SchoolTalk
FPS e-Newsletter for February 22, 2024
Feature Column - Understanding Workload Analysis
As Fargo Public Schools continually strives to improve its services and support for students with special needs, District leadership worked in conjunction with the Fargo Education Association to pilot a workload analysis tool in the winter of 2023, with full implementation in January of 2024. This WAT will enhance understanding of the demands placed on FPS Special Education staff.
Read more about workload analysis in special education in this Feature Column by FPS Assistant Director of Standards Based Instruction and Special Education Shelby DiFonzo.
Cabinet Column - Enhancing Learning Outcomes Through Standards-Based Instruction
Read more about how FPS helps students meet their ELOs through Standards-Based Instruction in this Cabinet Column by FPS Associate Superintendent Missy Eidsness.
Friend of Counseling Award
Congratulations to FPS Work Experience Educator Julie Hersch on receiving the Friend of Counseling Award at the North Dakota Counseling Association conference held in Bismarck on February 12! Hersch supports FPS students with disabilities in building employment and pre-employment skills at Agassiz.
The Friend of Counseling Award recognizes an individual or group, outside of the counseling profession who supports, advocates, and encourages counseling in North Dakota.
Allegro Band Director Award
Congratulations to Ben Franklin Middle School Band Director Greg Calrow on being awarded the North Dakota National Band Association Allegro Band Director Award! The award recognizes outstanding contributions to band education in the state of North Dakota. He will be formally recognized at the North Dakota Music Educators Association Convention in March.
Summer School
Registration for Fargo Public Schools' Summer School 2024 is open. FPS Summer School offers opportunities for students from elementary through high school to participate in programs focused on academics, athletics, arts, and more. View Fargo Public Schools' Summer School 2024 offerings.
Ben Franklin Musical - Mean Girls Jr.
Ben Franklin Middle School presents the musical Mean Girls Jr. on February 22-24 in the Ben Franklin Middle School Auditorium. Thursday and Friday performances are at 7 p.m. with the Saturday performance at 2 p.m. Admission is free.
Based on the beloved movie and adapted to stage by screenwriter Tina Fey, Mean Girls Jr. tells the story of new girl Cady Heron adjusting to life at a new school in Illinois after growing up on an African savanna. When Cady tries to take on her school's popular girls, The Plastics, by going undercover as one of their own, the lines between Cady's true self and her Plastic self get blurred.
Kindergarten Registration
Kindergarten Registration for Fall 2024 is open online. Your child must be age 5 by July 31, 2024 to attend school in the fall.
Registration is a two-step process:
STEP ONE: REGISTER ONLINE
Complete online registration forms at www.fargo.k12.nd.us/registration. For assistance, please contact your child’s school to schedule an appointment to complete in-person.
STEP TWO: SUBMIT DOCUMENTATION
- Upload or bring the following documents to your child’s school by August 27 to finalize registration.
- Child’s certified birth certificate
- Child’s immunization record with 5-year shots
- Document (i.e. current city utility bill and bank statement) that includes parent/guardian name and current address for verification
If you do not know which school your child will attend, call 701.446.1043 or check online at www.fargo.k12.nd.us/boundarymaps. If you need help in PowerSchool (Fargo Public Schools online registration software), please call 701.446.1006
Trollwood Summer Registration
Expect the Unexpected! Experience magic, explore passion, and expand potential at Trollwood Performing Arts School with summer performing arts classes and performance opportunities for students currently in Grades K-12. Trollwood summer registration is now open.
Trollwood offers a full array of classes, performing opportunities, and technical theater experiences for every skill level, from elementary to middle school to high school. See the full list of Trollwood summer programming in this newsletter special edition.
FPS is Hiring
Building Trades Houses for Sale
Two homes built by South High School students in the Building Trades classes are for sale. Buyers are responsible for finding a lot, moving the house, flooring, HVAC, foundation, and applicable taxes and fees. Please contact Michelle Aarsvold for further information for both homes.
Cookies and Cards
The Virtual Academy Leadership Group gathered at Trollwood for a Valentines Day celebration. The students baked cookies and created thank you cards for friends of the Virtual Academy, including members of the National Guard, thanking them for their service. (Photo courtesy Vanessa Boehm)
Breakfast and a Movie
Washington Elementary School second graders celebrated Valentines Day with some special activities. The students enjoyed a special Valentine's Day breakfast and got to watch a movie together. (Photo courtesy Rehan Amedi)
Valentine Cards
Mrs. Meline's kindergartners at Eagles Elementary School made Valentine cards with help of their second and third grade buddies and decorated bags and filled them with new stuffed animals that were passed out to kids at Sanford Children's Hospital on Valentines Day to spread kindness and cheer. (Photo courtesy Heidi Meline)
Valentine Boxes
Washington Elementary School third graders Charlie Monson and Keller Brainerd made a couple extra special valentine boxes. Monson made one shaped like an axolotl, and Brainerd made one shaped like a Force hockey jersey. (Photos courtesy Rehan Amedi and Elysia Libbrecht)
Hygiene Bags
Discovery Middle School Nurse Megan Hasson created hygiene bags available for both boys and girls at the school. The bags include deodorant, body wash, lotion, toothpaste, and a toothbrush. The bags are also large enough to fit other personal items and are available in a variety of colors. The bags are available from the nurse for any students who needs one. (Photo courtesy Amy Herrick)
MAAP Conference
Members of the Dakota High School staff presented at the Minnesota Association of Alternative Programming conference on February 7-9 in Mankato, Minn. The Dakota team's presentation called "Dakota High School: Change Makers" focused on strategies to change education framework outcomes for students at Dakota. They presented twice with each iteration attracting an audience of more than 100 attendees. (Photo courtesy David Burkman)
Meteorologist Visit
Meteorologist Hutch Johnson visited the second and third grade reading enrichment groups at Lewis & Clark Elementary School. The students prepared by reading articles about weather and meteorologists. The second graders wrote essays on which job they would prefer at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, and the third graders wrote essays on whether meteorologists should use animal behavior along with modern technology to help forecast the weather. (Photos courtesy Stacy Anderson)
Morning Bruin Band
Students from the Carl Ben Eielson Middle School Morning Bruin Band joined the South High School Pep Band on February 13 as they played at the Bruins boys basketball game against Grand Forks Central. The CBE students learned five pep band songs to perform alongside the high school band. (Photo courtesy Nicole Quist)
Huey UH-1N Helicopter at South High School
The south parking lot at South High School turned into a helipad on February 15 as a United States Air Force UH-1N Huey helicopter makes a stop for a “Pet the Jet” event as part of the Aviation Inspiration Mentorship Program.
The helicopter crew gave a capabilities briefing and tours of the helicopter to Fargo Air Force Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps cadets, along with any other interested students.
The stop at South High School came directly after a planned fuel stop as Captains Allison Grozdanich and Nicolas Sanchez of the US Air Force piloted the UH-1N Huey from the Minot Air Force base to North Carolina.
Fargo Public Schools - SchoolTalk
Email: comments@fargo.k12.nd.us
Website: www.fargo.k12.nd.us
Location: 700 7th Street South, Fargo, ND
Phone: 701.446.1000