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FMS PARENT INFORMATION SMORE
May 16, 2023 *FINAL NEWSLETTER OF THE YEAR!
CALENDAR DATES
WEEK OF MAY 15
- Math remediation week
MAY 18
- Last day for free after school tutoring
MAY 20 (SATURDAY)
- SPRING SEMI-FORMAL DANCE (more information below) *parent pick-up by 8pm at the latest please!
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!
- Students will be bringing their final report card home with them - ask for the report card when they come home!
- 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! Refreshments will be available in the cafeteria after the ceremony. Pictures will be taken and shared online later.
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
HOW ARE WE DOING? PLEASE FILL OUT THE TITLE I PARENT SURVEY TODAY!
SUMMER SCHOOL 2023
This is what was shared with students:
DON’T GET RETAINED!
If you are worried about failing the grade, work on the items below:
When you are in class, pay attention and do your work. Your teachers give their opinion on whether you should be retained.
Get your grades up as high as you can. Ending the year with good grades will help a lot!
Plan to do your VERY, VERY best on the EOGs. Test scores go a long way when deciding whether or not to retain a student. Also, if you show growth on your EOG it helps a LOT! Don’t give up while testing and just click answers - do your best through the whole test. Even if your score is low, if your growth is high, that helps you!
Get rid of those zeros! Zeros mean that you didn't bother to do the work - see #1.
ALL STUDENTS 6-8 ARE INVITED TO OUR SPRING FORMAL ON SATURDAY, MAY 20TH!
NO ENTRANCE WITHOUT A TICKET
Does your child need a charger? Check out these links and save money!!
Below are two amazon chargers FCS accepts as replacements for Chromebooks (then you don’t have to pay the $25.00 fee):
Option 1 - $11.99 Prime One Day
Option 2 - $8.99 Can only order one at a time also Prime One Day
YOU CAN STILL PURCHASE THE 2022-2023 YEARBOOK ONLINE
1) Click the link below or the QR code and create your treering account to purchase our yearbook for $18.03 anytime.
CLICK ON THE PIC ABOVE FOR MORE INFORMATION
ATHLETES: YOUR S2 POWERSCHOOL GRADES DETERMINE YOUR ELIGIBILITY IN THE FALL
SCHOOL COUNSELOR CORNER WITH MS. GILBERT
May is National Mental Health Month
According to Mental Health America, we encounter mental health every day. Whether you are dealing with “everyday” stress, a divorce, or a natural disaster, it’s important to learn what’s affecting your health. Taking a screening is one of the easiest ways to determine whether you are experiencing symptoms of a mental health or substance use condition.
Find out if you are at risk for developing mental illness. Take an online mental health screening here.
Mental health conditions, such as depression or anxiety, are real, common, and treatable. And recovery is possible. For more information about our mental health visit the National Alliance of Mental Illness.
For help finding a provider locally Vayahealth.com (used to be Cardinal Innovations) 1-800-849-6127.
“Research shows that people who are more connected with nature are usually happier in life and more likely to report feeling their lives are worthwhile. Nature can generate many positive emotions, such as calmness, joy, and creativity and can facilitate concentration. Nature connectedness is also associated with lower levels of poor mental health, particularly lower depression and anxiety. Spending time in nature is good for us for lots of reasons. “Fresh air and exercise” have long been recommended as a way for many to feel better, physically and mentally.
Connectedness refers to the way we relate to nature and experience nature. A strong connection with nature means feeling a close relationship or an emotional attachment to our natural surroundings. There are ways that we can develop our connectedness with nature. Activities that involve the senses can help to develop our connection with the natural world, as can activities where we feel emotions such as compassion, perceive beauty or find meaning in nature.
For instance, we might notice the beauty of nature by listening intently to birdsong or touching the bark of trees. Smelling flowers or feeling the soil between our fingers whilst planting bulbs in the garden are also highly sensual ways to connect with nature. We don’t always have to be in nature to further our relationship with the natural world: writing a poem about our favorite nature spot or reflecting on preferred walks helps us consciously notice, consider and pause to appreciate the good things in nature.” ~The Mental Health Foundation
We are fortunate to have some beautiful parks with playgrounds, picnic areas, and nature trails in our area, in Franklin County and with short drives to Wake County. The parks are free and offer peaceful retreats from our stressful lives. Help your children unplug and experience what the world around them has to offer. Check out these area parks:
To connect with your kids, to relieve some stress, to connect with all that nature has to offer, GO TO THE WOODS!
