Breaking News from our NC Division of Health and Human Services:
TripleP.com (Positive Parenting Program: for parent with children up to the age of 16
North Carolina families with young children can now take advantage of free online parenting support programs. The Positive Parenting Program (Triple P) offers advice and ideas to help parents create a positive home environment for their children. This resource is now accessible to North Carolina parents through the program’s Triple P Online and Teen Triple P Online courses.
The Triple P online roll-out in all 100 counties is the largest of its kind in the country. Free access is available for 25,000 North Carolina parents and caregivers on a first-come, first-served basis.
“Every family across our state can benefit from learning more about positive parenting,” said Marshall Tyson, N.C. Public Health Children and Youth Branch Head and Triple P Program Manager for North Carolina. “Regardless of where you live in the state, what your background is, or if you’re raising children with a partner or as a single parent, online resources from Triple P can provide you with support to help you build a stronger foundation for your child.”
Triple P is evidence-based, backed by more than 35 years of research, and is currently available in more than 25 countries around the world. The program first came to North Carolina in 2016 with in-person parenting courses offered in 46 counties. The launch of Triple P Online and Teen Triple P Online extends these services to families who might not be able to participate in person, such as those who live too far away or who are unable to commit to in-person sessions.
“Expanding access to Triple P is in line with our commitments shared in the North Carolina Early Childhood Action Plan to ensure more children grow up in safe and nurturing homes across the state,” said Rebecca Planchard, Senior Early Childhood Policy Advisor for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. “We know that every parent and caregiver wants what’s best for their child, and this program provides free resources for families to build more positive relationships.”
Funding for the online programs totals $1.7 million using a combination of grant money from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Block Grant and state funding through the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Public Health and Division of Social Services.
The Triple P Program gives parents simple and practical strategies to help them manage their children’s behavior more confidently, prevent behavioral problems from developing and create a positive home environment for their family. Parents and caregivers of children up to 16 years of age in North Carolina are invited to sign up at https://www.triplep-parenting.com/nc-en/triple-p. Once parents receive an access code, they can participate in Triple P Online’s eight modules or Teen Triple P Online’s six modules at their own pace. Each module takes about an hour to complete, and the program can be stopped and resumed at any time. Many courses are available in both Spanish and English.
Xello
All of our students have been receiving instruction on how to access the online career exploration program called Xello. On April 6th, FCS Career Development Coordinator, Peter Ashford, emailed all students the first of four lessons in Xello. Students were also sent two videos that demonstrate how to complete these first Xello lessons. Xello is located on your child’s chromebook under classlinks.
Below are the links to the videos that explain how to complete Lesson 1:
Lesson 1- Part A https://watch.screencastify.com/v/0d9vvSZwZyt9kKq3ViV9
Lesson 1- Part B https://watch.screencastify.com/v/U38r8aRbWrOaOn9bo5Gb
Matchmaker - asks about likes and dislikes and then suggests careers based on the student’s interests.
Personality Style - helps students understand what careers will make them happy.
Career Development Plan Steps 1 & 2
Most of our students have started these first lessons, but they can do more of this at home if they have not done it at school. You can discuss with them what they learned from taking the Matchmaker and Personality Style assessments. Once they complete these first lessons, students have access to complete the rest of the lessons for their grade level. Our goal is to have all of our students with 100% on their progress before leaving for summer break! Please look at Xello with your child and encourage them to complete their exploration.
MS. FROST - ELA
Test Taking Tips!
“Due to the lengthy nature of the tests—and their importance—many students become stressed as testing days approach. You play a vital role in helping your child mentally prepare for testing. The first and most important thing to do is to be positive and remind your child that what they have been practicing all year is what they are being tested on. There are no trick questions and no new material on the EOG tests.”
In the weeks prior to testing, parents can do the following:
Allow your child to practice “endurance (stamina)” reading. The reading portion of the EOG requires focus and stamina, as there are many reading selections and questions to get through.
If your child loves to read, he or she probably won’t be stressed by the test. However, for students that have a hard time sitting down to read for ten minutes, push your child to read for longer periods of time.
Ask your child questions about what they are reading.
Get a good night’s sleep!
Healthy breakfast and ready!
Read the questions prior to reading each reading selection.
Return to the text for evidence to support your answer choices.
Use the “The Slash the Trash” strategy to remove answers that don’t make sense.
Lastly, please take your time!!!!
NOTE: Bookbags and cell phones will be at the front of the room. Cell phones should be off and in bookbags.
This is it! Please encourage your child to take this assessment seriously. I want each and every child to shine! Most sincerely, Ms Frost
MR. HURD - MATH
We are on the last unit, almost done with the year. Make sure you are studying especially the different formulas, they are easy to forget.
MS. BAECHLE - ELA
Good evening FMS students and families!! We are in the home-stretch with only roughly nine days until EOG’s. It is critical that students are completing their daily assignments, making up any missing work, and asking for support as needed.
We will continue to finish reading the second half of our final text, “A Long Walk to Water,” while reviewing key skills-sets such as: theme, symbols, character growth, and supporting analysis of text with quotes. In addition, we will be continuing our final two weeks of “Pro Bowl” remediation and standards review of challenging content as well as a longitudinal review of content covered throughout the year in preparation for the EOG.
Lastly, students will be turning in their Q4 project next Friday, 5/20. Please make sure weekly completion of their I-Ready pathways are still met at 35 minutes with one passing lesson in order to continue building their overall comprehension and lexile. Please do not hesitate to reach out at kimberlybaechle@fcschools.net with any questions. Let's finish out the year on a high note!!
