Dear Faiss Community,

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! We will be celebrating with various activities and lessons throughout the month of September 15-October 15.

Please see below for information about what's happening this week at Faiss.

Questions, comments, compliments...please feel free to reply to this email or contact the school at 702-799-6850.

Important Dates Coming Up...

SEPT. 18-22: Faiss MS SOT PARENT ELECTION- Look for a separate email

OCT. 9: NO SCHOOL for Staff Professional Development Day #2

OCT. 20: OctoberFaiss School Carnival

OCT. 27: NO SCHOOL for Nevada Day (Observed)

OCT. 31: Halloween- Costumes allowed (must be in CCSD dress code)

NOV. 10: NO SCHOOL for Veterans Day

NOV. 22: NO SCHOOL for Contingency Day

NOV. 23: NO SCHOOL for Thanksgiving Day

NOV. 24: NO SCHOOL for Family Day

WINTER BREAK: DEC. 18 till JAN. 1 (NO SCHOOL) Students Return on TUESDAY, JAN. 2

HEALTH AND SAFETY TOOLS (Public Service Announcement)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1clLUwk9s4SyNYpmWdya4U7ICYX-IM_VeU3C6WE2b96M/edit

Dream...Believe...Soar to Achieve!

Roger West, Principal

Melissa Giannantonio, Assistant Principal (Curriculum/Testing/Attendance)

Amanda Skrogstad, Assistant Principal (6th grade/School Safety/Activities)

Joe Vespo, Assistant Principal (7th Grade/Athletics/Facilities)

Shirley Cunningham, Assistant Principal (8th Grade/Special Education/Transportation)

Please see this link for our schedule. Please know this is a live document and may change.

Faiss MS Tutoring Schedule

Here is a link for the different clubs/activities being offered at this time. Please continue to check this link as we will add clubs throughout the school year. A late activity bus will be available Monday through Thursday with a departure of 3:50.

Faiss MS 23-24 Clubs/Activities List

Questions, please contact Ms. Skrogstad at skroga@nv.ccsd.net or 702-799-6850 Ext. 4500

Our flag football teams are underway! Please see the schedule below. Home games begin at 4pm.

Parent and Students...social media is an incredible force in our society today. It can and is used for so much good, but can also be incredibly dangerous and abused, especially by young people that are not aware of how addictive and controlling it can become mentally and physically. We urge families to monitor their children's use of social media/texting/messaging. See what and who your kids are talking to and what they are talking about. Below is some infomation and resources we wanted to share. If you see something inappopriate on social media, you can report it and get it removed.

* From CCSD in Las Vegas LINK (May 20, 2023) Link

The internet, both the greatest invention and biggest threat for society today. One population that is mentally affected more than any other are our children. That’s why Thursday, CCSD and the Clark County School Board of Trustees voted to approve lawsuits with social media giants TikTok and Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta in its crosshairs.

At the board meeting Thursday, they gave the greenlight for law firms to go after the social media giants.

Why is CCSD clearing the way for these lawsuits?

This is not a decision that CCSD came to on their own. Nationwide, multiple school districts, cities and states have taken aim against the industry. Between unrelenting bullying that happens on the platforms, algorithms that (inadvertently, perhaps) put some of the worst content into the minds of our kids and more. In “the day,” bullying would stop when your kid walked into their home. Now? Not quite. Terrible body images advertised at the check out counter would stay at the grocery store. Now they follow your kid and bombard them with swipe after swipe, falling deeper into the algorithm that makes the services more addictive than nicotine.

The CDC points to data that shows from 2011-2021, the average female in particular has seen a rise in considering attempting suicide. In 2011, that number was a mere 19 percent. By 2021 that had risen dramatically to 30 percent. Obviously COVID and shut downs didn’t help, but the numbers in 2019 were a fairly large jump. Suicidal thoughts for boys stayed flat from 2011-2019, with a slight uptick by 2021. Thoughts of hopelessness also rose dramatically between both boys and girls during the same eight year time frame.

Mental health issues that arise from social media use result in kids acting out in school, which makes it near impossible for educators to educate effectively.

What happens now?

Now law firms will be free to seek lawsuits against the social media powerhouses, like dozens of districts before them, to see not only a monetary award but potentially significant and meaningful change to the service as a whole. It is worth noting CCSD has dealt with social media issues as recently as last week that had the district and CCSDPD scrambling.

Chromebooks at Faiss Middle School

• Reminder students must bring Chromebooks, Chargers, and Case everyday to school.

• If a student looses their Chromebook please notify the office immediately and/or complete the lost device form so the Chromebook can be locked.

• Student activity is monitored using Go Guardian.

• Failure to bring their Chromebooks to school everyday will result in progressive discipline.

For the 2023-2024 school year, breakfast and lunch are available at no cost to all students.

The Clark County School District participates in the Community Eligibility Provision of the federal Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act districtwide and will provide free school meals to all students during the 2023-2024 school year.

Faiss MS Menu Options

Other options for lunch:

• Students can bring lunch from home
• Student store has snacks/drinks for sale, cost is between $1-$2 per item. There are also vending machines that sell snacks/drinks that take cash/card/mobile pay.
• Mondays we see Chick-Fil-A sandwich for $5, Wednesdays we sell Panda Express Bowls for $7, and Fridays Canes 2 finger combo for $7.
• We accept cash and card at the student store. Cards require a minimum $5 purchase.

On Tuesday 8/8/23, our grade level administrators and teachers spent time reviewing our student handbook with students. Here are just a few important reminders for students after being away on summer break, especially concerning cell phones/earbuds/headphones and dress code. The CCSD Code Of Conduct is availabe for review by all CCSD members at this LINK.

Cell Phones/Headphones

CCSD policy requires that students be allowed to use cell phones before school, during lunch, and after school. This year at Faiss, we are going to stick to just those times. Though phones can serve as a powerful tool for providing quick access to information, they have also equally proven to be a major distraction. The focus of their time at school will be instruction and learning the important content and conversational skills necessary to be successful in our ever-changing economy and world.

• If a student is caught using their phone or listening to music between classes, their phone/headphones will be confiscated by a Faiss staff member.

• The student will be allowed to pick up their item after school. After the third offense, a parent/designated adult will have to pick up the item.

• We understand that schedules, pickup, and family emergencies happen. Though we do not deliver personal messages to students, if an emergency occurs, we are happy to call a student down to the office to contact their parent.

• We also know that many students do not have a cell phone, please remember that you can also email your child on their CCSD account if you have a reminder to share with them.