Thursday, January 17, 2019

Venue change for Thursday's (1/17/19) SEPAC presentation

Venue change for Thursday's (1/17/19) SEPAC presentation

Anxiety in Relation to Learning/
Developmental Disabilities

"Anxiety in Relation to Learning/Developmental Disabilities and How to Address in the IEP" 
presented by Dr. Erin Gibbons from Neuropsychology &; Education Services for Children & Adolescents (NESCA).

Free and open to the public.

Where: Horace Mann Middle School Auditorium
When: January 17th at 7 PM




If you have any suggestions for workshops or social events for the kids, please send us an email at franklinsepac@gmail.com.
WWW.FRANKLINSEPAC.ORG




Franklin Special Education Parent Advisory Council
355 East Central St.
Franklin, Massachusetts 02038
US

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Franklin Historical Museum: "The Cultural Construction of American Medicine" - Feb 10

Our Second Sunday Speaker Series continues on Sunday February 10 with Rob Lawson, Professor of History, Dean College, presenting "The Cultural Construction of American Medicine."

With support from the National Endowment of Humanities and Dean College Department of Humanities, R.A. Lawson, Ph.D. will discuss the history of medicine with a view to understanding differences.

The production of medical knowledge and the practice of medicine, historically, were seen as positive pursuits in which authoritative figures made objective discoveries and applied them dispassionately to their patients. This mirrored widespread beliefs about the sciences in general. Increasingly, however, historians have come to understand medicine as a socially-constructed human behavior that is not purely objective in process or experience. In this lecture, Lawson will explore how the production of, attitudes about, and outcomes from medicine have changed over time.

Professor Lawson, along with Professor David Dennis and Professor Jessica Pisano, are co-project directors on a grant the college earned from the NEH – the Making Humanities Matter initiative. The grant will help develop the History of Science and History of Medicine curriculum at the college. This lecture is derived from their research.

There is still time to purchase your 2019 FHM calendar, full of photos and facts from Franklin’s history. Calendars are available in the museum gift shop for $5.00 each, while they last.

Anyone interested in volunteering at the museum is invited to attend a meeting Sunday, February 3rd at 12 Noon at the museum. Over the course of the year we have need for hosts, researchers, data entry specialists or people to assist in special projects. Join us and share your skill sets.

The Franklin Historical Museum is located at 80 West Central Street in downtown Franklin. We are wheelchair accessible, admission is always free, and donations are always welcome. Visit us and find your history.

Franklin Historical Museum: "The Cultural Construction of American Medicine" - Feb 10
Franklin Historical Museum: "The Cultural Construction of American Medicine" - Feb 10

workshop: "My Senses Don’t Make Sense!" - Feb 7

Lifelong Community Learning has scheduled a February 7 childcare education workshop for caregivers. My Senses Don’t Make Sense! with Donna Shea will cover recognizing and supporting children with sensory integration dysfunction.

Participants will talk about strategies that help. They will also discuss how finding the services of, or talking to a school occupational therapist, can make a world of difference for a child who senses don’t make sense.

Caregivers are invited to participate in what will be an informative and interesting evening in a relaxed setting with colleagues and new friends. The workshop fee is $25.

For more information, go to www.FranklinLifelongLearning.com and click on Lifelong Community Learning - Child Care & Parenting. Or call Lifelong Community Learning at 508-613-1480.
Lifelong Community Learning is a program of the Franklin Public Schools Lifelong Learning Institute, dedicated to providing diverse and enriched education and experiences for all area residents and children – a resource for all ages.


Or go direct to this link:
https://reg.abcsignup.com/reg/event_page.aspx?ek=0079-0003-a4a543668f8347f4b9da56fe5b043d4e


workshop: My Senses Don’t Make Sense! - Feb 7
workshop: My Senses Don’t Make Sense! - Feb 7

FHS boys hockey tops Stoughton; wrestling drops close match to Mansfield

Via HockomockSports and Twitter, we share the results of the FHS sports action on Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019

Boys Hockey = Stoughton, 1 @ Franklin, 11 – Final

Wrestling = Franklin, 27 @ Mansfield, 30 – Final

Josh Perry, Managing Editor of HockomockSports.com, provides the wrestling match recap:
"Even the parents were out of their seats, creeping closer to the mat, and counting down the final seconds of the night’s final match. Mansfield junior Noah Jellenik laid flat on his stomach, holding off Franklin’s Riley Downing and waiting for the final horn to sound. 
As the ref waved his hand to signal the end of the match, Jellenik, who is in his first year as a wrestler, rolled onto his knees and threw his hands in the air in triumph. On three edges of the mat, his teammates, coaches, and Mansfield alumni hugged, cheered, and celebrated, as the Hornets moved one giant step closer to securing the program’s first ever Hockomock dual meet title. 
Although Downing won the 285-pound match 6-2, Jellenik had accomplished his only goal, which was to avoid a pin. With the Panthers only earning three points in the final match of the hotly-contested dual meet, Mansfield held on for a 30-27 victory."

