Franklin●TV and Franklin Public Radio - Annual Meeting - Aug 3

Note that we at Franklin TV are holding our own Zoom remote open annual meeting on August 3rd at 7 PM. 

All are welcome to participate and learn about Franklin●TV and Franklin Public Radio, wfpr●fm. 

Our Zoom access code: 823 3600 6836

Franklin●TV and Franklin Public Radio - Annual Meeting - Aug 3

Tracy Novick explains MA school funding for Worcester

Tracy Novick works as a field director for the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC), and as a parent and resident of Worcester, MA, she was recently re-elected to the Worcester School Committee. She tries to explain the MA school funding formula/process in less than 10 minutes and comes close.

As you listen to this, substitute "Franklin" for "Worcester". We have one charter school, they have several. We have some Title 1 students, they have far more than we do. 

I'd share the school budget numbers to plug in to replace the Worcester numbers but those are influx this year given the circumstances of the pandemic.  You can find the 'current' and prior school budget info on the School Committee page: https://www.franklinps.net/district/school-district-budget

Video link = https://youtu.be/Vf_47iWxUZM

Tracy writes about the Worcester schools http://who-cester.blogspot.com/
For more about MASC  visit https://www.masc.org/

Zooming into the Future, Part 4

A small step forward – toward our new normal 

by Pete Fasciano, Executive Director 08/02/2020

On Wednesday evening the Town Council conducted its first meeting in Chambers since- uhh- (??) Yes, it was that long ago. We’re on Covid time, and the days, weeks, months are a bit fuzzier without the cadence of the Mon-Fri work week. Working from home is absent the normal familiar boundaries of time and space, doing what we must when we must. However, I am deliberately grateful. I can work. Those who can’t work from home are exposed to the viral threat. Those who have no work are exposed to financial hardship and ruin. I’m exposed to longer hours. I’ll take it. Gratitude is a rare moment in these times. We all owe it to ourselves to seek it.

I found it in abundance among our Town Council members on Wednesday evening. They were grateful to experience some sense of normalcy. They were grateful just to be back doing the work of the Council – in Chambers. They were grateful simply to be socially distanced yet socially together, while also being socially connected to others via Zoom. What is also notable is that they work as volunteers, stepping up and giving of their time in gratitude.

Those of us who can master the art of grace and gratitude for the small things – the things we took for granted – will fare better in our new normal.

And – as always –
Thank you for listening to wfpr●fm. And, thank you for watching.

Find the full program guide for this week  http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf
or this copy of the PDF
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yljeA0mlTFbVBI-FRdtRwc-7EzqJvIJi/view?usp=sharing

Zooming into the Future, Part 4

Let’s Laugh Today Laughter Club is Free EVERY Wednesday at 7:30 PM on ZOOM!

Let's Laugh Today Laughter Club is Free EVERY Wednesday at 7:30pm on ZOOM! 

As seen on WCVB Boston CHRONICLE, Let's Laugh Today Laughter Club is on ZOOM! In these challenging times, there is nothing like a good belly laugh to help release stress and anxiety. These laughter exercises and deep breathing help to bring more fresh oxygen into the body and brain helping you feel more energetic and healthy. It's a great way to connect with other people through eye contact while remaining socially distant and it is thoroughly up-lifting and immunity-boosting! 

See www.letslaughtoday.com for link to the free ZOOM Meeting EVERY Wednesday at 7:30pm. All ages are welcome. You will laugh, clap, and breathe! You can sit or stand the entire time. It's a good time to try something new! Led by Certified Laughter Yoga Master Trainers, Bill and Linda Hamaker.

Here is the BOSTON CHRONICLE TV clip in case you missed it. It is three minutes long. https://www.wcvb.com/article/laughter-yoga-is-an-emotional-boost/32972798

Let’s Laugh Today Laughter Club is Free EVERY Wednesday at 7:30 PM on ZOOM!

Veteran Employment And Housing Virtual Walk-In Clinic

Resources Available

• Employment Assistance
• Education & Training Resources
• Housing Programs
• Support Services

*** Visit from any Device***
Join Meeting   https://zoom.us/j/97525135152?pwd=VnpGRGE0Wmd6dmFEUDAxSnkwSWJyQT09

Meeting ID: 975 2513 5152
Password: 819142
Or Call: (929) 205 - 6099

Join Weekly:  Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 1 PM – 2 PM

Hosted by Volunteers of America

Download a copy of the flyer:   https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yTojlNlDrwHRgg34HhtzbpwwvpTXVCnd/view?usp=sharing

Veteran Employment And Housing  Virtual Walk-In Clinic

In the News: Police chiefs want seat at table; teachers union expresses concerns

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

"Local police say their departments already have access to an accreditation system. Police chiefs have kept the formerly state-run Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission operating since 2004, when the Legislature cut its funding just eight years after its creation. 

Natick Police Chief James Hicks wishes more people understood that television police procedural dramas don’t accurately reflect his profession. 

