DOWNLOAD THE NEW FCS APP!
- View grades
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IT'S EASY! GO TO THE FCS WEBSITE, LOOK FOR THE AD FOR THE APP, CLICK ON THE LOGO FOR THE APP STORE YOU USE FOR YOUR PHONE, AND DOWNLOAD THE APP. EASY!
*ONCE YOU ARE IN THE APP, CLICK ON THE PARENT PORTAL ICON, PUT IN YOUR PHONE NUMBER THAT YOU HAVE IN POWERSCHOOL, AND YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SEE YOUR CHILD'S GRADES AND ASSIGNMENTS. EASY!
STUDENTS ARE STARTING TO TEST THE RULES - AND BULLYING AND AGGRESSION ARE REARING THEIR UGLY HEADS.
Please talk to your child and let them know the following ways to deal with bullying and aggression:
- Tell a teacher or your parent/guardian
- Have confidence
- Tell them to stop - loudly! You want to get the attention of other people, especially the teacher
- Control your own emotions
FMS NEEDS SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS!!!
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE FCS JOB BOARD
- Up to $120 or more per day
- Job Qualifications: High school diploma or higher, at least 21 years of age, completion of the FCS effective substitute training found on the FCS website and a completion of criminal background checks.
SCIENCE: MS. DOWNUM
Good afternoon! The students are rocking and rolling in science class. We have our second end of unit test on Wednesday the 19th. After the test we will get started on Biome Projects which will also count as a summative (test) grade. The students will spend about two weeks on these projects. I switched the test to before the projects so the information is still fresh in their minds when they take the test. Please encourage your child to use the study guide to help them study for the test. In addition they can take the Biodiversity edpuzzle as extra help for the test. It is not a grade but will help support the students further on their upcoming test.
We started SEL (Social Emotional Learning) last week. We are focusing on starting the school year and helping with nerves.
As your child is learning to navigate middle school please support them by checking PowerSchool regularly to make sure they are keeping up with their assignments. If caught early it is much easier to make up a grade than waiting till the end of the quarter.
SOCIAL STUDIES: MS. BROOKS
In Social Studies students will be covering the lesson of Exploring Economy and Practicing Citizenship. These two lessons will conclude our unit on Geography, Economy, and Citizenship. Please remind students to turn in missing assignments as we move closer to the end of the 1st nine weeks. If you have any questions, please email me at jericabrooks@fcschools.net.
ELA: MS. MCINTOSH
Notes for the week:
i-Ready lessons has officially started this week. We are compelling the students to spend an hour and passing 3 lessons for year’s requiring spassing three lessons with a 70% or higher.
We will continue to read chapters 5-7 of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief this week. So please read in Sora (our online library). Corresponding assignments will be added to Google classroom.
* I am having issue with the Percy Jackson workbook posting in google classroom. So I will postpone the due date until the assignment is fixed. Thank you all for your patience.
After students finishes classwork they will finish their i-Ready diagnostic if they haven’t already.
Will we have a quiz on Chapter 1 and 2 on Percy Jackson this week. So please read in Sora (our online library)
All grades will be updated this week.
We will begin taking vocabulary test week of September 26th
Standards for this week:
We have read chapter 1-3 and completing chapter activities for the novel, Percy Jackson and The Lighting Thief.
Introduction of new vocabulary words week of September 26th
MATH: MS. JENKINS
This week in math we are learning to use percentages to solve real world problems involving discounts, commission, markups, tax and tips. Students have been exploring the many different ways they have encountered these types of math problems outside of school. We are learning to apply different formulas to find specific percentages, like percent error and percent increase or decrease. We will wrap-up Unit 1 with lessons on simple interest and analyzing circle graphs.
Things to remember
Bring your materials to class daily. Materials include: Chromebooks(charged), notebooks and pencils.
Get a good night's rest and come to class prepared to learn.
Math I-Ready assignments will begin this week. You are required to complete 45 minutes of study time with two passing lessons.
Believe in yourself, you can do it.
Our students are working hard, keep up the good work. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at litishajenkins@fcschools.net.
ELA: MS. BAECHLE:
Good afternoon students and families!
The next two weeks we will complete our first text Lyddie while utilizing strategies such as: vocabulary acquisition, analysis and identifying textual evidence and locating and explaining the significance of text-based quotes. Last week students began outlining either a Compare and Contrast or Argumentative essay, while learning new structural terms including: hook gist and claim. The hope is that students will find these terms and usage of graphic organizers as a tool in writing their essays. At the end of the text we will also be watching the film in order to identify similarities and differences among the two.
ELA Check-in one will occur next Thursday, October 27th in the morning. Please remember check-ins are a way of collecting data and identifying what standards-skill sets students have mastered and which still require additional practice. Please remind students to get a good night's rest, eat breakfast and of course try their best!
