In the News - Anti-bullying Plan comments wanted

Franklin stepping up anti-bullying crusade

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Brian Benson, Daily News staff

Related posts on the Anti-bullying Plan
The background presentation on bullying
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/11/bullying-plan-presentation.html

the Anti-bullying Plan
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/11/bullying-plan-comments-wanted.html

The Dec 9th event on Anti-bullying
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/11/lets-talk-about-cyberbullying.html


Franklin, MA

Grand Opening: Printsmart Office Products

Joel Carerra has expanded his mail order and website office products to a retail store in downtown Franklin. I took a few minutes to stop by on Saturday afternoon to have Joel take us on a tour of his new store.

Started in 2007, Printsmart Office Products has been supplying local businesses and offices with ink, toner, office supplies and office furniture. We work with our customers to lower their office supply bill. We offer free delivery and very competitive prices.

You can find Joel's website at PrintsmartOffice.com


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

Franklin, MA

Print extras in today's Milford Daily News

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

Print extras in today's Milford Daily News

via The Milford Daily News News RSS by Staff reports on 11/20/10

Every day, The Milford Daily News prints stories you will not find anywhere else. In today's edition, read about a lockdown drill at Hopedale Junior-Senior High School; talk of setting up a nonprofit to run Franklin's cable TV studio; and columnist Lenny Megliola's take on the Celtics' Kevin Durant.

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to The Milford Daily News News RSS using Google Reader
• Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites

There are three good advantages for those folks in Franklin. MA and beyond who want to keep up with what happens in Franklin.

First, you can visit Franklin Matters and get the information about the business of Franklin, everyday in one place.

Second, you have an option to subscribe via RSS feed or email, or just visit the site from a bookmark or list of favorites. If you want to skip the daily dose and go right to the weekly summary, you can get that either via RSS, email, or iTunes.

Third, while my colleagues at the Milford Daily News are out to sell something, I am not. So when I report from the Town Council or School Committee meeting you get all the information available from the meeting as it is discussed. You don't need to wait until Saturday to have to buy the paper to find out that Franklin is considering establishing a non-profit 501(c)3 entity to run the cable feeds for the town.

The Cable Update was published Wednesday night and the full recap of the Town Council meeting was collected as well.

Your choice to stay informed on all the business of Franklin.

Because Franklin MAtters!

In the News - Tri-County

Medway farm to be repaired by Tri-County students

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Julie Balise/Daily News staff

Explore the Tri-County website to find out more about what they do  http://www.tri-county.tc/index.php



Franklin, MA

A great "Holiday Care Package" idea for the members of our Armed Forces in Afghanistan or Iraq

First, I hope that this message finds you and your families in good health and spirits.

Second, as we approach the holidays, I ask that you give some thought to performing a random act of kindness for a member of our military serving in Afghanistan or Iraq. You can perform this random act of kindness by:

1. Sending a Holiday Care package to a member of our Armed Services

or

2. Making a donation to the USO (http://www.uso.org/).


For the first option, a holiday package can be sent via the USPS to one of the Chaplain addresses found at http://www.cjtf101.com/files/CJTF101%20com%20RST%20MAILING%20ROSTER%20(2).pdf (skip the “Redeploying soon” addresses).

For example, my wife and I know someone at FOB Gardez so we are sending Holiday Care packages to:

Chaplain
Chaplain Section,
FOB GARDEZ,
APO AE 09354

with a note asking the Chaplain to distribute the gift to a Service Member who may not receive a holiday care package from home. 

However, you can select one of the other addresses and use the above format. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find addresses for a US Marine base but perhaps a reader of this can share a Marine base address.

The Holiday Care packages that Beth and I are sending includes Xmas candy (chocolate bar and jelly beans), socks, trail mix bars, a small packet of Oreo cookies, soap, and a Xmas card. The Xmas card is addressed to “A member of our Armed Services at FOB Gardez” and signed the Kelliher Family. We are not addressing the card to “a Soldier” because members of the Army, Air Force, and Navy are all stationed at the base and the term soldier would be inappropriate for members of the Air Force or Navy. In addition, we are packing the items in a Holiday theme gift bag before we place the bag in the box so that the idea of a Holiday gift is reinforced.

