NEW ELECTIVES, NC CHECK-INS & MORE
January 18-29 Parent Smore Edition
Katie M, Grade 7, Art Project - Great job Katie!
UPDATE YOUR CALENDAR
MONDAY JANUARY 18 - NO SCHOOL TODAY
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day
TUESDAY JANUARY 19
- ALL STUDENTS ARE REMOTE/ASYNCHRONOUS TODAY: NO GOOGLE MEETS - MAKE SURE STUDENTS CHECK EACH TEACHER'S CLASSROOM AND DO THE ATTENDANCE FORMS
- LAST DAY FOR SEMESTER ONE ELECTIVES
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 20
- GRADE 6-8 I-READY ELA TEST TODAY
- GROUP A STUDENTS ARE IN THE BUILDING TODAY (ONLY DAY THIS WEEK)
- 6TH & 7TH Grade students go to their Core 1 Google Meet at 9am to take attendance and get testing instructions.
- 8TH grade students go to Electives, then report to their Core 1 Google Meet to take attendance and get testing instructions.
- VIRTUAL STUDENTS: Once students have completed the test they can check their core classes for expectations for the day. All students will go to Electives.
- IN-BUILDING STUDENTS: Follow core teachers' directions for what to do. All students will go to Electives.
- **SEMESTER TWO ELECTIVES START TODAY - CHECK POWERSCHOOL TO SEE WHAT YOUR NEW ELECTIVES ARE!
THURSDAY JANUARY 21
- GRADE 6-8 I-READY MATH TEST TODAY
- GROUP B STUDENTS ARE IN THE BUILDING TODAY (ONLY DAY THIS WEEK)
- 6TH & 7TH Grade students go to their Core 1 Google Meet at 9am to take attendance and get testing instructions.
- 8TH grade students go to Electives, then report to their Core 1 Google Meet to take attendance and get testing instructions.
- VIRTUAL STUDENTS: Once students have completed the test they can check their core classes for expectations for the day. All students will go to Electives.
- IN-BUILDING STUDENTS: Follow core teachers' directions for what to do. All students will go to Electives.
FRIDAY JANUARY 22
- NO STUDENTS IN THE BUILDING TODAY
- TODAY IS ASYNCHRONOUS - THERE ARE NO GOOGLE MEETS
- Grades 6-8 check each class, fill out the attendance form, and follow instructions from each teacher on assignments for the day
KEEP TRACK OF THESE UPCOMING NC CHECK-INS DATES
- GRADE 8 SCIENCE CHECK-INS
TUESDAY FEBRUARY 2
- GRADE 6-8 MATH CHECK-INS
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 4
- GRADE 6-8 ELA CHECK-INS
*Another testing plan will come out for NC Check-ins, and it will look a lot like what students are doing for the i-Ready tests this week.
WHY TWO DIFFERENT TESTS? I-Ready diagnostic testing shows us where gaps are in your child's learning. NC Check-Ins shows us how well your child learned the standards they were taught over the last quarter. Both tests give us important data, and both tests help us to make the decision to promote your student to the next grade level.
REMINDER FROM LISA MORRIS, OUR DISTRICT NURSE
If ANYONE in the home has symptoms of illness, please keep all children at home. People that are symptomatic should seek testing and all household members should remain at home until negative test results are received.
Please report all exposures to people diagnosed with COVID-19, positive test results within the home, and students/household members with symptoms to the nurse assigned to your child's school.
MS. HAWTHORNE - AIG
How does the iReady Diagnostic relate to the advanced student?
Would you be interested in your child obtaining a college scholarship before leaving middle school?
Need to contact me?
Valerie Hawthorne, AIG Facilitator
valeriehawthorne@fcschools.netMS. MOORE - SCHOOL COUNSELOR
8th Grade Students and Parents!
Important! Here is the link for the application for Early College High School: http://bit.ly/fcechs-app Please email or call me with any questions! There is a student application and parent application and a video requirement with instructions to follow carefully. I will be gathering the required recommendations and reports to submit to Early College for students who have applied. The deadline for application packets to be completed is March 25th.
Important: There is a virtual parent night on March 18th.
Please plan to attend if your child is applying to Early College.
Make sure your child has joined my google classroom so they don’t miss important info during spring semester about applying to Early College as well as high school registration at FHS!
INFORMATION FOR ALL 6TH-8TH GRADE STUDENTS AND PARENTS - LOOK FOR THE LINK!
All North Carolina Public and Charter Middle and High Schools are participating in the Sandy Hook Promise Say Something Anonymous Reporting System. This is a nationwide initiative to help schools respond to and intervene with at-risk individuals before they hurt themselves or others. Students will be able to submit secure and anonymous concerns of observed threats, behaviors, and actions, such as abuse, bullying, depression, fighting, gun violence, harassment, threats of violence, threats of self harm or suicide, etc.
