Join the K Girls running the Franklin 5K

On Saturday, May 4th, celebrate Kris and Kayla Biagiotti’s (The K Girls), incredible accomplishment of becoming the first mother/daughter team to finish the Boston Marathon. Kris and Kayla were 50 yards from the finish line when the first bomb went off and instead of raising their hands in victory, they were forced to shield themselves from flying shrapnel.

Kris and Kayla Biagiotti

This race was founded nine years ago by Kris and other members of the community to honor the life of Bob Biagiotti, Kris’ late husband and Kayla’s dad. Bob’s belief was that no child should sit on the sidelines. The Franklin 5K, formerly called Run for Bob, has raised $75,000 to benefit children with special needs. It has become a celebration of children of all abilities.

The community at large is invited to The Franklin 5K to give Kris and Kayla the celebration they deserve as they cross the finish line at a race Kris founded years ago to benefit the YMCA. Everyone is encouraged to participate, both young and young at heart! Or just come out for a great day with friends and cheer on The K Girls.

Participants in Saturday’s event will celebrate with Kris and Kayla in their first event following Boston. By supporting this race, participants also help to improve social skills, build self-esteem, increase physical activity and independence, and enhance mutual respect among people of all abilities.

Location for the event is Marsh & McLellan Companies, 431 Washington Street, in Franklin. The event will include kids’ activities, touch-a-truck, refreshments, silent auction, raffle, music, and more. Day of registration begins at 9am.

Register today by visiting www.hockymca.org. Medals will be awarded to the top 3 men’s and women’s finishers from several age categories and all participants will receive a finisher medal.

The event is presented by Iron Mountain. To find out more about the Hockomock Area YMCA’s Reach Out for Youth and Families program, Integration Initiative, or THE FRANKLIN 5K, contact Michael Bordonaro at 508.643.5225 or michaelb@hockymca.org.

Help Franklin clean up on EarthDay

Franklin's annual Earth Day begins at 9 a.m., rain or shine, at the Beaver Pond Recreation Area, 450 Beaver St. 

Teams of volunteers will convene there to sign in before dispersing into neighborhoods with plastic bags for the townwide roadside cleanup. Registration runs from 9 to 11 a.m. 

Every person who registers will receive a community service certificate, and the first 200 volunteers get Earth Day T-shirts.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1424270821/Franklin-celebrating-Earth-Day-today#ixzz2RenMJo3p

MassBudget: what happened during debate - the House budget for FY 2014

MassBudget    Information.    Participation.  Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center    Democracy. House Final Budget for FY 2014 On Wednesday evening, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed its budget proposal for FY 2014. Our new brief, "House Budget for FY 2014: Amendments Adopted During Debate," describes the differences between this proposal and the earlier version put together by the House Ways & Means Committee. These include: A much smaller cut to Youth Empowerment programs, which help young people find jobs and build careers Additional funding to reverse proposed cuts to Public Health, including programs that support the well-being of children and young adults Partial restoration of funds for Law & Public safety, and particularly for the courts Overall, the full House budget is still largely similar to the Ways & Means budget. It provides new funding in some areas--notably Higher Education and Transportation--but also cuts to Early Education & Care programs that help improve the life-prospects of young children. Read HOUSE BUDGET FOR FY 2014: AMENDMENTS ADOPTED DURING DEBATE See ALL OF OUR BUDGET RESOURCES The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts. MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER 15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700 BOSTON, MA 02108

Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center | 15 Court Square | Suite 700 | Boston | MA | 02108

Mass Poetry: Outdoor performances you won't want to miss, and more!

