December '23/January '24 Newsletter

Happy December!

As we wind down the semester, and prepare for the upcoming holiday season, I wanted to update you on some exciting upcoming events and important dates to remember.

Firstly, I am thrilled to announce that our school will celebrating the holidays with schoolwide spirit activities. Advisory classes are hard at work designing doors around their favorite holiday movies, the winning class will be announced on December 22nd and will receive a pizza party when we return from break and coveted trophy. Cheermeister Week is happening December 18th-22nd with dress up days for students and staff to have some fun and spread holiday cheer. And finally, we are so excited to have a schoolwide assembly on December 22nd featuring several band and orchestra ensembles playing our favorite holiday music.

As we approach the end of 2023, please take note of some important dates.

• December 22nd, we will have an early out day, with dismissal at 1:40PM.
• December 25th through January 1st there will be no school.
• January 2nd, school resumes.

I want to remind everyone that the end of the semester is quickly approaching. The last day of this semester is January 12th. The new semester will begin on January 16th. When we return from the holiday break students will be receiving updated schedules with any changes.

Lastly, thank you to all the parents who completed the district wide survey's that were sent out earlier this fall. Our leadership team will be reviewing the results and will plan to share out with you all very soon.

Thank you for your continued support and involvement in our school community. Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday season!

Mrs. Kirstin Hanson

Friday, December 22nd is an early release day. The school day will end at 1:40pm.

There is NO school on Monday, December 25th through Monday, January 1st for Holiday break.

Ben Franklin Families,

As the weather begins to change we wanted to pass along the reminders below about student morning drop-offs, afternoon pickups, and also possible inclement weather days.

Before School Reminder

The main school doors (entrance #4) opens at 8am. Students will not be allowed in the building until 8am as we do not have supervision for students until that time. Please drop off students after 8am.

Dressing for Weather Conditions

Please have a conversation with your student about wearing appropriate winter clothing for the weather conditions. This is a tough one for some middle school students, but we want to do our best to encourage all to make safe choices and to dress warmly. If your student is in need of winter gear, please have them make an appointment with student services.

After School Reminder

Students are dismissed from their final class at 3:40 each day. If your student does not ride the bus, please make transportation arrangements for them to be picked up as close to 3:40pm as possible. All doors to locker bays and academic wings are locked at 4pm each day. After 4pm, students will not be allowed to enter these areas. We do ask that students who are waiting after 4pm do so in the main stairwell foyer (entrance #4).

In Case of Inclement Weather

Please remind your student to bring their PLD home each day in case of inclement weather and a potential virtual learning day.

Parking Reminders

Due to Ben Franklin's location in a residential area, pick up/drop off can become quite congested for parents and bus drivers. Please follow street signs directing areas where you can and cannot park to ensure traffic can flow easily.

Please do not pull up to drop off your student in the cross walk area. This creates a line of congestion so that busses are unable to reach the bus loop for students to arrive. There is additional space along 8th street, if you are headed south, to pull to the side and drop off your student without blocking passing traffic.

We all have the same goal and that is for all of our students to arrive at school safely. Thanks for your patience out there!

When our winter weather hits, Fargo Public Schools maintains close communication with officials of the U.S. Weather Service, local government, and neighboring school districts in order to make decisions regarding inclement weather and other emergency situations that are in the best interest of the safety of our students, staff and parents. The decision to hold classes is based on the general weather conditions which exist for the majority of Fargo students.

If school is in session, and a parent decides that a student should remain at home due to weather conditions, that decision will be respected by the school. Parents should use their own judgment in determining if the weather is suitable for their children to make the journey to school. It is always up to parents to make the final decision about whether or not to send their student to school if they believe weather conditions present a safety issue. The absence for the day would be considered an excused absence.

If school is called off, parents will be contacted via the automated phone, email and text system based on the contact information supplied to the school office(s). Parents are encouraged to update contact information with the school on a regular basis so we have up to date contact information. This can be done through PowerSchool or by calling the school office. School cancellation information will also be broadcasted via local media, and will be posted across our website and social media sites (Facebook and Twitter).

If weather or a situation develops during the day, and it is determined that an early dismissal is in the best interest of the students, parents will be contacted via the automated phone, email and text system based on the contact information supplied to the school office(s). Parents are encouraged to update contact information with the school on a regular basis so we have up to date contact information. This can be done through PowerSchool or by calling the school office. School closure information will also be broadcasted via local media, and the information will be posted on our website and social media sites (Facebook and Twitter).

For more information please see the school cancellation process on the Fargo Public Schools website.

The End of Semester dance will be on Friday, Jan. 12th from 4-5:30pm.

Students will be eligible to attend based on their attendance and behavior this fall. More information will be shared in the coming weeks.

December 22nd

• Early Release Day

December 25- January 1st

• No school

January 12th, 2024

• End of 1st Semester
• End of Semester Dance 4-5:30pm in Gym 1

January 15th

• No school

January 16th

• 2nd Semester Begins

Community members are invited to nominate a deserving Fargo Public Schools teacher, administrator, or support staff member for the annual Staff Recognition Program. The program honors FPS staff members who serve our students with excellence. Online instructions, forms, and the application process can be found at www.fargo.k12.nd.us/StaffRecognitionProgram.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Stock the Lounge for snacks for Ben Franklin teachers and staff! The staff appreciate the extra holiday cheer very much!

You can still sign up at https://signup.com/go/TtZekka or our Amazon wishlist at https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1NO833MPQYI51?ref_=wl_share

PTO January meeting date change: January 9th

Find us on Facebook at Ben Franklin Middle School PTO!

Website

Donate here!

Find us on Facebook!

Please review the illness guidelines with your student, and when it’s appropriate to see the nurse. Please inform your student that the nurse cannot hand out cough drops, cold medicine, or allergy medicine unless you as the parent bring in an unopened package for the nurse to administer.

Fargo Public Schools has received reports from some families using Hotmail and Gmail accounts that they may not be receiving school and District notification emails. Not all accounts are having this issue. The problem appears related to how Hotmail and Gmail manage incoming email.

If you use Hotmail or Gmail and you suspect you are not receiving school notification emails, you can add the noreply@fargo.k12.nd.us email address to your account as a safe sender, which will then allow these messages to be delivered. The easiest way to do this is to just add the address to your contacts/people list. Click here for a guide on how to do this.

Communicating with parents and families is always our goal at Ben Franklin Middle School.

You may subscribe to Ben Franklin's Newsletter and Daily Announcements on our website by going to “Content E-Alerts” on our website. Parents/guardians can sign up to receive alerts about new Daily Announcements, Newsletters, etc., for each school your students attend. E-Alerts are sent to users who have subscribed to a homepage or website section of interest. You will receive an email notification that content has been modified.

You may also want to add our school calendar to your personal calendar. This will help you stay informed about all the activities that are happening at Ben Franklin.

Kirstin Hanson, Principal

Jennifer Olson, Assistant Principal

Matt Quintus, Assistant Principal/Activities Director

Nick Hawkins, Discipline Assistant

Website: https://www.fargo.k12.nd.us/benfranklin
Location: 1420 8th Street North, Fargo, ND, USA
Phone: 701-446-3600