Sunday, April 28, 2024

Boston Globe recognizes O'Leary, Neeley, Paterson, DeForge & Dumas for WINTER 2023-24 ALL-SCHOLASTICS

The Boston Globe has published their All-Scholastics selection for the Winter Sports season 2023-2024. The FHS selections are captured here.

Boys basketball
Sean O'Leary, FRANKLIN | SENIOR
O’Leary fueled Franklin’s march to the Division 1 final, tallying 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists per game during a 25-2 season. The two-time All-Scholastic forward repeated as Hockomock League MVP and will play at Bates.

Coaches of the Year
CJ Neely, DIVISION 1: FRANKLIN
In his 10th year at the helm, the Bates College and Oliver Ames alum led the Panthers to a 25-2 record and a third D1 state finals appearance since 2017. Neely holds a 249-136 career record, including a 187-47 mark at Franklin.

Boys hockey
Ben Paterson, FRANKLIN | SENIOR
The two-time Hockomock MVP and two-time Globe All-Scholastic dazzled once again, posting 28 goals and 28 assists to lead the Panthers in scoring. The high honor roll student recorded 119 career points and will do a post-grad year at Deerfield.

Girls Indoor Track
Lily Deforge, FRANKLIN | SENIOR
The Holy Cross-bound senior followed up an undefeated regular season by placing second in the shot put (40-06.5) at All-States and 15th at New Balance Nationals. This season, she set school records in both the shot put and weight throw.

Sarah Dumas, FRANKLIN | SENIOR
The Penn-bound senior won the 55-meter hurdles (8.44) at the Division 1 championships and placed third in the pentathlon at the New Balance Nationals. She earned Hockomock League MVP honors and was an All-American selection for the third time.

For the full listing by the Boston Globe -> (subscription may be required)

Franklin TV: Override? Part 2

A Big Turnout

by Pete Fasciano, Executive Director 04/28/2024

1. CALL TO ORDER – Chair Tom Mercer opened the meeting shortly after 7 PM.

4. ADJOURN – 10:40 PM.

Jamie Hellen and Lucas Giguere framed the issues and presented the numbers, followed by 2 hours of public comments. Some were reasoned. Others, less so. There is a strong causal link between money and passion.

Parents want better for their kids. Retirees want to rein in their taxes. Town and School services struggle to bridge that divide. I tallied over 400 in the auditorium. Another 300-ish watched online. Many more watched our Town Hall TV channel.

the second part of the meeting had the Town Council and School Committee members aligned to hear from the audience
the second part of the meeting had the Town Council and School Committee members aligned to hear from the audience.  Photo S Sherlock Franklin.news

We all struggle to make a buck. We also struggle to spend less of it. The Town – the people who watched – and – even us at Franklin.TV. We know well how everyone works to make ends meet. We’re in the same position. As a nonprofit organization, we benefit from Town services, like everyone else. We volunteer to pay taxes to the Town – like everyone else. We cost the Town – nothing.

All of our financial support comes from cable TV – Comcast and Verizon. As more viewers ‘cut the cord’, canceling their cable service, we receive less support.

When folks want to watch big events (like the budget meeting) they call for details. 
“How can I watch the meeting?” 
“We’ll show it on Comcast channel 9 and Verizon 29.” “ – I don’t have cable.” 
“You can also watch us live on our YouTube channel.“
I provide details, explaining how to find our live streams on the internet – for free. As Franklin’s local TV studio, do we at Franklin.TV provide value? Consider that the ‘fair market’ rate to televise this meeting alone was well over $20,000 dollars. That funding has to come from…

Thanks for listening to 102.9 wfpr●fm. 
And – as always – thanks for watching.


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

Franklin Public Library News & Events for May 2024 - general hours & services

Library Hours

The Library's hours are Monday through Thursday, 9:00 AM to 8:00 AM, Friday and Saturday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and Sundays 1:30 PM to 5:00 PM. The Library will be closed Sunday, May 26th and Monday May 27th for Memorial Day.

