FCMS EXPRESS

FCMS Family,

Welcome to another exciting week at FCMS! As we move forward into the school year, we want to take a moment to reflect on our collective accomplishments, share upcoming events, and provide a few important reminders.

Upcoming Events & Important Dates

• Miami University Field Trip for all 8th grade students - September 18th.

• ILEARN Pilot Checkpoint 1 Assessments ILEARN Parent Information

• October 2nd – All Practice Tests

• October 8th – Math Checkpoint

• October 9th – Language Arts Checkpoint

• Parent-Teacher Conferences
  Our fall conferences are scheduled for Oct. 10th from 4:00-8:00pm and on Oct. 11th from 8:00-11:00am. This is a great opportunity to check in on your student’s progress and collaborate with teachers on academic goals. Please contact our secretary, Mrs. Gillman, to sign up for conferences.

• Author Visit
  Author, Michael P. Spradlin, will be visiting with all 4th-8th grade students on October 15th in the Lew Wallace Auditorium. Author Information

• Student Incentive Day
  Our student incentive day is scheduled for October 16th. Students with no failing grades and no more than 3 unexcused absences will be eligible to go bowling and a park visit that day.

• Red Ribbon Week - https://www.redribbon.org/

RRW will be held October 23 through October 31st. Help us celebrate being drug-free.

• Halloween Dance
  Our next dance will be on November 1st from 5:30-7:30pm.

Student Reminders

• Classroom Expectations:
  As we settle into our routines, we want to remind students of our classroom expectations: respectful behavior, active participation, and a commitment to learning. Our teachers are here to support every student’s success, and we expect each student to contribute positively to our school community.

• Cell Phones:
  Please remember that cell phones should be turned off and stored in student lockers during school hours. We’ve noticed some students needing gentle reminders, and we appreciate your support in reinforcing this policy.

Parent Reminders

• School Communication:
  Please make sure you’re receiving all communication from the school by updating your contact information if necessary. Follow us on social media and check our website regularly for updates on events, schedules, and important announcements.

• ILEARN Assessment Encouragement :

Maintain a Positive Attitude- Try to encourage your child as an opportunity for them to show what they've learned. A positive attitude helps reduce test anxiety and boosts confidence.

Create a Balanced Routine- Encourage your child to maintain a regular schedule, including enough sleep, healthy meals, and breaks for physical activity. A well-rested and nourished brain performs better on tests.

A Special Thanks

I want to express my heartfelt thanks to our teachers, staff, and families for making this school year start on such a positive note. Your dedication and partnership are what makes FCMS such a wonderful place for our students to learn and grow. Let’s continue to work together to create the best possible environment for our kids. As always, my door is open to any concerns or questions you may have.

Trent Liggett

Principal, FCMS

Mrs. Kercheval, one of the FCMS and FCHS band directors, was nominated for this week’s staff spotlight.

Mrs. Kercheval went to the University of Evansville and has a bachelor’s degree in Music Education and one in Music Therapy. She minored in Psychology and got a Jazz Studies certificate. She played saxophone in school. (Saxes are just the best, clearly). She has been teaching for nine years, and all nine have been at FCMS and FCHS aside from one semester when she taught at MCS. She works with Mr. Johnson with all the bands.

Mrs. Kercheval prefers comfy clothes over anything dressy, but she does dress up occasionally. Her favorite boy band is the Backstreet Boys, and she’s been to see them four times. Her secret talent is weightlifting. She says she enjoys exercising and lifting weights. She also says she gets good exercise lifting heavy instruments all day. Her favorite book genres are romance and mystery/suspense. She doesn’t reread books because even if it was a good book, she knows what happens next, so it takes away from the suspense. Her most recent read was Every Summer After by Carley Fortune. She doesn’t like coffee but loves Starbucks’s hot chocolate and refreshers over anything from Dunkin’. She doesn’t drink PSL, but she does think they smell good. Mrs. Kercheval is fun to have in the classroom and she is always there to help. The band kids and others all love Mrs.Kercheval!

