Election line up card - penultimate update

A phone call to the Town Clerk's office resulted in a number of updates as the deadline approached for drawing papers for election this November 3rd.

This is the penultimate listing as the final listing will be available after Sep 15th. All the papers draw thus far need to be returned and certified by then to provide the final candidate list for the ballot.

Prior updates can be found here, here and here

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Table below shows the positions available for election this November.

The Candidates column initially showed just the incumbents.
Those who have confirmed taking out papers are marked with a * and bold.
New candidates have their name in bold with -new.
The incumbents who have confirmed not to be running again have been marked in red text.
The existing position holders who have not yet taken out papers are listed for reference to keep track of the "line up card"

Name	# of Openings	Candidates	Term of Office
Board of Assessors	1 Position (For 4 years)	Robert Avakian*	2009 to 2013
Board of Health	1 Position (For 4 years)	Bruce Hunchard* Koren Kanadanian-new	2009 to 2013
Planning Board	2 Position (For 4 years)	Anthony Padula*	2009 to 2013
	* 1Vacant	Joseph Halligan-new	2009 to 2013
Planning Board (Associate)	* 1 vacant position (For 4 Years)	John Carroll - new	2009 to 2013
Town Council	9 Positions (For 2 Years)	Joseph McGann*	2009 to 2011
		Deborah Bartlett - not running again
		R. Scott Mason*
		Christopher Feeley
		Judith Pond Pfeffer*
		Thomas Doak - not running again
		Shannon Zollo*
		Robert Vallee*
		Stephen Whalen*
		Glenn Jones- new Daniel Ballinger-new Bryce Kuchs - new Robert Avakian - new Matthew Kelly (switch from School Committee) Tina Powderly - new Glenna Richards - new
School Committee	7 Positions (For 2 Years)	Cora Armenio*	2009 to 2011
		Susan Rohrbach*
		Paula Mullen*
		Edward Cafasso*
		Roberta Trahan*
		Matthew Kelly - switch to Town Council
		Jeffrey Roy* William Glynn - new Cynthia Douglas - new

In the News - election races shaping up

With the last day to pull papers to run for election this November, the Milford Daily News provides the latest update.

Town Council, School Committee races shaping up in Franklin

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Angel Roy/Daily News staff

Cafe Dolce offers catering (updated)

Cafe Dolce, the new coffee shop in downtown Franklin has expanded into catering. Open since April 2009, Cafe Dolce has established a good morning and lunch business. After 3:00 PM, though things tend to get quieter. Catering is one way to leverage the business operation that owners BJ Carlucci and Dave Purpura have established.

BJ and I reviewed the current plan. A meeting, event, or party for 10 or more is what Cafe Dolce will look to help you with. They will start with the sandwiches and salads that Cafe Dolce offers. A customized menu could include food for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The menu can be extended as far and wide (within reason) as necessary to create a great experience.

Cafe Dolce wants to make the presentation appropriate for a catered event by serving in fine crafted wicker baskets in addition to trays. Call BJ and he will work out the menu together with you. What is the occasion? How many people? What special dietary requirements are there?

BJ hesitates to provide per item pricing for catering. “Say you have had the Cranberry Turkey Breast Panini and wanted to serve that at your event. You don't need to order 10 individual paninis for the group. We prefer to price for the total quantity of the food provided rather than by the piece. This method will work out better for you in the long run.” They do use a formula to determine how much food per person would be required adjusting to cover portions for any kids.

The catering package can either be delivered or picked up. Depending upon the type of drop off, or drop-off/setup, there may be a delivery charge included. You could also rent the space at Cafe Dolce to hold your event.

They have already served a party of 75, have some events scheduled on site, and others scheduled for delivery off site. When your next catering event comes up, consider contacting BJ Carlucci, at 774-248-4321 or via email at dolce dot 1 at live dot com.


