Franklin Public Schools: District Newsletter - May 2022

Most Recent Updates, District Highlights and more!

Franklin Public Schools District Newsletter May 2022 Food Services District Calendar School Committee Transportation 21-22 School Calendar 5/20 - No School for KINDERGARTEN ONLY. No School 5/30 - Memorial Day Last day of school is June 22nd due to the snow days All Aboard for Bus Registration Bus Registration for the 22-23 School Year is open! Families must register each student individually and submit a partial payment before June 13th to guarantee their seat. Our online registration via FamilyID makes it easy. Access details on how to register via our transportation page. Nap time is anytime for our furry friend Ben Franklin - therapy dog at the Franklin Police Department. Officer Spillane and Ben visited students at the ECDC this past month. As always, his visit was filled with expressions of endearment from students and faculty. Our Keller Hawks took flight on a long overdue field trip to Stony Brook Wildlife Sanctuary! Thank you to all the volunteers who donated their time to make this trip possible. Elementary takes on the Innovation Nation Program! We're excited to partner with Thermo Fisher Scientific on bringing the Innovation Nation program to Elementary Schools the week of May 16th. The program provides faculty with presentations, lab materials, and instructions to guide students through a variety of hands-on and digital activities exploring concepts in life science, physics, chemistry, and computer science. The events are designed to spark passion and confidence in our students around different STEM topics, exposure to Thermo Fisher STEM professionals and an opportunity to engage with supportive adults. FHS - New Beginnings High School Experience: Have an 8th grader? Then you may want to consider signing them up for High School Experience - a two day program design specifically for incoming FHS Freshmen. Brought to you by the FPS Lifelong Learning Institute. Program will be held August 9-10 from 8:30am-12:30pm. Attendees will... Tour and learn to navigate your their NEW school Meet and greet with FHS faculty and peers Participate in team-building activities Learn how to read an FHS class schedule Communicate with upperclassmen student leaders to learn the 'ins and outs' from an 'expert' Receive their High School Experience T-shirt and lots more! Register your student here. Class of 2022 Graduation The road to graduation for our Seniors is nearing its bittersweet end. Graduation will be held on Friday, June 3rd at 7pm. Guests will be admitted entry at 6pm and graduates will report to the Gym by 5:30pm. The ceremony location is expected to be on the FHS Pisini Football Field if weather permits. Graduation will be live streamed by FranklinTV. Visit the Graduation page for updates as the big day nears! Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! AAPI Heritage month was designated to commemorate the contributions and celebrate the impact made by AAPI individuals to American history, culture and accomplishments. This display was made by some students at Oak. Students were able to learn about influential AAPI figures and connect with classmates regarding their families and traditions. Free and Reduced Lunch Information The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) can no longer extend current child nutrition waivers past June 30th. As a result, schools in Massachusetts and across the country will no longer be able to provide universal free meals after June 30th, 2022.  The application for free and reduced meals will be available in Mid-August. We encourage families to keep and eye out for future communications about when the application is available so they may apply as the new school year begins to ensure there is no loss of benefits to students. 22-23 School Calendar During the April 12th School Committee meeting the 22-23 School Calendar was revised to include professional development days. You may view the calendar here. From the School Committee During the May 10th School Committee meeting, Central Office staff delivered a presentation regarding Student Discipline Procedures. You may access the presentation here. Save the date! Our next Saturday Social will be on June 4th from 1pm-3pm at Birchwood Bakery Swing on by for a chat! Please join us for our next School Committee meeting on Tuesday, May 24th at 7pm.  Budget Season The budget is an iterative process. The School Committee voted on a final budget on April 12. Finance committee met May 12th and Town Council budget meetings will be on May 25th and May 26th. Learn more about the FY 23 Budget here. Happy Spring to our FPS Families, Faculty Staff and Franklin Community! Franklin Public Schools www.franklinps.net

Franklin Public Schools | 355 East Central Street, Franklin, MA 02038 www.franklinps.net Sent by communications@franklinps.net powered by Try email marketing for free today!

