Fiscal 2020 Real Estate & Personal Property Tax Bills Have Been Mailed, Due 2-3-2020

Fiscal 2020 Real Estate & Personal Property Tax Bills Have Been Mailed, Due 2-3-2020

Treasurer Collector Kerri A. Bertone has mailed the Fiscal 2020 Real Estate and Personal Property tax bills. 

Payment is due February 3, 2020. Payments received after the due date are charged 14% interest.


Shared from the Town of Franklin page
https://www.franklinma.gov/treasurer-collector/news/fiscal-2020-real-estate-personal-property-tax-bills-have-been-mailed-due-2

Did you know there are six ways to pay bills? Drive through window, Drop Box, Online, By Mail, In-person at the Municipal Building with our friendly staff or there's always Pony Express!

THE BLACK BOX Classical Series Continues on Feb 9

Irina Fainkichen and pianist Irina Kotlyar return to THE BLACK BOX on February 9th at 4:00 p.m. as part of the THE BLACK BOX Classical Series. The concert program features music by titan composers such as Ludwig van Beethoven, Igor Stravinsky, and Maurice Ravel. Audiences will experience music through beautiful dances and emotions.

Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, Irina Fainkichen is member of Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra and has performed with New Hampshire Symphony, Lexington Symphony, Pro-Arte Chamber Orchestra, and recently with Broadway on Tour’s Phantom of the Opera at Boston Opera House.

Born in Ukraine, Irina Kotlyar received degrees from the Rubin Academy of Music in Jerusalem, Israel. With Gregory Shifrin, the Kotlyar-Shifrin Piano Duo has won several international prizes and awards and has performed throughout Israel, Europe, and America.

Tea service by Intermission Cafe will be available in the lobby. For tickets and more information, visit www.THEBLACKBOXonline.com or call the box office at 508-528-3370. THE BLACK BOX is located at 15 W. Central St. in downtown Franklin.

THE BLACK BOX Classical Series Continues on Feb 9

Superintendent’s Report to School Committee - Jan 28, 2020

Professional Development Day Recap
In the afternoon of Friday, January 17, FPS hosted professional development for faculty across the district. This day was building-directed professional learning, under the direction of building principals. The following are some highlights:
● ECDC -- ECDC teaching teams analyzed the first round of the new “Developmental Summary” (report card/progress report), considering what worked well, what was challenging, and feedback from families.
● FHS -- Franklin High School staff continued to engage in our ongoing work with SEL and Teaching and Learning. They also included Cultural Proficiency as part of this work.
● Remington -- Remington staff reviewed the draft skills of the Portrait of a Graduate (POG) and provided feedback. Then educators collaborated on inclusive practices related to inclusion of students with special needs.
● Annie Sullivan -- Annie Sullivan staff explored the current discipline practices in place, reviewed data to analyze trends, and identified ways to support student needs in the classroom. Teachers met as teams/grade levels to apply their learning in discussions about specific students and share strategies, review/update behavior plans, etc.
● Horace Mann -- HMMS staff focused on developing Keys to Literacy Comprehension, Vocabulary and Writing strategies across content areas. Sessions were facilitated by coaches and administration, based on feedback from staff provided in a recent survey.
● Davis Thayer -- Davis Thayer Staff engaged in a recommitment to Core Values, redefining how those Core Values look and feel across settings, and examined the interrelation between our Core Values and the five core competencies for SEL.
● Parmenter -- Parmenter staff engaged in PD focused on mathematics and planning using the Understanding by Design framework.
● Kennedy -- Kennedy teachers participated in the following workshops: Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices, Analyzing Literacy Assessments, and Developing Math Fluency Instructional Materials.
● Keller -- Keller School staff engaged to learn more about the Understanding by Design framework for curriculum development.
● Jefferson -- The Jefferson staff continued their learning about cultural proficiency; they reviewed books and other curriculum materials for bias within the content.
● Oak Street -- Oak School staff continued to engaged to learn more about the Understanding by Design framework for curriculum development.
● District Nursing Staff -- The district’s nurses worked together to share (compare & contrast) current office practices and assess specific school needs in order to provide better consistency for nurses covering the health offices.

Franklin Educators Provide PD Regionally
We are very excited to share that several FPS educators are presenting at this year’s Local Staff Development Opportunities workshop/dinner Series, running regionally January through March. We are fortunate to have such talented educators within our system, as evidenced by regional interest in them sharing through professional learning.

● Kate Merten and Anne Williams 4th grade teachers at Kennedy Elementary School) will lead a workshop on “I Do Readers’ Workshop -- Now What?”. Participants will take a deeper dive into the aspects of the Readers’ Workshop instructional strategy, which is a means of differentiating to meet individual student’s needs and provide a more personalized learning approach in the elementary classroom.
● Jaime Hulbig, Jennifer Violet, and Jennifer Young (Math Specialists at Jefferson, Davis Thayer, and Keller elementary schools) will lead a workshop titled “Beyond Pizza and Pies: Teaching Fractions and Decimals for True Understanding” -- This two-part session will help educators build conceptual understanding, number sense,problem solving and procedural fluency with fractions, a foundation for future math learning.

