Teen Yoga Classes - - - Don't Miss Out

Beginning March 22 to May 17 3:15 - 4:00 PM Fee: $100      Location Tranquil Souls 15 E Central St  Franklin, MA TEEN YOGA SERIES Exciting, fun program Appropriate for girls ages 14 - 17. This class will empower teenagers to become more self-aware and confident. The girls will gain a sense of well-being while developing strength and flexibility. They will also learn breathing and relaxation techniques. Through a playful mix of heart-opening poses, thoughtful discussion, mediation and breath work, students will be exposed to the concepts of non-violence, truthfulness, gratitude, moderation, and the cultivation of compassion and joy. . REGISTER  Forward this email

FPS- Life Long Learning, 355 East Central Street, Franklin, MA 02038 Sent by lifelong@franklin.k12.ma.us in collaboration with Try it free today

Franklin Liquors: St Patrick's Day Newsletter And Sale

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Franklin Liquors Home Page h     Fine Cigars In Stock We Sell ALL MA Lottery Vintage 1978 #shopfranklin  St Patrick's Day Newsletter   Let us help you get your Irish on!  Many gift ideas in stock. Also in this newsletter is information on food pairings ,Irish items in stock and our favorite Irish treat. Have A Safe And Happy St Patrick's Day Mark&Mike Franklin Liquors #shopfranklin     Franklin Liquors 363 East Central St 508-528-7338 Hours: Mon-Thurs 9:00AM-9:00PM Fri and Sat 9:00AM-9:00PM Sunday 10:00PM (STATE LAW)-6PM Find Us On Social Media      ST PATRICK'S DAY WINE IDEAS    Featuring Grady Family Vineyards     Located in the heart of California's Lodi Wine Appellation, the Grady Family Vineyards produces high quality Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Pinot Grigio wine grapes. The climate, soil, vineyard design and careful vineyard management combine into the craftsmanship of these premium varietal wine grapes from an area that so many have come to know for quality and exceptional value.   About the Grady Family Vineyards    The family first vineyard was in  1998 on a 50 acre parcel approximately 3 miles west / southwest of downtown Lodi, California. Evening Delta breezes cool the area during  warm summers producing fully ripened wine grapes known for their balanced tannin structures, fruitiness and ample acidity. The vineyard is managed by Jim Grady III, a Fresno State viticulture graduate. Wine making started in 2001. After several successful vintages and a Silver medal at the California State Fair, they decided to begin commercial production. In the spring of 2008, they began distributing their wines throughout the United States. This winery is what we love! Family Vineyard,Small Production,Great Quality!    The Wines Save  10-20% on 750ml wines   We offer an EVERYDAY discount on 750ml wines. Save 10% on 6 and 20% on 12 bottles.  You can mix or match!  BEST Wine discount around!

Franklin Liquors, 363 East Central St, Franklin, MA 02038 Sent by franklinliquors@verizon.net in collaboration with Try it free today

Upcoming Events in Franklin, MA Area: FRI 3/11/16 - THU 3/17/16

FRIDAY 3/11/16
6:30pm   Art Night Uncorked at the Franklin Art Center

SATURDAY 3/12/16
9am-12pm  Bottle and Can Drive at FHS to support All Night Party
9-11:30am  20th Annual Spring Baseball Clinic - Session 2 (ages 7-13), at FHS, registration required.
9am   Shamrock Shuffle at Medway HS
12-2:30pm  20th Annual Spring Baseball Clinic - Session 2 (ages 7-13), at FHS, registration required.
1-3pm   Free Chocolate and Wine Tasting at Green Mountain Chocolate - Hopedale location
1-2pm   Adult Coffee and Craft - Spring Votives - at the Franklin Public Library
2pm   FPAC presents: The Little Mermaid at The Black Box
6pm   Random Smile Project GALA at the Rhode Island Convention Center
7:30pm   FPAC presents: The Little Mermaid at The Black Box
8pm   Circle of Friends Coffeehouse: Susan Werner with special guest Matt Nakoa at FUSF

