Panther News, March 11, 2021 (video)

Produced by Franklin High School's TV Production classes 

Edited by Brian Cottman

 

Shared from Twitter:https://twitter.com/fhspanthertv/status/1369998477695057923

video link = https://youtu.be/eyMQL2Wk5_8

FHS Theatre Company: Hold the date for 1 Act Play Performances on 3/25 and 3/26

FHS Theatre Company (@FranklinHSDrama) tweeted on Thu, Mar 11, 2021:

In 2 weeks, the Senior Directed One Acts will premier on the Main Stage at FHS. We are beyond excited to return to our home, for these 4 performances. Live stream information will be made available next week. We can't wait to share our work with the community!

Shared from Twitter:  https://t.co/Na7TeW4DQD   or here:  https://twitter.com/FranklinHSDrama/status/1370140191483133959

Hold the date for 1 Act Play Performances on 3/25 and 3/26

Supporting Our Students Through COVID-19 and Beyond

Join me for my 4th Annual #MetroWestKids Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Event

It's time once again to talk about kids' mental health! Please join me and the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy, along with local and state experts, for a virtual event designed to promote the benefits of social emotional learning (SEL), along with examining the opportunities and challenges for implementing SEL in MetroWest and statewide. Supporting our Students Through COVID-19 & Beyond Friday, March 19, 2021 10:00 am - 12:00 pm Register = https://karenspilka.com/sel REGISTER https://karenspilka.com/sel The Rennie Center will present on how schools and communities can support students' health and wellbeing in the current moment and in the future. There will also be an educator-led panel to discuss the importance of social-emotional learning and trauma-informed practice during and after the pandemic. This event is the fourth in a series of my #MetroWestKids initiative. As a former school committee member and social worker, I know the important role mental health plays in education. In this moment, fighting for our young people's future means stepping up and stepping into their lives. Their success depends on their continued social emotional learning and development of skills such as self-awareness, responsible decision making, and healthy relationship building. This forum will give you the tools you need to support your child or students along the way. Please contact my office at (617) 722-1500 if you have questions or for more information. Warm Regards, karenspilka.com

Senate President Karen E. Spilka | Massachusetts State House, Room 332, Boston, MA 02133 Sent by karen.spilka@masenate.gov powered by Try email marketing for free today!

Senator Rausch: Vaccine Pre-Registration Update and Legislative Roundup

The newsletter is shortened for publication here. To view the full set of content follow this link =   https://mailchi.mp/4fe15c1de403/maearlyvoting2020-13362536?e=0c2c9810fe

MA is finally launching its vaccine pre-registration system tomorrow, and I have updates about bill filing, committee appointments, and more!

View this email in your browser Senator Rausch State House Briefing   Part 2, Chapter 4 (March 11, 2021)  Dear friends,  The sunshine is back! I hope you and your families are taking advantage of the improving weather as the days get longer and the temperature inches its way up again. Don't forget that the clocks change this weekend.  My team and I hit the ground running this legislative session: drafting and filing over 40 justice- and equity-advancing bills (details below!); gearing up for committee work as the new Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture; and fighting tooth-and-nail for a comprehensive, equitable, and streamlined vaccine distribution system in our Commonwealth.   In the coming months, you can expect to hear more from me about committee hearings and formal sessions on Beacon Hill. I am proud and privileged to represent you and your community in the Massachusetts State Senate for a second term; rest assured I'll keep pushing for progress on our shared values, including strong personal and public health protections.  Also, as you may have already heard, we've got two big COVID updates – starting tomorrow, Friday, March 12, anyone who hasn't yet been vaccinated can pre-register for your shot and skip the current hassle of repeatedly searching online for a vaccination appointment. Second, the CDC this week issued new guidelines for fully vaccinated individuals on mask-wearing, group gatherings, and other COVID-19 safety precautions. As a reminder, educators and school staff are now eligible for vaccines at all vaccination sites. I led an effort with nearly 50 of my legislative colleagues in calling on the administration to ensure educators and school staff are fully vaccinated before a return to full, in-person learning. More details below!  As always, if you or any of your loved ones in my district have fallen on hard times during this pandemic, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office via phone (617-722-1555) or email (becca.rausch@masenate.gov). We are here to help. You can also find robust resources to help you navigate through COVID-19 on my website.    I wish you and your family continued strength, health, and resilience.  Yours in service,     Senator Becca Rausch     Office Hours    Sign up for a 15-minute appointment here.     Residents from any part of the Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex District are welcome to share their questions and opinions on state issues with me and my team via video chat or phone call. Office hours are available to discuss any matter.     Additional office hours will be held on the following dates:  Friday, March 19, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.  Friday, April 9, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.  Friday, April 30, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Senate President Karen E. Spilka: "to act boldly and quickly on climate change"

Statement from Senate President Karen E. Spilka

"Generations of Massachusetts residents are calling on us, as their elected representatives, to act boldly and quickly on climate change, which threatens our planet, our livelihoods, our economy and our future. I am profoundly disappointed that the Republican caucus in the Senate is stopping the NextGen Roadmap climate bill from being debated and passed today. The majority of the Senate remains prepared to take swift action on this bill."

Senate President Karen E. Spilka

D-Ashland

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Why was this statement issued? CommonWealth Magazine provides the answer:

"THE SENATE REPUBLICAN leader, raising concerns about an attempt by Democrats to push climate change legislation through the chamber quickly on Thursday, used a parliamentary maneuver to delay action until next week.

The move triggered a strong reaction from Senate Democrats, who accused Sen. Bruce Tarr of Gloucester of unnecessarily delaying action on climate change legislation which they said desperately needs to pass."

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/environment/republican-delays-action-on-climate-change-bill/

The Guardian: "What if the most important election of the year is happening right now in Alabama?"

 

"This month, 5,800 Amazon warehouse employees in Bessemer, Alabama, will be voting on whether or not to unionize with the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union in what could turn out to be the most important election of the year.

While the Bessemer fulfillment center itself is a drop in the bucket when compared to Amazon’s roughly 500 facilities around the country, this could be the ballot heard around the world. If successful, this election would mark the first unionized Amazon facility in the US.

Over the past 26 years, Jeff Bezos has built himself a private empire. Amazon is now the second largest employer in the US, after Walmart, and the fifth largest in the world. The more than 800,000 Amazon employees across the country represent a population between the size of Maine and Montana. Globally, the company employs more than 1 million workers."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/mar/11/amazon-bessemer-alabama-union-election

CommonWealth Magazine: "Why is the state’s technology so bad?

“THE…DISASTER WAS completely avoidable, as administrators knew the system was not ready, yet decided to launch it anyway… Investigations cannot undo the taxpayer dollars wasted and the disruption of families’ access to health care.”

That comment could have been voiced recently by critics of the state’s troubled vaccine finder website – but it wasn’t. It was actually a critique of the state’s disastrous rollout of the Health Connector website in 2014, built under then-Gov. Deval Patrick. The speaker was then-gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker – now the governor in charge of the Vaxfinder website best known for the four-armed orange octopus that appeared when it crashed.

There are significant differences between the debacles. The Health Connector website failure cost hundreds of millions of dollars and, in its initial form, never worked. The state had to give hundreds of thousands of people temporary Medicaid coverage because it couldn’t figure out what insurance they were eligible for. The Vaxfinder website cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and ultimately, it has worked, with tens of thousands of people using it to sign up for vaccine appointments, despite the difficulties."

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/technology/why-is-the-states-technology-so-bad/

The article goes into some history on problems with State systems. Let's take it this way: What State system actually works the way it should? Your answers welcomed in the comments, on Facebook, Twitter or email.