Finn Hill Falcon Flyer

Monday, February 14

• First Semester Grades Due

Tuesday, February 15

• Report Cards/GPAs Finalized
• WIDA Access Testing for ML Students-Speaking

Thursday, February 17-Friday, February 18

• Midwinter Break

Monday, February 21

• No School-Presidents' Day Observed

Friday, February 25

• Sundaes for Scholars (1st Semester GPA Celebration)

Here's a COVID update from last week:

• This week we had two positive cases: one required contact tracing; the other did not.
• The district website does not always reflect the accurate number of cases in real time. Our weekly update in the Falcon Flyer will be the most accurate information for parents.
• If you have questions about the number of cases or concerns about contact tracing, please reach out to our COVID coordinator, Dr. Stacy Mehlberg, at smehlberg@lwsd.org or our school nurse, Karen Walker, at karwalker@lwsd.org.

• Upcoming FHMS PTSA Board Elections: We are preparing for next school year already! We need you, and ask you to consider nominating yourself or someone else for an elected position on the FHMS PTSA board. More information to come in next week's PTSA newsletter.
  

• Book Talk: You are invited to join a book discussion! Our Associate Principal, Dr. Mehlberg, will be moderating a monthly discussion on the book, Fostering Resilient Learners: Strategies for Creating a Trauma Sensitive Classroom by Kristin Souers and Pete Hall. The first meeting will be March 3rd at 7pm via Microsoft Teams. For details and to sign up, please go to https://fhmsptsa.org/Article/View/Fostering-Resilient-Learners-Book-Discussion

• Communications Preference Survey: The FHMS PTSA wants to hear from you ALL (not just PTSA members)- specifically how can we best communicate with you. If you have not already, could you please take a minute to complete our survey? Thank you in advance! Survey can be found here: https://forms.office.com/r/0e3UcU5xKq

There is a lot of potential stress involved in the college application process which can come from both internal and external forces. For some families, the pressure begins building early. Learn about specific things parents and teachers can do to help teens navigate the college journey and learn more about themselves. Register for our February 15th webinar at www.lwsf.org/our-work/find-your-fit.

Lake Washington School District holds an open enrollment period once each year for parents who want their children to attend a school other than their neighborhood school. Parents may apply between February 4-28 for a change to their school assignment for the 2022-23 school year for their student in grades K-12. This option is also known as an In-District Variance. Read more about open enrollment on the district website. Students from outside the district, who wish to attend Lake Washington’s schools, can apply for enrollment by initiating a Choice Transfer (out-of-district) request with their resident school district. Please use our district website to find the application: https://www.lwsd.org/students-families/transfer-options/choice-transfers.

Thank you LWSD voters! Based on the results shared by King County Elections Tuesday night, it appears that our three levies are heading for voter approval. A huge thank you to our community for helping us continue local levy funding to support excellence for every student. You can learn more about what our levies will fund at lwsd.org/education-levies. Watch the video below of Superintendent Dr. Jon Holmen speaking about the results of the election.

This celebration of Black culture in the United States and the contribution of Black Americans to our great country has its origins to coincide with the birth of both Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln (February 14th, 1818 & February 12th, 1808, respectively).

Frederick Douglass escaped enslavement and later went on to be one of the founders of The Abolitionist Movement in the United States. His harrowing tale of escape and the intellectual foundation he created are still relevant in our times. You can find more information here on the Britannica website.

Every year Black History Month has a theme. This year’s theme is Black Health and Wellness. The theme is intended to celebrate Black scholars and healthcare professionals, but also the variety of ways the African diaspora heals. More information on the theme can be found here at the Association for Study of African American Life and History.

Did you know that LWSD has approximately 17,963 students participating in 116 different Career & Technical Education (CTE) course options taught by 145 CTE teachers? The LWSD School Board proclaimed the month of February as Career & Technical Education month in LWSD. Read the full proclamation here.

This week was National School Counseling Week. Lake Washington School District’s 89 school counselors help students reach their full potential and LWSD would like to recognize these efforts. Earlier this week, the LWSD Board signed a proclamation declaring February 7-11, 2022 as National School Counseling Week. School counselors are actively committed to helping students explore their abilities, strengths, interests and talents as these traits relate to career awareness and development. Thank you to all of our counselors for this incredibly important work. Read the full proclamation here.

FHMS is collecting NEW and GENTLY-USED* games (*in good condition with all pieces) for use by the students at lunchtime. Games listed (on sign up genius) are quick and easy to learn/play.

To sign up for a donation, go to: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080D49A9A628A2F94-games. Once you have signed up, games can be dropped off in the FHMS office starting now through the end of February. If you have an idea for a game not listed, please reach out to volunteer@fhmsptsa.org before dropping off in the office. Thank you for helping FHMS students have some fun at lunchtime!

Mission

Each student will graduate prepared to lead a rewarding, responsible life as a contributing member of our community and greater society.

Vision

Every student future ready: Prepared for college, Prepared for the global workplace, Prepared for personal success

Website: https://fhms.lwsd.org/
Location: 8040 NE 132nd St, Kirkland, WA, USA
Phone: (425) 936-2340
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FinnHillMiddleSchool
Twitter: @FinnHillMS