CONNECTION NEWSLETTER
Your Monthly Franklin Senior Center Newsletter
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Franklin Senior Center: Connection Newsletter for December 2020 |
Providing accurate and timely information about what matters in Franklin, MA since 2007. * Working in collaboration with Franklin TV and Radio (wfpr.fm) since October 2019 *
To Receive This Newsletter Monthly or Other Town Notifications, Please Click Here.
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Franklin Senior Center: Connection Newsletter for December 2020 |
Below are the official 20020 Hockomock League Field Hockey All Stars, selected by the coaches in the league.
Kelley-Rex Division MVP
Amanda Lewandowski, Franklin
Kelley-Rex Division All Stars
Amanda Lewandowski, Franklin
Kaitlyn Carney, Franklin
Stephanie Bell, Franklin
Honorable Mention:
Sara Carney, Franklin
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FHS' Lewandowski, K Carney, Bell, and S Carney named field hockey Hockomock League All-stars |
Library News
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Franklin Public Library is currently closed to the public. Curbside Pickup is available Monday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the vestibule of the entrance at the top of the parking lot ramp. Library Staff are available by phone (508-520-4941) and email (frkill@minlib.net) Monday through Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sunday hours are not available at this time.
The Library will be closed and Curbside Pickup will not be available on December 25-27, 2020 and January 1-3, 2021. The Library will be closing at 2:00 p.m. on December 24th & December 31st.
No donations are being accepted at this time. Please do not place them in the return bins or outside the building.
Curbside Pickup
Not sure how Curbside Pickup works? Unsure how to return your materials? Follow these steps to get started!
https://www.franklinma.gov/franklin-public-library/pages/curbside-pickup
How to Get a Library Card While the Library is Closed
Apply for a Minuteman Library Card Online! Your card allows you to place requests and provides access to our online resources.
https://www.franklinma.gov/franklin-public-library/pages/get-library-card
Curbside Printing
The Franklin Public Library is now offering Curbside Printing! Library staff will now print black and white documents up to ten pages in length free of charge. Send your file to frkill@minlib.net . Your document will be printed and placed in a sealed envelope for your privacy. Once you have been notified that your document is ready, pick it up under your last name on the Cubside Pickup carts in the glass vestibule at the top of the parking lot ramp. For documents over ten pages or in color, please email frkill@minlib.net for further information.
New Materials
See the latest additions to the Franklin Public Library's collection of books, movies, and music for all ages!
https://www.franklinma.gov/franklin-public-library/pages/new-materials
Programs for Children and Teens
Weekly Virtual Events for Kids!
Teen Advisory Board, 2nd Wednesday of the Month on Zoom @7:30PM!
Teens! Want to get involved at the library from a distance? Join us as we plan teen-centric events, book displays, revamp our website and more! The perfect way to earn community service hours remotely! Email ckeating@minlib.net to get involved!
Special Programs for Families
Winter StoryWalk at DelCarte Reservation!
The Franklin Recreation Department and the Franklin Public Library are teaming up again for a cozy winter StoryWalk at DelCarte Reservation! Bundle up, mask up, and check out this season's story, Got to Get To Bear's! by Brian Lies! The StoryWalk will be up from early December to mid-January!
Zoom Cooking Class: Holiday Cupcakes! Saturday December 19th, 1:00 p.m.
Join Miss Sandhya of Sandhya's Kitchen for a special zoom cooking class for kids and their grown-ups! We will be making holiday themed cupcakes! To register and receive the recipe and zoom link, please email ckeating@minlib.net!
Teen Noon Year's Eve Mystery Party! December 31st, 12:00 p.m.
Join us on Zoom for a teen-centric celebration, as we ring in 2021 with an interactive mystery! To register and receive the zoom link, please email ckeating@minlib.net!
Adults
Kitchen Table Art Workshop: Secret Pockets, Sunday, December 6, 3:00 p.m.
Got a secret? Secret Pockets are collage card creations that become secret pockets for more images, messages, quotes, and treasures, keepsakes and whatever else you might like. They can be created as intuition or inspiration cards, as mini-diaries, or artists' trading cards – the possibilities are endless. This workshop is for adult and young adult artists and non-artists, no experience needed. A limited number of kits containing materials and tools to be used in the workshop will be available for pick up curbside at the library. More info and registration at www.thecreativitycurator.com. Please register early if you would like to receive one of the kits since quantities are limited. Priority for Franklin residents. Registrants who don't receive a kit will be provided with a supply list to assemble their own. Contact Jacqueline Burke Volpe thecreativitycurator@gmail.com .
