"It's not a new position - there's no new budget being added"

The Franklin School District has made a number of personnel changes ahead of the coming school year. 

The School Committee heard a report on the moves, and voted to name Joyce Edwards as assistant superintendent at its meeting last week. 

Superintendent Maureen Sabolinski characterized the assistant superintendent move as more of a reorganization than anything else. 

"(Edwards') role had been director of instructional services," she said. "It's a new title, but the same person in the role."

Continue reading the article here (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20150816/NEWS/150817278/1994/NEWS

Franklin HIgh School will open with 4 new assistant principals

For all the reporting on the School Committee meeting of Aug 11, check this link
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/08/gearing-up-for-opening-of-school.html

Preliminary listing of candidates for Franklin's Nov 3rd election

The updated listing of candidates from the Town Clerk's office on Friday, Aug 14th

POSITION	NAME	Total
Assessor	Donna Greenwood
	W.Kenneth  Norman
Assessor Total		2
Bd. Of Health	Donald G. Ranieri, Jr.
	Philip M. Brunelli
Bd. Of Health Total		2
Constable	John S. Power
	Philip M. Brunelli
Constable Total		2
Planning Bd	John F. Carroll
	William D. David
Planning Bd Total		2
School Com.	Anne K. Bergen
	Cynthia J. Douglas
	Denise L. Schultz
	Kenneth B. Hiscoe, III
	Kevin P. O'Malley
	Mary Jane Scofield
	Rita M. Graci
	Trevor A. Clement
	Vanessa A. Bilello
School Com. Total		9
Town Clerk	Diane M. Padula-O'Neill
	Elizabeth F. Simon
	Paul J. Cheli
	Teresa M. Burr
Town Clerk Total		4
Town Council	Brett S. Feldman
	Deborah L. Pellegri
	Glenn F. Jones
	James D. Schultz, Jr.
	Judith Pond Pfeffer
	Matthew T. Kelly
	Peter E. Padula
	Richard W. Power, Sr.
	Robert D. Dellorco
	Sean P. Slater
	Thomas D. Mercer
Town Council Total		11
Grand Total		32

Franklin Town Common

The offer to the candidates for an interview can be found here

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/08/offer-to-candidates-for-franklin.html

The election timeline can be found here

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/08/franklin-election-who-are-candidates.html

The election 2015 collection can be found here

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/08/election-collection-nov-3-2015.html

Cooking with the Franklin legislative delegation

Franklin's legislative delegation got together recently to do some cooking. We see how they frequently get together on legislation and funding for Franklin, let's see how they cook!





Trisha Perez Kennealey, owner of Artistry Kitchen guides them in the cooking in the studio at Franklin TV.

For more about the Franklin Food Pantry you can visit their webpage
http://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/


Link to the individual webpages for your legislators can be found here:

• Senator Spilka
• _ Karen Spilka
• Senator Ross
• _ Richard Ross
• Representative Roy
• _ Jeffrey Roy

yard sale - Acorn Animal Hospital - Aug 16 - 8:00AM to 2:00 PM

Posted to the Franklin Matters Facebook page yesterday:

Acorn Animal Hospital will be hosting a yard sale TOMORROW (Sunday) from 8-2!  

If you have any unused items that you are looking to get rid of, we will be accepting donations TODAY (Saturday) from 1:00 to 3:00 pm.  

All proceeds from the yard sale will go directly to the Maggie Fund to support pets in need. unfortunately we cannot accept the following items: sofa beds, clothing, mattresses, paints, tires, chemicals, textbooks, computers, televisions, air conditioners or other large appliances.

Acorn Animal Hospital

TeamFitness: How to Save on Membership

The Benefits of a Referral Program  100 Franklin Village Drive Franklin, MA 02038 mc@teamfitnessfranklin.com

Forward this email Team Fitness Franklin | 100 Franklin Village Drive | Franklin | MA | 02038

“The donations help to save their lives”

"Pedro, a 4-year-old Chihuahua and terrier mix, was adopted when he was just nine 9 weeks old, but was turned over to Just a Touch Rescue after a year because he barked. 

Kikka, an 11-year-old Pomeranian who is blind in one eye, was turned over to the organization because her owners couldn’t afford to pay fix an infection that came from breeding. 

Split, a 12-year-old Australian Shepherd, was brought to a vet to be euthanized because the owner “didn’t want him anymore,” said Debbie Fahrenholtz, founder and president of the organization."

Continue reading the article in the Milford Daily News (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20150815/NEWS/150817300/1994/NEWS

screen grab of The Big Biscuit webpage

For more about The Big Biscuit, visit their webpage here
http://www.thebigbiscuit.com/

Did you check out the new Lifelong Learning catalog of courses?

Fall/Winter Catalog - 2015

How about learning how to make wine?

How about "CSI - Franklin style"?

Maybe "Getting Paid to Talk"



These and other courses are in the Fall/Winter catalog that was delivered recently.