With that said, you can see the musical Into the Woods at Franklinton High School May 18th-20th. Tickets are just $5. FHS has quite a few hard working, talented, and brave students performing. Please come out and show them some support!
Updates From Ms. Faulkner in the Media Center
SUMMERTIME IS ALMOST HERE!
Please encourage your student to return any and all library books they may have checked out this year, or in previous years. These books do follow them to high school and they will be required to return them, or pay for them, before they graduate!
Good luck next year 8th graders!
If you have a kindle, and are trying to read books from SORA, but you don’t like the way they look then check out my screencastify video by clicking on the picture!!
Are you looking at books for your student to read over the summer? Check out this list below and have your student compete in the Battle of the Books…or not!! These books are great either way!
Want to learn how to prevent your child from losing ground in reading and math over the summer? Click on the Scholastic link below to find out what Scholastic has to say about “summer slide”!
UPDATES FROM THE ELECTIVES TEAM
ART: MS. CLIFTON
We have been working on Chinese Dragons (8th) ,Kabuki Masks (8th), African Masks (7th), Tropical Birds (6th), Sugar Skull Pinatas (6th), African Animals (7th). We have used paper-mache, we have sculpted with foil and cardboard. We have painted. Some classes that have finished their work for the spring event have moved on to stop motion films and/ or self art projects. It has been a great year and I know they will finish strong.
NEWS FROM THE 6TH GRADE TEAM
ELA: MS. JONES
We have made it so close! It is almost the end of the year and we will be finishing up our class novel, Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis. We are working on poetry, so please remind your students to work on their project! Students will be ending the year on such a fun note. Please come and support them on Thursday at the spring showcase.
SCIENCE: MS. DOWNUM
We are on the final unit of the year! It’s called Earth in the Universe and is all about space. The students are loving this unit and have lots of questions and background knowledge. We are going to finish the year strong.
SOCIAL STUDIES: MS. Cunningham
We are closing in on the end of the school year- let’s finish strong. We are continuing our unit on Greece, moving onto Greek Civilization during the years of 700 B.C. to 212 B.C. We will be focusing on Greek Culture, The Greek Mind, Alexander’s Empire, and Hellenistic Culture.
Enjoy your summer. I hope everyone has something fun planned!
MATH: MR. MITCHELL
Hello families and thank you for reading! I’ve broken up the material into a couple different sections so please see the information below:
Content:
We are finally in Unit 9! This unit 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.
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:
Students need to be 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:
This is the last week of tutoring so please take advantage of it! As tutoring comes to a close, students can begin spending time at home studying using the materials posted in the Google Classroom and old assignments or tests that have been graded and returned.
Behaviors:
The school year is coming to a close and we are pressed for time with curriculum (6th grade math is packed full.) Disruptions will be taken even more seriously as the year gets closer to EOGs. Please encourage your students to come into class focused and ready to learn. The slightest distractions can throw the whole class off and the students that are guilty of distractions will need to be removed. The rest of the class must continue to move forward and it is not fair to keep disruptions around when students are intent on making it through the EOGs.
As always, thank you for all of your support and please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions at brandonmitchell@fcschools.net
Enjoy the summer!
UPDATES FROM THE 7TH GRADE TEAM
MATH: MS. JENKINS
We are approaching the last few weeks of seventh grade and you should be proud of your hard work. Next week, we will complete the last unit of the year with Reasoning and Comparing Populations Samples. The students are learning to use random samplings to make inferences about populations. Students are analyzing measures of center using their understanding of mean, median, mode, and mean absolute deviation of population samples. We will continue focused grade-wide math remediation this week. For the rest of the quarter, our in-class time will be spent reviewing everything we have learned this year for the EOG test..
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 work..
