French Middle School
May 2024
Upcoming Events
April 30th-- May 2nd-- MAP Math Testing
May 6th-- 7th Grade Kanza Field Trip
May 6th-- Band Concert @ 6:30
May 8th-10th-- MAP Reading Testing
May 9th-- PTO @ 5:45
May 10th-- 8th Grade Dance @ 6-8:30
May 12th-- Mother's Day
May 14th-- Art Show @ 4:30
May 14th-- Orchestra Concert @ 6:30
May 14th-- Chorus Concert @ 7:00 at Jardine Middle School
May 15th-- Late work due
May 16th-- Night of the Rising Stars; 6-8
May 17th-- 8th Grade WOF Trip
May 20th-- Last Day of School
May 21st-- 8th Grade Promotion @ 8 am
From the Principal
Happy May Falcons! We are almost at the finish line. The last day for all middle school students is Monday, May 20th. We will run a normal schedule that day. Yearbooks will be distributed the last week of school to students who purchased them. Don’t forget to thank a teacher during Teacher Appreciation Week the week of May 6th. If you would like to donate a gift card for teacher prizes that week, deliver them to our front office. On behalf of the French Falcon Faculty I want to thank you for another successful year. We hope all Falcons have a safe and peaceful summer.
8th Grade Promotion
Our 8th Grade Promotion is scheduled for Tuesday, May 21st at 8am in the French MS gymnasium. Only 8th grade students and their families attend. Seventh graders wishing to attend the promotion must be accompanied by their parent/guardian. Buses do not run on this day. Eighth students need to be present in their advisor base classroom by 7:45am. Our promotion ceremony typically lasts about an hour. We look forward to giving our 8th graders a final Falcon Farewell!
Worlds of Fun Trip
Our 8th grade trip to Worlds of Fun is Friday, May 17th. Students who purchased a ticket will leave French Middle School at 8:45 am. The park is only open for schools that have signed up for education day. Students attending need to bring money for lunch in the park. The park is cashless. Therefore students will use park kiosks to exchange their cash for a cash card to use for food purchases throughout the day. Students will be free to roam the park during the day on their own and have required check in times with staff. Parents should plan to pick up students in the back parking lot of the school by 6:30pm. Please remember that students who become ineligible prior to the trip will not be refunded ticket money as the park doesn’t provide refunds. Students not attending the field trip are free to come to school for a regular school day. Please contact your child’s AB teacher with any questions.
Spring Concerts
Band concert-May 6, 2024 at 6:30pm FMS Gym
Orchestra concert- May 14, 2024 at 6:30pm FMS Gym
Chorus concert-May 14, 2024 at 7:00pm Jardine Middle School
KANZA Science Field Trip:
7th grade students will attend the KANZA Science park field trip on May 6. Students will leave French around 8:45am and return around 2pm. They have either requested a school sack lunch or said they will bring one from home. If it should rain, the field trip will be canceled and not rescheduled.
Art Show
Falcon Fun Day
May 17 will be Falcon Fun Day for 6th and 7th grade students. They will participate in various activities throughout the day as well as get to go swimming at the YMCA. Students will need to come to school with swimsuits under their clothes and bring a towel. Sixth grade will go swimming in the morning and 7th grade in the afternoon. Students must have eligibility points and their chromebook check in, in order to participate. Those without points left will remain in a study hall for the day.
Night of the Rising Stars
Are you ready for the most exciting night of the year? Our annual Night of the Rising Stars party is May 16th from 6:00-8:00 pm. This is a party for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders who met the year long criteria. To be invited, students must have received only one office referral, no out of school suspensions, be in good academic standing and have eligibility points. Students that are eligible received an invitations on May 1st. We will be rolling out our red carpet for the biggest party of the year! This will be an exciting night with dancing, lots of food, games, and prizes galore! We are looking forward to this fun night and hope to see you there! We are also looking for parent volunteers who want to help out with this exciting night. If you are able to donate some of your time or donate a prize for our prize raffle, please give Mrs. Barnett a call at 438-5821 email kbarnett@tps501.org, or Ms. Ryan at 438-5879 email jryan@tps501.org.