Incidentally, the large Priority Mail Flat-Rate box, only costs $12.50 to send to a overseas military zip code like 09354 and the box can be filled with a nice collection of candy, socks, soap, and other items.

Please utilize the list http://www.cjtf101.com/files/CJTF101%20com%20RST%20MAILING%20ROSTER%20(2).pdf to pick another base. We would like to show our appreciation at more than one base.

Please share the “Holiday Care package” suggestion with your friends, relatives, and co-workers.

Regards and Season’s Greetings,

Charlie Kelliher



Franklin, MA

In the News - Remington, trees on Common

Franklin students help needy with Turkey Trot

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Brian Benson/Daily News staff

Diseased trees cut down on Franklin Town Common

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Staff reports

Franklin, MA

Sign the Food Revolution Petition

Jamie Oliver is working on his Food Revolution to change the way families eat and cook. He created a stir when he came to Huntington, WV last year and as I recall he is going to LA this year.

He has started a petition to take to the President to get the FDA to change the way they establish the requirements for school lunches.

You can find out more about Jamie's work on his website  http://www.jamieoliver.com/campaigns/jamies-food-revolution

You can sign the petition here http://www.jamieoliver.com/jfr-beta/petition_beta.php#petForm

You can get recipes for school lunches here http://www.jamieoliver.com/campaigns/jamies-food-revolution/school-food


Franklin, MA

5th Annual Casino Night - tonight!

Today, the Franklin Education Foundation (FEF) will hold its 5th Annual Casino Night at the Franklin Elks from 7:00 to 11:00 p.m. The event will feature Black Jack, Roulette and Money Wheel as well as raffles, a Silent Auction, cash bar and FREE hors d’oeuvres. The event is well known as a fun evening out with friends and neighbors, all while contributing to a worthwhile cause.

Admission is $25. To avoid waiting in line at the door, advance ticket purchase is recommended. For ticket purchase, auction donation or sponsorship information, please contact Peter Minor at (508) 541-6700 or peter@peterminor.com. Cash only accepted for chip purchase. Checks and Visa/MC accepted for Silent Auction items. For more information visit www.franklined.org.

Since 1997, The Franklin Education Foundation events have raised well over $190,000 which has been distributed to Franklin public schools in the form of special grants. All Franklin Public School staff members are eligible to submit creative, innovative ideas for programs or activities that would not traditionally be funded by tax dollars. To see a list of programs FEF have funded over the years, visit www.franklined.org.


Franklin, MA

Attention Franklin: Important Dates for your calendar

Dec 8, 2010 - a new meeting was added to the Town Council calendar. This is the annual exercise to set the tax rate. I hope to have the data in time to update the analysis that I did last year. I expect the tax rate to increase from the 12.03%. The question is will it go higher than the 14.21% rate that was set in 1997. The low rate for the record was in 2007 at 8.86$

You can find last year's analysis here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2009/11/fm-50-slidecast.html


Jan 25, 2011 - a presentation and discussion on the issue of full vs half day kindergarten. As has been said frequently by the School Committee, full day is on the table this year. It is likely to be included in the level service budget they initially come forward with. How much revenue the school budget can expect from the Town and state will determine how much of a gap there will be, and hence what options they'll need to consider to balance the budget.

Jan 29, 2011 - school budget workshop, this will be a good opportunity to get into the details and nuances of the budget, cost drivers, etc. The information in this session will set the stage for the school budget actions to come later.

Feb 1, 2011 - announced as the presentation of the school budget formal presentation at the regularly scheduled School Committee meeting.

If you heard the School Committee on Tuesday evening, you heard clearly that they are not interested in changing their ways of communication.

If you did not view the meeting, tune into this section here

Given the reluctance of the current School Committee to consider changing their ways, anyone with any interest in the schools needs to start taking an interest now.

Re-districting is another distinct possibility, they really should have done it earlier to avoid some of the imbalance in class sizes amongst the schools. They have chosen to move slowly. Why? Maybe they can answer. I won't speculate for them.

Both of these issues affect the entire school population. Never mind getting into a tough budget year next year AND the high school renovation pending some realistic dollar figure being attached to it after all kinds of speculation.

