In the News: tax bills rise, Exelon questions Franklin, Vallee elected vice-chair

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin

Property tax bills for the average homeowner would rise $118 after the Town Council set the rate at its set Dec. 8 session. 

The council set the fiscal 2016 tax rate at $14.50 per $1,000 of assessed value.
The rate actually dropped from fiscal 2015's $14.84, but property values have increased, meaning most bills will increase.

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http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20151215/NEWS/151217375/1994/NEWS

Exelon is questioning Franklin’s motive in filing to intervene in the permitting process of the company’s proposed power plant expansion, arguing that the town is driven by the possibility of a large settlement rather than environmental concerns. 

In a legal brief filed with the state Energy Facilities Siting Board late Monday, Exelon, in response to Franklin filing a petition to intervene, called attention to an Oct. 7 meeting of the Franklin Town Council, at which members briefly discussed the plant.

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http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20151215/NEWS/151217348/1994/NEWS

The Town Council elected Robert Vallee as its new vice-chairman last week, after a recount delayed its reorganization by nearly a month. 

Vallee, who had previously served as chairman, was named to the vice-chairmanship on a 5-4 vote.

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http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20151215/NEWS/151217346/1994/NEWS

Franklin Art Association - Jan 6 - Liz Haywood Sullivan

The Franklin Art Association will meet Wednesday Jan. 6th from 6:30 to 9:00 pm at the Franklin Senior Center, 10 Daniel McCahill Street.

Refreshments and socialization will begin at 6:30.

Liz Haywood Sullivan - digital photo

The program will feature well known pastel painter Liz Haywood Sullivan as the demonstrating artist.

Meetings are free and opened to the public.

For more information please visit our web site at www.franklinart.org
and Facebook at www.facebook.com/FranklinArtAssoc

For additional info on Liz, you can visit her webpage  http://www.lizhaywoodsullivan.com

FHS Basketball - Kelley-Rex Division Previews

The pre-season outlook for the FHS basketball teams is shared from the overall outlook provided by Hockomock Sports.

FRANKLIN - Girls - Kelly-Rex Division

2014-15 Record: 19-6 (13-3)
2014-15 Finish: Reached Div. 1 Central final
Head Coach: John Leighton

Most programs that lose all but one starter from a team that reached a sectional final would be thinking about rebuilding and the need for a transition year as new players get integrated. Franklin is counting on its system and the depth in its program to reload rather than rebuild this year. 

The Panthers reload will benefit from a healthy Lauren Rudolph. The senior guard missed a large portion of last season with an injury sustained during soccer season and added a big scoring punch off the bench when healthy, This year, Rudolph will take on a much larger role as Franklin’s primary scorer, but she also gives them a boost defensively and is good passer in the Panthers’ dribble drive set. 

The lone returning starter is senior Aubrie Kutil, who gives Franklin size and strength in the post on both ends of the court. Kutil will be aided by senior forwards Erin Skidmore and Caroline Maguire (who recovered from a volleyball injury to play in the opener) to crash the boards. Senior point guard Olivia Adiletto saw a lot of action last year and will take over as a starter. Junior Carli Koffinke is another player that will step into a bigger role as an offensive spark off the bench. 

Newcomers like juniors Isabella Faught and Margaux Welsh will help Franklin make another run at the Kelley-Rex title. Leighton said, “We’re blessed to have depth. We have girls that buy into the system and are willing to play their roles, which is huge for us.”

Continue to read about the girls Kelly-Rex Division
http://www.hockomocksports.com/girls-basketball-kelley-rex-division-preview-2015-16/

For the girls Davenport Division
http://www.hockomocksports.com/girls-basketball-davenport-division-preview-2015-16/

FHS Panthers

FRANKLIN - Boys - Kelly-Rex Division

2014-2015 Record: 18-6
2014-2015 Finish: Reached D1 Central Semifinal
Coach: CJ Neely

The Panthers were close to returning to the D1 Central Sectional Final last year but with four of the starters from that team graduated, there will be plenty of minutes to be had this season. Senior point guard Tim Prunier, who is one of the top players in the entire league, is the lone starter returning while forward Josh Macchi, who saw got some experience coming off the bench last year is also back. 

