More Perfect Union: D. E. I. (video)

In this episode, the group and guest Dr. Bell, as well as the audience from the Senior Center discuss DEI, or Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the workplace, and how it as a concept has been around, and it's important to provide opportunities and fairness to all people.

Video link ->  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGe7POQRUmQ

More Perfect Union - WFPR

Discussing American Politics and Current Events

Peter Fasciano, Dr. Michael Walker Jones, Jeff Roy, and Nick Remissong host a round table discussion on current events and American politics, bringing about thoughtful conversation, compelling discourse, and a look at what the future might hold for the United States.

Find all the More Perfect Union episodes online -> https://more-perfect-union.captivate.fm/episodes  or subscribe with your favorite podcast app

"Let's continue to put love out there"

jamele adams, the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Scituate School District, was the target of an incident at Museum Beach in Scituate. The Patriot Ledger story provides an overview of this unacceptable act.

jamele is a Franklin resident. 

https://www.patriotledger.com/story/news/2023/07/26/scituate-ma-public-school-jamele-adams-william-burkhead-police-diversity-equity-inclusion-mock-grave/70457147007/

jamele adams

Ted Cormier-Leger, Realtor, Achieves National Association Of Realtor’s At Home With Diversity® Certification

Ted Cormier-Leger, Realtor with Suburban Lifestyle Real Estate (Franklin) has been awarded the At Home with Diversity® certification from the National Association of REALTORS®. 

At Home with Diversity

Mr. Cormier-Leger joins more than 21,000 other real estate professionals in North America who have earned the certification after completing an eight hour course addressing topics of diversity, fair housing, and business planning development. The program is designed to meet the nation's fair housing commitment by educating and equipping NAR's members with the tools they need to expand homeownership opportunities. 

Real estate professionals like Ted wisely plan to meet the needs of diverse clients, while maintaining a competitive edge. The At Home with Diversity® certification allows REALTORS® to not only apply the multi-faceted skills and tools they learned in the course to business practices but conveys to clients they’re dynamic real estate professionals with expertise that transcends cultural barriers. 

For more information on the At Home with Diversity® certification, visit www.nar.realtor/ahwd. 

Ted Cormier-Leger, Realtor can be reached by calling 617.686.1265 or send him an email at ted.cormierleger@suburbanlifestyle.com

FHS Diversity Awareness Club schedules "Geo Night" for Wednesday, May 17 from 5 to 8 PM

To end this school year, the Diversity Awareness Club is hosting their annual Geo Night! 

Join them for an after-school event where attendees have the opportunity to travel around the world, exploring a multitude of cultural backgrounds represented at FHS. We're so excited to celebrate with our community!

Students will share different aspects of their culture, including food items, art activities, clothing items, and artifacts. 

In addition, there will be local speakers and performances throughout the night! Join us in the cafeteria on Wednesday, May 17th, from 5-8 PM. 

Entrance fee is $5! We hope to see you there :)

Shared from -> https://www.instagram.com/p/CsKWgy_OmMC/

FHS Diversity Club: "New this year, DAC attends faculty meetings at Franklin High!"

"New this year, DAC attends faculty meetings at Franklin High!

Each month, DAC representatives present on a new topic, with a focus on teacher reflection - We discuss how teachers at FHS can incorporate diverse representation into curriculum, be conscious of their impact on their students, and take similar steps in promoting respect and equality at Franklin High.

Check out the last few slides for our monthly representatives and topics we’ve covered so far this year. Speaking of, Happy Black History Month! :)

Presentations will be posted on our website, coming "   https://www.diversityawarenessclub.org/

Shared from Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/p/CoYfX9EOV-h/

"monthly representatives and topics we’ve covered so far this year"

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion workshop focuses on the sense of “belonging” (audio)

FM #884 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 884 in the series. 

This session of the radio show shares the Franklin Public Schools Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) “Deep Dive” Workshop held at the Franklin Public Library on Saturday, November 19, 2022.   

Superintendent Lucas Gigiure and DEI Director Heidi Harris co-lead the session. Approx. 30 folks were in the room to participate. 

Much of the workshop was a review of the efforts to date, sharing definitions for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the findings of the equity audit, and understanding the drive to develop a sense of “belonging.”

The equity audit was referred to multiple times as “one slice of the pie” in gathering info to develop the “Equity Action Plan to meet the needs of all learners.” Other sessions like this one will be scheduled to provide opportunity for the community to explore DEI and work toward the plan development.

Given this was a working session, the whole group sections of the meeting audio is what is shared here. There are breaks in the audio when 

• The participants found a person they did not know to introduce themselves

• The participants found another person they did not know to discuss an instance of belonging and then of feeling left out

• The table discussion to review the sticky notes written by the members providing feedback

The breaks are indicated by a few seconds of music then the group discussion resumes

The edit meeting audio recording runs about 70 minutes. Let’s listen to DEI “Deep Dive” Workshop.