Continue reading the recap online
https://hockomocksports.com/mansfield-wrestling-edge-franklin-to-move-closer-to-first-hock-title/

Click here for a photo gallery from this game
https://hockomocksports.smugmug.com/2018-2019/Winter-2018-2019/Mansfield-Franklin-Wrestling-1-16-19/

For other results around the Hockomock League
https://hockomocksports.com/wednesdays-schedule-scoreboard-01-16-19/

Mansfield junior Noah Jellenik lifts his arms to the rafters after his match at 285 pounds, Despite a loss in his individual match, Jellenik sealed a 30-27 win for the team that puts the Hornets on the brink of a first-ever league title. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)
Mansfield junior Noah Jellenik lifts his arms to the rafters after his match at 285 pounds, Despite a loss in his individual match, Jellenik sealed a 30-27 win for the team that puts the Hornets on the brink of a first-ever league title. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)







MA Digital Archives (finally) available

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:
"The Massachusetts Archives has unveiled an online collection of records of state agencies, including a searchable index of Massachusetts casualties in World War II, records of the administration of Governor Deval Patrick and town plans from 1794 through 1830. 
Among the records are death certificates of 27 people killed in the Great Molasses Flood in Boston on Jan. 15, 1919. 
To see the records, visit digitalarchives.sec.state.ma.us.
Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20190116/state-archives-offers-online-record-collection

I input "Frankln, MA" to see what it would show and among the results that caught my eye:

The death certificate for Sgt. Timothy J Hayes
http://digitalarchives.sec.state.ma.us/uncategorised/digitalFile_1deba876-e40c-4e3f-adf7-27df2cae45a8/

death certificate for Timothy J Hayes
death certificate for Sgt. Timothy J Hayes

Recall that the effort to better understand the story of Sgt. Timothy J Hayes is still underway
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2018/12/one-mans-quest-to-find-out-about-sgt.html

The Town Plan by Amos Hawes from 1794
http://digitalarchives.sec.state.ma.us/uncategorised/digitalFile_4bbfca75-cdcd-4408-9157-5eccb3fb4bc4/

Town Plan by Amos Hawes from 1794
Town Plan by Amos Hawes from 1794
I could spend many hours searching among the archives. If you find anything really good, please let me know so we can share it here.



"where the buffer zone is between conservation land and the proposed solar array"

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

"A new solar array is being proposed in town while conservation concerns loom in the planned area. 
A public hearing will be held on Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the Franklin Municipal Building. The application for the photovoltaic solar was filed by Kearsarge Upper Union LLC of Boston. 
George Russell, conservation agent for Franklin, said that this is the third solar array proposal that Franklin has considered in just the last few months. Currently, there’s one solar array in town, located on Union Street. 
Russell said they’re working with Industria Engineering in Hopkinton to finalize a potential design"
Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20190116/large-solar-array-proposed-franklin


The new proposal for this solar array is located not far from the first one on the Mount St Mary's Abbey property which provides Franklin with about 90% of the electricity supply. The existing solar farm is located to the left of the big bend in Upper Union shown on the map. There is also a wind turbine across the street from the 'big bend' on the map.




The public hearing notice just came in for the Conservation Commission meeting scheduled for Thursday, Jan 31, 2019.
"Pursuant to Massachusetts General Laws Ch. 131, s.40 (The Wetlands Act) a Public Hearing will be held on Thursday, January 31, 2019, at 7:00 PM in the Council Chambers of the Franklin Municipal Building, 355 East Central Street, Franklin, MA on a Notice of Intent filed by Kearsarge Upper Union LLC of Boston, MA for installation of photovoltaic solar array in open farmed field in the buffer zone of bordering vegetated wetlands. 
This project is located at 1061 Upper Union Street"
https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/franklinma/files/agendas/upper_union_street_solar.pdf

the solar farm at Mount St Mary's Abbey as it was being installed in Aug 2013
the solar farm at Mount St Mary's Abbey as it was being installed in Aug 2013

Franklin High School DECA sends 45 students to the State Competition in March

Over 100 FHS students participated in the DECA District competition last week with 45 qualifying for the States in March at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston. 

