Franklin Public School District: Newsletter for October 2021

Welcome Back: Keep up with what is happening in Franklin Public Schools!

Franklin Public Schools District Newsletter October 2021 Food Services District Calendar School Committee Transportation 21-22 School Calendar Back to School Welcome back! We are excited to have our students engaged in full-time and in-person instruction. Additionally, our teachers have continued to engage in their professional development opportunities and are enjoying connecting with their students. Our Back to School Health and Safety Plan has been essential in ensuring our faculty and staff are able to prioritize student safety and learning. Access the latest information on FPS Health and Safety Practices on our Back to School Website. Franklin Middle Schools Announces Virtual Visiting Author Aisha Saeed Aisha Saeed is a New York Times Best selling author. Her heritage and experience as a second grade teacher help inform her approach to writing. Growing up, Aisha hardly encountered literature that represented different cultures. As an author, Aisha utilizes our human connection to take her readers on an informative and culturally diverse journey. Ms. Saeed's work also allows a window into experiences our students may not otherwise encounter. "As a child, I never saw books featuring children who looked like me as the heroes of their own stories, and it is a moving experience now to have the opportunity to give children the opportunity to see themselves in print." - Aisha Saeed Pick up one of Aisha's books and start prepping for her visit today! Oct. 29 - Stop Drop and Read Day Oct. 29-30 - Book Fair at Barnes and Noble Bellingham Virtual Visits Nov.16 - HMMS Visit Nov.17 ASMS Visit & Evening Family Event Nov.18 RMS Visit Learn more about Aisha's books here! Food Services and Supply Chain Acknowledgement Due to disruptions in the supply chain, Franklin's school nutrition program, like many programs across the state and the nation, are struggling to secure all food and supply items. This is due to product shortages, discontinued items, price increases, distributor cancellations, delayed or cancelled deliveries, and staffing shortages. Our Food Services Department is working very hard to ensure healthy, nutritious, and appealing free school meals are served every school day and they are making adjustments as needed. We appreciate everyone's flexibility and understanding. This Safety Presentation breaks down what FPS is doing to keep our students safe physically, mentally and emotionally. The Franklin High School Theatre Company presents MAMMA MIA! Friday, November 12th @ 7pm Saturday, November 13th @ 2pm and 7pm Tickets: $10 for Student/Staff of FPS (shown with valid FPS ID) $15 for Adults When Worlds Collide: Panther Football Coach recognized by New England Patriots Congratulations to FHS Football Coach Bain on being named New England Patriots High School Coach of the Week. Hall of Fame linebacker Andre Tippett met with the team and presented a $1,000 donation from the Patriots Foundation to use towards their football program. Check out their segment on Patriots All Access! FHS Patriots All Access Segment We're looking forward to a great school year with our FPS Families, Faculty, Staff and the entire 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!

Call for Community Input: Franklin Public Schools ESSER III Fund Survey

Call for Community Input: FPS ESSER III Fund Survey

Survey closes Wednesday, September 15th, 2021 at 4pm.

Through the American Rescue Plan, Franklin Public School District was granted $1,046,173 in ESSER III funds to be spent through June 2024. These funds will be disbursed via a multi-year plan with the goal of supporting district response during the COVID-19 pandemic. FPS is seeking input from community stakeholders as a part of the planning process. The survey will close on Wednesday, September 15th at 4pm.

Franklin Public Schools has created this survey to inform each stakeholder group of anticipated district priorities and to collect feedback around anticipated activities involving these funds. Community Stakeholders refers to students, parents/ guardians, FPS employees, Franklin residents, groups representing the interests of school children, and more. Community Stakeholder input is encouraged and accessible through this survey, which can be accessed via the link below.

