DNA - District News & Announcements
September 2022
District News and Announcements
September 2022
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OVERVIEW & DNA INTRODUCTION
This newsletter is affectionately called the DNA because it's a beautiful collection of unique stories and experiences contributing to the development and function of our school communities. (Also it's an acronym for District News and Announcements ;) )
We hope you enjoy seeing some of these behind the scenes stories and will join your fellow community members at upcoming events!
First Day Photos!
We hope the school year is off to a great start! Thanks to the many of you who submitted your first day photos. What we received can be seen in this First Day Photos Portal. You can also look at a variety of growing galleries here: FPS Photos.
Introduction to Remind!
If you're not already familiar with Remind, it's a classroom communication tool that makes it easy to stay involved with your child's learning. Remind is a free service that allows you to get messages directly on your phone and to communicate easily with your child’s teacher(s) in almost any language.
As part of this rollout, official accounts will be created for the educators, students, and primary contacts across the District. Additional caregivers can be added to classes manually as well. Here is a video demo to see how Remind works. This video is available in Spanish and Portuguese too. If your teacher(s) are going to use Remind, you will receive communication from them directly.
We've already set your preferred language based on the translation language we have in Aspen X2 so you can send and receive messages in your home language. More helpful information will be shared soon!
We're excited to make connecting with our families more engaging!
Character Trait of the Month: Responsibility
Responsibility means being dependable, making good choices, and taking accountability for your actions. A responsible citizen looks out for the well-being of others. Being responsible means we understand that we have the influence to make the world a better place. The Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum is all connected to this theme/trait and is supported with activities during morning meeting, mindfulness, discussions, books, art, team-building, games and more!
Here are some conversation starters around Responsibility:
- What are some of the responsibilities you have at home?
- What are some of the responsibilities you had last year at school?
- What are some of the responsibilities that are specific to the grade you are in now?
- What happens if you ignore those responsibilities?
- Why is taking responsibility for your words and actions important?
FHS Studios on YouTube: Subscribe Today!
Did you know that Framingham High School has a fully functioning Media and Production Studio? Students learn, create, and broadcast not just the morning news segment for FHS - but they also brainstorm and compile their own pre-recorded segments. This is an AMAZING and award-winning program that thrives when passionate students join the crew.
Here is the website and YouTube link where you can watch the daily live show - be sure to subscribe on YouTube for the real-time notification of the broadcast!
Framingham High Studios - YouTube
Kudos to Mr. Brad Groleau and his talented students for their hard work on Flyer News and The Early Bird! See below for today's broadcast!
New Faces and/or Places
Welcome to ALL New Talent - and THANK YOU for choosing Framingham!
It was a pleasure welcoming 321 new employees to the Framingham Public School family leading up to this school year AND supporting 170 of which are new teachers during the New Talent Orientation (NTO). We were impressed with the energy, vibe, and eagerness to work with our students, families, and community. Once again, we thank all of our staff for choosing Framingham!
Thank you to all of our current employees who helped plan and/or led sessions at this year's NTO!
Ally Wolf
Aurelia Medina
Jocelynn (Joy) Summers
Good News Network
If your child's school is not included below, that does not mean they aren't doing wonderful, exciting things! We look forward to sharing even more news and updates in the Good News Network section of future District Newsletters!
Submit your good news to communications@framingham.k12.ma.us for a special shoutout in future newsletters and social media posts!
King Elementary School - A Special Moment
Very special moment at King on September 9th! One of their first graders, Jacob, got the surprise of a lifetime when Mom came to visit after 4 months of deployment. See the sweet video on King's Facebook Page. On behalf of the FPS community, we would like to thank you for your service, and welcome home!
Sunny Days Ahead for Stapleton Students
Room 309 at Stapleton came up with their own classroom expectations for their classroom agreement! So far everyone is excited about following the expectations and looking forward to a great year ahead :)
FHS - A Unified Champion School
Congratulations to Framingham High School for once again earning Unified Champion School status this past 21-22 school year!
Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools activates youth with and without intellectual disabilities to come together as student leaders, athletes, and agents for inclusion within their school communities. Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools motivates all students to create environments full of respect, dignity, and advocacy for students with intellectual disabilities.
Support, Pride and Joy at Cameron Middle School
Each staff member has a bright green Team Cameron t-shirt we will wear every Thursday to demonstrate support of one another and the students to be successful this year. Our Motto "We are all in this together and all students belong to every teacher."
We are also excited about summer reading and visiting author Victoria Jamieson's visit on October 12th!
In conjunction with FSU, Cameron welcomed five teacher residents this year. The teachers have already made an impact on the culture and community of Cameron Middle School. We are excited for the future!
ECAF launches ParentChild+ Family Child Care Model
This year we've launched the ParentChild+ Family Child Care Model. Taking the lead in its implementation are Jeanette Lake, Jane Cohen, and Susan Ferraro. Thanks to the funding from the Popplestone Foundation, the Early Childhood Alliance of Framingham (ECAF) is able to pilot this program supporting Family Child Care educators who are often isolated in the important work they do everyday growing young children.
This model allows us to reach out to parents and to help them learn about other programs in the community, as well as steps to get ready for transition to school. Each child in the program brings home a new book along with more activities to enhance their learning. Finally we hope this offers an opportunity for families to connect with one another as a means of developing another parent social support network.
Words from the Unity Wall at FHS
Framingham High School began the year with community days. Below you can see pictures of unity wall examples that students completed as one the the final activities of community week. A unity wall seeks to make all students feel welcome in their classrooms and in school by highlighting what makes them unique and the characteristics they share.
Thanks to Michelle Gallagher at Fuller for submitting her story about giving and community partnership!
As a teacher I am always looking for ways to include community members in our everyday experiences. In trying to connect the community and our district I was able to stumble upon a great opportunity for the district.
I connected with a nonprofit organization out of Boston. Together we were approached by Amazon to create a community service opportunity for an Amazon retreat that would take place between September 11-14th. Upon planning these we decided to have the 800 employees of Amazon put together drawstring bags full of school supplies.
All of the supplies were donated by Amazon. Bags contain notebooks, pencils, erasers, crayons, markers, colored pencils, folders, a pencil sharpener and glue. The employees created an assembly line and put together 1,200 bags for our Framingham Public School students. These bags will be used to replenish the original supplies that are given to all of our students at the beginning of the school year.
This was a humbling experience and I was honored to be part of it. I was able to assist with the organizing and assembly of material. I was even given the opportunity to speak at the final day of the event. Huge thanks go to Amazon, Boston Volunteers, Lincoln Lynch, as well as Dr. Tremblay for their support of this effort! It is so rewarding when schools and communities work together to better our world!
FHS Welcomes Authors Jenn De Leon and Desmond Hall!
Next Friday, authors Jenn De Leon (also an FHS Alum!) and Desmond Hall will be speaking to 10th graders in the FHS Theatre. The authors will be introduced by FHS students, then the authors will do a brief presentation/conversation between the two of them, and then students and teachers will have an opportunity to ask questions.
Barbieri Bistro Celebration!
Thanks to B&G for their hard work over the summer, as Barbieri has a brighter and larger cafeteria space! Barbieri celebrated this great expansion with a Bistro kick-off event on Friday, September 2nd! The Bistro got a make-over with new yellow paint and an expanded room called the Hawks Nest! Students were greeted with music, balloons and many special guests. They are very excited to have a beautiful comfortable place to eat every day!
Flyers of Africa - Kudos to Mr. Jeff Parrish (and Mr. Issa)!
This past Summer, Mr. Jeff Parrish (Math Teacher / Soccer Coach at FHS) took a trip to Kenya to check on a charity organization he sponsors. This organization helps kids the city of Kisumu located near Lake Victoria. It provides the students with soccer equipment, uniforms, and after-school support. While visiting the group, Mr. Parrish and FHS Campus Aide, Hussein Issa, conducted a soccer clinic that was well-attended by boys and girls. With 'FRAMINGHAM' on their jerseys - these players are the "Flyers of Africa". Kudos to Mr. Parrish (and Mr. Issa) for their generosity and charity work!
