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French Middle School
May 2023 Newsletter
Upcoming Events
- May 1-- GraceMed Dental Clinic
- May 2 /3-- Math MAP Testing
- May 5-- 7th Grade Kanza Field Trip
- May 5-- MS Strings Festival
- May 5-- 8th Grade Formal from 6:00-8:30pm
- May 8-- FMS Art show @ 4pm
- May 10/11-- ELA MAP Testing
- May 11-- PTO @ 5:00
- May 12-- 8th Grade World's of Fun Trip
- May 15-- Band/Choir Concert @ 6:30pm
- May 17-- 6th Grade Chromebook Check In
- May 17-- 8th Grade City Rally from 3-4pm
- May 18-- 7th Grade Chromebook Check In
- May 18-- Night of the Rising Stars from 6-8pm
- May 19--8th Grade Chromebook Check In
- May 23-- Last Day of School
- May 24-- 8th Grade Promotion @ 8am
We are down to the final days of the school year with the start of May. We have recently wrapped up state testing in all grades. Our final MAP assessment in ELA and Math will take place in early May. We hope to have preliminary results to share with our community before the end of the school year.
Our online registration through our new student information system called, Synergy, is up and running. Be sure to register your student online asap for the 2023-24 school year. Information regarding the online registration process can be found in this newsletter.
All middle school students will have their last day on May 23rd. It will be a normal school day. Promotion information for 8th graders is provided in this newsletter. On behalf of the French MS Faculty I want to thank all families for their support this year. It has been an honor and my pleasure to serve as the principal of this great school. I hope everyone has a peaceful and safe summer. We look forward to seeing returning Falcons back in the Fall!
8th Grade Worlds of Fun Trip
Our 8th grade trip to Worlds of Fun is Friday, May 12th. Students will leave French Middle School at 8:30 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 2 required check in times. 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 who are not attending will be assigned to a certified teacher at French MS for the day. Please contact your child’s AB teacher with any questions.
TPS Moving to Synergy Student Information System in 2023
Beginning July 1, 2023, Topeka Public Schools is moving to a new fully integrated Student Information System, Synergy by Edupoint. This one system will replace the district's current student information system into one platform that will host and manage student data in an efficient and user-friendly manner. Synergy will provide access to both parents and students, just like our current system. However, with Synergy, Parents/Guardians will use a single sign-on to access all of their children’s information regardless of school.
As part of the seamless Synergy Education Platform, Synergy SIS enables schools and districts to easily extend functionality to include online registration, CI3T, assessment, analytics, and special education management in a single platform. More information will be shared with families in the coming months.
Online Registration
Online Registration is now open. We would like to provide a few important tips to prepare our families for the experience with our new Student Information System, Synergy!
When registration opens, families who have at least one student returning to Topeka Public Schools will receive an automated individual email sent directly from the Synergy system. This email will include a unique code the parent must have in order to create a username and password to use with the Synergy ParentVue portal. Once the parent creates these credentials, the link for online registration is at the top-right in ParentVue.
When registration opens, families who have NO STUDENTS previously attending Topeka Public Schools will begin the process from the district's website. Families with any returning students cannot begin from the website, as they must have the unique code provided in the automated email.
If you have an electronic copy of the student's birth certificate and other requested documents, you will be able to upload those prior to submitting your registration. This will save you having to provide those items to the school in-person later.
If you have any questions about logging into Synergy ParentVue or Submitting your Online Registration, please email SISHelp@tps501.org or call 785-438-4750 between 7:30 and 4:30 for assistance.
If you have any questions after submitting your online registration, please contact your student's school or the demographics office at 785-295-3000 for assistance.
We are very excited about this transition to Synergy's Online Registration System, and we look forward to the many exciting ways we will use this platform in the upcoming academic year.
Topeka Public Schools Will Provide Free Meals to All Students Beginning Next Year
Topeka Public Schools is excited to announce that through the Community Eligibility Program, we are the first district in the state of Kansas to provide free meals to all students!
The program will provide free meals beginning at the start of the 2023-2024 school year, and continue for the next four years, impacting the lives of countless Topeka Public Schools students and families.
We are so grateful to our food service staff for their hard work to secure this funding in support of TPS students and families. Learn more in this article from WIBW.
