Quarter 2 Newsletter

The Firebaugh Middle School Quarterly newsletters are intended to provide essential information to parents, stakeholders, and the community to cultivate a connection between school and home. Firebaugh Middle School's goal is to increase parent engagement by providing streamline communication in our school to create a culture of consistent communication. Together, we can support and improve the academic achievement, social-emotional development, and health of FMS students.

**Padres/tutores, si desean que este boletín se traduzca a otro idioma, ubiquen el botón Traducción en su teléfono inteligente en la parte superior de la pantalla.**

FMS has focused on improving social emotional learning opportunities for our students. This school year we have been implementing weekly SEL lessons such as “Taking Others Perspective”. We encourage our students and staff to consider other points of view and empathize with one another. This demonstrates respect and responsibility for our thinking and reinforces our Falcon Oath. “Falcons are Respectful, Responsible, and Safe”. We believe this will help create a nurturing environment for our students to learn and grow. Although we all have different perspectives and understanding of education, our goal is to continue developing our students to be critical thinkers and lifelong learners. As parents and guardians, I encourage you to take a moment to consider the different perspectives we might have and focus on the positive you will see demonstrated in this newsletter. Thank you for your time and Go Falcons!

• December 15, 2023: End of 2nd Quarter
• January 9, 2024: Classes Resume
• January 15, 2024: Martin Luther King Jr. Observance
• January 18, 2024: 2nd Quarter Falcon Way Assembly Honoring Honor Roll, Superintendent List, and Stellar Attendance
• February 12, 2024: Lincoln Day Observance
• February 19, 2024: Washington Day Observance
• February 21, 2024: Parent/Teacher Conferences at Firebaugh Middle School in the Cafeteria from 3:30pm-5:30pm
• March 15, 2024: End of 3rd Quarter

6th Grade: In Quarter 2, students learned the valuable skill of how to draw inferences from a text. Students combined prior knowledge with explicit details in a text to help them “read between the lines.” Making inferences allows students to analyze the author's point of view, detect bias, and deepen their comprehension of literary and informational texts.

Additionally, Students completed their novel Holes by Louis Sachar. After reading, analyzing, and discussing this novel over the last several weeks, they were able to complete projects related to the book.

In Unit 4, students wrote an informational essay about the contributions of famous outlaws to the reputation of the “Wild West.” This assignment allowed students to practice researching, planning, drafting, editing and revising a five paragraph essay.

8th Grade: Students completed one reading unit and one writing unit for Quarter 2. For our reading unit, students learned how to make inferences about literary and informational texts. Students were required to combine prior knowledge and textual evidence to make an inference about a passage.

For our second unit, students had to complete an informational essay.

Students were tasked with explaining what a dystopian society is. This topic was chosen because we are currently reading The Giver–a famous dystopian novel. We began this unit by carefully examining various sources and outlining our essays. We then moved on to creating a rough draft of our essays. As of right now, students are revising their drafts and will be ready to publish their work soon.

6th Grade: Students completed Unit 2 Decimals and fractions, Base Ten Operations, Division with Fractions, and Volume.

• Add, subtract, and multiply multi digit decimals.
• Divide whole numbers and multi digit decimals.
• Understand division with fractions
• Divide fractions
• Solve volume problems with fractions

7th Grade: During Quarter 2, our 7th grade math students completed Unit 2 and Unit 3: Numbers and Operations. Within these units, the students learned and practiced the following concepts:

• Adding & Subtracting with negative integers
• Addition with positive and negative rational numbers
• Including decimals and fractions

• Multiplying & dividing with negative integers
• Multiplying and dividing with positive and negative rational numbers
• Including decimals and fractions
• Express Rational Numbers as Terminating & Repeating Decimals
• Use of the 4 operations with negative numbers

8th Grade: During Quarter 2, our 8th grade math students worked on Unit 3: Linear Relationships: Slope, Linear Equations, and Systems. They learned about the following content:

• Graphing proportional/nonproportional relationships and defining slope.
• Deriving & graphing linear equations.
• Solving one-variable and two-variable equations.
• Solving systems of linear equations algebraically using graphing, substitution, & elimination.

6th Grade: The 6th grade math students completed the following:

• Add, subtract, and multiply multi-digit decimals
• Divide whole Numbers and Multi-Digit Decimals
• Understand Division with Fractions
• Divide Fractions
• Solve Volume Problems with Fractions- Students had the opportunity to model a rectangular prism with cubes to grasp the concept in small groups
• Understand Ratio Concepts - Students were introduced to ratios and how they work in the real world. They also put into practice the concept of ratios by determining the ratio of hot chocolate mix to milk in order to make hot chocolate.

