Principal's Message
Dear High School Families,
As we approach the end of the year, I want to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude to each of you for your continued support and partnership in fostering a positive and enriching environment for our students. December is always a time for reflection, and this year, we have much to celebrate. From academic achievements to community-building events, it's been a fulfilling term for our school.
I’d also like to remind everyone of the importance of balance during the holiday season. While it’s a time for celebration, it’s also essential for our students to have time to rest, recharge, and spend quality moments with family and friends. Please encourage your child to take a break from their schoolwork during the holidays, but also remind them of the value of reading and staying engaged in fun, learning activities.
In the coming weeks, we have several exciting events, including our winter performances, holiday celebrations, and spirit week. These are wonderful opportunities to come together as a school community and share in the joy of the season.
Thank you once again for your continued dedication to our school community. I wish all of our families a joyful and restful holiday season, filled with warmth, happiness, and good health.
Warm regards,
Megan Brink
High School Principal
12/3- Reading Retake (select students)
12/3- Winter Extravaganza
12/4- PM2 Grades 1-10 Math
12/5- Winter Chorus Concert
12/6- Elementary Winter Extravaganza Assembly
12/6- Middle School Mini Dance Marathon
12/9- Student Council District Conference
12/11- NCAA Athletics Information Night, 6:00 p.m. (STEAM Building)
12/13- Key Club at Second Harvest
12/18-20- Early Release and exams
12/23- 1/3- Winter Holidays no school
1/6- Teacher Planning Day- students out
1/7- Students return
1/8-9- FMEA All-state conference (select music students)
Dr. Mehta's Physics class
During my observation of Dr. Mehta's class, students read a variety of articles on physical principles and history, including Kepler's and Newton's Laws about the relationships and the effects of Earth, Moon, and Sun on each other (standard SC.912.E.5.6). Students had to work together to summarize these articles into one sentence. These sentences capture succinctly the theoretical behind the formulas used.
Mr. Webb's English Class
Mr. Webb's class completed an Escape Room task that reinforced reading based strategies. Students had to identify the central idea of readings using textual evidence. One reading was on how sugar affects the brain. Did you know that your "brain begins to slow down when one consumes too much sugar. In fact, communication between different cells within the brain slows due to low activity of the synapses....too much sugar can also contribute to the development of Alzheimer's disease." (Smith, 2018)
Mr. Pelt's English Class
Mr. Pelt's English class used Kagan structures to help define vocabulary words in context. After working together to define difficult vocabulary words, students compared their definitions to multiple choice quiz-like options. Students revisited context clues and revised definitions as needed, avoiding distractor answers. Students appreciate Mr. Pelt's interactive approach to teaching.
Ms. Axtell's English Class
Ms. Axtell's class read "The Butter Battle Book" by Dr. Suess. Seniors enjoyed sitting "criss-cross applesauce" on Ms. Axtell's carpet for story time reliving their elementary days. :) This time, however, students used Turn and Talk to find symbolism within the text/allegory and discussed how those symbols create or demonstrate a theme. Eventually students will connect these concepts to The Crucible.
Ms. Taylor's Psychology Class
Ms. Taylor's class applied their understanding of various IQ testing by participating in multiple game stations. The Turn and Talk Kagan strategy was used to generate conclusions using key vocabulary terms and knowledge of psychological/physiological systems on what cognitive area was being tested and why.
Ms. Long's Math for College Algebra Class
Ms. Long's students applied their knowledge of solving polynomial equations to real-life problems. Of particular importance with the students was how your happiness changes based on the number of cheeseburgers you eat. There were so many creative responses to this but all had to be graphed and analyzed. What would your graph look like? A parabola?
As we have discussed with our students, it's important to notify a teacher, counselor, administrator, or police officer if a student is in need of help, if there is a concerning behavior, or a student is in crisis. Sometimes as parents, we hear concerns from our students at home. Please contact us immediately if you hear any concerning reports. Besides reaching out to an administrator, we have an online anonymous reporting tool on our website at the bottom of the home page (fsus.school).
Fortify Florida (https://getfortifyfl.com/) is also a tool available for reporting. Fortify Florida is a suspicious activity reporting tool that allows you to instantly relay information to appropriate law enforcement agencies and school officials across the state. Please note that someone who knowingly submits a false tip through FortifyFL may be subject to further investigation by law enforcement and may be subject to criminal penalties under section 837.05, F.S.
We have many different supportive resources for our students.
Please note the following and reach out as needed:
Please use the following emails when trying to reach our support team:
Student Records- records@fsus.school
Admissions- admissions@fsus.school
FOCUS Troubleshooting- focus@fsus.school
Attendance- attendance@fsus.school
Clinic- clinic@fsus.school
Other Services:
- Bullying/Anonymous Reporting- (https://airtable.com/appSnRUYeEyLL2Cb7/pagqaSyuclVKoCUit/form)
- Counseling Services- https://www.fsus.school/health
- ESE/504 Information- Matt McCloskey and Monica Broome, mbroome@fsu.edu
- Free & Reduced Lunch- Click cafeteria and set up through PayPams (https://www.fsus.school/payment)
- Title I Coordinator- The goal of the FSUS Title I program is to increase student achievement by supporting students, families, and teachers.- Monica Broome, mbroome@fsu.edu
- Title IX Deputy Coordinator (Harassment)- Monica Broome, mbroome@fsu.edu (https://www.fsus.school/parent2)
