... the same goes for Franklin, which has had four-and-a-half snow days this year. Superintendent Maureen Sabolinski said starting the school year earlier allows for more learning time.
Of course, not having one full week of school in January has made it difficult for teachers to maintain momentum with their curriculum and get kids ready for Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System tests.
"The staff has expressed concerns with the disruption to the instructional program," said Sabolinski. "It impacts teachers' plans, their curriculum, and preparation for MCAS."
She said that while teachers may not be happy, students are most likely cheering every time the School Department calls their homes announcing school is canceled.
"I think the kids enjoy it tremendously," said Sabolinski.Read the full article on snow days in the Milford Daily News here
“Some people will pay a little more and another group will pay less, so the total amount we raise will be just like it was before,’’ he said.
Tyler said the plan calls for increasing the tax burden on residential taxpayers by 0.5 percent, or about $50 a year for the average taxpayer. The additional money would be used to reduce the taxes of about 300 homeowners who pay more than 10 percent of their income on property taxes, Tyler said. He said if the town raises about $300,000 from the shift, each qualifying senior would get a break of about $1,000.
“This is a really caring community in Sudbury, and it was a proposal people could really buy into,’’ Tyler said.
Three business leaders will continue the year-long series of presentations at Dean College’s “Leadership in Action” program in February and March.
The first speaker this month is Dominic Orr, President and Chief Executive Officer of Aruba Networks will speak on Wednesday, February 9, 2011, Campus Center Atrium, 4:00 pm.
Mr. Orr was named President and CEO of Aruba Networks in April 2006. Prior to that, Mr. Orr served as the company’s Chairman of the Board, and previously he was the president of Nortel Networks, Intelligent Internet Web Systems. He previously served as the president and chief executive of Alteon WebSystems which merged with Nortel Networks in October, 2000.
Mr. Orr has more than 20 years of experience in the computer systems and communication networking industry and has held senior positions at Bay Networks, Hewlett-Packard and Hughes Aircraft. Mr. Orr is a member of the Sciences Board of Visitors at UCLA. He holds a BS in physics from City University of New York and a MS and PhD from California Institute of Technology.
Two more speakers will be featured in this series: choreographer, dancer and Dean alum Jay T Jenkins, (stet), on February 22, and James A. Anderson, Jr., DPM, podiatrist on March 21.
These program are free of charge and open to the public.
Please RSVP to alumni@dean.edu or call 888-711-3326.
The Dean College Women’s Basketball team, in conjunction with the Sisterhood and the Student Government Association are sponsoring the second annual “Think Pink” night to raise awareness about breast cancer. The groups will be selling “Think Pink” tee shirts to raise money for the College’s Relay for Life team later this Spring.
The shirts are available at the basketball team’s 6 p.m. game on Thursday, February 10 at the Pieri Gym on School Street, on the College’s campus in Franklin.
Admission to the basketball game is free, but a suggested donation of $3 per person will go to the “Relay for Life” team. Tee shirts are available in white, pink or black and range in price from $8 to $12.
Attendees are encouraged to wear pink. Refreshments, activities and drawings will be available during the basketball game.
This fact sheet is to provide general information to taxpayers about local property tax exemptions for religious and charitable organizations. It is not designed to address all questions or issues and does not change any provision of the Massachusetts General Laws.
If the link above does not work, please copy and paste the following in to your browser: www.mass.gov/Ador/docs/dls/publ/brochures/charity.pdf
Snow Day Update/January 31, 2011
Estimated last day of schoolJune 2122 (based on use of 4.5 student snow days)
Per MA General Law students must be in school for 180 days and the school year cannot go beyond the fiscal year -June 30. Please be advised the Commissioner of Education will not approve any waiver of this requirement. This situation is not unique to Franklin as most districts in the Commonwealth have used at least three or more snow days to date.
We have used three and one half days to this point- current last day is 6/22 and it would be a student half day- we have 6 additional days for inclement weather- if we use all 6 days we need to make up days during April vacation or have students attend school on the weekend- As Saturday/Sunday is impacted by religious traditions this may prove challenging. Any change in the calendar (using April vacation or scheduling weekend school) will require the School Committee to vote on any decision after soliciting feedback from the community. It is premature to speculate that we will have to explore this decision.
Other Weather Related Concerns
Some parents have requested we keep schools closed until all sidewalks and access paths are clear. Due to school attendance requirements we will not be able to honor this request. The town has used its resources to clear roads, parking lots, sidewalk, access paths and bus stops. The amount of snow has created a number of hazards such as limited visibility due to the snow banks. We ask parents and students driving to use caution when driving. As getting to school is the purview of parents/guardians the parent has the right to keep children home if they feel conditions are not safe. If buses see children walking we have requested that they stop and pick children up.
In some communities and neighborhoods, residents have been chipping in to help shovel sidewalks. A JFK parent was out shoveling a path last week as were some parents from the Keller district. Thanks to all who have helped out. Thank you to all the community members who have been patient with school and town personnel during this unprecedented streak of winter weather. We appreciate your kindness and patience!
School Closing - Information for inclement weather, etc. will be disseminated through the Connect Ed system as well as local TV and radio stations. Please keep your contact information current at each school.You can find the original post on the Franklin School web page
