Wednesday, February 10, 2016

FHS girls top Taunton on Tuesday

Catching up to Tuesday's results

FHS Panthers
FHS Panthers

Girls Basketball


  • Taunton, 30 @ Franklin, 65 – Final 

– Erin Skidmore paced the Panthers with 15 points. Aubrie Kutil added 12 points and Catherine Gray had 10 for Franklin.


Boys Basketball


  • Franklin, 72 @ Taunton, 83 – Final 

– Quan Roberson scored a career-high 25 points and hauled in eight rebounds to go along with a pair of steals, blocks and assists to lead the Tigers. Jose Mercado added 19 points and seven rebounds, Tommy MacLean had 17 points, five assists and four rebounds, Dom Smith had 13 points, eight rebounds and three assists and Carlos Borrero had seven points, nine rebounds and five assists. Tim Prunier led Franklin with 20 points, four assists and three rebounds, sophomore Paul Mahon finished with 19 points, five rebounds and six steals and freshman Jay Dieterle had 17 points and seven rebounds.

For all the results around the Hockomock League on Tuesday
http://www.hockomocksports.com/tuesdays-schedule-scoreboard-020916/


Ryan Lanigan, Editor-in-Chief of Hockomock Sports.com writes:

"If there was one game that reflected on how this season has gone for Taunton, it was Tuesday night’s win over Franklin. 
The Tigers offense shot an impressive 57% from the floor, had 18 assists on 31 field goals, out-rebounded the Panthers 36-24 and scored over 80 points. 
Luckily that was enough to overcome 26 turnovers and over 70 points from Franklin. 
What has been an up and down season so far is currently back on the up side as Taunton scored an 83-72 win to sweep the season series against the Panthers."

Continue reading the article online
http://www.hockomocksports.com/efficient-offense-helps-taunton-boys-basketball-overcome-franklin-turnovers/

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Live reporting: through to Closing


5. Information Matters



  • Superintendent’s Report

listing of student athletes with NCAA acceptances
(add listing later)

Boston Globe Scholastic Art Awards announced
(find listing to add)

Thanks to the DPW, they have been running 24x7 Friday though Monday with the back to back storms

issues with ConnectedEd system, issues were state wide, will look at other options (i.e. email, Twitter, etc.)

How did we make the call so early? AP Government students were slated to leave at 5:00 AM Monday to go to NH for the campaign; they had been preparing for months for this trip

Family Science Night - Mar 10
so successful last year, coming back this year


School Committee Sub-Committee Reports
budget sub-committee did meet on needs for the budget
this is the budget cycle, what will the state provide is unknown at this time

School Committee Liaison Reports

joint PCC meeting, tremendous group of parents involved

Trivia Bee coming, 'pop culture' is the theme


7. Motion to Adjourn, second, passed 6-0

– Dr. O’Malley

Live reporting: Calendar Committee and Action Items


3. Discussion Only Items



  • Calendar Committee

MJ Scofield to lead as chair
looking at vacation schedules, holidays and opening day for students
looking to complete the analysis this year, target to get a recommendation for June, get ahead of the schedule if there are changes for the 2017-2018 schedule

no issues with quorum as the sub committee will not be making decisions



4. Action Items

a. I recommend acceptance of a check for $20.00 from a parent for district wide field trips.
motion to approve, seconded, passed 6-0

b. I recommend acceptance of a check for $700.00 from Target for field trips for Parmenter students. 
motion to approve, seconded, passed 6-0

c. I recommend acceptance of a check for $4,771.63 from the Jefferson PCC for field trips for Jefferson students.
motion to approve, seconded, passed 6-0

d. I recommend acceptance of the donation of HDMI Cables from JEM Electronics (approximate value $50) for districtwide use.
motion to approve, seconded, passed 6-0

Live reporting: ECDC Update



a. ECDC Update

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczLWk2bDJXMXVFTm9WYTNvS205S0tJWEw5bEpv/view?usp=sharing





Kelty Kelley, Principal of ECDC

Valentines prepared by students for the Senior Center

values learning through discovery

community garden started last year, grant from the Y, assistance from the DPW

ECDC is a tuition school, looking to improve and enhance development opportunities

eliminating the 2 day option next year
extending time in school programs overall, shortest program will be 3 days

piloting a single age group next year, will really be dependent upon the registration and enrollment for this option

raising expectations for student actually results in increased performance

technology, use of Google docs and use of Blogger
thematic unit updates for classrooms to bring to the families

introducing students to technology as a learning tool, iPads for example


big difference in the 3 days versus the 2 days

There is a scholarship program available

early education matters...


