Franklin Matters

Monday, March 13, 2017

Franklin Newcomers & Friends Club Meeting Update - March 15

Franklin School Committee Vice Chair Dr. Anne Bergen will be speaking at the Franklin Newcomers and Friends Club on Wednesday, March 15th. She is joining Town Administrator Jeff Nutting and Deputy Administrator Jamie Hellen.

Come hear updates and have your questions answered about our Public Schools and our Town. We welcome you to join us at 7:30 pm at "3" Restaurant. Appetizers and beverages will be served.

Previous meeting notification

The Franklin Newcomers and Friends Club welcomes you to our next monthly meeting. On Wednesday, March 15th our Town Administrator, Jeff Nutting, will be filling us in on all that is happening in our town. Deputy Town Administrator, Jamie Hellen, will be joining him.

Typically, we meet the 2nd Wednesday of the month. We adjusted this month's schedule to accommodate our guest speakers.

Additionally, in order for us to participate in the 20th Annual Franklin Education Foundation Trivia Bee, we need to cancel our April Meeting. Our members will be cheering on our team at the event on Wednesday, April 12th at 6:00pm in the Horace Mann Auditorium at 224 Oak Street. It is a town-wide event open to the public. We'll resume our monthly meetings in May.

Our meetings are open to Members and Prospective Members! Non-residents in towns that do not have a Newcomers Club are welcome to join us.

Come join us at "3" Restaurant, 461 West Central Street, Franklin.

Complimentary appetizers and beverages are provided and a cash bar is available. We meet upstairs at 7:30pm on the 2nd Wednesday of the month. We run our meetings September through May. Additionally, we hold many fun and varied events to stay connected throughout the year.

For more information, please visit our website www.franklinnewcomers.com or our Facebook page Franklin Newcomers and Friends Club.

Franklin Newcomers and Friends Club

Reminder: "The Adolescent Brain & The Physiology Of Addiction: Effects of Drug-Taking Behavior on the Brain"

'Community Conversations about Substance Use Disorders’
A Program of the S.A.F.E. Coalition

7:00 pm, THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2017

Franklin High School Auditorium

218 Oak Street, Franklin, MA 02038

"The Adolescent Brain and The Physiology Of Addiction: Effects of Drug-Taking Behavior on the Brain"

Dr. RUTH POTEE

Board Certified Family and Addiction Medicine Physician
• Physician at Valley Medical Group (Greenfield, MA) with special interest in women’s health, pediatrics, addiction treatment, psychiatric illness and pain management
• Chair, Department of Medicine, Baystate – Franklin Medical Center
• Medical Director, Franklin County House of Corrections
• Pioneer Valley Regional School District and First Step Recovery and Treatment Center

http://safecoalitionma.com/

"Looking for a Part-Time Job? Become a US Census Bureau Field Representative"

From the US Census Bureau

"Our Mission

The Census Bureau's mission is to serve as the leading source of quality data about the nation's people and economy. We honor privacy, protect confidentiality, share our expertise globally, and conduct our work openly.

We are guided on this mission by scientific objectivity, our strong and capable workforce, our devotion to research-based innovation, and our abiding commitment to our customers.

Our Authority

The Census Bureau operates under Title 13 and Title 26 of the U.S. Code.

Our Goal

Our goal is to provide the best mix of timeliness, relevancy, quality and cost for the data we collect and services we provide.

What Data We Collect & When

Decennial Census of Population and Housing

The U.S. census counts every resident in the United States. It is mandated by Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution and takes place every 10 years."

http://www.census.gov/regions/new_york/www/jobs/massachusetts_jobs.php

Excise Taxes Due - March 15th

Excise Taxes are due Wednesday, March 15, 2017. Many payment options available:

Visit our friendly office to pay in-person
Drive Through Window
White drop box outside our building
Easy Online Pay

Please Note: Online payments will be accepted with interest up to 60 days after the due date.

