Greenbusters

Digging around the SustainLane web site initially found here, I find there is a series of posts on greenbusters. Recall the popular Discovery Channel show - Mythbusters; these are focused on green myths and you get the full scoop on each. For example:

Myth: It's best never to touch your thermostat. Read More »

Myth: It's okay to throw something away as long as it's biodegradable. Read More »

Myth: Washing laundry in hot water is the only way to kill bacteria and get things really clean—just like my mom told me. Read More »

Myth: Dog poop is natural, so it’s okay to leave it behind. Read More »

Myth: It takes more energy to turn a light off and back on than it does to keep it running. Read More »

Check out all the Greenbusters here

YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE TO BE A SCIENTIST TO KEEP YOUR CHILDREN SAFE

Date: Thursday, February 26, 2009

Time: 7 P.M.

Location:

First Universalist Society in Franklin
262 Chestnut St.
Franklin, MA 02038

Join us to learn how we are all exposed to Bisphenol A (BPA) and what we can do to break the cycle. BPA, a toxic chemical found in polycarbonate plastic, is widely used in consumer products including baby bottles, sippy cups, teethers, toys, pacifiers, and utensils. BPA is also in the epoxy resins used to
line cans of baby formula and other foods. It leaches out of the container into the stored food.

Local parents and The Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow are offering this event as an opportunity to learn how to keep your loved ones safe from BPA!
Take Action and Join Us For this Event!

Please contact esaunders@cleanwater.org for more information.

Cape Wind: Record of Decision Request

The following is a Letter to the Editor submitted by Jim Liedell summarizing the Cape Wind decision points and requesting that the Record of Decision be released.

------------

Despite unemployment rising precipitously, U.S. wind industry jobs jumped to 85,000 in 2008, a 70% increase from 2007. Wind made up 42% of all added 2008 electricity capacity. We can soon start benefiting locally by Cape Wind joining this explosive growth, giving us health, economic, security and other benefits.

Major conclusions in the federal Minerals Management Services’ (MMS) mid-January very favorable Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) on Cape Wind’s proposed project included:

1. of negative operation impacts, 3.2% are No Impact, 50% are Negligible, 38.9% are Minor, 6.3% are Moderate, and 1.6% (slightly rerouting the annual Figawi sailboat race) is Major;
2. impact to tourism will be negligible and there will be no decrease in beach activity;
3. floating wind turbine technology (recently pushed by the Alliance opposing Cape Wind) won’t be commercially available for 10 to 15 years;
4. Cape Wind will lower our electricity prices;
5. negligible to minor impact on fisheries;
6. fossil-fueled plants’ global-warming and other harmful emissions will be reduced;
7. no Cape Wind emissions to sea or air;
8. world-wide data (including local MMA turbine) showed very few birds will be killed colliding with Cape Wind’s turbines
9. no injuries caused to marine mammals;
10. nine alternate locations were evaluated - they would all produce more costly (1 to 17.7 cents/kilowatt hour) electricity than Cape Wind; and
11. three site-layout alternatives and four types of generation facilities were all found to be less desirable than Cape Wind’s proposal.

With this favorable FEIS expanding on and confirming many previous evaluations, it is sure that we will significantly benefit from Cape Wind.

To support this project, write a brief letter to

Kenneth Salazar

Secretary, US Department of the Interior

1849 C Street N.W.

Washington, DC 20240

and ask them to issue their Record Of Decision promptly.


Jim Liedell
Yarmouth Port


Note: Addressee for letter updated 2/26/09 per email request from Jim Liedell

School Committee Mtg 02/24/09

The summary of live reports from the School Committee meeting 2/24/09 are collected here

• Live reporting - Information matters
• Live reporting - action items
• live reporting - Discussion only items
• Live reporting - Salary freeze agreed to by 51 adm...
• Live reporting - Asst Supt Candidate
• Live reporting - Presentations: NASA
• Live reporting - School Committee - 2/24/09

• School Committee - Agenda - 2/24/09

"Alina should be viewed as a representative among winners"

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Feb 24, 2009 @ 11:21 PM

---

FRANKLIN —

The competition for the Massachusetts Junior Miss 2009 title at Horace Mann Middle School was fierce, said Franklin High senior Alina Ostrow.

Fourteen teenage girls, each in the top 10 percent of their class, gathered in the Thomas Mercer Auditorium for the two-day competition last weekend.

Each displayed a talent honed since childhood.

And all spoke their minds and strutted their athletic prowess on stage, doing push-ups and more challenging variations of push-ups in a choreographed aerobic routine designed to test their strength, balance and agility.

