Franklin, MA: Kindergarten registration

For students entering Kindergarten in September 2010, registration will occur on 

• February 2
• February 4
• February 8
  

For more information, please visit the Franklin Public School kindergarten registration page here:
http://www.franklin.ma.us/auto/schools/FPS/KInfo/default.htm

Franklin, MA: Kindergarten registration

Hold the dates to register for kindergarten:

February 1st, 3rd, and 7th

4:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M.

Horace Mann Middle School – Cafeteria

224 Oak Street, Franklin, MA

All the details on the forms required and how to obtain them to have them filled out before arriving at registration can be found in the flyer here:

Franklin, MA - Kindergarten Registration

Note: email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to view the document.


Franklin, MA

Franklin, MA: Kindergarten registration

Hold the dates to register for kindergarten:

February 1st, 3rd, and 7th

4:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M.

Horace Mann Middle School – Cafeteria

224 Oak Street, Franklin, MA

All the details on the forms required and how to obtain them to have them filled out before arriving at registration can be found in the flyer here:

Franklin, MA - Kindergarten Registration

Note: email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to view the document.


Franklin, MA

Franklin Kindergarten Schedule

For some reason the correction in the printed version of this weeks Franklin Gazette STILL gets the information wrong. The correct information is listed below.

What is the kindergarten schedule?

• Orientation for all kindergarten students at each elementary school on Sep 1
• 1/2 the kindergarten class comes to school on Sep 2
• The other 1/2 of the kindergarten class comes to school on Sep 3
• The full kindergarten class comes to school on Sep 4

Which half goes when?
You will be notified in a letter as to your first day of kindergarten. The beginning of the alphabet will be on Tuesday and the end of the alphabet will be Wednesday. All kindergarten students first full day together will be Friday.

Why the split schedule for kindergarten?
This schedule helps to ease the new students into the kindergarten routine.

School Opening Info

Need to see the bus schedules?
You can find them on the Franklin Public School's web page here (PDF)

What is the kindergarten schedule?

• Orientation at each elementary school on Sep 1
• 1/2 the class comes to school on Sep 2
• The other 1/2 of the class comes to school on Sep 3
• The full class comes to school on Sep 4

Which half goes when?
You will be notified in a letter as to your first day of kindergarten. The beginning of the alphabet will be on Tuesday and the end of the alphabet will be Wednesday. All kindergarten students first full day together will be Friday.

Why the split schedule for kindergarten?
This schedule helps to ease the new students into the kindergarten routine.

What does the full school calendar look like?
Check out the Franklin Public School's web page here (PDF)

Questions?
Check Central Office's website for answers on multiple topics.
Check each school web page for information.
If your question isn't answered there, please contact your students school.

"anxious about full-day kindergarten"

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

Milford Daily News

Posted May 11, 2009 @ 10:54 PM

---

FRANKLIN —

Tonight, the School Committee will make final decisions about what to cut - with full-day kindergarten and at least 30 teachers' jobs on the line - to balance the budget.

As of yesterday afternoon, the union and School Committee had not yet reached an agreement on wage concessions, said Chairman Jeffrey Roy.

Without a wage deferral from the 550-member Franklin Education Association, the School Department faces a budget gap of $1.5 million, Roy said.

A "yes" from the union will save about $800,000, which will be used to save 16 teachers' jobs, Roy said.

A "no" from the union means a minimum of 30 teachers will be laid off, Roy said.

Tonight, the School Committee must vote on a final budget in time for its public hearing on May 26, though the budget does not have to be finalized until June 30, Roy said.

Read the full article about the school budget in the Milford Daily News here

Franklin kindergarten information nights schedule

This updated the schedule previously published here:
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2009/03/kindergarten-information-night-schedule.html

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

Franklin kindergarten information nights schedule

via Wicked Local Franklin News RSS by GateHouse Media, Inc. on 4/26/09

Parents of children who will be attending kindergarten in the fall are invited to attend the Kindergarten Information Night at their particular school.

Following are dates and times for sessions (parents only) revised from earlier publications:

J.F.Kennedy Elementary School, Thursday, April 30, 6:30 p.m.

Parmenter Elementary, Thursday, May 14, 6:30 p.m.

Jefferson Elementary, Wednesday, May 20, 6 p.m.

Helen Keller Elementary, Wednesday, May 13, 6:30 p.m.

Davis Thayer Elementary, Thursday, May 14, 6:30 p.m.

