SchoolTalk
FPS e-Newsletter for October 10, 2024
Feature Column - Advanced Placement Testing Major Updates and Announcements
Advanced Placement testing has traditionally been a part of high school counselors’ portfolios. This year, however, FPS has centralized its AP testing efforts at the District Office. The new AP testing coordinators are Data and Assessment Manager Karen Moore and Gifted Services Facilitator Kim Rensch. They will work with district AP teachers, high school administrators, and counselors to ensure that students continue to have access to AP testing opportunities.
Read more about the changes to AP Testing, including dates, times, and location in this Feature Column by Rensch and Moore.
Feature Column - Mandated Reporter and Suicide Awareness Training
In addition to the requirements of North Dakota law, which specifically mandates teachers, counselors, and administrators to receive training on mandated reporting, Fargo Public Schools has expanded this to include all staff members—both certified and classified. This decision reflects our commitment to ensuring that every adult in our schools is prepared to protect and support students.
Read more about the importance of mandated reporter training in this Feature Column by Assistant Director of Educational Justice Dr. Jen Sahr and General Counsel Tara Brandner.
Feature Column - Join PEACE: A Call to Action for Equity and Inclusion
Fargo Public Schools invites parents, staff, and community members to join PEACE (Parent Equity Advisory Committee for Education). PEACE provides a unique opportunity to work together in shaping the future of our district. PEACE serves as a critical advisory body aimed at promoting equity and inclusion within our schools, ensuring that every student receives the support they need to succeed.
Read more about PEACE and how to join in this Feature Column by Director of Educational Justice Tristan Love.
National Constitution Center Teacher Advisory Council
Congratulations to Explorer Academy Middle School Special Education Teacher Melissa Uetz on being appointed to the National Constitution Center Teacher Advisory Council for the 2024-25 school year!
The National Constitution Center Teacher Advisory Council is a professional learning community of educators who collaborate with the Center to share best practices for teaching constitutional and civic topics. Through a lens at the intersection of U.S. history and current events, the Teacher Advisory Council advises the Center on programs and resources that would best support classroom instruction on constitutional fundamentals across the United States.
CBE Play - The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon
Carl Ben Eielson Middle School Theatre presents the one-act play The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon at 7 p.m. next Thursday and Friday, October 17-18 at South High School. No tickets are required.
In the Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon, two narrators attempt to recreate all 209 collected fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm in a wild, fast-paced extravaganza. To make matters more difficult, they attempt to combine them into one gigantic fable using Rapunzel, Rumpelstiltskin, Hansel and Gretel, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and other more obscure stories like Johannes and The Devil's Grandmother.
Indigenous Peoples' Day Pow-wow
Fargo-West Fargo Native American Education is partnering with Moorhead Area Public Schools Indian Education to host an Indigenous Peoples' Day Pow-wow from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Monday, October 14 at Moorhead High School. All are welcome to attend the event, which will feature a dinner, performances, and intertribals.
FPS Parents Climate & Culture Survey
We Need Your Input! Fargo Public Schools is involved in a continuous improvement process that involves all stakeholders. FPS parents are invited to participate in an online survey. The results will help us identify our strengths, areas for improvement, and stakeholder attitudes around the topic of climate and culture. You may fill out a survey for each student who attends an FPS school. Take the survey here.
Community Friends Preschool Program Application
Fargo Public Schools' Early Childhood Special Education program is seeking Community Friends to join its preschool classrooms. Community Friends are typically developing peers who will join the ECSE classrooms alongside the students with developmental delays or disabilities. Students must be 4 years old by July 31 and pass a developmental screening to be eligible for the program. The program is free of charge for families, but parents must provide transportation. The ECSE sessions are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Click here to apply for the ECSE Community Friends program.