You can help support the students for the State competition in March by contributing to the cause below.
"Franklin’s DECA team competed in its annual District Competition Tuesday, January 8th and Wednesday, January 9th at the Mansfield Holiday Inn. 
DECA is Franklin High School’s “business” club. The organization itself “prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe,” according to DECA’s website. It’s a great way to practice problem-solving and public speaking while having fun about a subject you’re interested in. 
At the competition, students are registered under different events, each one specialized to a specific type of business or business plan. If you’re into sports, there are sports marketing events. If you’re into international business, there is an international business event. DECA has something for everyone."

Continue reading the article online at Pantherbook
https://franklinpanthers.us/top-stories/2019/01/09/franklin-deca-takes-on-districts/

Help support a student or two!
https://www.snap-raise.com/fundraisers/franklin-high-school-deca-2019




Franklin High School DECA - sends 45 students to the State Competition in March
Franklin High School DECA - sends 45 students to the State Competition in March

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

FPAC Announces "You Can’t Take it With You Cast"

The Franklin Performing Arts Company (FPAC) has announced casting for their upcoming production of the classic comedy You Can’t Take it With You. The cast will feature Equity actor Andrew Scott Holmes as Ed Carmichael. Holmes starred in FPAC’s production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat last season. He has traveled the world working in regional theatre and cruise ships alike. From Goodspeed Opera House to Great Lakes Theater to Playhouse Square and beyond, Andrew has had the privilege of Playing leading roles as well as understudying Broadway stars. 
Andrew Scott Holmes
Andrew Scott Holmes

Amanda Dubois appears opposite Holmes as Essie Carmichael. Dubois’s theater credits include Godspell, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and It’s All Your Parents’ Fault!

Former Equity actor Nick Paone will appear as Paul Sycamore. Paone has been on the drama faculty at the Franklin School for the Performing Arts (FSPA) and an actor and director at FPAC since 2001. Kellie Stamp will play his wife, Penelope Sycamore. Stamp is a graduate of Stonehill College where she was an active member of the Stonehill Theater Company; she is the Dance Department Coordinator at FSPA. 

Susauna Wickstrom and Liam Devine will play Alice Sycamore and Tony Kirby respectively. Both Wickstrom and Devine were recently featured in FPAC’s sold out run of Disney’s Newsies.

The cast also includes Wendy Jones (DePinna), Shauna Martin (Kolenkhov), Christine DiMartino (Miriam Kirby) Ed Jones (Wilbur Henderson), Erin Lynch (Wellington), Mireille Eastman (Grand Duchess Olga Katrina), Lindsey Wyner (Reba), and Collin Hancock (Donald) of Franklin, Michael Baratta (Mr. Anthony Kirby) of Hopkinton, and Bob Matson (Martin Vanderhof) of Millis.

The Franklin Performing Arts Company presents You Can't Take It with You January 25-27 at THE BLACK BOX in Franklin, MA. You Can't Take It With You is a classic comedy about a family living “to the beat of a different drum”. 

Set in the summer of 1938 in New York City, the play introduces audiences to the freethinking Sycamore family and the mishaps and mayhem that ensue when their daughter's fiancé brings his conservative, straight-laced parents to dinner on the wrong night. You Can’t Take It with You won the 1937 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and the screen adaptation won the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Director.

Tickets are available at www.theblackboxonline.com or by calling the box office at 508-528-3370.

21 Franklin High School Musicians Perform in Central Districts

Twenty one members of the Franklin High School music program auditioned and were accepted into the 2019 Massachusetts Central District Honor Ensembles. The performance will take place on January 19 at Mechanics Hall in Worcester, MA.

Participating in the Central District Band will be William Cerier -trumpet, Ari Delosreyes-White -french horn, Lauren Dennett -tenor sax, Nipun Goel -trumpet, Sean Hanly -tuba, Kathleen Houlihan -alto sax, Emma Kucich -flute, Augustine Marzoratti -clarinet, Prem Pendkar -alto sax.

Franklin High School students performing with the Central District Jazz Band will be Robert Castro - Drum Set and Ian Richardson -Bass.

Selected to perform with the Central District Orchestra is Elizabeth Ball-violin, Christopher Broyles -viola, Ryan Darcey -violin, Chai Harsha -viola, Warren Loukota -cello, Brinda Venkataraman -violin and Sarayu Vijayanagaram -violin.

