French Middle School
January Newsletter 2022
Upcoming Events
- January 1--Happy New Year
- January 1-4--No School
- January 4-- District PD
- January 5-- Quarter 3 Begins/ Boys BB Practice Starts
- January 13-- PTO Meeting @ 5:45pm in the Media Center
- January 17-- Martin Luther King Jr. Day: No School
- January 18-20--Student Chromebook Checks: 6th grade Jan. 18/ 7th grade Jan. 19/ 8th grade Jan. 20
- January 19-- High School Parent Information Nights at all three high schools, times TBD
- February 8-- HS Enrollment
Happy New Year to all Falcons! We are excited to start another Frenchtastic semester at French Middle School. We want to remind all Falcons and patrons that masks must be worn at all times while in the building. We continue to use the mitigation strategies regarding covid in order to keep all Falcons healthy…
Masks worn at all times
One way traffic in hallways
Staggered passing times to limit hallway congestion
Frequent hand sanitizing in classrooms
3 feet social distancing
Limited spectators at events
Classroom cleaning routines that include UV light during evening cleaning
Air purifying systems have been installed in the building
Water fountains closed and replaced with water bottle filling stations
We appreciate everyone’s cooperation and support in following our covid protocols.
Second semester brings our state assessment time of the year. Our students take state assessments in grades 6-8 in Reading and Math. Eighth graders will also take a Science state assessment. Our 7th graders have already completed a Social Studies assessment prior to break. Assessments begin after spring break in March through April. Please check our online school calendar for dates!
First semester grades will be posted in TylerSis by the end of the day on Wednesday, January 5th. We will be scheduling February Parent/Teacher Conferences before the end of January. Again Happy New Year and welcome back! —Mrs. Hoffman
Attendance Reminders
Attendance continues to be an important part of your child's education. Good attendance is a life skill that students will use now and in the future. Please help us by making sure your child attends all classes each school day. Data shows that students with good attendance also have good grades. If your student does miss a class they are able to make up the work that they missed. Students who are absent due to covid/quarantine related issues will be able to receive instructional support remotely through zoom. Please contact Mrs. Hoffman for more information. Students can become truant if they miss class and do not make up the work. If you have attendance issues or concerns you may contact our counselors Mrs. Barnett or Ms. Ryan for help.
High School Enrollment
Eighth graders will be getting ready for high school enrollment in January. Mrs. Barnett and Ms. Ryan will be talking to all 8th graders to start the high school enrollment process. Students will learn about HS classes offered, what credits are, and how many credits they need to graduate. Students will select classes they want to take in high school and complete a 4 year individual plan of study (IPS) through Naviance. In February, students will pre-enroll with the high school they are scheduled to attend based on their address. Parents will be able to see what classes their students chose at conferences and approve schedules with Mrs. Barnett and Ms. Ryan at that time. During the enrollment process students will explore the program of studies, which is full of important information about high school. You can review the program of studies on the Topeka Public Schools website. It is important for students to keep track of classes they take in high school, so they will be on schedule to graduate. We encourage students to update their 4 year plan, and to keep the high school program of studies bookmarked for easy access. This will allow students to keep track of classes they take and need to take. If you have any questions regarding the high school enrollment process, please contact Mrs. Barnett (students last name A-L)at 438-5821 or Ms. Ryan (students last name M-Z) 438-5879.
High School Parent Information Nights will be held on January 19, 2022 at all three high schools, @ 6:30pm.
Donated Winter Coats
Thanks to the Washburn University Athletic Department and the 20/30 Club, we received a generous donation of student winter coats. We appreciate your continued support in helping our French Falcons stay warm during the cold, wintery months. We have a limited number still available. If your student is in need of a winter coat please contact our counselor Mrs. Barnett to schedule a time to pick it up.
PTO
Our next scheduled PTO meeting will be January 13, 2022 at 5:45pm in the FMS Media Center. All French families are welcome to attend! Your student can earn Falcon Bucks for your attendance!
French Middle School is looking forward to putting on Rainbow Fish the musical next quarter. Rainbow Fish is very proud of their scales and loves showing them off. When Little Fish asks them to share, Rainbow Fish gets upset and eventually turns to the octopus for help. This heartwarming story on friendship will be on March 9 & 10 at 7pm. The cast is:
Cast list
Rainbow Fish - Joey Westphal
Silver Scale One - Lily Bowen
Silver Scale Two - Kashyia Young
Starfish - Briaunah Moore
Barnacle - Leo Dunworth
Octopus - Sanaa Hibler
Announcers - Prince Lassiter and Rondell Harris
LIttle Fish - Ithan Davis
Sardine - Athan Smith
Hermit Crab - Jayana Washington
Guppy - Kimora Walker
Shrimp - Ace Bowers
Snail - William Hitch
Minnow - Disaya Lynch
Pufferfish - Jordan Felsburg
Clownfish - Natalia Venegas
Angelfish - D’Mya Tyree
Nautilus - Lawrence Barlow
Humuhumunukunukuapua’a - Evie Deschner
Lobster One - Josiah Perkins
Tentacles - Briaunah Moore, Ace Bowers, Natalia Venegas, Evie Deschner, Jordan Felsburg, D’Mya Tyree
Chromebook Tips
Our Chromebooks need a little bit of upkeep in order to get through a technology driven school day. Here are a few things you can do to improve your Chromebook’s performance.
