When folks gather and the buzz rises, that is all goodness!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
"starting with nothing but their vision"
GHS
FRANKLIN —
As it now stands, the 1.42-mile trail through Franklin State Forest looks like "a BMX course" or "mogul ski hills," but bicyclists, equestrians and politicians who gathered at the trail head yesterday envisioned a smoother path.
The goal is to forge a trail from Franklin to Bellingham, and ultimately to Palmer in Central Massachusetts.
Among those at yesterday's brainstorming session, state Rep. James Vallee said he wants to create a trail conducive to bicycling, horseback riding, hiking and other activities.
"It's in pretty good condition, it's in a pretty good state," but not quite ready for such pursuits, he said.
read the full article about the efforts to improve the rail trail in the Milford Daily News here
State Education Mandates - Part 7
From time to time, particular around the budget period, reference is generally made to Franklin Public Schools having to support "unfunded mandates." I managed to find a listing of such compiled by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. This is part 7 of the series:
The full listing is available here (DOC)
Residency
Residency waivers and concerns arising from private entities such as sports boarding facilities within district boundaries and the implications of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Act impact district budgets (also see above). Sports boarding camps attract players from various towns, states and countries. Local districts are required to educate said students without regard to tuition payments because residency statutes state that if a student is not at such a facility “solely for the purpose of education,” they are allowed to attend at no cost to the student.
• Residency also becomes an issue when a residential special education institution is located in a Massachusetts community. Students admitted to that institution sometimes attract the family, or a guardian member of the family, to relocate to the community for purposes of being closer to the resident student. This includes formerly out of state as well as in-state residency shifts and families with multiple residents. Such shifts determine assignment of costs to the host resident community.
• While there is local control on the admission to kindergarten there is a great deal of differentiation of starting age. Under choice students may be entered into a district at an earlier age and then require placement at the resident school district.
Vocational Education
School districts allow students to attend out-of-district vocational schools when programs are not offered in the regional district to which the local district belongs. Unlike the Charter School Reimbursement, there is no apparent reimbursement for vocational placement, though the vocational student, like the charter student, is counted in the Foundation Budget of the sending district. In addition, school districts are required to transport these secondary students to the schools of their choice. There is only partial (up to 50%) reimbursement for vocational education transportation.
Amy Speace at The Circle of Friends Coffeehouse - 4/4/09
Amy Speace and her band, the Tearjerks, will perform at the Circle of Friends Coffeehouse on Saturday, April 4th at 8:00 PM. This New York-based singer/songwriter demonstrates why she's quickly become one of her adopted hometown's most celebrated emerging artists. Possessing a commanding voice, a distinctive melodic sensibility and an uncanny knack for nailing complex emotions in song, Speace makes music that's both illuminating and effortlessly accessible. Time Out New York stated, "Amy Speace plays sweet, twangy folk music with a clear voice and an innocent vulnerability," while The Nashville Scene noted that she "balances wry humor with open-hearted honesty." And renowned Nashville critic Robert K. Oermann, writing in Music Row, dubbed her a "new star."
"Amy Speace has one of those fetching voices, the kind that taps you on the shoulder and motions seductively for you to follow it around corner after dark corner. You don't know where you're going to end up or how you'll ever find your way back, but that doesn't matter right now: you're enjoying the trip." Scott Brodeur, No Depression
Here is a clip of her song "The weight of the World" to entice you to attend and hear her in person.
Enjoy!
The Circle of Friends Coffeehouse website is here
The Amy Speace website is here
Friday, March 27, 2009
"learning is not a linear exercise, it’s random, it’s self-directed, it looks like spaghetti."
It’s been a great 10 days in Australia, one that’s been too packed for much blogging, obviously, and one that was highlighted yesterday by a visit to one of those “I really wish my kids went to school there” type of schools in a Melbourne suburb. It’s hard to capture everything that’s cool about the Wooranna Park Primary School in a blog post, but let me boil it down to this: the kids are driving the learning, from the design of the school and the curriculum to the decision making around school policy and more. It’s one of those inquiry-based learning environments where the moment you step into it you just feel something different. Different spaces. Different colors. Different conversations. Different stuff up on the walls.Read the full posting by Wil Richardson on his blog here.
Franklin has been a model district for others in the state to come and view, especially with regards to the kindergarten program. Will that continue?
Franklin, we will need to decide which way we want to go. We can step up to properly fund the schools and our future. Or not.
What will Franklin decide?
YouTube Edu - 100+ Colleges on YouTube
Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:
via Free Technology for Teachers by rbyrnetech@hotmail.com (Mr. Byrne) on 3/26/09
It looks like YouTube is making an attempt to be a little more school friendly. YouTube recently launched YouTube Edu. As Read Write Web reported, YouTube Edu is the aggregation of more than 100 college and university videos from the institutions themselves. The videos include college campus tours as well as lectures from professors. YouTube Edu can be searched by institution, by popularity, or by topic.Applications for Education
If YouTube is not blocked in your school district, YouTube Edu could be a nice resource for those involved in helping students research and select a college to attend. The lecture videos could provide a nice complement to instruction in a high school setting.
If YouTube is blocked in your school, you may want to look at some of these alternatives:
20+ Educational Alternatives to YouTube
Six More Educational Alternatives to YouTube
Academic Earth
Next Vista
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