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! We are wrapping up the school year very soon! We are ending our curriculum with human impact on the environment. We are talking about pollution, deforestation, acid rain, endangered species, and much more and how all those things can impact the environment; also how do all those actions impact the health of humans. We are ending this quarter watching “Deep Water Horizon” to show the impacts of unsafe procedures and how pollution impacts the environment. Please ensure your students are keeping up to date with all of their notes and staying on track with I-Ready.
SOCIAL STUDIES: MR. JONES
Hello Parents and Guardians! In Social Studies, we are continuing with the Cold War and focusing on the Space Race as well as the Vietnam War. We are rapidly approaching the end of the year so please stay on your students about getting their work turned in on time so as to not negatively impact their grades. Let's finish strong!
ELA: MS. BAECHLE
Good afternoon students and families. I hope everyone has been enjoying the lovely sunshine we have been having! We’re over half way through Q4 and have roughly three weeks left until the end of the school year. Now is the time to keep the momentum going and to try your best.! The upcoming EOG on June, 1st is your “SuperBowl,” be sure to show up and show off what you know!!
Curriculum:
We have completed our Poetry Unit However, some of our students will be presenting their “Journey” poems this upcoming Thursday May, 18th at our Spring Showcase from 5:00-7:00 pm. Come and enjoy a memorable evening of student work and achievement!
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. The last day of tutoring is this Thursday, May 18th.
Remediation:
Remediation for this week covers challenging standards and concepts from Math. Although, ELA practice will continue for the next two weeks, to ensure our students are prepared for their EOG’s.
I Hope everyone has a relaxing and wonderful Summer!
Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions at: kimberlybaechle@fcschools.net
UPDATES FROM THE 8TH GRADE TEAM
SCIENCE: MS. HEAD
We are almost to the end. I am very proud of the growth each student has shown this year in Science. We are now finished with all the units. I am excited for the students to show what they have learned on the Science EOG, May 26th. Please encourage your student to review the content, vocabulary, and work on IXL (through classlink) and complete at least 15 correct questions this week and next week. Please let me know if any questions come up (my email: nadinehead@fcschools.net). Thank you!
SOCIAL STUDIES: MR. DOWNUM
The end is in sight, almost time for summer. We are going to finish WWI and move into the roaring 20’s slightly. I am not a tested subject so I teach content longer than the other core teachers, because there is nothing to prepare for. I want to take this opportunity to say that it was a pleasure to teach your children this year, luckily this year had more highs than lows. I want all students to do their best on the EOG’s so please have your child do all the things to help. Make sure they have a good breakfast and that they are sleeping well and coming in with a charged Chromebook. It was a pleasure!!
Home Stretch!
Parents, we are on the home stretch and I want your child, most importantly, to show growth and proficiency on the Reading EOG on June 1st. I am so very proud of this class of 2022-2023 Eighth Grade Team.
Pictures speak a thousand words!
Click here to view ELA collaborative work at a glance!
Check grades - there are a lot of overdue assignments!
Grades… There are overdue assignments that significantly impact grade point average. I want to ensure that all students are reaching his or her true potential. Grades impact summer school placement, retention, and high school assignment classes for ELA.
Friendly REMINDER From Ms. Frost:
For the past two weeks, instead of working on the I-Ready Learning Pathway, I have assigned six lessons (three per week /40 to 60 minutes per week) via I-Readyd. These lessons were assigned based on NC Check-In Data. These assignments (grades) will be added to PowerSchool in preparation for the Reading EOG. Please ask your child to email me when he or she has completed all six lessons late by May 18th 8:00 am and I will update in PowerSchool.
In addition, some students have not started nor finished the final assessment for a Mighty Long Way that includes a paper copy of five informational texts with multiple choice questions, vocabulary, and summarizing. (5 summative assessment grades available on paper only so lack of a chrome book is no excuse.) I will allow for extension up to Friday of this week. I appreciate all your support!
Sincerely, Ms. Frost
SCHOOL COUNSELOR INFORMATION
Ms. Gilbert’s Google Site: 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
WHAT PARENTS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ACADEMICS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL
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!
- 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!
- 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.
- 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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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??
- 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.
- 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!
- 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?
- 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!
- 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.
- 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.
SCHOOL COUNSELOR INFORMATION
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
DOWNLOAD THE NEW FCS APP!
- 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!