FMS Parent Newsletter

NC CHECK-INS (Benchmarks) ARE THIS WEEK (NOVEMBER 13-15). Please make sure that your child brings in a charged Chromebook, is well-rested, well-fed, and ready to work to do their best!

Wednesday - ELA

Thursday - Math

Friday - Science (Grade 8 only)

Wednesday, November 13th is World Kindness day. In honor of Fred Rogers (of children’s television show Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood fame), we will be wearing cardigan sweaters that day and promoting kindness, as we do throughout the school year. *See below under Ms. Moore for more information and great ideas for the month.

The FMS Homecoming game has been rescheduled to Thursday, November 14 at 5:30pm against Cedar Creek Middle School. We hope to see you all there!

7TH Grade will go on their first field trip of the year on Friday, November 22. Students need to bring in their money and permission slips asap!

The All-County Band concert will be held on November 26 at Franklinton High School from 7:30-8:30pm.

Thanksgiving vacation will run from November 27 - November 29. We have a lot to be thankful for here at FMS!

Wondering how your child is doing? Want to ask a question, or let your child’s teachers know about an issue or an upcoming absence? Simply go to https://www.fcschools.net/franklintonmiddleschool and cut and paste teacher email addresses into your own email platform.

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Did you know that you can have your own access to PowerSchool? You can also set your access up to send reports automatically to your email as often as you want them! If you think your child may not be bringing home those progress reports for a reason, or you are tired of waiting for an update, simply go to this link and follow the directions for real-time PowerSchool updates on all your children who are in the school system! *Yes, you can do this on your phone! Need more help? Come into the school office and we will help you to get set up.

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We have a Boys & Girls club after school program right here at FMS. There is a minimal fee to get started and after that it's free! Click here for the membership application.

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R = Respect (Aug/Sept)

A = Accountability (Oct)

M = Motivation (Nov)

S = Safety (Dec)

C = Character (Jan)

H = Honor (Feb)

O = Opportunity (March)

I = Inclusivity (April)

C = Compassion (May)

E = Excellence (June)

Need to sign up for FCS FindOutFirst for bus changes, school closings, important messages from the county and our school? Click here to go to the county page.

Need to sign up to pay lunch or Chromebook fees online? Click here to get started.

Traditional school calendar for 2019-2020 CLICK HERE.

FMS school day master schedule - CLICK HERE.

MS. SMETANA - SCIENCE

We have finished up our unit on Ecosystems and are starting Earth Structures. Students will have a vocabulary quiz on 11/1. The following week, we will be studying earthquakes by watching videos, doing a virtual lab, reading articles, and completing a webquest.

MS. MCINTOSH - ELA

If you have any questions or concerns please contact me @ chasitymcintosh@fcschools.net. Thank you!

*NOTE: Ms. McIntosh is out on maternity leave, but she will be in constant communication with our substitute teacher Ms. Kearney, who is being supported by our district literacy coach, using the same curriculum. Rest assured that your children are in good hands!

MS. BAECHLE - ELA

This week is NC checkins with Benchmark assessments. The ELA assessment will be used to measure the students understanding of content taught thus far in class in connection to lesson standards. Content focus thus far includes: themes, symbols, vocabulary, context clues, types of questions, inferences; and analyzing quotes. These focal areas of content will continue to be developed upon in our second text Lyddie, which we started last week. Any further questions please contact my at kimberlybaechle@fcschools.net , or visit my google classroom page.

MS WOODS - MATH

• Benchmarks - We will begin the NC Check-ins this week.

• Online Textbook & Resources - Please visit my canvas site (bit.ly/canvas-kw)and check out the Resources link. It contains helpful sites as well as an awesome online textbook link. Link information is at the bottom of this page in the Contact Information section.

• Daily Pacing Guide - Our daily pacing guide is also on the main page of my canvas site. This will keep you abreast of what lessons we are covering as well as some quiz and all test dates.

• Field Trips - The permission form for all three field trips is due 11/15/19. Money is due on December 6. **The NC State field trip has been rescheduled for Tuesday, December 3 due to bus and driver concerns.