SUNDAY 3/13/16
7:30-10:30am   Sunday Morning Breakfast at Franklin Rod and Gun Club
2pm   FPAC presents: The Little Mermaid at The Black Box
3pm   Teen Paint Party at the Franklin Public Library

TUESDAY 3/15/16
6:30pm   Student Advisory Board Meeting at the Franklin Public Library

WEDNESDAY 3/16/16
6:30pm   Doggie Tales - Read to a Dog (grades 2 and up) at Franklin Public Library - registration required
7pm   Franklin SEPAC Workshop: Mass Health and CBHI presented by representatives from You, Inc. - at the Town Hall

THURSDAY 3/17/16
3pm   Memory Cafe for Caregivers and their Loved Ones - free, but please register - Franklin Senior Center
4-5pm   Lego Club at Franklin Public Library

For all the Town of Franklin Public Meetings click HERE.

For event details click HERE.

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

What’s a Revaluation? … What does a Revaluation look like?

By Kevin Doyle, Director of Assessing, Town of Franklin

"As you may know, the Town of Franklin is embarking on its revaluation for Fiscal Year 2017 (July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017).

For local cities and towns in Massachusetts, most revenue is raised through local “ad valorem” taxation, which is taxation on local real and personal (primarily business assets) property “according to value”. Since valuation is the basis for taxation, about 35 years ago court decisions and legislation resulted in state mandates to assure “Full and Fair Taxation” with every community revaluing all property every 3 years. Previously, while assessors recognized the importance of updating property records and values, there was often a perceived or real local government concern that once revalued, the city or town may appear to the state to be wealthier relative to its need to receive state aid. Thus, the state made it clear that this was a new mandate for uniformity statewide, thus state aid at least as value is concerned should be fairer. During this same time, Proposition 2 ½ was passed to place controls on the level and future growth of overall local property tax revenue.

Massachusetts residents got used to every 3rd year being a Revaluation Year. The expectation was that there would be a significant increase in the number of assessing agents, mostly data collectors, during the time leading up to revaluation. There was concern that with a revaluation, there was a greater chance that both valuations and tax bills would increase quite a bit. However, right from the start the intention was to create a system to equalize values to achieve uniform full and fair cash values. For properties that appreciated at a higher rate than others, there would be greater tax increases over time, which was to be expected, since these taxes were to be levied on property “according to value’.

Valuation schedules have to be tested on specific market or sales data and adjusted accordingly to reflect the changes that have taken place since the last revaluation. While to revalue property doesn’t necessarily require recollecting all property data every 3 years, a periodic recollection every 5 to 9 years is state mandated and needed to achieve appropriate property valuations.

So if a Revaluation takes place every 3rd year, why does my tax bill usually have a different value every year? Over the past 3 ½ decades, there have been both market increases and decreases, and these of course don’t wait to happen for your next Revaluation. Thus, assessors began to make value adjustments more frequently as needed, until finally in this last decade it was recognized and mandated by the state that valuations needed to be tested annually and adjusted if and as needed. For the property owners and for the assessors, this really means that every year is a revaluation year. 

Annual updates provide greater assurance that valuations are being equalized town wide and generally lessen the chance for greater tax bill sticker-shock. However, even if the market is flat, property changes, such as home improvements, are included in property record annual updates and thus may result in a property value change. Also, most cities and towns will be sure to levy the 2 ½ % allowable overall limit increase annually, thus a minimum tax increase of 2 ½ % should be anticipated for every property.

The assessors recommend you familiarize yourself with the records and data they maintain on your property. You can search your property on our website using the Town’s GIS systems by clicking here. (Note: suggested browser is Firefox or Internet Explorer)

Please inquire if you believe the data may be inaccurate. Errors on your property record can often best be reviewed and corrected proactively before the start of the next fiscal year’s actual tax."

The Board of Assessors can be reached at 508-520-4920.