Read the full article about Alina Ostrow in the Milford Daily News here

"an interesting relationship to JFK's assassination"

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Feb 25, 2009 @ 12:38 AM

---

FRANKLIN —

The date was April 28, 1961. The place, Chicago. President John F. Kennedy arrived at McCormick Place exhibition center to thank Mayor Richard J. Daley for helping him win the election.

Abraham Bolden remembers it like it was yesterday - cameras flashing, people knocking each other over to get a peek at the young president.

Bolden, a newly minted Secret Service agent, was stationed in front of the restroom in the lower level of the building, for which his colleagues teased him mercilessly. "Normally, a Chicago policeman would hold down such a detail, so my chances of seeing the president were slim to zero at that post."

"Lo and behold, I look up at the top of the steps, and there is President John F. Kennedy. The first thing he wants to do is use the washroom," recalled 73-year-old Bolden.

That chance encounter set into motion a chain of events that changed Bolden's life in ways he never imagined.

Read the full article about the Secret Service experience of Mr Bolden in the Milford Daily News here.

Attend the presentation at the Horace Mann/Thomas Mercer Auditorium 2/25/09 at 7:00 PM

"This group is remarkable, their talent is remarkable"

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Feb 25, 2009 @ 12:39 AM

---

FRANKLIN —

On their own volition, 51 school administrators and non-union secretaries volunteered to freeze their salaries and forgo any kind of pay increases, School Committee Chairman Jeffrey Roy announced last night.

The group, which made the decision unanimously, includes superintendent-in-waiting Maureen Sabolinksi, all central office staff, every principal, every assistant principal, and every non-union secretary in the district, Roy said.

"It's rather good news," Roy said, noting that the group had organized to find a way to help, in response to the committee's call to "dig deep" to keep the school system intact.

"They took that initiative, they all stepped up to the plate and took on personal sacrifice. That's leadership by example," Roy said.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here

Jeff Roy has a similar post on the Franklin School Committee blog here

My live reporting notes from the School Committee meeting when this was announced can be found here

Live reporting - Information matters

Superintendent - While the program of studies is available online and will be printed for the 8th grade students it is not a guarantee that each course will run in September. Some classes due to under-enrollment do not run, others may due to the budget be adjusted. That would become known as we go forward.

SubCommittee Reports
Trahan - Financial Planning committee working on the final report. The Town wide forum date is still being determined.

Adjorn

Live reporting - action items

4. Action Items

1. I recommend budget transfers as detailed. Approved 7-0
   
2. I recommend acceptance of the anonymous donation of $10,000 for the Ruth Reitzas Scholarship Fund at the FHS. Approved 7-0 (actually have about $85,000 in the scholarship fund)
   
3. I recommend the acceptance of a check for $5,000 from the Oak Street PCC for the following field trips: K: Davis Farmland; Gr 2: Stony Brook; and Gr. 4: Fine Arts. Approved 7-0
4. I recommend adoption of Sub Committee Minutes Policy & Exhibit BEDGG/BEDGG-E. Approved 7-0
5. I recommend action be taken regarding the make-up day for the HM/Oak/ECDC Complex. Approved 5-2 to add to the last day of the year
6. I recommend approval of the Horace Mann MS Trip to Trinity Repertory Theatre in Providence, RI to see the play “A Raisin in the Sun”. Approved 7-0
7. I recommend acceptance of a check for $1,000 from the Singleton Family Foundation for Special Education programs/equipment at FHS. Approved 7-0
8. I recommend approval of the recurring Washington, D.C. field trip for Remington Middle School students in April, 2009. Approved 7-0

Extended discussion on the make up day:

$3500 on Good Friday, $2600 to make up at end of the year - recommend making up the day on Good Friday

The HM/Oak/ECDC complex make up day is not due to snow but due to the water/mechanical problem at the beginning of the school year. Do need to make up the day, did apply for the waiver but do need to meet the 180 day requirement by certification in July.

While we are over the hours (990 vs 900 req'd) we are pushing it due to field days and other in school activities that we can't count toward educational hours.

If the parents don't want to send their students due to religious reasons, then this would count as an excused absence.

Not a good choice, Good Friday the best educational choice.

Motion - add the make up day after the last day of school passed 5-2

live reporting - Discussion only items

3. Discussion Only Items

• Budget to Actual

These transfers were fully vetted with the budget subcommittee prior to this meeting

• Second Reading – Sub Committee Minutes Policy & Exhibit BEDGG/BEDGG-E

Add "follow up items" to the template form itself

Live reporting - Salary freeze agreed to by 51 administrators

Roy - a group of administrators, a total of 51 people that have agreed to freeze their salary for this year

Sabolinksi - it is a credit to their leadership, makes me very proud to work with these professionals.

