Weekly Family Newsletter

Hello Franklin Families!

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, my heart is filled with gratitude for our incredible students, families, and staff who make Franklin Elementary such a wonderful community. Every day, I see examples of kindness, collaboration, and determination in our hallways and classrooms, and it reminds me how fortunate we are to have each other.

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on the things we’re grateful for, and I want to take a moment to thank you all for your support and involvement in your child’s education. Whether it’s through volunteering, attending events, or simply encouraging your child to do their best, you make a difference. Together, we are creating an environment where our students feel safe, inspired, and ready to achieve their dreams.

As we enter this fun and festive season, there are many exciting events coming up at Franklin next week:

• Holiday Shop: 12/2-12/6
• Holiday Fun Fest: 12/5

We look forward to seeing you at these events and celebrating the joys of the season together. Please note that our “Learning at Franklin” section in the newsletter is updated once a month, so while it may not change weekly, it is packed with valuable insights into our students’ learning journey.

I hope you all enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with love, laughter, and time spent with family and friends.

Mrs. Kelly

We need your help to create a magical Winter Wonderland hallway transformation for our students! On Wednesday, December 4th after school at 3:45, we’ll be decorating to surprise the students on Thursday morning.

The more helping hands we have, the better! If you have any string lights, projector lights, inflatables, or winter-themed decorations you’re not using, we would love to borrow them. We’re going for a wintery, snowy theme—so if anyone has a snow machine, that would be amazing!

I can’t wait to see the joy and excitement on our students’ faces when they walk into this snowy surprise. Thank you in advance for helping make this experience unforgettable! ❄️✨

Our Adopt-A-Family Drive is in full swing and runs through Tuesday, December 3—our final day to accept donations. This year, we are proud to support a wonderful family of five: mom, dad, and their three children.

Our goal is to raise $1,200, and if we meet or exceed it, we’ll celebrate with a special building-wide reward! Every contribution helps make a difference. Donations can be made via cash or check, payable to Franklin Elementary School.

Thank you for your kindness and generosity as we work together to make the season brighter for this family!

Our character trait of the month is gratitude. These students were leaders in representing our November character trait!

Holiday Shop: December 2-6

Give your kids the chance to experience the joy of giving! Students can independently shop for gifts for their family members. It’s a safe, fun, and budget-friendly way for kids to pick out thoughtful presents for loved ones—just in time for the holidays! Sign up here to help.

Holiday Fun Fest: December 5, 6-7:30pm

Join us for Franklin’s annual Holiday Fun Fest! Enjoy an evening of festive cheer with Santa and Mrs. Claus, crafts, games, glitter tattoos, cocoa, and cookies. Kids will love story time with our magical elves, and the Gourmet Grooves food truck will be on-site (food purchases are up to each family). This free event needs volunteers— Sign up here if you can help. To avoid long waits for Santa photos, reserve a time slot here.

Starting this year, the first day of snow will result in the whole school drinking some warm hot chocolate with marshmallows together! Here's a little video of the day!

🧡

Kindergarten students learned how to code Bee-Bot robots!

Mrs. Marias's and Mrs. Pegrim's classes completed their first SOLE. Sole is Self Organized Learning Environments. This is an inquiry based learning style that encourages students to develop 21st century learning skills. Our whole building is learning how to implement this in their classrooms. To learn more, visit: https://startsole.org/about/.

1st Grade students in Mrs. Sypherd's class made bread this week! They worked on how-to writing before the experiment!

2nd grade made butter in class! They learned all about solids, liquids, and gasses during this lesson!

Our 3rd graders took their creativity and problem-solving skills to the next level by designing floats inspired by Wadsworth’s rich history. As part of the project, they incorporated technology by coding Sphero robots to guide their floats during a lively parade! This hands-on activity combined history, engineering, and coding, allowing students to bring their ideas to life in an exciting and innovative way.