Oak Street Elementary , Wednesday, May 27, 6:30 p.m.

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to Wicked Local Franklin News RSS using Google Reader
• Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites

Taking Back Childhood: Helping Children Thrive in Challenging Times

Franklin Public School’s Early Childhood Programs Present

Taking Back Childhood: Helping Children Thrive in Challenging Times

Guest Speaker: Nancy Carlsson-Paige, Ed. D.

Date: May 12, 2009

Time: 7:30 PM

Place:

Horace Mann Middle School Auditorium
224 Oak Street
Franklin, MA

Nancy Carlsson-Paige is a professor of early childhood education at Lesley University and the author of Taking Back Childhood: Helping Your Kids Thrive in a Fast-Paced, Media-Saturated, Violence-Filled World. She writes and lectures about the impact of violence in the media, consumerism and its effects on children’s social development, and how adults can raise caring and compassionate kids. She is a recognized national expert and speaks extensively on these subjects. For more information see her website at www.nancycarlsson-paige.org.

Childhood has changed dramatically in just one generation. Social trends such as the influence of media, the fast pace of life, rampant consumerism, and overly structured school days are undermining some of the basic building blocks of healthy childhood. These social forces make it harder for children today to create their own play, feel safe and secure, and build positive, loving relationships with others. Come learn about how childhood has changed for young children today and how you can reclaim what kids need most to help them flourish in these challenging times.

"we need to find champions"

... what we do in education has little or nothing to do with what we know is good pedagogy for children. For example, we could significantly improve education at all levels and in all parts of the country with one change in policy—reducing class size to 18 or less at all grade levels. It is a basic truism of education that the more one-on-one time a child has with a teacher, the better the learning and educational outcome. Yet in practice educational policy is determined by political, economic, cultural, and personal ego concerns. This happens because children and adolescents do not vote, and have little or no say in their own governance. And we, who speak for children and youth, have not been able to muster the political muscle to make the educational needs of children either heard or responded to.

The data and arguments offered in this report are both powerful and compelling. But if they are to have any impact, we need to find champions in the media, in the arts, and in politics who will make the case for us. After all, what do we know? We are just the teachers of young children—who just happen to be the future of our nation.

Read the full report that David Elkind references here.

As Franklin enters into serious budget discussions which could include the change from full-day to half-day kindergarten, while increasing class size across the district, this report will be a timely read.


My thanks to Bernie DeKoven for sharing the link to this report.

"Cutting full-day kindergarten lowers the quality of education"

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

Milford Daily News

Posted Apr 07, 2009 @ 11:39 PM

---

FRANKLIN —

Facing a budget deficit of $2.5 million, "nothing is off the table" in terms of cuts, but officials are optimistic they can preserve full-day kindergarten, says School Committee Chairman Jeffrey Roy.

The 9-year-old program, which serves all of Franklin's kindergarten students (447 this year), is in jeopardy due to this year's severe budget constraints.

Elementary school principals, who needed to cut 30 positions, recommended that the schools eliminate full-day kindergarten since it is not mandated by law.

Such a move would keep class sizes in other grades to a somewhat reasonable level. Otherwise, class sizes would shoot to more than 30 students in many instances.

Read the full article on kindergarten in the Milford Daily News here

Kindergarten Information Night Schedule

FRANKLIN - Parents of children who will be attending kindergarten in the fall are invited to attend the Kindergarten Information Night at their particular school.

Following are the dates and times:

J.F. Kennedy Elementary, Wednesday, April 8, at 6:30 p.m.;
Parmenter Elementary, Tuesday, April 14, at 6:30;
Jefferson Elementary, Wednesday, April 15, at 6;
Helen Keller Elementary, Wednesday, April 15, at 6:30;
Davis Thayer Elementary, Thursday, April 16, at 6:30
Oak Street School, Wednesday, April 29, 6:30.

Originally posted online at WickedLocal/Franklin Gazette here

Live reporting - Elementary schools

36 grade level configurations, six elementary schools, six grades at each school

Red indicates class size exceed the school committee guidelines; only five of the 36 would meet the guidelines

The high class sizes will be costly for academic success

To meet guidelines, needed to think out of the box, how? Change kindergarten from full time to half-day.

The second elementary slide shows how the nine kindergarten teachers would be re-positioned to help reduce the class sizes in the worse cases. This would still leave 24 classes with size exceeding guidelines.