Franklin For All Forum #2 reveals 11 recommendations - 05/16/22 (audio)

FM #799 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 799 in the series. 

This shares the second Franklin For All Forum that was held on Monday, May 16, 2022.

The meeting was held at THE BLACK BOX. It was hosted by MAPC via Zoom and broadcast via Franklin TV as well as live streamed. The video will also be available on YouTube.

Links to the meeting information and my notes captured during the Forum are in the show notes. 

This recording runs about 70 minutes.  Let’s listen to the Franklin For All Forum held May 16, 2022.  Audio file -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-799-franklin-for-all-forum-2-05-16-22

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Franklin For All project page -> https://www.mapc.org/resource-library/franklin-for-all/  

The presentation document to share the 11 recommendations
https://www.mapc.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Public-Forum-2-Presentation_updated-5-16.pdf 

My notes captured via Twitter and shared in summary form
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LM5r6VLuDw4yE2JPFEtw3ABaE4AbDADi/view?usp=sharing 

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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 www.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"

word cloud create from the survey results gathered by MAPC

Topsoil moisture measure among worst in USA, hence water conservation measures start

In regards to the Drought Level 1 status announced by the Commonwealth last week, which has in turn started our water conservation measures some background info on the reason we are in the early stages of drought. Meteorologist shares this via his @growingwisdom Twitter account: 

"Here's a map for those who might think I am making a bigger deal about the soil moisture than need be. Most of southern New England's topsoil is in the lowest percentile compared to the average in the country. " 

Most of southern New England's topsoil is in the lowest percentile compared to the average in the country

Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/growingwisdom/status/1526895964182700033 

More drought information can be found at https://www.drought.gov/current-conditions 

On the conservation measures just implemented for Franklin, this is not a water ban, although if the drought conditions continue to worsen, that could come.

Reminder: Silent Auction Fundraiser for Ukraine & Sunflower of Peace ends May 21

Elena Rebrina, a staff member at BFCCPS, has created two mixed media paintings and is hosting a silent auction.  As part of the Grade 7 & 8 Fundraiser to support relief in Ukraine, the silent auction will benefit the Sunflower of Peace with 100% of the proceeds.

You can visit the silent auction at https://www.32auctions.com/Sunflowers-Paintings 

The Silent Auction ends on May 21. 

DON'T miss your chance to own one of these inspiring paintings (by artist E.Rebrina) AND help innocent people of Ukraine at the same time! 100% of the proceeds will benefit Sunflower Of Peace (www.sunflowerofpeace.com)

To see detailed photos and videos of the paintings, go to Instagram: e.rebrina.art 

Sunflowers symbolize endurance, hope and unity

Applying for jobs? Be on the lookout for scams

Applying for jobs? Be on the lookout for scams By Lauren Prather You might have just graduated from college, but there's still more to learn when you're on the job hunt. Not every posting or job recruiter is legit.  Learn how to spot the scams. Read more ->  https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2022/05/applying-jobs-be-lookout-scams

https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2022/05/applying-jobs-be-lookout-scams

Franklin TV and wfpr.fm schedule for Thursday, May 19, 2022

• wfpr.fm or 102.9 on the FM dial = Thursday

9:00a/12:00p/6:00p   A Priest, A Minister and a Rabbi

10:00a/1:00p/7:00p   Frank’s Music – Frank Falvey and Jim Derick

11:00a/2:00p/8:00pm   Frank Presents – Frank Falvey Presents 

• Franklin All Access TV - Our Public Access Channel (Comcast 8, Verizon 26) = Thursday

7:30 am Cooking Thyme: Grillin'

8:00 am Veterans' Call: SHINE

9:00 am Cultural District: Brent Selby

10:30 am SAFE Coalition: Michelle Palladini

12:00 pm Brook'n'Cookin': Quinoa

12:30 pm Sandhya: Donuts

1:00 pm Physician Focus: Oral Health

1:30 pm Pizzapalooza: White Pizza

2:00 pm New England Candlepins: Fall 2019 Show 1

3:00 pm Battleship Cove: Preserving the Fleet

3:30 pm Cooking Thyme: Grillin'

