Franklin's Helen Keller Elementary School Celebrates LOVE Keller Day, STEM Day

Superintendent Lucas Giguere and Principal Keri Busavage are pleased to share that Helen Keller Elementary School students recently participated in two engaging events — LOVE Keller Day and STEM Day — that brought students together to celebrate neurodiversity, build connections across grade levels, and explore the wonders of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

"Helen Keller Elementary School continues to foster a learning environment that values inclusivity, curiosity and innovation," said Superintendent Giguere. "Through events like LOVE Keller Day and STEM Day, students are empowered to build meaningful connections and explore the world around them in exciting and engaging ways."

Fifth-grade teacher Wendy Greenstein takes a selfie with Helen Keller Elementary School students on LOVE Keller Day. Students in Wendy Greenstein's class partnered with Donna Grady's Kindergarten class and added a splash of color to black and white brains. (Photo Courtesy Franklin Public Schools)

LOVE Keller Day

During LOVE Keller Day, students sported tie-dye shirts to recognize Neurodiversity Week, embracing the idea that no two people are alike. Students in partnered classes joined together to share how they learn best, discuss their passions and enjoy reading their favorite stories with their buddies.

LOVE Keller Day events are held throughout the year to create opportunities for students to connect with partner classes across grade levels. The students participate in team-building activities that foster kindness, awareness and acceptance while engaging in meaningful discussions about Keller's Core Values: Caring, Inclusive, Intelligent, Respectful and Unique.

"These celebrations help our students build relationships, develop empathy, and recognize the strengths that make each of us unique," said Principal Busavage. "Seeing our students embrace these values and create a supportive school community is inspiring."

STEM Day

As part of STEM Day, Helen Keller Elementary School welcomed Franklin High School Math and Science National Honor Society members to lead students in a series of hands-on, standards-aligned STEM activities. Across four interactive centers, Kindergarten to fifth-grade students explored key scientific and engineering concepts through engaging, inquiry-based challenges.

Key learning experiences included:

Magnetism: Students investigated how magnets interact, how magnetic fields change with additional magnets, and the real-world applications of magnetism in technology and engineering.

Spaghetti Engineering: Students experimented with structural design and strength using spaghetti and marshmallows, testing how to balance forces and improve stability.

Geometry Bingo: Students identified and classified shapes and explored geometric properties, including perimeter calculations.

Straw Shapes: Students analyzed different angle types to strengthen their problem-solving skills.

"Our students loved working alongside high school mentors and engaging in STEM challenges that sparked curiosity and critical thinking," said Principal Busavage. "These activities reinforced classroom learning and encouraged collaboration, perseverance and creative problem-solving."

Additional photos of STEM activities can be found on the school district page ->

https://41518511.hs-sites.com/franklins-helen-keller-elementary-school-celebrates-love-keller-day-stem-day 

Franklin School Committee spends 85 minutes in Executive session, hears District Improvement Plan and approves (video)

The Franklin School Committee met as scheduled on Tuesday, Sep 10, 2024.  All seven members participated in the meeting, one remotely (Gallagher).

The meeting had an Executive Session to review a grievance and discuss negotiation strategy. While it was anticipated to be short, the session did extend 85 minutes before the meeting resumed in public session.

• The District Improvement Plan was presented and approved (by a 7-0 via roll call vote)
• Redistricting update - proposed district alignment scheduled to be shared via a "Storymap" before the next meeting and then explained fully during the Sep 28 meeting with a vote to approve the alignment of the new schools scheduled for the first October meeting. Email and multiple methods of communication to share the storymap
• The appointment of Rose Turco to represent the Schools to the Franklin TV Board of Directors was approved (by a 7-0 via roll call vote)
• Hiring update filled 57 positions, 4 teacher vacancies, 8 additional resignations (since the August 27 meeting). Mostly from buildings subs and ESPs. Not usual to have this many early in the school year. Instability of budget is a factor in the leaving and hiring process
• Consent agenda was approved  (by a 7-0 via roll call vote)

The Franklin TV video is available for replay ->  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQzZjD3f45k   Note: the SchCmte enters Executive Session at about 17:50 and return to open session at 1:42:00

The agenda doc ->

https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/4780/FPSD/4809590/SCAGENDA_9-10-24.pdf

