Riding-mower tuneup promotion

Hello Steve,

Below is a late-summer incentive for you to keep your riding mower in top shape. If you don't own a riding mower, please ignore and sorry for the trouble. 

The rates below are for routine preventive maintenance for a fully operational machine with no known problems. Repairs extra.

Riding mower or commercial walk-behind up to 42": $30 off = $169 ($199)

Riding mower or commercial walk-behind over 42": $40 off= $199 ($239)

Extended area charge (where applicable): $10 off = $19 ($29)

Must be booked on-line by September 8, 2014.

Book now (Use promo code (RM914)

See what's included

Mower n More

http://www.mowernmore.com/

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Franklin Public Schools: Welcome Back

A message from FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

September 1, 2014

Welcome Back to our Students, Parents and Faculty!

As the 2014-2015 academic year begins let me welcome back our faculty, students and families. We will continue to offer opportunities for excellence and will reaffirm the importance of public education through our work with the children of Franklin. When we open our doors on Tuesday, our administration, faculty and staff will share their commitment, talent and passion to inspire your children to achieve. 

This school year will welcome the Class of 2018 to the new Franklin High School. Much of this short summer was spent completing the new school and preparing for the transition. The new high school is an amazing gift to our students from the community and we invite you to join us for a tour when we officially dedicate the facility. Dedication weekend will be September 20 and 21. (Details to follow). 

The Facilities Department and DPW personnel engaged in a number of summer projects. Anyone who traveled down Lincoln Street this summer will know that the town completed an expansive project and it include renovation and addition of sidewalks. Also the concrete curbs at the Keller/ASMS complex were replaced with granite curbs thus making the entry much safer. 

While students were vacationing many of our educators engaged in rigorous professional development. About 50 of our staff attended the Building Learning Communities (BLC) conference in Boston. Many of us learned much about using technology to support learning. We will be developing a Digital Learning Committee of educators and administrators to design a comprehensive plan to use digital learning. 

Also this summer our elementary teachers worked on developing lessons to support the implementation of the new mathematics program Envisions. We will be setting up a series of math programs aimed at parents to review the program and to understand the mathematical content in K-5. 

On September 4 and 5 all of our kindergarten teachers will attend a mandated training by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). This training will teach the educator how to use the MKEA, the Massachusetts Kindergarten Educational Assessment tool. As we accept state funds to implement free full- day kindergarten we are mandated to complete the assessment and staff must be trained. We will report back to the School Committee as the assessment of students begins in late fall. 

The Franklin Public Schools has gone global and you will be hearing from FHS teacher Mike Walsh and his students who visited China in early summer. Also our Director Art Education, Jane Hogan and Director Instructional Services Pre K-12, Joyce Edwards spent two weeks in China visiting schools and learning about education in China. We look forward to hearing about their journey at a School Committee meeting in late September. 

As we open school please extend your thanks and appreciation to the Facilities Staff and DPW who worked tirelessly to open all of our schools. Also as we now have busses, vans and students on the road again, we ask that you leave some extra time for traffic and to be mindful of all crosswalks. We want all our students to get to school safely.

Warm Regards and All the Best for a Successful Year,

Maureen Sabolinski
Superintendent of Schools

This e-mail has been sent to you by FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT. To maximize their communication with you, you may be receiving this e-mail in addition to a phone call with the same message. 

Franklin High School

For more information about the Franklin Public Schools you can visit their webpage via the Franklin Town site or directly here  http://franklindistrict.vt-s.net/Pages/index

Labor Day and 'back to school' week

The wikipedia entry for Labor Day reads in part:

To take advantage of large numbers of potential customers free to shop, Labor Day has become an important sale weekend for many retailers in the United States. Some retailers claim it is one of the largest sale dates of the year, second only to the Christmas season's Black Friday.^[7] 

Ironically, because of the importance of the sale weekend, some of those who are employed in the retail sector not only work on Labor Day, but work longer hours. More Americans work in the retail industry than any other, with retail employment making up 24% of all jobs in the United States.^[8] As of 2012, only 3% of those employed in the retail sector were members of a labor union.^[8]

Parmenter School sign with opening schedule for 2014-2015 school year

Labor Day is also the traditional end of summer and return to school. Franklin schools got out early in June 2014 in part due to the snow days but also deliberately to assist with the move out of the old FHS building. Schools are also opening after Labor Day this year to provide the time for the new FHS building to get completed (construction has been) and the facility moved into (by faculty, etc.).

