FMS Parent SMORE Newsletter
December 3, 2024
DECEMBER
12/2-6 GRADE ALERT EMAILS GO OUT THIS WEEK
12/4 MATH I CHECK-IN #1
12/4 Away Wrestling Meet @ Hawley MS 4:30 pm
12/9 HOME Basketball (boys & girls play on the same dates) vs Vance MS 4:30 pm
12/10 MATH GRADE 8 CHECK-IN #1
12/10 WINTER CELEBRATION (BAND CONCERT, ELECTIVES CELEBRATION) GREAT STUFF!!
12/11 AWAY Wrestling Match @ Terrell Lane MS 4:30 pm
12/12 EARLY RELEASE - STUDENTS LEAVE AT 12:30 PM
12/17 AWAY Wrestling Meet @ Wake Prep MS 5:00 pm
12/19 EVACUATION DRILL - PICK UP STUDENTS AT THE GYM
12/19 HOME Basketball VS Cedar Creek MS 4:30 pm
12/21-1/5 HOLIDAY BREAK - ENJOY YOUR VACATION!
JANUARY
1/6 WELCOME BACK - FIRST DAY OF CLASSES
1/6-1/10 ELA REMEDIATION WEEK
1/7 Exact Path Diagnostic Testing for READING
1/7 HOME Basketball vs Wake Prep MS 4:30 pm
1/9 Exact Path Diagnostic Testing for MATH
1/9 HOME Basketball vs Bunn MS 4:30 pm
1/9 AWAY Wrestling Meet @ Bunn MS 4:30 pm
1/14 READING CHECK-IN #2 GRADES 6-8 (testing schedule)
1/14 HOME Basketball vs Hawley MS 4:30 pm
1/15 HOME Wrestling Meet 4:30 pm
1/17 END OF SECOND QUARTER & END OF SEMESTER ONE (Athletic Eligibility will be checked)
1/20 NO SCHOOL
1/21 NO SCHOOL
1/22 AWAY Wrestling Match @ Hawley MS 4:30 pm
1/22 AWAY Basketball @ Vance MS 4:30 pm
1/27 REPORT CARD PICK-UP IN CAFETERIA 3:30-4:30 PM
1/28 Report cards sent home if not picked up on 1/27
1/28 AWAY Basketball @ N. Granville MS 4:30 pm
1/29 HOME Basketball vs Cedar Creek MS 4:30 pm
1/30 SCIENCE 8 CHECK-IN #2
1/30 HOME Wrestling Meet 4:30 pm
FEBRUARY
2/3-2/7 School Counselor Appreciation Week
2/4 FHS FAST TRACK REGISTRATION FOR RISING 9TH GRADERS
2/4 AWAY @ Butner Stem MS 4:30 pm
2/10-2/14 LOVE THE BUS WEEK
2/10-2/13 Math Remediation week
2/13 EARLY RELEASE - STUDENTS LEAVE AT 12:30 PM
2/14 NO SCHOOL - HAPPY VALENTINES DAY
2/17 Random Kindness Day :) Be kind to someone for no reason!
2/18 MATH GRADE 6-8 CHECK-IN #2
2/19-2/20 ALL COUNTY BAND
2/24-2/28 GRADE ALERT EMAILS GO OUT THIS WEEK
2/24 Dr. Schuhler visiting FMS students for Lunch Buddies
2/26 5TH GRADE VISIT TO FMS TODAY (FES & LOMES)
FCS Student Handbook-EXCESSIVE ABSENCES
Class attendance and participation are critical elements of the educational process and may be taken into account in assessing academic achievement. Students are expected to be at school on time and to be present at the scheduled starting time for each class. Students who are excessively tardy to school or class may be suspended for up to two days for such offenses. The principal shall notify parents and take all other steps required by G.S. 115C-378 for excessive absences. Students may be suspended for up to two days for truancy. If a student is absent for five or more days in a semester, the principal or a committee established by the principal shall consider whether the student’s grades should be reduced because of the absences. The principal or committee shall review other measures of academic achievement, the circumstances of the absences, the number of absences, and the extent to which the student completed missed work. A committee may recommend to the principal and the principal may make any of the following determinations:
1. The student will not receive a passing grade for the semester;
2. The student’s grade will be reduced;
3. The student will receive the grade otherwise earned; or
4. The student will be given additional time to complete the missed work before a determination of the appropriate grade is made.
