Live reporting: Keller Update

Principal Eric Stark, Amy Souls

The Keller Team presenting to the School Committee

Keller - Update from Franklin Matters

students from 2nd grade shared what they do in their morning meeting
Mrs Cahill, Mrs Cournoyer

trialed morning meeting with 1st and 2nd grade

2nd grade Keller students modeling the morning meeting 1

2nd grade Keller students modeling the morning meeting 2

see survey results on pages 7 and 8 of presentation document

(note the video portion is not likely available as part of the presentation document)

look for #kellerschoolcommunity on Twitter to follow updates next year

O-Malley - I'd be interested to hear what the parents think about this

Bilello - I applaud you and your steps to get into the classroom and understand the community. That goes a long way to build the community

Bergen - are you seeing the new behavior among the students in the unstructured areas, cafe, breaks, etc.?

Sabolinksi - some of our staff will be training the Y staff so that the methods and language will be consistent across the community. We'd love to connect with Ryan Jette and see how we can extend this to the recreation arena

It Takes A Village: Keller Elementary School

Parent Involvement is so important in making our schools strong!.  Jenn Dwyer from Keller Elementary School will be sharing highlights of all that is going on in her school and how parents can support the effort. 

Franklin TV

To be seen on It Takes a Village:

Comcast Channel 8; Verizon Channel 26

•   Tuesday morning at 9:00
•   Wednesday morning at 7:30
•   Saturday evening at 8:30

Helen Keller Elementary School sign

For additional programing check out the guide  http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf

Movie Night at the Historical Museum

Film: The Miracle Worker (starring Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke) 

Date: Sunday, April 19, 2015 

Time: 6:00 PM 

Where: Franklin Historical Museum, 80 West Central Street (across from the old municipal building) 

Admission: one canned good, for the Franklin Food Pantry

image from Amzon.com

Come join us for a showing of this Oscar Award winning film!!!

Young Helen Keller, blind, deaf, and mute since infancy, is in danger of being sent to an institution. Her inability to communicate has left her frustrated and violent. In desperation, her parents seek help from the Perkins Institute, which sends them a "half-blind Yankee schoolgirl" named Annie Sullivan. – (from www.imdb.com)

(A few years after their meeting, Helen and Annie took up residence in nearby Wrentham.)

Free popcorn and bottled water will be served!

In the News: "covered by the town’s insurance"

The Milford Daily News reports on the sprinkler outage at the Keller Sullivan complex.

“The town has been working closely with ServiceMaster, which has had about 30 staff in the building. All personnel have had CORI checks so we are not concerned about student safety,” Sabolinski said. “The town has engaged an environmental agency to check air quality and testing has been ongoing.” 

The school hosted an information night for parents on Thursday to address questions about the sprinkler break. 

Annie Sullivan students will need to make up the three days of school they missed at the end of the academic year. The state requires students to be in school for 180 days, and Monday, though truncated, counted as one day. Tuesday was the Veterans Day holiday.

You can read the full article here (subscription maybe required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20141114/NEWS/141117849/1994/NEWS

ASMS - KELLER status update

Keller and Sullivan parents should have received notifications on Monday and since the initial incident about their school status.

For those who may not be aware, I have the following summary including an email exchange from Superintendent Maureen Sabolinski to share.

As you have heard there was a sprinkler malfunction at 7:40 AM Monday at Annie Sullivan Middle School (ASMS). Students were sent to Oak St/Horace Mann and dismissed from there. 

• Keller is set to open Wednesday. 
• ASMS will be closed for the rest of the week. 

The sprinkler malfunction started on the 3rd floor and the water traveled down to affect all three floors. All the building systems are confirmed operational and running but the damage to some walls and floors require more drying out time. 

Monday counted as a school day so that one does not need to be made up. The rest of the week (3 days) will need to be made up. The School Dept will seek input from DESE but "they are unrelenting." 

Keller - Sullivan Schools

Attention Elementary Parents - Info Night on new Math Program and Report Cards

From the Franklin Public Schools:

We will be running 3 information nights for parents to introduce our new elementary math program and elementary report cards, which will be issued in December. Information on these two important topics will be presented by teachers, math specialists, and administrators on the following nights:

Parents of children at Jefferson and Parmenter
Wednesday, November 5th at Jefferson Elementary 

Parents of children at Oak Street and Kennedy
Thursday, November 6th at Oak Street Elementary 

Parents of children at Keller and Davis Thayer
Wednesday, November 12th at Keller Elementary

Each evening will run from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

If you cannot attend on the evening designated for your child’s school, please feel free to join us for one of the other presentations.

All materials will also be posted to school and district webpages after the last presentation.

Ladybug rug at JF Kennedy School

This was posted to the Franklin Schools webpage here
http://franklindistrict.vt-s.net/Pages/FranklinDistrict_News/01ECD860-000F8513.0/Hold%20the%20Date.pdf

Lincoln St construction update

On my walk last weekend (8/24), I finally got out to check on the Lincoln St construction. The paving had been delayed starting and based upon the view last week is close to getting finished.

There will be islands put in to help calm the traffic and improve the safety around the Keller Sullivan schools. I confirmed this in a brief conversation with DPW Director Robert (Brutus) Cantoreggi at the recent Sculpture Parking opening.

Looking towards downtown on Lincoln St (Keller Sullivan to the right)

cones in the middle indicate where the islands will be

single lane restriction for culvert work

one of the new culverts from stream side

culvert work near Winterberry

Keller Sullivan getting new sidewalks

As part of the Lincoln St road work, the Keller Sullivan schools are getting new sidewalks. I managed to get out for a visit this weekend to grab some photos.

from Lincoln St looking up to the schools

part of the way up looking back down the entrance 

Keller Sullivan sign

sidewalk on Lincoln St at entrance

Running Event! 5K in Franklin - Jul 20

4th Annual Run, Walk, Crawl

Hi

I am writing to tell you about a great 5K happening in Franklin, MA on July 20th!  I hope you can share this event on your blog and fFcebook page!  

