FMS SMORE PARENT NEWSLETTER
MONTH OF DECEMBER EDITION 2021
FRANKLINTON IS FESTIVE!
STAFF/STUDENT BASKETBALL GAME - SO MUCH FUN!
ATHLETES: GRADES WILL BE PULLED ON DECEMBER 10 - READ MORE IN THE CONTRACT BELOW!
ADD THESE DATES TO YOUR CALENDAR
DECEMBER 7
- BASKETBALL FMS @ VANCE MS (boys and girls games are always on the same days)
DECEMBER 8
- EARLY RELEASE
DECEMBER 9
- BASKETBALL FMS @ BUNN MS
DECEMBER 10
- GRADES PULLED FOR ATHLETES - athletes not passing 3/4 core classes and 1/2 Elective classes will be put on academic probation (read more below)
DECEMBER 14
- BASKETBALL HOME GAME CEDAR CREEK VS FMS
DECEMBER 16
- BASKETBALL HOME GAME TERRELL LANE VS FMS
DECEMBER 20 - JANUARY 2
- NO SCHOOL - HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!
JANUARY 5
- BASKETBALL HOME GAME VANCE MS VS FMS
JANUARY 10
- BASKETBALL FMS @ NORTHERN GRANVILLE
JANUARY 12
- BASKETBALL FMS @ TERRELL LANE
JANUARY 14
- LAST DAY OF QUARTER
JANUARY 17-18
- NO SCHOOL
JANUARY 20
- BASKETBALL FMS @ CEDAR CREEK
JANUARY 25
- BASKETBALL FMS @ BUTNER STEM
DECEMBER CHARACTER TRAIT
WE NOW HAVE A NEW SCOREBOARD AND NEW RIMS IN OUR GYM! BEAUTIFUL AND FUNCTIONAL :)
OUR RAM PARENT GROUP IS MEETING DECEMBER 1ST AT MASON & MAIN - COME JOIN US! MEETING STARTS AT 4:30PM
WE ARE HIRING SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS!
The new requirements:
- High School diploma or higher
- At least 21 years of age
- Complete an application on TeacherMatch (click here)
- FCS will need to complete a criminal background check
- Completion of the FCS effective substitute training (click here to do the training)
Once you are hired you will be able to work in any school in the district. We hope you choose FMS! Being a substitute teacher is not for the faint-hearted, but it's also not as scary as some people think it is. Call the district office for information on the pay rate.
THE FMS STUDENT ATHLETE CONTRACT
DPI ELIGIBILITY (added so there is no confusion about eligibility vs FMS eligibility)
Eligibility to become a member of an athletic team hinges on the DPI rules for eligibility.
Regardless of the school organization pattern, a student who is promoted from the fifth grade to the sixth grade automatically meets the courses passed requirement for the first semester of the sixth grade.
Regarding academics, DPI states “the student must pass at least one less course than the number of required core courses each semester and meet promotion standards.” This means passing 3 out of 4 core classes with at least a 60%.
DPI also states, “if an athlete is academically eligible or academically ineligible at the beginning of any semester, that status is retained through the full semester.”
That means that fall sports and winter sports eligibility is based on the second semester final grades from the previous year.
That also means that when first semester report cards come out, athletes in winter sports can become ineligible to play during the season.
Spring sports eligibility is based on the first semester final grades.
Note from DPI: an athlete becomes eligible or ineligible on the first day of each new semester.
FMS ELIGIBILITY
FMS strives to maintain high academic standards for athletes, paired with support for athletes to make sure that they are successful in both sports and academics.
Grades will be pulled three weeks before the end of each quarter.
When grades are pulled, if a student is not passing at least 3 out of 4 core classes and at least 1 out of 2 Elective classes, that student will be put on academic probation. *Exception: when first semester final grades are in, students will automatically become ineligible for the remainder of the year if they are not passing 3 out of 4 core classes and eligible if they are passing 3 out of 4 core classes.