MR. LEMONS - SOCIAL STUDIES
Hello Everyone!! We only have a few weeks until EOG testing begins. That means that we will be doing a lot of cross-curriculum assignments in my class. Since there is not a Social Studies EOG, I dedicate the week before EOG’s to helping students get ready for their exams. We will be practicing math and ela content and testing skills. We will also be finishing up the Cold War Unit. If there are any questions please feel free to email them to me.
MS. DOWNUM - SCIENCE
Good evening. I hope you all had a great Mother’s day weekend. We are getting so close to the end of the school year. We have been working hard in class to finish up our curriculum. We are planning to have the test be around the 26th of May. However some classes are still chugging along nicely and will be ahead and others are getting a little excited about the end of the school year and it is taking longer to get through the material. I would ask you to communicate with your student the importance of finishing up the school year on a good note.
We are doing excellent on SEL. We are working on the fourth and final unit talking about conflicts and relationships such as friendships and families. We are discussing ways we can handle conflicts so they don’t escalate into a major conflict by taking the time to think things through before acting. WE understand this is easier said than done and this is why we are discussing it now so that if your student is ever faced with a conflict they will already have a plan they can put into place before it becomes a major conflict.
MS. BROOKS - SOCIAL STUDIES
For the remainder of the year we will finish our unit on the Aztec, Maya, and Inca civilizations and review the previous units that we have covered this year. We will spend the rest of this week discussing the Inca civilization. Next week, we will wrap up our unit on the Aztec, Maya, and Inca civilizations, complete the review for the unit, and take the unit test. Next Tuesday, students will spend time reviewing for EOGs by completing 30 minutes of math and 30 minutes of ELA using I-Ready. If you have any questions please email me at jericabrooks@fcschools.net.
MS. MCINTOSH - ELA
Can you believe it?! EOG’s are in a few weeks! Let’s prove that we are rock star test taker!
i-Ready weekly grade for ELA: Get at least 30 minutes and 70% passing rate in 1 reading lessons in order to get full credit.
We have started small groups to help students feel comfortable asking questions and understanding ELA standards and “I can” statements.
We will also take a schoolnet test this May 13th, and 20th.
May 13th- RL 6.2:Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
RL6.3:Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.
Please do well on all the tests. Not only is it a grade but we are in a district wide competition for ELA.
Review of grading procedure for the remainder of Quarter 4: Students have more than enough class time to complete all assignments during class time. I will no longer accept late work for the rest of the quarter. Let’s get these 6th graders ready for the future! Please turn in all assignments on time. YOU GOT THIS!
EOG TESTING TIPS and REMINDERS FOR PARENTS/Students:
Please remind all students to do the following.
Make sure your student is getting 8 hours of sleep the night before the test.
Eat a healthy breakfast. No sugary junk food!
Do some stress relieving exercises before the test and during test breaks.
Make sure your student stands up on the 3 minute breaks(This helps with blood flow/circulation and alertness)
The EOG is not a race, so go back in the passage and find the answer.
Don’t stay on one question too long. Flag the question and move on!
As you read, make a movie in your mind.
Do your best!
NEED HELP? Please contact me at chasitymcintosh@fcschools.net if you have any questions
MR. SMITH - BAND/CHORUS
Good evening! Our spring concert will take place on TUESDAY MAY 17th in the FMS Auditorium at 6:30pm. An official flyer was distributed to students last week. Concert dress at FMS are black dress bottoms and a red or white top. Ties are optional and flat shoes are strongly recommended. I would prefer students NOT stay after school unless they would not be able to make it back for the concert. Students should be seated in their designated area in the auditorium by 6:15. The concert will begin promptly at 6:30 with the chorus, followed by the 6th grade band, and will conclude with the concert band (7th and 8th combined).
Tutoring is available for all students on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 3:30-5:30. Any student who needs additional help on anything is invited and strongly encouraged to come.
Band 6: With our spring concert taking place next week, I am seeing and hearing some excellent progress being made in our rehearsals. We have been powering through our concert music and I believe things are coming together. I am encouraging students to stay after school for tutoring for band to work through difficult parts in the music or just to get extra help. Students are also encouraged to stay focused and work diligently during class and practice at home when possible.
Band 7: We have been working on cleaning specific parts in our concert music. Students have been making the necessary adjustments to take their musicianship to the next level. We will all continue working together to provide feedback on areas of improvement and applying fixes to areas where we are struggling. I am encouraging students to stay after school for tutoring for band to work through difficult parts in the music or just to get extra help.
Band 8: These students are just a week away from performing for the final time, on stage, in concert at FMS. It has truly been a privilege to serve as their band director and to watch them grow over the past three years. Covid-19 may have slowed us down a bit, but these students have been nothing short of resilient. It is my hope that their hard work will be on full display next week as they perform one final time as middle school students.
Over this next week, we will be reflecting on how things started, how they are going, and what we can do to ensure they end on a positive note. Full rehearsals will consist of full out performances of the concert music and allowing students to critique themselves. We will all be working together to provide feedback on areas of improvement and applying fixes to areas where we are struggling. I am encouraging students to stay after school for tutoring for band to work through difficult parts in the music or just to get extra help.
Vocal Music 6-7: Over the next week, we will be working toward full out performances of our concert program.. For this to happen with as much ease as possible, I need for EVERYONE to participate in class and practice outside of class. In our past few rehearsals, I have had students not fully participating. This makes it very difficult for us to have a meaningful rehearsal and to make any type of progress. All materials students may need to practice are available in Google Classroom.
Music Appreciation 8: Yesterday, we concluded our unit on the music and culture of Indonesia. Tomorrow, we will begin our final world music culture, the music and culture of Australia. Students will be assigned classwork, a quiz, and a test over the next few class meetings.