Franklin Public Library's 2024 Reading Challenge!
May: A book by an author whose first or last name begins with the letter "M"!
Welcome to the Franklin Public Library's first Annual Reading Challenge! For each monthly prompt that you complete and submit on time you will receive a Free Book Coupon that's good at the library's Book Sale. Submissions MUST be submitted by the last day of each month in order to qualify for that month's Free Book Coupon. For complete details and to sign-up, visit our website! Grand prizes made possible by the Friends of the Franklin Library!

MyHeritage Library Edition - a must for genealogy research!
What's in the MyHeritage Library Edition?

  • More than 20 billion historical ​records from all over the world
  • The USA federal census (1790-1940) and the UK census (1841-1901) with images​
  • More than 2.4 billion exclusive family tree profiles from MyHeritage and Geni
  • 816 million US public records
  • Hundreds of millions of Nordic records
  • More than a hundred million tombstone photos
  • More than 1146 million historical photographs
  • Military records, immigration records and passenger lists
  • Citizenship & naturalization records
  • Directories, guides, references, biographies and yearbooks
  • Government, land and court records
  • Wills and probate records
  • Exclusive databases such as the Jewish Chronicle historical newspaper
  • Additional content under license including Tributes obituaries, WikiTree, Billion Graves, Canadian Headstones and many others

    Home Access is available!  Find it here: alphabetical list of free library databases.
     

Museum Passes
Now is a great time to reserve passes to the area's most popular museums, aquariums, and more! Passes are available to be reserved up to thirty days in advance.

Franklin Library Book Sale
Friday, May 17th, 1:00-5:00 PM.  Saturday, May 18th, 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon

All books are just one dollar!

Bag Sale - $5 A Bag—Saturday, May 18th, from 1:00-4:00 PM
Come fill a brown bag with all the books you can!

Franklin Library ESL & Adult Literacy Program
Volunteer tutors needed! To volunteer please be at least 18 years old, have a High School diploma, & speak English clearly.  No prior teaching experience needed!  Volunteer tutors and students do not need to be Franklin residents. If interested, please fill out the registration form on the library's website.

Shared from -> https://www.franklinma.gov/franklin-public-library/news/may-2024-franklin-library-news-events

Franklin Public Library News & Events for May 2024 - general hours & services
Franklin Public Library News & Events for May 2024 - general hours & services

NEPM: "Massachusetts schools need more funds, some point to flaw in education finance law"

Why are so many school districts faced with funding issues this year? 

There is a common thread and it points to a flaw within the Student Opportunity Act (SOA) funding model. Yes, the model that was redesigned in 2019 to add more funding to the schools in need but some have identified a technical issue in the formula as summarized in this article:
"Fix the funding flaw

A not common alliance is calling on education officials to fix a calculation in Chapter 70. That group, Novick’s MASCA, the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, the Massachusetts Teachers Association and the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts created a FAQ to explain how inflation of the last two years, between 7% and 8 % is a factor.

"... the [Chapter 70] law caps the annual inflation adjustment of the foundation budget at 4.5 percent," the FAQ said. "As a result, districts did not receive funds to cover a significant portion of inflation that they had to pay for in expenses.”

The way the Chapter 70 formula originally worked, the FAQ said, “that would not be a long-term problem because the lost inflation would automatically be added back into the foundation budget in the following year. But a technical change made almost a decade after the law was passed inadvertently changed that. Now when the cap reduces aid below the level needed to keep pace with inflation, that reduction is locked in forever and reduces future aid.”