Students with excused absences due to document chronic health problems are exempt from this policy. In addition, for students experiencing homelessness (see Board Policy 4125, Homeless Students), school officials must consider issues related to the student’s homelessness, such as a change of caregivers or nighttime residence, before taking disciplinary action or imposing other barriers to school attendance based on excessive absences or tardies
MATH with MS. JENKINS:
Happy December!
Seventh-grade math students are working hard to learn as much as possible before winter break. We are now working on Unit 2, Reasoning with Rational Numbers. Students have learned the rules of operations for integers and will soon apply this understanding to rational numbers. Once we master the rules of operations with rational numbers, we will use this knowledge to solve real-world word problems involving these concepts. Unit 2 will require students to recall their understanding of decimal place value, operations with fractions and mixed numbers, and percent calculations. Students performed well overall on the NC Math Check-In-A. We will continue “Data Talks” throughout the week until all students have determined goals for the next Check-In. Grade alert forms will be distributed at the end of the week.
Things to remember: Students should….
Come to class prepared to learn. Behavior problems interfere with daily learning and we are working diligently to minimize distractions.
Bring your materials (Chromebooks(charged), notebooks, and pencils) to class daily.
Get a good night's rest and come to class prepared to learn.
Believe in yourself, you can do it.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at litishajenkins@fcschools.net.
SCIENCE with MS. BRACKETT:
Dear Parents,
This week, students are engaging in the VenomCoLab online, where they’ll take on the roles of scientists to explore creating medicines from venom. It’s a challenging but rewarding activity!
Next week, we’ll wrap up our Earth and Human Activity unit with a group project, allowing students to showcase their learning.
Thank you for your support!
Best regards,
Ms. Brackett
ELA with MS. BAECHLE:
Good evening students and families. We are at week five of Q2. It remains critical that we remind our students to stay up to date with their work in class and located on Canvas, as well as their grades updated regularly on Powerschool. As a result, we continue to hold them accountable for their work and growth academically. ALL grades are currently updated in Powerschool.
Growth and Accountability Agreement:
I will complete daily work (assigned in class)
I will finish any work that was not completed in class for homework
I will come to class prepared (work completed and a charged chromebook)
I will not disrupt the learning environment, or others
I will check Canvas daily for updated assignments and due dates
I will check Powerschool regularly for grades and missing assignments
I will always try my best
I will ask for further support from my teacher is I don't understand an assignment
I will maintain a growth mind-set for my academic and personal growth and goals!!
Expectations:
Students are to come to class on time, prepared and ready to work. If they are not following the non-negotiables, they will receive a warning to correct their chosen behavior before they are sent to ALC with a write-up and a parent contact.
Remember that each quarter every student begins with a 100% in their classes. What they decide to do with their grades and achievements are up to them.
Sports and Grades: Please ensure your student is keeping up with their work and on their best behavior. Good grades and exemplifying positive behavior is key to being able to play sports throughout the school year.
New Curriculum: We have begun a new ELA Curriculum this year called: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Into Literature. The material is scaffolded in a way that is easy to understand while including detailed lessons/units including: anticipatory sets, clear standards, relatable topics, a variety of genres and activities, as well as various reading and writing activities with vocabulary throughout and plenty of application (practice) of content in order to master numerous skill-sets.
Note: A digital copy of the text can be located on students' Classlink (ED with a yellow smiley face app) and include each passage we read in class, as well as several comprehension checks (assignments), and several resources.
