Wednesday, March 12, 2008

sherku: school choice

Four candidates, fine qualities
All good choices, but which
One will be the best?


What is a sherku?

Where in Franklin? Answer #35


Where in Franklin? Answer #35, originally uploaded by shersteve.

The correct answer to picture #35 came in very quickly from "ltsjs" who appears to be on a roll with three in a row.

The shadow was of Ben reading his book on the pedestal outside the Library he created with his gift of books. "Sense is more important than sound." he wrote.

Good advice Ben!

Stay tuned for the next picture in the Where in Franklin? series.

In the news - School interviews

School finance director candidates interviewed

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

The School Committee last night interviewed four candidates for the school business administrator job left vacant when they ousted Dolores McCoy to leave last fall.

Officials put McCoy on administrative leave following numerous accounting problems, which School Committee member Susan Rohrbach described as "pretty complicated."

The School Committee interviewed Ann Giombetti, who recently resigned from Lexington schools; Woonsocket Education Department Business Manager Miriam Goodman; Hudson public schools' Director of Finance Patricia Lange; and Framingham public schools Director of Business/Financial Operations David Proule.



Read the remainder of the article here.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

School Business Administrator Candidates


Four candidates for the vacant business administrator position were interviewed by the Franklin School Committee Tuesday evening.

Patricia Lange (top left), Ann Giombetti (top right), David Proule (bottom left) and Miriam Goodman (bottom right) answered a series of questions.

More info on the interviews to follow.

School Committee meeting 3/11/08 7:00 PM

Franklin School Committee Meeting
March 11, 2008
Municipal Building – Council Chambers
6:30 P.M. Executive Session
7:00 P.M.


AGENDA

Call to order Mr. Roy
Pledge of Allegiance
Moment of Silence

1. Business Administrator Candidates
7:00 pm Patricia Lange
7:40 pm Ann Giombetti
8:20 pm David Proule
9:00 pm Miriam Goodman

2. Payroll Ms. Armenio
3. Correspondence:
Budget to Actual
Invitation to 14th Annual Boisi Lecture in Education and Public Policy

4. New Business:
To discuss future business that may be brought before the School Committee.

5. Executive Session
To discuss interview candidates

6. Adjourn

In the news: Franklin bus service

GHS
Posted Mar 11, 2008 @ 12:30 AM

FRANKLIN —

Debbie Drew was loading groceries into her car at Stop & Shop when she noticed a big white vehicle advertising itself as the Franklin Area Bus. She rushed over to get the skinny on what appeared to be the first public bus in town.

"Is this like a new service? Do we have a bus now?" she excitedly asked the driver. "Excellent!"

The Franklin Area Bus yesterday drove its first 13 passengers around town. It will run Monday through Saturday year-round with a regular fare of $1, 50 cents for the elderly, students and the disabled, and free for children under 6.

Read the remainder of the article here.

Monday, March 10, 2008

In the news - synchronized skaters

GHS
Posted Mar 09, 2008 @ 11:22 PM

FRANKLIN —

Mastering the perfect spiral and finding the balance to glide on one ice skate requires discipline, patience and grace.

But imagine pulling off all those tricks in concert with a group of other ice skaters.

That's precisely what the 11 Chickenellas, Franklin's Symmetric Ice Crystals synchronized skating team, have challenged themselves to do.

Synchronized skating beats singles because everyone supports one another, said Caleigh Smith, 11, who prides herself on her back-lunges.

"You have to help each other. It's harder because if somebody next to you falls down, you have to help pick them up or else you fall down. You have to support each other," said Smith.

Common Craft explains Twitter

As part of the continuing series on Web 2.0, the tools and how they are used, here is a brief explanation of Twitter from the wonderful folks at Common Craft:




Do you Twitter?

You can find my twitters under the user name of "shersteve".

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Where in Franklin? #35


Where in Franklin? #35, originally uploaded by shersteve.

We're a whole month past the day the groundhog saw his shadow but where would you find this shadow in Franklin?

The guidelines for playing "Where in Franklin?" can be found here.

Enjoy!

Where in Franklin? Answer #34


Where in Franklin? Answer #34, originally uploaded by shersteve.

I thought I had another photo to show the front of the building but some other day we'll get that. In the meantime, ltsjs was correct in identifying these flags and row of cars along RT 140 as being part of the Keigan Chevrolet auto dealership.

Thanks for playing!

Stay tuned for the next photo of somewhere in Franklin.

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Video of the FY09 School Budget

What is FY09?

Fiscal Year 2009 which begins July 1, 2008 and runs through June 30, 2009. This is the budget cycle for the school year beginning September 2008 and running through June 2009.

