Sipping and Saving Event at Pour Richard's - Feb 25

MBTA: Update: Franklin Line delays due to Amtrak signal should be resolved

The AMTRAK signal problem experienced on Thursday is not resolved yet. THis just in: 

"Franklin Line notice: The Amtrak signal issue has been resolved and all trains will operate on a regular schedule into and out of South Station. 

Last updated: Feb 19 2016 05:47 AM"

"Franklin Line notice: All trains will originate/terminate at South Station for Friday, 2/19.  Trains may experience 15-30 min delays." Last updated: Feb 18 2016 10:10 PM Sent by the MBTA.

commuter rail at Franklin/Dean Station

Franklin resident expects fast races in State Meet

Anthony Delasanta lives in Franklin:

"They have the fastest feet in the Commonwealth and two of the most powerful bursts of energy coming out of the starting blocks in the state. Record-holders in their own rights, they have set the pace for indoor track this winter at both, Norton High School and Bishop Feehan High School. 

Norton High's record-setting senior sprinter Abu Ceesay is ranked No. 1 in the state in the 55 meter dash (6.47 seconds) and No. 2 in the state in the 300 meter dash (34.84). Meanwhile, Bishop Feehan High's record-setting senior sprinter Anthony Delasanta is ranked No. 2 in the state in the 55 dash (6.56 seconds) and No. 1 in the state in the 300 meter dash (34.83). 

On Saturday at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston, the Lancer and the Shamrock will take the starting line to run against each other in both events at the MIAA State Championship Meet."

....

 Norton High’s Abu Ceesay, left, and Bishop Feehan High’s Anthony Delasanta, right, will face off at the MIAA State Championship Meet. (Photo by Tom Maguire/ The Sun Chronicle)

"This is not only pretty cool, but something special," said Kirkland, presiding over a Delasanta workout on Tuesday. Delasanta, a resident of Franklin, has been nurtured in the sprints by current Shamrock assistant Jason Brown, while also having come under the guidance of track gurus Bob L'Homme, Latif Thomas and Paul Powell. 

"Abu is such a humble kid too," Taylor said of the special needs student with Ceesay being hearing impaired and requiring the aid of a translator (Sharon Hollis) for both his academic and athletic pursuits. "Abu is always the first one to say that, 'Even though track is an individual sport, I want to do this for the team.' " 

Because Ceesay is deaf, he has special needs for track meets too. Taylor received approval from the MIAA and MSTCA for a strobe light which the Lancer runner can see at the start of a dash since he is unable to hear a starter's gun."

Continue reading the full article online in The Sun Chronicle
http://www.thesunchronicle.com/sports/local_sports/h-s-track-norton-s-ceesay-feehan-s-delasanta-to/article_79316902-4bd8-5f0d-8625-06687dfae4ef.html

Why is August 1, 2008 so important to Chris?

Chris Herren comes to Franklin High School auditorium on Monday, Feb 29th.

"Chris is a Fall River native who dreamed of playing in the NBA. That dream came true when he became a Boston Celtics having been traded to his home town by Denver in 1999. Chris then lost it all and nearly his life to addiction and substance abuse disorder. Clean and sober since 2008, Chris now devotes his life to inspiring people of all ages. Please join us to hear Chris tell about his journey!"

screen grab of The Herren Project

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/08/why-do-you-feel-need-to-change-who-you.html

Both FHS hockey teams post wins, girls swim team finishes 6th in MIAA Sectional meet

Boys Hockey

• Franklin, 3 vs. Needham, 2 – Final (OT) 

– Franklin’s Jake Downie scored in overtime to give the Panthers the win. Luke Downie scored the two goals in regulation.The game counts as a tie for MIAA purposes.

