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| “Footloose: Youth Edition” |
Tickets are now available! Please go to the Franklin Footlighters Footloose website to purchase tickets. Save time and money at the door and buy them online! Each ticket bought on the day of the show costs $2 more than buying tickets ahead of time.
Please email MusicAcademy@franklinps.net with any questions. See you at the show!
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| one slide from the HMMS presentation on curriculum flow & delivery |
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| Technology/Social Media |
"For parents of middle schoolers at HMMS (and I’m sure they’re happy to have all middle school parents interested).Technology/Social Media Info Night with Officer Ayer, Tuesday 3/26 at 6pmOfficer Ayer and Principal Motte will be hosting an evening event for HMMS parents/guardians to learn more about the impacts of technology and social media on the lives of the middle school student. We will provide some information on what we are seeing in our roles as Principal and School Resource Officer, and will provide resources for parents to stay informed.
We hope this can be an opportunity to share our experiences, raise awareness, and identify ways we can work together to help our middle schoolers live healthy lives. This event will take place in the HMMS Library."
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| All Town MICCA Showcase Concerts -> March 12, 13 & 21 |
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| Franklin Food Pantry |
| Superintendent Lucas Giguere is pleased to announce that the Remington Middle School, Horace Mann Middle School and Annie Sullivan Middle School recently received grant funds from the One8 Foundation to offer an expanded curricular program from Project Lead the Way (PLTW) to support STEM career learning. |
| The One8 Foundation collaborates with partners to identify, support and scale high impact programs, like PLTW, to help schools and teachers prepare students for success. |
| PLTW is a nonprofit organization that provides a transformative learning experience for PreK-12 students and teachers through coursework in computer science, engineering, and biomedical science. Franklin's three middle schools join more than 12,000 schools across the country offering PLTW programs to millions of students. |
| “Receiving these grants gives us the opportunity to realize what we imagine for our students," said Director of Curriculum STEM Eric Stark. "By expanding our partnership with the One8 Foundation, our computer science and STEM teachers will join a nationwide community of educators, and our students will gain access to an engaging and rigorous curriculum and high-quality instructional materials." |
| The grant funds will be used to implement three PLTW Gateway units for the first time in Franklin Public Schools. In the first unit offered, Design and Modeling, students will discover the design process and develop an understanding of the influence of creativity and innovation in their lives. They will be challenged to use and apply what they have learned throughout the unit to design a therapeutic toy for a child who has cerebral palsy. |
| "We are so excited to be a part of this partnership with Project Lead the Way for the first time,” Superintendent Giguere said. "We are looking forward to seeing our students participate in these programs and how they can apply their skills across the computer sciences, shaping them for real-world experiences." |
| The second unit that will be offered is Computer Science for Innovators and Makers. Students will discover computer science concepts and skills by creating personally relevant, tangible and shareable projects. Throughout the unit, students will learn about programming for the physical world by blending hardware design and software development. They will design and develop a physical computing device, interactive art installation or wearable, and plan and develop code for microcontrollers that bring their physical designs to life. |
| The third unit that will be offered is called App Creators. This unit will expose students to computer science by computationally analyzing and developing solutions to authentic problems through mobile app development, and will convey the positive impact of the application of computer science to other disciplines and to society. Students will customize their experience by choosing a problem that interests them in the areas of health, environment, emergency preparedness, education, community service and school culture. |
| Funds from the grant will also support teacher professional development and the purchase of materials and equipment that will be used in PLTW courses. In addition, as a school with PLTW programming in Massachusetts, each school will have access to a regular set of teacher professional learning opportunities, student project showcases, and connections to industry professionals offered by the Mass Learning Project and the One8 Applied Learning Hub. |
| “Students are hungry for experiences that allow them to apply what they are learning to solve real-world, meaningful problems," said One8 Foundation President Joanna Jacobson. "Providing equitable access to hands-on applied learning programs that deliver academic gains while building critical thinking and complex problem-solving skills ensures students are engaged and interested in school and prepared for success in this ever-changing world." |
| About Project Lead The Way |
| Project Lead The Way (PLTW) is a mission-driven organization that is transforming the learning experience for millions of PreK-12 students and thousands of teachers across the country. PLTW empowers students to develop in-demand, transportable knowledge and skills through pathways in computer science, engineering, and biomedical science. PLTW's teacher training and resources support teachers as they engage their students in real-world learning. |
Mark your calendars! Town-wide middle school BOOK FAIR Tuesday, January 16 at @EscapeIntoFictn on Main Street in Franklin.
Get your @JSonnenblick titles before his March visit to Franklin @sullythehusky @RMS_Remdawgs
https://t.co/Bg7ktfMHDPShared from -> https://twitter.com/HMMSLightning/status/1745161593166413996
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| Middle School Book Fair - Tues, Jan 16 at Escape Into Fiction |
"Time for the Winter Concerts!Shared from -> https://twitter.com/MusicBoostersFr/status/1730744802843496684
12/4: Remington at HMMS 6PM
12/5: FHS Band Concert at FHS 7PM
12/6: Horace Mann at HHMS 6PM
12/7: FHS Chorus & Orchestra at FHS 7PM
12/14: Annie Sullivan at HMMS 6PM
Come hear some great music!
$5 donation requested at the door. Students free.