Given all this, one would expect a significant communication effort to come forward. As was made clear by their litany of excuses explanations during their meeting Tuesday, they are comfortable with their efforts and don't see the need to change.

You can ask them. You can get involved.

Franklin, MA

Franklin, MA: Police toy drive

The Franklin Police will be conducting their annual toy drive. Details in the flyer below

FranklinPolice_toydrive_2010




Franklin, MA

Sunday - Downtown Partnership Needs YOU!

Franklin Downtown Partnership Plans Holiday Decorations

The Franklin Downtown Partnership will once again team up with the Garden Club to decorate Franklin's downtown center with holiday greens, ribbons and wreaths on Sunday, November 21, at 9:00 a.m.

Residents are welcome to put on their garden gloves and join volunteers on the center island in front of the Rome Restaurant. Volunteers are also needed on Friday, November 19, at 10:00 a.m. to organize the greenery at Hillside Nursery.

"It's become our tradition to put up the decorations the Sunday before Thanksgiving to spruce up the downtown for the holidays," says Eileen Mason, Beautification Day chairperson. "Volunteers from the high school boys and girls hockey teams are very much appreciated every year for their spirit and enthusiasm in the decorating".

Each year local sponsors donate funds to pay for the holiday decorations and the spring flowers. "We are fortunate to have such generous businesses that enable us to continue our efforts each year," says Executive Director Lisa Piana. "We accomplish all of this through donations and tireless volunteer hours."

Anyone interested in volunteering or sponsoring this activity should contact Eileen Mason at emason11@verizon.net for more details. For more information please visit the Partnership's new website at franklindowntownpartnership.org or contact Lisa Piana at downtown.franklin@yahoo.com

"The whole project is done beautifully"

The project was permitted in 2004 as a senior housing development. Construction began one to two years later, but a weak real estate market and high unemployment made it difficult to sell units. In 2008, the Zoning Board granted a variance making two of the five buildings non-age restricted.

"It has been transformed ... into something that is unique," Gary Hogan, an attorney for the developer. "There is not another similar development in this town."

That variance coupled with a decrease in the selling price of units led to increased sales, Hogan said, adding that 25-30 percent of the units have been sold and 40 percent have been built.

Franklin condo developer wants to expand project
from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Brian Benson/Daily News staff



Franklin, MA

New Quick Poll Question

Do you think the school committee earns an 'almost very high' level of engagement with the Franklin community on school issues?

Express yourself in the quick poll in the center column.



Franklin, MA

"Let’s Talk about Cyberbullying"

Thursday, December 9, 2010

7:00PM – 8:30PM

Dean College

Campus Center Multi-Purpose Room

We are all reading about cyberbullying in the news. Now Franklin’s own home-grown expert Teenangels and their founder, cybersafety expert and head of StopCyberbullying.org, will help the Franklin community understand how it works, how big a problem it is and what we can do about it. The Teenangels are teens who train under Dr. Aftab for 2 years to become cybersafety experts in their own right. They are sought after by the media, governmental agencies and Congress for what they know and their practical approach to addressing cyber-risks.

Parry Aftab is Executive Director of WiredSafety.org, the largest online safety and educational program and the cybersafety contributor to the Today Show, Good Morning America, Dr. Phil, CNN and MSNBC. She is best known for empowering families to use digital technologies more safely and responsibly. She is a member of Facebook’s five member international safety advisory board and MTV’s advisory board.

This event is sponsored by: Franklin WiredTeens Club, Franklin Community Health Council, and the Franklin Anti-Bullying Task Force.

The flyer for the event can be found here:

Aftab Cyber Bullying Event 12-9-10

Related posts on Cyberbullying
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/11/bullying-plan-presentation.html

http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/11/bullying-plan-comments-wanted.html



Franklin, MA

Town Council - 11/17/10

The collection of posts from the Town Council meeting on Weds Nov 17th can be found here:

• Live reporting - Closing
• Live reporting - Action items
• Live reporting - Sign Bylaw Proposal
• Live reporting - Cable Update
• Live reporting - Town Council

Franklin, MA