Please encourage your students to use this resource at home to compete and classwork that was not finished, or any homework that may be assigned. It is very beneficial for students to not only take accountability for their work, but to practice skills regularly in order to master academic goals.
🎯Target Standards
RL.7.1 Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text
says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
RI.7.8 Analyze the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is
relevant and sufficient to support the claims.
🧱 Supporting Standards
L.7.4 Determine and/or clarify the meaning of unknown (context clues) and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 7 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies: context clues, word parts, word relationships, and reference materials.
✏️Writing Standards
W.7.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content
This Week:
Students will be providing peer-feedback on each other's ‘Multimodal’ projects, while doing some individual reflection of their own. In addition, they will be taking a Schoolnet assessment to review challenging standards: 7.RL/RI.1 and 7.RL/RI.3 in order to enhance understanding of those skill-sets. We will also begin our nest Unit (3) “Inspired by Nature.”
Grade Alert Forms:
Grade Alert Form will be emailed home to parents and guardians by the end of this week, on Friday 12/6. If your students are failing one or more classes (including electives) they will receive this form digitally. Please remind them that this is a check-in half way through Q2 to ensure they are completing their work regularly and to hold them accountable for their grades. There is still time to make-up the work. It is key that students complete work regularly so they do not fall behind in class, and to reach out when additional help is needed.
Next Week:
Students will continue to deep-dive into additional articles and passages from Unit three with a strong focus on: content and academic vocabulary, analyzing textual evidence, analyzing subjective V.S. Point of Views, and continuing to build upon responding to text-based questions with supportive details.
Tutoring:
Tutoring for the 24/25 school year has begun. Tutoring will be held in the cafeteria each Monday and Wednesday from 3:00 - 5:00 pm. Please be sure to pick up your student by no later than 5:00 on Vine st. During tutoring students will receive support in both review strategies (gamification) and homework help. Be sure to turn in your tutoring contract form to your homeroom teacher before you start. We hope to see you there!
Remediation: Spiraled-review of challenging concepts/standards occur throughout the year and among several lessons/units. However, after each Check-in we take a close-look at data and set up Remediation (review) for students to best prepare them for the next assessment. Please remind your student(s) to take this time in class seriously as the review in class could very-likely positively impact their growth.
Homework:
Students should expect homework two to three times weekly in order to continue to develop their skill-sets and to see growth. Please ask your child what work they have for homework, or have not completed on a regular basis to help keep them on track. Work is updated regularly for access on Canvas. Grades are also updated weekly and viewable on Powerschool. Students should expect classwork (homework if not completed) in order to maintain an understanding of reading both inside and outside of class on a weekly basis. The application process is so critical to close gaps in comprehension and to apply to later content**
Grades:
Student grades are present (updated regularly) on Canvas, and are now viewable to students and guardians on Powerschool. Students are expected to check their grades on a regular basis and reach out to their teacher for make-up work, or additional time to complete an assignment if they have been absent, as well as, emailing them a reminder once completed. I allow a one week timeframe to make up work before an assignment becomes a zero.
Thank you parents and guardians for your continued support throughout the school year with what promises to be a successful year full of growth and achievements.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any further questions or concerns at:
SOCIAL STUDIES with MR. JONES:
Happy December Parents and Guardians,
We have begun learning about the Enlightenment in class. We will discuss the ideas that inspired the American and French revolutions and how they came to be. This unit will directly lead into the next regarding those revolutions. They will move quickly so students will need to stay on top of their work and be vigilant of any due dates. There will be a test at the end of this unit and a combined test for the French and American revolutions.
With the end of the semester only five weeks away please make sure your students are doing their best to make sure they continue working hard and ensure they finish strong. If you have any questions or concerns please reach out and email me at hunterjones@fcschools.net
MATH with MS. CUNNINGHAM:
I hope everyone had a relaxing and family filled holiday.Can you believe Thanksgiving is over and we are looking ahead to Christmas already?
