FBMS Weekly Newsletter
April 12, 2024 #wearemarshfield
HAVE A GREAT VACATION WEEK
School resumes on Monday, April 22nd
"STAND UP TO BULLYING" ASSEMBLY GUEST SPEAKER
This week, Furnace Brook students attended assemblies to hear from motivational speaker Chris Poulos. Chris is a world champion athlete, youth motivational speaker, and aspiring author who shares powerful life lessons as he demonstrates amazing bicycle stunts. He specializes in core values, anti-bullying, and character education.
This week's event is part of a student-driven initiative that started with a group of 6th and 7th graders attending a training at Bridgewater State University a few months ago. These trainings were focused on creating a more inclusive and welcoming environment at Furnace Brook. The students who put the events together are all pictured below with Chris and Mr. Sorensen, one of our School Adjustment Counselors who also helped to facilitate the event.
We are proud of the work our students have done and are doing to make Furnace Brook a welcoming and safe environment for all. Chris' presentation was fantastic!
Cradles to Crayons Update...
Dear Furnace Brook Students and Families,
Over the past few weeks, a district-wide clothing drive has been underway to support Cradles to Crayons, a statewide charity organization that helps children facing clothing insecurity. We are excited to announce that the clothing drive was successful, due to your support! In total, 104 bags were donated to Cradles to Crayons along with 23 bags to a secondary organization. All of these donations led to us impacting approximately 4,000 children in Massachusetts. This would not have been possible without our work as a community and as 35ONE of us.
I would like to express my gratitude to the FBMS Leadership Team, staff/faculty members in Marshfield Public Schools, and to all of you as a community. Without your efforts, none of this would have been possible. I would also like to thank the Marshfield Project 351 Team, as they have worked tirelessly to make a difference, not just in Marshfield, but the world. Those team members are Georgia C., Abigail L., Brett M., Tim M., and Cam W. Their leadership as student role models is exceptional and they all consistently demonstrate strong work ethic, kindness, and compassion to every person in our community.
I look forward to collaborating with all of you on future service projects. This was just the beginning, and working together more positive change is inevitable!
With gratitude,
Project 351 Ambassador
Nicolas Roht
ANCHOR AWARDS
Here are the Quarter 3 Anchor all stars! Nice job students! We applaud your hard work!
Grade 8 Breakfast
Our 8th graders enjoyed a memorable morning with a special breakfast featuring delicious waffles, muffins, egg sandwiches, and fresh fruit. They were also delighted by visits from elementary teachers, making the day even more special. As they prepare to move on to high school next year, we will miss them dearly and wish them all the best! A huge thanks to Mrs. Concannon, Mrs. Segalla, Mr. Baldwin, and the many parent volunteers who served meals today. A shout out to our wonderful kitchen staff as well! :)
8th Grade Happenings....
Attention families! 8th Grade advisors Meg Segalla and Sean Baldwin have been fundraising throughout the school year in order to make our celebratory end-of-year events more affordable for the families of eighth grade students. Our next big fundraiser will be to bring back the "FBMS Pizza Bowl". The main information for this year's event is below:
-Date: Wednesday 4/24
-Time: 5:30 - 7:30 pm
-Location: Furnace Brook Middle School Cafeteria
-Tickets: $5 per person and can be purchased by cash or check at the door
-Event Activities: Sample slices from each participating restaurant and submit a ballot to vote on the best local pizzas in a variety of categories. Families will enjoy music, trivia and $1 raffles too.
We hope to see you there and thank you all for your support!"
FBMS Enrichment
Students have truly enjoyed the series of enrichment classes that have taken place these past 6-8 weeks. We ran sports, cooking, and crafts to name a few. We were so happy to have these offerings, and students seems to really enjoy learning new things and meeting friends and teachers. A big thank you to Mrs. Bacon, who runs the program!
HAPPENINGS IN THE CAFE
Our amazing cafeteria staff are preparing to transition our student trays from Styrofoam to cardboard. #ECOFRIENDLY
MCAS TESTING FUTURE DATES 5/8 & 5/9
STEM: Grade 8 only: Tuesday 5/14 and Wednesday 5/15.
CIVICS: Grade 8 only: Tuesday 5/21 and Wednesday 5/22.
MCAS Testing is required for all students who attend public schools. Additionally it is a graduation requirement. Every opportunity to test before Grade 10 is additional practice for this graduation requirement. The data helps us greatly to make important decisions about curriculum and student course offerings and requirements.
DUNGEON & DRAGONS CLUB
The Dungeons & Dragons club started their spring Campaigns last week. We welcomed 4 new members to our campaigns, and we are having fun with our outgoing 8th graders. 7th Grader Colby and 8th grader Tedy stepped up to create their own campaigns: "The Magical being...Bob" as well as "The Heat Maiden's Puddle Realm" respectively. Students also had a great meeting today, continuing with their campaigns. Thank you, Mr. Baldwin and Mr. Dodge.
ART & TECH FAIR AT MHS
The K-12 Art & Tech Ed Fair will be held at the MHS gymnasium We hope you can stop by Opening Night- April 30th from 6-8pm.
Thanks for your continued support and we look forward to showcasing all the student creativity and ingenuity this month!