Thanks to Mass Municipal Association for the pointer to the article ->
https://twitter.com/massmunicipal/status/1783926637169442860

NEPM: "Massachusetts schools need more funds, some point to flaw in education finance law"
NEPM: "Massachusetts schools need more funds, some point to flaw in education finance law"

Sustainability Subcommittee schedules discussion with Conservation & Storm Water - April 30 - 5:30 PM

Master Plan Update Committee
Sustainability Subcommittee
Date:  Tuesday, April 30, 2024 - 5:30pm

Agenda doc contains remote participation info ->

Sustainability Subcommittee schedules discussion with Conservation & Storm Water - April 30 - 5:30 PM
Sustainability Subcommittee schedules discussion with Conservation & Storm Water - April 30 - 5:30 PM


What's happening at the Senior Center during the week of April 29 thru May 3?

Here’s what’s happening this week at the #franklinseniorcenter come down and join us.

Sign up to join the Ladies Light Hiking group


Ladies Hiking

If you haven't tried this ladies hiking group, now is a great time!

For information and to register, visit:

Exercise & Wellness Classes

Instagram  Facebook  Twitter
Lifelong Learning Institute - Franklin Public Schools | 218 Oak Street, Room 137, Franklin, MA 02038

Sent by lcl@franklinps.net powered by
Trusted Email from Constant Contact - Try it FREE today.

Saturday, April 27, 2024

What's happening Saturday, April 27, 2024?


Saturday, April 27

9:00am - DEA Medication "take back" day (SAFE Coalition)

9:00am - Earth Day - Clean Up (Beaver Pond)

9:00am - Stephen Green First Lego League Explore Showcase (Franklin Public Library)

10:00am - Franklin Historical Museum (always free)

10:00am - Celebrate Earth Day (DelCarte Open Space)

10:00am - Roll, Stroll, Seed (Sculpture Park)

10:30am - Rough Sleepers Community Discussion (Franklin Public Library)

10:30am - Dr. Rosie Helps the Animals: A Stuffed Animal Storytime (Franklin Public Library)

6:00pm - Silent Saturdays: "Ravished Armenia" (Franklin Historical Museum)

7:00pm - South Street Six (La Cantina Winery)

7:30pm - Electric Youth & Future Shock (THE BLACK BOX)

8:00pm - Garnet Rogers (Circle of Friends Coffeehouse)



What's happening Saturday, April 27, 2024?
What's happening Saturday, April 27, 2024?

Why are there multiple calendars?
There is a Cultural events calendar upon which other community events are layered to create the Community calendar.

Respectfully, the Library and Senior Center calendars are too full of events to include all their events so we tend to focus on the major events. Town and School meetings are also kept separate. Links for all the calendars are shared here:

The Cultural calendar displays only the cultural events      https://www.franklinculture.org/things-do/pages/calendar

Find the full Community event 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 Library calendar of events ->    calendar link

The Senior Center calendar of events ->   https://www.franklinma.gov/node/39/events/month/39/2023-12

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 

The Franklin Art Association Art Gallery remains open for viewing (and purchasing the art displayed) during business hours at Escape into Fiction (Main St, Franklin)

Fallen Hero Recognitions scheduled for May & June 2024

Fallen Hero Recognition is conducted each day at 9 AM on the Town Common Veterans Walkway.

The brief program (approx. 5 minutes) includes the placing of a Memorial Wreath for the day, a reading of whatever history may be available for that veteran, a salute from those present, and the playing of Taps. 

This is a way of keeping the memory of that veteran alive. The public and any family members are welcome to attend.
May
11 - Charles Christakes - WWII

June
1 - William G. Hosford - WWII
5 - Frank Gryzboski - WWII
12 - LLoyd M. Ellis - WWII
14 - Timothy J. Hayes - WWII
15 - Elijah H. Coldwell - WWI
20 - Edward A. Kelly - WWII
24 - Baldo S. Lazzerini - WWII

The program is a collaboration of the Edward L. Grant American Legion Post 75, and the Veteran’s of Foreign Wars Post 3402, under the auspices of the Town’s Veterans Council. The program outline and schedule can be found https://www.franklinmatters.org/2024/03/honoring-our-franklin-veterans-who-died.html

The schedule has also been added to the Community Calendar for the next 5 years.