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| Franklin Music Boosters share schedule of winter concerts for December |
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| Attention Middle and High Schoolers the sign up for the Food Elves is open |
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| Middle, high school, & college students can sign up to join the Franklin Food Elves this season |
"School shootings, social media, beauty standards.
13-year-olds Erika Young and Norah Weiner delve into what middle school looks like today in their award-winning podcast.
@sequoiastweets @NPR https://t.co/hVyBB74v7G"
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| "Student podcasters share the dark realities of middle school in America" |
Next Books to Go is August 22. Hope your summer is filled with good people and good books!
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| Books to Go at Horace Mann Middle School - Aug 22 from 11 AM to 1 PM |
Next Books to Go is August 15. Hope your summer is filled with good people and good books!
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| Books to Go at Horace Mann Middle School - Aug 15 from 11 AM to 1 PM |
FM #1033 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1033 in the series.
This session of the radio show shares my conversation at the Creative Corner Art Studio with owner Amy Saltamacchia. We talk about the new classes starting this fall, one to help with middle school performing arts, one to help with elementary art, both are after school programs.
We also heard a tease for some additional programming coordinating with Dean College as well as a possible street art project for students. Both of these we’ll keep an ear out for.
The audio recording runs 20 minutes, so let’s listen to my conversation with Amy
Audio link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1033-creative-corner-adds-middle-school-performing-arts-08-02-23--------------
Creative Corner Art Studio web page -> https://www.creativecornerartstudiofranklin.com/
Registration page -> https://www.creativecornerartstudiofranklin.com/elementaryclasses
Find Create Corner on Facebook -> https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087442720678
Follow them on Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/creativecornerartstudio/
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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!
------------------
You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"
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| Amy Saltamacchia talks about adding Middle School Performing Arts to Creative Corner Art Studio programs |
Next Books to Go is August 8th. Hope your summer is filled with good people and good books!
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| Books to Go at Horace Mann Middle School - Aug 8 from 11 AM to 1 PM |
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| Middle School Visual and Performing Arts |
"Runs on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 3-5:30pm. Choose how many days a week when you sign up! Only taking 35 students a day. Pick up options/group carpool from Annie Sullivan. Horace Man students can take the five minute walk from school to the studio located downtown. On early release days parents have the option to pay $30 extra for lunch.Drama Club is designed for students interested in learning more about the aspects of theater. This includes learning stage terminology, working on acting skills, set building, and costumes/makeup design. The Visual Arts will include working in different mediums over the system incorporated with the performing arts final presentation.A drama club gives students an outlet for interests that go beyond acting and leads to friendships across grades. With recent cuts in the art and limited options for middle school extracurriculars, Creative Corner Art Studio gives students that venue in a safe and nurturing creative environment to explore those hidden talents."
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| Middle School Visual and Performing Arts - registration is open |
Next Books to Go is August 8th. Hope your summer is filled with good people and good books!
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| Books to Go at Horace Mann Middle School - Aug 8 from 11 AM to 1 PM |
FM #1012 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1012 in the series.
This session of the radio show shares part of the Franklin, MA School Committee meeting held on Tuesday, June 13, 2023.
The meeting was conducted in a hybrid format: all of the School Committee members, school district personnel along with some of the public were in the Council Chambers. Some members of the public participated via conference bridge.
Brief recap:
Moment of silence to recognize the tragic passing of an FHS graduating senior
During the Superintendent's Report, 2 highlights were shared. (1) a quick overview of the Spanish trip during Spring break. (2) recognition of three FHS outdoor track athletes for their accomplishments at the Meet of Champions
Recognition of Michelle Kingsland Smith retiring for the 2nd time this year with 50 years of education experience. Recognition of Miriam Goodman's retirement as Business Administrator
Middle school civics program provided an update on the process across the three schools and a student presentation from Horace Mann.
The Oak St Elementary team provided and interactive question and answer update on the happenings and progress within the school this year
The additional funds from the Town saves some positions but there are still 26.7 positions removed from the budget, 16 of which were enrollment related. The Committee agonized over the cuts, appreciating the effort and thought that went into trying to minimize the impacts of these. One member said as hard as it is this year, we'll look back to this budget next year as a good one. And that is not something to look forward to
Links to the meeting agenda and associated documents released for this meeting are included in the show notes. The link to my notes taken during the meeting is also provided.
Let’s listen to this segment of the School Committee meeting June 13, 2023
Timing on the recording when each segment Starts
Spain trip - approx. 12 minutes
Girls Outdoor Track - approx. 20 minutes
Michelle Kingsland Smith - approx. 29 minutes
Middle School Civics - approx. 42 minutes
Oak St Update - approx. 73 minutes
Discussion Action Items (budget) - approx. 1 hour 56 minutes
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Meeting packet folder -> https://www.franklinps.net/district/meeting-packets/pages/june-13-2023-school-committee-meeting-packet
Meeting agenda doc (includes remote participation info) -> https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/uploads/scagenda_6-13-23.pdf
My notes captured during the meeting (in one PDF file)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Q2Uwk3QIX9rejAPGl2offT65fqVLCOYf/view?usp=drive_link
Franklin TV Video link -> https://www.youtube.com/live/EVNd_SfjvbY?feature=share
--------------
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!
------------------
You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"
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| Franklin, MA: School Committee Meeting Agenda for June 13, 2023 |