But just because names like Marcus Giese, Dylan Reno, Markus Bohmiller and Shawn Hanley are gone doesn’t mean the Panthers won’t be competitive this year. In fact, Franklin will likely be in the thick of the Kelley-Rex division race. There will be plenty of new faces but they almost all have good size and can shoot the ball, two traits that will make Franklin a tough opponent. And unsurprisingly, the Panthers will likely be one of the top defensive teams. 

“This is a team that only needs to focus on getting better each day,” head coach CJ Neely said. “Our goals are day to day improvement and we will let the results take care of themselves. We will pride ourselves on strong defense and tremendous effort and teamwork. Offensively, we have a lot of guys who are capable of playing well and as soon as we trust each other, make the extra pass and consistently compete together on both sides of the floor, I think we can have a good season. I have been very impressed with the team’s willingness to be coachable and get better each day. It should be a fun year.”

Continue to read about the boys Kelly-Rex Division
http://www.hockomocksports.com/boys-basketball-kelley-rex-division-preview-2015-2016/

For the boys Davenport Division
http://www.hockomocksports.com/boys-basketball-davenport-division-preview-2015-16/

Items of notes from Social Media: heroin epidemic, Every Student Succeeds Act, speed trap on Daniels St

Did you catch the piece on 60 Minutes?

View More: Newsmakers News|60 Minutes News|Live News|More News Videos

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From Glenn Jones

"Due to excessive speeding on Daniels St., speed traps have been requested and implemented. Thank you to our fine police force for stepping up to help slow things down. The most anyone should be doing on such a congested residential street is 25mph. Lots of children and families. Also, lots of deer. Slowing down will save your life."

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1551606135109407/permalink/1650124225257597/

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President Obama called it "a Christmas miracle. A bipartisan bill signing right here."

The "right here" was the South Court Auditorium, part of the White House complex. More importantly, the bipartisan bill being signed was the Every Student Succeeds Act — a long-overdue replacement of the unpopular federal education law known as No Child Left Behind. 

The new law changes much about the federal government's role in education, largely by scaling back Washington's influence. While ESSA keeps in place the basic testing requirements of No Child Left Behind, it strips away many of the high stakes that had been attached to student scores.

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/12/10/459219774/president-obama-signs-education-law-leaving-no-child-behind

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From Boston.Com an article on a HBO documentary about the heroin problem on Cape Cod.

"Massachusetts has an opiate overdose rate that is double the national average. In 2014, 978 Massachusetts residents died of an overdose. Now, a look into how heroin is impacting one part of the state will soon be the center of an HBO documentary, Heroin: Cape Cod, USA. 

The 76-minute film is directed by Steve Okazaki, who won an Academy Award for his documentary, Days of Waiting: The Life & Art of Estelle Ishigo. Heroin: Cape Cod, USA will focus on the stories of eight Cape Codders who are currently dealing with addiction, all in their 20s, and all with their own story of how their addiction began."

http://www.boston.com/entertainment/movies/2015/12/09/new-hbo-documentary-will-put-faces-cape-cod-tragic-heroin-problem/yqjpZtAA0NLd8PbsgZlWXM/story.html

New Trimester At Franklin School For The Performing Arts

The Franklin School for the Performing Arts (FSPA) begins a new trimester of instruction on Monday, December 14. Registration is ongoing for all programs. Prospective students and families are encouraged to visit the school in downtown Franklin to tour the facilities and try a complimentary class. Founded in 1985 by Director Raye Lynn Mercer, FSPA has been dedicated to the enjoyment of the arts for all ages and to the artistic growth and development of young people. The school offers an extensive roster of classes in all dance disciplines, acting, musical theater, voice, and instrumental instruction, whether for recreational enjoyment or serious study.