Exciting Updates from Framingham Adult ESL+
Pictured below from L to R (or Top to Bottom on mobile):
- Student Vimal became a US Citizen - Congratulations!
- Administrative team of Dr. Kevin O'Connor, Janice Batista and Debbie Centamore welcomed back 796 students to learn English, prepare for the GED exam, and the US Citizenship exam. There are still 170 people on the wait list.
- The Framingham Adult ESL IG page has over 1,300 followers! Students can find news, jobs, community events, and FPS news in the stories. Click the image below to find and follow them!
Grant Expands Learning Opportunities Around Climate Change
Environmental Science students, members of the Environmental Awareness Club, and the teachers/advisors have been awarded a grant through the Baker-Polito administration for the 2022-23 school year. The money supports students learning about and being actively engaged in climate change education, and studying the effects of a changing climate on Framingham, the state of Massachusetts, and beyond.
Community Engagement
District Equity, Diversity, and Community Engagement Committee Update
Community collaboration promotes representation and amplification of diverse voices. As we continue strengthening our ties to the community, the Office of Equity will launch the District Equity, Diversity, and Community Engagement Committee this Fall. The committee will consist of FPS team members, students, parents/caregivers, and community partners who advise and support initiatives with the Office of Equity. Meetings will begin in October and are held monthly at 6 PM. All meetings in the Fall will be held via zoom. The future meeting format will be discussed and decided on by the members of the committee. If you are interested or know someone who may be interested in applying, please complete or share the District Equity, Diversity, and Community Engagement Form.
Need / Want a Job? NRT is Hiring!
School Bus Drivers $25-$30/Hour
- $5,000 Sign-on Bonus for fully licensed school drivers.
- Must be at least 21
- Must have your license for 3 consecutive years
- Must have the ability to pass background checks and drug test
- New rates go into effect for the new school year
No CDL? No problem. NRT will pay $20 per hour to get your CDL. If completed in 60 days, $500 extra
incentive.
School Van Drivers $18/Hour
7D drivers are needed! No 7D Certificate? They provide PAID training.
- Must be at least 21
- Must have your license for 3 consecutive years
- Must have the ability to pass background checks and drug test
- New Rates go into effect for the new school year
Community Corner
Framingham Parks and Recreation
Pumpkins in the Park - October 29 from 1pm - 3pm
Pre-registration is required for this beloved fall event organized by Framingham Parks and Recreation. Registration begins October 3 and will remain open through October 21st (or until full). Costumes are encouraged! Join community members for pumpkin painting, arts & crafts, and a hayride through Cushing Memorial Park! This is a rain, sleet, snow, or shine event!
10/29/2022
01:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Cushing Memorial Park - Cushing Maintenance Building
City of Framingham
SAVE THE DATE: Spooktacular Event - October 18th
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Save the Date: Tuesday, October 18th from 4pm - 6:30pm
Children and their families are invited to participate in a variety of activities, arts & crafts, and to collect candy from City Departments! The event takes place at the Memorial Building.
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SAVE THE DATE: Back to School Safety Event - October 1st from 10am - 2pm
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This event takes place on Saturday, October 1st from 10am - 2pm next to the Academy Building at Cushing Park.
- Free Lunch
- Touch-a-truck
- Safety Presentations
- K-9 Demonstrations
Submit Your Good News!
The Media and Communications Office hopes to increase the frequency of these good news and opportunity compilations. We are improving and refining the submission process over time and always appreciate hearing from staff, parents/guardians, and students with events, accolades, shoutouts, and more.
Submit your good news to communications@framingham.k12.ma.us for a special shoutout in future newsletters and social media posts!
The mission of the Framingham Public Schools is to educate each student to learn and live productively as a critically-thinking, responsible citizen in a multicultural, democratic society by providing academically challenging instructional programs taught by highly-qualified staff and supported by comprehensive services in partnership with our entire community. For news, updates, and announcements, follow Framingham Public Schools (@FraminghamPS) on Facebook, Twitter, and (@framinghamschools) on Instagram. You can also join the conversation using #FraminghamSchools.