Report from the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents’ (MASS) Mid-Winter Meeting
MASS holds two meetings during the school year to provide professional development to its members. The mid-winter meeting was held last week on January 23, 2020 and Mr. Giguere, Assistant Superintendent, and I attended.

We started the morning with a breakfast discussion as part of our partnership with MAPLE, the Massachusetts Personalized Learning Edtech consortium. We learned about various districts personalized learning initiatives and joined a conversation about personalizing professional development. Philosophically, we seek to progress towards more personalization in our professional development program, in order to model for staff the types of personalized experiences we wish to see within classrooms. Central to this idea is the notion of choice and voice in the process as well as matching learning to skill development. We shared our initial strategies in personalizing professional development for staff through Edcamp-style PD, which is occurring in many of our buildings. We also learned from two districts about their progressive approaches. We look forward to applying our new learning in FPS.

The formal MASS program then began and we heard from Jeff Lawrence, Managing Director of Organizational Agility Advisors. He presented a keynote speech on “Thinking Systemically -- Acting Relationally”. The focus of this session was on the complexity of leadership in education today. He urged Superintendents to engage in self-care strategies and thinking, engaging, and acting differently in order to develop more leadership agility. Mr. Giguere and I are looking forward to bringing these concepts to the leadership team, likely during our summer retreat.

Jeff Riley, Commissioner of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, then shared the developing details of the DESE required implementation plans that are part of the Student Opportunities Act. These plans are designed to hold districts accountable to using additional funding provided by SOA for their intended results: closing achievement gaps among student groups, including English learners, students with disabilities, and students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds. Details are still emerging. The School Committee can expect that the FPS plan will be shared at a meeting in March, where a vote to approve will be requested.

Dr. Edwards and I will attend the spring meeting of MASS in May.

A Word about Grant Funding
I am aware that some conversation has been percolating in the community about grant opportunities. I wish to convey that the district pursues grant funding that seems reasonable and appropriate when they arise. Some of our grant funding comes in the form of government entitlement grants, but we do also pursue competitive grants. Due to our student population and demographics, these opportunities are not as widespread as they may be for other communities. However, when appropriate we seek additional resources. For example, we secured a state-offered competitive school safety grant last year to support school safety upgrades. Our ECDC secured a local grant from Big Y to develop a “Chill Zone” to assist students with the SEL skill of self-management.

Many grants come with expectations and additional management that may be inconsistent with our improvement plan, potentially siphoning resources away from our current priorities. Therefore, we critically evaluate the benefit of the grant application/award.

We appreciate the public’s interest in this area. Also, we always welcome outreach and ideas from the community, even if we can not support each one.

FHS Chorus Highlight with Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Choral Director
I had the pleasure to attend a special Chorus workshop today, at the invitation of Director Olivia Goliger. She hosted Mr. James Burton, the Choral Director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Conductor of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus. Mr. Burton spent the hours of 10:30-3:30 PM today at FHS workshopping pieces for festival and recording, including his own large work, The Lost Words. He worked with students on musicianship and musicality, vocal, and choral technique with the singers, while simultaneously working with Ms. Goliger on conducting and rehearsal technique. The instruction was inspiring and motivating. The students were phenomenal but one could also hear how his coaching techniques developed their sound.

Additionally, I was so moved with the connection to social-emotional learning as he drew out their emotions through voice. It was a very powerful and unique experience and a real highlight for our students.

Download a copy of the Report (PDF file)
 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xtGiLiBEnWKbrGVZTe2M0ls0j_gNL7DO/view?usp=sharing

For more about Superintendent Sara E Ahern, visit the Town of Franklin page
https://www.franklinps.net/district/superintendent 
 

Really big day for the FHS Treble Chorus! We welcomed BSO Choral Director, James Burton, to an all day clinic. The centerpiece of the day was James’ piece “The Lost Words” along with Kregler favorites. My heart is brimming with gratitude for this moment in time! #fhsmusic

“Taming Technology for Community Members” - March 18

Presenter: Kevin Martin of “Nerds to Go” of Franklin

Date/Time: Wednesday, March 18, 2020. 6:30 pm

Location: Franklin Public Library, 118 Main St., Franklin, MA

Talk Content:
At a time when our community might reap the benefits of the Internet and technology to keep in touch with grandchildren, classmates and long-time friends, they are often leery of the new electronic landscape. From computers to smart phones to smart speakers - people can get overwhelmed!

The Franklin Odd Fellows are hosting an informal presentation on “Taming Technology for Community Members”. Kevin Martin will explore how to stay safe on the Internet and enjoy some of the key components and resources.

Martin has more than two decades of experience working in technology – from advanced electronics in submarines in the U.S. Navy to IT executive positions in the private sector.

