In the News: Franklin school safety, internet purchase safe zones

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin

Two local schools are testing out a system that will allow officials more control over who is allowed in the buildings and to keep track of visitors once they're inside. 

The system - currently being tested at Franklin High School and Gerald E. Parmenter Elementary School - has been in place since October. 

Once visitors are buzzed into the school, they're greeted by a school employee who asks them about their reason for entering and scans their license. 

"We make sure the license matches, put where they're going into the computer and it prints out a badge," said Erica Demers, who mans the desk at Parmenter. "We put a sticker on the badge, and it fades after a while, so people can't reuse them."

Parmenter School sign announcing PCC meeting on Feb 5

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160130/schools-testing-visitor-id-system

Looking for a safe place to meet someone after arranging to buy an item online but you don't want to get ripped off, robbed or worse? Area police departments are now offering a safe location for those transactions. 

The locations are called Internet Purchase Exchange Locations (IPEL) or Safe Trade Stations and are an easy spot to meet after making a deal on local “yard sale” groups on Facebook, local buying and selling apps such as “Close5” and “OfferUp,” or the ever-popular “Craigslist.” 

Rather than meet up with a worst-case scenario such as Philip Markoff, “The Craigslist Killer” who, in 2009, was charged with robbing and killing Boston-area victims he met on Craigslist, buyers and sellers can meet in a well-lit, video-recorded spot.

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160130/safe-exchange-zones-springing-up-at-metrowest-milford-area-police-departments


The Safe Trade Station website mentioned in the article needs to get updated for the MA locations also referenced in the article.  http://www.safetradestations.com/

FHS boys and girls basketball teams top North Attleboro

Via Hockomock Sports, we share the results of Hockomock League action for the FHS basketball teams.

Boys Basketball

• North Attleboro, 57 @ Franklin, 60 – Final 

– Tim Prunier hit two free throws down the stretch to stretch the Panthers’ lead to three as Franklin outlasted North Attleboro. The Rocketeers trailed by nine at halftime but rallied to get a 45-44 lead heading into the final period. Prunier finished with a team-best 18 points while freshman Jay Dieterle added 13 points and sophomore Connor Peterson had 11 points. North junior Brent Doherty also had 18 points, Kyle McCarthy scored a career-high 13 points in his first start and Mario Bresko added 11 points.

FHS Panthers

Girls Basketball

• Franklin, 63 @ North Attleboro, 47 – Final 

– Franklin broke open a three-point game at the half with a 20-5 run in the third quarter. Carli Koffinke was the top scorer for the Panthers with 13, while Aubrie Kutil added a double-double with 11 points. Lauren Rudolph for Franklin and Olivia Adiletto eight. Emily Peters scored 20 points for the Rocketeers in a losing effort.

For other results on Friday around the Hockomock League
http://www.hockomocksports.com/fridays-schedule-scoreboard-012916/

LEAPING into Kindergarten - Feb 29

LEAPING into Kindergarten: An informational program for Franklin Public School families with children eligible to attend kindergarten in the fall of 2016 (5 years old by August 31st):

Date: Monday, February 29th Time: 6:30-7:30pm; Q andA session from 7:30-8:00pm
Location: Horace Mann Auditorium (224 Oak Street)

Members of the Franklin school community, including kindergarten teachers, principals, a school nurse, and the Director of Student Services, will provide helpful information to families on:

• Kindergarten Registration: the timeline and the process
• Health Information: immunizations, allergies, medical accommodations
• Safety: efforts the Franklin public schools is taking to ensure safety in our schools
• Teaching and Learning: the kindergarten day and our approach to learning
• Kindergarten Screening: what it is and what it is not
• Kindergarten Orientation: helping you and your child feel welcome
• Transportation: the big yellow school bus

entrance to Horace Mann Middle School Auditorium

For more information, please contact Kelty Kelley, ECDC Principal



Kelty Kelley, Principal

F. X. O'Regan Early Childhood Development Center
224 Oak Street
Franklin, MA 02038
Phone: 508-541-8166
Fax: 508-541-8254
kelleyk@franklin.k12.ma.us

Franklin Food Elves Bring in Record Donations – Again!

The Franklin Food Elves did it again! The final donation numbers are in, and the Elves are pleased to announce that the “12 Days of Donating” Campaign has collected more than four tons (or 8,001 pounds) of goods, and more than $11,000 for the Franklin Food Pantry. 

These numbers beat last year’s record totals by more than 1,500 pounds of food, and nearly $3,000. The success was due to the hard work of more than 120 Food Elves, along with tremendous support from the community and local businesses. The Food Elves, increasing by 35 elves this year, has grown every year in popularity among local elementary, middle and high school students.  

Photo courtesy of Bob Teixeira

As the Food Elves canvassed local neighborhoods for food and monetary donations, Franklin businesses did their part by placing donation bins at their locations and pledging cash donations to support the cause. 

Those businesses included Chestnut Dental Associates, DCU, Dean Bank, Dean College, Emma’s Quilt Cupboard, Franklin Downtown Partnership Office, Jane’s Frames, Keefe Insurance Agency, Murphy Business, Pour Richard’s Wine & Spirits, SELF Aesthetics and Therapeutic Specialists, Medical Spa and The Adirondack Club. 

