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The United Regional Chamber of Commerce | 42 Union Street | Attleboro | MA | 02703 |
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Business Sustainability Seminar
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Summer time. Crickets. Waves.
Song birds.
Kids laughing and playing.
What do you like to listen to during the summer?
Sound expert Julian Treasure says, "We are losing our listening." In this short, fascinating talk, Treasure shares five ways to re-tune your ears for conscious listening -- to other people and the world around you.
Note: email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to view the video.
Franklin, MA: School Committee - Agenda - 8/23/11
Vision Statement
The Franklin Public Schools will foster within its students the knowledge and skills to find and achieve satisfaction in life as productive global citizens.
Mission Statement
The Franklin Public Schools, in collaboration with the community, will cultivate each student's intellectual, social, emotional and physical potential through rigorous academic inquiry and informed problem solving skills within a safe, nurturing and respectful environment.
"The listing of matters are those reasonably anticipated by the Chair which may be discussed at the meeting. Not all items listed may in fact be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by law."
1. Routine Business
• Citizen’s Comments
• Review of Agenda
• Minutes: I recommend approval of the minutes from the August 9, 2011 School Committee Meeting.
• Payment of Bills - Mr. Glynn
• Payroll - Mrs. Douglas
• FHS Student Representatives
• Correspondence: none
2. Guests/Presentations
a. Food Service Director – Whitsons Management (John Gersbeck, VP, Nutrition Services, Vyju Gopalan, Food Service Director, Kyle Parson, District Chef
b. Art Director – Jane Hogan
3. Discussion Only Items
a. Software Transition
b. Facilities Update
4. Action Items
a. I recommend approval of the budget transfers as detailed.
b. I recommend acceptance of a check for $1123.20 from the Oak Street PCC for Art Room Supplies at Oak Street Elementary School.
c. I recommend acceptance of the donation of art and craft items from Michael’s for Franklin elementary schools.
d. I recommend approval of a new contract for Miriam Goodman, Director of Financial Operations
5. Information Matters
• Superintendent’s Report
• School Committee Sub-Committee Reports
• School Committee Liaison Reports
6. New Business:
To discuss future business that may be brought before the School Committee.
7. Adjourn
Networking Luncheon and Harvest Fest Reminders
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"It's clear that the unit has to be on-site"
Should the town permit everything the developer is requesting, the Villas will amount to 45 condominiums, 22 of which will be age-restricted, and 23 of which will not.
Under that formula, Eastern Management owes the town an affordable housing unit, Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting and the Planning Department have said.
After conceding at the Aug. 8 Planning Board meeting that he is required to build the unit, Coras and his attorney Gary Hogan last night asked that it be built off-site.
Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/archive/x1752169190/Planning-Board-builder-spar-over-Franklin-condos#ixzz1VqKfT7xc
Franklin High School PCC Meetings Set--Franklin, MA
Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:
via Franklin Massachusetts Homes Blog by Kathy Stankard & First Time Buyers,Relocation (Coldwell Banker of Franklin, MA/508-369-5131) on 8/22/11
The Franklin High Parent Communication Council has established its
The PCC will be having meetings on the following dates:
- Sept. 12, 2011, Monday
- Nov. 7, 2011, Monday
- Jan. 9, 2012, Monday
- March 5, 2012, Monday
- May 7, 2012, Monday
All meetings start at 7p.m. and are held in the FHS Technology Center.
Each meeting will have guest speakers and a principal update. These meetings are truly a communication tool for parents, to hear about important topics regarding the school, and to ask questions and find out answers that their teenager may not be able to give them.
If you need more information or would like to get involved, please email me at franklinmahomes@comcast.net or call 508-369-5131.
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Kathy Stankard of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage can be
Kathy has been a top producing REALTOR for the past 15 years helping buyers and sellers in the Franklin, MA and metrowest of Boston area. Feel free to check out her website for more resources and information.
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Monday, August 22, 2011
YMCA announces races on Sep 10th
Youth races, tri-races, and 9th annual 5K road race are announced by the Hockomock Area YMCA. Details contained in the flyer attached.
