FMS SMORE PARENT NEWSLETTER
SEPTEMBER 21-10/4 EDITION
SPREAD THE GOOD VIBES AT FMS!
THIS IS A STRESSFUL TIME - A LITTLE POSITIVITY CAN GO A LONG WAY!
SHOUT OUT TO OUR BUS DRIVERS THAT ARE PULLING DOUBLE DUTY!!!
WE KNOW YOU HAVE GONE WAY OUTSIDE YOUR DUTIES TO HELP OUT - THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COVERING FOR OUR DRIVERS WHO ARE OUT.
IMPORTANT! REGARDING BUSES THIS WEEK
- For the rest of the week, we will continue to use the same two bus routes and drivers for morning pick-up. Your times and bus numbers should remain consistent with what they were today for the rest of the week.
- We have ONE DRIVER for the afternoon drop-off on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday this week. Until now, we have had two bus drivers in the afternoons.
- Bus# 287 will be transporting ALL students home in the afternoon on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. If you need your child home by a specific time you may want to consider using carpool for the rest of the week. We hope that things will be better next week.
- Expect SIGNIFICANT DELAYS. Some students may not get home until 6:30pm or later. We will do what we can to be as efficient as possible.
Thank you for your patience!
IMMUNIZATIONS - 7TH GRADERS NEED SHOTS OR THEY WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO ATTEND SCHOOL
- TDAP booster
- meningococcal vaccine
If they are not updated on vaccinations by 9/22/2021 they will not be allowed to come to school until they get those shots.
*IF YOUR CHILD IS ON THE LIST, YOU SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE NURSE.
If you are not sure if you are on the list or not, please email kellyyoung@fcschools.net
MAKE SURE YOUR CHILD HAS A WATER BOTTLE FOR SCHOOL
- WATER FOUNTAINS CANNOT BE USED TO DRINK OUT OF
- WATER FOUNTAINS CAN BE USED TO FILL UP A WATER BOTTLE
- MAKE SURE YOUR CHILD HAS A WATER BOTTLE EVERY DAY!
CHROMEBOOKS WILL BE DISABLED ON THE FIRST OF OCTOBER IF THE CHROMEBOOK AGREEMENT IS NOT COMPLETED AND THE $10 FEE PAID
ATHLETICS NEED TO KNOW
- FOR ALL ATHLETIC UPDATES PLEASE GO TO THE FMS WEBSITE AND CLICK ON THE ATHLETICS TAB
- For the tentative schedule scroll further down in this newsletter
- All students MUST have a sports physical to participate in anyworkouts or on any teams
- All athletes must wear masks at all times indoors and at all times outdoors unless outdoors on the field of play.
- Athletes are expected to be model students - if an athlete behaves in a way that results in disciplinary consequences, that athlete will not be able to participate in athletics until those disciplinary consequences are served.
RULES FOR HOME GAMES
- Masks are mandatory for everyone unless you are 6 ft or more away from everyone
- Gate fee is $5.00
FMS FOLLOWS ALL FCS COVID GUIDELINES CAREFULLY
PARENTS, PLEASE READ AND UNDERSTAND THE FOLLOWING GUIDELINES
SCHOOL COUNSELOR - MS. GILBERT
Ms. Gilbert’s Google Site: click here
Helpful Resources
NC211.org (or call 211)
Food Finder (FoodBank of Central NC)
Hope4NC (or call 1-855-587-3463)
TransitionsLifeCare.org (or call the Grief Line 919-719-7199)
National Domestic Violence Hotline (or call 800-799-7233)
SuicidePreventionLifeline.org (or call 800-273-8255)
National Alliance of Mental Illness/NC (or call 800-451-9682)
Cardinalinnovations.org (or call 800-939-5911)
How to Contact Ms. Moore:
Complete and submit this form: Counselor Request Form
Or send email to: marygilbert@fcschools.net
Or call FMS at 919-494-2971 ext. 298
Be The Person You Want Your Kids To Be!
