=MP0164 ,

for Jeff Roy, https://www.pmc.org/egifts/default.asp?Add=JR0142

for Jeff Nutting, https://www.pmc.org/egifts/default.asp?Add=JN0077

for Sue Rohrbach, https://www.pmc.org/egifts/default.asp?Add=SR0109

or you could write a check out to PMC and mail to the Pearl Family, 383 Lincoln St., Franklin.


Note: when you follow the links above to each rider's page, it may look like you have to re-select the rider. The links did work when I tested them. Just click on the "Sponsor one rider with one donation" and then "Search for a person by Name" and that individual should be already selected for you.

In the worst case, you can re-select the individual by name or by rider ID. The rider ID is the two letters and four numbers after the "Add=" shown above.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Franklin: Wachusett St closed

for construction between North Park and King today. Tuesday 7/28/09.

"changes with a net-zero effect on the budget"

It still functions as a library, but it's very much a technology focus now," said Principal Peter Light.

"One of the big pushes we've tried to make is to bring Franklin High up to date with technology. We're not only behind other schools in the state, but we're behind other schools in the district," Light said.

This part of the transformation of the FHS Library as discussed last week at the School Committee meeting. Principal Peter Light reviewed this and a number of other changes coming to the high school this September.

You can continue to read today's article in the Milford Daily News here.

You can wait until several days after the School Committee meeting to read about what happened or subscribe to Franklin Matters and obtain the information as it is published during the meeting.

Concerts on the Common - Infractions Band

The Infractions Band will be appearing Wednesday, July 29 for Concerts on the Common from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM.

Suburban Martial Arts will perform for the Children's Concert from 6:00 Pm to 6:30 PM.

Video on Franklin Real Estate Market

Realtor Warren Reynolds who posts at 02038.com has a new video showing the current up turn in the Franklin real estate market.




I hope you enjoy!

"The Best Resource for Me Is Other Teachers"

 
 

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

 
 

via ASCD Inservice by Laura Varlas on 7/22/09

Today we learn from other people's focus groups. Specifically WGBH Educational Foundation's study on how to enhance the social media functions of Teachers' Domain, a free online library of multimedia materials supporting K–12 instruction. Teachers' Domain is supported by funding...

 
 

Things you can do from here:

 
 

Monday, July 27, 2009

FM #44 - This week in Franklin, MA 07/26/09

This is #44 in the series of podcasts for Franklin Matters. Give me about ten minutes and I'll let you know what matters in Franklin, MA for the week ending July 26, 2009

Time: 11 minutes, 23 seconds



MP3 File

Session Notes:

Music intro
My intro
FM #44

This internet radio show or podcast for Franklin Matters is number 44 in the series.

You give me about ten minutes and I'll let you know what matters in Franklin, MA for the w/e 7/26.

We'll cover two items this week:
  1. The School Committee final budget
  2. The Summer Art Institute show

The School Committee meeting on June 23 left me with doom and gloom. The budget deficit had yet to be resolved. The budget was to be level funded. There was no hope of "found money". The numbers were still not balancing and yet tipping in the wrong direction.

How many teachers would end up going out the door?

It seemed likely that a minimum of 40 would. How many more would go was the question that remained. However, I returned from travel to find that of the 60 school personnel notified only 12 would not be returning.

How had this come about?

This was a question several readers here asked me to help explain. I did not have the answer initially. A recent newspaper article did not explain. Even the School Committee meeting on Tuesday, July 21, left me with questions unanswered.

What was the answer?

A conversation with Jeff Roy resulted in the answer. The level funded budget from the Town didn't change. What did change was that all the stimulus funds from either the Federal or State sources were added to the level funded Town budget. That made a big difference. To the tune of $1.1 million. (actually $1,133,953 according to the School Committee)

How did that help?

Instead of ending up with a level funded budget, we ended up with a level funded plus budget. So all the talk of a level funded budget is from the Town Council perspective. The Town did not provide the Schools with anything more than they School got for the prior fiscal year. The Schools benefited by adding the various Federal and State stimulus funds in to the mix to end up with level funded plus.

Is that wrong?

No. At least, I don't believe so. I just wish the discussion around this subject had been more clear. If I spend as much time as I do attending and participating in the various meetings and I get lost, then I can not fault the 'average' Franklin voter for getting lost.

How do we address this?

Better communication is not just a trite answer. The communications and discussions need to be focused with the end user in mind; in this case, the school parents and taxpayers. What will affect them?

What will parents see when they return to school in September?

The school class sizes will be available for one of the August School Committee meetings. Principals are working on the final details for their staffing now (in amongst their summer time off).

What will tax payers see when the next tax bill comes in?

No increase this year due to the level funding. Next year, the fiscal year 2011 will be a different story. Most, if not all of the additional stimulus items used to fund the budget this year are one time dollars. They will not be available next year.

What additional programs were cut?

I am not aware of additional programs that were cut.

Were any of the fees raised?

The fees for after school activities, sports and pay-to-ride remain at last year level.

How can the School Committee improve the discussion?

There is a general reluctance to share the spreadsheets. I understand that the numbers can change. They should be made available. Ensure that they are time stamped and clearly marked that as of this point in time, these are the dollars and this is the effect (i.e. number of positions lost). This would at least help us understand how we go from point A to point B. This will at least ensure that when numbers are bantered back and forth at the meeting, we all can attempt to follow the discussion.

What is the final level funded budget plus number?

You can click over to the School Committee blog to find the numbers there.