Meeting packet folder ->  https://www.franklinps.net/documents/departments/school-committee/meeting-packets/2024---25-meeting-packets/september-10%2C-2024-meeting-packet/701015

The photo album capturing the slides shared can be found ->   https://photos.app.goo.gl/FcT4bkT37XE4sqK28

My notes captured in one PDF can be found ->   https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BKsnE9XEkWJGWXtfDt2V_fNS-FOe84jd/view?usp=drive_link

School Committee hears of and approves the District Improvement Plan & FHS trip to Far East in 2025 (video)

The Franklin School Committee met as scheduled on Tuesday, Sep 12, 2023. 6 members were present in Council Chambers, one absent (Bernstein).

Brief recap:

• Update from Superintendent Giguere on school opening, so far good, academic year has opened in heat which everyone worked through, over 800 faculty, over 4600 students
• Successfully hired all teachers, down to 11 ESPs needed, 2 open spots for interventionists, thanks to all who were part of the process
• Migrant housing update: refers to the press release, DESE also alerted District, families joining on a staggered basis, approx. 25 school age children with the families already housed, collaborating to enroll, register and get them welcomed to the schools, funding assistance to be provided, dollars remain unconfirmed. Updates to be provided as info is available
• Intros of the new administration around the district
• Next up, the district improvement plan (DIP), slides not yet posted to the meeting folder, so pix will be captured for an album to be shared as we go https://photos.app.goo.gl/LxQbpaU4Ft8qPFS86 
• Committee members asked and received clarifications on points made during the DIP presentation, in the action items, the DIP was approved as presented by 6-0-1 (6 for, none against, 1 absent)
•  Presentation on a proposed trip to Vietnam, Cambodia & Thailand for spring of 2025. Presentation copy can be found   https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/uploads/discussion_action_a_-_vietnam-cambodia-thailand_trip.pdf  
• motion to approve trip as presented was seconded and passed by 6-0-1
• Consent agenda was recommended for approval and it passed by 6-0-1
• A round of updates from the various subcommittees on meetings held and or scheduled (details in the video and in my notes)
• Meeting adjourned

Franklin TV video for replay -> https://www.youtube.com/live/G-8ECoHrh8M?si=r9hZow6Jim8WXGxS&t=59

Meeting packet folder -> https://www.franklinps.net/district/meeting-packets/pages/september-12-2023-school-committee-meeting-packet

Agenda doc & remote participation info ->    https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/uploads/scagenda_9-12-23.pdf

My notes captured via Twitter during the meeting and then in a single PDF for easy reading 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QdkJB2fxemPuN_nCWV6Dmq9tdc_QQsIh/view?usp=drive_link

Franklin, MA: School Committee Agenda for Sep 12, 2023 Meeting

Franklin Public Schools: District Newsletter - May 30, 2023

Graduation, Bus Registration, District Highlights, School Committee Updates and more!

