framingham.com (*** TEST SITE ***)

Category: Schools & Education

  • Hemenway Playground Build Day Sat. May 20th

    FRAMINGHAM, MA- With generous donations from local businesses, community foundations, and individual donors, the Hemenway Community Playground Project prepares for Build Day – Saturday, May 20, 2006. Volunteers from the community will complete construction of the new playground at the Hemenway Elementary School under the supervision of equipment vendor Landscape Structures and M.E. O’Brien & Sons, Inc. of Medfield, MA.

    WHAT: Volunteers and local community gather for playground build (donations of tools, time, food and materials still needed!)

    WHEN: Saturday, May 20th, (Note: All times approximate):

    • 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Volunteers Arrive; Project Kick-Off
    • 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Best viewing of playground construction
    • 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Final construction phase and adjustment

    WHERE: Hemenway Elementary School www.hemenwayplayground.org, 729 Water St., Framingham, 01701

    WHY: As the oldest and smallest playground of any elementary school in Framingham, Hemenway’s former playground was inadequate to meet the needs of the school’s 530 students, including more than 100 students with special needs. The new playground will triple the size of the previous one and include numerous events designed for use by all children regardless of age or physical ability.

    To date, funding for the playground has come from numerous generous sources including parents, alumni, and community funding partners such as the MetroWest Community Health Care Foundation Framingham Union Grants Panel, a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), and a grant from the Framingham Disability Commission, Framingham Co-operative Charitable Foundation, Middlesex Savings Bank, Rotary Club, Mobil Education Alliance, Genzyme, Heritage Assisted Living, Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare, Wal-Mart, The Home Depot, Rick Smith, and the Rousseau Family.

    Playground design, site planning, and civil engineering is donated by Geller DeVellis, Inc. (GDI), a landscape architecture and civil engineering firm with offices in Wellesley and Boston. GDI also specializes in American with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility design, which will exceed Massachusetts’ standards at Hemenway.

    ###

  • Texas Hold ’em Tournament

    FRAMINGHAM, MA – Marian High School Boosters is holding a Texas Hold ‘Em Poker tournament on Saturday, April 22 to benefit Marian High School Athletics. The tournament will take place from 7-11 PM in the MHS cafeteria.

    Doors open at 6:00 for registration and novice instruction for anyone new to Texas Hold ‘Em that would like to play. Prizes will be awarded for 1st through 5th place, with 60% of the proceeds going to MHS Athletics. Prizes will be in the form of American Express gift certificates.

    Beer and wine will be sold. There will also be a 50-50 raffle and a silent auction for some great sports items. If you pre-register by April 16th you will receive $10 off the $85 entry fee and 500 in bonus chips. Players must be 21 years of age or older.

    For more info or a registration form, please visit our website at www.marianhigh.org, call Doug Monahan at 508-877-8574 or email mustangboostersclub@comcast.net

    ###

  • Computer Recycling Fundraiser

    FRAMINGHAM, MA – The John Andrew Mazie Memorial Foundation will hold a Computer Recycling Event on Saturday April 29, 2006 at the Framingham High School parking lot, from 9 AM to 3 PM.

    Computers contain very toxic materials, including mercury, lead, cadmium and flame-retardents, which if released into the air and water can severely damage our environment.

    Your electronic equipment will be recycled in an environmentally responsible way by Onyx Environmental Services.

    Suggested tax-free donations to support the Mazie Mentoring Program at Framingham High are:

    • CRT Monitors: $15 ea.
    • Desk top or lap top computers: $10 ea.
    • Printers, Fax machines: $10 ea.
    • Other electronic devices: $10 ea.
    • Keyboards, Mice, Speakers: Free

    Area residents and businesses are invited to take advantage of this opportunity to help the planet and support this community based mentoring program.

    ###

  • High School Wins Drama Fest

    FRAMINGHAM, MA – The Framingham High School Drama Company took top honors in the Massachusetts High School Drama Guild competition in Boston this weekend. Initially, over 100 school districts entered the competition. After two elimination rounds, earlier in the year, 15 town finalists remained in the 75 year old drama fest.

    Sixty-four Framingham High students wowed the audience with the play: “Tales of Trickery: Two Indonesian Folk Tales.” Nine Framingham students took home All Star Awards for outstanding performances and two FHS seniors where honored for their work in the drama curriculum at the ceremonies as well. Framingham also collected awards for design, costume design, and its orchestra.

    Framingham, along with Wellesley High, will represent the state in the New England Theater Conference held in New Hampshire on April 29th.  Visit the Massachusetts High School Drama Guild at: www.mhsdg.com

    ###

  • Marian High Gala Auction in April

    FRAMINGHAM, MA – Marian High School, Union St., Framingham, is delighted to announce the annual Marian Gala Auction and Dinner: “The Best Ticket in Town.”

    Please join us on Saturday, April 8, 2006 at 6:00 p.m. at Indian Meadows Country Club in Westborough. Our live and silent auctions will include many fabulous items including sports tickets and memorabilia, weekend adventures, and much, much more!

    The evening will culminate with our Grand Raffle drawing for a 2006 Ford Mustang. Raffle tickets for the Mustang are $100 each. Gala tickets are $75.

    For all tickets or more information, visit www.marianhigh.org or contact Jim Waldman at 508-875-7646 ext. 217 or jwaldman@marianhigh.org

    ###

  • Scholarship Essay Contest Open to Heart Study Descendants

    FRAMINGHAM, MA – In memory of Dr. Thomas R. Dawber, (Director of the Framingham Heart Study from 1949 to 1966), The Friends of the Framingham Heart Study plan to award a $500 scholarship to a deserving high school senior upon graduation.

