Topic: Face Coverings
Last week Governor Baker and Commissioner Riley held a press conference announcing that the Massachusetts Department of Secondary and Elementary Education will not be extending the mask mandate in school buildings past February 28th, 2022. This decision comes after consulting with medical experts and state health officials. The memorandum cites "the Commonwealth's high vaccination rates and widespread availability of COVID-19 testing for school personal and students" to support this decision. You can view the full memo here: https://www.doe.mass.edu/covid19/on-desktop/2022-0209mask-requirement-update.pdf
Without a state order, the decision on masking falls to local decision making. The Franklin School Committee is holding a special meeting on Wednesday, February 16, 2022 at 5:00 PM to discuss masking. The agenda and links can be accessed here: https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/events/scagenda_2-16-22_special_mtg.pdf
As for Franklin High School, FHS received a waiver from the state in November because over 80% of the population at Franklin High School had been vaccinated. The School Committee amended their policy in November to allow for masks to be optional at FHS for vaccinated individuals if the 14-day % positivity rate is below 4% (the current rate is above 4%). Therefore, masks are still required at FHS currently. Optional masking at FHS will also be discussed at Wednesday's meeting.
Masking will continue to be required on all school buses, per federal order. Masking is also required, per DPH, in school health offices.
Shared from FPS page -> https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/events/scagenda_2-16-22_special_mtg.pdf
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| Special School Committee Meeting - February 16, 2022 at 5 PM |
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| 350 Mass Greater Franklin Node, Virtual Meeting, Thursday, February 17, 7:00 PM |
We 'follow the money' reporting on the Finance Committee, School Committee and Town Council meetings. Given the pandemic circumstances and with a consideration for the schedule, we are either in-person or reporting in real time on the meetings.In addition to following the money, we look at the quality of life that this brings to Franklin. We report on the Board of Health, Community Preservation Committee, and as many others as possible.
Accurate and timely info, rich with details, and links to valid source materials including (in many cases) the recordings of the meetings of themselves.Thanks to the collaboration with our Town Administrator Jamie Hellen and Town Council Chair Tom Mercer, we conduct and share a twice monthly series of conversations as we "Talk Franklin" and do some "Town Council Quarterbacking."
Since October 2019, producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.
This daily newsletter is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.
How can you help?
If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors
If you don't like something here, please let me know
Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements.
I thank you for reading, sharing, sending information along, and (of course) asking questions.
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| Reminder: subscribe to stay in the know as we 'follow the money' |
A G E N D A
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| Community Relations Subcommittee - Meeting agenda - Feb 17 - 6:00 PM |
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| FHS Panthers |
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| Franklin School Committee - Budget Subcommittee - February 17, 2022 - 5:00 PM |
“I could go into a supermarket, and I can tell everything about the people who live [in the area] based on what’s in their carts, based on what’s at eye level, what’s not at eye level,” said Phil Lempert, also known as the “Supermarket Guru.”In retail, specific product placement — not just a store’s inventory — heavily influences a shopper’s experience. So shouldn’t responsible markets encourage shoppers to make better choices?“There’s a lot of racism, to be honest, I think, behind these decisions, whether it’s unconscious or implicit,” said Andrea Richardson, a policy researcher focused on nutrition epidemiology at the Rand Corp. and professor at the Pardee Rand Graduate School. The presence of a supermarket in your neighborhood should signal that you aren’t living in a food desert, but, I wondered, if the supermarket isn’t guiding you toward more healthful food choices, you might as well be.
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| An endcap display of marked-down items at the Stop & Shop on 460 Blue Hill Ave. in Dorchester shows discounts on cake frosting, two for $3, and cake mix, four for $5.CHASEEDAW GILES/KHN |
Massachusetts Department of Public Health releases updated face covering advisory: https://t.co/1HtpRtg0rj
#Covid19MA https://t.co/v1ACvsrRnD
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| Ben's guide to mask wearing - #DoYourPartFranklin |
"Last year, I got tired of paying Comcast $14 a month to rent a modem and router, especially because the Wi-Fi service I got at home was so spotty. So I purchased my own modem and router for $290.I now have better Wi-Fi and lower monthly cable bills. What I am saving monthly will soon exceed the cost of my new equipment. After that, it will be like getting a $14 discount every month.I continued, however, to pay a very steep price to rent three digital adapters, which I need for the three “extra” TVs in my house. In December, Comcast hiked the fee for each adapter to $8.50. How can I justify paying $25.50 a month for adapters to TVs my wife and I only occasionally use?I can’t. And so began my long-overdue quest to free myself of those infernal adapters, spurred on by Comcast’s latest round of price increases. I finally figured it out, and I will soon be rid of them. In the process, I realized cutting cable altogether isn’t such a scary prospect, even for a somewhat technophobic baby boomer like me."