Kids of all ages are like sponges and they are learning from you even when you don’t realize it. Parents model behaviors to their children every day and children learn how to behave (good and bad) by how their parents behave. Think about what you are modeling to your children and decide what behaviors you want from your kids. Parents are a huge influence on their children!
- Do you spend time reading for fun? Do you limit your own screen time?
- Do you keep your belongings organized and prepare for the next day or week ahead?
- Do you take care of yourself by exercising, eating right, and have good sleep habits?
- How do you speak to or about other people? How do you speak to your children?
- How do you treat others who are different from you? Do you care about the health and safety of others?
- Do you model respect and kindness? How do you show it?
Here are two great articles about being a role model for your children: click here and here
September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
All month, mental health advocates, prevention organizations, survivors, allies, and community members unite to promote suicide prevention awareness. We can all help prevent suicide. Research shows people who are having thoughts of suicide feel relief when someone asks after them in a caring way. Findings suggest acknowledging and talking about suicide may reduce rather than increase suicidal ideation. Evidence shows that providing support services, talking about suicide, reducing access to means of self-harm, and following up with loved ones are just some of the actions we can all take to help others.
While there is no single cause for suicide, there are risk factors and warning signs which may increase likelihood of an attempt. Learning them can save lives. Please click here for more information about risk factors, protective factors, and warning signs.
FMS FRONT DESK PHONE NUMBER 919-494-2971
8TH GRADE TEAM UPDATES
MR. HURD - MATH
Unit 1 Test this week
Make sure to study
If you are not caught up, everything is on canvas!
MR. DOWNUM - SOCIAL STUDIES
Tomorrow we will have the first quiz of the year. This quiz will be on geography and sourcing. For the rest of the week we will be working on the colonies. As a reminder all athletes will be taken off teams if they are failing more than 2 classes. Make sure that Powerschool gets checked, and late assignments are turned in.
MS. FROST - ELA
The Dewey Dare is here and Mrs. Faulkner and Mrs. Hawthorne has made a short video encouraging students to participate. Here is the slide presentation to refer to at https://tinyurl.com/FMSGrade8ReadingChallenge
Bob the Alien Discovers the Dewey Decimal System
Video Recording of Faulkner & Hawthorne
7TH GRADE TEAM UPDATES
MS. NEUJAHR - SCIENCE
This week we are learning lots of things about the weather! Students are working on using Green Screen technology in the Steam Lab and the Media Center. They will use technological devices to create a Weather Broadcast as a meteorologist. They will broadcast the weather for a certain climate type their group has been assigned!
MS. JENKINS - MATH
All students are to be commended for their effort on the Math iReady assessments. The students have done a great job reviewing for the first Unit 1 quiz. This week we will continue our understanding of proportional relationships using tables, graphs and charts. We will begin to explore scale drawings and similar figures using Desmos. Keep up the good work!
MS. BAECHLE - ELA
This week we will have those students who need to make up the ELA reading diagnostic do so in order for them to begin working on their pathways and for viewable data for class lessons and beyond. We will continue reading our first text “Lyddie,” with a central focus on key events and unknown vocabulary as well as character growth throughout the text. Students will be responsible to complete regular chapter study guides on a weekly basis and turn in for a grade. The completion of these study guides will increase their overall knowledge and at times be utilized for pop-quizzes.
Students should have submitted their choice for their Q1 project and begin researching online sources to complete their project by October 22nd. I will be providing weekly check-points to ensure completion. The project link is: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KqaobjbrCRGvsv1lO_QSBvOPIt-gBHORAvIOn3Mw__M/edit?usp=sharing
Please make sure your student(s) is checking Powerschool regularly to see if any work needs to be made up. Per absence, I will allow one week to make up work, unless discussed otherwise. In addition, students should be working on their pathways on I-Ready for both ELA and Math for 45 mins each week.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to me at any time with questions at: kimberlybaechle@fcschools.net
6TH GRADE TEAM UPDATES
MS. BROOKS - SOCIAL STUDIES
In Social Studies, students will be learning about culture and the elements of culture. Please remind students to turn in any missing assignments that they may have in Social Studies.