Live reporting: School Committee - Feb 9, 2016

Present:  Bergen, O'Malley, Schultz, Jewell, Douglas (late), Bilello (late)
Absent:  Scofield 



1. Routine Business


Citizen’s Comments 
none

Review of Agenda
minor adjustment on order of presentations

Minutes: I recommend approval of the minutes from the January 26, 2016 School Committee Meeting.
motion to accept, seconded, passed 4-0

Payment of Bills Dr. O’Malley
Payroll Mrs. Douglas (not present)

FHS Student Representatives

  • Alana
thanks for the past 2 snow days
caps and gowns coming soon, 


  • Julie 

new food policy for within the school building
teachers have discretion in their classrooms
new lanyard policy, have on their presence, need not wear them

parents dropping kids off in student parking lot
need to use the loop not the parking lot

Correspondence: Budget to Actual – Miriam Goodman



2. Guests/Presentations

b. Student Services Update 
Deborah Dixon, Director
Sue Borchard and Stephanie Geddis


reviewing the section 504 requirements
379 0r 6.7% percent of the students


McKinney-Vento Homeless Education

Q - on the immunization requirement
roughly 20 students in this category over the last 2 years
not that they don't need it, the records are normally required for admission
we serve them and then follow up on the records

special education is specially designed instruction for the students
requirements

Special ed programs at Jefferson, Keller and Oak St
all schools provide inclusion based class services

review of types of disabilities
autism the #1 category

full inclusion (608), partial inclusion (53) and sub separate (90) are the three types of delivery

some students are serviced outside the district

comments from Tom Hehir, special education educator at Harvard

Special education survey coming in March, targeting families and faculty

Leaping into Kindergarten, Feb 29 (leap day)

Students
Best Buddies at FHS now on Twitter
@bestFHSbuddies    https://twitter.com/BestFHSBuddies

getting buddies involved with more than just football
did volleyball, basketball and working on others

Best Buddies Holiday party

pep rally before the Thanksgiving break

Jason, co-president of Best Buddies at FHS

Parents
"when parents are involved, the success is marvelous"

SEPAC Chair - Sara Mulcahey

parents can help each other, recommendations, support
monthly workshops open to the public

http://franklinsepac.org/

The SEPAC group is a 501(c)3 operating separately but collaboratively with the school district

Caryn Budd, Vice Chair SEPAC
mother of Korey, now 16 with a passion for life
Guild School, Waltham

O'Malley - thanks, very proud of the students

Jewell - comments to reinforce the parents getting involved with their children's development, it is so critical to the overall success

Bilello - use of more technology to help with some of the disabilities, need more professional development to support the teachers servicing the students

Bergen - is it tracked to see how many students with services eventually don't need the services?
- it is tracked but we haven't got the numbers handy





Franklin, MA: School Committee - Agenda - Feb 9

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 Public Schools "the key to learning"
Franklin Public Schools "the key to learning"


1. Routine Business 

  • Citizen’s Comments 
  • Review of Agenda 
  • Minutes: I recommend approval of the minutes from the January 26, 2016 School Committee Meeting. 
  • Payment of Bills Dr. O’Malley 
  • Payroll Mrs. Douglas 
  • FHS Student Representatives 
  • Correspondence: Budget to Actual – Miriam Goodman


2. Guests/Presentations
a. ECDC Update 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczLWk2bDJXMXVFTm9WYTNvS205S0tJWEw5bEpv/view?usp=sharing

b. Student Services Update

3. Discussion Only Items

  • Calendar Committee


4. Action Items
a. I recommend acceptance of a check for $20.00 from a parent for district wide field trips. 
b. I recommend acceptance of a check for $700.00 from Target for field trips for Parmenter students. c. I recommend acceptance of a check for $4,771.63 from the Jefferson PCC for field trips for Jefferson students.
d. I recommend acceptance of the donation of HDMI Cables from JEM Electronics (approximate value $50) for districtwide use.