Parents, winter break is approaching quickly, but we need to stay focused during these next few weeks to make for smooth sailing to get us through. Please speak with your students about expected behavior and our non-negotiables as we will be pushing them hard to keep consistency.
Tutoring for the 24/25 school year has begun. Tutoring will be held in the cafeteria each Monday and Wednesday from 3:30 - 5:00 pm. Please be sure to pick up your student by no later than 5:00 on Vine st. During tutoring students will receive support in both review strategies (gamification) and homework help. Be sure to turn in your tutoring contract form to your homeroom teacher before you start. We hope to see you there!
Math 1 students will be taking their first NC Check-in tomorrow, Wednesday, December 4th.
8th grade math students will be taking their first NC Check-in on Tuesday, December 10th.
We will be completing our review of 7th grade standards and be moving into the 8th grade standards of Unit 2a, Reasoning About Equations and Angles by the end of the week. In this unit, students build on their grades 6 and 7 work with equivalent expressions and equations with one occurrence of one variable, learning algebraic methods to solve linear equations with multiple occurrences of one variable.
NC.8.EE.7 Solve real-world and mathematical problems by writing and solving equations and inequalities in one variable.
Recognize linear equations in one variable as having one solution, infinitely many solutions, or no solution.
Solve linear equations and inequalities including multi-step equations and inequalities with the same variable on both sides.
Important vocabulary:
Constant term, term, variable, solution, equation, inequalities, one solution, no solution, infinitely solutions, expression, substitute
Key Math Practice Standard(s)
MP2: Interpret solutions in their contexts.
MP5: Consider the strengths and weaknesses of different representations for solving equations.
Throughout the Unit
All students actively engaged in class discourse and persevering through points of difficulty, challenge, or error.
All students revise their thinking using feedback and through conversations with peers and teachers.
All students using paper and geometry tools* to organize or visualize their thinking and record key information when needed.
All students use multiple sentences to construct, critique, and defend their thinking.
Students examining the solutions of others for both appropriate and inappropriate strategies. (MP2)
Students consider the strengths and weaknesses of different representations used to solve equations. (MP5)
Things to remember: Students should….
Come to class prepared to learn. Behavior problems interfere with daily learning and we are working diligently to minimize distractions.
Bring your materials (Chromebooks(charged), notebooks, and pencils) to class daily.
Get a good night's rest and come to class prepared to learn.
Please be sure that you are checking powerschool for grades and missing assignments. Grade alert forms will be going out this week. Incomplete assignments will be given a zero (0) if not turned in.
Any questions or concerns, please reach out to me at michellecunningham@fcschools.net
We are on the home stretch towards holiday vacation!
And, we have three important weeks of lessons, instruction, and student work prior to the Winter Holiday!... Each day counts toward your child’s growth in reading.
We need to make the most of this time for instruction, learning, and applying skills learned each day as we prepare for the second NC Check-In Benchmark; an indicator of how your child will perform at the End of Grade Reading Assessment (EOG).
The next NC Check-In is scheduled on January 14th, and remediation will begin the week prior based on the first benchmark data.
Grades: Check PowerSchool Frequently
Check PowerSchool frequently to ensure your child is up-to-date on assignments. The protocol for submission of late assignments is to send an email to me with the titles of the late assignments completed. Please encourage your child to check PowerSchool for missing assignments. Note: assignments close after two weeks and students cannot make up work after the assignment closes. Students are not penalized for submitting late assignments within this two week period. Again, it is the responsibility of your child to email me with the title(s) of completed work after the due date.
Grade Alert Forms: You will receive a grade alert form on December 6th if your child is failing one or more core classes.