A copy of the catalog is shown below and also available on the Lifelong Learning webpage.
http://cfweb.smartedu.net/lll/forms/ADULT%20EDUCATION%20DOCS/mailing%20brochure%20July%2031.pdf


Registration for your choice can be done with this form
http://cfweb.smartedu.net/lll/forms/ADULT%20EDUCATION%20DOCS/registration%20form.pdf

New high school ball fields making progress

On the walk last weekend, I checked out the progress on the ball fields. The softball and baseball fields are coming along. The tennis courts are coming along. The new turf field is in the finishing stages also. 

Actually, it look like the turf was being delivered Friday morning so the next photos may include some green carpeting.

turf field retaining wall

turf field perspective

turf field sidelines

stone dust being laid out

with back to the school, another view of the stone dust work

with back to the school, more of an angle shot across the field

with back to the school, close up along the end line

bleacher position for baseball field

bleachers for baseball

access to fields

tennis courts, appears to be room for 4 sets

tennis courts, another view

Franklin Family Movie Night - Aug 21 - "Toy Story"

Via Tracie's Facebook posting:

Woody and Buzz in the original Toy Story

Bring your whole family and enjoy watching Toy Story on the big screen in a classic Franklin setting - Beaver Pond! 

The movie itself will start at dusk, but WOODY AND BUZZ ARRIVE AT 7:00!

Kids will get an opportunity to meet and play games with both characters. 

In addition to the characters arriving early, a whole host of local small businesses will be represented at booths offering treats, fun toys, and other retail offerings! The marketplace opens at 6:30. 

Toy Story will be the movie shown

Franklin Family Movie Night

August 21

Beaver Pond in Franklin, Massachusetts

Best wishes to Samantha and Kendra!

Samantha Moccia, Greater Norfolk’s 2016 Distinguished Young Woman, and Kendra Dombroski, Greater Franklin’s 2016 Distinguished Young Woman will travel to Holyoke for the week of Aug. 9 to participate in the Distinguished Young Women Massachusetts State Program. 

Both young women participated in the local DYW preliminary program in May and won their respective titles with accompanying scholarships and the opportunity to advance to the state level of the national scholarship program for high school girls.

Continue reading the article in WickedLocal Franklin
http://norfolk.wickedlocal.com/article/20150803/NEWS/150809379

Distinguished Young Woman - State Final - Aug 15

For additional info on all the participants, follow this link

http://distinguishedyw.org/programs/state_n_local_programs/massachusetts/participants/

MassBudget: Analyzing the State Budget for FY 2016

MassBudget    Information.    Participation.  Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center    Democracy. Analyzing the State Budget for FY 2016  With the House and Senate having overridden a number of the Governor's vetoes, the Fiscal Year 2016 (FY 2016) budget is now largely complete. This year's budget makes few major changes in overall funding provided to educate our children, keep our communities safe, protect our most vulnerable, strengthen our economy and improve the quality of life in our communities. Click HERE for our full analysis. The budget does include several significant new initiatives, including: Increasing the value of the state earned income tax credit from 15% of the federal credit to 23%. This will provide additional income to over 400,000 lower wage workers and their families (click HERE for town-by-town detail). Besides improving lives now by helping parents to pay for necessities like food and clothing for their children, this additional support is also likely to expand opportunity for these children over the long run: there is growing evidence that when the income of a lower income family increases, the children often do better in school and earn more as adults. Providing significant new tools for the administration to improve management at the MBTA. The budget creates a new MBTA Control Board and authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to appoint the Director of the MBTA. The budget also suspends for three years the Taxpayer Protection Act (commonly called the Pacheco Law) that regulates privatization. The law requires that privatization efforts achieve savings by efficiency improvements rather than by reducing pay and benefits for workers (click HERE for more detail). Addressing substance abuse with targeted investments throughout MassHealth, public health and mental health. In particular, new initiatives support first responders and others in the community struggling to address the challenge of opioid addiction. The final budget, like the budget proposed by the governor back in March, relies heavily on temporary strategies to balance the budget. It spends $300 million in capital gains tax revenue that would have gone into the Rainy Day Fund under current law. It also counts on $100 million from a tax amnesty and $116 million from putting off paying some of our FY 2016 MassHealth bills into FY 2017. As has been the case for many years, state budget choices are being shaped by fiscal challenges that date back to the late 1990s: after cutting the income tax by over $3 billion dollars between 1998 and 2002 our state has had to make deep cuts in areas like higher education, local aid, and public health. Meanwhile, the highest income residents in the Commonwealth are paying a substantially smaller share of their income in state and local taxes than do the other 99%. If our tax system were reformed so that the highest income 1% of taxpayers paid roughly the same share of their income in taxes as everyone else, that would raise about $2 billion that could be invested in things like making college affordable, improving our transportation systems, and providing all children with the supports they need to thrive. Please click HERE for our full analysis. 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

MassBudget website screen grab

"they will need to raise the funds"

The town may soon see the return of a local celebration that had lit the skies each July. 