Please make sure students are completing 45 minutes of both ELA and Math on their I-Ready pathway on a weekly basis. Their completion will be graded on a weekly basis. This program allows students to work on increasing their comprehension skills, while improving in specific skill-sets, all while focusing on mastering grade level content.
Students Q1 project is due next Friday, October 27th. The link for the rubric is attached below: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ey4PRCrPqOy3T2Dm-2oCVhLqjM_vI6rFVXFqaKHPnF0/edit?usp=sharing
Beginning this week, we will be focusing on Social Emotional Learning (SEL) once a week to support our students as they navigate the challenges of middle school and how to best respond to challenging situations. In addition, please make sure students are checking Powerschool regularly and making up work as necessary to stay on track. Just a friendly reminder that Q1 ends in roughly two weeks on 10/28.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to me at kimberlybaechle@fcschools.net with any questions.
ELA: MS. FROST
On October 27th, all grade 8 students will be taking the NC Check-Ins. NC Check-Ins are interim assessments developed by the NC Department of Public Instruction that students take three times throughout the school year. These assessments are aligned to the NC grade-level content standards. Please note, the English assessment includes both informational and fiction texts that students read independently and the texts students read increase in difficulty with each test given. This is in alignment of Reading Standard 10 (Our Ultimate Reading Goal): By the end of grade 8, students read and understand literature and informational texts independently for increasingly sustained periods of time.
The main purpose of NC Check-Ins is to provide students, teachers, and parents with immediate, in-depth data and a reliable estimate of students’ current performance on grade level standards for ELA.
Please encourage your child to put forth their best effort to ensure we receive accurate information about your child’s reading level that will impact future planning and instruction.
The week of testing, parents can:
Be aware of the testing schedule and make sure that your child is at school on time on testing days.
Make sure that your child has gone to bed on time the night before so they are well rested. You may want to start a few days prior to get the body used to the routine.
Serve a healthy breakfast including protein so that your child is not hungry during the testing session. A healthy breakfast may include eggs, toast, sausage, and or pancakes. This is a sample of a high protein breakfast.
Ensure that on test days your child gets an extra dose of physical activity. This will help them rest as well as release some of the nervous energy.
If your child suffers from test anxiety, maybe on the testing days he/she can be driven to school to avoid long bus rides that may add to the stress.
Encourage students to listen to and follow all directions given by the test administrator. If they have questions, they need to be addressed before testing begins.
***Testing can be stressful, but with positive reinforcement your child will be inspired to do their best!
Friendly Reminder… (Nightly Homework) Please make sure your child is reading our novel titled, Unbroken at home via Sora. Again, students can download the novel if internet access is an issue. All students should have read Chapters 1-11 and continue with reading Part three beginning with Chapter 13. At the end of this week, students will be tested on a comprehension check for Part 1 and Part 2 of the novel…
Encourage your child to continue working on Learning Pathway in I-Ready. Remember, to receive credit your child must complete 45+ minutes with a 75% or higher rate on completion of lessons to receive credit for each week.
SCIENCE: MS. HEAD
In Science, we are finishing our unit on Chemistry with a post test Wednesday 10/19. We will begin our next shorter unit on Energy Thursday 10/20. In the Second Step lessons, we are finishing up the first unit about Mindsets & Goals (interests, goals, and future self) and starting the second unit about Recognizing bullying and harassment. Please let me know if any questions come up (my email: nadinehead@fcschools.net). Thank you!
SOCIAL STUDIES: MR. DOWNUM
In Social Studies we are continuing to work on the colonies and The American Revolution. We will not have a traditional quiz for this unit, but will instead be working on mini-projects and essays showing me their understanding of the topic. Please make sure that your student is getting their work turned in, in a timely manner. The end of the first quarter is quickly approaching and we want all students to start the year strong.
MATH: MR. HURD
In math we are finishing up the unit on scientific notation and exponents. We will be having a test later during this week. This unit has been a difficult one, so I encourage all of your students to study. Just taking an additional five minutes to look over the rules can be more helpful than they realize. The next unit we will be starting is much easier, but is vocabulary intensive, because of this practicing 5 minutes every night to study will help them so much.
ART: MS. CLIFTON
All 6 classes have been coloring this giant coloring page. Yesterday they finished it!! Check out the short video of the process. They are just about to finish their Tim Burton style selfies, and we are starting our study on Yayoi Kasama. 8th grade is making paper mache pumpkins, and 6th &7th are working on a Kasama mushroom project.
ACADEMIC RULES FOR ATHLETES
- Athletes must adhere to the academic standards put in place by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
- If your child has been accepted on a sports team, they must prove that they are eligible under DPI rules.
- That means that if they are in 7th or 8th grade, they must have finished the final semester of the 2021-2022 school year passing 3 out of 4 core classes.
- Once coaches have selected their team, their academic history will be checked and those students who are not academically eligible will be let go.