The Freedom Phenom

Happy Belated Thanksgiving! I hope that this newsletter finds each of you well and thankful for the time of this holiday and the upcoming holiday season. After an extremely long stretch of school, we have breaks within four weeks of each other. These mental resets are crucial to students and teachers alike so that they can do the hard work of growing and learning together. Before we enter the holiday break, we want to see our students continue to do their best in all their pursuits. The time to relax again is near, but we have midterms and other semester ending work to accomplish first. Please support and encourage your student(s) to finish this semester strong. I hope that each of you has a wonderful holiday season and break.

All the best,

Chad Flatt, Ed.D

Principal

• 2nd - Basketball Games - Freedom vs. Dean Rusk
• Girls play at home and Boys play at Dean Rusk
• 4th - Menchie's available for purchase during lunches
• 5th - Basketball Games - Freedom vs. Woodstock
• Boys play at home and Girls play at Woodstock MS
• 5th - Band & Chorus Spirit Night at Chick-fil-A on Riverstone Pkwy
• 6th - FMS Spelling Bee
• 9th - Basketball Games - Freedom vs Teasley
• Girls play at home and Boys play at Teasley MS
• 10th - 6th, 7th & 8th Grade Winter Band Concert
• 10th - Spain Trip Meeting
• 12th - Basketball Games - Freedom vs Booth
• Girls play at home and Boys play at ET Booth
• 12th - CCSD Board Meeting
• 16th - "Holiday Hat Fest" - Wear a holiday hat to school
• 17th - "Holly & Jolly" - Show your holiday spirit with your favorite red and green
• 17th - 6th, 7th & 8th Grade Winter Chorus Concert
• 18th - "Festive Fables" - Dress as your favorite holiday character
• 18th - Midterm exams
• 19th - "Funky Sweater Fest" - Wear your tackiest holiday sweater
• 19th - Midterm exams
• 20th - "Comfy & Cozy" - Wear holiday jammies
• 20th - Early dismissal at 12:45pm
• 20th - Jingle Jam student pep rally
• December 23rd - January 3rd - Holiday Break - No School
• January 6th - Digital Day for Students
• January 7th - In person classes resume

This year Freedom invites all students to show their Holiday Spirit! December 16th - 20th everyone has the opportunity to dress up according to this year’s “Festive Freedom” themes. This is such a busy time of year, we look forward to enjoying some lighthearted days with the students before the holiday break!

Monday, December 16th - "Holiday Hat Fest" - Wear a holiday hat to school

Tuesday, December 17th - "Holly & Jolly" - Show your holiday spirit with red and green

Wednesday, December 18th - "Festive Fables" - Dress up as your favorite holiday character

Thursday, December 19th - "Funky Sweater Fest" - Wear your tackiest holiday sweater

Friday, December 20th - "Comfy & Cozy" - Wear holiday pajamas to school

Your student may purchase Menchie's on the 1st Wednesday of every month during their lunch time. This month is scheduled for Wednesday, December 4th. Menchie's can be purchased with cash, check or a credit card. Students may not use electronic payment through their phones.

Basketball season is in full swing! Students can’t stay after school for games this coming month, but we hope that they will return to cheer on the teams. Tickets can be purchased online at GOFAN. Concessions will be available for purchase (cash only). The schedule for December is below. We hope to see as many students as possible out supporting their classmates and cheering them on. Go Patriots!!!!!

The media center has added over 100 new books this past month. Students should be sure to stop by and check out the latest additions!

The Media Center also has a school store called FMS Finds that is open daily for students to purchase pencils, pens, erasers, etc. Don't get caught without your supplies! (Cash only)

FMS is accepting the following donations:

Unwrapped toys for community

Canned goods for CHS and WHS food pantries

Monetary donations to support our own families with needs throughout the year

Deadline: 12/16/24

Thank You For Your Support!!!

During the month of November our 8th grade students were busy learning about the differences between Loyalists and Patriots. They were tasked with writing a poem to describe the point of view of each group. They then had to illustrate their poems. This is close to our hearts at FMS as we consider ourselves loyal Patriots!

FMS seventh grade social studies students learned about the supply and pricing of oil in the world through the study and understanding of OPEC. The students participated in a gallery walk to discuss and answer questions with their partner.

The 6th grade Social Studies classes would like to extend a big thank you to everyone who donated to our LEGO drive! Your generous contributions have allowed our students to use LEGOs to enhance their understanding of European geography and history. These hands-on activities have been a fun and engaging way for students to visualize key concepts and reinforce their learning. We are excited to see what the students will do with them in the future. We truly appreciate your support in making these educational experiences possible!

The GaDOE and Department of Revenue are launching a student license plate design contest to commemorate the semiquincentennial – the 250th anniversary of the 1776 Declaration of Independence. The final license plate will be selected from designs submitted by students in grades six through eight in Georgia schools. Ask your social studies teacher for more details!

Click here for detailed submission guidelines along with the application.

**Student submissions must be submitted via a parent or teacher.

The Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce is partnering with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation to host a nonpartisan civics competition that encourages young Americans to engage in civics and contribute to their communities. Students will submit a 500-word essay discussing their idea related to using civics to solve a problem in their community. Compete at the local, state, and national level. Prizes range from $125-$100,000. Please see your social studies teacher for more details! The flyer is attached here.