Chromebook News
Chromebook collection
Chromebook collection will be May 17-19 this year. Students will need to have stickers removed in advance. Mrs. Kelley is happy to help with that if they come to the media center at least a week before the collection dates.
Repairs
Though we will be issuing new devices next year, the current devices will remain an important part of our academic day, so we need to get all repairs completed as soon as possible. Our technician is able to fix many issues at no cost, so I encourage students to turn in repairs now rather than wait for summer. As we check in chromebooks for the summer, Mrs. Hoffman will notify parents of any repair fees that may exist for your student's chromebook.
New Devices
Next year the students will be issued new Chromebooks. These devices have a touch screen and are able to be flipped into tablet mode but are otherwise very similar to what they have been using.
Some families like to purchase a case to use with the device. If you wish to do that, it will need to fit the Lenovo 300e, 2nd generation. Some cases may restrict the device from opening up into tablet mode; restricting that movement may actually help your student keep their screen better protected.
If you have any questions about Chromebooks, please contact our media specialist, Mrs. Kelley at: kkelley@tps501.org
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.
- 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://www.topekapublicschools.net/
Or
https://www.kshsaa.org/Public/PDF/FORM-PPE.pdf
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 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. See below for more easy examples to help prepare yourself for the upcoming sports season.
Have a fun and productive summer. Stay safe!
KANZA Field Trip
On May 5, 2023, our 7th grade students will attend the KANZA Science Park for a field trip. They will rotate through various stations designed to enhance their knowledge in science. Students will be gone from 9am-1:45pm.
“A Night in Hollywood”
The 8th grade formal dance is scheduled for May 5th from 6:00-8:30pm. We will start the evening with dinner at 6:00 pm and then the dance to follow. No outside guests are allowed at middle school dances, but if students wanted to invite a 7th grader they were asked to turn in names for our guest list by April 21st. 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!
Spring Art Show
Come visit the 2023 Spring Art Show at French Middle School! 6th Grade Art students and 8th Grade Design students will have their hard work from the semester on display. Come support the art program & see their masterpieces! The Show will be hosted in the Commons on Monday, May 8th, from 4-6pm.
Music Concerts
Band/Choir concert will hold their spring concert on May 15, 2023 at 6:30pm at French MS in the gym.
Teacher Appreciation Week
Please join our school community as we celebrate our teacher at French Middle School during Teacher Appreciation Week, May 8-12th. Our PTO is providing lunch for teachers on Thursday, May 11th. Mrs. Wagner and I will also provide a variety of goodies throughout the week. Feel free to reach out to your student’s teachers or use the teacher shout out link to send a thank you!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1wJVmxfSDzl3cojZYICDieEeqounYnuJMtrPGGUwMQe4/edit
Thank you to all French MS staff! The teaching staff is what makes FMS Frenchtastic!
Night of Rising Stars
We are excited to once again host a Night of Rising Stars highlighting our students who demonstrated Falcon Pride throughout the school year. Invitations were distributed to students on May 1st who have had no more than 1 office referral, no out of school suspensions and have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher for the first 3 quarters of the school year. The event will take place on May 18th 6-8PM at French MS. Students receiving invitations will check in at the front door. This is a formal event, but formal attire is not required. We look forward to seeing all the Falcons who reached this goal!
Please Join Us for our Save The City Rally!
When/Where: May 17th, 3-4pm in the French Middle School commons.
The French Middle School 8th graders will be presenting their ideas on how to make Topeka a better place. They spent their Fridays this quarter designing solutions to problems they see in Topeka. They have worked hard to provide their solutions to improve their community.
8th Grade Promotion
8th grade promotion is on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. Promotion begins at 8am at French Middle School in the gym. Students need to arrive at 7:30am and report to their advisor base classroom. During promotion students will be recognized with their AB. After names are called, the AB will wait for family members to come up and take pictures before we move to the next AB. We look forward to seeing you there and celebrating their accomplishment.
Volunteers
Mr. Gardner, also known as the “al-a-cart” man, has been coming every Tuesday and Thursday over the lunch hours to work in our snack store. His friendly smile and patient nature has welcomed students each day to purchase extra goodies at lunch. Mr. Gardner is a former educator and the grandfather to a current French Falcon. Thank you Mr. Gardner for all you have done for us!
