Franklin Art Association - Spring Show - Apr 18 and 19

2015 Spring Members Show and Sale will be held at the Black Box Theater, 15 West Central Street, Franklin, MA 02038

Saturday, April, 18th 12:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Sunday, April, 19th  12:00 pm to 3:00 pm

The exhibit is free and opened to the public

* Exhibit of original works of fine art and photographs 

* Bin sales of original works of art and prints 

* Complementary food and beverage 

* Clothes line art sale

Franklin Art Association - Spring Show

Awards ceremony Saturday evening at 7:00 pm

The Franklin Art Association since 1971

Sponsored in part by the Franklin Cultural Council

For further information please visit our web site at www.franklinart.org

and www.facebook.com/FranklinArtAssoc

#shopFranklin 

Live reporting: Action items to Closing

4. Action Items

a. I recommend not accepting any new School Choice students for the 2015-2016 School Year.

motion to approve, seconded passed 6-0 

b. I recommend approval of the Budget Transfers as detailed.

motion to approve, seconded passed 6-0 

c. I recommend acceptance of a check for $1,000.00 from Walmart for Supplemental Curriculum Materials at Davis Thayer Elementary School.

motion to approve, seconded passed 6-0 

d. I recommend approval of the request for HMMS to take 6th & 8th grade students to Mystic Aquarium in CT on April 1, 2015 as detailed.

motion to approve, seconded passed 6-0 



5. Information Matters

Superintendent’s Report

Sabolinski - it is great to be back, thanks to Sally for an amazing job in all sorts of little crisises
thanks to all in the Central Office staff for their help
I am not totally cleared to be back, I can ambulate a little more

Remington Middle  School  play 60 grant received

NEASC letter from accreditation, FHS is not on warning status for first time since 1996
it has been a long journey, thanks to the community for stepping up
next NEASC visit will be 2017, next year will be self study to prepare for the following year
we have been givning them updates yearly and they have appreciated the progress

Best Buddies Dodgeball tournement, sign up now
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczeFpIdnduSnlQZ3c/view?usp=sharing

School Committee Sub-Committee Reports

School Committee Liaison Reports

Trivia Bee - Apr 8th
November - Harlem Wizards will return for a visit

motion to adjourn
passed 6-0 via roll call vote

Live reporting: Discussion only

3. Discussion Only Items

School Choice Vote

we have currently still 17 students, but have not accepted new students
we have some issues on the horizon, a new housing development 280 apartment units in the Garelick Farm area;  would have an impact on the Oak/Horace Mann schools

recommendation to continue not engaging in school choice
class size is down to where it needs to be (with a few exceptions)
the impact of class size on achievement is profound
opening it up would not be good at this time
the school committee needs to vote and we can notify the state by May 1

Capital Plan Update

a snowy winter season, the town's budget has been overshot by $500,000
there may not be a lot of funds left in the allocation after the snow is paid
the budget subcommittee meets next Wednesday

removed 2 of the 6 original requests
Chromebooks and
look to fund from available operational funds
the justifications are the same

Live Reporting: School Committee - Mar 24, 2015

Present: Douglas, O'Malley, Rohrbach, Clement, Mullen, Trahan
Absent: Jewell


1. Routine Business
Citizen’s Comments - none

Review of Agenda - none

Minutes: I recommend approval of the minutes from the March 10, 2015 School Committee Meeting.
Motion to approve, seconded, passed 6-0

Payment of Bills Mr. Clement
Motion to approve, seconded, passed 6-0

Payroll Mrs. Douglas
FHS Student Representatives
Mock trial made it to the final 4, lost to Pioneer Valley
Senior Banquet
Spring sports started this week
Franklin Friday - themed clothing
partnered with local business, winning grade gets prize 1st prize from Elizabeth's Bagels; next prize coming from The Cake Bar