STEM has been full of engaging activities incorporating the 4C's in the classroom.

In 8th grade we recently completed a roller coaster unit where the end product was building a marble coaster track out of cardstock. We watched videos about coasters and how they work, looked at interesting careers from engineers to creative designers, and talked about types of energies present. I personally enjoyed seeing my students get more involved in their coaster builds as the days passed. There were times some wanted to quit, but they found the fun in working together, being creative, and seeing how far they have come since starting from scratch! I was really proud of the perseverance of this group!(:

In 7th grade STEM, we took a break from our ongoing science fair projects to learn about paper airplanes! Paper airplanes are excellent for learning about variables and recording data. We watched videos about paper airplane records and spent time building and flying paper airplanes in class! Here I personally enjoyed hearing how for some of my students it was there first time making paper airplanes! Along with some awesome paper planes that went the distance, some were quite acrobatic with corkscrew twists! I added a twist near the end were they needed to scale their planes and many mini planes were made. Great feedback for future classes was given by this group too! To those in this class, thanks for flying with me. (:

In 6th grade STEM, we are currently working on cardboard arcade games. This idea was sparked by one of my favorite YouTube videos, Caine's Arcade. In the video, Caine, creates a homemade arcade using cardboard and recycled materials. In our class I am encouraging my students to do the same. This brings out creative energy into the classroom and critical thinking sparks the technical difficulty of the game. (:

One of our newest clubs at FMS is the Freedom Stitch Society. This club has been a huge hit. The club meets the 1st and 3rd Thursdays every month in the media center. Students and teachers alike are learning to crochet. We have novices and experts working together on their individual fun projects. We have seen everything from purses and blankets to a "Frankenstein" stuffy! Anyone can join or drop in anytime to enjoy some tranquil time before the busy day begins.

Happy December and Holidays from your FMS PTSA Board!!

We have a lot going on this month so make sure you are plugged in because we need YOU!!

First, we want to thank one of our sponsors, Sixes Church for their contribution and helping hands during the Veterans Day celebration, we could not have pulled it off without them! Thank you so much!!

PJ PANTS…middle schoolers and PJ pants, need we say more? We will be selling them very soon so look out for more information headed your way.

2nd Annual Holiday Giving Snack Cart & gift cards for the teacher luncheon raffle- PTSA will be providing snacks for the students one day per grade level at their lunch time next month. In addition, there is an opportunity to donate gift cards toward the teacher raffle that we do annually at their holiday luncheon. This link will allow you to donate to our Patriot students and staff for the holidays. Please have all donated items or money to the school office by December 6th.

PTSA HOLIDAY DONATIONS

Boo-Grams were a HIT in October! Now it is time for Candy Cane Grams. December 9th-11th & 13th, we will be selling Candy Cane Grams for $1 each at lunch in the cafeteria.

We will have a General PTSA meeting in January 2025. Please make sure you follow us on Facebook for further details.

If you would like to be a part of the Nominating Committee to help determine the upcoming PTSA board for the 2025-2026 school year email freedomptsapresidents@gmail.com

In an effort to keep parents informed, we wanted to let you know that CCSD will begin sending absence letters to parents the week of December 13th. Please refer to the Student Parent Handbook and Code of Conduct or the Cherokee County School District website for detailed information regarding absences and excuses. If you have specific questions regarding your student's absences please contact the FMS front office at 770-704-1100.

Click on the club below for more information and interest forms!

Academic Bowl

Next Meetings: Monday, December 2nd & 16th @ 8:15am

History Bowl

Next Meetings: Thursday, December 5th & 12th @ 8:15am

Junior Beta Club

Next Meeting: Working on a Service Project, no meetings this month.

Tome Literary Society

Next Meetings: Tuesday, December 3rd & 10th @ 8:15am

4-H Club

Next Meeting: Monday, December 2nd @ 4:15pm

Boys Bible Study

Next Meetings: Tuesday, December 3rd, 10th & 17th @ 8:15am

First Priority

Next Meetings: Thursday, December 5th, 12th & 19th @ 8:15am

Freedom Stitch Society

Next Meetings: Thursday, December 5th & 19th @ 8:15am

Girls Bible Study

Next Meetings: Tuesday, December 3rd, 10th & 17th @ 8:15am

Good Earth Garden Club

Next Meetings: Wednesday, December 4th & 18th @ 4:15pm

Interact Club

Next Meeting: Wednesday, December 4th @ 8:15am

Patriot Pet Club

Next Meeting: Monday, December 2nd @ 4:15pm

Yearbook/Photography Club

Next Meeting: no meetings in December

The Cherokee County School District offers the Vector Alert (formerly SafeSchools Alert) system for reporting safety concerns. The Vector Alert system allows students, parents, school staff and everyone in the community to anonymously report safety concerns by text, email, online message or phone call.

Through Vector Alert, you can submit safety concerns to CCSD five different ways:

1. By Phone:470.315.9171
2. By Text: 470.315.9171
3. By Email: 1695@alert1.us
4. By Online message: https://cherokee-ga.safeschoolsalert.com/
5. By Mobile App – Download the Vector Alert app for free from the iPhone App Store and Google Play for Android phones. The app icon is a red and white checkmark/V on a blue background. The first time you open the app after downloading, you’ll need to enter 1695 for the ID and confirm your District is the Cherokee County School District.