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Share this: Sessions are filling up! Make sure you're registered so you don't miss one minute of the festival, and buy your festival button today! If you order your button online, just pick it up starting Friday, May 3 from our headquarters at 125 Museum Place Mall! Don't miss amazing musical acts, poetry performances, and more on our outdoor Performance Stage in Derby Square on Saturday, May 4! As the Sparrow, 12 p.m. Poetry Out Loud Finalists, 1 p.m. Louder than a Bomb, 2 p.m. Helen Creeley Award Winners, 2:30 p.m. Boston Typewriter Orchestra, 3 p.m. Cape Ann Improv & Poetry Show, 4 p.m. And bring your own poems for open mics in between acts! Festival Spotlight Interested in families and relationships of all kinds? Check out these explorative and insightful events! Primary Connections: Writing Poetry about Family | Friday May 3, 1:15-2:15 | Old Town Hall, Second Floor Richard Hoffman, Charles Coe, Susan Donnelly Writing poetry about one's family can be challenging. How do we address emotionally sensitive issues with both candor and sympathetic understanding? Why should the reader or listener care about the people in the poet's life? How is the connection made between the personal and the universal? Sentimentality and its Absence in Contemporary Poems of Pregnancy and Motherhood | Saturday, May 4, 12:15-1:15 | PEM Native American Gallery Jennifer Militello, Arielle Greenberg, Lisa Olstein, Rebecca Wolff In this panel, poets who are also mothers will read poems and discuss the relationship of poetry to motherhood, exploring the ways in which poems of pregnancy and motherhood can both emphasize feeling and shy away from traditional approaches, as well as sharing poems that reflect on the experience in ways that welcome sentiment, reshape it, and even thwart it. Writing Your Unwritten Recipe: Poems of Your Family's Immigration | Friday, May 3, 2:30-3:30 | Old Town Hall, First Floor Rachel Barenblatt, Monica Raymond, Joy Ladin, Merle Feld In this workshop, participants will read published poems that celebrate both immigrant stories and delicious food memories. This is your opportunity to write poems that celebrate both where our families come from, and the ways in which food continues to tie us to our family origins. Love what we do? Consider donating today, or even setting up a small recurring payment. You'd be surprised what a difference $10 a month can make! Buy your 2013 Festival Button at any of these great locations: Beverly The Book Shop of Beverly Farms Brookline The Brookline Booksmith Cambridge Grolier Poetry Book Shop Harvard Book Store Porter Square Books Rodney's Bookstore Concord The Concord Bookshop Marblehead The Spirit of '76 Newton Newtonville Books Salem Gulu Gulu's Harrisons Comics Roost SSU English Department Sophia's The Salem Wax Museum Volunteer at the Massachusetts Poetry Festival! Receive free Festival admission, a snazzy T-shirt, and an invite to the poets' reception! Sign up here or email Laurin Macios with questions. 225 Lowell St | Carlisle , MA 01741 US Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.

In the News: place to prosper, plea deal, welfare benefits

At Dean College: A place to prosper

Hitting an academic wall in college can hurt more than in high school, as not only is it lined with less padding, but expectations that students will know where to turn and what to do after the initial impact are much higher.

Dookhan lawyer said he's had 'cursory' talks about plea deal

The lawyer for the chemist charged with faking results and tampering with evidence at a state drug testing lab says he has had "cursory" talks about a possible plea.

State releases information on bombing suspects' welfare benefits

Reversing course once again, Massachusetts' welfare agency made available new details Friday about state benefits received by the family of the Boston bombing suspects, saying public interest in the case trumped the privacy rights of Tamerlan and Dzokhar Tsarnaev.

Franklin Public Works: Upcoming Projects

Thanks to DPW Director Robert (Brutus) Cantoreggi for sharing the presentation document he used for the Town Council meeting on Wednesday, Apr 24, 2013.

For my notes that accompanied the meeting you can check this link

Franklin, MA: DPW Upcoming Projects from Franklin Matters

You can also find this presentation on the Franklin DPW webpage here
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_DPW/Construction_Projects/DPW_Upcoming_Projects%20april%2013.pdf

Dan Meyer: Math class needs a makeover (video)

Today's math curriculum is teaching students to expect -- and excel at -- paint-by-numbers classwork, robbing kids of a skill more important than solving problems: formulating them. In his talk, Dan Meyer shows classroom-tested math exercises that prompt students to stop and think. (Filmed at TEDxNYED.)