Accepted into the Central District Chorus are Claire Bauer, Jenna VanHyning and John Pokorny.


Twenty one members of the Franklin High School music program
Twenty one members of the Franklin High School music program

Both FHS girls and boys basketball teams post wins over North Attleboro by same score

Via HockomockSports and Twitter, we share the results of the FHS sports action on Tuesday, Jan 15, 2019


Boys Basketball = Franklin, 57 @ North Attleboro, 33 – Final
– Franklin created all the separation it needed with a big first half. The Panthers led 17-4 after one and took a 31-10 advantage into the break. Junior Chris Edgehill scored 14 of his game-high 18 points in the first half for Franklin while Jalen Samuels and Will Harvey each added 10 points. North Attleboro senior Josh Montague scored a team-best 12 points while junior Ethan Friberg had nine points.

Girls Basketball = North Attleboro, 33 @ Franklin, 57 – Final
– Ali Brigham had 25 for the Panthers in the win.


For the other results around the Hockomock League
https://hockomocksports.com/tuesdays-schedule-scoreboard-01-15-19/

FHS Panther TV live stream the girls basketball game. You can watch the whole game via YouTube.




FHS Panthers
FHS Panthers

Franklin Youth Baseball: 2019 Skill Evaluation Sessions

Skill evaluation sessions for ages 9-15 are planned for March 9 and March 10. 

Players returning to Majors or Babe Ruth (National league) are NOT required to attend but are encouraged to in order to ensure balanced teams.

Players who would like to play in Majors or Babe Ruth (National league) & are new to those leagues MUST attend or they will automatically be placed in AAA or American Babe Ruth.

When: Mar 9 at 8 AM – Mar 10 at 5 PM

Where: Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School
147 Pond St, Franklin, Massachusetts 02038


Franklin Youth Baseball: 2019 Skill Evaluation Sessions
Franklin Youth Baseball: 2019 Skill Evaluation Sessions
Follow the Facebook event for updates
https://www.facebook.com/events/343941836456603/

or visit the league website  http://www.franklinyouthbaseball.com

Join the Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School for “No Strings Attached”

The Fine and Performing Arts Department at the Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School is pleased to announce upcoming performances of “No Strings Attached” to be held at the Horace Mann Middle School located at 224 Oak Street in Franklin, Massachusetts.

Performances will be held on Friday, March 1 from 7–9:30 PM and Saturday, March 2 from 2–4:30 PM. The public is invited and welcomed to attend the show! Tickets are priced at $17 for adults and $13 senior citizens and children under ten. Tickets will be sold at the door or an order form will be available for download at www.bfccps.org.


“No Strings Attached”
“No Strings Attached”
When Carl, a teenager, wants to run away from home, he applies for a job with the mysterious Professor Pinecone and his traveling magical marionette puppet show. He quickly discovers, however, that the position comes with all kinds of strings attached. Once he feels the magical jolt in Professor Pinecone’s handshake, he embarks on the audition of his life. 

In this play-within-a-play, Carl becomes Pinocchio and improvises his way through the story, meeting some familiar characters — including a cricket with an attitude (“I’m Gonna Bug Ya”), the devious fox and cat (“Easy Money”) and the memorable Blues Fairy (“Blues Fairy Mama”) — as well as some new ones. With the help of this eclectic cast, Carl stumbles upon life’s lessons as he’s forced to make important decisions. After a string of poor choices (which makes his nose grow and ultimately leads him to make a donkey of himself), he finally does something good for a change by saving Geppetto from the mouth of a giant shark.

The production is under the direction of BFCCPS’s Fine and Performing Arts Director Mr. Christopher Heater, with a cast comprised of 36 students in grades Six through Eight. The cast is supported by a live orchestra and a dedicated 11 member backstage student crew.

The Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School has been in operation since 1995 and provides a well-rounded, rigorous academic program designed to educate the whole child. BFCCPS’s educational philosophy, which is centered around strong core academic subjects, as well as yearlong courses in art, music, languages, technology, and physical education, integrated character education and community service, and strong parent partnerships, has led to local, state and national recognition.

If you’d like learn more about the educational mission of the Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School please contact the school’s Marketing Coordinator, Joanne Basile, at jbasile@bfccps.org or 508-541-3434 x140.

