Upcoming Events in Franklin, MA Area: FRI 8/12/16 - THU 8/18/16

FRIDAY 8/12/16
10:30am   Liquid Nitrogen Demonstration @ Franklin Public Library
12-6pm   Franklin Farmers Market @ The Town Common
6-11pm   Feast of St. Rocco 

 
SATURDAY 8/13/16
11am-11pm   Feast of St. Rocco

SUNDAY 8/14/16
12-9pm   Feast of St. Rocco

MONDAY 8/15/16
9am   PokeWalk on the SNETT. Meet at Grove Street trailhead.
4:30-7pm   Open House @ Drama Kids Metro West (19 Dean Ave., Franklin)

TUESDAY 8/16/16
10:30am   Legos and Giant Games @ Franklin Public Library
2:30-3:30pm   Barn Babies Traveling Petting Zoo @ 118 Main Street Parking Lot
4:30-7pm   Open House @ Drama Kids Metro West (19 Dean Ave., Franklin)
6pm   First time college student workshop (for parents and students), free - info here

WEDNESDAY 8/17/16
4-6pm   Franklin Rain Garden Tour. Please sign up. Space is limited.
6pm   Concerts on the Common: Matt Zajak & Partner. Children’s program: Elaine Kessler, Storyteller
8:15pm   Movies in the Park @ Choate Park in Medway

THURSDAY 8/18/16
10:30am   Family Storytime @ Franklin Public Library
3pm   Memory Cafe at Franklin Senior Center
6:30pm   Art Night Uncorked @ Franklin Art Center

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

Attention Students: Open Call for Verizon Innovative Learning App Challenge Submissions Now Open to Franklin Residents

Verizon Issues Call to Massachusetts Students for the Best Problem-Solving App Ideas

Fifth Annual Verizon Innovative Learning App Challenge Opens for New Submissions;
Deadline is November 18

Fifth Annual Verizon Innovative Learning App Challenge

WHAT: The Verizon Innovative Learning app challenge – the no-coding-skills-needed contest that gives middle and high school students a chance to bring their problem-solving app ideas to life – is now accepting new app ideas for the 2016-2017 competition.

Winning student teams will be chosen from each state, earning a $5,000 grant for their school or organization and free tablets for each team member. Then the Best In State teams will compete for the ultimate prizes: an additional $15,000 for their organizations, and chance to turn their app ideas into real, working smartphone apps that will be made available for download.

Now in its fifth year, thousands of students across the U.S. have participated in the app challenge - gathering teams, dreaming up ideas, and creating concepts for mobile apps that could solve problems in their schools and communities.

Past winners have been featured at the White House Science Fair and even gone on to sell their completed apps for cash.

Students can submit ideas from Aug. 1 - Nov. 18, 2016, and the winners will be named in January and February 2017.

For more information on how to register for the Verizon Innovative Learning app challenge, or to download the completed apps, visit www.verizon.com/appchallenge. Follow us on Twitter (@VerizonGiving) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/verizonfoundation).

WHY: The app challenge, part of Verizon Innovative Learning, was developed to give all students, regardless of their technology experience or access to technology, a chance to make a difference, and to help spark their interest in STEM subjects and careers.

Over the past 10 years, for example, STEM jobs have grown three times faster than other jobs. STEM jobs are expected to grow by 1 million by 2022 to a total of more than 9 million jobs.

The app challenge provides hands-on, experiential learning that can equip students with the in-demand skills of the future and empower them to envision brighter futures for themselves as business owners, app inventors, coders, technology professionals and more.

The 2016-17 Verizon Innovative Learning app challenge is open for new submission August 1 – November 18, 2016.

Town Council - Actions Taken - August 10, 2016

The official record of Actions Taken by the Town Council at Wednesday's meeting was posted on Thursday. As mentioned here previously, this is a marked improvement in the process. We still wait for the official minutes to see what the discussions were but the recorded votes are no readily available.

In summary

• the Council recognized Frankl Liotta for his contributions to Franklin as part of the Elks
• the newest detective and sergeant were sworn in, and the Police Dept re-established the practice of giving badge #1 to the longest serving officer
• Police Chief Thomas Lynch also provided an update on his first 6 weeks in charge
• the Council approved all the bylaws before them making changes to the site plan process, introducing the new parking plan for downtown (including removal of the parking meters), and approval of the open space and recreation plan

In the Council comments section Debbie Pellegri raised two objections: one to the hiring of an outside deputy Treasurer Collector (bypassing an internal candidate that 'was qualified') and to the disconnect created by the School Committee where they authorized salary increases of 2,2.5 and 3% over the next three years which is more than what the Town had settled for with the other unions.