“We are overwhelmed by the amount of support we received this year from the Franklin Food Elves, member businesses of the Franklin Downtown Partnership, and our community,” said Erin Lynch, executive director of the Franklin Food Pantry. “Thanks to the hard work of the Food Elves, we will be able to continue helping our families who are struggling to put food on their tables.” 

For the first time, the Food Elves gave residents the option of making monetary donations in addition to, or in lieu of, food. Monetary gifts allow the Pantry to supplement food donations with more nutritious and fresh food, such as fruits, vegetables, dairy products and meats. 

“The response was incredible,” said Lynch. “Not only did we break all records in the amount of food we received, we are able to supplement the nonperishable donations with fresh, protein-rich and nutritious foods. We could not be more grateful.”

For more information about the Food Elves and the “12 Days of Donating” Campaign, please contact the Food Elves at franklinfoodelves@yahoo.com. For more information about the Franklin Food Pantry, or a list of its current needs, visit www.franklinfoodpantry.org.

Franklin Newcomers and Friends February Meeting Information - Feb 10

Please join the Franklin Newcomers and Friends for our version of Antique Roadshow, starring Lydia Kirchthurn, a Newcomers alum. We'll be upstairs in a private room at Restaurant "3" at 7:30pm on Wednesday, Feb 10.

Franklin Newcomers

Lydia Kirchthurn is an old soul, and she has always loved antiques and the stories behind them. So in 2005 when she left her career in education to raise her children she started her new adventures with antiques. First she started buying antiques at yard sales and thrift stores and selling them on EBAY. Then she started selling her friend's antiques on EBAY, then whole houses of antiques, eventually working at a high end auction house run by an Antique Roadshow Alum. While at the auction house she realized that her passion for antiques and their stories included something unexpected - a connection to the spirits of the people who owned them.

In 2014 Lydia left the Auction business and enrolled in the Rhys Thomas School of Energy Medicine where she is currently studying and honing her unique gift. Now she is uniting her worlds and offering unique antique appraisals and communication with the spirits attached to them.

If you have a small, antique, family heirloom, feel free to bring it. Lydia will examine as many pieces as she can to reveal their value and possibly a story! Something personal, like jewelry, would be best.

As always, we welcome all to join us. Heavy appetizers and non-alcoholic beverages are complimentary.

In the News: Exelon hearings end, bone marrow drive

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin

Stop Medway Peaker Plant

A state board’s hearings on whether Exelon should be allowed to construct a 200-megawatt expansion at its existing Summer Street facility in Medway ended this week after nearly two months of hearings. 

The hearings began on Dec. 8 and ended on Thursday. The nine-member Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB), charged with permitting energy projects that meet state and federal environmental regulations, heard hours of testimony that covered technology, pollution, environmental worries and proposed water use.

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160129/medway-exelon-hearings-end---for-now

A bone marrow drive will be held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 6 at the Franklin YMCA, 45 Forge Hill Road in honor of Jennifer Felicetti. 

Felicetti is a mother, wife and friend with a passion for life. This past Christmas Eve, she was admitted to her local hospital, unaware that her life was about to take a drastic turn. A few days later, Felicetti was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. While she is currently undergoing aggressive treatment, her doctors believe her best shot will likely be a bone marrow transplant. With no matching donor in her family, Felicetti will be forced to enter the nerve-wracking search for an unrelated donor.

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160129/delete-blood-cancer-to-hold-bone-marrow-drive-at-franklin-ymca

Upcoming Events in Franklin, MA Area: FRI 1/29/16 - THU 2/4/16

FRIDAY 1/29/16
6:30pm   Art Night Uncorked at the Franklin Art Center
7pm   BFCCPS presents the ‘High School Musical - On Stage!’ at Horace Mann MS

SATURDAY 1/30/16
9-11:30am   Parent/8th Grade Student Orientation at the FHS
10am-4pm   Seminar: Learn to be a process server. Email: constableservice@comcast.net for more info.
2pm   BFCCPS presents the ‘High School Musical - On Stage!’ at Horace Mann MS
8pm   Circle of Friends Coffehouse: No Fuss and Feathers, FUSF Meetinghouse

SUNDAY 1/31/16
7:30-10:30am   Sunday Morning Breakfast at Franklin Rod and Gun Club
9am-12pm   Bulldog Youth Baseball Camp at Dean College
1-4pm   Beer vs. Wine Fundraiser at Pour Richard’s to benefit the Franklin and Bellingham Rail Trail Committee
1pm   Free Family Event at The Black Box: Sunday Afternoon Blues featuring Mark Poniatowski and Friends

MONDAY 2/1/16
7pm   Helping Your Kids Navigate Social Media and Cyberbullying: parent education evening at BFCCPS, free and open to public

TUESDAY 2/2/16
1-2:30pm   Open House at Y World of Tots at Franklin YMCA
7pm   Franklin Graden Club Meeting - presentation on multi-season shade gardens by Paul Steen, Franklin Senior Center
7pm   S.A.F.E. Coallition Event: Author Robert Putnam (Bowling Alone and Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis) at FHS

WEDNESDAY 2/3/16
6-9pm   Women’s Success Network Meeting at Lake Pearl in Wrentham

For all the Town of Franklin Public Meetings click HERE.

For event details click HERE.

*If you have any suggestions or events for the calendar, please email Renata@BetterLivingRE.com