Girls Hockey

• Franklin, 10 vs. Central Catholic, 3 – Final

For all the results around the Hockomock League on Wednesday
http://www.hockomocksports.com/wednesdays-schedule-scoreboard-021716/

FHS Panthers

Catching up to the swim results from the weekend meets as posted by Hockomock Sports

Swimming

"The MIAA held its South/Central Sectional meets over the weekend at MIT. The girls competed on Saturday and the boys made a splash on Sunday. 

On the boys side, King Philip had the best team placement, finishing in fourth but Attleboro was right behind in fifth place. The Bombardiers had the lone first place finishes for Hock swimmers on the boys side with River Wright (200 IM) Dylon Willis (100 Breaststroke) each finishing first. 

For the girls, Franklin was the top team by coming in sixth overall. Sophomore Ashley Loomis had a pair of wins with victories in the 200 Free and the 500 Free."

For the detail results follow this link 
http://www.hockomocksports.com/hockomock-swimming-results-from-miaa-swimming-sectional-meets/

MassBudget: Feeding Students, Counting Kids, Distributing Chapter 70 Aid: Two New Briefs from MassBudget

Feeding Students, Counting Kids, Distributing Chapter 70 Aid: Two New Briefs from MassBudget    MassBudget is releasing two new papers analyzing the issues below, available HERE and HERE. To expand educational opportunity by making sure that more students are well-fed and ready to learn, the federal government has created a program that allows schools to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students in districts with large numbers of low-income students. Schools that implement this program, called Community Eligibility, no longer collect paper forms from every child to determine who is eligible for free or reduced price meals. Instead, schools use a data matching system to automatically enroll for school meals those students who are already enrolled in other programs that support low-income families. This program improves efficiency and expands access to school meals. The transition to this new system has created logistical challenges for other school programs - in particular, our Chapter 70 school funding formula - that have for many years used income data collected through the traditional paper forms. The Governor's budget, following a recommendation of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), proposes some reforms that seek to address these challenges. It also proposes additional reforms in the way aid is provided to districts with large numbers of low-income students. In Proposed Low-Income Student Changes Would Have Varied Chapter 70 Impact we describe the proposals, identify promising elements, and detail ways in which the proposals do not solve some important problems. Specifically, by using data that dramatically undercount low-income students in some districts - but not in others - this proposal leads some districts to receive significantly less aid for their schools than they would have received if their low-income students were being counted more accurately. This brief includes Chapter 70 detail under two alternative scenarios for every district in the Commonwealth. In Direct Certification for School Meals: Feeding Students, Counting Kids, Funding Schools we describe a number of solutions that would improve the effectiveness of the direct certification system and its ability to accurately identify low-income students. These solutions include extending the automatic matching system and including all relevant programs, improving the ability of the automated program to identify matches, expanding the ability of schools to resolve partial data matches, and making sure that all low-income families are enrolled in the food and health care programs for which they are eligible. By delaying the use of new direct certification data in the Chapter 70 formula and implementing the strategies that could make that data more comprehensive, the state could get a more accurate count of low-income kids for our school funding system and other programs. These efforts would also have the benefit of ensuring that families are enrolled in programs for which they are eligible, helping more kids and families avoid hunger and stay healthy. 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 Sent by nberger@massbudget.org in collaboration with screen grab of MassBudget report

Information Presentation on Death with Dignity

A Death with Dignity Informational Presentation will take place at the First Universalist Society, 262 Chestnut Street on Sunday, Feb 28th, from 1-2:30 p.m. 

The presenter will be Marie Manis, Massachusetts Campaign Manager for Compassion and Choices, which is the leading nonprofit organization working to improve care and expand choice at the end of life.

Compassion and Choices

For more than 30 years they have increased people's quality of life and given them added peace of mind in their final days – even when injury or illness takes their voice. They work to change attitudes, practices and policies so that everyone can access the information and options they need to have more control and comfort in their final days. 

You will hear more about the national aid in dying movement and the bill currently in the MA legislature co-sponsored by 29 lawmakers, and find out what you can do to support it. 

This event is open to the public.