7th Grade: The 7th grade students learned the following:

• Add and Subtract Rational Numbers- Students got extra practice in the concept in small group instruction. The focus was giving students real world examples regarding the unit. They finished off the unit with a study guide practice before their Unit 2 test in their core math class.
• Multiply and Divide Rational Numbers- Similar to the second unit, students got a head start introduction into multiplying and dividing rational numbers in small groups. The same focus was applied to giving them real world examples in the unit. They finished the Unit off with a study guide practice for their Unit 3 test.

8th Grade: The eighth grade students got a jump start to Unit 3(Linear Relationships, Slope, Linear Equations, and Systems). The focus was to provide students with an introduction to the concept to come in prepared for their core math class. Also, the main focus for the 8th grade group was math facts building on their foundational skills.

6th Grade: Sixth grade science finished 2nd quarter progress with weather and climate and report card with the microbiome unit. Students quickly connected the knowledge attained with real world examples for the microbiome unit. Aside from connecting material from unit to unit we teamed up with the english and math courses to apply questions in course work that demonstrate the importance of all contents. Our focus this quarter for all students in science was to strengthen academic vocabulary, reading, comprehension, and writing skills. We concluded the semester with fun labs!

7th Grade: Seventh graders learned about plate tectonics as well as the rock cycle. They learned how the continents are moving over time and how the Earth has changed over the years. In our next unit, the students learned all about the rock cycle. They are now able to explain how rocks can change over time, and what process lead to those changes.

They were able to complete a fun and engaging lab on the rock cycle. Using Starbursts to represent the rock material, they smashed, pressed, melted, and broke up the starburst to show how a rock can change through millions of years.

6th Grade: We started the 2nd Quarter with learning about how the Nile RIver shaped Ancient Egypt by looking at a variety of documents and then used those documents to create a 5 paragraph essay. The students did well on their ability to analyze a document and learned what we can do to improve our writing in the future.

We spent Halloween making a mummy and put it in a sarcophagus after learning about the mummification process. We “wrapped up” (like a mummy, get it?) our unit on Ancient Egypt by learning about King Tut and learning some reading strategies along the way and learned about different Egyptian Gods and Goddesses by making “dating profiles” for them, which the students really enjoyed and were creative with. After Thanksgiving Break, the students worked hard during our fast paced Ancient Israel Unit where they got to have fun playing the dreidel game and we got to connect our Egypt and Israel Units by watching the animated film “The Prince of Egypt”, which the students enjoyed!

During the second quarter, our students participated in a flag football unit and a dance unit. Students learned fundamental skills the first week of football, and the next two weeks we held a tournament with a winning team each class period. We had great participation, excitement, and overall competitive games. During our dance unit, students are learning several different line dances.

In the spirit of cultural enrichment and appreciation, our students learned about Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Through various close readings about the topic, students read about the significance of this Mexican celebration, understanding its roots and evolution over time. They were able to comprehend the rituals, symbols, and familial connections that defined Dia de los Muertos. Lastly, our students were able to articulate their new knowledge by creating their own ofrendas and presenting them to their classmates!

Con el propósito de enseñar a nuestros estudiantes apreciación cultural, nuestros estudiantes aprendieron sobre el Día de los Muertos. A través de varias lecturas sobre el tema, los estudiantes leyeron sobre el significado de esta celebración mexicana, aprendiendo sobre las raíces y como la tradición fue cambiando con el tiempo. Pudieron comprender los rituales, símbolos y conexiones familiares que definen el Día de los Muertos. Por último, nuestros estudiantes pudieron articular todo lo que aprendieron al crear sus propias ofrendas y presentarlas a sus compañeros de clase.

6th Grade: Students continue to improve in their multiplication facts, having a math facts practice incorporated into our daily routine has been beneficial as students have had a 3% increase in accuracy. In addition, students were introduced to multiplying and dividing fractions, students were given word problems involving real life scenarios and learned how to identify key terms that helped them solve the problems using tape diagrams, area models, and keep change flip. In their ELA class, they started working on making inferences, they were able to practice this by looking at images that told a story, students were able to look at the images and make inferences based on prior knowledge. Students then had the opportunity to practice making inferences from a text, by reading stories and answering questions. Finally, students were able to finish reading their Holes book, then work on their reading comprehension by answering questions and using Frayer models to help them understand new vocabulary words introduced in the book. Students are now ready to finish and close the 2nd quarter by catching up on incomplete assignments and are preparing for their upcoming 3rd quarter.