FSPA’s Music Department offers voice and instrumental private lessons, as well as group classes with ensemble performing opportunities. Little Music School®, an innovative pre-school music program developed by and taught exclusively at FSPA, teaches children as young as 18 months to play the piano. The Dance Department boasts a premiere faculty of accomplished artists and teachers, with classes offered at all levels in ballet, modern, jazz, tap, hip hop, lyrical and dance for musical theater. Special classes are featured for boys, adults and beginner teens. FSPA’s Drama program provides extensive instruction in acting and musical theater beginning in kindergarten. Ensemble opportunities include musical theater troupes for students in grades 5-12, with annual performance trips to Walt Disney World for select ensembles.

Franklin School for the Performing Arts

An unparalleled calendar of performing opportunities features musicals, plays, voice and instrumental recitals, opera scenes, acoustic coffee houses, musical theater showcases, performing troupes, dance companies, and instrumental ensembles. Many FSPA students also participate, by audition, in the affiliated Franklin Performing Arts Company’s annual season of shows.

On January 2, 2016, auditions will be held at FSPA for a host of all-student productions slated for performance in February through May. Open to any student enrolled at the school, these include Opera Scenes and Arias, the hit musical Grease, the dramatic play Mother Courage and Her Children, the classic Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, and the ballets Graduation Ball, Western Revelries, and Class Concert. All FSPA students who audition will be cast in these shows.

Register by phone or in person at 38 Main Street in Franklin. Students are welcome to begin classes and private instruction at any point throughout the year and tuition is pro-rated. For more information or to request a course catalogue and class schedule, call (508) 528-8668 or visit www.FSPAonline.com.

Dean College Children's Center Preschool Exploration Open House - January 11, 2016

Dean College Children's Center Hosts Preschool 

Exploration Open House, January 11, 2016

Dean Children's Center will host an Exploration Open House on Monday, January 11, 2016 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Parents of children 2 years old to 6 years are encouraged to bring their child to explore the school and learn about our program. Applications are being accepted for 5-day morning, 2-day morning, 3-day morning preschool programs or 4-day Pre-K program. Preschool begins January 2016 and September 2016.

Dean College

Innovative and progressive, the school is NAEYC accredited and well known in the community for an inspiring preschool experience. Dean Children's Center is a lab school for ECE majors, with teachers-in-training alongside credentialed teachers. The center has a very professional and caring environment for children to learn through exploration.

The school uses a developmental approach to education which reflects current research in child development and peer conflict resolution. Director Faith Nickolas states "We are a regional resource to parents and educators on peer conflict resolution in young children and our lab school is a demonstration site for best practices in early education of children."

Dean College Children's Center is located at 144 School Street in Franklin. For more information, call 508-541-1598. 

In the News: Medway objects, testing transition

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin

"In a letter to the state Energy Facilities Siting Board, Medway said it opposes Franklin’s intervention in the board’s permitting of Exelon’s proposed expansion of the existing power plant on Summer Street. 

The letter, written by Jeffrey Bernstein, a lawyer hired to represent the town in all dealings with Exelon, called into question the Franklin’s reasons for participation, calling them legally insufficient “to allow the late filing of a petition to intervene nearly six months” after the deadline to intervene in June. 

“The town of Medway has significant concerns about the veracity of statements made both in the Town of Franklin’s filings and the affidavit in support thereof,” Bernstein wrote."

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http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20151214/NEWS/151217920/1994/NEWS

"The Franklin School District is in the midst of transitioning from the MCAS test to PARCC, and school officials said local students performed well in both this past year. 

Assistant Superintendent Joyce Edwards noted that students outperformed the state in PARCC, but said the test itself is not in its final form. 

"It takes a very long time until a new test is fully tested and validated," she said. "I think it will be a few years before the data is completely reliable."

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http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20151214/NEWS/151217926/1994/NEWS