Welcome to the 2024-25 school year for Fargo Public Schools! FPS and all of our schools are thrilled to have everybody back in our buildings. Review the 2024-25 District Calendar to make sure you are aware of all of the important dates. Have a great school year!

Fargo Public Schools welcomed students back into their buildings for the first day of school on Wednesday, August 28. All around the District, students and their families smiled as they took pictures in front of their schools and FPS staff welcomed students back from summer vacation. There were wonderful greetings to the 2024-25 school year across the District. See photos from the first day below.

As the District begins a new school year, FPS Superintendent Dr. Rupak Gandhi wants to extend a warm and heartfelt welcome to each of you—students, staff, parents, and community members. The start of a new school year always brings a sense of excitement and possibility, and this year is no exception. The theme guiding FPS this year is "Working as a Team with a Unified Vision," and Dr. Gandhi believes this is more important than ever.

Read more about how the District aims to achieve this theme this school year in this Cabinet Column by Dr. Gandhi.

Read about the updates to the Code of Character, Conduct, and Support in this Feature Column by FPS Director of Educational Justice Tristan Love.

Read more about this change in this Feature Column by FPS Director of Compliance Dr. Patricia Cummings.

Congratulations to North High School ninth grader Samuel Chase and North High School 10th grader Chinmay Gopi on being named to the North Dakota State Superintendent's Student Cabinet! The cabinet is a group of 25 students who will offer State Superintendent Kirsten Baesler their advice and suggestions for improving K-12 education.

Congratulations to North High School History Teacher Melissa Evensen on being named the 2024 North Dakota History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehman Institute of American History! She will receive a $1,000 award, an archive of books and historical resources, and will have a recognition ceremony. Evensen is now one of 53 finalists for the National History Teacher of the Year Award.

Each high school co-curricular activity that is sponsored by the North Dakota High School Activities Association (NDHSAA) has the opportunity to be a North Dakota Team Scholar recipient. To qualify, teams must have an average GPA of 3.2 or higher. Upon the conclusion of each season a team may apply for this award through the NDHSAA website.

Congratulations to our Team Scholar Co-Curricular teams for their success and academic achievements. View the full list of Team Scholar Award recipients from Fargo Public Schools.

There will be NO SCHOOL next Monday, September 2 due to the Labor Day holiday. Classes will resume as regularly scheduled on Tuesday, September 3.

Please opt-in to receive text messages from Fargo Public Schools. FPS has switched to a new mass communication system for the 2024-25 school year and you MUST opt-in to receive text messages from FPS. If you do not opt-in, you could miss important information from our school or the District. You can opt-in at any time by texting the word “YES” to 79041.

Students attending school are provided breakfast and lunch through the USDA National School Lunch Program. Students may qualify for federal and state assistance to cover the cost of meals. Households may qualify based on income and size, participation in a federal assistance program (SNAP, etc.) or other criteria. This school year, North Dakota legislature passed a bill that allows families to receive free meals if they fall below 200% of the federal poverty line. Families must submit a Student Fees Assistance and Benefits Application (also known as a Free-and Reduced-Price Meal Application) every year.

If families qualify, households can receive free meals and additional benefits such as:

• Waived (canceled) fees for school related activities such as band rentals, activity fees, exam fees, and others.
• Increase funding to the district for educational programs through Title 1 funding, foundation aid, e-rate for technology grants, and others.

Households wishing to apply for Free or Reduced-Price Meals may apply by submitting a Student Fees Assistance and Benefits Application. It is only necessary to submit one application per household.

For more information about Free or Reduced-Priced Meals or the Student Fees Assistance and Benefits Application, visit the FPS Nutritional Services Department website. If you need assistance with the application, call FPS Nutrition Services at 701.446.1153.

Drivers, please help keep our students safe by using extra caution around schools and their adjacent intersections and neighborhoods. Please slow down for school buses and remember to never pass a school bus when the stop arm is extended.

Do we show up in your news feed? Follow Fargo Public Schools on Facebook, Instagram, and X (Twitter) to keep up on all of the exciting things happening across the District and make sure you don't miss out on important announcements!

• Instagram: fargopublicschools
• Facebook: Fargo Public Schools
• X (Twitter): @FargoNDSchools

Thank you to Kilbourne Group for the donation of school supplies that will be distributed to schools in need of supplemental supplies. Karren Thompson dropped off the school supplies, which were donated by about 40 employees of Kilbourne Group.

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 August 27 regular meeting of the School Board.

Fargo Public Schools hosted the 2024-25 All Staff Event on August 22 at South High School to welcome all staff back for the new school year. The event featured a choral performance, presentation of the colors by the Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, and presentations by FPS Superintendent Dr. Rupak Gandhi, 2024 FPS Administrator of the Year Troy Cody, 2024 FPS Support Staff of the Year Sarrah Gustafson, and 2024 FPS Teacher of the Year Amanda Hetland.

Email: comments@fargo.k12.nd.us
Website: www.fargo.k12.nd.us
Location: 700 7th Street South, Fargo, ND
Phone: 701.446.1000