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. Motion to Adjourn 
– Dr. O’Malley

In the News: family science night, Dean performance scheduled, Circle of Friends concert

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin

The high school will hosts its second annual "Family Science Night" next month - an event intended to encourage science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) interest on the part of elementary and middle school students. 
The event - scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, March 10 - will be organized by the high school's Science National Honor Society group. 
The group, said high school science teacher Ann Butler, is comprised of students who have reached a certain GPA in science subjects. This is the society's largest event of the year. 
"Last year, the idea was to invite elementary students to the night, and it was a wild, wild hit," said Butler. "We never anticipated the crowds we got - it was about 300 kids."
Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160208/franklin-science-night-set-for-march



The School of the Arts at Dean College will perform “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” March 2-6 in the Performing Arts Studios Stage at Dean College, 61 School St. 
“Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” is the tale of Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet” as told from the view of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. 
The Dean College production will take place at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday – Saturday; 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160208/dean-college-to-present-rosencrantz-and-guildenstern-are-dead



The Circle of Friends Coffeehouse will host Seth Glier at 8 p.m. Feb. 27 in the First Universalist Society’s Meetinghouse, 262 Chestnut St. 
A singer-songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist who averages over 250 live performances annually, Glier has gone from opening act to headlining his own shows and playing major festivals. He’s shared the stage with artists as diverse as James Taylor, Ani DiFranco, Edwin McCain, Martin Sexton, Emmylou Harris and Ryan Adams. For more on Glier, visit sethglier.com.

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160208/circle-of-friends-coffeehouse-to-host-seth-glier

Circle of Friends Coffeehouse
Circle of Friends Coffeehouse

Memory Café - Feb 18 - 3:00 PM


Memory Café

Thursday-February 18th at 3:00 pm.

Please join us!

We will be hosting a small dog for a pet visit.

Please join us in the Cafeteria 
at the Franklin Senior Center.

The Café is free of charge and open to the public.

We will serve light refreshments!


Please call Elaine Owens at 508-520-4945 to sign up.


Franklin Senior Center
Franklin Senior Center

Pastel Art Classes Begin February 25



Franklin Public Schools            Lifelong Learning Institute  

THE CENTER FOR ADULT EDUCATION and COMMUNITY LEARNING 
is pleased to announce 
 PASTEL CLASS
Don't wait  ........ 
start painting now
Pick up a pastel stick and work with one of the oldest art medium known to man. Seeing pure pigment on a surface will heighten your interest to place color where you want it, where it stays.  Color is all around us and we will capture some of it with pastels.   We will begin with working with different strokes, shapes, design, negative/positive space, layering, minimal blending, and graduated color.   You will learn how to preserve your completed work.  There will be one-on-one attention, tips and techniques, and working from still life set ups, moving onto land/seascape compositions with weekly critiques to further one's learning experience.
February 25
through
March 31

Franklin High School
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

$75.00


The class is taught by GAIL ECKBERG, a full-time teaching artist
     

218 Oak Street, Franklin, MA 02038, adulted@franklin.k12.ma.us, 508-613-1480
Forward this email


FPS- Lifelong Learning | 355 East Central Street | Franklin | MA | 02038


Monday, February 8, 2016

Random Smile Project Gala - March 12

Random Smile Project (RSP)  is celebrating 10 years of community service with our Gala on March 12th at the Providence Convention Center there will be 

  • Live and Silent auction
  • Dinner and Dancing with the Grab Brothers Band 

Discounted room rates available at the Omni Hotel in Providence

Complete information available at www.randomsmile.org/gala/

Random Smile Project Gala - March 12
Random Smile Project Gala - March 12

The Grab Brothers Band will play for your entertainment and dancing




"every conversation is an opportunity to engage and delight customers"