4:00 pm Once Upon A Town: Morse Block

4:30 pm Frank's Musings: Return to Ukraine

7:00 pm Franklin Downtown Partnership: Strawberry Stroll 2019

7:30 pm Extended Play Sessions: Season 10 Show 2 - Paul Kelly

• Franklin Pride TV - Our Educational Channel (Comcast 96, Verizon 28) = Thursday

7:00 am Public School Event: FHS Chamber Music 11-07-19

9:00 am ArtWeek: FHS Jazz & Kenny Hadley Band

11:00 am FHS Boys Varsity Tennis: v Sharon 05-05-22

1:00 pm Community Arts Advocacy Day: A Discussion

2:00 pm Public School Concert: FHS Spring Jazz '22

3:30 pm FHS Varsity Baseball: v Taunton 05-11-22

9:30 pm FHS Track and Field: v King Philip 05-10-22

• Franklin Town Hall TV - Our Government Channel (Comcast 11, Verizon 29) = Thursday

8:00 am Conservation Commission: 05-12-22

2:00 pm Conservation Commission: 05-12-22

7:30 pm Zoning Board of Appeals: LIVE, Remote, 811 1522 5333

Get this week's program guide for Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) online  http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf   

Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm)

Franklin Cultural District - Arts happening Here (through May 25)

Highlights for the Franklin Cultural District events today through May 25, 2022. #ArtsHappenHere

Wednesday, May 18

Memory Café

11:00am - Franklin Matters Q&A (Senior Center & virtual option)

1:00pm - “Where’s the toast?” Memory Café at the Senior Center

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/05/memory-cafe-wednesday-may-18-features.html 

Thursday, May 19

8:30am - Town Council Office Hours (at the Senior Center)

Empty Bowls simple supper

6:00pm - Empty Bowls (at the FHS cafeteria) ticket at Food Pantry page or at the door

https://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/empty-bowls-2022/ 

6:00pm - FHS Film Fest (at the FHS auditorium)

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/05/get-ready-for-fhs-film-festival-2022.html 

7:00pm - 350 Mass Greater Franklin Node (virtual meeting)

Friday, May 20

Fair, Yates, Betschart & McCrossan at THE BLACK BOX

7:30pm - Fair, Yates, Betschart & McCrossan (at THE BLACK BOX)

https://www.theblackboxonline.com/events.php?id=1556&month=05&year=2022 

Saturday, May 21

9:00am - Earth Day DelCarte Celebration 2022 (DelCarte playground parking lot)

https://www.franklinma.gov/conservation/news/earth-day-2022-delcarte-cleanup-event  

10:00am - Historical Museum (always free)

10:00am - Recycling & Energy Event (Beaver Pond/Chilson Beach)

Recycling & Energy Event

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/05/get-ready-for-saturday-may-21-recycling.html 

4:00pm - FAA Art Show Reception (at 67 Degrees) 

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/05/7-faa-members-show-their-art-at-67.html 

4:00pm - FSPA Spring Concert 2022 (at Medway High School)

https://www.fspaonline.com/events.php?id=1559 

7:00pm - FSPA Spring Concert 2022 (at Medway High School)

https://www.fspaonline.com/events.php?id=1559 

Sunday, May 22

1:00pm - Historical Museum (always free)

FSPA Spring Concert 2022

1:00pm - FSPA Spring Concert 2022 (at Medway High School)

https://www.fspaonline.com/events.php?id=1559

4:00pm - FSPA Spring Concert 2022 (at Medway High School)

https://www.fspaonline.com/events.php?id=1559 

 

Franklin Cultural District: Arts are happening here!

