Live reporting - School Committee Meeting

Present: Douglas, Rohrbach, Mullen, Roy, Trahan, Glynn
Absent: Cafasso


1. Routine Business
meeting recorded by Franklin Matters in addition to Verizon and Comcast
Citizen’s Comments
Review of Agenda
Minutes: I recommend approval of the minutes from the September 28, 2010 School Committee Meeting. motion to approve, passed 6-0, 1 abstain

Payment of Bills Mr. Glynn motion to approve, passed 7-0
Payroll Mrs. Douglas
FHS Student Representatives
Panther Pride for all 8th graders, next Weds evening (10/20)

Correspondence: none


Franklin, MA

Franklin High School - Improvement Plan 2010-2011

The School Improvement Plan for 2010-2011 for Franklin High School is on the agenda for the School Committee meeting, Tuesday, Oct 12th. The document they will use for the presentation and discussion can be viewed here:

FHS School Improvement Plan 2010-11

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

Franklin, MA

You can help the Franklin Food Pantry

The Franklin Food Pantry is looking for the following items to service their clients as they approach the holiday season.

Franklin Food Pantry Needs Fall2010

The items can be left at the Food Pantry during their open hours, or in the wooden box on the porch.

Please check the 'good though" or "use by" dates before leaving your donation. If the items are expired, the Pantry can not use them.

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


Franklin, MA

Calling all media makers!

Local bloggers, photographers, writers; we are all media makers. Let's get together to share and learn from each other on what we do and how we accomplish it. The Southern New England Media Makers are gathering Sunday, October 17th at Morin's Diner in Attleboro.

You can respond via the Facebook page here:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=155543284473392

Or leave a comment or email me.



Franklin, MA

Franklin, MA: Citizens Rail Trail Committee - meeting 10/12/10

Proposed Agenda for Oct 12, 2010
Location: Franklin YMCA 45 Forge Hill Road
Start Time: 7:30PM

I. Call to Order / Introductions of New Attendees
A. Introduction of new attendees
B. Review & approve minutes of previous meeting
C. Ask for volunteer to keep minutes of meeting

II. Report from our representative from DCR
A. Gates & Grading
B. Staining of Kiosk & Roof & Acrylic Glass

III. Membership Committee Report
A. Committee to report on membership activity
B. Do we still have glitches in the Membership process?

IV. Report from Finance Committee
A. Report from Treasurer

V. Report of Fund Raising Committee
A. Report on fund raising activities
a. Report Road Race Committee

VI. Report from Grant Writing Committee
A. Sept 17th Grant Writing Workshop
B. Committee to submit Grant Application

VII. Report on addition of Network Solutions web site
A. E-mail
B. Remote monitoring

VII. Unfinished Business:
A. Business plan in the making
B. Distribute new brochures

VIII. New Business
A.

IX. Set Date & place for Next Meeting and Adjourn



Franklin, MA

"Impact, Effect, Purpose"

Via Wesley Fryer, Writing at the Peed of Creativity, comes this 9 minute video presentation from Zoe Sprankle on "Impact, Effect, Purpose."






Franklin, MA

FPS: Homeschooling Policy Proposed Revision

One policy revision on the agenda for the School Committee meeting for Tuesday, Oct 12th is the policy for homeschooling. The proposed revision can be reviewed here:


FPS Policy IHBG Homeschooling-R9!25!10-DRAFT

Note: exactly what the change is to and from would have to be compared to the existing policy. The Policy Manual can be found here:
http://home.comcast.net/~fpssc/SectionI.html

Note: email subscribers will need to click through to view the doc on Franklin Matters


Franklin, MA

Harvest Festival 2010

As a member of the Franklin Downtown Partnership, I enjoyed having a table on Main St during the recent Harvest Festival. My table was well positioned to see the Dean College students do their dance routines.

I was able to meet a number of folks. Some of them acknowledged reading Franklin Matters. One lady made my day when she said that she reads it everyday during her work lunch time.

There were also quite a few folks to whom I handed out a Franklin Matters business card with the URL so they could find it and read it. As I have mentioned before, this site is not about me. This site is all about Franklin and what matters here. My goal is to continue to share valuable information so that my fellow citizens and voters can cast an informed ballot whenever they go to the polls.

My readership goal is to reach at least 10,000 voters (we currently have over 19,000 registered voters).
I have a long way to go so you can help:

• If you like what you read here, please tell your friends and neighbors.
• If you don't like what you read here, please tell me.

Franklin, MA

Economic Development Summit: Schedule

The schedule of events for the Economic Development Summit being held in Franklin, MA on Oct 27th.


