Tuesday, February 16, 2010

FM Budget Workshop Part 7 - 1/25/10

This is part 7 of the budget workshop held in Franklin on Jan 25, 2010 with members of the Town Council, School Committee and Finance Committee participating along with key administration folks from the Town and School Dept as well as some citizens.

Time: 18 minutes, 34 seconds



MP3 File

Session Notes:


Part 7

Franklin held conducted a budget workshop on Monday, Jan 25, 2010. This is part seven of the session recording. Beth Fitzmaurice, Director of Special Education, covers the details of providing Special Education for the students in the Franklin School District beginning with the number of students receiving special educations services as of Jan 15th, 2010 and closing this segment with discussion on special education transportation costs.


Documents associated with this recording segment

FPS Understanding the Budget 1/25/2010 (Page 18 through 22)


FPS Private School Tuition (a sample of tuitions from the State website)

------

Thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit FranklinMAtters.blogspot.com/

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!

Note: email subscribers will need to click through to the website to listen to the audio version.

Live reporting from the workshop can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/live-reporting-special-meeting-budget.html

and here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/live-reporting-budget-workshop.html

Part 1 of the workshop recording can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/fm-budget-workshop-12510-part-1.html

Part 2 of the workshop recording can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/02/fm-budget-workshop-part-2-12510.html

Part 3 of the workshop recording can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/02/fm-budget-workshop-part-3-12510.html 

Part 4 of the workshop recording can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/02/fm-budget-workshop-part-4-1252010.html

Part 5 of the workshop recording can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/02/fm-budget-workshop-part-5-12510.html
Part 6 of the workshop recording can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/02/fm-budget-workshop-part-6-12510.html

FM Budget Workshop Part 6 - 1/25/10

This is Part 6 of the Budget Workshop held in Franklin, MA on Jan 25th. This segment covers Asst Superintendent Sally Winslow providing an overview on the nuances of Special Education for the Schools budget.

Time: 21 minutes, 55 seconds



MP3 File

Session Notes:

Franklin held conducted a budget workshop on Monday, Jan 25, 2010. This is part six of the session recording. Asst. Superintendent Sally Winslow cover the nuances and requirements of providing Special Education for the Franklin Schools budget

Documents associated with this recording

FPS Understanding the Budget 1/25/2010 (Page 6 through 17)

FPS SPED Eligibility
https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B0wjbnXDBhczNTQzMjYyMmMtZWQyZS00YmZiLTg4MDItY2NiYzU3ZGQ0MGRh&hl=en

FPS SPED Placement
https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B0wjbnXDBhczZjRmYzgwYTctODY1NS00ZmU5LWEzYWItNTM2ZDE2MDdlMWVl&hl=en


------

Thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit FranklinMAtters.blogspot.com/

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!

Note: email subscribers will need to click through to the website to listen to the audio version.

------



Live reporting from the workshop can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/live-reporting-special-meeting-budget.html

and here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/live-reporting-budget-workshop.html

Part 1 of the workshop recording can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/fm-budget-workshop-12510-part-1.html

Part 2 of the workshop recording can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/fm-budget-workshop-12510-part-1.html

Part 3 of the workshop recording can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/02/fm-budget-workshop-part-3-12510.html 

Part 4 of the workshop recording can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/02/fm-budget-workshop-part-4-1252010.html

Part 5 of the workshop recording can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/02/fm-budget-workshop-part-5-12510.html




Jordan, UT: Jordan School District

With school vacation this week, many folks will be traveling. Let's travel a little ourselves via the web to find out what else is going on with local blogs, in particular those covering local government and education.


Current J - the blog for the Jordan School District
http://current.jordandistrict.org/


T4 is a resource for comprehensive school improvement plans:
http://t4.jordan.k12.ut.us/t4/content/section/7/39/

T4  is a resource for teachers
http://t4.jordan.k12.ut.us/t4/content/section/5/38/

The Flip over video page is a wealth of resource links on how to use the Flip video camera
http://t4.jordan.k12.ut.us/t4/content/view/314/37/


In your travels, have your found a good blog to share?