“Let’s Glow Crazy”
The 8th grade formal dance is scheduled for May 10th from 6:00-8:30pm. We will start the evening with an Italian catered dinner at 6:00 pm and then the dance to follow. The 8th grade dance is for French 8th graders only, no outside guests are allowed at middle school dances. Tickets will cost $5 per person, and that includes dinner and the dance. 8th graders must have eligibility points to attend this dance. We hope to see all of our 8th graders at the dance this year. This should be a fun night for all!
PTO
We would like to extend a special thank you to our 2023-2024 PTO officers who graciously served and supported our students and staff this year. Outgoing Vice-President-Mashalya Hibler, parent of an 8th grade student, who helped support FMS in so many ways. Thank you for the countless hours of time you committed to French.
Upon approval at the May PTO meeting, our 2024-2025 PTO slate will be:
President-Tracy Tevis- Galloway
Vice-President- Alesha Horsley
Treasurer- Christie Green
Secretary- Kelly Ware
Our PTO meets the first Thursday of every month at 5:45pm in the commons. All are welcome to attend and are encouraged to sign up for various volunteer opportunities.
Chromebook (and charger) Check-in
We will be collecting student chromebooks and chargers soon and wanted to let you know what to expect.
Students will come to the Media Center with their ELA classes on the following days.
Tuesday, May 14 – 6th Grade
Wednesday, May 15 – 7th Grade
Thursday, May 16 – 8th Grade
Any student who is missing the district-provided charger or has the charger, but it is not in working order, will be required to replace the charger. The cost is $25 in the front office. Chromebook damages will be assessed at check-in, as well. Students must have their chromebook check in to participate in Falcon Fun Day.
8th Grade students and any student who is not returning next year must have any stickers removed from their Chromebooks BEFORE they arrive for check in. If there are stickers that are difficult to remove, students are welcome to bring their Chromebooks to the media center the week prior, and Mrs. Kelley will provide cleaning materials and guidance.
Sports Update
As the school year comes to an end some things to keep in mind for the upcoming year.
- Sports are only offered to eligible 7th and 8th graders.
- The first sports offered in the fall are football, volleyball, girls tennis and cross country
- Students wishing to participate in athletics need to have passed 5 classes from the previous quarter. In the case of next year, that would be their grades from the 4th quarter, not final overall grade. Summer school does not count for this rule. If you did not pass 5 classes, you are not eligible to participate.
- Students will need to have a sports physical signed by a doctor dated after May 1st in order to be allowed to play for that school year. Forms and information can be found at http://kshsaa.org/
- Physicals need to be ready for the first practice to minimize any loss time by athletes.
Please note-You are not able to play on a club team in the same sport outside of school while playing for a school team during the season of that same sport. This pertains to all sports whether club or rec. Before and after the season is allowed.
Stay active over the summer months. It will be much easier on your body at the start of the school sports season if you are in shape. Some easy exercises to do at home are sit-ups, push-ups, lunges, stretching and jogging.
Have a fun and productive summer. Stay safe!
The Sun and your Mental Health!
Did you know that the sun can help improve your mental health? Sunlight helps your body produce Vitamin D and Serotonin. Each of these chemicals assist with improving your mood! Having more of these chemicals in your body may help increase feelings of happiness and joy.
There are many ways to spend more time outside and in the sun. Try going for a walk or hike. Ride your bike around your neighborhood. Go fishing, swimming, and camping. The options are endless, just do not not forget sunscreen!
Enroll Now for the 2024-2025 School Year
Online registration for the 2024-2025 school year is now open for students in grades PreK-12! Returning TPS families may register their students at this link or through the ParentVue app on a mobile device. Reserve your spot at French MS early!
Families NEW to Topeka Public Schools will create a new account and register by following these instructions.
Families can view important dates for the 2024-2025 school year, a school supply list, and more at topekapublicschools.net on the Online Registration page.
Washburn Women's Basketball Boys & Girls Youth Camp May 29th-May 31st
Camp Season is upon us and the fact that it is getting closer and closer to summer makes this time of year fun and exciting!!