″‘Chicago PD,’ you see police officers who are skirting the rules, and it’s OK because at the end of the day, they look like heroes, and they save the day,” he said. ”(Actual officers) have to have the highest of integrity ... and they have to understand they’re totally under the microscope, as we should be.” 

Moved by state and nationwide demands for reform following the deaths of people of color at the hands of police, Massachusetts lawmakers have proposed new legislation in recent weeks. Key to state reform is the idea of accreditation – creating a set of standards all police departments will have to follow."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200801/police-chiefs-reform-needed-but-we-should-be-included?rssfeed=true

"Saying school districts had expected state education aid could be cut by 10%, the Massachusetts Teachers Association late Friday called a new local aid level funding agreement a “major victory” and urged districts to recall about 2,000 educators and staff who had received layoff notices. 

“The first thing districts must do is recall teachers and other staff who were pink-slipped due to budget fears,” Mass. Teachers Association President Merrie Najimy said in a statement. “To operate schools under any model will require more staff members, not fewer.” 

The teachers union also expressed concerns about public higher education layoffs and revenue shortfalls and what it called a “hold” on the phase-in of an education funding law passed a few months before the COVID-19 pandemic struck and upended the state’s finances. 

“Although the schools’ budgets weren’t cut, they also did not receive the increases they would have received under the Student Opportunity Act,” MTA Vice President Max Page said. “That act addressed very real gaps in funding for low-income students and communities of color - gaps that are worse due to the pandemic.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200801/state-aid-accord-leaves-teachers-with-victory-but-also-concerns?rssfeed=true

Franklin Public Schools: Return to School Plan - "remote setting for students in grades K-12"

August 1, 2020

Dear Franklin Families,

When August 1 comes, I always begin writing a back to school letter. This is like no other back to school letter and hopefully is one I only write once.

Yesterday, we submitted the Franklin Public Schools’ preliminary reopening plan to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). The plan contained a summary of three instructional models that the Reopening Taskforce and Administrative Team have been developing: full in-person instruction with health and safety practices in place; a hybrid model of both in-person and remote learning with smaller cohorts of students alternating between the two; and a plan for fully remote instruction.

Numerous emails and phone calls came in over the week advocating for each model. Clearly, it is a difficult decision as not everyone will be pleased. Each model, in their own way, comes with significant impacts to families.

In the submission, I indicated that the plan for opening school in Franklin is to begin the year in a remote setting for students in grades K-12. Within this model, however, High Needs Students will be prioritized for in-person instruction, as required by DESE. Our preschool, ECDC, will communicate their plans in a follow up letter to preschool families.

Remote instruction for 2020-2021 will be considerably different and more “robust” than the emergency remote learning of the spring closure. FPS remote instruction will involve:
● a full day of instruction in order to meet the “structured learning time” requirements, sometimes referred to as the required number of days/hours of “time on learning” required by the state
● live instruction to students, while also building in screen breaks and low-tech learning experiences
● familiar instructional strategies as well as highly effective novel strategies leveraging technology
● grading of student work
● attendance and accountability

We have used CARES funding from the state to invest in additional Chromebooks in order to provide access to technology to all students.

By opening in a fully remote way, we will be able to spend the next several weeks building a strong virtual learning environment with an overall goal to have as many students and staff return safely to school. We will build towards a hybrid of in-person and remote instruction in a phased way. We will monitor the efficacy of remote learning and we will examine readiness for students to be present in-person at benchmark dates.

Please note that the start date of the school year will be delayed. The Commissioner of Education has reduced the required number of school days from 180 to 170 in order to allow districts to use the first ten days in preparation with our faculty and staff. Staff will be preparing for remote instruction and receiving training on health and safety practices. We anticipate school to begin on or about, but no later than September 16, pending School Committee approval of a revised calendar.

The Comprehensive Reopening Plan is not due to the state until later in August, however we wish to convey this information to you now for planning purposes.

We invite you to a family webinar on Tuesday, August 4 at 6 pm or Wednesday, August 5 at 7:30 am where you can learn more about our plans, rationale, answers to FAQs, and what instruction will look like. Please pre-register at the following links:

Tuesday, August 4 at 6 PM: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_hpm_1UKCSCyKrPZEcVH0Aw

Wednesday, August 5 at 7:30 AM: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_6Jd64pWnSjWrBoParD9UmQ 

If sessions exceed the limit of 1000, additional ones will be scheduled.
We appreciate the difficulty of the situation we are all in. Health and safety is our first priority. We are also viewing this approach as the most educationally sound way to attend to the health and safety requirements while prioritizing the quality of instruction and we look forward to sharing more about our thinking in the coming days.

Sincerely,

Franklin Public Schools


Please contact the Superintendent’s Office at 508-553-4819 with questions. Alternatively, you can e-mail reopening@franklinps.net

https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/uploads/august_1_reopening_update_families_1_1.pdf

Franklin Public Schools: Return to School Plan - "remote setting for students in grades K-12"