“There’s room for improvement”

“It seems that there is a clear need for a more ambitious curriculum -- and more rigorous assessment of teachers and student performance,” Charny said. 

Chester said the state’s new Common Core curriculum has made many changes to math education standards already, such as putting more emphasis on teaching proportional reasoning and fractions. 

“Too often, curriculum in those areas have not been as deliberately and carefully sequenced as they should be,” he said. 

Ultimately, though, “math is math,” said Sweeney. “Nothing’s changed about it.” 

“So much of what we’re talking about is the basics,” said DeBenedictis. “Give (students) support, and math is really much easier to supplement than writing, for example.” 

What’s important, educators agree, is finding ways to make the subject interesting to students, and rewarding for them to master. Sweeney said he often tries to incorporate real-life math problems -- figuring out electrical circuits, for example -- so that students will “see firsthand how (math) is done, and how it’s used.”

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/archive/x386669906/Solving-Americas-math-challenge#ixzz1VZB1Fiqp

"It's been a wonderful experience"

Former Town Councilor Deborah Bartlett has taken out papers to run against incumbent Town Clerk Deborah Pellegri. Pellegri has been town clerk for 27 years, she said, and was last challenged 17 years ago. 

"I don't take anything for granted," said Pellegri, of her position. "I am excited for every election whether I'm running in it or not." 

Current School Committee Chairman Jeffrey Roy, and current School Building Committee Chairman Thomas Mercer have taken out papers for Town Council, along with Juan Ramon Riveras. 

Three of the nine current town councilors, Chairman Scott Mason, Shannon Zollo and Stephen Whalen, have said they do not intend to run for re-election. In Franklin, the seats of all nine councilors are up for grabs every two years.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/archive/x633535108/Franklin-town-clerk-may-face-a-challenger#ixzz1VStXt9zI

Related post:
The full slate of positions available for election as well as the complete timeline can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/08/franklin-election-details-are-now.html

Farmers Market: noon to 6:00 PM

Franklin Farmers Market,  Friday,  12:00pm to 6:00pm

Located on the Town Common

Reminder that the Farmers' Market now accepts SNAP dollars and can double your purchasing power.
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/07/franklin-farmers-market-doubles-food.html

Visit the Food Pantry tent at the Farmers' Market for details.

"right back into the swing of things"

"As a coach you have a good understanding of what coaches have to do and do not lose track of what it's like," said Sidwell.

There is much to do this time of year for any athletic director. For the AD-football coach dual role, preparation is the key for opening week.

"To be honest, from doing this awhile, you get used to the flow of how it works," said Sidwell. "You work during the summer prior to this so it's not just overwhelming. You meet with the (fall) coaches over the summer. And you need good maintenance people, which we do in Franklin, that will know what to do with the fields so we do not have a lot of problems and it's not an issue."

Read more: http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/archive/x1510867605/Local-ADs-getting-ready-for-summer#ixzz1VQIRSpK7

Avery Give Back to Schools

I saw the Parmenter sign the other day and wondered what Avery was up to.




When I visited Avery.com I found the following:

There are lots of ways to help earn cash and much needed supplies for your school today. First, make sure that Avery school supplies are on all your Back-to-School supply lists. Avery offers high-quality, durable school supplies with Box Tops for Education® coupons, so kids and parents can clip off the coupons and give them to their schools. Each coupon is worth 10¢—and boy does it add up fast! Schools have earned over $1,000,000 from Box Tops coupons found on Avery products that have helped purchase computers, playground equipment, books and more.And with the Avery Give Back to Schools™ promotion, all you have to do is vote for your favorite school. The top five schools at the end of the promotion will each win $10,000 worth of Avery School Supplies, 10,000 Bonus Box Tops coupons, and $1,000 worth of gift cards. Twenty-five runner-up schools will also win 5,000 Bonus Box Tops coupons! So what are you waiting for? Start voting today! 

Promotion runs June 15 - September 16. Winners announced in late September.

Visit Avery.com here http://givebacktoschools.avery.com/schools/index

Register with an email (you can opt out of receiving promotional emails!) and vote often for your favorite Franklin school!

Nature and Her Ways: Artists' Reception this Thursday

11 East Central Street   Franklin, MA August  2011 Dear Steve,  You are invited to an exhibit:  NATURE AND HER WAYS: THROUGH THE LENSES OF TWO PHOTOGRAPHERS   Artist Opening Reception  Pamela Ruby Russell & Rebecca Skinner Thursday,  August 18, 2011 4pm-8pm .  The Gallery Show is on display until September 9th   Twilight Moon by Pamela Ruby Russell  "My personal approach... is to observe and capture those vulnerable, fleeting moments, the essence of my subject...to intimately record the authentic center of a subject, I find this experience completely exhilarating" Leaf by Rebecca Skinner   "Photography is my lifelong passion...the majority of my work is in color, I tend to avoid any type of digital manipulation of my images....I am constantly exploring new subjects as well as new techniques- there is nothing more rewarding." Come meet and greet these two talented artist photographers,   Enjoy live entertainment by singer, guitarist Kai Olsson,  Be treated to a free hand massage by Lucy Gallagher, massage therapist,  Introducing a new organic skin care line by Neals Yard Remedies.   Delectable Refreshments and more!! For more information go to www.JanesFrames.com     Save up to      $50   CustomFraming with your Clipper Coupon       Watch for your Jane's Frames coupon arriving in the mail from Clipper Magazine!

Forward email This email was sent to shersteve@gmail.com by janeframe@verizon.net |   Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. Jane's Frames | 11 East Central Street | Franklin | MA | 02038

Harvest Festival Press Release

Franklin’s Harvest Festival Plans Being Finalized

With only a month to go, volunteers are finalizing plans for the 2011 Harvest Festival on Sunday, October 2. The Franklin Downtown Partnership’s 9th annual event promises crafters, live entertainment, food, kids games and antique cars spanning the downtown area from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“We expect more than 5,000 visitors this year and we’ve had a tremendous response from crafters and groups who want to participate,” says Harvest Festival Chair Angie Grant. “We especially appreciate our sponsors who have stepped in to make this work. Without their collective support of our community effort we wouldn’t be able to deliver an event of this magnitude.”

The Gold sponsor of this event is Rockland Trust Charitable Foundation. Silver sponsors are Middlesex Savings Bank, Digital Credit Union and Green Mountain Chocolate Company. Bronze sponsors are Byrne Financial Freedom, LLC., Chestnut Dental Associates, Dean Bank, Michael Dunsky of Guaranteed Rate and NHS Print. Friends of the Festival include Ferguson Enterprises and Ten Key Inc.

Anyone interested in sponsoring this event can contact the FDP office at downtown.franklin@yahoo.com or (774)571-3109. Sponsorship registration forms and a list of opportunities can be found on this website under the Sponsorship tab.

Booth space is going fast. If you’re interested in participating contact Harvest Festival Chair Angie Grant at agrant@middlesexbank.com. Registration forms can be found on this website. If you would like to volunteer for festival setup or cleanup on the day of the event please contact Joel Carrara at jcarrara@prntsmartoffice.com.

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The Franklin Downtown Partnership is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization made up of businesses, community leaders and residents. The Partnership relies on donations and sponsorship to fund events like the Harvest Festival as well as downtown improvement projects like beautification efforts and streetscape improvements. For more information please contact Executive Director Lisa Piana at (774)571-3109 or downtown.franklin@yahoo.com.



This was originally posted on the Downtown Partnership website
http://franklindowntownpartnership.blogspot.com/2011/08/harvest-fesival-press-release.html