Find the full calendar  https://www.franklinmatters.org/p/blog-page.html

If you have an event to add to the calendar, you can use the form to submit it for publication:  https://forms.gle/oPdi8X3ZbHHyrHzo6

The Town meeting calendar is found  https://www.franklinma.gov/calendar

The School district calendar is found  https://www.franklinps.net/calendar-by-event-type/26

Town of Franklin Earns AAA Bond Rating

Amid pandemic restabilization, Town achieves major peak 

For the first time in the town’s history, Franklin was awarded a AAA (Triple-A) bond rating by Standard and Poor’s Global Ratings. Progressing from the Town’s previous AA+, the new rating is indicative of exceptionally high creditworthiness in the eyes of municipal bond issuers.

“Achieving a AAA Bond Rating is the ultimate team accomplishment in local government” said Town Administrator, Jamie Hellen. “The rating reflects the unity and collaboration of everyone involved, past and present, including the Town Council, Finance Committee, boards and committees, department heads, staff, and the residents of the community. It’s like winning the Super Bowl. Everyone had to do their job to get this victory.”

Despite economic and social uncertainty posed by the pandemic, Franklin’s stable financial portfolio, performance and management has positioned the town’s reserves to its highest levels ever. The behavior and actions of the Town have resulted in the community being in the strongest position to continue to perform should fiscal stressors arise.

A ratings report published by S&P Global Ratings outlines the following as the primary contributing factors in achieving Franklin’s AAA rating:

●  Four consecutive operating surpluses, increasing reserves to its strongest levels ever with management projecting ongoing maintenance at these levels, as Franklin continues to work through their capital improvement plan

●  Prudent budgetary modifications amid the pandemic supported by great financial policies to position the town well as fiscal year 2023 approaches

●  Franklin’s employment and tax base saw little deterioration amid the pandemic which indicated a resilient and affluent local economy

●  Ongoing economic development projects and a strong real estate environment resulting in substantial tax base growth which keeps tax rates low and affordable

●  Maintenance of a favorable debt profile

●  Manageable pension and other postemployment benefits (OPEB) costs

“The Town Council, Finance Committee and all of our town staff have established strong financial policies and have remained committed to them,” said Hellen. “The support from the Town’s elected officials is without question a signature factor in the bond rating for their continued support of the staff’s professional expertise. But, the foundation for this achievement is having a great finance team that helps to see beyond the data, providing intelligent information for strategic short and long-term decision-making. I can’t say enough about the work of Finance Director Sandini, Treasurer-Collector Bertone and all of the employees who work in the finance offices. We’ve been zoned in on this goal for years and I am very happy for the entire team to achieve it.”

“The pandemic has only made the Town of Franklin more resilient and productive than ever before,” Hellen said. “With a AAA bond rating, ISO-1 Fire Department, a soon to be fully accredited Police Department and reducing liabilities, such as OPEB and Stormwater, with modest, common sense, slow-but-steady policies, the Town is as prepared as we have been to meet future challenges.”

This press release on the Town of Franklin’s AAA Bond rating was shared from here:  https://www.franklinma.gov/comptroller/pages/aaa-bond-rating

The Standard & Poor's rating letter can be found online: 

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/ratingsdirect_summaryfranklinmassachusettsgeneralobligation_51616013_may-13-2022.pdf

Town of Franklin Earns AAA Bond Rating

Info on the clothing drive scheduled for Saturday was left off the mailer; as you drive to recycle Saturday don't forget the clothing!

In addition to the items mentioned Monday for the Recycling and Energy Drive scheduled for Saturday, May 21 at Beaver Pond/Chilson Beach - Clothing is also being collected. 

DPW Director Brutus Cantoreggi has this message to provide the update on Project Just Because (https://www.projectjustbecause.org/)

Shared from Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10158756305096313&id=730296312&sfnsn=mo

Or view the embedded Facebook post here ->

In case you missed the mailer (via US Postal Service) 

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/05/get-ready-for-saturday-may-21-recycling.html

as you drive to recycle Saturday don't forget the clothing!