Healthy Futures Races Press Release
Visit the Y website to register - look for Special Events
Healthy Futures Races Press Release
Visit the Y website to register - look for Special Events
"fewer soggy chicken nuggets"
While farmers' markets are expanding, the use of fresh and local foods is increasing in the school lunch programs:
Related Post:
Farmers' markets are expanding
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/08/people-want-convenience.html
Franklin decided to revamp its food program by bringing in help.
In June, the school system awarded its dining contract to Whitsons Culinary Group, a company that works with public and private schools to improve menus and promote healthy eating.
School Committee member Bill Glynn, who led a nutrition subcommittee while the school was evaluating potential candidates, said at a June meeting that the change was to address the state's ever-evolving nutrition standards, according to school committee minutes.
Kevin Silivia, an area training manager for Whitsons, said the company is training cafeteria employees to cook a variety of foods using fresh ingredients.
"I think we are on the cutting edge, starting to develop programs that make food nutritious and fun for kids," Silivia said. "We develop our concepts around that ideal."Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/archive/x1837753803/Area-schools-go-local-to-get-healthy-produce#ixzz1VkWRf0vO
Related Post:
Farmers' markets are expanding
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/08/people-want-convenience.html
"people want convenience"
Much of the expansion of farmers markets has come in the past three years, said Scott Soares, state commissioner of agricultural resources.
Public interest in buying local products "really caught fire," he said. In part, demand seems driven by worries about food safety.
"(Customers) get it here fresh," said Terri Kanief of Boston-based Globe Fish Company, who was in Framingham last Thursday selling seafood. "You don't (know) how long it's been in the grocery store."
Farmers markets give customers a connection to growers and their techniques that they can't find elsewhere, Cole said.
Shoppers also are increasingly conscious of how far their food must travel to get to their table, Soares said.
"Consumers are really recognizing those kinds of impacts that their food choices can make on the environment," he said.
Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/archive/x27462244/Farmers-markets-sprouting-up-all-over-Massachusetts#ixzz1VkVKUGIV
Related post:
Food Pantry grant doubles SNAP dollars at the Franklin Farmers Market
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/07/franklin-farmers-market-doubles-food.html
product warranties
It wasn’t until 1975 — when Congress passed the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act — that federal teeth were added to consumer warranty protections.
Among other things, Mag-Moss says that businesses offering written warranties to consumers have to clearly disclose the details. Over the years, to flesh out companies’ obligations, the FTC has issued additional compliance guidance in the form of rules, guides, and interpretations.
As part of its systematic review of regs on the books, the FTC just announced it's looking into how Mag-Moss is faring in today’s marketplace. What’s up for consideration? The FTC’s Interpretations of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act; rules dealing with written disclosure of warranties, how warranty documents should be available pre-sale, and informal dispute settlement procedures; and the agency’s Guides for the Advertising of Warranties and Guarantees.
The FTC is interested in feedback about the rules' costs and benefits, as well as their overall effectiveness and coverage. If your company offers warranties — or if you can share insights into how warranties are working in today’s marketplace — you’ll want to be part of the conversation.
Read the full posting on the official FTC website here
"A waiver for Massachusetts could lift a burden"
It is a particularly high bar for Massachusetts, whose statewide standards for student attainment are among the toughest in the country. And the consequences of falling short are serious - including the possibility of the state taking over underperforming schools.
Mitchell Chester, the state’s commissioner of elementary and secondary education, said in an interview last week that Massachusetts is giving serious consideration to filing for a waiver from the 100 percent proficiency rule, under a new program announced this month by the Obama administration.
“For me, the reason filing a waiver makes sense for Massachusetts is that [the rule] no longer does a good job of differentiating our strongest performers from our weakest performers,’’ Chester said. “We have many schools in the Commonwealth at this point that are failing the federal requirements but are not failing schools.’’
Read the full article in the Boston Globe here
"Economic inequality"
From the Boston Globe comes the stark realities of the gulf between the haves and havenots:
Read the full article in the Globe here
Shoestock, 29, is part of a forgotten economy. While family incomes across Massachusetts have generally risen over the past three decades, the state’s poorest residents have fallen behind. And nowhere have they fallen farther than here in Western Massachusetts, where families in the bottom fifth of the income scale have seen inflation-adjusted earnings drop below 1979 levels, according to a new study by University of Massachusetts economists.