We are holding our 4th Annual Run, Walk or Crawl 5K - We will not lay down 2 Cancer on Saturday July 20th at the Helen Keller Elementary School in Franklin, MA.   Registration opens at 8 AM and race starts at 9 AM.  This organization started in 2010 when I was diagnosed  with breast cancer while 13 weeks pregnant.  Today I am cancer free and have a healthy 3 year old!  However we all know too many loved ones still struggling with cancer.  This race is for all cancers, in memory of those we lost and in honor of those who continue the battle.   All money raised will go directly to Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund in MA.  This is our 4th year in Franklin and we hope to grow and continue to hold our race in this great town!  

This is a certified course, chip timing, medals for 6 different age groups, as well as Tech Shirts, food, music, fun and raffles!  Raffles include 2 American Airline tickets and Red Sox Tickets.  

I attached a flyer for the event.  I am hoping you could post this flyer. Please see website for more details or contact me with any questions. 

Thanks so much!

Rebecca

--

Thank you,

Amy, Rebecca, Sarah, Shelly and Kerry

We will Not lay down to Cancer!

website: www.wontlaydown2cancer.com

email:  wontlaydown2cancer@gmail.com

In the News: Franklin 5K, TerraCycle

Franklin 5K, 'The K Girls' set to run May

On Saturday, May 4, celebrate Kris and Kayla Biagiotti’s (The K Girls) incredible accomplishment of becoming the first mother/daughter team to finish the Boston Marathon

New TerraCycle program kicked off at Franklin's Helen Keller School

Helen Keller Elementary School in Franklin is participating in an innovative "green" program that, in addition to reducing waste and raising students’ awareness about recycling, will also earn extra money for the school by joining TerraCycle’s Chip Bag Brigade recycling program.

Good Reads: keeping pace, Keller science

KEEPING PACE

Running is like anything else in life: you have to pace yourself. For a runner, this is the most critical skill that one can learn.  Without a proper pace, the initial excitement, adrenaline and crowd surge of a race will give way to heavy limbs, clumsy feet and whole body exhaustion, among other more dangerous things.  And with today being the 117^th anniversary of the Boston Marathon, on no day is this counsel more appropriate.

Keller Elementary School Science Night

A wonderful series of hands-on science nights are held each year at the Keller Elementary School in Franklin, MA.  Sponsored by the Keller Parent Communication Council (PCC) and staffed by volunteer PCC members, the Science Nights show how hard the PCC works to augment the curriculum at Keller Elementary.  The Keller PCC makes a real difference in the lives of Keller students!

Reminder: Tour of Keller and Sullivan - Mar 7 - 6:00 PM

A message from FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

Hello Please join the administration and School Committee for a tour of the Helen Keller Elementary School and Annie Sullivan Middle School. Thursday, March 7, 2013 from 6:00 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. All community members invited - please meet in Keller lobby (on the left). Address: 500 Lincoln Street. If school is closed  due to inclement weather, the tour will be rescheduled. This e-mail has been sent to you by FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT. To maximize their communication with you, you may be receiving this e-mail in addition to a phone call with the same message. If you wish to discontinue this service, please inform FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT IN PERSON, by US MAIL, or by TELEPHONE at (508) 613-1777.

Keller Sullivan School Tour - Mar 7, 6:00 PM

The next stop on the tour of the school facilities here is Franklin is the Keller Sullivan complex on Lincoln St.

Join the principals, members of the School Committee and Central Office on the tour. This is a good opportunity to see inside the building, visit classrooms, and have questions answered along the way.


The Helen Keller Elementary School entrance



The Keller school webpage can be found here http://kellerelementary.vt-s.net/Pages/index


The Annie Sullivan Middle School entrance




The Sullivan school webpage can be found here  http://sullivanmiddle.vt-s.net/Pages/index

Respond to the event invite on Facebook here
http://www.facebook.com/events/468882659832077/

Keller - School Improvement Plan

The School Improvement Plan for 2012-2013 is scheduled for review and discussion at the School Committee meeting Tuesday, Oct 23, 2012.

Keller 5K Fun Day - June 3, 2012

The Keller Elementary School will be the start and finish for a 5K Fun Day on June 3, 2012



The t-shirt order has already been placed for the event to happen on June 3 from 9:00 AM to noon.

Registration and additional information can be found online here  http://www.keller5k.com/

In the News - Dean College, video prize, winter sales

More students applying to Dean College

by Brian Benson/Daily News staff

Franklin 11-year-old grabs video prize

by Brian Benson/Daily News staff

Harsh winter means huge demand for some businesses

by Ashley Studley/Daily News staff

Franklin, MA

Helen Keller/Anne Sullivan - video clip

With the Keller-Sullivan School complex in our midst, finding this video clip of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan from the 1930's is a treat.



Enjoy!

Hat tip to @Starbucker and the folks at BoingBoing.net for sharing this treasure.

Jimmy McCarthy - Hellen Keller School Forecast

(NECN: Matt Noyes) - Jimmy McCarthy of Helen Keller Elementary in Franklin, Massachusetts is given his own personal forecast by NECN meteorologist Matt Noyes.

Jimmy can expect to look out of his classroom window at sunshine, with temperatures reaching 47 degrees. A fall jacket is recommended for today.

As for the White Christmas track -- chances have been boosted in Western Massachusetts with a higher chance in Northern New England.






It may be a day late, but the forecast will remain forever via the internet.

Now, how does the school get to look like that?