MS. KEENAN - SCIENCE

It’s Benchmark week here at FMS and we are using our class time to prepare for that. The topics covered are Unit 1 (Hydrosphere) and Unit 2 (Earth History). ALL the notes, class vocabulary and previous assignments are still active on my CANVAS webpage for review. I have also included a Benchmark/EOG study Module with additional study sets and study materials. Students will complete their Earth History test Monday the 18th and we will be starting our unit 3 topic of Evolution immediately afterwards. If you have any questions or trouble reaching the study materials, please don’t hesitate to contact me lesliekeenan@fcschools.net.

Parents Beware:

• Did you know? Children can hide apps inside “vault” apps on their phones. They can hide any app or photos and videos they want to keep private in these “secret apps.” Some of these apps are Locker, xCalculator, Calculator#, Vault, Zit Zapper, Peekaboo Forest, just to name a few.

Read more about it here: https://www.bark.us/blog/find-hidden-apps/ and here: https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-a-vault-app-4171763

Please don’t allow your child to cocoon in their bedroom on their cell phones for hours every day. Social media apps are time suckers. There are so many other constructive things your child could be doing than aimlessly hanging out on these sites chatting or texting with friends, frenemies, strangers, etc., unsupervised by parents or guardians. Often, drama that starts on social media sites overflows into the classroom.

Parents can easily place limits on their child’s cell phone use. By limiting the amount of time they spend on their phone, their contacts, what they can download, the amount of texts they can send and receive, and the sites and apps they have access to, parents can help their children learn to manage their time more effectively and develop better habits. Parental controls are free!

Constructive behaviors teach skills, build character, build self esteem, and help to instill GRIT in your child. Some things most middle school children should be able to do with their free time are:

ride a bike walk a dog clean out their closet paint an old piece of furniture bake a batch of cookies

knit/crochet play basketball pick up litter in their yard/neighborhood name the constellations in the night sky sweep/vacuum sew a button on make a potholder build something with legos following the instructions do the laundry wash dishes dust visit folks in a nursing home write a thank you note

research their family history organize family photos in a scrapbook make their bed rake leaves

make some art work a crossword puzzle put together a jigsaw puzzle make a digital file of family recipes babysit clean a toilet donate clothes and toys they don’t use anymore to someone in need

watch a movie about veterans write a story play an instrument play a sport memorize math tables learn how to help save the planet from climate change memorize math tables play board games collect trash that can be recycled grow a vegetable or flower garden fly a kite have a food drive or a toy drive for the holidays READ books, magazines, newspapers climb a tree swim try skating clean out mom’s car collect coupons jump rope help meal plan for the week make a pitcher of tea tell time mow the lawn make homemade clay

I speak to many students who have had negative experiences on social media apps like Houseparty, Snap Cat, Instagram, Facebook, testing, etc., and have been teased and possibly bullied online. Many students have great difficulty managing anger, sadness, emotional control, and how to avoid these toxic relationships when other children are being mean to them. Many want to retaliate. Few tell their parents about it. Having skills that build self esteem and grit helps children handle adversity more positively and reach their goals. To develop grit, kids need opportunities to

• Help them pursue what interests them: They’re not going to stick it out if they don't care. It’s also helpful to figure out what doesn’t interest them.

• Help them practice, practice, practice: We all love doing things we're good at.

• Help them find purpose: Kids have to have a purpose, too. How does what they do help others?

• Help them have hope: Not "wishing on a star." Have hope that they are going to make it happen.

Help them hang out with other kids with grit: Mom was right; spend time with slackers and you'll be a slacker.

Current School Board Approved AIG Plan

Middle School Advanced Class Placement Criteria

Mrs. Hawthorne’s Canvas Page

Email: heidiboardman@fcschools.net
Website: fcschools.net/Page/25
Location: 3 North Main Street, Franklinton, NC, USA
Phone: 919-494-2971
Twitter: @FranklintonMS