Any student on academic probation will have two weeks to get their grades to FMS eligibility standards. If they prove that their grades are going to meet standards for that quarter, they are fine until the next grade pull.
Students are encouraged to ask their teachers to go to the Alternative Learning Center to get help from Ms. Perry to get caught up.
At the end of two weeks, if a student on academic probation has not pulled up grades to meet the standards, the principal will recommend dismissal from the team unless there is a firm plan in place to address academic concerns.
This ensures that our athletes are supported with the goal to be eligible year-round for any sports they are interested in.
ATTENDANCE & PAPERWORK EXPECTATIONS
If the athlete is out of school for the full school day, they may not attend a practice or game scheduled for that day.
Being in quarantine means the athlete can't engage with the team until the full quarantine is completed.
Every athlete should have a physical exam on record clearing them to play.
Every athlete should be up to date on immunizations.
BEHAVIOR EXPECTATIONS
ISS or minor referral Alternative Learning Center (ALC) Time Out:
1st and 2nd referral resulting in serving at least one full day in ALC or ISS: no practice/game any day that the student is serving a full day.
Third referral resulting in serving at least one full day in ALC or ISS: the principal will recommend dismissal from the team.
Major referral with Out of School Suspension (OSS):
Immediate dismissal from the team.
GRADE PULL DATES FOR THE 2021-2022 SCHOOL YEAR:
December 10
February 28
May 9
The May 9th grade pull will be a general pull to remind students interested in participating in athletics next year that they need to focus on finishing the year as eligible to participate in athletics in the fall and winter.
BUY A RAM FAM T-SHIRT IN THE MAIN OFFICE - $10 CASH - WELCOME TO THE FAMILY!
A V-LAB EXPERIENCE
MENDEL'S MONSTERS
CODING IS FUN
SCHOOL COUNSELOR - MS. GILBERT
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)
SuicidePreventionLifeline.org (or call 800-273-8255)
National Alliance of Mental Illness/NC (or call 800-451-9682)
Cardinalinnovations.org (or call 800-939-5911)
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
8th Grade Parents and Guardians!
Coming Soon!
The application process for Early College High School will begin in January. The deadline to apply is usually in late March and it’s an online application process. Students are chosen for the program by lottery. I’ll be posting all the details in my 8th grade google classroom and in the January Smore. ECHS staff and students will present info about the program to our 8th grade some time in January and parents are welcome to attend. Early College High School is a great opportunity for college prep in a high school that is a small setting. It’s a five year commitment but students can graduate with a high school diploma AND a two-year Associate's degree (or at least several college credits) which they can then transfer to a four-year university. The program is free! The ideal candidate is a potential first generation college student (but not a requirement), not necessarily a straight A student, but a mature, motivated, hard working student who is open to honing academic skills in a diverse community college environment.
Some Advice About Anxiety
I talk to many children about anxiety they’re experiencing and remind them that anxiety is a natural response to a stressful situation. The stress could be real or perceived, but experiencing anxiety is NORMAL! If anxiety lasts for weeks or months, it may be an anxiety disorder and interfere with every aspect of life. Consulting with your child’s pediatrician is recommended if anxiety is not a temporary issue.
How can you help your child deal with feelings of anxiety?
Deep breathing exercises to relax
Yoga or stretching to relax
Listening to calming music
Connecting with nature, outdoor play, or virtually with recorded sounds or videos
Brisk walks, run, cycle, dance
Arts and crafts
Talk about it! Help your child share thoughts, feelings, and fears
Declutter, organize, make lists, keep a planner for each week
Help them stick to a daily routine
Help Your Child Practice Good Self Care:
Help them have good sleep habits
Help them eat well-balanced meals (instead of Takis and Mountain Dew for lunch)
Limit caffeine (coffee, tea, sodas - some kids are more sensitive to caffeine)
Exercise daily - take walks together
Help them to aim to do their best, not be perfect
Write in a positivity journal (What’s going right? What good things happened today? etc.)