Franklin Eco Dev Sum Schedule


The announcement for the Summit can be found here:
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/10/franklin-economic-development-summit.html

Franklin, MA: School Committee - Agenda - 10/12/10

1. Routine Business
Citizen’s Comments
Review of Agenda
Minutes: I recommend approval of the minutes from the September 28, 2010 School Committee Meeting.
Payment of Bills Mr. Glynn
Payroll Mrs. Douglas
FHS Student Representatives
Correspondence: none

2. Guests/Presentations:
a. Franklin High School – Senior Project Presentation – Sascha Werner D’Angelo
b. Franklin High School Update – Peter Light
c. Franklin High School’s School Improvement Plan – Peter Light

3. Discussion Only Items
Policy – First Reading
IHBG Homeschooling

4. Action Items
a. I recommend acceptance of a check for $1,500.00 from the YMCA/Stop & Shop Healthy Futures Grant for field trips, supplies and supplemental curriculum materials for the Annie Sullivan Middle School.
b. I recommend acceptance of a check for $200.00 from the ASMS PCC for field trips.
c. I recommend acceptance of a check for $5,000.00 from the Jefferson PCC for Field Trips for Jefferson Elementary School students.
d. I recommend approval of the recurring field trip for Middle School Chorus students to New York City to see a Broadway show on May 7, 2011 as detailed.
e. I recommend approval of the FHS School Improvement Plan as detailed.

5. Information Matters

Superintendent’s Report
a. Enrollment Comparison
b. FHS Feasibility
c. HMMS Principal Search

School Committee Sub-Committee Reports
School Committee Liaison Reports

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

7. Executive Session
Contractual Negotiations

8. Adjourn


Franklin, MA

"We need the community behind us"

Brad Sidwell, athletic director at Franklin High School, said his staff takes a similar approach.

"We are certainly are proactive in telling our kids what the expectations are coming into games," Sidwell said. "(Drinking) is just not tolerated by any means."

Sidwell said Franklin's field layout somewhat hampers the district's ability to crack down on bringing things in and out of the stadium.

"You're better off having more people helping out and being vigilant," Sidwell said. "We are certainly on the lookout for kids who are suspicious. You want an enthusiastic environment where people enjoy coming to the games to cheer, but even one of those situations (with drunk students) puts a black eye on the whole community, so you want to be on top of it."

Read the full article on drinking measures for high school football games here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/highlight/x1722967286/Security-varies-at-schools-for-drinking-at-football-games



Franklin, MA

Native Plants of Franklin

Last week I told you that this tree is nearly extinct. Perhaps you've heard of it: the American chestnut, Castanea Dentata. This magnificent tree once dominated the East Coast. These giants could grow 100 feet tall and five feet or more in diameter. Imagine our current forests twice as tall as they are now, with oak trees standing as understory trees. That is what our forests used to look like.

Chestnut was a mainstay of the timber industry - the wood is hard, lightweight, straight-grained, extremely resistant to rot, and it grows fast. The trees produce copious quantities of nuts edible to both humans and animals, making this tree a linchpin of the East Coast's ecosystem.





So, what happened to the chestnut? A hundred years ago, an imported Chinese chestnut tree brought with it fungus. This fungus spread from tree to tree, killing them down to the roots. Over the course of fifty years, almost every American chestnut was killed - up to four billion trees.

Chestnuts are tough trees, and to this day, the roots of some of those old trees continue to put up new growth. That is what you are looking at above. This new growth almost never gets large enough to produce fruit before the blight once again kills it to the ground, so there is no hope of these remaining trees reproducing.

The chestnut pictured above is one of several like this that can be viewed just outside of Franklin's YMCA, at the Franklin State Forest, growing along the road. And at least one more grows at the DelCarte Open Spaces park. They lurk in areas that have escaped development, slowly dwindling to extinction.





But there is still hope for the American Chestnut. A scant handful of trees remain that continue to produce nuts. On their own, these trees are too scattered to continue the species. However, there are breeding programs hard at work on preserving these vitally important trees.




This is an entire orchard of American chestnuts. These are the ongoing work of The American Chestnut Foundation. The TACF crossed the American chestnut with the Chinese chestnut, and has been breeding the results again and again with American chestnuts for three decades in the hope of arriving at a tree that is mostly American, but which contains the Chinese gene for resistance to the blight.

This particular orchard is located at Idylbrook Field in Medway, and is open to the public. This is a piece of American history in the making, and a beacon of hope to restoration efforts of all sorts. But visit it soon: next summer, most of these trees will be cut down. This is the next step in the breeding program. The oldest trees are seven years old, and some have produced their first crop of nuts. As a part of the breeding program, the trees were inoculated with the blight this year. Next year the most healthy trees will be kept for breeding and the rest will be eliminated from the gene pool.