In elementary, Grades 1-5 report on Sep 3

Friday Sep 5, there is a one hour Kindergarten orientation and on Monday, Sep 8th, Kindergarten will start their full day schedule.

The K schedule is different this year due to a new state requirement for an assessment of all kndergarteners.  The K teachers are being trained on the assessment process, Weds and Thur (Sep 3-4).

Middle school and high school opens for all grades on Sep 3

31 thermal totes collected and delivered

You may recall that Megan DeKing posted about collecting some thermal totes for new born infants at the intensive care unit of an area hospital. With your help she collected 31 totes and delivered them last Friday. She posted the following to our Franklin Matters Facebook page

Thank you so much to those that helped collect NICU totes! Just dropped them off and the moms there were so thankful!

Megan DeKing (far right) delivering the totes

The totes were delivered to the NICU at Newton Wellsley Hospital

The fund raising was initially posted here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/07/fund-raising-thermal-totes-for-infants.html

September is Campus Fire Safety Month

Did you know that September is Campus Fire Safety Month? With students returning to college campuses within and outside the state, including Franklin's Dean College, it makes sense.

Summer is coming to an end and a new school year is about to begin. As students return to campus and off-campus apartments across Massachusetts, the state designates September Campus Fire Safety Month. Through fire safety education, the Commonwealth aims to reduce occurrences of fire and the resulting losses of life or property damage. 

According to the Department of Fire Services (DFS), 39 Massachusetts civilians died due to fires in 2012. In fact,69% of all residential building fires originated in the kitchen due to unsafe cooking practices that year.

MA.gov blog on fire safety

Continue reading the MA Gov blog article here to find out the fire safety tips they provide http://blog.mass.gov/blog/safety/campus-fire-safety-month/

Franklin, MA: Town Council - Agenda - Sep 3, 2014

A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

B. ANNOUNCEMENTS
This meeting is being recorded by Franklin TV and shown on Comcast channel 11 and Verizon channel 29. This meeting may be recorded by Franklin Matters.

C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS

D. CITIZEN COMMENTS

E. APPOINTMENTS

Election Workers

Jeanne Blanchard
Joyce Pedersen

Advisory Committee

Bruce Hunchard
Nancy Rafter

F. HEARINGS

G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS

H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS
Special Permits – Beth Wierling

I. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS

J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
1. Resolution 14-50: Chapter 61B – 1st Refusal Option – Property Located Off East Central Street
2. Resolution 14-51: Chapter 61B – 1st Refusal Option – Off East Central Street
3. Resolution 14-52: Appropriation – Recreation – Tot Lot
4. Resolution 14-53: Prior Year Bill
5. Resolution 14-54: Authorization to Issue Request for Proposals – Pond Street Property
6. Bylaw Amendment 14-741:Chapter 65, Collection Containers – 1st Reading

K. TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT

L. OLD BUSINESS

M. NEW BUSINESS

N. COUNCIL COMMENTS

O. EXECUTIVE SESSION
Negotiations, Litigation, Real Property, as May Be Required

P. ADJOURN

Franklin Municipal Building - site of Town Council meetings

The full set of documents released for this agenda can be found on the official Franklin page here
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_CouncilAgendas/2014/090314.pdf

Preparing for school lunches - lunch lady heroes and more

It is time to get back to school so that means it is back to either making lunches or getting lunch in the cafeteria. In this TED Talk, Jarrett Krosoczka talks about his lunch lady and lunch lady heroes!





You can find more about Jarrett with his TED bio page  http://www.ted.com/speakers/jarrett_j_krosoczka

or on his own website   http://www.studiojjk.com/



And while we are on the topic of school lunches, Lisa Leake has some good ideas and recipes to help create healthy lunches.

Lisa Leake's 100 Days of Real Food website

Follow this link to read her post on tips to making school lunches:
http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/08/14/real-food-tips-10-recipes-to-freeze-for-school-lunches-which-makes-packing-a-breeze/

Lincoln St construction update

On my walk last weekend (8/24), I finally got out to check on the Lincoln St construction. The paving had been delayed starting and based upon the view last week is close to getting finished.

There will be islands put in to help calm the traffic and improve the safety around the Keller Sullivan schools. I confirmed this in a brief conversation with DPW Director Robert (Brutus) Cantoreggi at the recent Sculpture Parking opening.