It is with EXCITEMENT that we wanted to invite you and your incredible athletes to our Youth Camp, that will be held on May 29th - May 31st from 9:00am-12:00pm at Lee Arena! The Boys & Girls Youth Camp will focus on core skill development, competitive game play, teamwork, and having fun! Washburn Basketball players will work with the coaching staff to provide specific instruction and demonstrations. All Campers will receive a t-shirt and a camp report card!! Camp specific details are listed below:
Grades: 2nd - 8th
When: May 29th - May 31st
Times: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Where: Lee Arena, Petro Allied Health Center, Washburn University Campus
Cost: $90 per camper
Walk up registration will be accepted however t-shirt sizes are limited.
Use this link to register: www.wusports.com/wbbcamps
We hope to see all of you there!! Go Bods!
From Nurse Besenyi
Immunizations:
6th Grade Students: Students who will be entering 7th grade in the 2024/2025 school year are required to have updated immunizations including: Tdap (tetanus booster) and MCV (meningococcal). Students will be required to provide proof of immunizations within 30 days of the start of school in the fall. Letters will be mailed home in May for the students who need to provide proof of immunization to the school nurse.
Medications:
If your student has brought medication to school this year, please make arrangements with the nurse to have these medications picked up by a parent/guardian prior to the last day of school. Any medication not picked up by the last day of school will be destroyed, as they are NOT stored over the summer.
Medical Forms:
Health &/or Medical forms are required to be completed each school year. This includes Crisis Plans, Medication forms and Health History forms. Forms may be found on the district website https://www.topekapublicschools.net/departments/health_services or you may contact the nurse at the beginning of the school year to discuss student health history or current conditions to determine which forms may be needed.
GraceMed Dental Clinic:
GraceMed will be at French Middle School, providing dental cleanings during the school day on Tuesday May 14, 2024. If you would like your student to be seen by a hygienist, please complete the following link. A representative from GraceMed will contact you directly with more information. https://gracemed.org/dental-consent You may contact GraceMed directly at (785) 861-8800 or via their website: https://gracemed.org
French Middle School
Kendra Besenyi, LPN
Ph: (785) 438-4516
Fax: (785) 271-3609
Email: kbesenyi@tps501.org
Bullying Policy
French Middle School will not tolerate bullying of any kind. Bullying is defined as any ongoing verbal or physical mistreatment where there is an imbalance of power, and the target/victim is exposed repeatedly to negative actions by one or more students. Bullying can be direct (physical or verbal), or indirect (exclusion, cyber-bullying, emotional). In order for everyone to feel safe and secure at school, every Topeka Public School has adopted the following rules against bullying. “I will not bully others. I will try to help students who are bullied. I will do my best to include students who are easily left out. When I know somebody is being bullied, I will tell an adult at school and an adult at home.” Students, staff, and parents should report any bullying that they are aware of to administration through the on-line bully report link on the French website. Students who bully others will receive consequences. Our counselors will be visiting 6th, 7th and 8th grade classes in August and September to remind students what bullying is, what we can do to prevent bullying, and what students should do if they or someone else is being bullied.
Notice of Non- Discrimination
The Topeka Public Schools, Unified School District No. 501 is committed to affirmative action and equal opportunity. No person shall, on the basis of age, race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, disability, national origin or ancestry be denied lawful access to any appropriate educational service, program or activity provided by the school district. The Title VI and Title IX compliance coordinator is the Assistant Superintendent for Teaching/Learning/Administration. The Section 504/Title II compliance coordinator is the Coordinator of College and Career Ready Services. For employment, the EEO/AA officer is the General Director of Human Resources. All compliance coordinators may be contacted at 624 SW 24th Street, Topeka, KS 66611-1294, (785) 295-3000. The clerk of the Board of Education has been designated to receive and redirect or handle inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies, regulations and procedures. The clerk may be contacted by calling (785) 295-3045 or by writing to 624 SW 24th Street, Topeka, KS 66611-1294.