The School Committee blog
has some video from the FY09 budget presentation at the 2/26/08 School Committee meeting.

The FY09 budget


The High School renovation options

The audio recording for the 2/26/08 School Committee meeting can be found here. It is broken out into sections to enable easy access.

Teacher layoffs now a conversation item

GHS
Posted Mar 07, 2008 @ 11:26 PM

FRANKLIN —

Responding to the recent announcement that the School Department will lay off 45 teachers next year, parent groups have been letting school officials know they are "very curious" what the impact will be on their children, said Superintendent Wayne Ogden.

And newer teachers are starting to panic, Ogden said.

"Many of our younger, less experienced staff are all very nervous about it because seniority plays into it, and they are the most vulnerable," said Ogden.

The School Committee received its budget two weeks ago, and the group is deliberating on it, Ogden said.

Read the remainder of the article here

And participate in one or more of these sessions to find out more information on what the school budget means for you and your family:

School Committee members will meet with parent communication groups in the coming weeks as follows:

April 4, at 9 a.m., at Davis Thayer;
April 11, at 8:45 a.m. at Jefferson;
March 14, at 9 a.m., at Kennedy;
March 19, at 9 a.m., Sullivan Middle School;
April 8, at 9 a.m., at Horace Mann;
March 12 at 7 p.m. at Remington; and
May 7 at 7 p.m. at Franklin High School.

Friday, March 7, 2008

In the news: Davis Thayer Invention convention


GHS
Posted Mar 07, 2008 @ 12:01 AM

FRANKLIN —

Where can you find a Rabbit Elevator, two versions of a humane mouse trap, a Pet-o-matic, and the Trash Carrier 2008?

The fifth-grade Invention Convention at the Davis Thayer School lays exclusive claim to these ingenious contraptions, along with 44 other inventions, dreamed up by fifth-graders over the last several weeks.

Fifth-grade teachers Jennifer Alger and Caitlin Colahan instructed students to invent a product using three of a number of simple machines which would solve one of life's daily problems, including a lever, pulley, hinge and inclined planes.

Read the rest of the article here.

Franklin Industry: Liko - health care patient lifts

A recent press release tells us about a new product from Liko:

FRANKLIN, Mass., March 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Many of the newer model beds and stretchers emerging onto the healthcare market utilize components such as frames and drive mechanisms that are within just a few inches of the floor. This means traditional mobile patient lifts can be difficult to use because their legs normally are too high to extend under these beds and stretchers. Liko's newly introduced Golvo LowBase(TM) model circumvents this problem with a lower total leg height, including wheels, of only 2 1/3 inches.

Liko's Golvo is unique among mobile lifts due to its flexible lift strap, vertical lifting motion, and parallel widening base legs. Originally introduced in 1986, Golvo represented a breakthrough in mobile lift design because its unique telescoping mast and lifting strap enabled patients to be lifted vertically, similar to an overhead ceiling mounted lifting system.

The new Golvo 7007 LowBase(TM) model is an ideal solution for applications such as lifting or transferring patients to or from low profile beds or stretchers. In addition to its low bed compatibility, the Golvo 7007 LowBase(TM) is ideal for lifts to/from the floor, horizontal lifts, and ambulation assistance for patients weighing up to 440 lbs.

About Liko North America

Liko North America is one of the world's leading suppliers of patient lifts, including mobile, overhead rail, sit-to-stand, and bariatric lifts, as well as a selection of more than 250 slings and accessories. The company is also the exclusive sponsor of the pro bono "Safe Lifting Environment" campaign designed to help prevent caregiver injuries (visit http://www.safeliftingportal.com/ for more details). For more information on Liko's complete line of patient lifts, contact Liko North America, 122 Grove Street, Franklin, MA 02038. Telephone (888) 545-6671 or (508) 553-3993; fax (508) 528-6642, or visit the Liko website at http://www.liko.com/.

Franklin does have a varied industrial base, for previous posts on industry located here, follow this link.

Thursday, March 6, 2008

In the news - birthday cake, town budget update

Happy birthday, Franklin

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

Town Administrator Jeffrey D. Nutting announced that he is finishing next year's town budget proposal and will have it ready next Friday.

"Obviously, budget requests (from department heads) and funds available - there's a big gap between them," said Nutting, encouraging anyone with questions to call his office. He also noted that "Old Man Winter came again" and put more stress on the town's snow and ice spending, which was $340,000 over budget prior to last week's snowstorm.

Also at last night's meeting, Town Clerk Deborah L. Pellegri invited all the town's citizens to stop by Town Hall today for a piece of birthday cake to celebrate Franklin's 230th birthday.

Read the remainder of the article here