Midland Messenger

Email: midland@fpschools.org
Website: http://midland.fpschools.org/
Location: Midland Elementary School, 105th Street East, Tacoma, WA, USA
Phone: 253-298-4500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Midland-Elementary-Mustangs-112865059416899/?ref=settings

PLEASE LOOK FOR THIS NEWSLETTER IN YOUR EMAIL EVERY MONDAY MORNING FOR IMPORTANT MIDLAND INFORMATION!

Thank you to the MANY families who participated in our Student Led Conference Week! It was great to see so many of our students proudly sharing with their families - it is very apparent that our students have SO MUCH support in their lives!

At Midland, October is a time when we teach about Kindness and address Bullying. It is important that we teach about what bullying is, in addition to how to be a friend. Some characteristics of bullying are that it is targeted, repeated over time, intentional, utilizing a position of power, and is not stopped on request. Sometimes bullying is confused with single incidents of students being mean, rude, or simply unkind. Students are our best reporters and we encourage them to get help from adults who are close to the situation. If we do not know about a bullying situation, we can’t help. Students and parents can report bullying to any staff person. We have reporting forms and our district policy sets forth specific steps in handling any reports of bullying, harassment, and intimidation. I encourage you to speak with your child about the importance of getting help if they see bullying or feel that they are being bullied. We take this very seriously. As always, you are welcome to contact me if you or your child needs assistance with anything. I can be reached at 253-298-4501 or by email at kfrederick@fpschools.org

💗 Ms. Frederick

Our main doors open at 8:40am for students to enter the building. Any students who arrive before this time MUST have an adult with them as we do not have staff supervising before 8:40am.

Also, if you would like to walk your child to class, you must drop-off before the 8:55am tardy bell. Once this bell rings, all visitors on campus must have a completed volunteer application on file AND a scheduled volunteer opportunity setup with a Midland teacher/staff member.

Thank you for helping us keep our students and staff as safe as possible!

The district has sent out correspondence to families regarding Washington State requirements to teach Comprehensive Sexual Health Education (CSHE) starting in 4th grade. Just in case you missed it, please access the link below to learn more about what this looks like in Franklin Pierce.

Families are invited to learn about the sexual health instruction for 4th-8th grade students at a districtwide family information night on Monday, October 21, 2024, 5:30 - 7:00 pm, at the Franklin Pierce Schools Jo Anne Matson Administrative Center.

*Guardians may opt children out of instruction with a written request - information on how to do this is located at the link below.

What is PTO?

A PTO, which stands for "Parent Teacher Organization," is a group at your child's school where parents and teachers work together to improve the educational experience for all students by organizing fundraising events, providing extra supplies for classrooms, and/or planning special activities, essentially acting as a support system for the school beyond the regular curriculum; it's a great way to get involved in your child's school life and meet other parents in the community.

Our PTO at Midland is VERY new, as we had our first meeting on October 1st and voted in a completely new board:

President: Brianna Beacham

Treasurer: Quincey Crocram

Secretary: Kristina Frederick

During this meeting, we discussed the desire to raise funds to help support students at Midland to ensure they have access to fun opportunities throughout the year and that all grade levels can go on a field trip this school year. Since this meeting, the board members have been hard a work to setup a Fall Fundraiser, which will kick-off on October 21st. Stay tuned for more information on that!

We would LOVE to have more members join the PTO! Your membership ensures that you have a voice in what ways we impact Midland Elementary. Although we encourage volunteering (in different capacities), it is NOT a requirement!

If you have questions or concerns, or would like more information - you can email the PTO at midlandspto@gmail.com 😀

Monday - Blue

Tuesday - Green

Wednesday - Green

Thursday - Red

Friday - Red

Oct. 16 ~ 1:55 Dismissal

Oct. 17 ~ Great ShakeOut 2024 (Earthquake Drill)

Oct. 17 ~ Fall Reading Night: 5:30-6:30 pm

Oct. 23 ~ 1:55 Dismissal

Oct. 30 ~ 1:55 Dismissal

**For additional future scheduled activities, please check out our Midland calendar at https://midland.fpschools.org/**

This year's International ShakeOut Day is October 17th, when millions of people worldwide will participate in earthquake drills at work, school, or home! At 10:17 am on 10/17, join millions of people across Washington practicing earthquake safety. This is a great learning experience for everyone to be prepared for a possible earthquake in the future

Nutrition Services Appreciation Day is Tuesday, October 15th. Thank you to Mrs. Shelly Reed and Mrs. Valerie Hines for all they do for us at Midland! They feed approximately 400 students breakfast and lunch every day . We appreciate all the work they do for us to quickly and efficiently serve so many Midland Mustangs.

Serving students at ALL 8 Elementary Schools

Right at School will operate before and afterschool programs at all eight Franklin Pierce elementary schools! Right at School offers a safe environment for students to learn, to play, and to grow!

If you are interested in volunteering as a chaperone for field trips or in any other capacity that may come up, please complete the volunteer application as soon as possible. It may take up to two weeks to process an application and we don't want you to be left out of a volunteer opportunity because you are not approved yet! Click here to begin your volunteer application. If you were cleared as a volunteer last year, please complete a new application. Volunteer applications must be completed every year.

Stay in the know with the PTO! You can catch what's happening in the weekly newsletter as well as the PTO Bulletin Board in the main hallway!

If you'd like to know more about what the PTO does you can send an email to midlandspto@gmail.com

Would you like to know when your student’s bus is going to be late or what is happening?
Once you know your child's route, you should consider signing up for bus route notifications using Bus Bulletin. Bus Bulletin will send you text messages to your cell phone with real-time updates on your child's route. For instance, if your child's route is running late, Bus Bulletin will let you know.

How to sign-up to use Bus Bulletin:

• Log onto the website http://busbulletin.com/parents/ or click on the QR code and look to the right side of your screen. Click on “Sign In”, click on "Register Here," and answer the simple prompts. You will provide your name, your email address, a password, and select Franklin Pierce Schools. Then enter the code on the screen, accept the rules of use, and finally click on Submit.
• You will then be asked to select the route, which is written in code:
• The first two numbers are the ROUTE NUMBER, and the letters are the SCHOOL abbreviation:
• Preschool: HDS for Head Start and ELC
• Primary: BD, CA, CH, CO, ELM, HA, JS, MD
• Secondary: FMS, FPHS, KMS, WHS, GATES
• Example: 19MD is route 19, Midland Elementary School.

Hello Parents,

SchoolStore is a safe and easy way for our school to raise funds for essential tools our students and teachers need to succeed.

The SchoolStore fundraiser is 100% online so there is NO face-to-face selling, handling money, or delivering products. Your participation will take less than 12 minutes, and there are exciting prizes to make it fun for the students.

Here is all you need to do to participate:

1. Go to https://www.schoolstore.net/sid.t?0000371254 to sign up.

2. Send form emails inviting family, friends, and co-workers to support your child.

3. Return the Envelope with the Student Prize Code to school for your child to get their fun participation prize.

Be sure to ask your child for the Parent Envelope tonight. Your participation will make a difference for our school and teachers!

**See Below for a List of Merchants**

Franklin Pierce Schools has a resource center for our families. You will find information and help for many situations and needs - food, diapers, formula, community referrals, and more.

Click here to access the Family Resource Center website

Franklin Pierce Schools does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation including gender expression or identity, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups.

Questions and complaints of alleged discrimination should be directed to James Hester, Compliance Coordinator for State and Civil Rights Laws; Wendy Malich, Title IX Officer; or John Sander, 504/ADA Coordinator at 315 129th ST S, Tacoma, WA 98444-5099 or at (253)298-3000.