Help them identify what they can and can not control
Some Helpful Resources:
www.calm.com/ (may still have a free app for students) Helps with anxiety, sleep habits, focus, etc.
my.life/ Mindfulness practice tailored for you to help with what you’re feeling.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEfs5TJZ6Nk An example of a brief mindful breathing exercise. There are many more. Very helpful for moments of anxiety and to practice daily to maintain calm.
youtu.be/Td6zFtZPkJ4: Yoga with Adriene: she has a lot of yoga videos for kids and students, and for beginners.
It is very important to incorporate time for relaxation every day, not just during periods of stress or anxiety.
ABOVE: WE ARE SO THANKFUL FOR YOUR GENEROSITY!
FMS FOOD DRIVE - PLEASE GIVE!
Service Project for FMS!
Help FMS give back to our community by participating in “20 Days of Giving.”
DECEMBER DAYS OF GIVING:
Wednesday, December 1
Can of chicken noodle soup
Thursday, December 2
Jar/can of spaghetti sauce
Friday, December 3
Package of rice
Monday, December 6
Canned chicken or tuna
Tuesday, December 7
Package of oatmeal
Wednesday, December 8
Box of crackers
Thursday, December 9
Boxed potatoes
Friday, December 10
Can of corn
Monday, December 13
Dessert mix
Tuesday, December 14
Can of tomato soup
Wednesday, December 15
Can of green beans
*The homeroom or staff team with the most items will win a party before winter break!!
To get credit for that day you must bring in the item listed for that day. For example, to be counted on 11/17, the item must be canned fruit, not a can of tomatoes.
**Please make sure donations have not expired and are unopened.
HOUR OF CODE
CODING ROBOTS
Creating cells in the STEAM Lab!
ELECTIVES TEAM UPDATES
MR. SMITH - BAND/CHORUS
Our 2021 Winter Concert has been scheduled! We are really excited to take the "stage" this year after being silenced for the past year and a half due to the pandemic. This concert will feature our Concert Band (7th and 8th combined) and our FMS Singers (Vocal music students). Flyers will be going home this week. Please review the syllabus regarding performances (BAND)(CHORUS). The syllabus is located in Canvas and in Google Classroom.
**If you have any questions, please contact me: jimmiesmith@fcschools.net. **
Band 6: 6th grade band students were introduced to Smartmusic, which is a web-based practice tool to help them further develop as young musicians. Assignments will be posted there for them to practice and then record themselves. This tool gives immediate feedback on their performance, showing them any errors in their performance. It will also autograde the assignment. I will always go back and listen to each student's recording and have the final say in what their grade should be. They are allowed to practice and record themselves to get the best possible score before the assignments final due date. Their first assignment was posted yesterday and many of them worked diligently during class practicing and submitting their first recording. This assignment will be due next Tuesday December 7. As mentioned above, our Winter Concert will be Wednesday December 15 at 6 pm. Unfortunately, the 6th grade band will not be participating in this performance as we are not quite ready to show-off. I am encouraging students to attend the concert to get a feel of what the next semester will have in store for them. To that end, I am offering extra credit to any student who attends the concert. To be awarded extra credit, students must stay for the entirety of the concert and see me directly after the concert has concluded.
Band 7: We are in the final stretch of our rehearsal cycle for our winter concert. This group has been working diligently and showing progress in each rehearsal. From here forward, we have picked up the pace in our rehearsals and are now able to cover and clean more parts of our music. I am still encouraging students to hold themselves responsible for preparing at home either by practicing the music on their instrument, or just reviewing notes and rhythms. There will be a few classwork and quiz grades taken throughout this rehearsal cycle to ensure that students are staying on top of their music. In fact, I will be taking a grade on one of our selections during tomorrow's class.
Band 8: We are in the final stretch of our rehearsal cycle for our winter concert. This group has been working diligently and showing progress in each rehearsal. From here forward, we have picked up the pace in our rehearsals and are now able to cover and clean more parts of our music. I am still encouraging students to hold themselves responsible for preparing at home either by practicing the music on their instrument, or just reviewing notes and rhythms. There will be a few classwork and quiz grades taken throughout this rehearsal cycle to ensure that students are staying on top of their music. In fact, I will be taking a grade on one of our selections during tomorrow's class.