    The Friends are sponsoring a contest that is open to all children of Framingham Heart Study participants who will be graduating from high school in the spring of 2006 and going on to college.

    The prize will be awarded to that student whose essay of 1,000 words is judged the winner of the competition. The topic of the essay is “What It Means to be a Participant in Medical Research”.

    Essays should be sent as a word document attached to an e-mail to Esta H. Shindler at eshindle@bu.edu no later than March 31, 2006. Included in the e-mail message should be future college and career plans after graduation, as well as name, address, and phone number.

    ###

  • High School Essay Contest

    MASSACHUSETTS – In an effort to encourage high school students to learn more about the contributions of John Adams and the Massachusetts Constitution to strengthening the rule of law, the Supreme Judicial Court and the Massachusetts Department of Education today announced the launch of the 2006 Supreme Judicial Court High School Essay Contest.

    Massachusetts students in grades nine through twelve are eligible to enter the essay contest through their schools, in accordance with the contest rules. Letters and contest materials recently were sent to every public and private high school in the state, as well as to home school organizations.

    The essay question this year concerns the separation of powers among the three branches of government and was designed to be compatible with the Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Framework on which the History and Social Science Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) is based.

    Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall said, “I am delighted that students will have an opportunity to broaden their understanding of the fundamental principles of our constitutional democracy through their own creative expression. Learning about the separation of powers and the rule of law deepens one’s appreciation of our Massachusetts and federal constitutions and the genius of John Adams and the other framers.”

    The essay contest question and rules can be found on the Court’s new Education Resource Center website. The website, designed for teachers and students, contains information on the Massachusetts court system, the Massachusetts Constitution, and the judicial branch of government. It also has an Electronic Resource Guide with useful links to numerous other law related education sites on various topics.

    Massachusetts Department of Education Commissioner David P. Driscoll said, “It is with great honor that we at the Department of Education co-sponsor this initiative with the Supreme Judicial Court. The importance of understanding the history of our legal and constitutional democracy and the contributions of people like John Adams who shaped it cannot be understated. These studies are also a major part of the learning standards in the Massachusetts History and Social Studies Curriculum Framework and this is a great opportunity for students in the Commonwealth to demonstrate their mastery of these standards.”

    The panel of judges includes representatives from the Supreme Judicial Court, Appeals Court, Social Law Library, and the Massachusetts Department of Education. Savings bond awards will be presented to the top three students with the winning essays. There will also be an honorable mention award. The first prize winner will also receive a visit to his or her classroom from a Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court. Winning essays will be prominently displayed in the John Adams Courthouse. Electronic copies of the winning essays and other outstanding essays will be posted, with permission from the students and the schools, on the John Adams Courthouse Education Resource Center website. The winning essays will be announced on Law Day, May 1.

    This is the second year that the Supreme Judicial Court has sponsored a High School Essay Contest, following the successful launch of the first essay contest held last year in connection with Law Day.

    For more info, contact Joan Kenney/Charlotte Whiting, Tel: (617) 557-1114, joan.kenney@sjc.state.ma.us

    ###

  • Framingham Public Schools Closed on Monday

    FRAMINGHAM, MA – Framingham Public Schools and offices will be closed on Monday, February 13, 2006 due to snow storm.

    ###

  • Enduring Tributes Campaign Launched

    FRAMINGHAM, MA – Over the past few months the concept of a major fundraising project to benefit Fine Arts Education in the Framingham Public Schools has taken shape and the process of communicating and informing the various constituencies in town has begun.

    Since early December, a small planning group has met with School Superintendent Dr. Martes, the Framingham School Committee and most recently with the PTO Presidents Council. The Enduring Tributes Campaign has received widespread and enthusiastic support from everyone. One school committee member even asked, “Can I give you a check tonight!”

    The Enduring Tributes Campaign will benefit all public school students K-12 in Framingham in the area of Fine Arts education. The campaign is designed to raise funds for capital investments and programming resources that will truly add value above and beyond current fine arts department funding levels. As the campaign is introduced, the organizers will be sharing some of the possible ways in which our students and thus our town will benefit. At the heart of the project is the sale of naming rights for each of the seats in the soon to be renovated FHS auditorium and similar facilities at Walsh, Fuller and Cameron Middle Schools. Other naming opportunities will be considered for other Fine Arts related spaces.

    The Town of Hull Massachusetts, one fifth the size of Framingham, recently raised $50,000 for Fine Arts Education through a similar campaign….we can do much more!

    Today the invitation goes out for active support for the Enduring Tributes Campaign organizing committee. In particular, the committee appeals to parents of current and former students in all schools with interest in theater, music and the visual arts, and anyone else with a strong interest in the benefits of Fine Arts education to the creation of a truly outstanding public school system.

    This initial information piece is specifically intended to inform Framingham residents of the Enduring Tributes Campaign project and to invite interested parties to a planning and organizing meeting on Monday February 6 at 7:00PM in the new Studio 100 Theater Room at FHS.

    If you have any questions in advance, please contact either David & Penny Hurwitz (508-877-6424) or Michael & Nancy O’Connell (508-875-3203)

    ###

  • No Afternoon Kindergarten / Preshool due to Snow

    FRAMINGHAM, MA – Framingham Public Schools will have no afternoon kindergarten or afternoon preschool today, Monday, January 23, 2006, due to the snowstorm.

    ###