Franklin Board of Assessors

This was shared from the Franklin webpage
http://franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_News/0235841E-000F8513

Franklin High School PCC - Meeting - Mar 14 - 7:00 PM

The next Franklin High School PCC meeting will be taking place on Monday, March 14th at 7 pm in the FHS Library. The Science Department Head, Bill Bobrowsky will be presenting. We will also have school counselors presenting on the topic of substance abuse and parental resources. Please spread the word! We look forward to seeing you there.

Below is the agenda:

FRANKLIN HIGH SCHOOL PCC
MEETING AGENDA

March 14, 2016
1. Welcome

2. Principal Peter Light / Deputy Principal Paul Perri
• Opening Remarks

3. School Adjustment Counselors - Discussion on substance abuse and parental resources

4. Department Head Introduction/Presentation
• William Bobrowsky - Science

5. Important Dates:
• March 23 - Spring FHS Music Concert @ 7:00pm in the Auditorium
• March 25th - No School-Good Friday
• March 30th - Half Day PDD Dismissal at 10:50 AM
• APRIL – Franklin Food Pantry donations – All month long there will be a collection box At FHS!
• April 1st - Sophomore Dance from 7PM-10PM in the FHS Cafeteria
• April 12th - Jazz Night @7 PM in the FHS Auditorium
• April 18th - April 22nd-Spring Break
• April 29th - Half Day PDD Dismissal at 10:50 AM
• April 29th - Prom for Juniors 7PM-11PM

6. Upcoming PCC Meetings:
May 9, 2016

main entrance - Franklin High School

In the News: Medway official unhappy; municipal energy aggregation proceeds for Franklin

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin

"(Medway) Town officials are unhappy with a group opposed to Exelon’s proposed 200-megawatt expansion of the company’s existing Summer Street facility. 

The group, which operates a Facebook page called STOP Medway Power Plant, earlier this week posted a Connecticut Post article that highlighted power plant opponents. 

The story cited a proposal from Competitive Power Ventures (CPV) to build a 580-megawatt power plant in Walpole in 2008, when Medway Town Administrator Michael Boynton served the same role in that town."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160310/medway-exelon-town-officials-unhappy-with-opposition-posts

"The Town Council approved a municipal energy aggregation plan with the hopes that it will save local electricity customers money on their bills. 

The council heard a presentation about the merits of an agreement with Colonial Power Group during its Wednesday meeting. 

Representatives from the group, as well as the consulting firm Community Paradigm Associate, gave a brief slideshow presentation about municipal aggregation, which would have the town seek bids from power suppliers. Municipal aggregation options, they said, typically save customers money and - since the town can determine the length of its contract - can enjoy more stability from rate fluctuations. 

Officials also noted that though residents will be included in the program by default, they may choose to opt out when they wish."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160310/franklin-council-approves-power-plan


Note: I am pleased the aggregation was approved. I was pleased to learn that I did not need to sign up. I would have been happy to be among the first to do so. However, as announced during the Town Council meeting, all Franklin will be enrolled by default and can opt out at anytime. 

6th Grader charter students create movie trailers for books read

6th grade students at the Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter School created movie trailers for the books they read. They gathered images, sounds and created the textual commentary to prepare the short movies. An example of one of the trailers is shown here.

making Grade 6 iMovie book trailers

Follow this link to view all the book trailers created
http://padlet.com/tword/booktrailers

This was shared from the BFCCPS website here
http://bfccps.org/grade-6-imovie-book-trailers/

Meals on Wheels fundraising

The Tri-Valley Meals on Wheels program is holding two fundraisers for March. The first, a raffle, with tickets $3 each or 2 for $5. You can purchase the tickets by calling Meals on Wheels at 508-949-6640.

Meals on Wheels raffle

The second is an Italian dinner being held on Thursday, March 31. Tickets for this are $7 and can also be obtained by calling Meals on Wheels at 508-949-6640

Italian dinner - Thursday, March 31

Big Night! Vernal Pools come alive in Franklin

With spring-like weather expected this week and into the next few weeks, the Conservation Commission reminds you to keep your eyes and ears open for signs of "Big Night".