Curriculum: HMH
Introduction to Unit 3: “Places We Call Home” (Week of December 2nd - December 13th)
Text: Realistic Fiction “My Favorite Chaperone” by Jean Davies Okimoto
Summary:
“My Favorite Chaperone” explores the challenges one family faces after immigrating to the United States from Russia. The family members struggle to understand and adapt to the social norms in their new country. Maya, the narrator and main character, longs for the freedom her classmates have to do things, but she has more responsibilities and restrictions than her peers because of language and cultural differences. Maya is called on to interpret when her brother is suspended for fighting, but her translation to her parents minimizes how much trouble he is in. Her brother returns the favor by convincing their parents to allow Maya to go to a dance with him as a chaperone.
Learning Objectives:
Cite evidence to support analysis of the plot and summarize.
Analyze how an author uses dialogue to develop characters.
Discuss character relationships and characteristics.
Use context clues to clarify the meaning of unknown words.
Identify subject-verb agreement in complex sentences.
Write a summary of a short story.
Reading Standards
RL.8.1 Students carefully choose evidence that best supports their analyses of what the text directly and indirectly states explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
RL.8.2 Determine a theme of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.
RL.8.3 Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.
RL.8.6 Analyze how differences in the perspectives of the characters and the audience or reader create such effects as suspense or humor.
✏️Writing Standards
W.8.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences. (Quick Writes)
Speaking and Listening Standards
SL.8.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one on one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Language Standards
L.8.4 Determine and/or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple meaning words or phrases based on grade 8 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies: context clues, word parts, word relationships, and reference materials.
(Continued Focus on Skill Work)
Target Areas Based on the NC Check-In Diagnostic 1 Include:
Making Inferences (RL.8.1)
Identifying Theme (RL.8.2)
Analyzing How Plot Moves Action ((RL.8.3)
Differentiating Tone vs. Mood (RL.8.4)
Using Context Clues (L.8.4)
Review of Grade 8 Student FMS Non-Negotiables:
Expectations will continue to be revisited in each classroom to ensure all students are on the same page thus avoiding disruptions in and outside the classroom.
And, there is room for improvement specific to the FMS Non-Negotiables listed below:
A number of students come to class without a chromebook or a chromebook not charged overnight.
Students talking out of turn with discussion unrelated to the lesson thus disrupting learning taking place for the majority of students on task.
Excessive bathroom use (students asking to go to the bathroom during each core class that extends more than five minutes at a time).
Students not adhering to dress code.
Cell phones not in backpacks (students should not have visible cell phones in back pockets / pant pockets / sweatshirt pockets)
Please review the team expectations as students are written up for non compliance.
Click on the link below to review classroom expectations with your child:
Please contact me at annafrost@fcschools.net
SCIENCE with MS. DOWNUM:
Last week, our students had an exciting time using our new microscopes! They thoroughly enjoyed exploring the prepared slides and learning how to operate the microscopes effectively.
It's essential for students to stay on top of their assignments, so please encourage them to check their PowerSchool accounts regularly to ensure they are submitting their work. Students are given ample class time to complete their assignments, but if they feel they need more time, please ask them if they are having difficulty focusing or if they might be a bit chatty during class. Additionally, you are welcome to reach out to me for further insights on their progress.
We also encourage students to complete any unfinished work at home. Just before the break, we had a fun review day where students engaged with quick review sheets and received instant feedback from me as they checked in. They particularly enjoyed writing their names on the board, which added an element of excitement as students were randomly selected to win small prizes at the end of class.
Thank you for your support in helping our students succeed!
ART with MS. CLIFTON
Winter celebration is December 10th at 6:00pm. Art students will have some of their work on display in the cafeteria after the band concert. Please come and celebrate your students' hard work. Students are learning how to photograph products. They are creating 3D chip bags and then will photograph them, as if the product is going to be used in an advertisement to sell the product. Students will make a makeshift photo studio and then work in small groups to take photos of different objects. Students will take their Chip Bag and working in groups of 2 to 3 they will use the prompt guide. They will have at least 1 amazing shot that reflects each prompt. 3 photos per prompt may be submitted. Students will blog and journal with the best images.
