Fargo Public Schools has ended its relationship with the Mass Notification mass communication system and over the summer, will be converting to a new system, BrightArrow Mass Communication. Mass Notification was purchased by a new vendor two years ago and the quality of the service has slipped since. BrightArrow will bring immediate improvements over the previous system.

Read more about the new mass communication system in this Cabinet Column by FPS Strategy and Innovation Officer Bill Westrick.

Fargo Public Schools wants to update its community, parents, and staff on a recent review process regarding educational materials, specifically the Baby Olivia video by Live Action. As part of its commitment to ensuring the appropriateness and accuracy of instructional resources, FPS thoroughly reconsidered this material. After careful consideration, the committee found that while the Baby Olivia video met or exceeded expectations in many areas, it fell short in key areas of concern and decided to deny the use of the Baby Olivia video within our school district.

Read more about the decision-making process regarding the Baby Olivia video in this Feature Column by FPS Director of Standards-Based Instruction Dr. Liann Hanson.

The Fargo Public Schools library team would like to remind students, staff, and families of the wide variety of reading options offered through the summer from local public libraries, public businesses, and by accessing the District e-book collection through Sora. The District has a number of great opportunities and resources to encourage our students and staff to keep reading over the summer break.

Read more about the summer reading options, including school library summer hours, e-book access, and summer reading programs in this Feature Column by FPS Library Program Facilitator Jen Hess.

With the end of the semester approaching, teachers and students are preparing to finalize grades. It is crucial for teachers to communicate and review each student’s body of evidence and letter grades. Likewise, parents should review their student’s gradebook and reach out to teachers with any questions or concerns.

Read more about the process of reviewing finalizing evidence-based grades in this Feature Column by FPS Science Facilitator Allie Kollman.

Congratulations to the Davies High School boys and girls track and field teams on both winning East Region championships on May 17 at North Dakota State University!

The girls team won the championship with a score of 178.5. The boys team won the championship with a team score of 123. View the full results of the East Region Track Meet. The North Dakota High School Activities Association Class A Track and Field State Meet will be held May 23-25 in Bismarck.

Congratulations to South High School track and field coach Cameron Dockter on being named the Eastern Dakota Conference Boys Track and Field Coach of the Year! Dockter received this award at the East Region Track Meet on May 17 at North Dakota State University.

Congratulations to all Davies High School students who signed National Letters of Intent to participate in activities at their college! Sadie Gompf, Lauren Diers, Sophia Keller, Kat Elrod, Adam Brachman, Evelyn Geiger, Onya Kretchman, and Abby Leinen signed last week.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Fargo Public Schools buildings and community partners were challenged to Be Seen in Green on Thursday, May 16 to promote mental health awareness. All schools that submitted a picture of their staff wearing green were entered into a drawing, and Bennett Elementary School won a Friday afternoon visit from the ice cream truck. Enjoy these photos of staff, students, and community partners joining together to reduce the stigma associated with mental health and promote healing.

Congratulations to Washington Elementary School Kindergarten Teacher Nicole Braaten on becoming the newest member to the Fargo Public Schools Catalyst Demonstration Teacher team! Fargo Public Schools has seven Catalyst Demonstration teachers and there are 45 teachers that are part of the Catalyst Demonstration Project District-wide with 26 teachers at the elementary level, four at the middle school level, and 15 at the high school level.

There will be NO SCHOOL next Monday, May 27 due to the Memorial Day holiday. Classes will resume as regularly scheduled on Tuesday, May 28.

Parents, we want to hear from you! Please help Fargo Public Schools improve how we are serving our students, staff, and stakeholders by taking our culture survey. The survey data will guide District decision making, parent engagement, District and school improvement, and influence Strategic Plan decisions.

If you are a parent of a student enrolled in FPS, please click here to complete this survey. You may complete the survey for each student enrolled at FPS. The survey is anonymous and demographic data is optional.

Congratulations to the graduating class of 2024! Graduation is less than a month away at Fargo Public Schools. To accommodate those who are unable to attend, FPS will livestream graduation ceremonies at these links:

Dakota High School, May 31 at 7 p.m.

• Click here for the Dakota livestream link

South High School, June 2 at noon

• Click here for the South livestream link

Davies High School, June 2 at 3 p.m.

• Click here for the Davies livestream link

North High School, June 2 at 6 p.m.

