Bold Opportunities for District–Union Collaboration on Teacher Quality

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

Bold Opportunities for District–Union Collaboration on Teacher Quality

via ASCD Inservice by Laura Varlas on 7/31/09

Teachers unions are often cast as at odds with education reform and innovation. But frequently, behind a conservative national agenda, there's a union local working with districts on reforms like performance compensation and better, fairer educator evaluation systems. Even charter...

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to ASCD Inservice using Google Reader
• Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites

The Month in Review - July's Most Popular Items

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

The Month in Review - July's Most Popular Items

via Free Technology for Teachers by noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Byrne) on 7/31/09

As I do every month, I've compiled a list of the most popular items from the last month.

Here are the seven most popular items in the month of July, 2009
1. 10 Things Teachers Should Know Before 1:1
2. DL Hughley Reminds Us Why We Teach
3. When I Become a Teacher...
4. The World Images Kiosk - 75,000 Images
5. A Very Simple Way to Make Screen Captures
6. More Wordle in the Classroom Ideas
7. Using Blogs and Wikis are Core Skills

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to Free Technology for Teachers using Google Reader
• Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites

PMC - Franklin Water Stop

The Pan Mass Challenge had a water stop this morning at the Remington/Jefferson School on Washington St. It was quite a colorful and festive affair. One rider after pulling over to catch her breath, asked what town she was in. When my wife and I answered, Franklin. She responded; "Oh Franklin, yes, you're a great water stop!"

Here are some pictures of the riders and greeters today:




May the road be kind to all the riders today, and may the wind be at your back!

If you would like to contribute to a rider, you can search for a rider by name here.

For some of the many Franklin PMC riders, there donations pages can be found here:

To donate to Ethan Pearl's ride, logon to https://www.pmc.org/egifts/default.asp?Add=EP0070,

for Michele Pearl, https://www.pmc.org/egifts/default.asp?Add=MP0164 ,

for Jeff Roy, https://www.pmc.org/egifts/default.asp?Add=JR0142

for Jeff Nutting, https://www.pmc.org/egifts/default.asp?Add=JN0077

for Sue Rohrbach, https://www.pmc.org/egifts/default.asp?Add=SR0109

On this day

You can check out Wikipedia to find out what happened on this day in history.

Digging into the archives, the posting here a year ago reported on vandalism, car thieves, and the Digital Credit Union expanding by opening their office on RT 140.

In 2007, Oak St Elementary School received word that it's kindergarten had been certified by the NAEYC and the Boston Globe wrote about the short cut utility poles. I had just before that posted pictures of those poles that could be seen along Union St.

Thanks for stopping by to visit Franklin Matters. If there happens to be nothing new on the front page, please feel free to dig into the archives. You might find something of interest that you had previously missed.

FHS Update and Amendment to the Program of Studies

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

FHS Update and Amendment to the Program of Studies

via FHS Principal's Blog by lightp on 7/31/09

Please excuse the date on this letter, but as I prepare to leave for vacation, I wanted to post a copy of this letter which will be sent next week to the FHS Community. The letter is designed to highlight and explain changes that will or have occurred at FHS as we prepare for the coming year. Guidance Counselors will be in the Office on August 18th and 19th to answer questions or resolve scheduling conflicts.

View this document on Scribd

Click below for a version of the letter that can be downloaded and printed.

FHS Update

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to FHS Principal's Blog using Google Reader
• Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites

This is an election year for Franklin

Did you know this was an election year?
Yes, Franklin voters get to decide who will serve in the open positions shown in the table below.

Do we know who is running for these positions yet?
No, the nomination papers will be available from Deborah L. Pellegri, the Town Clark, beginning Monday, August 10th. You can take out nomination papers up until September 11th. All papers need to be returned by September 15th.

So we won't know who is running until September 15th?
Officially, yes. It is likely that as the people declare they are running there will be some announcements, press releases, etc. as their campaign gets underway.

Will Franklin Matters cover the election?
Yes, I will be providing as much information here as I can obtain. My disclosure statement can be found here or in the right column on the Franklin Matters blog.

When is election day?

DATE: TUESDAY, November 3, 2009
TIME: 6:00 AM – 8:00 PM
PLACE: FRANKLIN HIGH SCHOOL FIELD HOUSE ON OAK STREET for ALL PRECINCTS

When is the last day to register to vote?
October 14, 2009 at 8:00 PM at the Town Clerk’s Office, First Floor, 355 East Central Street, Municipal Building.