The study paints a stark picture of two commonwealths, in which the gap between rich and poor, east and west is growing. For example, the inflation-adjusted median income of affluent families in Greater Boston has grown 54 percent since 1979, to $230,000 from $150,000 a year, largely due to high-paying technology jobs.
In Berkshire County and the Pioneer Valley, where decades of plant closings have left hollowed-out economies, the inflation-adjusted median income of the poorest families fell 24 percent, from $21,000 a year in 1979 to $16,000 - on par with some of the most impoverished parts of Appalachia.
“No real income growth over three decades is what we’re seeing - no improvement in the standard of living,’’ said Michael D. Goodman, one of the study’s authors. “It’s a lost generation of families.’’
Read the full article in the Globe here
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Buddy Greene Classical Harmonica, Carnegie Hall
I do have a harmonica and some day I'll take some time to learn to play. Will I ever play like this? It would be a good goal to do so but this guy can play!
Enjoy!
Note: email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to view this video
Enjoy!
Note: email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to view this video
"real housewives of Norfolk County box"
Despite the gym's opening in June at its current location, 33 Forge Hill Road, the women have been boxing with Keegan for years, and moved from the Adirondack Club without hesitation when she did.
"I didn't think twice about not going where she went," said Rossi, a stay-at-home mother of three in Franklin. Like the other mothers, Rossi explained that boxing is the first exercise that kept her focus and didn't bore her.
Keegan keeps the classes small intentionally, allowing her to make sure everyone has the right form, and she works one-on-one with the women. She is also a licensed personal trainer, and helps the women with nutrition questions and muscle aches.
Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/archive/x633535546/At-local-boxing-club-these-mothers-pack-a-punch#ixzz1Vf0EFWvW
Franklin Art Center sets fall registration
Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:
via Wicked Local Franklin News RSS by GateHouse Media, Inc. on 8/20/11
Franklin Art Center, 5 Main St., Franklin, is having an open house Thursday, Aug. 25, 4-6 p.m.
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Saturday, August 20, 2011
"helps the whole school be a student body"
The High School Experience program runs the weeklong orientation - yesterday was the last day - and introduces new students to as many aspects of Franklin High as it can, from academics to simple things such as the layout of the building. Sophomore, junior and senior volunteers helped to acclimate their new schoolmates.
"I've learned a lot," said incoming freshman Hannah Gallo, citing her newfound knowledge of the footprint of the school, especially. "Before, when we had tours, I didn't know where we were going at all. There was a group of 50 people, and now it's a group of 10."
More than 230 freshmen - there will be about 400 in the Class of 2015 - took part in the optional freshman orientation. The first year brought in around 90 students, and last year had 198, said Kristin Cerce, co-director of the program and the district director of health and physical education. School starts Aug. 31.
Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/archive/x1510868100/Schooling-the-rookies-in-Franklin#ixzz1VZCgHXiS
Franklin's McGann undecided on re-election
Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:
via The Milford Daily News News RSS by Alison McCall/Daily News staff on 8/19/11
Town Councilor Joseph McGann said yesterday that he is interested in serving on a town board, but has not decided whether he will seek re-election to the council or run for a different board in the Nov. 8 election.
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“There’s room for improvement”
“It seems that there is a clear need for a more ambitious curriculum -- and more rigorous assessment of teachers and student performance,” Charny said.
Chester said the state’s new Common Core curriculum has made many changes to math education standards already, such as putting more emphasis on teaching proportional reasoning and fractions.
“Too often, curriculum in those areas have not been as deliberately and carefully sequenced as they should be,” he said.
Ultimately, though, “math is math,” said Sweeney. “Nothing’s changed about it.”
“So much of what we’re talking about is the basics,” said DeBenedictis. “Give (students) support, and math is really much easier to supplement than writing, for example.”
What’s important, educators agree, is finding ways to make the subject interesting to students, and rewarding for them to master. Sweeney said he often tries to incorporate real-life math problems -- figuring out electrical circuits, for example -- so that students will “see firsthand how (math) is done, and how it’s used.”Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/archive/x386669906/Solving-Americas-math-challenge#ixzz1VZB1Fiqp
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