Audio file ->  https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-884-fps-dei-deep-dive-workshop-11-19-22

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Franklin Public Schools Diversity Equity & Inclusion department page -> https://www.franklinps.net/district/diversity-equity-and-inclusion 

DEI page -> https://sites.google.com/franklinps.net/fps-diversity-equity-inclusion/home?authuser=0 

Equity audit (1 slice of the pie)  ->

https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/uploads/fps_equity_audit_final_report_october_2022.pdf 

DEI Plan for 2022-2023 -> https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/uploads/fps_dei_plan_2022-23_for_sc_0.pdf

DEI Presentation to School Committee Oct 25, 2022 -> https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/uploads/fps_dei_presentation_10_25_2022_0.pdf

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We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.  

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.

How can you help?

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

• If you don't like something here, please let me know

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/ or www.franklin.news/

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

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana"  c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.

I hope you enjoy!

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You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion workshop focuses on the sense of “belonging” (audio)

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!

Franklin Public Schools: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee schedules "Deep Dive" Nov 19

Equity Statement
Vision (Hopes and dreams for the future)

• Franklin Public Schools is committed, through its educational mission, to building an anti-biased and socially-just school system. Members of our school community commit to the process of listening, learning, acting, and reflecting in order to
• affirm the diversity among community members; 
• promote equity and accountability by providing resources and opportunities and reducing barriers to success;
• foster a safe and inclusive school environment so that each student and faculty/staff member truly belongs and is empowered to participate in decision-making. 
• As a system and as individuals, we are responsible for proactively taking steps to prevent bias; similarly we are responsible for illuminating and addressing bias and discrimination when incidents occur. As a result, each student in Franklin Public Schools will have equitable opportunities to achieve Franklin’s Portrait of a Graduate.   https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/uploads/portrait_of_a_graduate_.pdf

Definitions

• Diversity is a reflection of the uniqueness of an individual’s identity, thoughts, ideas, perspectives, and values, and the fluidity through which each may evolve. Some examples include, but are not limited to, a person’s race, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, age, religious beliefs, culture, national origin, disability and cognitive styles.
• Equity involves each individual being able to attain the attributes of Franklin’s Portrait of a Graduate.
• Inclusion is consistently ensuring that individuals belong in the school community by authentically seeking out, valuing, and respecting their input particularly regarding decisions that affect theirs and others’ lives.

Shared from -> 

https://sites.google.com/franklinps.net/fps-diversity-equity-inclusion/home

Participate in the Deep Dive into DEI on Saturday, Nov 19 from 10:00 to 11:30 AM  https://www.franklinps.net/district/events/90971

Franklin Public Schools: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee schedules "Deep Dive" Nov 19

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Deep Dive - Nov 19, 2022

The Franklin Public School District invites our community to attend the D.E.I. Deep Dives and engage in collaborative dialogue on November 19, 2022 10 AM – 11:30 AM, at the Franklin Public Library in the 1st-floor Meeting Room (School Street Entrance). 

Following a brief presentation, attendees will be able to engage in a structured, authentic and informative conversation with the District Administration, facilitated by the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Director Heidi Harris. This session will focus on various areas of improvement related to the Culture and Climate portion of our Equity Audit.

This session will focus on various areas of improvement related to the Culture and Climate portion of our Equity Audit and will help inform the District’s Equity Action Plan as it is developed throughout the 2022-2023 school year. We encourage attendees to review the presentation slides from the October 25th, 2022 School Committee D.E.I. Presentation in advance, however, it is not required!

This is a great opportunity for families, faculty, students, and members of the greater Franklin Community to learn more about how our D.E.I. efforts support the development of the attributes associated with our Portrait of a Graduate, whilst fostering a safe and inclusive school community.

https://www.franklinps.net/district/events/90971

https://facebook.com/events/s/dei-deep-dives-climate-and-cul/5514779958591088/

D.E.I. Deep Dives

Franklin Public Schools: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Presentation - Oct 25, 2022

The Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Presentation was reviewed and discussed at the Franklin School Committee meeting on Tuesday, Oct 25, 2022.

You can view the embedded file here:

Or download a copy from the School Committee page ->

https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/uploads/fps_dei_presentation_10_25_2022.pdf

The School Committee meeting video can be viewed here

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/10/franklin-school-committee-video.html

The School Committee meeting audio can be listened to here

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/10/school-committee-hears-of-dei-plan-and.html

Franklin Public Schools: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Presentation - Oct 25, 2022