Franklin Public Schools District Newsletter May 30, 2023 Food Services District Calendar School Committee Transportation Lifelong Learning 22-23 School Calendar June 9 - Early Release June 19 - Juneteenth (No School)  Access the 23-24 School Calendar Bus Registration Deadline Approaches Bus Registration for the 23-24 School Year is open! Families must register each student individually and submit an initial payment before June 12th to guarantee their seat. Our online registration via Aspen makes it easy. Access details on how to register via our transportation page. Graduation The road to graduation for our Seniors is nearing its bittersweet end. Graduation will be held on Friday, June 2nd at 6:30pm. Guests will be admitted entry at 5:30pm and graduates will report to the Gym by 5:00pm. The ceremony will be hosted on the FHS Pisini Football Field if weather permits. Graduation will be live streamed by FranklinTV. Visit the Graduation page for updates as the big day nears! Need to Know News! Congratulations to the district's School Business Administrator for receiving a Friends of MASBO Award. Learn more about Miriam and her 15 years of service to FPS here. Introducing the Franklin Public Schools Art Blog! This blog will document, celebrate and inform the community about the great things we are doing within the district. Check out our most recent post, which highlights J.F.K's Night of the Arts! Access the blog here. The District Calendar for the 2023-2024 school year is available online now. Access a printable version of the calendar here. Franklin Public Schools has once again earned the Massachusetts Seal of Biliteracy. 10 Franklin High School students have earned the Seal of Biliteracy. Learn more about the program here. Food Services Honored by YMCA Red Triangle Awarded to... Congratulations to our Franklin Public Schools Food Services team on receiving the YMCA's Bernon Family Red Triangle Award. Earlier this month, our food services team was recognized for their efforts to make and deliver meals within our community through the district's partnership with the YMCA. Our Food Services team takes pride in providing nutritious and delicious meals within our district and to our greater community. Congratulations Greg Debaggis, Food Service Courier; Kristine Desmarais, Franklin High Kitchen Manager; Colin Boisvert, Director of Food Service; Franklin High Lead; Deb Defilippo; Maura Crowley, Assistant Director of Food Service! Final Redistricting Analysis Update On May 9th, 2023, the School Committee voted 6-1 to approve Option 1, which proposes that "current district attendance boundaries remain the same while a School Facilities Master Plan is conducted. ASMS/Keller spaces will continue to be used flexibly. Both administrative teams at the complex will continue to work together to utilize the available space to accommodate the needs of all students." You can read Superintendent Giguere's full letter to the community here. You may access the Redistricting Analysis Recommendation Report presented to the School Committee here. New Student Application for ECDC The new student application is available for the 2023-2024 academic year at the Early Childhood Education Center Access the application here. Learn more about ECDC in this welcome presentation.  All other grades can register via Aspen at any time. From the School Committee Annie Sullivan Middle School Highlights! On May 23rd, 2023 the Franklin Public Schools delivered a presentation on some of the recent highlights at Annie Sullivan Middle School to the School Committee You can access the slideshow presentation here. We hope you are able to join us for our next School Committee meeting on Tuesday, June 13th, 2023 at 7pm. Happy Spring to our FPS Families, Faculty Staff and Franklin Community!   Franklin Public Schools www.franklinps.net

Franklin Public Schools | 355 East Central Street, Franklin, MA 02038 www.franklinps.net Sent by communications@franklinps.net powered by Try email marketing for free today!

Redistricting vote fails by 6-1 vote at Franklin School Committee Meeting (video)

The School Committee meet on Tuesday night at their regular meeting. They heard an update from the Keller Elementary School, and update on the District Improvement Plan, and voted 6-1 on an amendment to the original motion, to effectively do nothing for redistricting. The 6 votes all talked of the need for the master facility plan, but although that was included in the original proposal before them, the minor adjustment now was passed on in favor of doing nothing. 

Franklin TV video replay -> https://www.youtube.com/live/W-9CbY5MeDY?feature=share

Meeting packet folder ->  https://www.franklinps.net/district/meeting-packets/pages/may-9-2023-school-committee-meeting-packet

Agenda doc -> https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/uploads/scagenda_5-9-23.pdf

My notes captured via Twitter during the meeting can be found in one PDF ->   https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qB4ZIFXY9R4zNJ5hxoHrLnt242ECaUsN/view?usp=share_link

Franklin, MA: School Committee Agenda

Insights to the Special Education Program for Franklin Schools on tap at School Cmte Mtg 1/10/23

Among the items on the Franklin School Committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday, Jan 10 is a presentation on the Special Education program. View the slides here:   https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/uploads/special_education_school_committee_presentation_january_10_2023-1.pdf

"Special Education is…

❏ Specially designed instruction to meet the unique needs of an eligible student, and/or

❏ Related services necessary to access and make progress within the general curriculum

❏ Special education services are a significant modification of content, instructional approach, instructional level or performance criteria"

Approx. 18% of the  total students within the school district receive special education. The presentation covers the legal background authorizing this program. 

The full agenda and documents released for this meeting can be found in the meeting packet folder-> https://www.franklinps.net/district/meeting-packets/pages/january-10-2023-school-committee-meeting-packet

Insights to the Special Education Program for Franklin Schools on tap at School Cmte Mtg 1/10/23

Did you know the National Register of Historic Districts lists 2 in Franklin, MA? (video)

This narrated PowerPoint presentation reveals details on the two National Register Historic Districts located in Franklin, Massachusetts.  The narration is presented by Reference Librarian Vicki Earls.

