FMS Parent Newsletter

Monday, February 10, is a Teacher Workday, meaning no school for students.

NC Check-Ins #2 (benchmark tests) will be February 12, 13, & 14. Prepare students for testing by making sure they get a good sleep, feeding them a good breakfast, and making sure they are wearing comfortable clothing. Also important: let them know that you are rooting for them to do their very best, and not to stress out too much!

Our next Early Release day is February 19.

Check out YEARBOOK information below!

All students at FMS take part in clubs every Friday at the end of the day. Some clubs never change, and some clubs are new every quarter! Check out our club flyer for the third quarter and see all the great things that students at FMS are a part of!

Click here to check out the club flyer :)

Need to sign up for FCS FindOutFirst for bus changes, school closings, important messages from the county and our school? Click here to go to the county page.

Need to sign up to pay lunch or Chromebook fees online? Click here to get started.

Traditional school calendar for 2019-2020 CLICK HERE.

FMS school day master schedule - CLICK HERE.

Franklinton Middle School's Knitting Club and Service Club are working together to help animals that have been orphaned, dislocated or injured by the mega-wildfires in Australia.

The students are collecting donations of crafted items, or soft fabrics used to make items, to send to Australia. Donations of cotton, flannel, fleece, wool, or other usable natural fibers and fabrics are the materials needed to sew pouches, pouch liners, nests and bedding for the suffering animals. Synthetic materials, such as polyester, cannot be used. Pre-made pouches, etc. are also welcome donations.

“We're happy to collect sewn pouches, liners, bedding, bat wraps and/or knitted or crocheted pouches or nests,” said Mary Moore, school counselor at FMS. “Links for patterns are available (Google or visit YouTube).” All materials collected during January and February will be sent to the Animal Rescue Collective Craft Guild in Newcastle, Australia. Materials are being accepted during school hours in the main office at FMS. Contact: Mary Moore, school counselor, Franklinton Middle School: marymoore@fcschools.net; or, 919-494-2971.

Click here to create your Family Media Plan!!

Battle of the Books competition - March 10th at Terrell Lane Middle School

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO!

On Friday February 7th, we will be kicking off a fundraiser to help fund our Symphonic Band (7th & 8th grade) Kings Dominion competition trip that will take place on Saturday April 25, 2020. Information regarding the trip will be sent out by this Friday. It is our hope that the fundraiser will help offset the out-of-pocket cost for the trip. We are looking for at least 5 more parent chaperones to join us on this trip. The more, the better. The symphonic is currently preparing music for our district Music Performance Adjudication where they will be judged on their music performance. Additionally, we are preparing a separate set of music for our spring concert which will take place on May 12, 2020.

The 6th grade beginning band has gone back to the basics. We are working on improving our overall music technique to become better musicians. They will have a playing quiz on Wednesday on two of the four exercises we have been working on for the past two weeks. These exercises come from our Measures of Success band method book pg. 19 #3.9 and 3.12 & pg. 21 #3.21 and 3.24. All playing quizzes and tests are recorded uploaded to the student’s band portfolio after they have been graded. If you would like access to the portfolio to hear how your child is doing, please let me know.

Please keep those orders coming! I will be sending in checks to Lifetouch weekly. Remember, if you can’t make a full payment when you order your yearbook, you can make payments! You may also fill out the information online at ybpay.lifetouch.com Our school yearbook ID code is: 13735920 (we also accept cash payments, please see Ms. Hatten with any orders)

MS. SMETANA - SCIENCE

6th graders will have a quiz on matter and atoms 1/30. They filled out their study guide on 1/13. They can also study the slideshow on google classroom called Matter pt 1 (Atoms).

MR. GENTILE - MATH

6th graders will have their Unit 6 Assessment on Wednesday (Jan. 29th). They should also be continuing to create their new vocabulary slides for Unit 6 as well as reaching their 5 lesson goal on Dreambox (weekly).

MS. MCINTOSH - ELA

6th graders will continue reading and analyzing our novel “Bud Not Buddy”. The achieve article on, The Great Depression, will be used as a test grade (Jan. 28th). The article will be completed during Ram Time and analyzed Wednesday morning. Students are encouraged to make a 70% or higher.

MS WOODS - MATH

On 1/27/20 we begin our work on combining like terms and distributive property. We took our first quiz of the nine weeks on Friday, 1/24/20. Students did very well. We will have our first Quest on Friday 1/31/20. Make sure you check out my canvas page for the Daily Pacing Guide as well as Resources to help your child at home. http://bit.ly/KW-canvas

MS. KEITH - SOCIAL STUDIES

We are going to begin working through the Industrial Revolution this week in Social Studies. We will be doing lots of activities with this unit that will all count as grades for the 3rd nine weeks. Also, our next field trip is coming up 2/21/2020 to Galaxy Fun Park. If your child has not turned in a waiver please get that in ASAP. If the waiver got lost, please tell them to come see me and I will get them a new one! If you have any questions please feel free to email me at rebeccakeith@fcschools.net.