Mr. Rogenmosher, aka: Math Man, has been coming to French and working in math classrooms this year. He visits a variety of classrooms and assists with small groups, one on one work with students and provides support with prior and current standards. His flexibility and patience have been greatly appreciated.
Retirements
Please help us congratulate our retirees from French Middle School. They will both conclude their careers in education at the end of this school year with over 54 years of experience.
Jennifer Thayer-Wood and Wilson:
Ms.T-Wood has served as the Instructional coach at French Middle School for 9 years. She has worked with classroom teachers to help enhance lessons, classroom management and looking at data to determine next instructional steps. She was the go-to for technology and always had a new idea up her sleeve. Prior to her time at French Middle School, she taught Physical Science, Chemistry and Physics in Marysville, Kansas. She also served on the NASA panel for education. One thing from French that Ms. T-Wood will always remember “I will always remember how happy I was whenever a student or staff got excited about learning something new. I will also clearly and fondly remember those students and coworkers who greeted me with a smile or who stopped by to share a joke or a story or two with me.”The first thing she plans to do after retirement is “I will probably spend most of my days outdoors taking pictures, sitting by the river, gardening, and listening to the sounds of the changing seasons. After the initial shock of retirement has worn off, I will probably make artistic messes as I paint, sew, and sculpt as creative outlets with and for my grandchildren. I also have a goal to visit every National Park in the U.S.” Thank you for 24 years serving in education.
Wilson- Our 4-legged friend graced our halls each day with a warm and inviting presence. He was always available for a snuggle or pet and loved to perform tricks for treats! His calming nature has greatly reduced anxiety for students and staff. We will miss his sweet face searching for dropped food, chasing tennis balls down the hall and laying on his bed in the hall during passing time. Thank you for your service Wilson.
What will Wilson remember most about French?
Wilson told me he will always remember the skritches and treats kids gave him. He will also always be embarrassed by the times he woofed at someone when they walked by.
What will Wilson do when he is retired?
Wilson says he will likely spend his time lying in the grass, playing in the snow, or chasing leaves (depending on the season). He loves to go on Jeep rides and play Frisbee, and he also likes keeping the deer, bunnies, squirrels, and UPS drivers on their toes, though he has never caught one.
Patty Williamson
Administrative Assistant. Ms. Patty has taken care of all things financial for French Middle School for 8 years. Prior to French, she was the Executive secretary to the director of KATS (Now Washburn Tech), at the district office as the Executive Assistant to the school attorney, at Highland Park as a trainer for new staff on computer software and a GED teacher and coordinator. Her career is ending after 30 years serving Topeka Public Schools.
When asked what Ms. Patty will always remember about French Middle School is the kind and caring staff at French. One of the first things she will do when she retires is travel and spend more time with her grandsons. Thank you for all you have done Ms. Patty. You will be greatly missed.
Immunizations
6th Grade Students: Students who will be entering 7th grade in the 2023/2024 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.
Summer Sensory Diet
A sensory diet is a unique plan used to meet an individual’s sensory input needs. For example, some people may feel overwhelmed and need calm sensory input to relax. Others may be tired or sluggish and need movement activities to become alert. The goal of a sensory diet is to meet the nervous system’s needs which can help to calm and regulate a person so that they are better able to focus, be attentive, and interact with others.
Some summer sensory input activities include:
Lifting, pushing and pulling
Swimming
Playing hopscotch
Vacuuming
Pushing/pulling a stroller, cart, or wagon
Spinning or Swinging
Lying in a hammock
Rolling
Dancing
Jumping jacks
Touching
Hand massages
High fives
Messy play
Crocheting, knitting, sewing
Auditory
Listening to music
Listening to sounds in nature
Using noise canceling headphones
Playing an instrument
Visual
Organizing clutter
Keeping a space clean
Smell
Smelling calming scents
Smelling flowers
Sniffing different herbs and spices
For those who do not like scents - find smelless products to use
Taste
Eat crunchy foods if you like to chew
Or chewy foods such as beef jerky or marshmallows
Popsicles, ice cubes and straws are great for people who like sensory input by sucking or licking
Each person’s sensory diet will be different and specific to their unique sensory input needs. By meeting these needs people can feel calmer and in control of their emotions. This can be especially helpful for children who may experience difficulty transitioning from their school routine and into the summer.
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.