You can support the breeding efforts by becoming a member of the TACF, or by volunteerig at Idylbrook Field when the opportunity arises. Stay tuned: they will be needing some help when it is time to cut down those trees.


Michelle Clay writes about gardening here in Franklin at the Clueless Gardeners Blog.

Franklin, MA

Veterans Day Breakfast - Senior Center

The Annual Veterans Breakfast held at the Senior Center will be Friday, November 5th. Seats are limited so contact the Senior Center ASAP to reserve your seat.

Franklin, MA

Fire Dept - Open House - Oct 3

I managed to briefly stop by the Fire Dept Open House this past weekend. It was still early but the folks that were there were having fun.

Kids and families were lined up to take a turn on the hose.

While some folks lined up for a ride on a fire truck, others took time to climb in the platform of the Tower Truck and get this view up the ladder.

Still others checked out the training vehicle. No, it isn't real smoke, although it sure looked like it!

I overheard one young boy asking his father a series of questions about the tires, and the stops, the supports, why? If you have had kids of your own, you would have recognized these questions. The kids are learning and full of interest. They are sponges for information and eager to absorb it all.

They absorb it all when they are interested. Let's keep them interested.

Let's feed the need for information.


 Franklin, MA

In the News - QintinQ armor

Franklin company's net armor saving lives in Afghanistan

by Joe O'Connell/Daily News staff

Soldiers reported the netting-style armor, which was recently installed on their new all-terrain vehicles, worked exactly as advertised when they were ambushed by insurgents in the Ghazni province during a patrol.

The platoon's story was told in a newsletter article written by U.S. Army 1st Lt. R.J. Peek, which caught the attention of employees at the QinetiQ facility in Franklin where the protective net was manufactured.

"We were absolutely thrilled to get the news, seeing as this is one of our most exciting products," said Andrew Rogers, group director for QintiQ North America's survivability division.

Read the full article on the Milford Daily News with the link above. Visit the QintiQ company website here:
http://www.qinetiq-na.com/


Franklin, MA

Mr. Lemon Hero or Villian?

Franklin Matters is happy to introduce our new monthly feature “Voices of Franklin”; each month we will be unleashing Lydia Dustin into the community to track down and interview some of Franklin’s most fascinating people.

For my first interview I sat down with one of Franklin’s most controversial characters.  None other than Franklin’s most popular ice cream man Mr. Lemon.   Mr. Lemon, his name elicits strong reactions. The kid’s hear his musical truck and burst into squeals of delight. Parents on the other hand hear his cheery tune and want to burst into a string of expletives. Mr. Lemon is he a hero or villain? Love him or hate him I sat down to get to know the real man behind the mystery.  

I sat down with Mr. Lemon at my kitchen table. His familiar yellow and green truck parked in front of my house. With the neighborhood kids swarming around outside like bees I got right to business.

Mr. Lemon, do you know that you are one of the most beloved and at the same time disliked people in Franklin?

I have actually heard and witnessed this tenfold. Children always run up to me and parents always give me like a pretty evil scowl whenever they see me. Don’t get me wrong, some parents actually enjoy my company. But, some of the parents…start to get aggravated that I am always around. It’s money out of their pocket and it’s sugar into their children.

Being a parent I will tell you that parents do discuss you. You are a popular topic at bus stops and play grounds. A lot of families feel that you actually stalk them because you show up everywhere they go, including their homes. You seem to magically be able to be in more than one place at the same time.  Which made me wonder if you do seriously posses super human powers that make it possible for you to be all around Franklin at the same time?

I can not confirm nor deny those allegations.

I see. Do you have any other super human powers that you can share with us?

I have the power to make children love me.

That’s a wonderful power to have.

That is a wonderful power to have, but sadly it doesn’t work on the adults.

Do you have a loyal sidekick?

No I don’t.

Do you have an evil nemesis?

Yes I do.

Oh you do?

Yes, Juniper Farms. Yes, they are my nemesis.

Do they have an ice cream truck as well?

Yes they do.

I have never heard of them.

They have a blue truck that drives around Franklin, although they have not been around lately.

Have you thwarted their evil plans?

I have. I have shown up to locations before them and have devastated their business, several times over and over…Not to be cruel, but business is business.

Is there any substance that weakens your super powers, like Kryptonite?

Yes. The sun! I am a fat kid running a marathon in that truck it’s horrible…I am pushing 300 pounds and the temperature in that truck can get between 100 to 113 degrees. 

That’s terrible.

I am literally driving an Easy Bake Oven.

