Hold the date - Sep 10, 2022 - the Franklin Cultural Festival returns!

Franklin Cultural Festival is scheduled to return Sept 10, 2022

It must be the nice weather because we are getting lots of inquiries about the festival this year! We are currently organizing our ARTISAN VENDOR booth applications and will open those very soon! 

Hold the date - Sep 10, 2022 - the Franklin Cultural Festival returns!

Shared from Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/p/CbaYsuusX13/

School Committee gets answers to their budget questions

Quick recap:

• The formal budget hearing of the proposed Franklin School budget for FY 2023 was held on Tuesday evening. In the format similar to that of the Town Council after the presentation overview, the budget was read at a line item level and members of the committee had an opportunity to "hold" the line for further discussion. The discussion began after the complete listing was read. 
• The presentation provided the overview on the budget development, timeline indicating next steps (Committee vote scheduled for Apr 12 meeting) and eventual hearings at Finance Committee and Town Council before final approval.
• I encourage folks to watch the replay (or listen to the audio). The nature of the questions were primarily concerning clarification of this or that increase/decrease and quickly answered sometimes without even referring to the thick budget book or their notes. The insights on how and why generally tied back to an objective of the district's approach to education based upon the "Portrait of a Graduate." It really was quite impressive to see the level of detail being used to answer questions as easily as it was. Only one question required a response of "Can I get back to you on that?"
• The classroom challenges today are met with approaches that are different from that of our classroom experiences, or that of our parents. The students are met where they are and helped along the way. Yes, we spend less than most other communities (either 75% or 78% spend more depending upon which measure is used) but the results we get are top quality.
• A clear indication of those student accomplishments are seen almost everyday with sports results, academic achievements, musical, or theatrical performances. We should all be quite proud of what we have. Could we do better? There is room for improvement yes, and some of the wish list was also referenced during the presentation. One community question raised this point in regards to a Deputy Principal position cut from the high school a few years ago. That role was acknowledged as being missed and is currently being made up in other ways as the district continues to evaluate how best to bring it back and what it could cost to do so.

School budget for FY 2023 (and prior)  https://www.franklinps.net/district/school-district-budget

Budget presentation document   https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/uploads/fy23_public_budget_hearing.pdf

Portrait of a Graduate   https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/uploads/pog_final_graphic_descriptors_.pdf

The Twitter thread of my notes and photos captured during the meeting can be found in one PDF -> https://drive.google.com/file/d/18oZq9R2K7-viFx3WMI5-lcDumfgBdpZf/view?usp=sharing

The audio of the meeting (and transcript) will be available in a day or so.
 

School Committee gets answers to their budget questions 

Space Needs / Facilities Analysis Sub Committee - Mar 29 - 6:30 PM (virtual only)

Franklin Public Schools

Franklin School Committee

Space Needs & Facilities Assessment Sub Committee

March 29, 2022 - 6:30 P.M.  -  Virtual Only

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."

● Call to Order

● Subcommittee Objective, Goals & Expectations

● Space Needs & Facilities Assessment Historical Context

● Known Facilities Needs (maintenance, repairs, etc.)

● Review of Next Steps/Action Items

● Finalize Meeting Schedule

● Adjournment

Agenda doc including connection info ->   https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/agendas/agenda-spaceneedssubcom-3-29-22.pdf

Space Needs / Facilities Analysis Sub Committee

Rudolph named MVP, leads multiple FHS gymnasts on Hockomock All Star list

Below are the official 2022 Hockomock League Gymnastics All Stars, selected by the coaches in the league. We share the FHS selections and provide links below for the full League listing.

HOCKOMOCK LEAGUE MVP

• Kate Rudolph, Franklin

HOCKOMOCK LEAGUE ALL STARS

• Kate Rudolph, Franklin
• Emma White, Franklin
• Lizzie Brown, Franklin
• Caroline Woelfel, Franklin
• Emma Nelson, Franklin
• Elizabeth Schirduan, Franklin

Honorable Mentions

• Maia Keohane, Franklin

Complete Hockomock League listing for gymnasts
https://hockomocksports.com/2022-hockomock-league-gymnastics-all-stars/ 

Rudolph named MVP, leads multiple FHS gymnasts on Hockomock All Star list

Multiple FHS athletes selected as Hockomock League Swimming all stars

Below are the official 2022 Hockomock League Girls and Boys Swimming All Stars, selected by the coaches in the league. We share the FHS selections and provide links below for the full League listing.

HOCKOMOCK LEAGUE ALL STARS

• Harika Birali, Franklin
• Taylor O’Neil, Franklin
• Kseniya Baghdasaryan, Franklin
• Elizabeth Tang, Franklin
• Christine Tang, Franklin
• Emma Ferreia, Franklin
• Ashley Desroches, Franklin
• Sydney Bourgeois, Franklin

Honorable Mentions

• Keegan Wright, Franklin

HOCKOMOCK LEAGUE ALL STARS

• Brendan Collins, Franklin
• Owen Chandaria, Franklin
• Daniel Gurge, Franklin
• Zachary Simms, Franklin

Honorable Mentions

• Rowan O’Rourke, Franklin

Complete Girls listing for Hockomock League

https://hockomocksports.com/2022-hockomock-league-girls-swimming-all-stars/

Complete Boys listing for Hockomock League

https://hockomocksports.com/2022-hockomock-league-boys-swimming-all-stars/

Multiple FHS athletes selected as Hockomock League Swim Team all stars

FHS Theatre Company reaches Regionals as Top 3 school, with a host of accolades

This past weekend, the Franklin High School Theatre Company took their one-act production of Cave Dream to the state-wide Drama Festival on Saturday, March 19th.  

The production was selected as a Top 3 finalist, and will move to perform at the Regional competition on Saturday, April 2nd.  

Among the recognition of being a top 3 school, many students received accolades in their performance work, both on stage and behind the scenes.

• METG All-Star Award for Technical Excellence in Costume Design - Heidi Keithahn, Will Heater, Ren Schultz
• METG All-Star Award for Excellence in Scenic Design - Kaiti Cook
• METG All-Star Award for Technical Excellence in Sound Design - Matt Moussa
• METG All-Star Award for Excellence in Acting as the Character Don - Simon Jones
• METG All-Star Award for Excellence in Ensemble Acting (The Rock Creatures) - Heidi Keithahn, Millie Chalk, Amanda Labelle, Colin Joyce, Will Heater, Shea Levine, Alex Alvarado, Ava Piercy, Jake McCann-Tiede, and Patrick O'Toole 

FHS Theatre Company reaches Regionals as Top 3 school, with a host of accolades

Boston Globe: "Thanks to climate change, ticks and allergies are arriving earlier"

"Is that familiar allergic tickle in your throat showing up earlier in the spring? Does it seem like ticks are spreading across New England earlier, too? If so, it’s not just you — it’s climate change. 

Thanks to the quickly warming Gulf of Maine, the region is warming faster than the rest of the world. Since 1900, temperatures in metropolitan Boston have climbed by about 3 degrees Celsius (5.4 degrees Fahrenheit), while temperatures on the rest of the planet rose an average of 1.14 degrees Celsius. 

That means we’re seeing shorter winters, earlier blooms, and more pollen. In a study published last week in the journal Nature Communications, scientists from the University of Michigan examined 15 types of pollen from different plants found in the United States and found, in computer simulations, that pollen counts are increasing."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/03/22/science/thanks-climate-change-ticks-allergies-are-arriving-earlier/

Direct link to Study referenced => https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28764-0

Boston Globe: "Thanks to climate change, ticks and allergies are arriving earlier"