Vocal Music 6-8: I am very proud of the work that these students are putting into preparing for our winter concert. We have been working in class to make sure everyone knows their individual part and how it interacts with their counterparts. Recordings for these parts have been posted in Google Classroom and students are encouraged to listen to and sing along with their assigned part.
MS. HATTEN - DRAMA
8th Grade: We are working our way through a World Drama unit, complete with a 3 to 5 page research paper (no copy and paste here!) and stories from various time frames and places. We will complete this unit with a shadow puppet presentation in class this week. The end of the semester will be filled with Shakespeare! I’m excited to introduce this to my classes. We will talk about hip-hop and Shakespeare and what they have in common, characters from a few shows, and hopefully a project to finish out the semester. Great job 8th grade!
7th Grade: Newsies! is a musical based on the story of the Newsboys Strike of 1899. We are studying what it means to be a child in NYC and working to make any kind of living selling papers and what those boys did to make things better (for everyone). Students are learning a little bit about New York City, journalism, strikes/protests, child labor, and of course, MUSICALS! I hope to finish this unit with a viewing of either the movie or the stage production.
6th Grade: We are having such a great time working on Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief! The Musical! This week students are completing a diorama of a setting in the Percy Jackson story they are reading in ELA this semester (no peeking kiddos, we are sticking to what you have already covered for this one!) I will be posting their second slide show of their original Greek Monsters soon…. Keep watching! The dioramas are looking great! You guys have such great imaginations! Keep it up!
6TH GRADE TEAM UPDATES
MS. DOWNUM - SCIENCE
I hope your family had a wonderful break and enjoyed some good food and time spent with loved ones.
Students finished their test for the Waves (Forces in Motion) unit. We started our new unit which is Energy. This is a progression of what we have already learned. It builds on the last unit and includes topics such as types of energy and heat transfer. The tentative test date for this unit test is December the 14th.
As one last reminder the cow eye dissection is coming up on December the 1st. If your student doesn’t have all work caught up or has been unsafe during other labs they will be given an alternative assignment to complete.
MR. MITCHELL - MATH
Thanksgiving may be over but we prevail! Unit 3 is finally coming to a close with a Schoolnet test this Wednesday. Unit 4 is all about dividing fractions and we are planning to make it through that Unit by the close of the semester. Students have been hard at work taking in-depth notes on various mathematical concepts this year so please do not be surprised if they come to you in need of another notebook. They have been hard at work.
Also, please keep in mind that finishing up iReady minutes/lessons provides your student with the opportunity to gain some extra credit. With us approaching the end of the semester, some would really benefit from this opportunity.
As always, please reach out if you have any questions at brandonmitchell@fcschools.net
Have a Merry Christmas!
MS. MCINTOSH - ELA
I hope everyone had an awesome Thanksgiving break! We are going to rock out these last 3 weeks.
We will continue reading “Percy Jackson, The lightning Thief”. Chapters 20-22. Please continue to look on google classroom for your assignments for each chapter.
We will also take a schoolnet test this Friday.
Please continue to work on i-Ready weekly at home and at school. It really helps our students fill in the gaps of lessons they might have missed or misunderstood during these past two years. HELP US, HELP THEM GROW!
Get at last 45 minutes and 70% passing rate in both math and reading lessons.
We will be finishing up Data Talks for the next few weeks!
We will start small groups to help students feel comfortable asking questions and understanding ELA standards and “I can” statements.