Rohrbach - thank you, it is impressive

Trahan - it is redundant, but thank you

Live reporting - Asst Supt Candidate

2. Guests/Presentations

b. Assistant Superintendent Candidate – Sally Winslow

Maureen introduced the changes being made choosing to replacing herself and Linda Waters' position indirectly. Bottomline they are collapsing two roles into one, and restructuring the role so that the Director of Special Ed could be replaced without complicating the issue with the PPS requirements.

Sally then presents her background and development
She came up through King Phillip and most recently Dover

She had involvement with budget development and monitoring
the special education budget takes up a huge portion of the overall district
has written grants, there is not a day in Spec Ed that there is not some crisis being managed
has lead districts through cycle reviews

one big piece is the parent relationship
she has been active in school and district wide initiatives
balanced literacy, second year at Dover
brought in Everyday Math two years ago at Dover (already here in Franklin)

Graduate of FHS
Lives in Plainville with husband and two daughters
Class of 1973, the second class to graduate from the new high school
had previously done double sessions at Horace Mann
family is life long Franklin residents

Her mother worked at the high school answering the phone
Sally volunteered a lot during school, summers with the Rec Dept.
She has a personal experience with the town

Leadership and comunication style
Team player, will work collaboratively
try to gain consensus, not afraid to articulate the bottomline
has worked with wonderful principals
try to lead by example, strong work ethic
try to be concise, clear, listen important

phone calls, emails acknowledgement important
being proactive on a regular basis, to avoid surprises
working to balance an open door policy (being accessible) with getting things done

would be in her current position until June 30th
there are things that could be done between now and then as schedule permits
would love to get to the schools before the school year ends
you might even see me lurking about at some school committee meetings

explore creative ways to provide a high quality education that Franklin has been known for

Her dad lived all his life here in Franklin, he did not take a vacation
he would go to Uncas Pond
he had an 8th grade education due to the depression
one of the happiest days he had was when I graduated and was part of the second class of women admitted into Holy Cross
He is probably even happier today looking over me here talking with you about a position with the district.

Cafass0 - I think you are a great fit for this, Maureen is very smart to be able to attract someone like you, what is your sense of the reputation of this district for Special Ed?

Winslow - I think you have been very good, you managed your own kids and we would only get those you just couldn't serve. I think that when you have capacity to build programs that is very good. I would like look at the programs and see how we can sustain them and perhaps expand them.

Cafasso - what do you think about the duel role your getting into?

Winslow - I am excited about it. It will be somewhat of a work in progress, figuring things out as the year goes.

Patrick Slight - Is there anything that you have at Dover that you could bring here?

Winslow - that is a very good question. I'd like to look at pre-evaluation to see how we can help that here.

Rohrbach - How will it be working with Maureen where you share some roles.

Winslow - Similar thought process to Maureen, we have not worked together for 12 years. We will have to find out how we can compliment each other in that way.

Roy - What 2 or three bullets attracted you to the school district?

Winslow - attract wonderful teachers, and administrators, do really well despite the budget issues

I have a lot of energy and can't wait to get into the schools to really see what there and how I can help.

Live reporting - Presentations: NASA

2. Guests/Presentations

a. NASA Project – Horace Mann Middle School

• Anne Bergen, Principal

Ms. Foreman, James Schliefke

• Rachita Chaudhury
• Cody Williamson
• Lauren Kane
• Cole Comfort
• Elise Rivera
• Joe Chernak

Looking at heat transfer and astronomy
comparison of conditions between moon and earth
create a product to withstand the stresses of the moon
NASA specialist provided assistance


Note: No pictures were taken of the students to respect the privacy concerns that were not clear at the time of the presentation.

Live reporting - School Committee - 2/24/09

Attending: Armenio, Cafasso, Kelly, Mullen, Roy, Rohrbach, Trahan


1. Routine Business

• Citizen’s Comments - none
  
• Review of Agenda - add FY 10 budget discussion update
  
• Minutes: I recommend approval of the minutes from the February 10, 2009 School Committee Meeting. Motion to approve - 7-0
  
• Payment of Bills - Mr. Kelly
• Payroll - Ms. Armenio
• FHS Student Representatives

• Correspondence:

"state would save about $2.5 million a year"

"Am I disappointed they're dropping the U.S. history MCAS? Not at all," said Dennis Wilkinson, test coordinator at Franklin High School. "We test the heck out of (students) in English language arts, math and biology."

He said he understood why the state would consider dropping the test, given the cost and the financial situation the state finds itself in.

Read the full article on the proposal to slide back the addition of history to the MCAS test suite in the Milford Daily News here