FMS PARENT INFORMATION SMORE

MAY 5

• Cafeteria Worker Appreciation Day
• Cinco de Mayo

WEEK OF MAY 8TH

• ELA remediation all week (see schedule below)

MAY 10

• EARLY RELEASE - STUDENTS RELEASED AT 12:30 PM
• School Nurse Appreciation Day

MAY 14

• Mother's Day

WEEK OF MAY 15

• Math remediation week (see schedule below)

MAY 18

• Last day for free after school tutoring

MAY 20

• SPRING SEMI-FORMAL DANCE (more information below)

WEEK OF MAY 22

• Science 8 remediation week M-Th (different schedule - will share on RamPages that week)

MAY 26

• SCIENCE END-OF-GRADE (EOG) TESTING TODAY

MAY 29

• NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS - MEMORIAL DAY

MAY 31

• MATH END-OF-GRADE (EOG) TESTING TODAY

JUNE 1

• ELA END-OF-GRADE (EOG) TESTING TODAY

JUNE 7

• FMS ATHLETIC PROGRAM AWARDS CEREMONY - Parents are invited! The program will begin at 2:15 pm in the auditorium.

JUNE 9

• LAST DAY OF SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS - Early Release day!
• 8TH GRADE CELEBRATION - begins at 9:00 am. Parents are invited! Students can go home after the celebration with their parents. Students should dress nicely! Pictures will be taken and shared online later in June.

JUNE 12

• EOG REMEDIATION DAY (RETEST) for students who want to try again on their ELA EOG

JUNE 13

• EOG REMEDIATION DAY (RETEST) for students who want to try again on their Math & Science 8 EOG

JUNE 14

• Last day for teachers
• Flag Day

TIME TO BUY A YEARBOOK!!

1) Click the link below or the QR code and create your treering account to purchase our yearbook for $18.03 anytime.

https://www.treering.com/purchase?PassCode=1016807203541237

OR….

2) Purchase a yearbook through the school for $20 in cash!

THE DEADLINE TO PURCHASE IS MAY 10th!!!

Ms. Gilbert’s Google Site (School Counselor): click here

Helpful Resources

NC211.org (or call 211)

Food Finder (FoodBank of Central NC)

Hope4NC (or call 1-855-587-3463)

TransitionsLifeCare.org (or call the Grief Line 919-719-7199)

National Domestic Violence Hotline (or call 800-799-7233)

SuicideCrisisLifeline.org (or call 988)

National Alliance of Mental Illness/NC (or call 800-451-9682)

Vaya Health (or call their Behavioral Health Crisis Line at 800-849-6127)

How to Contact Ms. Gilbert:

Complete and submit this form: Counselor Request Form

Or send email to: marygilbert@fcschools.net

Or call FMS at 919-494-2971 ext. 298

ART and DRAMA: MRS. CLIFTON AND MS. HATTEN

We are in full preparation for our Spring Cultural Fair coming up May 18. FMS students have been working hard and we hope family and friends will be able to join us in our celebration on May 18. Our 8th graders are working on Japanese Kabuki Masks, and Chinese Dragons. 7th grade is working on African Masks and African Animal Paintings and making Flags of the many countries our school represents. 6th grade is making Sugar Skull Pinatas and Tropical Birds, American Indian Totem Pole faces and more.

PE/HEALTH: MR. HARTSFIELD

Classes have finished the unit on Basketball. This week classes will be introduced to MatBall. In addition there will be class discussion on Organization/note taking skills and building self confidence.

Next week: Communicable and Non-Communicable diseases.

ELA: MS. JONES

Class Novel- As a class we have been reading Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis and each chapter students have located figurative language, used inferencing skills, and analyzed excerpts to determine the tone. These next two weeks will bring us to the end of unit one and into unit 2. Our final project will be assigned before the start of unit 2.

Final Project- Students will be creating poetry books. Students will demonstrate their understanding of figurative language, poetry, and narratives by writing their own poetry books. Students will be showcasing their chosen theme that represents who they are. Please feel free to check out the link to see exactly what students will be doing. Bud, Not Buddy Final Project .

SCIENCE: MS. DOWNUM

Good evening, we are finishing up our Earth systems and process unit and taking the test tentatively on the 9th. I am trying to get it done as efficiently as possible so we have time to do some of the fun activities we have for our next unit which is all about space. It’s called Earth in the Universe. This is the most exciting unit for the students and the one that they look forward to all year.