Correspondence: none


2. Guests/Presentations
a. Best Buddies – Elizabeth Fitzmaurice and Stephanie Geddes

Intro by Supt Maureen Sabolinski (yes, she is back)


Documents for the Best Buddies portion of the meeting can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/03/best-buddies-update-to-school-committee.html

FPS Best Buddies Keller Elementary from Franklin Matters

Franklin was identified as a host community for the 1st elementary program

Stephanie Geddes, IEP coordinator

started in 1997 in High School
then expanded to middle school in 2007
and now to elementary in 2015

proposed in May 2014 to do so; followed up in Sep 2014
Best Buddies doesn't have a program but Franklin wil do this as a pilot

Sarah Fishman and Britt Dubendris are the advisors for the pilot

come to the April 9th PCC meeting at Keller School
to learn about the pilot

Keller community got a letter last week, this week with get the BBK bulletin (see documents for a copy of the BBK bulletin)

a lot of Twitter action
@kellerschool  #1bbkeller
@fps4students

Great news: 1st elementary school program at announced for @KellerSchool #1bbkeller @fps4students pic.twitter.com/FzoEuymuTo
— Steve Sherlock (@FranklinMatters) March 24, 2015

Clement: This is great, I love every aspect of this. how long until we can get it into all the elementary schools?

Fitzmaurice: We're doing it at a pace that ensures we can do it well. We have it elsewhere, It is on the cusp at Dean College. it is going to be a zip code event. 

Sabolinski: Karen Spilka was helpful in this, it was not an immediate sell. We gave them a lot to think about. Our goal is to have chapters yesterday in each of the schools. The work of this group has gotten us to where we are, once we get this going, maybe a year from now, we'll be able to get this ging at the other elementary schools.

Fitzmaurice:  You had me all in at hello. We haven't looked back.

O'Malley: this kind of program is about the best of who we are. We operate best when we connect. The kids will get the benefit from this.

Sabolinski: we do want to acknowledge that Jeff Roy's office has helped us, the Streeter family has helped and supported us. They are helping to sponsor the Dodge ball tournament. Pre-K through college is our vision.

Register for the 5th Annual Franklin & Bellingham SNETT Road Race

Help support our effort to develop the Southern New England Trunkline Trail into a multi-use path for Franklin and Bellingham Registration: 8:30 – 9:45am Start Time: Walk 9:45 AM / Run 10:00 AM Start / Finish: 628 Washington St. Franklin, MA (Remington School) Run: 5 mile loop of paved roads through residential neighborhoods Walk: 1.5 mile & 3.5 mile walk through residential neighborhoods Entry Fee: $25 prior to race day $30 day of the race $15 Students Participation Medals to All Registrants Post race refreshments Prizes awarded by category Commemorative T-shirts Participation Medals & Raffle Prizes Race Timing by Spitler Race Systems or download and register by mail

Join & Support | Contact Us | Forward this email Franklin & Bellingham Rail Trail Committee

Franklin & Bellingham Rail Trail Committee · PO Box 68 · Franklin, Ma 02038 · USA

National Medical Academy: Nurse Aid Training

National Medical Academy offers the newest medical training program specializing in Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Training. CNA classes are a full-fledged course that has been recently licensed by the state, which allows any individual to succeed in the field of health care. 

National Medical Academy

Designed by the industry professionals, the Nurse Aide Training Programs offered by National Medical Academy will mold individuals into health care professionals, particularly directed to the path of nurse assisting – be it in major hospitals, health care centers or assisted living settings. 

In addition to that, National Medical Academy is focused on the system of Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Training and thus, individuals who want to be involved in the health care industry can now obtain the CNA certification through their Nurse Aide Training Programs. 

National Medical Academy, moreover, encourages individuals to opt for taking up a course as highly needed as Nurse Assistant Training nowadays. There is truthfulness to the fact that the health care industry does not substantially function without the help of certified nurse assistants (CNA). What's more, the United States appears to increase demands for nurse assistants every year and that makes nurse assisting one of the most in demand jobs that there are, not to mention that the compensation is relatively good. 

