Live reporting - Franklin Arts Academy

2. Guests/Presentations

a. Fine Arts Academy – Mike Caple, Marushka Waters

Franklin Arts Academy

View more presentations from Steve Sherlock.

_ the video will be added to this posting later_

"budget neutral repackaging of the curriculum"

Proposal to start in Fall of 2010 with the Junior Class at that time

• Creative Literacy
• Humanities
• Mathematics and Science

Example of math and science combination: to study the parabola of the basketball free throw and explain it with a video production.

Example of humanities: read "The Sun Also Rises", study the art cubism and Picasso that was being done at that time, the post WWI period.

Students would apply for this program.

coordinated with guidance counselor and special education liaison, teacher to be assigned as a mentor to the student to accompany them through the program.

Live reporting - School Committee Meeting

Attending: Douglas, Cafasso, Rohrbach, Mullen, Roy, Trahan, Glynn

1. Routine Business

Citizen’s Comments - none


Review of Agenda - add some policies for first reading to Discussion Only Items
Minutes: I recommend approval of the minutes from the Open and Executive Sessions of the November 17, 2009 School Committee Meeting. motion to approve - passed 7-0
Payment of Bills Mr. Glynn motion to approve bills - passed 7-0
Payroll Mrs. Douglas
FHS Student Representatives

• Winter Sports season underway
• peer mediation program starting
• "Light up a Life" fund raising effort underway
• Winter Music concert Weds 12/9 at 7:00 PM

Kudos to the football team for a great season
Jeff may suggest to the Town Council to schedule election for a sports night. 7,000 attended the game for 2 hours when the election over fourteen hours drew only a little more than 3,000

Correspondence:
1. Budget to Actual
2. NEASC Letters to and from FHS

East of Shirley concert - Dec 12

For those listeners of the Franklin Matter's podcast, the last several have featured the music of the group East of Shirley. They are playing at the Harvest Cafe in Hudson, MA this Saturday evening.

The Facebook event page can be found here.

East of Shirley's website is here


Note: By way of disclosure, Michael Clark, the lead singer/song writer, have worked together at Fidelity Investments and are good friends. I feature their music simply because it is good music.

FRANKLIN HEALTH DEPARTMENT H1N1 FLU CLINIC ANNOUNCEMENT

The Franklin Health Department will be holding the first in a series of H1N1 flu clinics for Franklin residents on Thursday December 10, 2009 from 4:00 to 8:00 PM at the Franklin High School.

Due to limited supply of vaccine, the first round of vaccine administrations will be provided to the following persons on a first come first served basis, consistent with Massachusetts Department of Public Health and CDC guidelines for vaccine administration:

    * Parents and care-givers of infants less than 6 months. 
    * Children aged 6 months up to and including Kindergarten.

Please be advised, the Health Department has received nearly 70% of our vaccine allocation in the nasal spray form.  Because this is a live attenuated vaccine, this formulation is only for healthy individuals aged 2 to 49 years of age.  

All individuals to be vaccinated in the 2-49 age groups without a contra-indicated medical history will be administered the nasal spray. 

Due to limited supply of the injected form of the vaccine, it will be reserved for children less than 2 years of age and others as medically indicated.

All individuals to be vaccinated are to present a completed consent form.  No vaccine will be administered without a completed and signed consent form.  All school-aged children will receive a consent form from the School Department in the coming days.  A downloadable consent form is available on the Health Department website as well.

All residents will be asked to produce a valid driver’s license or other identification at the time of registration.  Please enter the clinic via the High School Field House entrance.

The Franklin Health Department will continue to hold additional H1N1 flu clinics in the coming weeks until all the high priority groups have been vaccinated.  Once the priority groups are vaccinated, vaccine will be available for all residents until our supply has been exhausted.

We ask all residents to please be patient and to anticipate some waiting, as we institute our large-scale public vaccination plan.

David E. McKearney, R.S.
Public Health Director
Franklin Health Department

Franklin Board of Health

Bruce Hunchard, Chair
Paul Cheli
Donald Ranieri, JR.

 

This was posted on the Franklin Town site. You can download the consent form from here.

In the News - Bellingham split tax

 Note that the split tax rate in Bellingham was changed to increase the residential rate and help businesses. Franklin doesn't need to do this, everyone already pays the same tax rate.

Selectmen voted unanimously last night to give businesses a slight break on property taxes.

The board raised the tax burden on homeowners from 89 percent to 90 percent as it tries to find a balance between the homeowners and businesses.

With the shift, taxes for homeowners will be set at $11.92 per $1,000 assessed value, up from last year's $10.44. For the "average" Bellingham homeowner, with a home valued at $275,984, this will yield a $105 yearly tax increase, selectmen said.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here

In the News - update on social media suspensions

In the post over the weekend, when I advocated for establishing a social media awareness, I referenced an article from Mendon where students were being investigated for creating a Facebook page. The Facebook page sought violence against one of their middle school assistant principals.

The developing story line is update in the Milford Daily News today:

Five Mendon students suspended due to threatening Facebook page

from The Milford Daily News Homepage RSS by Krista Perry/Daily News staff

School Committee Meeting - 12/08/09 - Agenda

1. Routine Business

Citizen’s Comments
Review of Agenda
Minutes: I recommend approval of the minutes from the Open and Executive Sessions of the November 17, 2009 School Committee Meeting.
Payment of Bills Mr. Glynn
Payroll Mrs. Douglas
FHS Student Representatives
Correspondence:
1. Budget to Actual
2. NEASC Letters to and from FHS

2. Guests/Presentations
a. Fine Arts Academy – Mike Caple
b. Metrowest Health Update – Michele Kingsland-Smith

3. Discussion Only Items
a. 2010-2011 School Calendar Options - Maureen Sabolinski
b. H1N1 – Sally Winslow
c. Healthy Futures Summit – Maureen Sabolinski, Roberta Trahan

4. Action Items
a. I recommend adoption of Option One of the 2010-2011 School Calendar.
b. I recommend approval of Remington Middle School’s request to declare the listed books as surplus.
c. I recommend acceptance of two checks ($25.00 & $53.30) totaling $78.30 from Adirondack Vending for the RMS for supplies.
d. I recommend acceptance of a check for $300.00 from Fidelity for the Annie Sullivan Middle School for in-house enrichment, supplies and supplemental curriculum materials.
e. I recommend acceptance of a check for $1050.00 from ASMS PCC for buses for field trips.

5. Information Matters

Superintendent’s Report
a. NEASC
b. Grant Update
c. FHS Facilities
d. Enrollment Comparison

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. Executive Session
Contractual Negotiations

8. Adjourn