For the full published series of Fallen Heroes you can visit this link
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/08/franklin-fallen-heroes-series.html

Photos of each of the bronze plaques along the Veterans Walkway can be found in this album -> https://photos.app.goo.gl/6eTxVPqJ8PPrGw7R8


photo of the recognition group for 1 of the March 10 recognitions
 Honoring Our Franklin Veterans Who Died In Service to Our Country

Franklin, MA: School Committee Meeting, agenda for April 30, 2024

Franklin School Committee
April 30, 2024 - 7:00 P.M

Municipal Building – Council Chambers

Call to Order Mr. Callaghan
Pledge of Allegiance
Moment of Silence

I. Executive Session
A. As per M.G.L. c. 30A, § 21 (a) (2). To conduct strategy sessions in preparation for negotiations with nonunion personnel or to conduct collective bargaining sessions or contract negotiations with nonunion personnel

II. Routine Business
A. Review of Agenda
B. Payment of Bills Mr. Callaghan
C. Payroll Mr. McNeill
D. FHS Student Representative Comments
E. Superintendent’s Report

III. Guests/Presentations
A. Master Planning Report and Recommendations

IV. Discussion/Action Items
A. Interim Business Administrator Appointment
I recommend the appointment of Interim School Business Administrator pending
contract negotiations as discussed.
B. Override Memorandum of Understanding
I recommend approval of the Override Memorandum of Understanding as
discussed.

V. Discussion Only Items
A. ACCEPT 3rd Quarter Report

VI. Information Matters
A. School Committee Sub-Committee Reports
B. School Committee Liaison Reports

VI. Consent Agenda
A. Approval of Minutes
I recommend approval of the Minutes from the April 9, 2024 School Committee
Meeting as detailed.
B. Music Gifts
I recommend acceptance of two check totaling: $5377.00 from music parents as
follows:
$55.00 Field Trips
$5322.00 In-House Enrichment
C. Scholarships
I recommend acceptance of two check totaling $12500.00 for FHS Scholarships
as detailed.
$2,500.00 DCU Bank
$10,000.00 Fernando P. Baglioni Scholarship Fund
VII. Citizen’s Comments

VIII. New Business
To discuss any future agenda items

IX. Adjournment


Meeting packet folder - location of all docs released for this meeting (note some posted after the session) ->

Franklin, MA: School Committee Meeting, agenda for April 30, 2024
Franklin, MA: School Committee Meeting, agenda for April 30, 2024

Special School Committee meeting enables interview of candidate for business administrator position (audio)

FM #1182 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1182 in the series. 


This session shares the Special School Committee meeting of Thursday, April 25, 2024. Chair Dave Callaghan, Al Charles, Dr Paul Griffith, Ruthann O’Sullivan, KP Sompally, Vice-Chair David McNeill were present; Erin Gallagher was absent. 


Candidate for the interview is the current assistant to the business administrator, as an interim position appointment. Janaina Vasconcelos-Melotti is here to present her background and answer questions.


The meeting recording runs about 60 minutes. Audio link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1182-special-school-cmte-mtg-04-25-24



--------------


Agenda for this session ->  https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/agendas/sc_special_mtg._agenda_-_4_25_24.pdf 


My notes captured via Twitter can be found in one PDF file -> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lPQG_l9gieATruY5JDCh1u4QEkXZhNMX/view?usp=drive_link 


Franklin TV Video was recorded but it is not yet available (not sure why).




-------------

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.


And if you have interesting in reporting or TV or radio operations, feel free to reach out. A conversation can lead somewhere.

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!

------------------


You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"


Special School Committee meeting enables interview of candidate for business administrator position (audio)
Special School Committee meeting enables interview of candidate for business administrator position (audio)

The FHS baseball and girls tennis teams post wins on Friday

Via Twitter and our subscription to HockomockSports.com, we share the results of the Spring sports competition for Franklin High School on Friday, Apr 26, 2024.