A couple of notes to help understand the spreadsheet on the School Committee page:

  1. Attrition is the difference between what the 9 retirees were paid and what the replacement teachers will be paid. Hence a savings of $210,000.
  2. While the number always talked of that each position reduced costs about $50,000, with 12 positions cut the 500,000 shown by this math should be 600,000.
  3. All the dollars on the right column added to the budget are one time dollars.
If you still have any questions, please let me know. I'll do my best to explain.

Moving to the second item, the Summer Art Institute conducted as part of Lifelong Learning under the auspices of the Franklin Public Schools, held a brief half hour gathering to showcase the work of the student in the program.

I had published the pictures as part of a video on Saturday but I wasn't pleased with how the final product turned out. I re-did the posting with a slide show of the photos themselves. I think this gives a better view of the art that was produced by the students.

The Summer Art video - http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2009/07/summer-art-institute.html

The Summer Art slide show - http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2009/07/summer-art-institute-slide-show.html

---- ---- ----

This podcast has been a public service provided to my fellow citizens of Franklin, MA

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The musical intro and closing is from the Podsafe Music Network
Jon Schmidt - Powerful Exhilarating Piano Music

Summer Art Institute - slide show

The video published on Saturday was effective but overall disappointing to me as the quality of the students work did not translate well to the video format.

Since the quality of the students work is the reason to share it, let me try again with this slide show.





If you were satisfied with the video, then you can skip this and I apologize for the duplication.

If you were not satisfied with the video, then hopefully this will come closer to the mark.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

When can a level funded budget increase?

The School Committee meeting on June 23 left me with doom and gloom. The budget deficit had yet to be resolved. The budget was to be level funded. There was no hope of "found money". The numbers were still not balancing and yet tipping in the wrong direction.

How many teachers would end up going out the door?

It seemed likely that a minimum of 40 would. How many more would go was the question that remained. However, I returned from travel to find that of the 60 school personnel notified only 12 would not be returning.

How had this come about?

This was a question several readers here asked me to help explain. I did not have the answer initially. A recent newspaper article did not explain. Even the School Committee meeting on Tuesday, July 21, left me with questions unanswered.

What was the answer?

A conversation with Jeff Roy resulted in the answer. The level funded budget from the Town didn't change. What did change was that all the stimulus funds from either the Federal or State sources were added to the level funded Town budget. That made a big difference. To the tune of $1.1 million. (actually $1,133,953 according to the School Committee)

How did that help?

Instead of ending up with a level funded budget, we ended up with a level funded plus budget. So all the talk of a level funded budget is from the Town Council perspective. The Town did not provide the Schools with anything more than they School got for the prior fiscal year. The Schools benefited by adding the various Federal and State stimulus funds in to the mix to end up with level funded plus.

Is that wrong?

No. At least, I don't believe so. I just wish the discussion around this subject had been more clear. If I spend as much time as I do attending and participating in the various meetings and I get lost, then I can not fault the 'average' Franklin voter for getting lost.

How do we address this?

Better communication is not just a trite answer. The communications and discussions need to be focused with the end user in mind; in this case, the school parents and taxpayers. What will affect them?

What will parents see when they return to school in September?

The school class sizes will be available for one of the August School Committee meetings. Principals are working on the final details for their staffing now (in amongst their summer time off).

What will tax payers see when the next tax bill comes in?

No increase this year due to the level funding. Next year, the fiscal year 2011 will be a different story. Most, if not all of the additional stimulus items used to fund the budget this year are one time dollars. They will not be available next year.

What additional programs were cut?

I am not aware of additional programs that were cut.

Were any of the fees raised?

The fees for after school activities, sports and pay-to-ride remain at last year level.

How can the School Committee improve the discussion?

There is a general reluctance to share the spreadsheets. I understand that the numbers can change. They should be made available. Ensure that they are time stamped and clearly marked that as of this point in time, these are the dollars and this is the effect (i.e. number of positions lost). This would at least help us understand how we go from point A to point B. This will at least ensure that when numbers are bantered back and forth at the meeting, we all can attempt to follow the discussion.

What is the final level funded budget plus number?

You can click over to the School Committee blog to find the numbers there.

A couple of notes to help understand the spreadsheet on the School Committee page:
  1. Attrition is the difference between what the 9 retirees were paid and what the replacement teachers will be paid. Hence a savings of $210,000.
  2. While the number always talked of that each position reduced costs about $50,000, with 12 positions cut the 500,000 shown by this math should be 600,000.
  3. All the dollars on the right column added to the budget are one time dollars.
If you still have any questions, please let me know. I'll do my best to explain.

In the News - Patricia Ridge, beating the increase, better health

1 - There is an article about Patricia Ridge, one of the custodians at the Kennedy School who was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer:
"She was an integral part of the Kennedy school community, and her sickness is sad and unfortunate," said Franklin Superintendent Maureen Sabolinski. "She's beloved by both the kids and the school."
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here

2 - There is an article about local efforts to generate business in advance of the tax increase effective Aug 1.
At Planet Chrysler Jeep on Rte. 140 in Franklin, July has been a "very busy" month, given the government program and rush to beat the tax increase, said salesman Mike Shruhan.
United Regional Chamber of Commerce President Jack Lank is also quoted in the full article in the Milford Daily News here

3 - While dodgeball is not the answer to better health, running might be.
Cohen's foundation has been battling the issue for five years, with an earlier series of eye-catching billboards and continued grants. In Franklin, the Hockomock Area YMCA is using foundation money to develop a response that involves the whole community, not just its schools.
Oddly, they don't discuss running as an option. I guess that is too much of a stretch. Better to get someone walking regularly first. Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here.