You are baking in an oven yet the ice cream is chilling in frosty coolers? Can’t you make a big cooler for yourself and sit in there like the ice cream?

No. I wish I could. I shove my head in the cooler every now and then. 

This is an incredible oxymoron you suffer in the heat in order to provide cold refreshments to others?

Yes. It’s a bitter sweet irony.

You are a true super hero. You sacrifice your comfort and even your health to bring our children ice cream treats. You risk your life for our children’s happiness. Sniff sniff Shame on all us parents!

I know. If only they understand the torture I go through to make their children happy.

We are lucky to have had an ice cream man like you. Sadly we are having this interview because this is your last day of work.

Yes.

Will we be seeing you next summer?

No. I’m going to concentrate on my music and spend time with the wife and son.

Oh. You will be missed, by me and especially my kids. Thank you for bringing smiles to the faces of the children of Franklin. But, before you go back into your super hero hideout can I ask you one more question?

Yes.

Are you the real Mr. Lemon?

No, no

Are there other Mr. Lemons in other towns?

Yeah, there was…

What happened?

Now it’s just me…

Who is the real Mr. Lemon?

I am not at liberty to say.

I know his secret. He basically like Santa and you are one of his helper’s?

Essentially yes, that’s basically what’s going on.

Does he live at the North Pole?

No, he does not live at the North Pole.

But, he does really exist?

I’ll never tell.

"No other refundable tax credit equals the Senior Circuit Breaker Tax Credit"

No other refundable tax credit equals the Senior Circuit Breaker Tax Credit for putting money into the wallets of average taxpayers 65 and older. In tax year 2009, more than 77,000 senior taxpayers who were either homeowners or renters received credits of nearly $60 million.

Yet it is safe to say that many eligible taxpayers have never heard of the credit. If you are reading this and have older relatives or friends who might benefit, pass on the word. The maximum credit, after all, is worth $970 in the coming tax year.

The Department of Revenue has just released the rules and regulations for the Senior Circuit Breaker Tax Credit in tax year 2010. The credit is based on the actual property tax or rent paid by the eligible taxpayer who is either living in their own home or paying rent.

A taxpayer's total income may not exceed $51,000 for a single individual; $64,000 for a head of household; or $77,000 for married couples filing a joint return. The assessed valuation of a residence may not exceed $764,000. Many taxpayers 65 and over fall within these limits.

The credit is equal to the amount by which the taxpayer's property tax payments in the current tax year, including water and sewer charges but excluding any abatement or exemption, exceeds 10 percent of the taxpayer's total income.

The credit also works for renters. It is equal to the amount by which 25 percent of the rent actually paid during the taxable year exceeds 10 percent of the taxpayer's total income, with the credit capped at $970.

Read the full posting here:
http://revenue.blog.state.ma.us/blog/2010/10/senior-circuit-breaker-tax-credit-delivers-big-bucks-.html

Spread the word amongst the seniors you know, this could be something to help them!




Franklin, MA

Franklin, MA: wants your business

Why do business in Franklin?
Franklin has much to offer!

Franklin Wants Business

Participate in the Economic Development Summit scheduled for Oct 27th or call the Planning and Community Development office at Franklin to inquire more about bringing your business to Franklin.



Franklin, MA

FM #73 Week of 10/7/10

Let's take about 15 minutes this time to cover what is happening in Franklin, MA. It has been a bit since I posted so this will catch up on the major items from the Town Council meetings of Sep 29 and Oct 6; the Downtown Improvement Project, DelCarte dam repair and the Main St traffic flow.

Time:  14 minutes, 33 seconds




MP3 File

Session Notes:

Town Council meeting of Sep 29, 2010
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/09/town-council-092910.html

Executive summary for the Traffic Changes
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/09/improvement-project-traffic-changes.html

Project presentation from May 2010
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/05/downtown-improvement-project-live.html

Downtown Partnership letter in underground utilities
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/09/franklin-downtown-partnerships-letter.html


Town Council meeting of 10/6/10
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/10/town-council-100610.html


DelCarte - Town Council discussion
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/10/live-reporting-delcarte-proposal.html

Where is the DelCarte property?
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/10/where-is-delcarte-property.html

Photo tour of the property in May 2010
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/10/franklin-ma-delcarte-tour.html


Economic Development Summit
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/10/franklin-economic-development-summit.html

Franklin Economic Development Summit - Oct 27th

Town Councilors Jones and Powderly have worked with the Town Administrator and the Planning and Community Development Dept as well as local government representatives to schedule this great event for businesses to look at Franklin as a prime location for their business.


Franklin Economic Development Summit



Franklin, MA