"Interactions, a Franklin-based tech firm backed by $110 million in venture capital funding, has debuted what its CEO calls "game-changing innovations" for its virtual assistant technology. 
The company works to improve conversations between humans and automated customer service software. This week, it announced new technologies that make an automated virtual assistant as smart as a human customer-service agent."
Continue reading the article in the Boston Business Journal
http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/techflash/2016/02/franklin-tech-firm-develops-a-new-kind-of-customer.html

screen grab of Interactions website
screen grab of Interactions website

Norfolk County Registry of Deeds: Register O'Donnell Reports on Jan '16 Real Estate Activity



Norfolk County Registry of Deeds

Register O'Donnell Reports on Jan '16 Real Estate Activity

Norfolk County Register of Deeds William P. O'Donnell reported a mostly positive kick-off to the New Year relative to Norfolk County real estate activity for month of January, but a few numbers still need to be closely watched throughout the first quarter of 2016.

"I am pleased to report that January 2016 real estate sales activity showed solid gains in both the total number of real estate transactions and total dollar volume of real estate activity, including commercial and residential sales, compared to the same month in 2015," noted Register O'Donnell.

'The number of real estate sales, both commercial and residential, increased a whopping 28% in January. The average sales price during the month was $680,350, a 4% increase compared to January 2015. Total dollar volume of commercial and residential sales also showed solid gains, increasing an impressive 34% to $514.3 million," noted the Register.

Continuing his remarks, O'Donnell stated, "The lending market was a mixed bag for the month of January. The total number of mortgages recorded in January was 1,982, a modest 5% increase. However, total mortgage financing actually fell 7% coming in at $764 million. We will need to watch this number closely to see if individuals and business begin to think twice before borrowing money."

On the consumer front, Homestead recordings in January increased by 23% year over year. Information regarding the Homestead Act, which provides limited protection against the forced sale of an individual's primary residence to satisfy unsecured debt up to $500,000, can be found on the Registry's website at www.norfolkdeeds.org.

Foreclosure activity in Norfolk County continued to be a cause for concern as it does throughout the state. Register O'Donnell stated, "The good news in January was that the number of foreclosure deeds fell by 25% year over year. However, when it comes to foreclosures, we are by no means out of the woods. What is troubling is the big increase in the amount of Notice to Foreclose Mortgage recordings, the first step in the foreclosure process. In January, 97 Notice to Foreclose Mortgage filings were recorded as compared to 59 in January 2015. This is a clear indication that despite the good economy in eastern Massachusetts, some of our neighbors continue to face economic hardship.

"The Registry of Deeds continues to work with its partners Quincy Community Action Programs and Neighbor Works Southern Mass to help homeowners who have received a Notice to Foreclose Mortgage. Another option for homeowners who are facing the challenges of meeting their monthly mortgage payment is to contact the Attorney General's HomeCorps program for assistance."

Register O'Donnell concluded, "The data clearly shows that the Norfolk County market is on solid footing. As the next 12 to 18 months progresses, it will also be interesting to see how much the General Electric headquarters move to Boston will impact the local housing market. However, a story that may have just the opposite effect is the recent decline in the stock market. Individuals who are seeing significant losses in their portfolios may pause before considering a real estate purchase or home improvement. Another factor not to be discounted is the real estate inventory, which if remains low, can have a negative impact on real estate sales, particularly for first-time home buyers."

To learn more about these and other Registry of Deeds events and initiatives, like us at facebook.com/NorfolkDeeds or follow us on twitter.com/NorfolkDeeds.

The Norfolk County Registry of Deeds, located at 649 High Street, Dedham, is the principal office for real property in Norfolk County. The Registry is a resource for homeowners, title examiners, mortgage lenders, municipalities and others with a need for secure, accurate, accessible land record information. Residents in need of assistance can contact the Registry of Deeds Customer Service Center at (781) 461-6101, or on the web at www.norfolkdeeds.org.