Looking towards downtown on Lincoln St (Keller Sullivan to the right)

cones in the middle indicate where the islands will be

single lane restriction for culvert work

one of the new culverts from stream side

culvert work near Winterberry

Franklin Girls Soccer: "another tournament run seems guaranteed"

In the Hockomock Sports preview on the Kelly-Rex Division they write the following about the Franklin High School girls soccer team:

Franklin
2013 Record: 17-2-3 (12-1-3)
2013 Finish: Lost in MIAA D1 State Semifinal
Coach: Tom Geysen

In 2010, Franklin coach Tom Geysen said he stopped setting season goals for his team and told his players to focus on one game at a time. The focus seems to have had the right effect with a state title in 2012 and sectional titles in three of the past four seasons. This year, that focus will be even more important with Franklin drawing not just statewide admiration but also national attention. After the first few days of practice, Geysen said that he wasn’t worried because the players “had the right attitude” and “came to work hard” this preseason. 

FHS Panthers

The Panthers return 10 of 11 starters from the team that reached the state semifinal last season, including 2013 HockomockSports.com Player of the Year Taylor Cogliano. In addition, Franklin brings back senior Eastern Mass. all-star Nicole Ellin at the back and a host of juniors that are motivated to return to the state championship game. Among the juniors are forwards Alexis Stowell and Bailey Knous and Underclassman of the Year Victoria Stowell. With Lexi Martin, Julia Mastaj, Jane Scafati and goalkeeper Dani Lonati also back, it’s no wonder that Franklin is considered among the favorites for the Hockomock title. 

Geysen raved about the fitness levels of his team in the preseason and credited the players for the willingness to share minutes to make the team better. He also said that he intends on using a lot of players over the course of the season so that the bench will be prepared if needed during the tournament. With the players Franklin has back, another tournament run seems guaranteed.

Continue reading the Kelly-Rex Division article here
http://www.hockomocksports.com/blog/hockomock-girls-soccer-kelley-rex-division-preview

The write up on the Davenport Division can be found here
http://www.hockomocksports.com/blog/hockomock-girls-soccer-davenport-division-preview

Franklin has soccer players in the "Top Ten to Watch"

Hockomock Sports continues their preview of the fall high school season with the following articles on high school soccer. The articles featured here today cover the top ten players to watch on both girls and boys soccer.

Taylor Cogliano, Franklin - Senior Forward/Midfielder

The defending HockomockSports.com Player of the Year and Hockomock MVP returns for her senior season and will once again be one of the most creative and skillful players in the league. Combining a low center of gravity, confidence and patience on the ball, and the ability to read the spaces in the defense, Cogliano is able to be a playmaker for the Panthers array of attackers and also the lead forward. Her versatility is perfect for Franklin’s system and she steps up in big moments as her play in each of the last two state tournaments attests. 

Victoria Stowell, Franklin - Junior Midfielder

It is hard to select just one or two Franklin players for this list, but the returning Underclassman of the Year is the fulcrum in the midfield on which the Panthers build their attacks. She finds little spaces in which to collect the ball and has no problem taking a pass in traffic and then finding the right pass to spring Franklin forward. She is capable of the short pass to keep the ball and the audacious (her assist for the equalizer against Feehan being the perfect example).  Although far from the biggest midfielder in the league, Stowell is not afraid of stepping into a tackle and is not easy to push off the ball when in possession. That combination offers freedom for Taylor Cogliano to play in the space behind the striker and for the wingers to get forward on the outside.

Continue reading the 10 players to watch in girls Hockomock League soccer
http://www.hockomocksports.com/blog/hockomock-girls-soccer-ten-players-to-watch-in-2014

new FHS sports logo

Boys soccer

Tim Larowe, Franklin - Senior Midfielder

Larowe will be the sparkplug in the middle of the pitch for Franklin and will be tasked with marking many of the names that appear on this list. He is a defensive-minded player by nature, but with Joe Kalil graduated, Larowe may need to add box-to-box play, which could lead to more scoring opportunities. For a team that prides itself on physicality and high pressure, Larowe is the lynchpin and leads by example with seemingly non-stop energy.