Note: Cafe Dolce is also exploring social media tools to spread the word on what they do and to help communicate with their customers and fans. You can join Cafe Dolce on Facebook here


Prior writing about Cafe Dolce:

1. My talk with BJ and Dave prior to opening
2. My write up about the opening
3. Picture slide show from the grand opening
4. The original catering article can be found here
   

Job Fair: Monday Workshops/Seminars: Sunday

The United Regional Chamber of Commerce Job Fair will be held Sep 13-14 at the Living Waters location in North Attleboro. The updated schedule of events looks like this:

Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io

For more information (and to register for this free event) check here

Note: newsletter subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to view the document.

Farmers Market: Smalley's Cookies

One of my visits to the Farmer's Market I stopped by the tent to talk with the folks at Smalley's Cookies. The Farmer's Market is open today from noon to 6:00 PM.

Their web site is under construction so I can't provide a link to it now. Once available, I'll update this.

In the meantime, the decadent cookies they sell can be purchased with info contained in this document. The cookies are frozen and ready to bake.

Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io

For the full menu of cookies that they provide, you can view this document.

Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io

Note: for the newsletter subscribers, you will need to click through to Franklin Matters to view the documents.

In the News - grant money for downtown

The Million dollar grant announced as received by the Town during the Town Council meeting on 9/2/09 is discussed in more detail here

Franklin to revamp downtown

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Angel Roy/Daily News staff

Kathi Meyer on teen drinking

The Taylor Meyer tragedy has lead to an increase awareness of teen drinking. Kathi Meyer is interviewed in this video from the Norfolk County District Attorney, William Keating.

Note: Email subscribers will need to click through to the web site to view the video.



Other info on teen drinking:

The W.A.S.T.E.D presentation at Franklin High School

Other videos from the Norfolk District Attorney can be found here

This we know

Found this cool search engine of government data about a place in the USA. You input the place name, or zip code to see what it finds.


Here are the Franklin results



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Found via

This We Know - Government Data About Your Town

from Free Technology for Teachers by noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Byrne)

Friday, Sep 11 - Jack Murray Performs at Cafe Dolce

Friday, September 11th

Jack Murray, a Downtown Partnership member, will be performing at Cafe Dolce, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM

All donations will be given to the Dana Farber Cancer Center at Milford Regional Medical Center.

Franklin School Student Population Drops

The Franklin Public Schools start the year with 121 less students than one year ago.  The totals by level of school are shown for comparison in the table below.

	2008	2009	Diff
Elementary	3091	2998	-93
Middle School	1524	1478	-46
High School	1622	1640	18
Totals	6237	6116	-121

That there are less students riding the bus shouldn't be a surprise. That the 'bus loss' number is greater than the 'student loss' number likely reflects something of the economic situation and the choices that parents have made.

The Milford Daily News reports on the School Committee meeting here

Fewer students riding bus in Franklin

from The Milford Daily News Homepage RSS by Angel Roy/Daily News staff

 

 

For more reporting from the School Committee meeting on Tuesday, Sep 8th, check here

School Committee Mtg 09/08/09

The collection of live reporting posts from the School Committee meeting of Tuesday, Sep 8th can be found here

Live reporting - Superintendents report
Live reporting - Action Items
Live reporting - Discussion only items
Live reporting - SIP Franklin High
Live reporting - SIP Annie Sullivan
Live reporting - SIP Remington
Live reporting - Presentations (School Improvement...
Live reporting - School Committee 9/8/09

Did you know?

How do you Remember the Warning Signs of Suicide?

Here’s an Easy-to-Remember Mnemonic:

IS PATH WARM?

