Boston Globe: MA "officials Friday unveiled a substantial upgrade"

"THE STATE’S  COVID-19 vaccine website now lists available appointments for some locations, part of a new platform the Baker administration launched Friday to smooth the sometimes-challenging process of securing doses.

A new appointment-finder hub on mass.gov/covidvaccine lists all public vaccine sites across Massachusetts, searchable by location — much like the existing website — but will now add information on whether there are vaccination slots available and link visitors directly to the booking page.

Baker administration officials who outlined the new tool said it will eliminate an existing barrier by centralizing availability and searching in one location, rather than listing vaccine sites and requiring residents to search through multiple different separate sites to learn where appointments are still open."

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/health/state-vaccine-website-gets-upgrade/

Boston Globe coverage (subscription may be required)   

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/02/12/nation/mass-debuts-new-website-book-covid-vaccine-appointments/

 

Go to State web page =>  https://vaxfinder.mass.gov/

Franklin's COVID-19 status improved this week. The positivity dropped from 4.7 to 3.7. Keep up the good work folks, especially with school vacation here. Be safe, be social (at a distance)!

https://www.canva.com/design/DAERJvYx-CA/RDnuYIFlWB8rUKQrGQlX0Q/view

 

Franklin's COVID-19 status improved this week

St John's Episcopal: Ash Wednesday - Feb 17

Join St John's for Ash Wednesday on Facebook Live

 

St John's Episcopal Church will offer an Ash Wednesday service on Facebook Live on February 17 at 7 PM. https://www.facebook.com/events/753464702258770/

 

If you would like to pick-up ashes ahead of time, please contact Rev Kathy at Rector@StJohnsFranklinMA.org.

 

 

St John's Episcopal: Ash Wednesday

 

 

FPS: Budget Subcommittee Meeting - March 3, 2021

Franklin School Committee

Budget Sub Committee Meeting

March 3, 2021 -  4:30 PM

Virtual Meeting (Link in agenda)

 

• FY22 Budget Development

Shared from the Franklin Schools page https://www.franklinps.net/district/school-committee/agenda/budget-sub-committee-meeting-8

FPS: Budget Subcommittee Meeting - March 3, 2021

 

 

Senior Center Coffee Hour - Thu, Feb 18

The next Senior Coffee Hour with Officials will be held on Thursday, February 18th at 8:30am.  

Find the meeting link here https://t.co/P0l7grjjr0 or else call in (audio only)  +1 617-865-5269,   Pin 61414166#

(Note - this is using Microsoft Teams for the meeting not Google or Zoom)

Shared from Twitter: https://t.co/0wBntU2NGL

 

Senior Center Coffee Hour - Thu, Feb 18

 

Town of Franklin, MA: Offices will be closed on Monday, Feb 15

Town of Franklin, MA (@TOFranklinMA) tweeted on Fri, Feb 12, 2021:

"ToF Offices will be closed on Monday for the President's Day holiday.  We will reopen at 8:00am on Tuesday."

 

Shared from Twitter:  https://t.co/y0H80PLN3E

 

Town of Franklin, MA: Offices will be closed on Monday, Feb 15

 

 

Franklin's Event Outlook: Feb 12 - Feb 18, 2021

Winter weather forecast for the school vacation week ahead of us. Opportunities to get out and about are increasing. Be safe, be social (at a distance)!

 

Friday, February 12
7:00pm -  FHS Jazz Night
7:00pm -  Giggles for Good - Virtual Comedy Show

 

Saturday, February 13
February StoryWalk at DelCarte Reservation opens
10:00am -  Winter Farmers Market
10:00am - Scout Troop 126 - Bottle/can drive
1:00pm -  Zoom Cooking Class for families with Miss Sandhya

 

Sunday, February 14
1:00pm -  Historical Museum (open and free admission)

 

Monday, February 15
- Presidents' Day (regional holiday)

 

Tuesday, February 16

 

Wednesday, February 17
7:00pm -  Roots of Black Music in America presented by Karlus Trapp
7:30pm -  Let’s Laugh Today is Free on ZOOM!

 

Thursday, February 18
8:30am -  Town Council Office Hours

 

Find the full calendar  https://www.franklinmatters.org/p/blog-page.html

If you have an event to add to the calendar, you can use the form to submit it for publication:  https://forms.gle/oPdi8X3ZbHHyrHzo6

The Town meeting calendar is found  https://www.franklinma.gov/calendar

The School district meeting calendar is found   https://www.franklinps.net/calendar-by-event-type/26

 

Community Calendar

 

Franklin Public Schools, MA: Return to School Plan Update and Survey Request

February 10, 2021 

 

Dear Franklin Families,

I am writing today to share some information with you about where the District stands with respect to more in-person learning for students.

We are so proud of all that our educators have accomplished to teach our students whether in person, in a remote setting, or in the hybrid model.Each day, they are making meaningful connections with students, supporting social-emotional learning, and academic growth. All of us, however, are looking forward to a time when we can all be in person in our schools.

The Franklin Public Schools is in the process of developing a return to school plan for full and in-person instruction. It is premature to discuss a timeline, as we are just in the beginning phases of the pool testing pilot; however, we are exploring options that return students to school this spring.

As previously communicated, being full and in person is not feasible at 6 feet of social distancing. In order to bring more students into the school setting, we will need to explore utilizing social distancing with students at less than 6 feet of distance. While specific distances have not yet been determined and will depend on various factors, including student density, building and classroom availability, and specific program and school activities, distances of 3-6 feet have been supported by scientific data and are being applied at schools both locally and internationally in combination with other mitigation measures, including surveillance testing, masking, and hand hygiene. 

 

We are optimistic that the advent of pool testing, which we anticipate will begin in FPS after February vacation, along with the mitigation measures already in place will assist us in assuring that COVID-19 is contained within the school environment and will facilitate more students returning to school. Vaccination of staff will provide added reassurances. An initial overview is being shared with you and more specific information will be available soon.

The Franklin Public Schools is in the process of developing a return to school plan for full and in-person instruction. It is premature to discuss a timeline, as we are just in the beginning phases of the pool testing pilot; however, we are exploring options that return students to school this spring. As with our initial reopening plan, we would seek to prioritize certain grade levels.

The district’s Reopening Monitoring Team, which includes administrators, faculty/staff, and parents, will involve not only monitoring of our current learning model but will also be contributing to planning for further school reopening. It is anticipated that discussions of further school reopening will also include a discussion about all appropriate mitigation measures.

In order to assist our planning, we are surveying families across the district.

 

Please access the survey here, and complete it by Monday, February 22, 2021. https://forms.gle/X9nXrYVYzrgWN84a6


Sincerely,
 

Sara Ahern 

Superintendent of Schools

 

 

 

The update from Dr. Sara Ahern was shared from here 

https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/uploads/february_10_instructional_model_update_to_families.pdf

 

 
Additionally, please find the Physical Distancing Survey for Families here https://t.co/aJPVnrgqpX

Franklin Public Schools, MA: Return to School Plan Update and Survey Request