7th Grade: Our 7th grade Resource Students have been working hard on improving and mastering their multiplication math facts. In the month of November we saw major improvements in multiplication math facts scores from all students within the 7th grade resource program. We had 8 of our 12 students show a percentage increase of 31% or higher which is incredible! The improvement in multiplication fluency has proved to be helpful to our students in their everyday math skills. Our 7th grade Resource Kiddos have finished the 2nd quarter off strong and are ready for Winter Break. We are super proud of all the improvements and hard work our students have put in for the first semester of the school year. We are looking forward to a successful second half of the school year.

ELA:In ELA we have been studying Informational Texts. We have been working on skills like identifying key details in a text, sequencing events, and describing connections between historical events. Students have also been learning about narrative writing characteristics (descriptive language, plot, setting, and narrative structure).

Math:In the area of Math we have been learning about coordinate graphing (X, Y) on a single quadrant, characteristics of shapes (sides, angles, vertices), constructing their own six sided cubes, as well as continued our review of fractions, multiplication math facts, multi digit addition/subtraction, and measurement/data.

History:This quarter we finished our study of Mexican-American history and learned about the Aztecs civilization and the impact of the Spanish explorers. We also had the opportunity to learn about and celebrate Day of the Dead. We have also begun our study of African-American history and have been learning about some of the first African explorers, indentured servants, and impact of slavery.

Science:We began the quarter learning about various animal habitats and their characteristics. We have been learning about the different types of volcanoes and what causes volcanoes to erupt. Students constructed their own models of shield, composite, and cinder cone volcanoes.

Music Engagement: Music Engagement students have spent the quarter learning about music production with the program Soundtrap. They have been creating music using loops and original compositions. Their final project was to create the next best Christmas Song and pairing it with an Album Cover that best represents their song!

Band: On December 3rd, the Marching Falcons participated in the Annual City of Firebaugh Christmas Parade where they were able to share their talents and represent the school with a dazzling display of lights and musical display of joy and unity. Students dressed up in festive attire and decorated their instruments in lights as they marched down O Street for all of the town to see! On December 8th, all of the instrumental music students were on display in the FMS Cafeteria for their Winter Concert! Sounds of the season filled the air as they played before friends and family for a night of fun and holiday cheer.

Choir (M, W, Advanced, Beg): Our Advanced choir was invited to sing at CSU Stanislaus annual Carolfest. They had the opportunity to perform alongside the CSU Stanislaus Choirs.

On December 5th, the choirs participated in the FLDUSD Choir concert. All four choirs performed alongside FHS, Mills, and Bailey Choirs! The students did exceptionally well and got to show off their hard work from the semester to a full house!

For this quarter, our dual enrollment students worked on the Living Wax Museum Project. First, they selected a historical or modern figure that inspired them. Then, they researched and wrote a short biography about the person of their choice. Everyone was required to create a backdrop, a costume, and a brief speech about their subject. This culminated in a live presentation where students pretended to be famous historical figures.

• MESA 6: 6th graders love MESA! Our class learns many new things throughout the day, but the students most favorite part is building projects. This hands-on learning course really prepares students to work in teams and communicate effectively. The highlight for 2nd quarter for MESA was the Fresno State October Monthly Challenge, Catapults. Students learned the history and importance of catapults and then built one from recyclables/materials found in the classroom. All the students did great and demonstrated effective use of the engineering design process. Some of the rocket launchers were able to travel over 120 feet.
• MESA 7/8: MESA is an overall hit for all students! Students are really enjoying their time working with their classmates to complete projects and practice the engineering process. For December, we are making igloos as part of the Fresno State Monthly Challenge, and students are intrigued on how to assemble such a task, with only paper and tape! They have their thinking caps on and are really thinking outside the box for this project. Students are excited to begin their projects for the MESA Day Competition next semester when we come back from Winter Break!

• Computers 1/2: Computers 1/2-Students are working in Edutyping.com building keyboarding accuracy and efficiency, recalling alphabetic keys and symbols. In addition students are creating a presentation that includes text, images, transitions, and animation and will demonstrate mastery skills through an oral presentation.
• Ag Science: This class serves as an intro to all the Agriculture pathways that are available at Firebaugh High School (floriculture, plant science, animal science, ag mechanics, ag science, and FFA). Students are prepared to have a career in agriculture.
• Photo: This class prepares students for Firebaugh High School’s Photography, Intro to Graphic Design and Digital Media & Graphic Design Pathway. The skills learned in this class can lead to career paths in graphic design, marketing, and web design.
• Art: This class prepares students for the Firebaugh High School art electives (Art I & Art II). Students also learn about careers in art through training and production. Mr. Flood says, “With hard work, students are prepared to be in any endeavor as they work to build skills in art.”