I	Ideation
S	Substance Abuse
P	Purposelessness
A	Anxiety
T	Trapped
H	Hopelessness
W	Withdrawal
A	Anger
R	Recklessness
M	Mood Changes

 Read more about suicide and how to detect early warning signs here:

Franklin Citizens Rail Trail Committee - 9/10/09 - Agenda

Agenda for Sept 10, 2009
                   
                        
I.    Call to Order / Introductions of New Attendees
A.    Introduction of new attendees
B.    Volunteer to write minutes of the meeting
C.    Motion to accept meeting minutes of 8/19/09


II.    Report from our representative from DCR
A.    Gates at Spring St
B.    Leveling of the Trail


III.    Membership Committee Report (Denison, McKeown, Sawyer)
A.    Committee to present work and ask for Committee approval
B.    Meeting attendees will be asked to fill out Membership Forms and send in checks to our Treasurer


IV.    Report from Finance Committee (Rossetti)
A.    Report from Treasurer


VII.    Report of Fund Raising Committee (Sawyer)
A.    Shall we start planning for road race and other events
B.    Do we have the Lions Club for insurance protection?
C.    Do we have the Franklin Bolts or other local groups?


VIII.    Publicity (Dave Labonte)
A.    Distribution of brochure, do we need a second printing
B.    Report on Meeting with Franklin PLUC (Svendsen)
C.    Comments from new attendees from PLUC
D.    Tentative date for next meeting w/PLUC is Sep 30th
E.    Date for Rotary Club presentation set for Sep 17th

IX.    Unfinished Business
A.    Questions from members / attendees

X.    New Business
A.    Update on End of Summer Cookout
        Date set for Sept 19 w/the 20th as the Rain Date
B.
C.
D.

Set Date for Next Meeting and Adjourn

Live reporting - Superintendents report

News you can use.
Previously posted to Franklin Matters

School Opening
Some enrollment glitches, over all a quieter start to the school year, the planning this summer paid off.

Enrollment comparison
Concerned about lossing 19-20% of what could have been the incoming freshman class
The class size is currently very reasonable.
Looking for ways to beef up public relations for the high school.

Q - can we break down how the students were lost?
A - Yes, we can do that now that we know.

Could usually count on 9-10 percent each year prior to this.
My note - are they forgetting that there was mass confusion during May, June and into early July about the FY 2010 year? The enrollments would have been taken place during that time.

Moving to executive session

Live reporting - Action Items

4. Action Items

1. I recommend adoption of Horace Mann Middle School’s School Improvement Plan motion to approve; passed 7-0
   
2. I recommend adoption of Remington Middle School’s School Improvement Plan  motion to approve; passed 7-0
3. I recommend adoption of Annie Sullivan Middle School’s School Improvement Plan  motion to approve; passed 7-0
4. I recommend adoption of Franklin High School’s School Improvement Plan  motion to approve; passed 7-0
5. I recommend acceptance of a check for $554.22 from the Tri County Partnership as credit for Life Fair for the FHS gift account  motion to approve; passed 6-0, 1 abstain (Armenio)
   
6. I recommend acceptance of a check for $100.00 from Kristen Redpath in memory of her late husband, Donald Redpath, for the FHS Science Department. motion to approve; passed 7-0

Live reporting - Discussion only items

3. Discussion Only Items

• Facilities Update
• Transportation Update
• H1N1 Update
• Superintendent’s Goals

Positive feedback from the FHS Student reps on the re-location of Guidance more into the center of the facility

The report on the listing of projects completed during the summer in all the schools will be added later.

90% of the work done was done at the High School, the remaining items will be done this fall.

Roy - typically at the end of the school day, the technology center is empty. A recent visit revealed 30-40 students working in the new area.

Transportation

The following chart was not part of the School Committee package but was prepared with the FPS data as provided. The data tells a story at a glance on what the pay-to-ride fee increase has done to the numbers of students riding the buses.

Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io

No route changes on the transportation side.

While ridership is down, the same number of buses is still be run as last year.

Q - Is there a way we can recover some costs with a half ride program, having parents pay for the ride home.
A - We would have to look at the bus capacity by route. Some buses we have already heard have some extra seats. We would be better able to do the analysis as the situation settle.

Q - Can you clarify the rule on the free ride?
A - There was a school committee policy some years ago that if there was not a safe walkway to school, it used to be a free ride. It is not a state requirement. The State requires free busing for those within 2 miles. The State allows a student to walk a half mile to a bus stop. We try to minimize that.

Comment - caution on some parents who have bought the pay-to-ride to get the afternoon ride home. You may need to implement some re-funds to for those parents if the half ride goes through.