Finding Easy Walks Wherever You Are with Marjorie Turner Hollman,Wednesday, December 9, 7:00 p.m.
Getting outdoors can be exciting and challenging. For some, it's especially challenging. You, or those you love, may have health and/or mobility issues that preclude venturing onto rocky or rooty trails. Your children may have special needs. You may have toddlers, or older parents who can no longer venture onto the demanding trails they used to.
If you are like many these days, you are spending a lot more time outdoors. Getting out on trails has taken on new appeal. But do you worry about finding a safe place to park when you consider visiting a local trail? What are the best clothes to wear? Things to bring with you? Regardless of your challenges, the outdoors is not off-limits.
"How do you find all these trails?" Finding Easy Walks Wherever You Are is the answer. You'll learn how to discover Easy Walks when visiting a new area, find new places to walk nearby as well, and so much more. Author Marjorie Turner Hollman loves the outdoors, and has completed three guides to Easy Walking trails in Massachusetts. With limited mobility, she uses hiking poles when heading outdoors. She has been published in local, regional, and national publications. For more information, please visit https://marjorieturner.com/easy-walks/ .
To register for this Zoom program, please visit https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEkfu6tqz8vH9WgKXxj1R0STVp13y6...
Franklin Public Library Book Club, Tuesday, December 22, 7:00 p.m.
The book for discussion is Born a Crime, by Trevor Noah.
Trevor Noah's unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show began with a criminal act: his birth. Trevor was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. Living proof of his parents' indiscretion, Trevor was kept mostly indoors for the earliest years of his life, bound by the extreme and often absurd measures his mother took to hide him from a government that could, at any moment, steal him away. Finally liberated by the end of South Africa's tyrannical white rule, Trevor and his mother set forth on a grand adventure, living openly and freely and embracing the opportunities won by a centuries-long struggle.
Born a Crime is the story of a mischievous young boy who grows into a restless young man as he struggles to find himself in a world where he was never supposed to exist. It is also the story of that young man's relationship with his fearless, rebellious, and fervently religious mother--his teammate, a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence, and abuse that would ultimately threaten her own life.
To reserve a copy of the book or for more information, please contact Assistant Library Director Kim Shipala at kshipala@minlib.net . To register, please visit https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEscuqupjgoGd0XAfQuUAIIChGwkzL... .
Online Resources
Even though we are closed to the public, the Library still has so much to offer! Here are updates and information regarding the Library's services during this closure:
“Today, we are pleased to announce the filing of An Act Relative to Justice, Equity and Accountability in Law Enforcement in the Commonwealth, the result of the deliberations of the conference committee on police reform and racial justice.
The compromise reached, which is intentional in bringing better transparency and accountability to policing in Massachusetts, represents one of the most comprehensive approaches to police reform and racial justice in the United States since the tragic murder of George Floyd.
Our approach strikes a balance that will provide greater protections for the rights of all residents through a strong police officer certification process via a new, independent agency, and setting clear standards for training and use of force, while providing a wider range of tools for law enforcement to provide for the safety of the public.
While there is still much work to be done, we are proud of the foundation laid by this bill as we continue to build toward racial justice and equity.
We would like to sincerely thank Senators Brownsberger and Chang-DÃaz and Representatives Cronin and González for their efforts in advancing this important legislation.”
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https://malegislature.gov/Bills/191/S2963 |
From CommonWealth Magazine we share two articles of interest for Franklin:
"AFTER FOUR MONTHS of closed-door negotiations, six members of the House and Senate reported out compromise police reform legislation on Monday that establishes a certification system for officers and punts the contentious issue of immunity to a special legislative commission.
The bill released by a House-Senate conference committee would create a civilian-led Peace Officer Standards and Training commission that will establish standards for police, investigate misconduct claims, and decertify officers found in violation.
The proposed legislation bars the use of deadly force unless all de-escalation tactics have been used and failed. Chokeholds, similar to what killed Eric Garner in 2014, and restraining of the neck are prohibited. The legislation also requires that, if an officer witnesses another using deadly force improperly, he or she is required to intervene."
"AFTER MONTHS OF limbo, the state budget working its way through Beacon Hill obscures a difficult truth—funding levels will fall short of what our schools, particularly those that are the most under-resourced, need to successfully educate their students for the rest of the year. The challenges will remain even if the COVID-19 pandemic subsides over the coming months. We need targeted, progressive tax revenue to give our schools the resources to successfully navigate this crisis.