Register William P. O'Donnell
Norfolk County Registry of Deeds

phone: 781-234-3336

Forward email





Norfolk County Registry of Deeds | 649 High Street | Dedham, | MA | 02026-1831

screen grab of the Norfolk Deeds Consumer Alert webpage
screen grab of the Norfolk Deeds Consumer Alert webpage

FHS girls and boys basketball top King Philip

Girls Basketball


  • King Philip, 30 @ Franklin, 45 – Final


Tipoff to start the game
Tipoff to start the game

Boys Basketball


  • King Philip, 42 @ Franklin, 64 – Final


FHS free throw in 1Q
FHS free throw in 1Q


Ryan Lanigan, Editor in Chief of Hockomock Sports, provides the detail write up on the boys game:

Despite holding the league’s best record, Franklin was starting to develop a bad habit. 
For the past three games the Panthers have had sluggish starts and have had to battle their way back. 
Based on how Franklin started on Sunday afternoon, it looks like they’ve snapped out of it. 
Franklin started out with full court pressure and forced three consecutive turnovers in just over two minutes of play and forced another that resulted pointed and by the halfway mark of the first quarter grabbed hold of a 16-4 lead. After a timeout from the Warriors, Franklin continued its pressure and ended to quarter on a 8-4 run to take a 24-8 lead after just a quarter of play.

Continue to read the article online
http://www.hockomocksports.com/franklin-uses-fast-start-in-sunday-matinee-win-over-kp/

Hockomock Sports photos from swim championships

Photos from the Hockomock League Swim Championships have been posted by Hockomock Sports. The FHS girls team won on Saturday. The KP boys team won on Sunday and the FHS boys finished 7th.

FHS swimmer checking the results
FHS swimmer checking the results (Hockomock Sports photo)

girls meet photos

https://hockomocksports.smugmug.com/20152016/Winter-201516/Hockomock-Girls-Swim/i-r77LSfP

boys meet photos

https://hockomocksports.smugmug.com/20152016/Winter-201516/Hockomock-Boys-Swim/

KP wins boys title

http://www.hockomocksports.com/kp-back-on-top-at-hockomock-swim-championship/

In the News: electrical aggregation, SAFE outreach, bone marrow drive, pajama and sock drive

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin
The town has contracted with an area company as it continues to explore a move that could bring down residents' power bills. 
Deputy Town Administrator Jamie Hellen announced that the town has reached an agreement with Marlborough firm Colonial Power Group, and will be pursuing municipal electrical aggregation solutions with them. 
"I think they've contracted with two or three other communities in the area," he said. "In all, I believe they have half a million customers in their portfolio."
Colonial Power Group
Colonial Power Group

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160207/franklin-moves-forward-with-aggregation


A task force aimed at combating the current opioid epidemic is looking at several ways to reach out to area addicts, including possible police "ride alongs." 
James Derick, president of the Support for Addicts and Families by Empowerment (SAFE) Coalition, spoke - before a recent lecture by Harvard Professor Robert Putnam - of several initiatives the group is undertaking. 
One of the coalition's goals, Derick said, is to reach out to addicts in need of help. To that end, it has applied for grants to ride along with area police departments on certain drug calls.
Safe Coalition
Safe Coalition

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160207/franklin-safe-looks-at-outreach-for-addicts


Residents gathered for a bone marrow donor registration drive Saturday in support of a Franklin resident’s sister who is searching for a bone marrow match. 
Jennifer Felicetti, a New Jersey resident, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia after being hospitalized on Christmas Eve. She is currently receiving aggressive treatment, but doctors think a bone marrow transplant is her best option in hopes of beating the disease. 
There are no matching donors in her family so Felicetti is now on a waiting list to find a matching donor somewhere in the world.

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160206/bone-marrow-drive-supports-franklin-family


The Student Government at Jefferson Elementary School is conducting a pajama and sock drive through Feb. 12 to benefit the Friends of Foster Care and Comfort Cases for kids. All collected pajamas and socks will be included within a backpack and delivered to the children as they begin their journey with a new foster home.

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160206/jefferson-elementary-school-holding-pajama-sock-drive