NEED HELP? Every Thursday: Office Hours 3:30-4:00 with 6th grade teachers
(google meet code is 6thgradeteachersfms)
Please contact me at chasitymcintosh@fcschools.net if you have any questions.MS. BROOKS - SOCIAL STUDIES
In social studies, we are wrapping up the unit on ancient India. To conclude this week, we will finish working on the ancient India project and have the unit test. In the next weeks, we will begin the unit on ancient China. We will begin with vocabulary introduction and geography of ancient China. If you have any questions, please contact me at jericabrooks@fcschools.net.7TH GRADE TEAM UPDATES
MS. BAECHLE - ELA:
Happy Holidays students and families!! If you can believe it, we only have three weeks until Christmas break! The next three weeks we will be focusing on individual data meetings for both Check in #1 and the first Reading Diagnostic. Students will be setting a goal for each moving forward. With Check-in #2 right around the corner in January we will be focusing on specific skills sets including: annotation skills/close reading focus, context clues, citing textual evidence, identifying central ideas, open-ended questions, process of elimination, and both context/academic vocabulary. Helpful annotation notes linked below:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LFp0mgJihqtR8mVoHD2PPR_8g1_gl-59bKR_2jeViHM/edit?usp=sharing
This form of review will be done through both guided practice and SchoolNet assessments to close any gaps in comprehension and achieve mastery with challenging standards. There will be a primary focus on vocabulary and a deep dive into literary standards as well as citing textual evidence and identifying the central idea based on the NC standards we need to hone in on.
In addition, students will be working on their Q2 project dealing with a current “Social Issue” in the form of a complaint letter. This project will be due by Friday, January 7th** The project link is included: https://docs.google.com/document/d/150pw5o79nhWvVfjToHCHS1fMmcDSbV-Uo-SRoglpUJY/edit?usp=sharing
Note: this mini-project will help support your Q3 “Social Issues” research paper and Google slides presentation.
Lastly, right before break we will be watching a PG version of the text Lyddie in order to make significant comparisons between the text and the film. We will also be introducing our next Unit of “Frederick Douglass.”
Please make sure students are completing I-Ready for both ELA and Math for 45 minutes weekly. Please ensure students are checking Powerschool regularly to see if they owe any assignments.
Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions at kimberlybaechle@fcschools.net
MR. LEMONS - SOCIAL STUDIES
Over the next two weeks, we will be going over a few cultures indigenous to the Americas in depth. We will spend two days on each culture: Mayan, Inca, Aztec, Cherokee. I chose these cultures because they are some of the larger cultures in the Americas. At the end of this Unit, we will be taking a Unit Test. Students need to keep up with their notes because it is an open note test. One of the issues with the last test students took was that they lost their notes.
MS. NEUJAHR - SCIENCE
These next two weeks, we will be learning how parents pass on traits to their kids and how we can replicate certain cells to grow big and strong. They will learn the stages of Mitosis and Meiosis and how the environment can impact traits and how we acquire through the outside world.
Classroom expectations are as followed:
Always write notes down orderly in a notebook in the event that we have open tests and quizzes.
Making sure we are staying seated and focused without distracting other students.
Bringing appropriate items for school such as pencils, notebooks, and paper. This also includes a chromebook and a charger if it's not charged.
Catching up on missed work when out of school for being sick is a must.
MS. JENKINS - MATH
Happy December! I hope that you all enjoyed Fall break and are ready to end 2021 in stride. This month in math we will develop an understanding of integers and rational numbers. Students will apply and extend previous understandings of the four basic operations to add, subtract, multiply and divide rational numbers. We will use the properties of operations to solve problems. These processes will be used to describe real-world contexts using sums, differences, products and quotients.
We will focus on math vocabulary in Unit 2, so be prepared to take good notes.
Remember to:
Come to class prepared with pencils, notebooks, Chromebooks and chargers.
Complete your I-READY assignments
Keep up the good work!
We will continue to relate our math topics to real work experiences, so ask your students what they have learned.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns at litishajenkins@fcschools.net
8TH GRADE TEAM UPDATES
MR. DOWNUM - SOCIAL STUDIES
I hope that everyone had a great break full of relaxation and quality family time. We will have a busy three weeks until the winter break. We have started the unit on The constitution and the Government and we will be working really hard to finish this unit before the students have to go out on break. This will be the only communication to the families of the students in December, so let me just say that I hope you all have a great holiday break. Happy Holidays to all and I will talk to you all next year.