Town officials have said that Franklin's Independence Day fireworks display, which has been absent for the past several years, may make a comeback once work at the new high school ends. The school site was used because of its size. 

"We have not had fireworks for three or four years during the construction of the high school," Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting said in an email. "Now that it is nearly complete, we are told that the state fire marshal's office would permit fireworks at that location once they review proposed plans."

Continue reading the article in the Milford Daily News (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20150814/NEWS/150817445/1994/NEWS

fireworks at Gillette Stadium for a NE Revolution game

Upcoming Events in Franklin, MA Area: FRI 8/14/15 - THU 8/20/15

FRIDAY 8/14/15
12-6pm   Franklin Farmers Market at The Town Common
6-10pm   Feast of St. Rocco
6-10pm   St. Mary’s Annual Bone Marrow Drive
6:30pm   Art Night Uncorked at Franklin Art Center
8-9:50pm   Frozen Friday DJ Public Skate at Pirelli Arena

SATURDAY 8/15/15
9am-4pm   Book Sale with DPW Touch a Truck at Franklin Public Library
10am   Giant Games on The Lawn at Franklin Public Library
11am-11pm   Feast of St. Rocco
12-10pm   St. Mary’s Annual Bone Marrow Drive

SUNDAY 8/16/15
8:30am   Franklin Yoga and Wellness: SUP Yoga on Beaver Pond
9am-12pm   Bag Sale at Franklin Public Library
12-9pm   Feast of St. Rocco
12-9pm   St. Mary’s Annual Bone Marrow Drive

MONDAY 8/17/15
1pm   Drop In Craft at Franklin Public Library

TUESDAY 8/18/15
10:30am   Get Ready For Kindergarten (ages 3-5) at Franklin Public Library

WEDNESDAY 8/19/15
10:30am   Terrific Toddlers at Franklin Public Library
4pm   Animal World Experience - Wild Heroes at Franklin Public Library

THURSDAY 8/20/15
10:30am   Story and Craft (ages 3-6) at Franklin Public Library
3pm   Memory Cafe for Caregivers and their Loved Ones at Franklin Senior Center

For all the Town of Franklin Public Meetings click HERE.

For event details click HERE.

For FPL Summer Programs details click HERE.

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

Gearing up for the opening of school

The School Committee met on Tuesday, the first of their two meetings this month. Much of the meeting concerned preparations for the opening of schools later this month.

Summary:

• New administrators for high school introduced (B Redding and C Williams present. M Weber and L Markiesian will come to a future meeting)
• New Director of Student Services,  Debbie Dickson
• Handbooks for all schools reviewed and approved, they'll be posted to school website on Friday
• School calendar survey results released and discussed. Overall a 55.6% response rate (81% from parents and 23% from faculty). No significant changes to current process for now.
• Reorganization of Instructional Services position with recognition that the demands of the position have changed so the "Director of Instructional Services” position was eliminated and replaced with an “Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning” position. Joyce Edwards held the former and was appointed to the new position.
• Among the action items was the formal acceptance of the "donation of a panther statue from the Graci Family for FHS." 
• Student placement letters (i.e. teacher assignments) are scheduled to go out Aug 21; students are still enrolling and there are teachers still be hired.
• On Friday the bus routes will be posted along with a document on how bus stops are chosen. There is a formal method with detailed criteria that will be posted to the website. 

Franklin High School

The notes from the live reporting done during the School Committee meeting can be found here:

• Live reporting: Information matters through to clo...
• Live reporting: Action Items
• Live reporting: Discussion Only Items
• Franklin Public Schools: Calendar Survey Results
• Live Reporting: School Committee - Aug 11, 2015
• Franklin, MA: School Committee - Agenda - Aug 11, ...

FSPA Summer Theater presents: Disney’s High School Musical

A record-breaking, chart-topping pop culture phenomenon, High School Musical is family friendly and full of fun! Based on the wildly popular 2006 Disney Channel original movie musical written by Peter Barsocchini, the stage version features the hit songs “We’re All in This Together,” “Bop to the Top,” “Start of Something New,” and “Get’cha Head in the Game.” 

With high energy and winning style, the movie’s memorable characters come to life, as star athlete, Troy, falls for brainy beauty, Gabriella, the new girl at fictional East High. When the two audition for lead roles in their high school musical, they threaten the status quo and divide the school’s social cliques. 

Along the long the way, these jocks, brainiacs, thespians, and skater dudes teach us about first love, peer pressure, and the importance of breaking free of others’ expectations and learning to be true to yourself.

FSPA Summer Theater presents: Disney’s High School Musical

FSPA Summer Theater presents: Disney's High School Musical

Today at 7:30pm

THE BLACK BOX, 15 West Central Street, Franklin, MA 02038

Tickets are available via THE BLACK BOX online