The Internet offers a boundless amount of useful and interesting information and access to the world. Unfortunately, technology is also a daunting new landscape to many people. This presentation is intended to outline both the security and scope of technology.

For more about Nerds to Go  -  www.nerdstogo.com
For more about the OddFellows  -  www.franklinmassoddfellows.org

“Taming Technology for Community Members” - March 18

FHS girls and boys basketball teams top Sharon

Via HockomockSports.com and Twitter, we share the results of FHS winter sports action on Tuesday.


Boys Basketball = Sharon, 50 @ Franklin, 64 – Final
– Franklin got off to a strong start in the opening quarter and built on that lead throughout the game to knock off visiting Sharon. Seniors Brayden Sullivan (21 points), Jack Rudolph, and Steven Karayan each hit a three in the opening frame to help the Panthers race out to a 17-9 lead. Sullivan added eight more in the second and senior Chris Edgehill (15 points) connected from three as the Panthers pushed the lead to double-digits, 33-22, at half. Sharon kept pace in the third, down 46-35, but Franklin put the game away with an 18-point fourth quarter. Declan Walmsey added 10 points for Franklin. Andrew Burton led Sharon with 14 points while Aidan Kane added 10 points.

Girls Basketball = Franklin, 53 @ Sharon, 20 – Final
– Franklin put in another full-team effort to get the win on the road. Ten Panthers scored in the game, led by Ali Brigham’s 12. Nicole Teven and Trinity Payne each scored five to lead the Eagles.

Other results around the Hockomock League
https://hockomocksports.com/tuesdays-schedule-scoreboard-01-28-20/

And via Twitter:
https://twitter.com/FranklinMatters/lists/fhs-sports

Unified music singing the national anthem #PantherPride ⁦@FHSUnifiedMusic⁩ ⁦@FranklinUnified⁩ ⁦@FHSSports⁩ pic.twitter.com/fFn9qVTAMn

— FranklinHighSchool (@FranklinHS) January 29, 2020

Unifiedmusic#nationalanthem🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/cIL7sgdFUm

— taylor padula (@padula_rose) January 29, 2020

Unified music singing the national anthem #PantherPride ⁦

@FHSUnifiedMusic @FranklinUnified @FHSSports

⁩

Tri-County shares honor roll and State Senator Rebecca Rausch's recent visit

State Senator Rebecca Rausch, who represents parts of the Norfolk, Bristol, and Middlesex counties, met students and faculty on a tour of Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School. Senator Rausch also spoke with students in the Practical Nursing Programs, part of Tri-County’s Adult Education program, and discussed their coursework, the skills they acquire in the program and how their education propels them forward into the nursing profession.

Senator Rausch also spoke with students in the Practical Nursing Programs

State Senator Rausch met with both students and faculty to learn more about the career programs, academics and extracurricular activities available.

State Senator Rausch met with both students and faculty to learn more about the career programs

Tri-County shared the listing of student with High Honors and Honors for the first trimester of the school year. (Listing in PDF below)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OYiqFQPVRPmJuhTU7dpBrEKSer45q89Z/view?usp=sharing

Collaborative Cultural Grants in Franklin

The Franklin Cultural District Committee (FCDC) was honored to receive a $5,000 grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC). Franklin Cultural District (FCD) Partners were invited to submit their ideas for use of the MCC funds that would support and enhance collaborative events highlighting culture and the arts. The result of this call for proposals was well met with several Partners sharing ideas for collaborative events.

Importantly, the FCDC would like to thank all who attended the FCDC meeting and shared their ideas. It was an inspiring meeting that resulted in events proposed that are collaborative, invoke culture and the arts, and are reflective of Franklin’s community spirit

The FCDC is pleased to announce that the following Partners have been awarded grant funding for projects and events, which will help to enhance culture and the arts in the Town of Franklin.

Grants were awarded to:
• Franklin Art Association, for an interactive, visual arts project to take place during the Strawberry Stroll
• Dave Burnham, on behalf of LiveARTS, for a teaching/learning music performance at Franklin High School
• Anne Marie Tracey, Town of Franklin Marketing and Communication Specialist, in support of the Recreation Department’s Community Art Initiative, a visual art experience
• Caleigh Keating, Children’s Librarian at Franklin Public Library, for a “Mini Franklin” event to take place on the Franklin Town Common
• Franklin Performing Arts Company (FPAC) for THE BLACK BOX Broadway Series presents Kara Lindsay and Kevin Massey In Concert on Saturday, March 7 at 8:00 PM and a Sunday morning Master Class with the Broadway stars on March 8, 2020
• Franklin Performing Arts Company (FPAC) at THE BLACK BOX, to host a Kickoff Event for ArtWeek on Friday, May 1st, 4:00 – 6:00 PM
• Franklin Downtown Partnership, to support musicians performing during the Strawberry Stroll

The FCDC and its Partners are grateful to the MCC for the grant funding to be able to support and promote culture and the arts in Franklin

Collaborative Cultural Grants in Franklin