MS. HEAD - SCIENCE
We are continuing our work in hydrology with a focus on the ocean, estuaries, and overall water quality. We will have a vocabulary quiz on Dec 1st. We will then begin our study of Earth history. I hope everyone enjoys the next few weeks and the long break!
MR. HURD - MATH
I know everyone is excited about the upcoming break, however, we still need to cover a lot before we are ready for the break. We have just started a new unit where we will focus on functions, slope and intercepts. This may sound easy being the only thing covered up until the break, but I can assure you this will be a difficult topic to cover. This is the only SMORE for the month of December, if you ever have any concerns feel free to email me at andrewhurd@fcschools.net
I hope we have a wonderful month and we all have a HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON!
MS. FROST - ELA
I hope everyone had a much needed wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. And, we have a lot of work to do prior to the next holiday break. We are finishing the novel, Unbroken with an emphasis on making claims, evidence, and reasoning. Students will learn how to write an objective summary using informational texts.
We will continue to work on close reading annotation skills using informational texts. For detailed information on the importance of practicing annotation skills, read “Beyond the Yellow Highlighter; Teaching Annotation Skills to Improve Comprehension”.
AIG - MRS. HAWTHORNE
Parents of Advanced Learners
I can’t say enough good things about what iReady can do for our gifted students. This program is adaptive. It meets all students where they are academically, even if where they are is above grade level! This gives students a chance to grow and be challenged on a very personalized level. Isn’t that what we are going for in the advanced classes? Please encourage your child to complete their required number of minutes in iReady with an emphasis on completed lessons. Watch this video of a gifted student who was strengthened by iReady. There is no maximum time to be spent on iReady, students can work in their pathways over breaks and even in the summer. Learning at an appropriate and challenging level can happen anytime in math or reading! #FCSempowersAIG
MS. FAULKNER - MEDIA CENTER / STEAM LAB
At this time the plan is to have a face to face competition for Battle of the Books.
The only thing I need is a team!!
Please encourage your students to participate!!
**We now have copies of all the titles.
Your students have been very busy this past month creating monsters using their knowledge of genetics in the Science 2 Students Virtual Lab, “breaking” out of a digital breakout, making replicas of plant and animal cells, learning about programming and coding using Wonder Workshop Cue robots, learning the ins and outs of SORA while doing a scavenger hunt and competing against staff in a volleyball tournament after school!!
WE NEED A PARENT ON OUR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT TEAM
Meets every 2nd Tuesday of the month from 3:30-5:00pm
Need at least one parent on the team - more than that are welcome!
Works on implementing the school improvement plan
Deals with big picture FMS initiatives and changes (years long)
Interested? Email heidiboardman@fcschools.net
FMS PARENT GROUP - LOOKING FOR NEW MEMBERS!
If you are interested in being a part of a new parent group, please click on the button in the beginning of the newsletter and sign up to be a facilitator, a member who attends meetings, or a helper who helps out once in a while. No matter what, we are glad to have you!
R - Respectful
A - Accountable
M - Motivated
S - Safe
C - Character
H - Honor
O - Opportunity
I - Inclusivity
C - Compassion
E - Excellence
FMS MISSION:
FMS is a vibrant and caring school that empowers students to become lifelong learners and responsible citizens who are college and career ready.
FMS VALUES:
- All children, regardless of race, ethnicity, socio-economic circumstances, or cognitive level, can grow and achieve.
- Strong collaborative teams with a shared vision can reduce achievement gaps and raise growth levels for all students.
- Forging strong relationships between the school, the parents, and the community is crucial in achieving a well-rounded education that addresses each student’s needs.
- A learning environment based on trust, integrity, and commitment is vital for student success.
- Discipline, safety, and accountability are important parts of a school culture that reflects intellectual, emotional, and social growth.