H1N1 - spending much time on this health issue instead of instructional issues. Part of the town-wide planning process. The State may be sponsoring the vaccination clinics. The schools put the information out, people tend to listen rather than if the Police or other Town departments.

The Schools are collecting data weekly on attendance and illness rates.

Dr Timothy Johnson will be doing a town hall style meeting next week on Channel 5 to review the does/don'ts.

Purell can't be stored in the schools due to the alcohol content. They are working to obtain a non-alcohol based with aloe to avoid overwashing and creating additional issues.

Superintendent's goals

Roy - suggestion to bring it up to see how it would be handled this year.
Mullen - to take lead on developing goals for Maureen. Committee members can send their suggestions to her.

Live reporting - SIP Franklin High

2. Guests/Presentations

a. School Improvement Plans

• Franklin High School – Peter Light

Peter highlights some of the goals rather than going through all of them.

Increase summer reading
Increase graduation percent for lower socio-economic students
Continuation of increasing Advanced placement participation
open response questions within Math is a problem area and a team is being formed to look at more closely
Safety - run the lock down drill this year and develop an updated evacuation plan. In particular, the attendance procedures work but they are too slow.

EdLine is live now, students and parents will be receiving access codes in the next week or so. Access to grading will be deployed later to avoid potential misinterpretation of the results they would see.

They are looking to expand the concept of summer reading, expand to provide more choices, need to analyze what the level of participation was this year and then look to increase the offerings.

Looking at how to challenge the students in English with more AP or honors classes. Using the College Board predictive results to see what the students are that are not yet in the AP classes.

Goal for complete wifi access, it is complete (with a couple of classroom exceptions). It is a free public wifi but students using to access via a secure channel to their folders. Printing is not yet available this way but they are working on this. Trying to go paperless as much as possible. 200 laptops are in, 50-60 are being used daily. Some are going out overnight. Minor issues with some but tech support is handling those.

Own online course management system is now functioning, it was used for summer school. About 40-50% fof the faculty are using it (either in an experimental stage or deployed).

55 teachers have courses built into Moodle today, per Sabolinski

Sabolinski, thanks to the collaboration and coordination amongst the middle and high school.

Live reporting - SIP Annie Sullivan

2. Guests/Presentations

a. School Improvement Plans

• Annie Sullivan Middle School – Beth Wittcoff

Goals

1. Response to intervention
2. Literacy
3. Annual Yearly Progress (AYP)
4. Mathematics
   

The literacy initiative is working

Q - on "Brain based instructional strategies"
A - getting students involved and engaged more completely with all their senses.

Q - What impact does differentiated learning have on the results?
A - differentiated instruction with an average of 30 students in a class is hard. It is a real issue. As long as we have class sizes and ratios that high it will be a challenge to continue to produce the results that Franklin has become used to seeing.

Live reporting - SIP Remington

2. Guests/Presentations

a. School Improvement Plans (SIP)

• Remington Middle School – Paul Peri

Mostly a continuation and enhancement to last years goals.

Goals

1. Incorporate reading/literacy strategies in the classrooms of all core content areas
2. Targets the skills of the student who are at risk for not meeting district and state learning expectations in math
3. Targets the skills of two sub-group populations of students
4. Connecting RMS to the Franklin Community

Additional text will be added later

Live reporting - Presentations (School Improvement Plans)

2. Guests/Presentations

a. School Improvement Plans (SIP)

• Horace Mann Middle School – Dr. Anne Bergen

Open response writing showing good results.

Video taped an interview with high performing students, cooperative learning doesn't always work for them, pay attention to them, they have a right to learn something new every day

28% of the student lacking in the basic fundamentals, added some focus to this and got great results (with pre- and post-test results)

Action plans

1. Wide reading to develop background knowledge
2. Writing goal
3. Math goal
4. School enrichment model

Additional text from the detailed SIP will be added later

The kids feedback was to do more pre-testing, if they already know it, let's move on to something else.