Monday, February 15, 2010

FM Budget Workshop Part 5 - 1/25/10

This is Part 5 of the Budget Workshop held in Franklin, MA on Jan 25th. This segment covers the start for the discussion around the Schools budget.

Time: 25 minutes, 25 seconds



MP3 File


Session Notes:

Franklin held conducted a budget workshop on Monday, Jan 25, 2010. This is part five of the session recording. Superintendent Maureen Sabolinski and Finance Director Miriam Goodman, cover the overview of the Franklin Schools budget.

Documents associated with this recording


FPS Understanding the Budget 1/25/2010 (Page 1 through 5)




FPS Overview
https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B0wjbnXDBhczZDc0MTI1ZjktMzRlNy00YjM3LWJmMjYtOWYyZTk3NWQ1YWJl&hl=en

FPS Teacher Salary Grid
https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B0wjbnXDBhczZDVmYjBmZDgtNDJhNS00YmY2LTljOTQtNDNhNTk5NWY3N2Zk&hl=en

------

Thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit FranklinMAtters.blogspot.com/

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!

Note: email subscribers will need to click through to the website to listen to the audio version.

Live reporting from the workshop can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/live-reporting-special-meeting-budget.html

and here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/live-reporting-budget-workshop.html


The first four sessions cover the Town side of the budget

Part 1 of the workshop recording can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/fm-budget-workshop-12510-part-1.html

Part 2 of the workshop recording can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/fm-budget-workshop-12510-part-1.html

Part 3 of the workshop recording can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/02/fm-budget-workshop-part-3-12510.html

Part 4 of the workshop recording can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/02/fm-budget-workshop-part-4-1252010.html

Central Falls, RI in the news

At one time, Central Falls was the most densely populated square mile in the US. It is now in the news as the Superintendent is preparing to fire all the high school teachers.

Why? 

The school apparently is failing its students. The Superintendent wants to make changes. The Teacher Unions is hold its ground to make changes "upon negotiation".

Read the full article here

and more here


Franklin, MA: Skipping weekly review

I'll skip the weekly review (podcast) for this week. I will have one for the week ending Sunday the 21st.

If you missed one of the updates during the week, you can see them all here:






Sunday, February 14, 2010

Franklin Flatbread/Spruce Pond Creamery

As the girls were growing up, one of our family traditions was to walk to Spruce Pond Creamery on the last day of school to help celebrate. I've been known to go with a banana split for dinner. It does have multiple food groups, right (fruit, dairy, nuts, chocolate!) :-)



Good food with a quaint pond view setting. Now with a wine and malt license, there is an added incentive to visit for pizza or a panini.

Of course, sitting on the porch with your ice cream is not something you'd do often in winter.


Franklin Flatbread/Spruce Pond Creamery in a green and warmer view:


Stay warm!

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Solid waste - Newton's info

Newton implemented an automated single stream solid waste process similar to what is coming to Franklin. From the Newton website I found the following:


The size of the cart was selected for several reasons:
  1. In a survey conducted in 2007, 88% of the households could fit trash into this cart;
  2. The cart will encourage more recycling;
  3. The average household in Newton produces approximately 40 lbs of trash per week.
  4. NOTE: The new blue carts will hold the same amount as two large standard trash bags (each holds 35 lbs) or five small kitchen trash bags (each holds 20 lbs) or two 35-gallon barrels (each holds 40 lbs)
  5. In the pilot survey, 82% of the participants stated that the 64-gallon carts held their weekly trash without a problem.


Thanks to Warren Reynolds for providing the link from his post on the new system. You can read Warren's post here:
http://www.02038.com/2010/02/franklin-ma-single-stream-automatedtrash-pickup/

The link to Newton's pages can be found here:
http://www.ci.newton.ma.us/DPW/recycling/ittakestwo/intro.html


Time to wake up on obesity

There are a number of problems in this world but many of them pale in comparison with obesity.

Franklin's budget problem is minor. The trash fee is minuscule.

Jamie Oliver gave this talk at TED recently. It is a powerful and yet easy message to take a step on. Today.

Powerful? Wait until you see the wheelbarrow!



What are you going to do?
When are you going to start?