So far, the state’s answer to the pandemic is to repeatedly lower the bar for how it defines a safe return to school rather than providing adequate resources so schools can really be safe. One in 10 of the 1,800 school buildings in the state is over a century old, a figure that is true for one in five in our Gateway Cities which educate many of our state’s lowest-income students. Making these buildings safe for both students and faculty requires upgrading airflow and ventilation. Districts also must provide safe transportation for students. This costs money. Given the link between community wealth and the historical legacy of racism, kids of color and the schools that educate them tend to have fewer resources than those in wealthier districts. "
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From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:
"Election season is not yet quite over for Franklin, which is holding a special town election next week — unusually on a Saturday — to fill a vacancy on the Town Council.
Franklin's special town election will fill a seat on the Town Council.
There are four candidates seeking the post left behind this fall by nearly three-year member Eamon McCarthy Earls, who exited the top governing board to pursue law studies. Candidates include Greg Chiklis, Alan Earls, Cobi Frongillo and KP Sompally.
The special election is set to take place from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. next Saturday. Polls will be open at Franklin High School, 218 Oak St.
Candidates all provided statements, which appear here in the order candidates will be listed on the ballot."
For all the relevant info for the special election scheduled for Dec 5 to fill one Town Council seat visit the "election collection" https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/08/2020-election-collection.html
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2020 Election Collection |
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budget process overview |
Below are the official 20020 Hockomock League Boys Soccer All Stars, selected by the coaches in the league.
KELLEY-REX DIVISION ALL STARS
"We’re almost there.” That’s what I’ve been thinking recently, and especially during our eerily sparse Thanksgiving celebrations. Things may be unpleasant now, but if everything goes well, then sometime next summer, we should reach the end of this miserable journey through plagueland.But on closer inspection, the more I realize I don’t really know what “there” will look like. For all the talk of a “return to normal,” large chunks of the old normal are due for a post-covid-19 rethink. And I’m not just talking about movies heading to video or takeout cocktails — though, please, let’s keep the takeout cocktails. The more I think about it, the more I think I’m talking about practically everything.The most obvious place to start is with the health-care system. Hopefully, people are already considering how to strengthen the medical supply chains that broke early in the pandemic and stayed broken too long — including reforming the reimbursement systems that reward medical procedures rather than basics such as protective equipment. We need to reward nursing homes for the basics, too, like cleaning and infectious-disease control, rather than costly extra services — a perverse system that damn near amounted to geronticide when the pandemic hit. These things should have been fixed decades ago; the next best time is right now."
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a recent School Committee meeting with 45 participants in Zoom, others in the room and others watching via cable |
From CommonWealth Magazine we share an article of interest for Franklin:
"WE’VE KNOWN for as long as COVID-19 has been in our collective headspace that the illness is most threatening to older people. But when it comes to financial and mental health, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic fall most heavily on young people.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the MassINC Polling Group has surveyed Massachusetts residents on many elements of physical, mental, and economic well-being. The data clearly illustrate that the coronavirus crisis is one that piles impacts on vulnerable populations.
Groups hardest hit by the pandemic are disproportionately young — immigrants, frontline workers, people of color, and Gateway City residents. Add this to the fact that COVID also poses specific challenges to people just because of their phase of life, not because they fall into any of these groups. Young people are much more likely to be part-time and hourly workers, renters, and parents of young children, all of whom are facing unique hardship. All of this is often overlooked in conversations focusing on the virus itself, since young people tend to be at relatively lower risk of serious health impacts."
"Students in the Hockomock Area YMCA's Broad-Y Academy and Theatre Institute will in early December present virtual productions they have been preparing for the last few months.The Broad-Y Academy will present "A Virtual Christmas Carol" at 6 p.m. Dec. 5 and 1 p.m. Dec. 6. It’s the classic Dickens story with a modern twist -- all the scenes take place via phone or video call.Twenty local youth ages 7-14 rehearsed and prerecorded the play on Zoom from their own homes. “It was so fun to see how each student took the time to set up and decorate their individual performance space to make it special even though we were physically apart,” says Director Julia Paolino.Simultaneously, The Theatre Institute, an intensive pre-professional training program for high school students, has been hard at work crafting their annual musical theater showcase, which will be streamed at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 5. This year’s showcase is titled “Together Apart” and features songs in which the characters exist in physically separate spaces, but connect with each other nonetheless."
The Sun Chronicle: "Hockomock Area YMCA theater groups will present shows in early December" |