Please make sure that your student is keeping up with all of their work. I just recently input some grades. Check that they completed them and submitted them. Sometimes students forget to turn in the work and don’t get credit. Other times they start an assignment and forget to finish it. Either way they have time to make it up as long as they are making sure to check PowerSchool regularly.

SOCIAL STUDIES: MS. CUNNINGHAM

The students are continuing to work on Ancient Greece.

MATH: MR. MITCHELL

Content:

We have finished up our Unit 8 and we are moving into the later part of the school year. Our next unit is Unit 9 and it deals with the creation and solution of equations. Please pay attention to some of the work on your student’s Google Classroom. The more they work at home, the easier the work in class gets.

Our 2nd Check-in came out as a success. We landed in the middle of the group as a class, so I am proud to see the progress of these classes. As we head towards EOGs, students are given about 12 questions from last year’s 6th grade EOG to take home and study at the end of each week. Please ask your students about these papers. They are called ‘From the Jump’ assignments and all students should be taking them home to study. The better they get at these questions, and questions similar to those, the better they will do on the EOGS.

Grades:

Please ensure your students are completing iReady minutes and lessons. 60 minutes and 2 lessons passed are required each week. Tutoring is a great place for your student to get this work completed!

Tutoring:

As always, please do what you can to get your student to our tutoring on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursdays from 3:30-5:00 pm. It gives them the opportunity to get caught up on late work, study previous mistakes, and get personal assistance from a variety of teachers.

Please reach out with any questions at brandonmitchell@fcschools.net

MATH: MS. JENKINS

Let’s have fun with Math in May! Congratulations, we have made it through another round of testing for NC Check-Ins and I-Ready. Students should expect to have data talks this week to discuss the results. This week we wrap up a review for Unit 3 on Probabilistic Reasoning. Next, we will be moving on to the last unit of the year with more statistics and probability. The students will learn to use random samplings to draw inferences about populations. We will use what we have learned about probability to analyze data in charts, graphs, and tables to make comparisons. We will begin the remediation review for Math EOG the week of May 15th. I am making a huge effort to keep students on the learning curve right up to End-of-Grade testing. Things to remember:

Be on your best behavior. Remember the school and classroom rules.

Bring your materials (Chromebooks(charged), notebooks, and pencils) to class daily.

Get a good night's rest and come to class prepared to learn.

Math I-Ready assignments are important. You are required to complete 45 minutes of study time with two passing lessons each week.

Believe in yourself, you can do it!

Keep up the hard work. Let’s finish the year strong. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at litishajenkins@fcschools.net.

SCIENCE: MS. NEUJAHR

Good day Parents and guardians for the RAM FAM! We are nearing the end of the year so it's very crucial that you are checking your students' grades and ensuring they are turning in their items! This week we are learning Heat Transfer, Weather Fronts, and Jet Stream. We will be conducting a lab on uneven heating of earth's surface and testing the temperature of both sand and water. Next week, we will jump into predicting weather and then learning the negative and positive impacts that humans have on the environment.

SOCIAL STUDIES: MR. JONES

Hello Parents and Guardians! As we approach the end of the year, it is important that your students finish strong. We have finished learning about the World Wars and have moved on to the Cold War. These next two weeks we will be going over the Cuban Missile Crisis as well as the wars in Korea and Vietnam. I will be conducting a notebook check to assess how students have been following along with instructor led notes and other activities. If your student’s grade is not where you would like it to be, feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns at hunterjones@fcschools.net

ELA: MS. BAECHLE:

Good afternoon students and families. I hope everyone has been enjoying the lovely sunshine! We are quickly approaching the second half of the quarter, Q4. Now is the time to keep the momentum going! The upcoming EOG on May, 31st is your “SuperBowl,” be sure to show up and show off what you know!!

Curriculum:

We are currently coming to a close with our Poetry Unit this week. We have been focusing not only on several types of figurative language, but identifying the gist per stanza, locating and defining challenging vocabulary, and identifying the theme within several poems. Students have also created several poems in class and some will have the opportunity to share their poem at the Spring Showcase if selected by their teacher!