Baseball = Franklin, 6 @ Attleboro, 4 – Final 
– A pair of runs in the top of the seventh inning pushed the Panthers past Attleboro, giving Franklin its second straight win and third in the last four games. The host Bombardiers rallied for two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to tie the game 4-4 going into the seventh but Franklin fought back and regained the lead. Senior Rex Cinelli led off with a single, senior Henry Digiorgio reached on a bunt single, both moved up on a groundout, and then both came home on a single from junior Zach Winer. Sophomore Sean Kryzak (1.1IP, 1H, 1BB, 2K, who came in during the sixth inning, retired the side in order in the bottom half to close it out. Cinelli and Winer both finished with two hits while Jake Shaugnessy notched two RBI in the win. Attleboro’s Michael Huntington went 3-for-4 with a triple from the leadoff spot, driving in two runs and scoring once.

Softball = Attleboro, 11 @ Franklin, 5 – Final
– Attleboro jumped out to an early lead with a three-run first inning and then exploded for seven runs in the third to pull away from the host Panthers. Freshman Lola Ronayne smacked a two-run double in the third at-bat of the game to present the Bombardiers with the advantage. Emily Eby added a two-run single in the top of the third to cap the seven-run burst from Attleboro. Rylie Camacho finished with a team-high three hits along with two runs and an RBI, Ronayne (four RBI, run) and Madison Moran (RBI, run) each added two hits, and Eby finished with a hit, two RBI, and a run scored. Jenna Callahan got the win with five runs against but just two earned, scattering six hits and one walk with three strikeouts in 5.1 innings; Ronayne tossed 1.2 scoreless innings in relief with a pair of hits and a pair of strikeouts. Sophomore Ciara O’Brien went 3-for-3 with a triple and two RBI for the Panthers while Katie Dowley and Sarah Boozang (2 RBI) each had two hits and a run scored.

Girls Lacrosse = Franklin vs. Concord-Carlisle, 4:30

Boys Tennis = Attleboro, 3 @ Franklin, 2 – Final 
– Attleboro won both its doubles matches, including a three-set win at second doubles, to pick up the road victory and maintain its lead atop the Kelley-Rex division. Tyler Rocchio won 6-1, 6-0 at second singles to get the Bombardiers on the board and the first doubles team of Brady Rosen and Luke Hinton rolled to a 6-0, 6-1 victory. Attleboro clinched the win at second doubles. Franklin’s team of Gabe Terry and AJ Trull took the first set 6-1, but Dane Holske and Noam Cook rallied to win the next two 6-2, 6-0 to seal the third point for the Bombardiers. Franklin’s Jay Gorgas won in straight sets (6-1, 6-3) at first singles and Adarsh Pressanna pulled out a third-set tiebreaker to beat Jackson Fazzina (6-4, 6-7, 10-4) at third singles.

Girls Tennis = Franklin, 5 @ Attleboro, 0 – Final
– In a battle of teams at the top of the Kelley-Rex division, Franklin took all five matches to stay unbeaten on the season. Sophomore Gabby Cura emerged from a tight first set in a tiebreaker and took the match 7-6 (3), 6-2, senior Chloe Essam erased a one-set deficit to score a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 win at second singles, and senior Brooke Taylor was dominant in a 6-0, 6-0 third singles victory for the Panthers. Franklin’s first doubles team of juniors Sydney Tolonen and Izzy Trull secured a 6-4, 6-1 win at first doubles while senior Mia Dewsnap and sophomore Isabelle Simino teamed up for a 6-2, 6-2 second doubles victory.


For other results around the Hockomock League (subscription required) 

FHS Panther sports results shared via Twitter & subscription to HockomockSports.com
FHS Panther sports results shared via Twitter & subscription to HockomockSports.com