ESSER III Community Input Survey

Link ->  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfXcyoJIeIEIR-g2SJEW-s2fcQYs8W2uW10mUnZ0feUdgCHOA/viewform

More information regarding American Rescue/ Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund :

The American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021, Public Law 117-2, was enacted on March 11, 2021. The ARP Act provides additional funding for school districts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Education portion of ARP is known as the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER III or ARP ESSER) Fund. The purpose of the ESSER III fund is to support the safe reopening and sustaining safe operations of schools while meeting students' academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

A full scope of requirements is available here: https://www.doe.mass.edu/federalgrants/esser/

Shared from -> https://www.franklinma.gov/home/news/call-community-input-fps-esser-iii-fund-survey

Call for Community Input: Franklin Public Schools ESSER III Fund Survey

Drawing Democracy provides an answer to the question: "How can I get involved in redistricting?"

Drawing Democracy (@DrawingDemMA) tweeted on Wed, Jul 21, 2021:

In order to ensure a fair and transparent redistricting process, we need community members to get involved – and there are SO many opportunities to do so! Learn more below. #Redistricting101 #FairMapsMA https://t.co/u7cCTO8aYn

(https://twitter.com/DrawingDemMA/status/1417835249455689730?s=03)

Drawing Democracy provides an answer to the question: "How can I get involved in redistricting?"

Drawing Democracy: "communities of interest"

Drawing Democracy (@DrawingDemMA) tweeted on Tue, Jul 20, 2021:

Throughout the redistricting process, we hear a lot about identifying "communities of interest," but what does that actually mean? We break it down for you here ⤵️ #Redistricting101 #FairMapsMA https://t.co/cuC3qwEqWs

(https://twitter.com/DrawingDemMA/status/1417562703640637440?s=03)

Drawing Democracy: "communities of interest"

Franklin Public Schools, MA: May Newsletter

Franklin Public Schools, MA (@FranklinPSNews) tweeted on Wed, May 19, 2021:

The May Edition of the FPS District Newsletter is now available! Topics include:

- Class of 21 Graduation

- Substance Use & Mental Health Forum

- Upcoming Performances

- Coffee with the Superintendent

- Lifelong Learning Summer Programs

Find it here: https://t.co/6lbg9g3y9T

Shared from https://t.co/eUC1A5mZKN  or  https://twitter.com/FranklinPSNews/status/1395126356581748743

Franklin Public Schools, MA: May Newsletter

Franklin Public Schools: District Newsletter - April 2021

"Please find the April Edition of the FPS District newsletter posted here! https://conta.cc/2RF65Xg  

We hope everyone enjoys a fun and safe April Break week!"

Shared from Twitter:  https://twitter.com/FranklinPSNews/status/1383139582921834497

Franklin Public Schools: District Newsletter - April 2021

Worcester getting into their school start time discussion

The Worcester Public School District is getting into their school start time discussion. Yes, remember that? Franklin put it aside to deal with the Davis Thayer issue and then the pandemic hit. It is still sitting on the sidelines. 

The Davis Thayer issue remains only partially resolved, so it would seem that the Franklin school start time discussion is not likely to resume anytime soon. 

The decision to close Davis Thayer effective September 2021 was made by the School Committee at their Feb 9, 2021 meeting. Planning on the transition of Thayer students to the Keller facility for September are underway. The FY 2022 budget is being adjusted to account for what savings and/or expenses would occur to make the transition seamless for both school and Town sides of the budget. (The School budget handles the education side, the Town budget handles the facility operation side.)

The decision to make the Davis Thayer building 'surplus' for the School District has not yet be scheduled. The Town of Franklin can't do much officially without that notification from the School District. 

The next big item the School Committee (and community) will get into should be development of the 'master plan' for the school district. Recall that the facility utilization report revealed the District could operate with less schools than it currently has. The excess capacity could be addressed by closing additional schools and potentially restructuring to operate with three elementary schools, one middle school all feeding to Franklin High. How to get to this position, if it is desired, is what the 'master plan' should work on.