I-Ready:

Please be sure students are completing I-Ready weekly (2 passing lessons and 45 minutes minimum) in both ELA and Math in order to receive full credit. I-Ready is a key element in their overall comprehension success and maintaining and or building up to grade-level lexile. Also, please make sure students are regularly checking Powerschool and making up any missed work to avoid a ton of work at the end of the quarter.

Tutoring:

A friendly reminder that tutoring at FMS is free and available each week on: Monday, Wednesday, and Thursdays. I tutor each Monday and Thursday; I am more than happy to support with homework, challenging concepts from class, or just extra skill-set practice. Tutoring will come to a close for the year the week of May, 18th.

Remediation:

Remediation for the EOG’s will begin next week for ELA** We will be focusing on content covered throughout the school year. We will be focusing on several challenging standards and reviewing content in the form of: prior EOG’s with test-taking strategies and process of elimination with multiple choice questions, Quizizz review, gamification with content and grade-level vocabulary; etc.

Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions at: kimberlybaechle@fcschools.net

ELA: MS. FROST

It is more important than ever that students engage in remediation and accelerated learning opportunities daily in preparation for the End of Year Reading EOG. Results from the test have a significant impact on whether or not students attend summer school, as well as, placement in high school courses. It is truly a collaborative effort on the part of the team. We are dividing and conquering our work in an effort to ensure students demonstrate both growth and proficiency on the Reading EOG. For the next few weeks, we will focus on vocabulary, comprehension skills, and test taking strategies. See below for EOG achievement levels and resources to support your child.

SCIENCE: MS. HEAD

We are finishing the Biotechnology and Disease unit with a test Friday, May 5th. Our last unit will be on Ecosystems with a vocabulary quiz Wednesday, May 10th and unit test Monday, May 15th. We will then be reviewing for the Science EOG May 26th. Please encourage your student to get online and work on IXL (through classlink) and complete at least 15 correct questions per week. Please let me know if any questions come up (my email: nadinehead@fcschools.net). Thank you!

SOCIAL STUDIES: MR. DOWNUM

We just finished up the unit on Immigration and Industrialization and are now moving on to the units on WWI and The Roaring twenties. These seem to be the units that the kids have the most fun with, This should take us right to the end of the year.

Please make sure that the students are completing assignments. I just put in some grades and I am not getting a lot of work from the students. This tends to happen at the end of the year and I just want to ensure that the students are not waiting until the end of the year to turn work in. Please remember that tutoring is a great place for all students to go to get caught up on their work. I am there every Monday and rarely see any 8th grade students.

MATH: MR. HURD

We are finishing the scatter plot unit this Wednesday, May 3. Then we will be finishing up the year with our last unit about Pythagorean Theorem as well as volume. Remember there is also an expectation of 1 iReady passing lesson and 45 minutes per week.

Please encourage your student(s) to work on iReady, it is required in all grade levels, and even though I allow them to catch up on it anytime during the 9 weeks, I would greatly encourage them to use that to get ahead rather than get behind on lessons. Mostly due to how students will be expected to have work completed, even if their chromebook stops working at the end of the nine weeks. This is an unusual circumstance, but the most that can happen to help your student is if it breaks for the last two weeks the last two weeks would be exempt. But if it is broken and is then working they are expected to catch up on it. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Because we are nearing the end of the year, students really need to have their chromebooks charged more than ever. I know my class has many on paper assignments, but due to the last couple of units, chromebooks are a necessity.

Every time I ask my child if they have homework, they tell me no.

Reality: There is not a lot of homework given to students, because students need to finish what they started in class. There is always time to get work done in class, but many middle school students will talk to their friends or sneak games online instead of getting work completed, leaving lots of work started but not completed and submitted. Students also sometimes leave their papers on the floor of the classroom and not submitted, leading to zeros and them telling you that they did the work but the teacher didn't grade it. Teachers don't report that students did not do work just to be unfair, it's more likely that your child did not submit the work correctly. Students are expected to take their unfinished work with them (paper) to finish at home or to finish their work online and submit it.

Important change: Instead of asking if your child has homework, ask, "what do you still need to finish from your classes today?" Also ask, "have you submitted all the work due for this week?" *See below for work students should be completing every day.

What can I do to support my child's learning at home and help them to get good grades?

There are several ways to support learning at home, and most of them are graded!

