FMS Update 5.12.24

Week of May 12, 2024

From the Desk of Our Proud Principal

Good evening, Trojan Families!

This is a message from your proud principal, Mrs. Kinard, and the school leaders at Ferndale Middle School. Please make sure you check-out the digital version of this announcement, which can be found on our school website and social media, for additional important information for you and your students.

We wish all of our Trojan mothers a very Happy Mother's Day!

We have precisely 19 instructional days before the end of the school year. It is crucial that students are at school, prepared, and ready to do their best as we close out the year. Please encourage them to ask for help and fully participate to get the most out of these last few weeks of the school.

End Of Grade Testing

Our end-of-grade Tests are scheduled for Monday, June 3, Tuesday, June 4, and Wednesday, June 5. Our students have been working very hard all year, and we believe that not only will we see positive growth again this year, but our students will also excel academically. Please make sure students are on time for test days.

8th Grade Promotion Ceremony

Our 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony will be on Thursday, June 6. Your students have received information and will continue to receive reminders regarding the requirements and dress for the ceremony.

PBIS and Class Craft Update - Mr. Russell

PBIS (ClassCraft)🏆

As we stride through the final quarter of the academic year, we are excited to continue fostering a culture of excellence and positive behavior at our school. In our ongoing efforts to recognize and reward acts of Trojan PRIDE, teachers will continue issuing ClassCraft points to scholars who exemplify these qualities. These points serve as a currency for participation in various school-wide and classroom incentives, fostering a sense of achievement and motivation among our students.

Moreover, we extend an invitation for you to join ClassCraft if you haven't already done so. By becoming a part of this platform, you can actively participate in acknowledging and rewarding your student's demonstrations of PRIDE, both within and outside of the school environment. Additionally, ClassCraft provides you with the opportunity to monitor your child's behavior, ensuring alignment with our shared values.

To assist you in getting started with ClassCraft, we have prepared a brief instructional video that outlines the process. You can access the videos by clicking on the links below at your convenience.

Thank you for your continued support,

What is Class Craft?

Create Your Parent Class Craft Account!

Attendance Matters-AP Wilson

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Spring in Perfect Attendance

Be sure to make sure your student is Present on Purpose each day!

Did You Know?

If your student has missed 32 days thus far this school year, they are considered to be chronically absent. Please partner with us to ensure that your student has a strong finish to the school year.

Attendance Percentages-Week of 5/6/24

6th Grade: 92.5 (-.08)

7th Grade: 93.7% (+0.6)

8th Grade: 88.3% (-1.8)

Overall: 91.5% (-0.7)

Community Resources

Message from Our Math Multi-Classroom Leader - Dr. Cole

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Math Curriculum

Hello Ferndale Family.

All Math Teachers will begin teaching content from Unit 7 from Open Up, the GCS district supported Math Curriculum.

Please click on the link below if you are interested in exploring the content.

https://access.openupresources.org/curricula/our6-8math

Please find below material taught by each teacher for each grade:

6th Grade Math, taught by Ms. Spears, will continue to teach about Rational Number. In this unit, students are introduced to signed numbers and plot points in all four quadrants of the coordinate plane for the first time. They work with simple inequalities in one variable and learn to understand and use "common factor," "greatest common factor." and "least common multiple."

7th Grade Math, taught by Ms. Sherrod and Ms. Rudesill will continue teaching about Angles, Triangles, and Prisms. In this unit, students investigate whether sets of angle and side length measurement determine unique triangles or multiple triangles, or fail to determine triangles. Students also study and apply angle relationships, learning to understand and use the terms "complementary," "supplementary," "vertical angles," and "unique."

8th Grade Math, taught by Ms. Clarke-Huie, Ms. Nelson, and Mr. Lee will continue teaching about Exponents and Scientific Notation. This unit begins reviewing exponential expressions, including work with exponential expressions with bases 2 and 1/2. The next section reviews powers of 10 as a prelude to the introduction to Scientific Notation.

Math 1, taught by Ms. Clarke-Huie, will continue teaching about Structures of Expressions interpreting and analyzing functions.

Math 2, facilitated by Dr. Li, will continue teaching about Variation and Square Root Functions.

Thanks so much for your continued support.

With Mathematical Appreciation,

Dr. Cole

Message from Our ELA Multi-Classroom Leader - Ms. Mcleod

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Stamina

As we inch closer and closer to our End of Grade ELA testing, there is one thing that will help every student be more successful. Stamina. Our students need additional practice building their sustained reading practice. By having your child read a grade level text for fifteen minutes without interruption- every day until testing- you will have enhanced his or hers ability in various areas. These include them having the ability to complete their assessment on time, not become easily fatigued while reading, increase vocabulary and overall comprehension. You can start small with just five minutes and increase it incrementally. This skill- stamina building- is an academic and life skill that all students need to have. Help us, help them build the stamina we all know is required to run this academic race with endurance and success!

Your Partner in Literacy,

Mrs. Mcleod 📕📖💡

Counselor's Corner

Second Step Social Emotional Learning Groups

Grade level counselors will be engaging small groups of students in small group learning through the use of Second Step. Please see the program information letter regarding the content of the learning that will take place. Groups will take place on Wednesdays and Thursday beginning April 24th through May 23rd. Reach out to your scholar's grade level counselor if you have any additional questions or concerns.