Make these three steps part of a weekly routine:
Update Go to settings, then About Chrome OS, if your Chromebook has an update available, you’ll need to restart it.
Restart One way to restart is to press the power button until the device shuts down completely. Wait about ten seconds, and then turn it back on.
Clear History, Cashe, & Cookies
How to Clear the Cache and Cookies on a Chromebook
On your Chromebook, open Chrome.
At the top-right, click the three dots..
Click More tools > Clear browsing data.
At the top, select All time.
Next to ‘Browsing history,’ 'Cookies and other site data' and 'Cached images and files', tick the boxes.
Click Clear data.
Close un-needed tabs Zoom meetings can demand significant memory and processing power from your computer. Closing other applications, ones you do not need during the session, will help Zoom run better. Don’t begin a process, like a download, before or during a class. Don't forget to charge each night!
Boys Basketball starts Wednesday, January 5th when we return from break. Practice will be 3:00-5:00 pm after school. Once teams are chosen, Varsity and JV will continue after school and the B team will practice 6:15-7:30 in the morning. Boy’s games are held Mondays and Thursdays, starting at 3:10 and are usually over by 5:30, games are posted on the school website calendar. Admission is $2. All patrons must wear a mask at all events. Student athletes must have sports physical completed before the first practice. Students MUST pass 5 classes in the 2nd quarter in order to play basketball in the 3rd quarter. At this time, masks must be worn during practice and games. Fully vaccinated players will have the option not to mask for games.
Sportsmanship
We would like to remind spectators that French Middle School is a member school of the Kansas State High School Athletic Association (KSHSAA) and is governed by their rules. One of those rules which, we completely support is Rule 52 which states:
ALL ACTIONS are to be FOR, NOT AGAINST; POSITIVE, NOT NEGATIVE or DISRESPECTFUL
Section 1: General Regulations (apply to grades 7-12)
Art. 1: SPORTSMANSHIP is a general way of thinking and behaving. The following sportsmanship policy items are listed below for clarification:
a. Be courteous to all. (Participants, coaches, officials, staff and fans)
b. Know the rules, abide by and respect the official’s decisions.
c. Win with character and lose with dignity.
d. Display appreciation for good performance regardless of the team.
e. Exercise self-control and reflect positively upon yourself, team and school.
f. Permit only positive sportsmanlike behavior to reflect on your school or its activities.
We hope that you can attend the games this year to cheer on the Falcons!
Bullying Policy
French Middle School will not tolerate bullying of any kind. Bullying is defined as any ongoing verbal or physical mistreatment where there is an imbalance of power, and the target/victim is exposed repeatedly to negative actions by one or more students. Bullying can be direct (physical or verbal), or indirect (exclusion, cyber-bullying, emotional). In order for everyone to feel safe and secure at school, every Topeka Public School has adopted the following rules against bullying. “I will not bully others. I will try to help students who are bullied. I will do my best to include students who are easily left out. When I know somebody is being bullied, I will tell an adult at school and an adult at home.” Students, staff, and parents should report any bullying that they are aware of to administration through the on-line bully report link on the French website. Students who bully others will receive consequences. Our counselors will be visiting 6th, 7th and 8th grade classes in August and September to remind students what bullying is, what we can do to prevent bullying, and what students should do if they or someone else is being bullied.
NOTICE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION
The Topeka Public Schools, Unified School District No. 501 is committed to affirmative action and equal opportunity. No person shall, on the basis of age, race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, disability, national origin or ancestry be denied lawful access to any appropriate educational service, program or activity provided by the school district. The Title VI and Title IX compliance coordinator is the Assistant Superintendent for Teaching/Learning/Administration. The Section 504/Title II compliance coordinator is the Coordinator of College and Career Ready Services. For employment, the EEO/AA officer is the General Director of Human Resources. All compliance coordinators may be contacted at 624 SW 24th Street, Topeka, KS 66611-1294, (785) 295-3000. The clerk of the Board of Education has been designated to receive and redirect or handle inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies, regulations and procedures. The clerk may be contacted by calling (785) 295-3045 or by writing to 624 SW 24th Street, Topeka, KS 66611-1294.