1. i-Ready: all ELA and Math teachers expect i-Ready assignments to be completed every week. Each teacher has slightly different expectations, but the outcome is the same; if your child completes two assignments with a passing score (that score is set by the teacher) and spends a certain amount of time working in i-Ready (teacher will set that time), then the student will get a completion grade of 100%. Important to know: If a child is doing their i-Ready and getting that 100%, it can easily get them very good grades in that class!
2. 8th Grade IXL: just like i-Ready, students in 8th grade Science class are expected to complete online assignments in IXL every week, and get completion grades for their work.
3. Online reading with Sora: all ELA students are expected to read the book they are working in ELA class every night. Sora books can be downloaded, so even if there is no internet at home, students can download their book and read it at home.

*NOTE: These three things alone can greatly affect your child's grades for the quarter. Instead of asking if they have any homework, ask your child to show you that they have completed their i-Ready or their IXL, and then tell them to read their book for 20 minutes.

How am I supposed too keep up with how my child is doing?

Please know: PowerSchool is your 24/7, real-time site where all assignments are listed, and grades are posted. Check PowerSchool regularly and do the following:

1. If you see a zero, that means that the teacher has done the grading on that assignment and your child did not submit their work. If your child says they did the assignment, make sure they show you that they submitted the assignment (if it's online) before checking with the teacher. Ask them to tell you if they handed it in (paper) the day that they worked on it in class, or if they kept it to work on later (check their bag). Remember that students will leave their work behind on the floor or on the desk, and other students or the teacher will throw discarded papers away.
2. Teachers have the right to decide how long they will accept late work. Stay on your child and make sure that if you see zeros, that they are doing what they need to do to get those assignments submitted and graded. The key here is to ask your child everyday what they need to finish for class, and then make sure they get that work done.
3. Teachers have up to two weeks to get assignments graded. If you see a gap longer than two weeks with no assignments graded and no assignments due, please contact the teacher to inquire about that.
4. Students can show you what work they have submitted online. Insist on them actually going to Canvas or Google Classroom and showing you that they have submitted the work. If they tell you they can't show you or there is no way to know, that is not true! Everything submitted online through Google Classroom or Canvas can be shown as submitted. If it shows submitted and you see a zero, check to make sure that what they submitted has work on it. Students can and do submit blank assignments.
5. All students know how to go to Google Classroom. All 8th grade students know how to go to Canvas. Don't let them tell you they can't log-in, or they can't access the classroom.

Why does my child have so many zeros??

1. They were absent and did not make up the work. Many students do not understand that if they are out, they still need to do the work! They will have three days to make up the work for every day they are absent.
2. They are not doing i-Ready or IXL. That alone can really bring down your child's grade. They can work on this at home online - insist on them putting in 20 minutes a day!
3. They are not completing work in class. Some teachers will give out a zero for any work that is due that day that is not handed in or submitted. Many, many students waste time in class rather then finishing their work (middle school students often have weak executive functioning skills). If you see a zero, insist on having your child explain to you why that zero is there. Then insist on making sure that they show you the work they need to do if it's online, or show you the work they need to do if it's in their bookbag. If they cannot show you the work in progress, then they are likely not doing the work at all.

What can I do to help my child to catch up?

1. Make sure they attend after-school tutoring. It's free and available Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday (not open on Early Release days). Just make sure someone is there to pick them up by 5pm at the latest. The tutors are our own teachers!
2. Even if you are not able to help your child every day, you can still insist that they spend 20 minutes reading their book on Sora and 20 minutes working on their i-Ready or IXL. They can show you what they have completed in i-Ready and IXL, and they can tell you what page number they are on in Sora.
3. On the weekends or days off, insist on having your child explain their PowerSchool grades and showing you any work submitted or not submitted yet. Holding your child accountable will motivate them to do better in school during class!

Middle School children are transitioning to taking more responsibility for their learning, but they still need you to help them to stay on track. Insist on making sure that they are making progress and getting work handed in on time. Also, you are your child's greatest advocate. Reach out to teachers for more information, set up a parent meeting, or ask for help in navigating PowerSchool or setting up the FCS app. Make sure that your information in PowerSchool is up to date and that you are getting emails and newsletters.

• View grades
• View attendance
• View bus info
• View the lunch menu
• Access school and staff info
• Receive important alerts
• View news stories
• View calendar info

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!