In my Academic Seminar class I, Miss Becky, am relating everything to real life skills. For example, being a student is their job. They need to be present each day and be on time for “work” so that their pay (participation points) is not docked. While at work, they need to actually be working and doing their best so that they don’t get put on probation or lose their job, thus having no income, (points), and becoming unemployed or in a students case, getting an ‘F’. Getting their assignments in on time is like paying bills on time so that a penalty is not added making the bills cost more, or with assignments, losing points. Following rules in class and at school is the same as following rules at a job.

I also discuss with them why they have the grades they do by going into their classes on Aeries and looking at each score and how much weight they have on their final grade. If they have bad test scores, I tell them to find out what it was that they did not understand so that they do not make the same mistakes in the future. Additionally, if they don’t understand something they are working on, I tell them to ask their teacher in that class, or ask me for help because I might explain it in a different way that makes sense to them.

My job is to help them navigate successfully through 6th grade at the Middle School, because it is a lot different than Mills Intermediate. They go from one teacher keeping track of them to 7 teachers and having the responsibility of keeping track of themselves.

As the 2nd quarter comes to a close, we would like to thank you teachers for taking the time to fill out the student behavior intake forms. Your input is valuable to the development of our Tier 2 behavior intervention plans. Our students have been responding well to the check-in, check-outs and we have seen major improvements with some of our students. Of course, this would not be possible without the support of our FMS Behavior Team.

Our kitchen staff in the Halloween spirit! 🧙‍♀️

🔴FMS Red Ribbon Week! 🔴

On Wednesday, December 13th, we held our Fall & Winter Sports Banquet. We were able to honor Cross Country, Volleyball, Boys Soccer, Boys Basketball, and Girls Basketball. Coaches were able to summarize their season, honor each student, and hand out team awards 🏆

Dual Enrollment Students Visiting the Firebaugh Center📣

FMS Pajama Day! 😴

FMS ❤️'s its Admin!

Our FMS Students enjoy Expanded Learning Program! 😊

ELP students having fun with slime!!! ✨

1. Grade Point Average (GPA): Students must earn a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0 to be academically eligible. All quarter grades earned during the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade years count towards the cumulative GPA.

2. Attendance: A student must attend school 95 percent of their time enrolled each school year, for three years (6th, 7th, and 8th grade).

1. Excused absences do NOT count against the 95% requirement

2. School activities, approved by the Principal, such as field trips, athletics, etc…are not considered absences.

3. All Unexcused Absences count AGAINST the 95 percent requirement (this includes Home Suspensions).

3. Tardies: Students must arrive to class on time to each class period. Students who have accumulated more than 50 total tardies during the eighth grade year, will NOT be allowed to participate in the 8th grade dance or trip.

Dear Caregivers,

If our Falcon families must have their student(s) away from school for an extended period of time, Firebaugh Middle School provides students and families with the following two options: Independent Study or Request to Drop. Please read the following options to gain a better understanding on how FMS supports its students and families during this season.

Independent Study: Independent Study Contracts at Firebaugh Middle School are designed to provide academic continuity for students who need to be away from school for an extended period. However, it's important to understand that these contracts only cover up to 15 days of school work. Beyond that, caregiver(s) and student(s) are responsible for making up any absences and additional work with teachers. Click THIS LINK to read about Firebaugh Middle School’s Independent Study Process.

Requesting to Drop a Student: Firebaugh Middle School believes that each day your child is not in school is a missed opportunity to learn something they will need in order to understand more difficult material later.

It is recommended that your child be enrolled in another school to provide academic continuity for students who need to be away from school for an extended period.If you choose to drop your student, your student (s) current class schedule is not guaranteed to remain the same upon their return. Click THIS LINK to read about Firebaugh Middle School’s Student Drop Request process.

FMS has seen significant improvement on student engagement in a positive manner. Students have actively reported students in need of help, students engaging in activities they shouldn’t be, helping us improve on the safety of all while on campus. Students have been acknowledged for following our Falcon Oath, “FALCONS ARE RESPECTFUL, RESPONSIBLE, AND SAFE” during our Quarterly Assemblies.

Athletics: Boys and Girls basketball had a great season. All 4 teams worked hard and were very competitive in WSAL Play. Starting in January, we will have tryouts for Wrestling (Co-Ed) & Girls Soccer. If your child wants to join, make sure they register on Family iD. Here is the link if you need to register your child: https://shorturl.at/vMW34

Expanded Learning Program Hours:

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday

3:23 PM-6:00 PM

Wednesdays

2:03 PM-6:00 PM

Snacks are provided and transportation is available.

Enrollment for Expanded Learning/After School Program:

Applications are available in the Firebaugh Middle School Office.