The Actions Taken can be found in this PDF:






You can also find the Action Taken on the Franklin webpage
http://franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_News/02492F19-000F8513

My complete set of notes taken live during the meeting can be found here

• Live reporting: Council meeting closing
• Live reporting: Open Space plan and Legislation
• Live reporting: Town Council - Wednesday, Aug 10, 

Officer Fiorio getting his badge #1 pinned by his wife

Detective MacLain and Sargent Zimmerman getting their new badges pinned by family members

Asst Town Clerk Danello swears in Detective MacLean and Sargent Zimmerman

Town Council Chair Matt Kelly recognizes Frank Liotta for his long service

In the News: parking plan approved by Town Council, school improvement plan approved by School Committee

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"The Town Council gave its final approval this week to three new traffic bylaws - including one that eliminates parking meters from downtown. 

The council considered the bylaws at its Wednesday night meeting, though it had already approved a first reading of the regulations at a previous session. Town officials had proposed the changes as the area nears the end of a two-year roadwork project. 

There was dissension about the removal of the meters, as councilors had said they did not wish to lose the revenue they provided. 

Chairman Matthew Kelly read a letter from the Franklin Downtown Partnership, though, that espoused the move. It said local merchants agreed that the area was better without the meters, and that it fit with the charm of the new road design."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160811/franklin-council-eliminates-parking-meters

new greenery added downtown

"The School Committee this week approved a district improvement plan, though committee members asked for more communication on progress toward goals.
The committee discussed the matter at its Tuesday night meeting. 

Superintendent Maureen Sabolinski said the new plan compares where the district is with where it wishes to be and includes steps to move toward that goal. 

Among the goals, said Sabolinski, are nurturing a safe, supportive and collaborative environment; focusing on curriculum instruction and feedback from student assessments; and helping student develop the skills - social and career-oriented - to help them achieve success. 

One objective, Sabolinski said, involved refining the professional culture in the schools. She said the district wanted to take a collaborative approach in improving instruction, adding that educator-to-educator feedback was an especially powerful tool in doing so."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160811/franklin-schools-adopt-improvement-plan

Dean College Children's Center Hosts Open House, August 31, 2016

Dean Children's Center will host an Exploration Open House on Wednesday, August 31, 2016 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. 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.

www.dean.edu

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. 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. Parking is at 89 West Central Street. For more information, visit www.dean.edu or call 508-541-1598.

Funding for Workforce Training in MA -- and a Promising Opportunity

MassBudget reports show spending and an opportunity to leverage federal funds

MassBudget    Information.    Participation.  Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center    Democracy. Funding for Workforce Training in Massachusetts - and a Promising Opportunity Workforce training gives people the skills they need to get good jobs and support their families. These programs are also important to our Commonwealth more broadly, since we rely on well-educated, highly-skilled workers to sustain our state's high-wage economy. Despite the evidence that workforce training gives people the skills they need to succeed, state funding for workforce training has fallen over time, down 30 percent between Fiscal Years 2001 and 2017, as indicated below. MassBudget's new paper Investing in People: Workforce Training in the Massachusetts State Budget analyzes these long-term trends while also walking users through our interactive on-line Jobs & Workforce Budget tool. Together these resources describe each workforce training program funded by the state, show funding histories, and highlight broader trends across programs that provide similar supports. The Jobs & Workforce Budget also provides highlights from this year's state budget. Through recent work, state officials and leaders from the workforce training community have recognized the SNAP Employment and Training program as one important opportunity to help offset some of these long-term cuts. To describe this promising opportunity to support training for people eligible for SNAP (formerly called food stamps), MassBudget is also releasing The SNAP Employment and Training Program: Opportunities to Expand Work Supports for Low-Income People in Massachusetts. The SNAP Employment and Training program funds workforce training and related supports like transportation and childcare for people receiving training.  Federal funds can reimburse 50 percent of state and local spending and can be used both to expand services and to offset some existing state costs.   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 Try it free today

"We want to improve communication with our residents"

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"Police Chief Thomas Lynch updated the Town Council on department activities since he assumed leadership earlier this summer. 

Since Lynch was sworn in at a late June council meeting, there has been a whirlwind of activity, he said. 

"We've been meeting with all our staff regularly," he said. "We had a department-wide meeting - that was the second in my 20 years with the department - and, after that, we had a cookout." 

Lynch said there had been good feedback from department members."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160810/new-frankllin-police-chief-communication-is-key

Asst Town Clerk Danello swears in Detective MacLean and Sargent Zimmerman

family members place the new badges on Detective MacLean and Sargent Zimmerman

Patrolman Paul Fiorio gets badge #1 as the longest serving officer