Friday, February 12, 2010

Wired Kids Summit

The Franklin Teenangels group could use your help in raising money to attend the following event. If you would like to contribute, please contact Lisa Keohane

Prior posts on the Teenangels can be found
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/live-reporting-teen-angels.html

and
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/teen-angels-pledge-text-think-send.html

The Milford Daily News wrote about the Teenangels here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1685423643/Cyberbullying-too-real-for-teens

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The Fifth Annual Wired Kids Summit

Teenangels.org logo
Wired Kids and The WiredSafety Group’s  FBI-trained Teenangels
and Tweenangels invite you to join them at their Wired Kids Summit
given entirely by these expert teens and pre-teens.       
 Teenangels and Tweenangels share:
·        What do Kids Currently Use the Internet for?
·        What are the Latest Interactive Technologies and How Do Kids Use Them?
·        What Sites Do Kids Visit the Most and Why?
·        What’s the Latest on Kids and Cyberbullying, Blogs, Cyber-dating, Downloading Media, Privacy, Security, Cell phones and Text-messaging as well as Predators on the Web?
Come Join Us and Hear from the Real Experts –
The Teens and Preteens Themselves
Panel discussions: The summit will consist of panel discussions run entirely by FBI-trained preteens and teens, our real Internet experts. Moderated by Parry Aftab, cyberlawyer and Executive Director of Wired Kids and the Wired Safety Group, four separate panels will allow the expert preteens and teens to share their expertise, views and accolades about the Internet, their favorite sites and visionaries.
An Awards Ceremony take place throughout the summit, including our Internet Super Hero Award which will be presented this year by Marvel’s Spider-Man and Parry Aftab.
About Us
WiredKids.com and the Wired Safety Group is a 501c3 organization. It is the largest online safety and help group in the world, operating through thousands of volunteers in 76 countries around the world. The Wired Safety Group operates WiredSafety.org, WiredKids.org, Teenangels.org, InternetSuperHeroes.org and StopCyberbullying.org.

SCHEDULE
Date: May 25, 2010
Place: WashingtonD.C. at the Senate Russell Building, Room 325.
Time:    Registration will begin at 9:00 A.M.
The Summit will be held from 9:30 A.M. – 1:00 P.M.
A special lunch will be served for invited guests from 1:15 P.M. – 2:30 P.M. Over lunch, the Tweenangels and Teenangels will join the guests and share their expertise and presentations on Internet predators will be delivered by Teenangels with bestselling author, Katie Tarbox. (Sorry, luncheon invitations are reserved for special guests, WiredKids advisory board members and Teenangel supporters.) 
Space at the Summit is limited so please reserve your place early by e-mailing us at wksummit@wiredsafety.org or by visiting WiredSafety.org and clicking on “events” and filing out the reservation request form.
We look forward to seeing you!
·        Panel 1: Stop Cyberbullying! presents information about how young people are using the internet to harass other kids online. The panel will cover real cases, prevention, and safety tips for parents, kids and schools.
·        Panel 2: Keeping Kids and Families Safe in a Digital World will share information about the 4Ps – privacy, predators, pornography and piracy, the new WiredSafety.org video, the Teenangels’ and Tweenangels’ own safety tips and what parents, schools and industry leaders should know.
·        Panel 3: The Secret World of Kids Online will share hidden risks of new technologies and showcase products and improvements created or enhanced by the TeenAngels as well as recommendations for features to existing products to enhance online safety, privacy and security.
·        Panel 4: Just for Fun will explore what kids enjoy doing online including their favorite sites and activities. (The Wired Kids Best of the Web Awards will be given during this panel.)
Awards Ceremony:
The Summit will include awards for the following:
·        The Teenangels Hero Awards
·        WiredSafety’s Super Librarian of the Year
·        The Wired Cops Awards
·        The Educational Superstar Award
·        The Wired Kids’ Best of the Web Awards
·        The Internet Visionary Award
·        And for the first time, our Internet Super Hero Award will be presented by Marvel’s Super Heroes, including Spider-Man and The Incredible Hulk
In addition, the Internet safety video – The 4Ps – Privacy, Predators, Porn and Pop-ups will be released in honor of Christina Long, the first confirmed murder victim by an Internet sexual predator.