Running with excess capacity is a budget issue and will need to be addressed sooner or later.  In the meantime, you can read what Worcester is starting here

http://who-cester.blogspot.com/2021/03/school-start-times.html

Washington Post had an article recently touching on how sleep times have been affected by the remote learning schedules of the pandemic:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/teenage-sleep-remote-learning-school-time/2021/03/26/29d3c004-898b-11eb-8a8b-5cf82c3dffe4_story.html

Worcester getting into their school start time discussion

Refer to the Meeting Notes page for all the reporting and audio files for the prior School Committee and subcommittee meetings  

  https://www.franklinmatters.org/p/meeting-notes.html

Franklin Public Schools, MA: District News Letter - March 2021

Franklin Public Schools, MA (@FranklinPSNews) tweeted on Tue, Mar 23, 2021:

"Hello FPS!  Please find the March edition of the District Newsletter posted here: https://t.co/rTxzTzqeXA "  or here

https://myemail.constantcontact.com/District-Newsletter---March-2021.html?soid=1134219428814&aid=nEzlZRXRB6w

Franklin Public Schools, MA: District News Letter - March 2021

Shared from Twitter: https://t.co/BxuL8s1V2f

 

One interesting piece is the budget video https://youtu.be/IXI95zuFbnw

Franklin Public Schools: District Newsletter - March 2021

Keep up with what is happening in Franklin Public Schools!

Franklin Public Schools District Newsletter Reopening Website Food Services District Calendar School Committee Transportation 20-21 School Calendar Early Release dates: March 3rd and 31st Classroom - Based Pool Testing Information Upcoming Event: The 4th Annual School Committee Legislative Forum Tuesday, March 2nd at 6:30 pm The Franklin School Committee welcomes our State Legislators, Senate President Karen Spilka, Senator Becca Rausch, and Representative Jeff Roy to update the community on a variety of topics relevant to education. The Forum will be available via Zoom. Please click on the invitation to find out more and to access the meeting link. We hope you will join us! Legislative Forum Meeting Link Davis Thayer Elementary School Closure After nearly a year and a half of study, the Franklin School Committee voted at its February 9, 2021 meeting to close the Davis Thayer Elementary School beginning with the 2021-2022 school year. This has been a very emotional decision as this involves the retirement of a beloved second home to so many families, students, and faculty and staff both during current times as well as historically. The school was built in 1924 and has served so many generations of Franklin students. The decision was made based on reduced enrollment, educational adequacy of an aging building, and financial efficiency. Notably, there has been a significant enrollment decline. This is not a result of students leaving Franklin for other choices. The decrease in enrollment is a trend that is happening in many regions, especially in the Northeast/Massachusetts.  The main focus at this time is to plan and implement a transition for Davis Thayer students to the Keller Elementary School, being sure to attend to their social-emotional and academic needs. The Facilities Analysis Subcommittee recommended that the School Committee begin to examine space utilization across all of the district's schools as the architect's report highlighted some needs, particularly at our "stand-alone" schools (Kennedy and Parmenter) as well as some potential opportunities which include redistricting.   More background information can be found on our website: https://www.franklinps.net/district/davis-thayer-facilities-analysis Welcome to the FPS Class of 2034! FPS is now taking registration for incoming Kindergarten students. Although registration is ongoing, we are asking families to register their child(ren) by March 1st if possible. This will be helpful in determining class sections and staffing. All information is available on our website via the links below:  K Registration Checklist Immunization Requirements Online Registration Form School Wellness Advisory Council (SWAC) The Nutrition Subcommittee is sharing a series of recipes from the Partnership for Food Safety Education. These recipes were developed using the Safe Recipe Style Guide. Please find links to the recipe below:  Appetizer Recipes Side Dishes Entrees Desserts Find out more about Food Safety, Food Poisoning, Food Safety Education as well as additional resources Attention Parents and Guardians! Do you have questions about accessing technology for your child(ren)? If so, pop into the Digital Learning Integrationists Q & A session on Wednesday, March 3rd. They will be happy to answer your questions. Q & A Meeting Link Hearts of Kindness Display Many of our FPS students created beautiful Hearts of Kindness as part of the display on the Town Common. The hearts contain messages about the importance of being kind to others and share acts of kindness that the students have performed. Thank you to our students and teachers for helping to create this uplifting display! If you have not yet seen it, take a drive or walk by the Franklin Town Common and enjoy the messages and scenery. Franklin Public Schools www.franklinps.net

Town of Franklin | 355 East Central Street, Franklin, MA 02038 Sent by traceya@franklinps.net powered by Try email marketing for free today!