Big Night is the term we use for those first few warm, rainy nights of spring. The warmer weather and rain cue wood frogs and salamanders to begin migration, through forests and across roadways, to local vernal pools to breed. Vernal pools, as their name suggests are small depressions that collect snow melt and rain in the spring and fill for just a few short months, providing a safe place for some frogs and salamanders to breed.

These animals live in the uplands during most of the year and move in large numbers to the pool they were hatched in on these nights. If you’re lucky, you’ll hear wood frogs (they sound a little like quacking ducks) and spring peepers in the next few weeks.

If you are lucky enough to witness or hear nature's musings, please enjoy! And then do not forget to call the Conservation Department at 508-520-4929 to report it.

You can learn more about vernal pools here: vernalpool.org

image from vernalpool.org

This was shared from the Franklin webpage
http://franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_News/02358E87-000F8513

Dean College Presents: Hair, April 6-10, 2016

The School of the Arts at Dean College will perform Hair, beginning Wednesday, April 6, 2016 through Sunday, April 10, 2016.

Dean College presents Hair

Set in the turbulent era of the Vietnam War and "Free Love," Hair presents the rock music and revolutionary culture that went with it on the stage. This show has a vitality, a timelessness, and a meaning that outlives the late 1960's and early 1970's in America. It has a strong effect on everyone and acts as a bridge between generations and viewpoints. 

What looks like incredible chaos is actually organized chaos. Phenomenal musical numbers include Aquarius, Good Morning Starshine, I Believe in Love, Hair, I Got Life and What a Piece of Work is Man and Hippie Life. You won't want to miss our talented students perform this musical performance!

The Dean College production of Hair will take place in the Main Stage in the Campus Center at Dean College, 99 Main Street, Franklin at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday – Saturday and 2:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets range from $5-$22 and can be purchased online. PARENTAL DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

To learn more and purchase tickets, visit www.dean.edu/boxoffice.

For the 3rd time, the road for FHS ended against St John's

Ryan Lanigan, Editor in Chief, Hockomock Sports provides the details on the FHS basketball game on Wednesday.

"Numbers don’t always tell the whole story of a game, but they certainly help explain what happened. 

Franklin went from shooting 50% in the first half to just 26% from the floor in the second. 

Franklin hit half of their six three point attempts in the first half but struggled from deep in the second half, going 1/9. 

St. John’s shot over 40% from the field for the game (nearly 50% in the second half), had a plus-15 advantage on the glass and went 16/19 from the free throw line. 

Those numbers totaled up to a 67-52 win for St. John’s over Franklin in the D1 Central Sectional Final."

Continue reading the article online
http://www.hockomocksports.com/franklin-boys-basketball-downed-by-st-johns-in-d1-central-final/

Franklin senior Tim Prunier dribbles past a St. John;s defender in the second half. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)

From the Twitterverse

This is a joke right? Proves Central is way too small. https://t.co/h4Jt014RfW

— Ryan Lanigan (@R_Lanigan) March 10, 2016

A great season comes to an end pic.twitter.com/SzMcMJUHNs

— Pantherbook (@FranklinHSNews) March 10, 2016

Half: St. John's 34, Franklin 33. Mahon and Gill getting called for two early fouls each hurt Panthers defensively. #hockomock

— Ryan Lanigan (@R_Lanigan) March 10, 2016

St Johns 34 - Franklin 33 half pic.twitter.com/9ZGdIzA3Av

— Pantherbook (@FranklinHSNews) March 10, 2016

#Franklin faithful, aka @RattleCity, going w/ tropical theme for CMass Div. 1 finals @BHallESPN @ESPNBostonHS pic.twitter.com/Jq4xAFwYmm

— Andrew Felper (@AndrewFelper) March 10, 2016