What if I am going to be out of town on November 3rd?
Absentee ballots will be available beginning October 13th.

What do I need to do to get an absentee ballot?
Absentee ballots are now available in the Town Clerk’s office. A registered voter who will be unable to vote at the polls on election day due to the following reasons may vote absentee up to 12:00 noon the day before the election:
(1) absence from your city or town during normal polling hours; or
(2) physical disability preventing you from going to the polling place; or
(3) religious belief.

All absentee requests must be made in writing with an original signature (no faxes or e-mails are accepted). If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call Deborah L. Pellegri, Town Clerk, at 508-520-4900.

Name	# of Openings	Incumbent	Term of Office
Board of Assessors	1 Position (For 4 years)	Robert Avakian	2009 to 2013
Board of Health	1 Position (For 4 years)	Bruce Hunchard	2009 to 2013
Planning Board	2 Position (For 4 years)	Anthony Padula	2009 to 2013
	* 1Vacant		2009 to 2013
Planning Board (Associate)	* 1 vacant position (For 4 Years)		2009 to 2013
Town Council	9 Positions (For 2 Years)	Joseph McGann	2009 to 2011
		Deborah Bartlett
		R. Scott Mason
		Christopher Feeley
		Judith Pond Pfeffer
		Thomas Doak
		Shannon Zollo
		Robert Vallee
		Stephen Whalen
School Committee	7 Positions (For 2 Years)	Cora Armenio	2009 to 2011
		Susan Rohrbach
		Paula Mullen
		Edward Cafasso
		Roberta Trahan
		Matthew Kelly
		Jeffrey Roy

* These positions were appointed to fill vacancy until the next scheduled election thus, individuals holding these positions are not considered incumbents.

Please call Deborah L. Pellegri CMC, Town Clerk with any questions at 508-520-4900.

PanMass Challenge rides through on Saturday

Be aware that along the following routes and approximate times, the PanMass Challenge will ride through Franklin.

• Between 7:10 and 10:10 a.m., riders will pass through North Street in Bellingham and continue toward Prospect Street in Franklin.

• Between 7:20 and 10:45 a.m., riders will pass through Prospect Street in Franklin and continue toward Otis Street in Wrentham.

For more information about the Pan-Mass Challenge, including the routes, events and history, and how to make a donation, go to www.pmc.org.

A few of Franklin's riders were highlighted earlier this week here

If you know of other Franklin riders, please let me know so I can share their info here as well.

Want to cut college costs?

There will be a free college seminar at the Norfolk Public Library on how to cut $42,000 in college costs. Insights on why good students do not get into their first-choice colleges will also be reviewed.

Tuesday evening, August 4, at 7 PM

If you can't make it on Tuesday, this seminar will be offered again during the remainder of 2009. You can check out the full schedule here.

Who is the presenter?

Paul uses his own proven marketing techniques - just like the colleges use to sell their product to your student - to sell your student to the colleges. And he coaches your student through the entire process so that you don't have to pull out your hair.

In short, your anxiety, worry, and stress levels are dramatically reduced. Also, your relationship with your student is enhanced and the senior year is nourishing and productive – as it should be.

Paul Hemphill

Biz: 508.520.6642

Biz: 888.876.1863

Fax: 508.528.1946

Paul is a member of the United Regional Chamber of Commerce.

"Fun-ja-cational!"

The program's co-directors, Kristy Yankee, a French teacher and director of foreign languages at the high school, and Kristin Cerce, a former physical education/health teacher who will teach science this year, said the program has been a great success.

"I think the kids are making so many friends, new friends. As the week progressed, they really opened up. Every day, they have bigger smiles on their faces," said Yankee.

Read the full article about the High School Experience in the Milford Daily News here.

Walgreens foundation

The foundation is taking shape for the Walgreens at the corner of 140 and King St.

Change the math pyramid

Are you going to use calculus in your real life? Probably not. The odds are you would make better use of statistics! Listen to this simple proposal on a change to math curriculum.



What are the odds of this proposal succeeding?

What is a better sale? 2 for 1, or half off?

"Franklin's pretty pro-active"

"The problem is, mankind has created a bunch of impervious areas. Water used to land on grass and work its way into the ground, but asphalt doesn't allow it to seep into the ground, and pollutants like antifreeze washes into streams and rivers," Cantoreggi said.