For additional information, visit the official website of National Medical Academy through the link below:
https://nationalmedicalacademy.com/

Enrollment in our CNA programs are VERY LIMITED to 5 students per class.

Enroll Today before the class is FULL!!!!!

To register for a CPR training - Click Here

"A business built on referrals" (Just ask a neighbor)

 Learn about our Referral Rewards program Click Here

Please think GREEN before printing this or any email.

Boston Globe Subscribers: Redeem your GRANT voucher before it expires!

Fellow Boston Globe subscribers, there are lots of choices to make for how you would apply your grant. Please consider the Franklin Food Pantry as one.

GRANT: Globe Readers And Non-profits Together View web version Time's running out! Your $50 GRANT voucher expires soon. Dear Stephen, There's still time! Remember to take a minute to recognize your favorite charity through GRANT (Globe Readers And Non-profits Together). Exclusively for Globe subscribers, this incredible community initiative gives you an easy way to support the non-profit of your choice — at no cost to you or the charity you select. Here's how it works: Choose a non-profit organization in your area that you would like to recognize. Submit your selection by visiting BostonGlobe.com/GRANT and entering the following voucher number: (insert your own voucher #). Your non-profit accumulates GRANT dollars which it can later redeem for free ad space in the Globe (the more GRANT dollars earned, the larger the ad space provided). Please use on or before April 30, 2015. As a subscriber, you have $50 GRANT dollars to allocate to the certified 501(c)(3) of your choice. Stay up to date on subscriber contributions made to each organization by checking our 2015 Non-profit Leaderboard. For additional information on GRANT, please visit BostonGlobe.com/GRANT. Thank you for subscribing to The Boston Globe and joining us in supporting our remarkable community. Warmly, The Boston Globe To ensure you receive Globe GRANT emails, please add GRANT@globe.com to your address book. We value your privacy. If you have any questions, please call 1-888-MY-GLOBE (1-888-694-5623). Address: The Boston Globe 135 Morrissey Boulevard Boston, MA 02125 ©Copyright 2015 Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC

In the News: pothole money, charter school expansion

As announced in the Milford Daily News, Franklin will receive $140,000. This will help to offset the snow/ice budget which exceeded its amount by $500,000.

As part of a $30 million release, the state gave area towns an average of $100,000 each to fix potholes caused by this winter’s extreme conditions. The apportionment numbers for Gov. Charlie Baker’s Winter Recovery Assistance Program were released late Friday. 

Franklin and Milford received $140,000 and $122,000, respectively. On the low side, Hopedale received $26,000 and Mendon received $41,000. 

Though the funds come out of a separate account, they follow the Chapter 90 formula, which fuses municipal road miles and population to come up with a fair price.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20150324/NEWS/150328628/1994/NEWS



As announced here earlier, the Charter School has selected Daedalus as the project manager for their expansion project.

“Our ultimate priority is to stay here in Franklin,” said Heather Zolnowski, the head of school. “If not, we’re looking for somewhere as close to where we are now as possible.” 

Over the next decade the school plans to increase enrollment by 450 students. Already, prospective students from Attleboro, Bellingham, Blackstone, Holliston, Hopedale, Medway, Mendon-Upton, Milford, Millis, Norfolk, Plainville, Walpole and Wrentham have the same opportunity to enroll at the school as those from Franklin. 

The school will not expand the number of seats offered until after it has moved, and a timetable has not been finalized.

Continue reading the full article here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20150324/NEWS/150328592/1994/NEWS

Tri-County cheerleading squad heads to Nationals

The Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School Varsity cheerleading team are preparing to compete at the U.S. Spirit national cheerleading competition for the first time in school history. 

The Tri-County squad placed third in Division III at the MSSAA 2015 Winter Cheerleading State Competition at Wachusett Regional High School last Sunday to earn its invitation to the national competition. 