SEPAC PRESENTATION ON IEP CHANGES 4/18
The Massachusetts IEP document will be seeing the first major change to the form in 20 years. To help assist parents with the changes, the Marshfield Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) is inviting you to a virtual presentation on the new IEP. This presentation will be offered by The Federation for Children with Special Needs (FCNS). Multiple sessions will be offered in April, May, and June. Please join us if this relates to you.
The FCNS presentation will discuss:
Understand why changes have been made
Learn the timeline for implementation
Review the new form and see what has been added
Explore areas for student and parent input
Identify areas for team collaboration
Visit the Federation website to sign up any of the dates - all are FREE
TITLE I SERVICES SURVEY
Does your child receive Title I Services?
Please take a few moments to complete a brief Parent Survey.
Your feedback is appreciated!
Click this survey link: https://tinyurl.com/2dp87p23 or
Scan the QR code
Inside the Middle School Mind...Top Secret Stuff!
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING ON TIME
General Law 76 requires that all public schools have plans in place to achieve the highest attendance possible. We want our students here every day and on time to make the most of the learning opportunities available. Please see our handbook for more detailed information.
Our policy for arrival to school:
- Students must be in homeroom by 7:50 AM.
- Students who are not in homeroom by 7:50 AM must stop in the front office to receive a tardy slip.
- Tardy students must provide the office with a note from a parent or guardian or be accompanied into the school building by a parent. This allows us to check that you know your child was elsewhere and not here on time.
- Students with more than three unexcused tardies in a quarter are subject to after school detentions for each and every tardy.
What does this mean for my child? Students need to either take a bus or be dropped off by 7:45AM. They also need to be seated in homeroom by 7:50AM in order to be considered on time. If a student has an appointment, he/she/they should bring in a slip from the provider to excuse the tardy.
Students who are tardy to school miss learning opportunities. Additionally, now is the time to teach accountability and the importance of being on time. We take a full attendance at exactly 7:50AM, and we would like it to be as accurate as possible. If we can help you with getting your child to school on time, please reach out to our guidance department. Along with administration, we can work together to help you and your child.
CHROMEBOOK INFORMATION
Please remind your child to charge his/her/their Chromebook daily. It is important for our students to school prepared for the day, and it is difficult when many students are not able to participate since their Chromebook is not charged. It is helpful for most students to have one location where they can plug in and that the location is consistent so that it become routine. If you child struggles with this, purchasing a second charging cord would be helpful for your child to carry during the day. Does your child need another or replacement Chromebook charger? If so, click here. Cost is $35.
Additionally, Chromebook insurance covers one incident only. After that, there is a charge for repair. More information here. It is therefore of great importance that students take good and safe care of their Chromebook.
FBMS WEEKLY ROTATION OF DAYS
We run on a six day cycle at FBMS. This allows all of our students to not only receive instructino in their core subjects daily but also gives them the opportunity to take several electives. Please see the calendar below which states what day # it is for the year.
Also note: Our last day of school is now June 13th due to 2 days of inclement weather. This date could change again...
FROM THE CLINIC
Seasonal Allergies:
Please click on the link below:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QJDj9hFRWX0o8d1_hLihFudGD7oO8znoZ7_KwriTsUE/edit?usp=drive_web
Annual Physicals:
Students in Grade 7 are required to submit an updated physical with proof of immunizations for their health record at the beginning of the school year. Please send in via scan/email or Fax
Medication:
All medications must be hand delivered by the parent and be given directly to the Nurse. Medications are not permitted to be sent in with students---this is unsafe as medication could get lost or contaminated. Guidelines PRIOR to bringing in medication, please have: A current Physician’s order, the Parent Consent Form Filled out, and the medication in its original container with pharmacy label if applicable.
Absences / Injuries:
Please provide up to date information and indicate that students are receiving adequate care at home and by their pediatrician, and clearance for participation in gym class. Please report any changes in health status e.g. health conditions, new medication, illnesses, and injuries to the clinic.
Guidelines as to when to keep your child home. Click here.
We look forward to assisting families and students in achieving optimal health and wellness during the academic school year. Please feel free to contact us at any time with concerns or questions. Be well.
Covid:
At this time, MPSD is deferring to the most recent covid guidelines provided by the Department of Public Health. We are no longer excusing absences surrounding COVID without a doctor's note. Please contact your child’s primary care physician for further guidance.
~FBMS Nurses: Maura Carrol, RN, BSN, Karen Mellen, RN, BSN & Megan Owren, RN, BSN
Clinic Contact Information: Phone: (781)-319-3965 / Fax: (781)-319-1780
WANT TO BE A SUBSTITUTE TEACHER?
Our district is always looking for Substitute Teachers, and Furnace Brook is a great place to work. As a substitute teacher, you choose the number of days you would like to work and when. There is great flexibility. The pay rate is $125 per day, and the requirement is that you love kids, have patience (and a sense of humor), and can manage large groups. We tend to see a lot of retirees, folks looking for part time work, and people interested in teaching and the school environment.
If any of this interests you, please call Central Office at 781-834-5000. The people at Central Office will have you come in to complete an application, which requires a CORI (background) check and fingerprinting.
Come join us!
If you are interested in other specific roles within our district, click here. Jobs are always posted.