Excise Taxes Due - March 15th

This was shared from the Town of Franklin page
http://www.franklinma.gov/home/news/excise-taxes-dues-march-15th

Sunday, March 12, 2017

Franklin, MA: School Committee - Agenda - March 14

Vision Statement

The Franklin Public Schools will foster within its students the knowledge and skills to find and achieve satisfaction in life as productive global citizens.

AGENDA

"The listing of matters are those reasonably anticipated by the Chair which

may be discussed at the meeting. Not all items listed may in fact be discussed

and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent

permitted by law."

the key to learning

1. Routine Business
• Citizen’s Comments
• Review of Agenda
• Minutes: I recommend approval of the minutes from the February 28, 2017 School Committee Meeting.
• Payment of Bills Dr. O’Malley
• Payroll Mrs. Douglas
• FHS Student Representatives
1. Nicolas Gnaman
2. Alexander Chitarra
• Correspondence: Budget to Actual – Miriam Goodman

2. Guests/Presentations
a. Health / Physical Education Update – Kristen Letendre
b. Superintendent Search – HYA Associates

3. Discussion Only Items
• none

4. Action Items
a. I recommend approval of the request of Diane Plouffe to take music students to Boston from 3/9-3/11/17 for the MA All State Music Festival as detailed. (pre-approved remotely 7-0)
b. I recommend acceptance of checks totaling $675.00 for the Robert Lima Scholarship.
c. I recommend acceptance of a check for $385.00 from the Oak Street PCC for in-house enrichment.
d. I recommend acceptance of the donation of $300.00 from Columbia Gas of MA as a Teacher Appreciation Award for Sarah Murphy (Gr. 4) to be used for supplemental classroom supplies at Parmenter Elementary School.
e. I recommend acceptance of a check for $5,000.00 from the Digital Federal Credit Union for the Robert Lima and Keiichi Kitanosono scholarships.
f. I recommend acceptance of checks totaling $2,245.00 from the JF Kennedy PCC for field trips as detailed.
g. I recommend approval for the recurring field trip for 8th graders to Providence Place Mall on April 13, 2017 as detailed.

5. Information Matters
• Superintendent’s Report
• School Committee Sub-Committee Reports
a. Budget Sub Committee – Dr. O’Malley
b. Community Relations – Ms. Schultz

• School Committee Liaison Reports
a. PCC Liaison – Dr. Bergen
b. SWAC Liaison – Mrs. Douglas

6. New Business
a. To discuss future business that may be brought before the School Committee.

7. Executive Session
a. Contractual Negotiations

8. Motion to Adjourn
– Dr. O’Malley

Mr Dooley made a brief appearance at the Historical Museum

Alan Earls presented on the the arrival of the Irish in Franklin and then shifted to introduce Mr Dooley to an attentive audience at the Franklin Historical Museum on Saturday, March 11.

Alan Earls and Mr Dooley

The presentation document he has allowed us to share here:

The Most Famous Irishman Who Never Was from Franklin Matters

Alan presented to an attentive audience with mostly Irish roots 9by show of hands)

"she believes the post office actually created the United States of America"

One of the podcasts I listen to recently covered the book by Winifred Gallagher who "believes the post office actually created the United States of America". Ben Franklin is referenced as a significant contributor to the Post Office.

"For thousands of years, governments have devised ways of sending communications. But for most of history, these systems were used only by a small elite. The postal system of colonial America was much the same. The Crown’s post was established by the English monarchy and used primarily for communications between the colonies and England.

For a while, the colonies themselves weren’t that interested in communicating with each other. They were, like fractious siblings, only seeking the attention of Mother England. And if you were a commoner in the colonies you also didn’t use the Crown’s post, you handed your message to a traveler and asked them to take it as far as they could and then pass it on.

Benjamin Franklin, one of the early postmasters for the Crown, traveled to every colony to make improvements in the system. As he did so, he began to see the colonies differently. In 1754, at a meeting of colonial representatives in Albany, New York, Franklin proposed a plan for uniting the colonies and electing their own representatives rather than having them appointed by the Crown. Franklin’s idea didn’t go anywhere at the time.