In the News: speed a factor in traffic deaths; molasses wasn't slow in 1919

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:
"Speed remains a factor in nearly one-third of all traffic deaths in the U.S., with Massachusetts ranking 23rd among the states in speed-related deaths, according to a new report. 
The Governor’s Highway Safety Association, a nonprofit organization that studies traffic safety around the country, released the report, “Speeding Away from Zero: Rethinking a Forgotten Traffic Challenge,” on Tuesday and found that in Massachusetts, 28 percent of motor vehicle deaths in 2017 were speed-related. 
The report said speeding “remains a publicly-accepted driving behavior that is reinforced among motorists, policymakers and transportation stakeholders” and concluded that “overall progress on the issue of speeding has been limited at best.”
Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20190115/in-massachusetts-speed-kills

The Great Molasses Flood

"Slow as molasses? This treacle didn’t trickle. It was a sticky, deadly tsunami that flattened an entire Boston neighborhood within seconds. 
On Tuesday, the city marks the 100th anniversary of its most peculiar disaster — the Great Molasses Flood. 
It struck without warning at midday on Jan. 15, 1919, when a giant storage tank containing more than 2.3 million gallons (8.7 million liters) of molasses suddenly ruptured, sending a giant wave of goop crashing through the cobblestone streets of the bustling North End. 
The initial wave rose at least 25 feet high (7.6 meters high) — nearly as tall as an NFL goalpost — and it obliterated everything in its path, killing 21 people and injuring 150 others. Rivets popped like machine-gun fire. Elevated railway tracks buckled. Warehouses and firehouses were pushed around like game pieces on a Monopoly board. Tenements were reduced to kindling."
Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20190115/100-years-ago-in-boston-day-molasses-was-deadly-fast

Dark Tide, Stephen Puleo's book on the Molasses Flood
Dark Tide, Stephen Puleo's book on the Molasses Flood
Have you read Dark Tide, Stephen Puleo's book on the Molasses Flood? The library has a number of copies available as part of the program this year (2008) "On the Same Page".

The Senior Center is offering a talk by Dr. Gary Hylander on "The 100th Anniversary of Boston's Great Molasses Flood." This is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan 23 at 10:00 AM. Please call the Senior Center to sign up.
https://www.franklinma.gov/franklin-senior-center/events/191104


MassBudget: 14 Options for Raising Progressive Revenue



MassBudget  Information.
  Participation.
 Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center  Democracy.
January 15, 2019

14 Options for Raising Progressive Revenue

Good schools, public parks, reliable transit, and smooth roads help increase well-being and make a community prosperous. Together, we pay for these fundamentals through state and local taxes.
How to collect enough revenue to pay for these investments - and how to collect that revenue fairly - are questions that every community, including our Commonwealth, must answer.
Massachusetts' state and local tax system remains "regressive," meaning low- and moderate-income taxpayers pay a larger share of their incomes in taxes than those with higher incomes. A "progressive" tax system is one in which higher-income taxpayers pay a larger percentage of their incomes in taxes.
A new Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) paper, 14 Options for Raising Progressive Revenue, explores ways the Commonwealth could make its tax system more progressive.
MassBudget: 14 Options for Raising Progressive Revenue
The options described in the paper include:
  • Personal income tax options, like raising both the personal income tax rate and progressive exemptions,
  • Wealth tax options, like raising the estate tax, and
  • Business tax options, like enacting a surtax on companies where CEOs' pay rates are excessively high compared with median worker pay rates.
Read a PDF version of the report.
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 mrivera@massbudget.org in collaboration with
Constant Contact

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Discuss your "Trials and Triumphs" at the Cultural Connections Roundtable - Jan 24

Join us on Jan 24 for Cultural Connections! Cultural Connections, a free arts and culture roundtable, will be held Jan. 24 from 7:00 - 8:30 PM at Rhapsody's Victorian Coffee House (395 E. Central St, Franklin). 

Anyone interested in arts and culture, from any organization in any town, is invited to attend. The subject of this roundtable will be Trials and Triumphs of 2018

Share what worked well for your organization last year, and what you struggled with. Is there a problem you're trying to solve that others can help brainstorm solutions? A success that others could learn from? 

Join us for a delicious nosh of gourmet coffee, pastries, muffins and more, while networking with others from area arts organization. Let's celebrate the new year, new partnerships, and the successes of 2018! 

RSVP here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cultural-connections-tickets-54774931294


About the Franklin Cultural Council 
The mission of the Franklin Cultural Council (FCC) is to encourage participation and enhance opportunities for enrichment in the cultural arts and sciences throughout our community. Comprised of committed residents, the FCC meets monthly with the purpose of supporting events and programs through grants from the Town of Franklin, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Cultural Connections - Jan 24
Cultural Connections - Jan 24