Continue reading the boys top ten players to watch here
http://www.hockomocksports.com/blog/hockomock-boys-soccer-ten-players-to-watch-in-2014

Franklin featured in AAA

A photo you saw here first was selected for the small article about Franklin in the monthly AAA Horizons publication.

photo of the Horizon's issue with my photo

Thanks to Cindy Cornwall for prompting AAA to include this article which in turn sent them scouring for pictures of the Town Common where the opportunity fell to me to provide some photos. I sent them several and they chose this one.

screen view of Franklin article on the Southern New England AAA site

If you are not a AAA member you should still be able to view the Franklin article online here
http://www.aaahorizons.com/content.cfm?a=2573

For more info about AAA you can visit their website here:   AAA.com

And the original full photo of the World War I Memorial on the Town Common

World War I memorial 'doughboy'

Barrett Distribution Centers has been honored again

For the third consecutive year, Barrett Distribution Centers has been honored as a part of the 2014 Inc. 500 | 5000 list of fastest growing private companies in the nation. This is Barrett’s sixth appearance on the list. Prior honors include 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012 and 2013. 

“Barrett Distribution Centers is proud to be in the company of so many of the most respected companies in America. We are grateful to our customers and team for making this achievement possible for a sixth time.”

Barrett Distribution Centers

Continue reading the article on the Barrett Distribution webpage here
http://www.barrettdistribution.com/blog/barrett-distribution-centers-named-to-the-2014-inc.-500-5000-fastest-growing-companies-list

Barrett Distribution Centers

Franklin Cultural Council Seeks Funding Proposals

Proposals for community-oriented arts, humanities and science programs are due no later than October 15 2014. 

The Town of Franklin Cultural Council has set an October 15 2014 postmark deadline for organizations, schools and individuals to apply for grants that support cultural activities in the community.  

Franklin Cultural Council tent on Town Common when the Ladybug Spots appeared

According to Council spokesperson Kai Olsson, these grants can support a variety of artistic projects and activities in Franklin -- including exhibits, festivals, field trips, short-term artist residencies or performances in schools, workshops and lectures. 

The Town of Franklin Cultural Council is part of a network of 329 Local Cultural Councils serving all 351 cities and towns in the Commonwealth. The LCC Program is the largest grassroots cultural funding network in the nation, supporting thousands of community-based projects in the arts, sciences and humanities every year. The state legislature provides an annual appropriation to the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, which then allocates funds to each community. 

This year the Franklin Cultural Council will, in association with The Massachusetts Culture Council, distribute approximately $10,000 in grants. A list of last years’ recipients is published on The Town of Franklin Cultural Council webpage at http://www.town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_BComm/cultural. 

For specific guidelines and complete information on the Town of Franklin Cultural Council, contact Kai Olsson at franklinculture@hotmail.com. 

Application forms and more information about the Local Cultural Council Program are available online at http://www.mass-culture.org/lcc_public.aspx. 

Application forms are also available at The Franklin Public Library and The Town Clerks’ Office, Franklin Town Hall.

Upcoming Events in Franklin, MA Area: FRI 8/29/14 - THU 9/4/14

FRI 8/29  12-6pm   Farmers Market at Franklin Common
FRI 8/29   3pm   End of Summer Party for Teens at Franklin Public Library. Bring your tickets you earned over the summer. Prizes, pizza, music and more.

MON 9/1   4-7pm   Farmer’s Market at Whole Foods Plaza in Bellingham

WED 9/3   5:30pm   Emmons St. property discussed by Economic Dev. Committee. Public welcome. Franklin Town Hall (3rd floor)

THU 9/4   8:30am   Franklin Downtown Partnership Meeting, Dean College Campus.

For all the Town of Franklin Public Meetings click HERE.

For event details click HERE.

*If you have any suggestions or events for the calendar, please email Renata@BetterLivingRE.com

High school football - Hockomock League players to watch

As school reopens, the high school sports team get into action. The Hockomock Sports site has started previews on each sport. For football, they shared a listing of the ten players to watch on offense and defense.

Franklin has a representative on the defense listing:

new FHS sports team logo

Colton Cardinal, Franklin - Senior Linebacker

Colton Cardinal is one of the best middle linebackers against the run in the entire league. Cardinal does a very good job of reading the play and then attacking. When you think of a “tackle machine,” Cardinal is the type of player that comes to mind after leading the Panthers in that category the past two season. He has great closing speed if the quarterback or running back bounces outside and is a sound tackler, part of the reason he has received a D1 offer from Central Connecticut.

You can find all the defensive players to watch here
http://www.hockomocksports.com/blog/hockomock-football-ten-defensive-players-to-watch


The player to watch on offense can be found here
http://www.hockomocksports.com/blog/hockomock-football-ten-players-to-watch-on-offense