My Life is Worth Living Film Event
October is National Bullying Awareness Month, and the community is invited to view impactful virtual film event on October 23 at 5 p.m. Presented by the Cook Center for Human Connection, viewers will hear the story of Kyle who becomes the target of online bullying and turns to unhealthy coping and negative thoughts. But he finds hope and strength through support and love from the relationships around him. Register here for this event.
Fargo Public Library Events
The Fargo Public Library has a number of events coming up this weekend for kids and teens that can help fill the time during the long weekend. Events include Crafts for Teens: Cauldron Bath Bombs; Paws for Reading; Reptiles at the Library; Teen Art and Chill Events; Jazz Fall Concerts; Pumpkin Carving; and Crafts for Teens: Spooky Tie Dye Shirts. Visit the Fargo Public Library website for more information about these events and more.
School Board Schedule & Links
The Board of Education of the City of Fargo meets in regular session on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month, beginning at 5:30 p.m. To find Board meeting agendas and schedules, a broadcast link, an archive of past meetings, and more, visit the Board of Education webpages on the FPS website.
Read the Board Briefs from the October 8 regular meeting of the School Board.
Pickleball Tournament
North High School DECA and Student Council hosted a Pickleball Tournament at the North tennis courts. Twelve teams participated, with the championship being claimed by Brady Demers and Drew Burris. (Photo courtesy Kelli Sitzler)
Glow Run and Foam Party
The Carl Ben Eielson Middle School PTA sponsored a Glow Run and Foam Party on October 2. Students sported glow-in-the dark clothes and participated in a mile run around the school grounds and then partied in a glowing foam pit. (Photo courtesy Darla Bakko)
Junior Preview Day
North High School juniors learned about their post-secondary options at Junior Preview Day. The students visited local colleges, toured local businesses, and learned about military opportunities. (Photo courtesy Tracy Cramer)
Plan Your Future
Davies High School students learned more about their options and how to prepare for their post-secondary lives at the Plan Your Future event. Guests visited with representatives from colleges, local employers, and military branches; and learned about filling out college applications, applying for scholarships and student aid, and NCAA compliance and eligibility. (Photo courtesy Kayla Dewey)
Matching Suits
Hatched Eggs
Discovery Middle School seventh graders have been learning the differences between living and non-living things, focusing on the eight characteristics that define living organisms. They have observed dormancy in action using radish, corn, and tomato seeds and also observed chicken eggs. After several weeks of observation, the chicken eggs hatched and the chicks will be moved to their new home. (Photo courtesy Amy Herrick)
Bison Reading
Mrs. Netland's second grade class at Horace Mann Elementary School had some special guests for show-and-tell. NDSU football players Sam Jung and Marcus Gulley visited the class, read a book, answered questions from the students, and took pictures. (Photo courtesy Missy Tedford)
Density Lab
Discovery Middle School eighth graders investigated density by measuring and calculating the density of humans in class. Students were dunked in a 55-gallon drum to figure out the volume of water each student displaced. Students then measured their mass to calculate density. The concept of density is woven through all of the content in eighth grade science during the school year. (Photos courtesy Amy Herrick)
Davies House Walls
Construction students at Davies High School saw their house building project begin to take shape last week. The students raised the exterior walls and got a feel for how the house will look when it is completed. (Photo courtesy Kayla Dewey)
Siren Contest
Brass players in the Ben Franklin Middle School band competed in the 2024 Siren Contest each day this fall. The musicians buzz on their mouthpiece to see who can create the most accurate police siren. The contest was judged by guest expert School Resource Officer Horner. (Photo courtesy Gregory Calrow)
AFJROTC Volunteering
FPS Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets helped Bethel Church's Trunkapalooza on October 5 and the Gigi's Playhouse Buddy Walk on October 6. At both events, the cadets helped out with garbage detail, traffic control, and monitoring activities. They also go to participate and have fun at the events, dressing up in costumes at the Trunkapalooza and getting their faces painted at the Buddy Walk. (Photo courtesy James Gibson)
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