--Alexis Werner, Journalism

Tuesday

Football @ Connersville - 5:30pm

Volleyball @ East Central - 5:30pm

Wednesday

Volleyball vs. Rising Sun @ Home - 5:30pm

Thursday

Volleyball vs. St. Nicholas @ Home - 5:30pm

There is a special friend named Milo in Mrs. Osborne's classroom! Milo is a robot from RoboKind technology educational company. Milo uses a social-emotional curriculum to teach students with behavioral, social, and communication deficits.

Students have been learning about Footers/Foundations and Concrete. They just completed the process of creating the concrete footer pads which will be the base of their buildings foundation.

6th grade students in Mrs. Ariens’ ELA classes are exploring creative ways to practice weekly vocabulary words including “Fast and Curious” and collaborative slides. Classes compete for a daily “Fast and Curious” high score in GimKit and work to be the highest scoring class by the end of the week. Students in the winning class receive tickets for a weekly prize drawing.

Students in Automation and Robotics class (Engineering Essentials / Tech 08) have been learning how to use different mechanisms. This week they showed off their pull toys in a parade to some 6th graders. The 8th grade students had to design their toy with a theme. There are no instruction booklets for these toys, they were designed completely by the students!

Dear FFA Students and Parents:

Fall is a busy time for FFA events and activities! Please read through the opportunities that are available for everyone. If you have any questions, please let me know. Have a great week!

Homecoming Float Workdays

Those students who would like to help build the FFA Homecoming Float can attend work days on Tuesdays after school between now and October 1. Emails were sent out to those who have signed up.

Concessions

FFA has the opportunity to work the concession stands at the high school stadium on September 16 and September 30, please email me if you are able to help. We need about 5 people each night, with at least one adult.

FC Antique Machinery Show

Don't forget to sign up to help us work the gates at the Annual Antique Machinery Show on Saturday, September 28 and Sunday, September 29. Here is the link to the sign up genius form - parents are needed too! We still have 32 time slots to fill!

Crops, Forestry, and Entomology Judging Contests
Interested FFA Members should pick one of these contests to compete in (they all take place at the same time). Forestry and Entomology are recommended for those just starting out, as the crops contest tends to be extremely challenging. We will have practices every Tuesday and Thursday, unless otherwise noted. Practices will take place before school starting at 7:30 am and after school which will end at 4:30 pm, these take place in the Ag Shop at FCHS.

Barn Dance -
The Barn Dance has been postponed until the spring due to several different factors. I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
District XII Kick-Off September 17th
On September 17th we will be traveling to South Ripley to join East Central, Jac-Cen Del, Madison, Batesville, Jennings County, Switzerland County, Lawrenceburg, South Dearborn, and other schools in our district for a fun night of games, activities and snacks. If you are interested in coming to the District Kick-Off sign up on the board across from the Ag Room and pick up a permission slip, space is limited. You will need money for dinner. The bus leaves right after school and we should return around 9 PM.
Seeking Opportunities and Achieving Results (SOAR)
SOAR is an FFA conference just for students who are beginning their FFA careers (8-10 grade only). This is a fun-filled weekend for members, while spending time at the FFA Center in Trafalgar members will have jam-packed days learning new skills and making new friends. The dates for the camp are October 11th - 13th. If you are interested or would like more information please see Mrs.Riffle or Mrs.Hornberger.
Tailgating Breakfast - September 20th
Come to school a little early and grab some pancakes, donuts, eggs, bacon, and sausage before school starts. We will serve breakfast from 7:30 am until around 8:10 am as we gear up for our Wildcats Varsity Football Team to take on Lawrenceburg that evening
September Monthly Meetings
September 20 is also FFA Friday, Students in Exploring Ag and Intro to Ag will go to the high school for the Chapter Meeting during class, all other members will attend during SRT that day as long as your work is caught up.

Michael P. Spradlin is a children's and middle-grade author. He lives in Michigan. He is in Indiana to help launch his new book Ride of the Spider. This is the first book in a series.

Be on the lookout next month for your chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card from Mrs. Lynn Edwards!

• September 17- FFA Kickoff event @ South Ripley High School. See Mrs. Riffle for more info.
• September 18- 8th grade trip to Miami University
• September 25- See You at the Pole
• September 30- Deadline for Media Center's t-shirt design contest
• October 2nd- ILEARN Pilot practice
• October 2nd- Early Release
• October 4th- Homecoming parade and football game