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| A man holding a television remote.CHRIS RATCLIFFE/BLOOMBERG |
Shared from Town of Franklin https://www.franklinma.gov/recreation-department/news/february-vacation-covid-kids-flyer
To register -> https://home.color.com/vaccine/register/franklin
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| February Vacation COVID Kids flyer - Feb 23 |
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Get this week's program guide for Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) online http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf
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| Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) |
FM #731 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 731 in the series.
This session of the radio show shares the presentation and talk titled “Love Letters to the Presidents”. Franklin’s State Rep Jeff Roy presented at the Franklin Historical Museum on Sunday, Feb 13, 2022 to a full house. Jeff shared his adventures as he traveled to each of the Presidential libraries and museums.
Mary Olsson, Franklin Historical Commission, provides the very brief introduction to Jeff.
The link to the presentation document is included in the show notes.
The recording runs about 1 hour and 53 minutes, so let’s join Jeff on his journey to the Presidential libraries and museums.
Note: I think you should be able to follow along. While Jeff doesn’t provide page numbers, he does talk to a number of the photos and identifies which one is which on a page.
Audio file -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-731-love-letters-to-the-presidents-ma-state-rep-jeff-roy-02-13-22
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Link to the presentation document -> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Q7qkNZZzOcYLV9-WGt8AUYBhQx1RvxNn/view?usp=sharing
Link to the National Archives -> https://www.archives.gov/presidential-libraries/visit
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We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.
This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.
How can you help?
If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors
If you don't like something here, please let me know
Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/ or www.franklin.news/
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!
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You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"
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| "Love Letters to the Presidents" audio recording of State Rep Jeff Roy |
Tickets available online -> https://www.theblackboxonline.com/events.php?id=1541
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| Zajac brothers return to THE BLACK BOX - Feb 19 |
The Lifelong Learning Institute invites residents of Franklin and surrounding towns to explore its many Summer 2022 classes now available for registration.
Lifelong Learning is the community education branch of Franklin Public Schools, providing high-quality extended day child care, music lessons, and enrichment programs in an affordable and safe environment.
The Solutions Extended Day program will run its annual Solutions Summer Adventure for five weeks starting July 11, 2022 with a different activity theme each week. Families of students entering kindergarten through grade 5 can choose one or more weeks of this 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM camp, with options for early drop-off and/or late pickup.
Students entering grades K through 6 can choose from a variety of STAR Enrichment Program morning classes in July 2022. Examples include Silly Science, Funky Furniture, Gardening Fun, Minecraft Break Battle and Build, Coping with Crafts, Itty Bitty Acting, Author’s Workshop, and many more!
Eager young students entering kindergarten can participate in the very popular Ready, Set, Kindergarten program, running three different weeks in July. Through books, dramatic play, music, arts, and crafts, they will become familiar with the classroom setting and daily routines while having fun learning through hands-on experiences.
If music is what your student enjoys, the Lifelong Music Academy will offer Summer Band, Glee, Strings, and Rock Band Jr. This two-week program runs from July 25 to August 5, 2022 and includes 40 hours of summer music fun with recreation time every day.
Lifelong Community Learning’s ever popular Kids’ Corner program is once again offering a Summer Kids’ Cooking camp. For 3 hours each day August 2–4, students entering grades 4–7 can sear, sauté, fold and mix while they prepare a complete meal every day.
The class selections continue with the Summer STEM program (math, forensic science, computers, financial literacy), Summer Art (photography, video production), and Preparing for College for high school seniors (Common App Bootcamp, Writing Your College Essay). There’s something for everyone!
All Lifelong Learning Summer 2022 programs will follow the COVID-19 safety protocols in place in Franklin Public Schools at the time each class runs.
Visit www.FranklinLifelongLearning.com for full course details and to register. You may also call Lifelong Learning at 508-553-4814.
Download a PDF of this as a reminder -> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XC-eIZ8S0LzbsIvTDhpnp8LjE3Mrt1bn/view?usp=sharing
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| Lifelong Learning Announces Summer Programs - registration is open now |
Via HockomockSports.com and Twitter, we share the results of the FHS winter sports action on Monday:
"7-4 loss against Norwood. goals from greco, flynn, mccaffrey and o’brien’s first varsity goal‼️‼️ no practice tmr rest up!"
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| FHS Panthers |
The St. Mary's Men's Faith Formation group will continue our monthly meetings. Our next meeting will be February 19 from 8:45 - 9:45 AM virtually via Zoom and in person.
We will be learning and discussing the topic of Prayer with guest speaker Dr Aldonna Lingertat We really look forward to welcoming you back or hopefully welcoming you for the first time to our group.
Please email Deacon Guy (deaconguy@stmarysfranklin.org) if you are interested in the Zoom link contact information.
If attending in person, we will be meeting in St. Mary's Hall Either way you join us – we are glad you are there.
All Men are welcome. https://www.stmarysfranklin.org/womens-faith-formation
Dr Lingertat in the news - https://www.sjs.edu/news/dr-aldona-lingertat-retirement
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| St. Mary's Men's Faith Formation - Feb 19, 2022 |