The new system, located next to the police station on Panther Way, will capture stormwater from places such as Highwood Drive and the police station parking lot, and treat the water before it goes into a stream, said Rich Niles, project manager with Comprehensive Environmental of Marlborough, the firm hired for the project design and permitting.

Read the article about the latest effort to treat stormwater before it goes to the Charles River in the MIlford Daily News here

"soccer balls and monetary donations are still needed"

"We're both soccer players, so we knew this would be something we were both interested in," Katinas said. "We decided to make it as a community service project because we get to work with children with special needs and they don't have many opportunities like this."

The camp, which is part of the Franklin Soccer School, will be held at Carpe Diem Field in Franklin from Aug. 3 to 6 from 5 to 6 p.m. for children ages 6 to 14.

----

For more information on the Summer Challenger Soccer Camp, visit Franklinsoccerschool.com/capstone.html or e-mail Frongillo and Katinas at Info@franklinsoccerschool.com.

Read the full artcile about this summer project in the Milford Daily News here

Tinkering with Imagination

J K Rowling said in her address at the Harvard Commencement in 2008:

Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation. In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathise with humans whose experiences we have never shared.

Gever Tulley builds upon the imagination that kids have in his Tinkering School.



Do you let your kids tinker?

How do you feed your imagination?

"stronger sales can be attributed to better values"

Matthew Kelly, a Franklin real estate agent who owns and runs Team Kelly with Re/Max, speculated that Franklin is rebounding well because it's a family town with top-rated schools and is "a commuter's dream."

"I call Franklin a blue-chip town," said Kelly, pointing out its access to commuter rail and its reasonable driving distances to Boston, Providence, the Cape and two airports.

Read the full article about the area's real estate market in the Milford Daily News here.

There are a number of other local blogs covering real estate in Franklin.

Century 21 realtor Warren Reynolds writes on his blog 02038.com and posted this update: Video on Franklin Real Estate Market

Kathy Stankard, a Re/Max realtor, has her own blog with frequent updates Franklin Massachusetts Homes Blog

"Everyone is so supportive, it's just amazing,"

On Saturday and Sunday, the Pearls and about 20 teammates, including Franklin Town Administrator Jeffrey D. Nutting, Franklin School Committee Chairman Jeffrey Roy and School Committee member Susan Rohrbach, will ride for Emily.

Ethan Pearl will trek 48 miles in the "Teen Stride," and his mother will ride 182 miles, from Sturbridge to Bourne, and then from Bourne to Wellesley.

Read the full article about the Pan Mass Challenge in the MIlford Daily News here

The Pan Mass Challenge will be held this weekend. If you have not already contributed to someone doing a ride, please consider doing so. There are hundreds of worthy stories similar to Emily's.

To donate to Ethan Pearl's ride, logon to https://www.pmc.org/egifts/default.asp?Add=EP0070,

for Michele Pearl, https://www.pmc.org/egifts/default.asp?Add=MP0164 ,

for Jeff Roy, https://www.pmc.org/egifts/default.asp?Add=JR0142

for Jeff Nutting, https://www.pmc.org/egifts/default.asp?Add=JN0077

for Sue Rohrbach, https://www.pmc.org/egifts/default.asp?Add=SR0109

or you could write a check out to PMC and mail to the Pearl Family, 383 Lincoln St., Franklin.

Note: when you follow the links above to each rider's page, it may look like you have to re-select the rider. The links did work when I tested them. Just click on the "Sponsor one rider with one donation" and then "Search for a person by Name" and that individual should be already selected for you.

In the worst case, you can re-select the individual by name or by rider ID. The rider ID is the two letters and four numbers after the "Add=" shown above.

Franklin: Wachusett St closed

Franklin: Wachusett closed for construction betw North Park and King today, originally uploaded by shersteve.

for construction between North Park and King today. Tuesday 7/28/09.

"changes with a net-zero effect on the budget"

It still functions as a library, but it's very much a technology focus now," said Principal Peter Light.

"One of the big pushes we've tried to make is to bring Franklin High up to date with technology. We're not only behind other schools in the state, but we're behind other schools in the district," Light said.

This part of the transformation of the FHS Library as discussed last week at the School Committee meeting. Principal Peter Light reviewed this and a number of other changes coming to the high school this September.

You can continue to read today's article in the Milford Daily News here.

You can wait until several days after the School Committee meeting to read about what happened or subscribe to Franklin Matters and obtain the information as it is published during the meeting.