Switching to half-day would be devastating, we have been a model district. Others in the state have visited us to see how it works.

This would also eliminate library across the elementary level!
No resources for library in this draft.

Would loose the kindergarten grant, associated aides, and loose of NAEYC accreditation.

If some of the million in additional funds came through, that would add 20 teachers to the district. 8 of those would be allocated to elementary, 8 to the high school and 4 to the middle schools.

The major update is going from full day to half day kindergarten!

Kindergarten registration details

... kindergarten registration for the 2009-2010 school year will continue at Horace Mann Middle School on Monday, Feb. 9, from 4 to 6 p.m. for the parents of children who have been born on or before Aug. 31, 2004.

..........

... as a matter of policy only one of the following may be used as bonafide proof of residency:

• a record of a recent mortgage payment and/or tax bill;
  
• a copy of lease and record of recent rental payment;
  
• a landlord affidavit (notarized letter) and record of recent rental payment;
  
• a Section 8 agreement;
  
• a signed HUD settlement statement;
  

and a valid driver's license; photo ID card; passport or other government-issued photo ID.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here

in the news: pre-school, kindergarten

First Friends drop-off preschool class offered

By GateHouse Media, Inc.

The Franklin Recreation Department isoffering a drop-off preschool class starting on Monday, Jan. 5 or Tuesday, Jan. 6, 9:30-11 a.m. Do you have a 2-3 year old who wishes they could go to school? Let your preschooler enjoy some independence and socialization with peers in this preschool curriculum based drop off class taught by two certified teachers. Each week we will explore a different theme and have related activities such as stories, songs, fingerplays, art activities, and games as well as gross motor play. This 1 1/2 hour class is a great transitioning first step before preschool and longer drop off activities. Snack is provided, however if your child has allergies we ask that you provide their snack. Also, send a labeled sippy cup for your child. This class will be held at the Franklin Recreation Department, 150 Emmons St. Call to register.

This article was originally posted here

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Kindergarten registration set for 2009-2010 in Franklin

By GateHouse Media, Inc.

Kindergarten Registration for the Franklin Public Schools will be held in the Horace Mann School Cafeteria, 224 Oak St., Feb. 2 and 3, 4 to 6 p.m., and Feb. 4 and 5, 3 to 5 p.m. All children born on or before Aug. 31, 2004, are eligible to register for kindergarten. Bring the following along for registration: 1. Original birth certificate — Original and a copy for school files. 2. Immunization Record — You will not be able to register your child without a physician’s copy of the immunization record. 3. Proof of residence — All applicants for kindergarten enrollment must bring at least one document each from the following categories: Category A: Record of recent mortgage payment or tax bill, copy of a lease and a record of a recent rental payment, landlord affidavit (notarized letter) and a recent rental payment, Section 8 agreement, or a signed HUD settlement statement. Category B: valid driver’s license, valid Massachusetts photo ID card, passport, or other government-issued photo ID. Franklin preschools and day cares will be sending kindergarten registration folders home with your child. If your child does not attend a Franklin preschool or daycare, folders will be available at registration and also at the F.X.O’Regan Early Childhood Development Center, located at 224 Oak Street (rear). Call 508-541-8166, ext. 2938, for assistance.

This was originally posted here

Franklin: Schools open Tuesday

Franklin: Schools open Tuesday, originally uploaded by shersteve.

Yes, the summer is coming to an end.

Dolores has her classroom ready to welcome her new set of friends at Oak Street.

Check to see what time your kindergarten orientation is on Tuesday.

Drive with alertness to keep all the Franklin students safe!

"It's for the children, it's for the families."

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Jun 05, 2008 @ 12:45 AM

---

FRANKLIN —

At the Garelick Early Learning Center, preschoolers, their parents and teachers are happier than ever thanks to improvements made possible by an early education grant, said Child Care Director Mary Varr yesterday.

"The children are happy, their parents are happy. Our parent survey results are phenomenal: We had an 85 percent return on surveys vs. the usual 20, 25 percent" before the center received its universal pre-kindergarten grant, she said.

With the $26,000 grant, Varr was able to subscribe to a Web site that guides curriculum and assists with assessments, purchase a laptop computer for teachers, and get equipment and supplies for the program, she said.

Yesterday, early childhood education proponents gathered at the Garelick center to speak about the need for voluntary, universal pre-kindergarten and other early education reform in Massachusetts.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here