The team's road to nationals included a 2015 Mayflower Athletic Conference Championship and a 2015 Division III South Regional Championship.

Continue reading about the Tri-County trip to the Nationals here
http://www.thesunchronicle.com/sports/local_sports/tri-county-cheerleading-squad-to-make-nationals-debut/article_31c4abba-d76c-5bfa-b2ec-7e6b4ea8ea7c.html

Tri-County rotating header image

LETTER TO EDITOR: PARCC is Failing Teachers and Students | Framingham, MA Patch

A group of Framingham elementary school teachers have written a Letter to the Editor that was published in the Framingham Patch:

As teachers we cannot stay silent as PARCC makes its way into our classrooms.

In the words of Soujourner Truth at the 1851 Women’s Convention, “Where there is so much racket there must be something out of kilter.” Nationally, we’re hearing a racket about the problem of standardized tests driving instruction, knocking the process of education clearly out of kilter. Here are a few reasons why: 

1. Test Prep takes time away from REAL Reading, Writing and Math Instruction.

PARCC website

Continue to read the article to see the other reasons listed for their objections to the PARCC test.

http://patch.com/massachusetts/framingham/letter-editor-parcc-failing-teachers-and-students-0#.VQ830LCbmvY.gmail


In a related post, there is information on how to opt out of the PARCC or MCAS tests. 
http://www.citizensforpublicschools.org/the-facts-on-opting-out-of-mcas-or-parcc/

Last Chance to sponsor a team for the 18th Annual Trivia Bee

The Franklin Education Foundation will hold its 18th Annual Trivia Bee on Wednesday, April 8th, 2015. There will be live music by the Franklin High School Jazz Band, a raffle table, and refreshments.

The Bee is the FEF’s largest fundraiser and has enabled the organization to donate over $300,000 to the Franklin Public Schools since 1997 for innovative education programs that would not otherwise be possible.

NEW THIS YEAR: MIDDLE SCHOOL TRIVIA BEE PRIOR TO THE REGULAR BEE!

Trivia Bee - Apr 8th

The Bee will be held at the Thomas Mercer Auditorium at the Horace Mann Middle School. The middle school Bee will be held from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. and the theme will be general trivia.

The regular Bee will be held from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. and the theme will be movie trivia. For the regular Bee, teams consist of three people sponsored by local businesses, civic groups and individuals. Organizations may send their own team or may sponsor a team of Franklin High School students.

Anyone interested in sponsoring a team, donating an item to the raffle table, or bidding on naming rights for the final championship round should contact Kit Brady at cbbrady1@comcast.net. All entries must be received by March 25th.


For more information about the Franklin Education Foundation, please visit our website at www.franklined.org or visit us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/franklined.org)

"instructing its attorney to draft a favorable decision"

The 280 unit apartment complex touted for the Bellingham end of RT 140 apparently is going through. 70 of the 280 units would be available as affordable housing.

“We’ve tried to be very responsive to every concern and issues that has been raised,” said Mark Vaughn, the attorney for the project. 

The developer also had to make concessions for a historical structure on the site — the fifth oldest property in town, according to the Historical Commission. The commission will allow Acme Jazz to demolish the existing structure, but requested a marker signifying the historical importance of the property. 

Early on, town officials in Franklin and Bellingham (the development sits near the border between the two communities) were concerned about increased traffic on Rte. 140. 

In response, Acme Jazz agreed to widen the roadway for a new westbound left-turn lane for vehicles entering the site. And the developer pledged to extend the sidewalk on the south side of Rte. 140 into Bellingham and build a new sidewalk at the entrance to the property.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20150323/NEWS/150328942/1994/NEWS

The background info on the plan can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/03/zoning-board-of-appeals-march-19-agenda.html

Franklin, MA: School Committee - Agenda - Mar 24, 2015

Vision Statement

The Franklin Public Schools will foster within its students the knowledge and skills to find and achieve satisfaction in life as productive global citizens.