Video link -> https://youtu.be/KdGHozDRa1E

The National Register of Historic Districts lists 2 in Franklin, MA (video)

Franklin Public Schools: District Newsletter - November 2022

District highlights, School Committee Updates and more!

Franklin Public Schools District Newsletter November 2022 Food Services District Calendar School Committee Transportation 22-23 School Calendar Nov. 23 -25 Thanksgiving Break Dec. 7 - Early Release Day Access the 22-23 School Calendar  We're Back in Action! We are excited to welcome families from across the district and the greater Franklin Community to attend our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Deep Dives event! Join us as we dive deeper into the Climate and Culture findings from our 21-22 Equity Audit and look towards the development of our Equity Action Plan throughout the 2022-2023 year. During this session, community members will be able to engage with District Adminstration to discuss questions, concerns, experiences, and solutions. The event will be held at the Franklin Public Library meeting room (School Street entrance) on Saturday, 11/19 from 10am - 11:30am. You can review our D.E.I. Presentation to the School Committee here.   Art of Rangolis During Diwali Oak Street teachers Ms. Kinney teamed up with Mrs. Parikh to help share the history of Diwali with their classrooms. Students were able to learn more about how many other people from around the world as well as their peers, celebrate this holiday. Students even designed their very own Rangolis, which is an Indian art form typically displayed at entryways to welcome prosperity and blessings. This was a wonderful way for students to learn more about their friends.   Clock is Ticking to See Cinderella Franklin High School Theatre Company delivered a fantastic performance of Cinderella (Broadway Version) on Friday, November 11th. Audiences have two additional opportunity to experience this magical performance with shows... Saturday, November 18th at 7pm Sunday, November 19th at 7pm Be sure to grab your ticket before this horse drawn carriage bids farewell! Kindergarten Technology Win! Our Digital Learning Integrationists work to educate our FPS community on how to effectively utilize the variety of digital tools. Recently, our DLI's streamlined a way to assist our educators and kindergarteners during instances of digital enrichment. Logging into a Chromebook can be difficult for our kindergarten kiddos who are still learning their lowercase letters and digital skills. When it's time to sign into these Chromebooks using their logins, it can be a challenge to get a classroom to login quickly. DLI's and IT techs developed a system which allows kindergarteners to login using their own unique QR code while these young learners begin to develop the important skill of being able to enter user and password information independently. Now login is a breeze for these students and they get right to the planned digital activity. What was once a task that took 20-30 minutes to master, is now accomplished in under 3 minutes! The confidence in the faces of these young learners and their teachers show how much of a game changer this system is! Wednesday, November 16th was National Education Support Professionals Day! Our ESP's give their all to keep our schools running efficiently. We couldn't do it without our team of passionate and dedicated ESP's. Thank you for all that you do! Inclement Weather Procedure The FPS Inclement Weather Procedure outlines the decision making process for school cancellation or delays in response to weather related incidents. Families are encouraged to review the procedure as we enter the start of the winter season. View the procedure here. From the School Committee Redistricting Analysis As part of the Redistricting Analysis that is being done in collaboration with the Franklin School Committee, we established a Redistricting Advisory Group of 60 individuals composed of FPS parents/ guardians, educators, administrators. This group will meet with our redistricting consultant App Geo, through May 2023 to provide input, feedback, and local context on proposed scenarios to potential updates to attendance boundaries within Franklin. The initial meeting was held on Tuesday, November 15th.  The results and recommendations will be presented at the conclusion to the School Committee in the Spring of 2023. Any recommendations that may be approved by the School Committee will not go into effect during the 2022-2023 school year. The School Committee will continue to engage the public prior to reaching a final decision on any boundary adjustments. We encourage folks to review the materials from the November 15th meeting here. You can learn more about the Redistricting Advisory Committee here. Please join us for our next School Committee meeting on Tuesday, November 22nd, 2022 at 7pm. Were thankful for the support of our FPS Families, Faculty Staff and Franklin Community!   Franklin Public Schools www.franklinps.net

Franklin Public Schools | 355 East Central Street, Franklin, MA 02038 www.franklinps.net Sent by communications@franklinps.net powered by Try email marketing for free today!