MS. BAECHLE - ELA

With quarter two just ending and quarter three beginning, the students just took a final quiz for Lyddie in order to identify similarities and differences within the text and the movie. We are currently working on utilizing current articles from Achieve to review some challenging standards in preparation for the second benchmark which is quickly approaching. Some of the topics covered within these articles are: topic, annotating skills, claim, and a strong focus on analyzing text. In addition to the standard curriculum, I will be incorporating lessons to connect and expand upon their thinking in relation to Black History Month. These additional lessons will allow for students to share their thoughts, celebrate their heritage, learn about others traditions; all while making connections to themes in our third text, “ Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.” Any questions please email me at kimberlybaechle@fcschools.net or view our google classroom pages.

Important Info for 8th grade: Applications for current 8th graders who are interested in attending Franklin County Early College High School next year can apply at this link: https://sites.google.com/fcschools.net/fcechs-application/home

Students and parents complete 3 items: the online student application, student response questions, and the parent application. Ms. Moore will gather the rest and submit them to ECHS when the applications are completed by the student and parent. All applications must be completed and submitted by March 19th.

There is a parent night at Early College on March 12th from 6:00-7:30 and Franklin County campus of Vance Granville Community College in Louisburg.

Early College High School is a collaboration between FCS and VGCC. Students at Early College take high school courses and also work on college credits from VGCC (tuition and books are free) during this 5 year program. At the end of that 5 year period, students graduate with a high school diploma and may also graduate with a two-year Associate's Degree from VGCC which will transfer to a 4-year university. Students can participate in athletics at their base high school while they attend Early College. This is an awesome opportunity for Franklin County 8th grade students. Selection is a lottery process. Please contact Ms. Moore at marymoore@fcschools.net if you have questions.

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Stay well! Cold and Flu season is well underway in North Carolina. If your child is sick with symptoms and fever, please keep them home. If your child is absent, a note or email must be sent to us explaining the absence. With no note or email, the absence is unexcused.

Please encourage the following healthy habits when you or your children are sick:

• Stay home if you have a fever and symptoms of cold or flu

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, after sneezing, blowing your nose, coughing, after toileting, before eating, when you come home from school, work, shopping, etc.

• If soap and water are not available use a hand sanitizer

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth

• Sneeze and cough into a tissue or into your arm/sleeve. Always covering your sneezes and coughs!

• Sanitize surfaces that are touched frequently, like light switches, remotes, door knobs, etc.

• Do not share cups, bottles, straws, toothbrushes, etc.

• Make sure everyone gets enough sleep - sleep deprivation doubles your chances of getting a cold or the flu.

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Cyberbullying: (from stopbullying.gov) Know how your children are using their devices and how they're behaving online. Many of the warning signs that cyberbullying is occurring happen around a child’s use of their device. Some of the warning signs that a child may be involved in cyberbullying are:

• Noticeable increases or decreases in device use, including texting.

• A child exhibits emotional responses (laughter, anger, upset) to what is happening on their device.

• A child hides their screen or device when others are near, and avoids discussions about what they are doing on their device.

• Social media accounts are shut down or new ones appear.

• A child starts to avoid social situations, even those that were enjoyed in the past.

• A child becomes withdrawn or depressed, or loses interest in people and activities.

If you notice warning signs that a child may be involved in cyberbullying, take steps to investigate that child’s digital behavior. Cyberbullying is a form of bullying, and adults should take the same approach to address it: support the child being bullied, address the bullying behavior of a participant, and show children that cyberbullying is taken seriously. Because cyberbullying happens online, responding to it requires different approaches. If you think that a child is involved in cyberbullying, there are several things you can do:

• Notice – Recognize if there has been a change in mood or behavior and explore what the cause might be. Try to determine if these changes happen around a child’s use of their digital devices.

• Talk – Ask questions to learn what is happening, how it started, and who is involved.

• Document – Keep a record of what is happening and where. Take screenshots of harmful posts or content if possible. Most laws and policies note that bullying is a repeated behavior, so records help to document it.

• Report – Most social media platforms and schools have clear policies and reporting processes. If a classmate is cyberbullying, report it to the school. You can also contact app or social media platforms to report offensive content and have it removed. If a child has received physical threats, or if a potential crime or illegal behavior is occurring, report it to the police.

• Support – Peers, mentors, and trusted adults can sometimes intervene publicly to positively influence a situation where negative or hurtful content posts about a child. Public Intervention can include posting positive comments about the person targeted with bullying to try to shift the conversation in a positive direction. It can also help to reach out to the child who is bullying and the target of the bullying to express your concern. If possible, try to determine if more professional support is needed for those involved, such as speaking with a guidance counselor or mental health professional.

Current School Board Approved AIG Plan

Middle School Advanced Class Placement Criteria

Mrs. Hawthorne’s Canvas Page

Email: heidiboardman@fcschools.net
Website: fcschools.net/Page/25
Location: 3 North Main Street, Franklinton, NC, USA
Phone: 919-494-2971
Twitter: @FranklintonMS