4th grade students used power tools to build birdhouses to put in our Franklin backyard! We are learning about ecosystems, habitats, and the important role that birds play in our environment. This hands-on project combines science, engineering, and creativity, giving students a chance to explore how human actions can positively impact wildlife.

Our teachers recently visited another STEM school in Ohio to explore new and innovative ways to bring exceptional STEM experiences to our students!

Backpack Connection:

This is a weekly program where we send extra food home with 14 students. With the longer holiday weekend this month, we are looking to send more food and some specific items. If you can help donate, sign up here.

Holiday Shop: December 2-6

Give your kids the chance to experience the joy of giving! Students can independently shop for gifts for their family members. It’s a safe, fun, and budget-friendly way for kids to pick out thoughtful presents for loved ones—just in time for the holidays! Sign up here to help.

Holiday Fun Fest: Thursday, 12/5 6-7:30 PM

for Franklin’s annual Holiday Fun Fest! Enjoy an evening of festive cheer with Santa and Mrs. Claus, crafts, games, glitter tattoos, cocoa, and cookies. Kids will love story time with our magical elves, and the Gourmet Grooves food truck will be on-site (food purchases are up to each family). This free event needs volunteers— Sign up here if you can help. To avoid long waits for Santa photos, reserve a time slot here.

Franklin PTO Meeting: Friday, 12/6 9:30 AM

• Franklin Cafeteria, some teachers will be there! Get an inside look at what is happening in classrooms, things coming up, and our journey to renew our STEM designation!

Thanksgiving Feast

Veterans Day Program

November 2024

• 11/28-11/29: No School Thanksgiving Break

December 2024

• 12/2-12/7: Franklin PTO Holiday Shop

• 12/5: Franklin PTO Holiday Fun Fest 6:00pm

• 12/6: Franklin PTO Meeting 9:30 am

• 12/9 Board of Education Meeting 7:00 pm

• 12/20: Classroom Holiday Parties 2:00pm-3:00pm

• 12/23-1/7: No School Winter Break

January 2025

• 1/6: No School for Students Record Day

• 1/7: Student’s First Day Back from Winter Break

• 1/13 : Franklin School Store Fundraiser Begins

• 1/7: Franklin PTO Meeting 6:00pm

• 1/13: Board of Education Meeting 7:00pm

• 1/14: Kindergarten and 1st Grade Donuts with Grownups 8:10am

• 1/14: Franklin McDonald’s Night 5:00pm-7:00pm

• 1/16: 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Grade Donuts with Grownups

• 1/17: Winter Farmer’s Market 1:45pm

• 1/20: No School Martin Luther King Jr. Day

• 1/21: Educational Assembly with Outback Ray

• Download the Box Tops for Education app.
• Sign in or create an account. Add referral code BWXD7415 for an extra 25 Bonus Box Tops.
• Locate Franklin Elementary School using zip code 44281.
• Connect your Walmart account & scan your receipts from other stores – funds for our school will follow!

• Visitors will be invited to the building for special events.
• Visitors are not permitted to join students for lunch.
• If you are coming to the building to volunteer you must sign this form: Volunteer Release Form. There will be hard copies at the building if needed.

• Tier 1 Volunteer: No unsupervised interaction with students. No board approval or background check required.

• Tier 2 Volunteer: Unsupervised interaction with students. Board Approval and Background Check (BCI & and FBI) required. Please contact Ms. Keith for more information.

Mrs. Kelly, Principal

Ms. Keith, Secretary

Office Hours: 8:00 - 4:00

Franklin Office Line: 330-335-1470

Franklin Attendance Line: 330-335-1467

• Please be sure to call your child off by 9:30 am each day they are absent or late by using the 24 hour attendance line 330-335-1467, be sure to leave an absence reason.

• If there will be a change in transportation during the day, please let your teacher know with a note in the morning. If there is a last minute change during the day, please call the office by 3:00 pm at 330-335-1470.