AGENDA

"The listing of matters are those reasonably anticipated by the Chair which may be discussed at the meeting. Not all items listed may in fact be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by law."

Franklin School Committee: Douglas, Rohrbach, Mullen, Trahan
back row - O'Malley, Jewell, Clement (Town of Franklin photo)

1. Routine Business

Citizen’s Comments
Review of Agenda
Minutes: I recommend approval of the minutes from the March 10, 2015 School Committee Meeting.
Payment of Bills Mr. Clement
Payroll Mrs. Douglas
FHS Student Representatives
Correspondence: none

2. Guests/Presentations

a. Best Buddies – Elizabeth Fitzmaurice and Stephanie Geddes

Documents for the Best Buddies portion of the meeting can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/03/best-buddies-update-to-school-committee.html


3. Discussion Only Items

School Choice Vote
Capital Plan Update

4. Action Items

a. I recommend not accepting any new School Choice students for the 2015-2016 School Year.
b. I recommend approval of the Budget Transfers as detailed.
c. I recommend acceptance of a check for $1,000.00 from Walmart for Supplemental Curriculum Materials at Davis Thayer Elementary School.
d. I recommend approval of the request for HMMS to take 6th & 8th grade students to Mystic Aquarium in CT on April 1, 2015 as detailed.

5. Information Matters

Superintendent’s Report
School Committee Sub-Committee Reports
School Committee Liaison Reports

6. New Business

To discuss future business that may be brought before the School Committee.

7. Adjourn

Best Buddies - update to School Committee - 3/24/15

The Best Buddies program is expanding within the Franklin School district. This presentation document is scheduled for discussion at the School Committee meeting on Tuesday, Mar 24, 2015.

FPS Best Buddies Keller Elementary from Franklin Matters

Best Buddies logo

Additional documents referenced during the discussion can be found here



Intro letter
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczVk5lUGJMR2N5bms/view?usp=sharing

Dodgeball flyer
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczeFpIdnduSnlQZ3c/view?usp=sharing

Best Buddies Bulletin
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczMXU0Zk5FVkNwWGM/view?usp=sharing

Artifical vs. real turf

In the updates from Town Administrator Jeff Nutting, and confirmed by School Building Committee Chair Tom Mercer, the bids for the new practice field at FHS came at at about $800K. This was less than the expected $1 - 1.1M budgeted for.

Saving money is always a good thing. Since the discussion started last year, the Franklin Matters Twitter account has been copied on some tweets about the issue with crumb rubber as we have reported on the discussion.

For example:

#dangerous #fields tonight at 11PM on @cbsboston investigates #crumbrubber infill on #syntheticturf CC: @FranklinMatters @jeffroy
— Turf Grass Forum (@turfgrassforum) March 19, 2015

screen grab of CBS Boston video report on health concerns with artificial turf fields

Last Wednesday night's I-Team report can be viewed here:




While it is important to note that of the 51 studies cited not one proves a connection, there is also the issue that the studies did not look at the long term effects. So while it is good that we will save money spring sports teams can play on the limited turf fields now (Beaver St and the high school field) rather than waiting for the snow to melt, we should also recognize that our kids are participating in a study of the long term effects.

The current turf fields were cleared with the help of funding provided by the local lacrosse and soccer leagues. It is okay to plow the artificial turf fields but not to do so on real turf fields.

The 'practice field' on the grounds of the new FHS had been budgeted for as regular grass and changed during the Town Council meeting in November
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/11/the-town-council-reorganizes-sort-of.html

Last Wednesday nights brief update
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/03/live-reporting-legislation-through-to.html

If the embedded video doesn't work properly, you can also follow this link to view it on the CBS Boston website here
http://boston.cbslocal.com/2015/03/18/i-team-health-concerns-raised-over-artificial-turf-fields/