Schedule updates for the Senior Center to be aware of:
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| Senior Center Schedule Updates - Closed Mon (2/21) - Common Grounds Cafe open Tue/Thurs |
– Christian Shabbick scored a pair of goals and goalie Cole Pouliot-Porter made 38 saves, as Franklin pushed the top team in the state down the wire. The Panthers took the lead midway through the first period when Dylan Marchand finished off a two-on-one with a snipe from the right wing circle. The lead lasted two minutes before Prep answered back. A nifty pass from Pierce Blaeser teed up Tommy Sarni, who picked the top corner.Pouliot-Porter made 16 saves in the first and kept the score level while the visitors took control of the play. The Eagles capitalized on a power play opportunity early in the second, Sarni blasting a one-timer. Two minutes later, Prep threatened to put the game out of reach when Jeff Melanson’s wrister through a crowd beat Pouliot-Porter.Franklin turned things around when Logan Marchand kept the puck in the zone and the loose puck was collected by Shabbick inside the right face-off dot. He ripped a shot past the blocker to make it 3-2. Pouliot-Porter again made a point-blank save to keep Franklin within one and the Panthers started to wrest control from the visitors.The Panthers came out flying to start the third and Shabbick stepped up again, firing a quick-release shot from a tight angle that snuck in the near post. With just under five minutes remaining, Ben McGilvray got the winner with Prep’s second power play goal of the night.
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| FHS goalie Cole Pouliot-Porter |
"THE HOUSE PASSED legislation Wednesday that opens a pathway for some undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses in Massachusetts, a move advocates say would make roads safer for all motorists and opponents argue rewards people for entering the country illegally.
On a 120-36 vote, the House advanced the bill to the Senate after hours of debate that divided representatives on whether the legislation promotes safe driving in Massachusetts or undermines legal immigration.
Rep. William Straus, co-chair of the Transportation Committee, said the “narrowly drawn bill” would protect public safety and addresses Gov. Charlie Baker’s concerns with the policy. "
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| "measure ensures all drivers in Massachusetts are licensed and trained to operate" |
"February's National Health Observance is Heart Disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in men and women. Learn how to reduce your risk at: https://www.heart.org/"
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| Health Department update: National Health Observance - heart disease |
11:00a/2:00p/8:00pm Frank Presents – Frank Falvey Presents
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) |
Based on the
foregoing, there has been no violation of any law as
alleged by your
Complaint
and
the Committee does not intend to take further
action in
response to your requests. In accordance with the Open Meeting Law, a copy of your complaint and this response
are being sent to the Attorney General's Office. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Denise Spencer, Chair
Franklin School Committee
Office of the Attorney General, Division of Open Government
Franklin School Committee statement in regards to OPML complaint
2/16/2022
Dear Franklin Public Schools Community Members,
Earlier this evening, the Franklin School Committee voted to amend the policy on Masks and Face Coverings (Policy EBCFA) so that masks will not be universally required as follows:
This language will be in effect on Monday, February 28, 2022 for all schools in Franklin, as the current DESE mask mandate will not be extended beyond that time.
Principals will be working with their staff on communicating this change to students so that children are prepared for school on February 28, 2022. We will emphasize the importance of being kind and respecting the choices that others make. We ask that families reinforce this with children over February break and in advance of their children's return to school. Counselors are available for students who may be experiencing anxiety with this change. Please contact your child’s school.
Please Note: Masks will still be required under certain circumstances as follows:
The decision for moving to a mask optional approach involved the examination of numerous data points, as noted on the attached slide show.
With COVID case counts dropping, we will be moving towards a weekly summary, rather than daily communications of COVID cases affecting our schools. This will begin Wednesday, March 2. This may be unsettling for community members, especially with masks becoming optional on February 28, but the premise of our response remains the same: we have many layered mitigation strategies in our schools including ventilation. Individuals may want to consider opting to mask, may want to consider vaccinations or boosters (if unvaccinated), may sign up for rapid antigen testing, should monitor for symptoms, and may wish to sign up for symptomatic testing.
For families or faculty/staff who wish to opt-in for rapid antigen testing and/or symptomatic testing, please visit our website and click on the links to sign up. https://sites.google.com/
A community vaccine clinic for children ages 5-11 is being held at the Franklin Senior Center on February 23 from 9-10 AM or 3-5 PM. Sign ups can occur here: https://home.color.com/
Each change that we’ve experienced through the pandemic has come with mixed feelings among students, staff, and families. We have navigated each change, with new tools and successively fewer restrictions, successfully, minimizing the impact of COVID in our school community.
I implore everyone to treat each other respectfully as we move into this next phase of our management of COVID. We will certainly be communicating this message to our students prior to and upon their return from February vacation.
Respectfully,
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| School Committee amends policy so "that masks will not be universally required" effective 2/28/22 |
masked or not,
life on the edge
or not, let’s find
within ourselves
hearts of kindness
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| some of the "Hearts of Kindness" hung around the Town Common |
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 |