• Click here for the North livestream link

The Virtual Academy offers asynchronous learning opportunities to students in Grades K-12, allowing them the flexibility to complete lessons and coursework from their device at any time, while also providing daily teacher support. Virtual Academy utilizes Imagine Edgenuity and the North Dakota Center for Distance Education. High school students also have options for hybrid in-building learning, dual credit courses through the North Dakota State College of Science, and Advanced Placement courses. Fully online learning is best suited for students who are independent, self-motivated, have a solid support system at home, and are physically able to handle extended screen time.

Those interested in attending the Fargo Public Schools Virtual Academy for the 2024-25 school year should fill out this Google Form to indicate their plan for attendance. More information about the Virtual Academy can be found on its website.

Registration for the Fargo Public Schools Self-Directed Academy, opening next fall for students in Grades 6-8, is now open.

The Self-Directed Academy puts each student in the driver's seat of their own education. With an instructional model built on self-paced learning, flexible scheduling, technology integration, STEM focus, and project-based learning, students determine their own educational path with guidance from educators serving as learning mentors who understand their needs and tailor supports to each individual. The Self-Directed Academy is best-suited for independent learners who benefit from in-person contact.

Fargo Public Schools is also seeking staff for the Self-Directed Academy. The SDA will be a fit for creative, innovative, collaborative staff members who want to try something new and break out of the regular mold to work at the Self Directed Academy opening next fall for Grades 6-8. Educators will work in collaboration with students and other teachers to serve the unique needs of each student. Apply at fargo.k12.nd.us/apply

Registration for the Trollwood Mentorship Program, opening this fall for students in grades 9-12 is open. Visit Trollwood's website to learn more and fill out the commitment form.

The Trollwood Mentorship Program, a partnership between Trollwood Performing Arts School and the FPS Virtual Academy, was designed to maintain the flexibility of the virtual academy while giving them hands-on, to follow an artistic passion with specialized, hands-on training.

Student Talent Mentor Shawn Brekke will connect students with specific artistic mentors from the area to work on specific skills in the areas of their interest. If they desire, students will have the flexibility to build a hybrid schedule, incorporating both virtual instruction and classes at their home school.

The students and staff at Davies High School joined together for one last hurrah before the end of the school year at Davies Day on Wednesday, May 15. They took time to acknowledge academic, athletic, and artistic accomplishments, face off in fun competitions, and enjoy each other’s company before they all dispersed for the summer. The event featured an Academic Letter Awards and Scholarship Banquet, an Art Show, a Tech Ed Open House, an All-School Pep Fest, and many other fun games and activities.

Students involved in HOSA Clubs at South High School, North High School, and Davies High School spent a morning learning about the ins-and-outs of several healthcare fields at the HOSA Skills Day.

The students participated in hands-on activities and learned what life is like in the healthcare profession from real experts in their fields. They interacted with speech therapists, respiratory therapists, representatives from Sanford Ambulance, Fargo Fire Department, Sanford Nursing Education, NDSU Pharmacy, Sanford K-12 Education, and South School Resource Officer Nielsen.

On Thursday, May 9, three U.S. Military Veterans visited South High School to speak with students about their experiences of serving in the Vietnam War. The veterans shared photos and maps from the Vietnam War and answered student questions about their experiences.

Madison Elementary School teamed up with City of Fargo and River Keepers to celebrate Arbor Day on May 17. Students planted 75 new trees on the school grounds and witnessed a presentation about the importance of trees to the environment. Fargo was named a Tree City USA for the 47th year. The project was supported by an America the Beautiful Tree Planting Grant from the North Dakota Forest Service.

The eighth graders in Automation and Robotics at Carl Ben Eielson Middle School put their engineering knowledge to the ultimate high-powered test as they raced cars powered by carbon dioxide on May 20.

Students applied all of the classroom knowledge they gained this year to hand craft wooden CO2-powered cars for maximum aerodynamics and speed. They pit these miniature speed demons against each other head-to-head to see who would come out on top with the fastest car.

This newsletter is published weekly on Thursdays during the school year when classes are in session. Material for publication is due by noon on Tuesday of the week of desired publication.

Email: comments@fargo.k12.nd.us
Website: www.fargo.k12.nd.us
Location: 700 7th Street South, Fargo, ND
Phone: 701.446.1000