Mailboxes getting smacked by snow from plows
Dean College dancers critiqued by well-known choreographers
Franklin, MA
Providing accurate and timely information about what matters in Franklin, MA since 2007. * Working in collaboration with Franklin TV and Radio (wfpr.fm) since October 2019 *
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
Tricia White; MSBDC Advisor has sent you a message.Date: 2/01/2011Subject: LinkedIn Event: Small Business Marketing StrategiesTricia White; MSBDC Advisor found Small Business Marketing Strategies on LinkedIn Events and thought you might be interested in going!
http://events.linkedin.com/Small-Business-Marketing-Strategies/pub/549670
Small Business Marketing Strategies Thu, Feb 10 Ames Free Library, North Easton, MA, US Keywords: social media, small business, small business training, SEO, Facebook, LinkedIN, Blogs, E-newsletters, social networking
Sponsored by Ames Free Library, Easton Chamber of Commerce, Patch.com. Marketing Strategies using Social Media – We touch upon basic SEO and what drives search engines, social networks (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, You Tube and My Space), Blogs and E-Newsletters.
If you already know this seminar, please share it with others who could use some help in social media!
Trish
For safety concerns, the trash and recycling will not be picked up Wednesday and will be delayed one day from your normal pick up day. Friday pick up schedule will be Saturday.
We apologize for the inconvenience, safety is the first priority.
They hope to sell 500,000 downloads in the month of February of Copathetic, an independent music album featuring Virginia singer/songwriter Kate Herndon and Jessi Fanuele, a Franklin High School history teacher who plays acoustic guitar.
The students are part of Sound in the Hall Records, a student-run record company launched five years ago to supplement music recording and performance classes at the high school. About 30 students participate in the group, which has recorded local bands and school concerts and broadcasts radio shows on the Internet.
If they are successful, they would earn a Gold record, awarded by the Recording Industry Association of America for albums that sell 500,000 copies, Peacock said, adding they would probably become the first independent record company to reach this goal.
"We'd be making history," Peacock said. "And, we'll be pioneering a new way of marketing an album."Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
I would like to see homeowners made responsible for shoveling their own sidewalks so that the students could walk to school. If a snowfall over a certain amount, then the town's sidewalk plows could be used to assist and supplement. Also, if the schools and library and other departments are cut a certain percentage, then so should the senior center. The senior center should not be exempt from cuts. I believe that all services provide benefits. Even though some services may be stretched thin, eliminating one might mean that, in the future, it would be difficult to put back. If something is truly obsolete, and I can't think of any service that is, it should be eliminated.
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Some winter classes, to save heat costs. Is it possible to change the calendar year to go to school through June and take 1-2 additional weeks off in the winter?
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Most people only use the "optional" services of police and fire and trash, most "mandated" services offered I don't need. You should put the list somewhere for reference in this survey, so people could see how many useless things there are. If schools are "mandated", why are they always the first cut?
Obviously the schools and essential services such as police and fire.
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AP classes. The gifted/talented get little to no service in elementary school, then maybe some attention at the middle school. AP in high school is their only hope of sharing challenging course work with like-minded students.
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Police, Fire, Trash, roads, Health and Building inspectors. Schools, and there is a LOT that could be trimmed there.
As of yesterday, Chairman Dennis Crowley had not talked with anyone from the library but said he was "anxious to hear the board of trustees' point of view and rationale."
Crowley said the two-town agreement saved money and helped the library be flexible with its hours.
"I think, maybe not in the immediate future, but certainly in the extended future there's going to be regional libraries because individual towns cannot afford to sustain individual libraries within the budget constraints," he said.
Rowe said ending the agreement with Franklin will not force Medway's library to cut hours or put its accreditation in jeopardy.
Franklin Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting said sharing services is "the wave of the future" and that the library agreement could have led to a long-term relationship between the two towns.
The real issue, he said, is whether the libraries are serving their patrons.
Under Patrick's plan, local aid to Franklin would be cut by $228,753.
In fiscal 2011, the town's aid from the state was reduced by more than $1 million, according to state Department of Revenue figures.
Patrick's plan, unveiled this week, would cut the fiscal 2012 budget by $570 million. Aid to cities and towns would be reduced by $65 million, but Chapter 70 funding for public schools would rise by $140 million.
"It sounds like the governor wants to preserve school funding," Town Council Vice Chairman Stephen Whalen said. "If that helps us not have as big a deficit with the schools, then that's great."
School budgeting is always challenging because it involves special education and other costs that are difficult to control, Whalen said.Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
The plan creates eight clusters which each have four classrooms, a group project room, science lab and space for teachers to provide individual instruction, said Michael McKeon, of Foxborough-based Kaestle Boos Associates.
"These clusters or teams actually have all the services they need within the cluster to support that learning group, which is actually a very advanced or modern way to organize a school," he said.
Two clusters would be reserved for freshmen, who are already grouped for most classes, and one would be for a pre-existing arts academy. The remaining clusters would be for sophomores, juniors and seniors who would be grouped by interests with faculty who share those interests, Principal Peter Light said.
"What you're trying to do is make the school a little smaller for students," Light said. "When you provide them a home base and smaller learning community you actually boost student achievement."You can read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
"The success is driven by a great work force," plant manager Jim Clark said yesterday at an event celebrating the recognition.
In 2005, when General Cable purchased the plant, it was on the verge of closing. But plant officials, attracted to Franklin by its proximity to regional highways, improved efficiency without laying off any workers, Clark said.
The magazine noted plant leaders have transitioned to a flexible work force which has employees shift among several jobs and who are encouraged to come up with their own ideas for improvements.
The magazine praised the plant for developing charts at each workstation that provide step-by-step instructions for how to resolve common issues that may affect quality, such as properly measuring each cable to make sure it is the correct diameter.Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here