ELECTIVES TEAM UPDATES
MS. HATTEN - DRAMA
We are halfway through the first nine weeks already! Can you believe it?
As students return from quarantine this week and next week they will be taking time in class to complete missing assignments that were not done while they were out. Please, remind your students that assignments are posted on Google Classroom and they may work on them while they are out of school. The textbook for 6th grade is posted online for any students who are not in class face to face.
6th grade: We will continue our study of Star Wars this week. We have listened to Episodes IV, V, and VI, and will be spending time talking about characters and settings this week.
7th grade: As students finish their original monologues, we will begin working on a papercraft project in class. This one is going to take some time, so be patient! They will be on display around FMS when we finish.
8th grade: As students finish their songologue, we will be talking about our next monologue project and preparing for performances this week. We will begin working on puppets once everyone is finished with monologues and presentations. If anyone has sewing skills, this next project is going to put you to work for sure!
AIG - MRS. HAWTHORNE UPDATES
Dewey Dare Reading Challenge
Our first challenge to our advanced students is a fall reading dare. Read more about The Dewey Dare and encourage your child to read across the subjects. It is our desire this year to build rigor and relevance into the lessons while students build strong relationships with their peers and teachers.
iReady - Why is it great for AIG?
The iReady program meets students where they are academically. This means that our advanced students are being challenged when they work on the lessons in their pathway. My Path lessons are assigned to your student based on their latest results on the i-Ready Diagnostic. Research shows that students who work in each subject for 45 minutes a week make gains on their future assessments. Please partner with us in encouraging your child to complete their iReady assignments.
Valerie Hawthorne
AIG Facilitator
MEDIA CENTER / STEAM LAB - MS. FAULKNER
The plan, at this time, is to have the Battle of the Books Competition. If your child is interested please click on the link below to find out what is on the list.
The county is also offering SORA again and will be doing an upload soon. If your student had an account last year they should be good to go. If they are new to Franklin County schools they will have to wait for the upload (they should be able to check out books online from FC Schools and NC Kids Digital Library).
Click on the link below to see how to access SORA!
Ms. Hawthorne (AIG) and I have “dared” the FMS student body to Dewey!!
Click on the link below to see our presentation!
WE NEED A PARENT ON OUR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT TEAM
Meets every 2nd Tuesday from 3:30-5:00pm
Need one parent on the team - more than that are welcome!
Works on implementing the school improvement plan
Deals with big picture FMS initiatives and changes (years long)
Interested? Email heidiboardman@fcschools.net
FMS PARENT GROUP - LOOKING FOR NEW MEMBERS!
If you are interested in being a part of a new parent group, please click on the button below and sign up to be a facilitator, a member who attends meetings, or a helper who helps out once in a while. No matter what, we are glad to have you!
FRANKLINTON MIDDLE SCHOOL MISSION
OUR VALUES
All children, regardless of race, ethnicity, socio-economic circumstances, or cognitive level, can grow and achieve.
Strong professional learning communities that work together to share best practices and high quality materials and resources can reduce achievement gaps and raise growth levels for all students.
Forging a strong collaborative relationship between the school, the parents, and the community is crucial in achieving a well-rounded and balanced education that addresses each student’s needs
A learning environment based on trust, integrity, and commitment is vital for student success.
Discipline, safety, and accountability are an important part of developing a school culture that reflects intellectual, emotional, and social growth.
OUR VISION
R - Respectful
A - Accountable
M - Motivated
S - Safe
C - Character
H - Honor
O - Opportunity
I - Inclusivity
C - Compassion
E - Excellence