To explain how this system will work, Sandy Hook Promise has developed a video to train students on how to use the reporting system. Very soon, ALL 6th -8th grade students at FMS will receive a link where they will view the video. The link and instructions will be provided to students to ensure all of our students complete the training.
In Honor of #MLKDay 1/18 and No Name Calling Week 1/18-1/22:
"As different as we are from one another, as unique as each one of us is, we are much more the same than we are different. That may be the most essential message of all, as we help our children grow toward being caring, compassionate, and charitable adults." ~ Mr. Rogers
12 Ideas to Help Your Child Be An Upstander at Home and Beyond!
PARENTS DON'T FORGET TO EMAIL YOUR CHILD'S NEW ELECTIVES TEACHERS AND REQUEST FOR THEM TO ADD YOU TO THEIR GOOGLE CLASSROOM TO REALLY KNOW WHAT YOUR CHILD NEEDS TO DO TO BE SUCCESSFUL!
COACH HARTSFIELD - PE/HEALTH
Hello RAM Fam, hope you had a chance to relax, reflect and recover over the extended time off. We are starting the 2nd half of the school year and changing our elective students. The first few days, students will be adjusting to their new elective classes and taking tests in their core classes. Please attend all classes to make sure you get the most of your educational experience.
Health / PE will be split - class time and then transition to the gym on certain days. Please bring water bottles and towels (floor exercises) if you are coming back to campus. If you have any concerns please email me chrishartsfield@fcschools.net
MS. TERRY - CTE (jerriterry@fcschools.net)
Welcome!!! A new semester means new electives. I will miss my first semester students and look forward to working with a new group. Students will receive an email with the following Google Classroom codes attached:
6th Grade
1st Elective: lzq6bvj
2nd Elective: ghqg5ev
7th Grade
1st Elective: hky6lon
2nd Elective: em3dy4w
8th Grade
1st Elective: 4b3q2kp
2nd Elective: jvgvvui
Make sure you are prepared for class by charging your chromebooks everyday and by having a pen/pencil, a pocket folder/notebook with paper and earbud/headphones at all times
MS. CULVER - ART
NEW Google Classroom codes:
(Invitations were also sent out to each student in their email!)
6A: vv57rjv
6B: xqj2lqh
7A: 6wegkyz
7B: jstwp3x
8A: dyiuku4
8B: qvnya4k
Welcome to ART! This semester we will be exploring drawing techniques, different materials, and online drawing programs! In order to complete these assignments, we need art supplies!
**Please see the list below to know what materials you’lll need for art this semester. If you are not able to get these supplies, please send me an email at rebeccaculver@fcschools.net and we will set up a time for you to stop by the school and pick them up**
BLANK paper (no lined paper!)
Sketchbook
Pencils
Erasers
Sharpener
Colored pencils
Markers
Chromebook
Black sharpies
Black pens
Computer mouse (optional, but very helpful!!)
Your imagination!!
& ANY other art supplies you may want to try!
MR. SMITH - BAND & MUSIC APPRECIATION
**If you have any questions, please contact me jimmiesmith@fcschools.net. **
Grades have been finalized for band and music appreciation! If you have any questions about grades, please email me.
Band 6-8:
As we begin the second semester, I want you all to understand that this semester will be more performance based, meaning more playing assignments. While I realize this year has been far from normal with respect to what we do, I really would like to get back to hearing ALL of you play more regularly. If you are in a position or situation where you are not able to play at home, please let me know so that we can work something out. If your instrument is in need of repairs (particularly school-owned instruments), or you are in need of accessories (reeds, valve oil, etc), please email me.
CALLING ALL 6TH GRADERS: If you are interested in joining band this semester, we would love to have you! Do not be afraid or intimidated. Learning a new instrument can be a lot of fun. Simply send me an email at jimmiesmith@fcschools.net for more information.
Music Appreciation 6-8:
We have arrived at the end of our respective musical journey. Whether you've gained a newfound appreciation for film music, or music from the beginning of time to the present, I hope you all enjoyed and got a little bit out of this class. I have made it no secret that you all were my guinea pigs in helping me decide how to teach this class in the future and thanks to you, I certainly feel more confident about this second semester.
With that in mind, I want to go ahead and welcome all of my new Music Appreciation S2 students. You should have received an email with information to help you get started in your respective class. Even if this class was not your first or second choice, I hope that you will give it a chance. I look forward to meeting with or reconnecting with you all this week.
MS. HATTEN - DRAMA
Welcome to a New Elective! You should have already gotten an email with an invitation to our class. Even if this class was not your choice, I hope that you will give Drama a chance. We will be utilizing an online interactive notebook in class for weekly assignments and vocabulary as well as note taking and reflection. The first few days I will be orienting you to that notebook and we will talk about what I have planned for us this year and some discussion about what you might want to do this year. Drama as a virtual subject has been different, but I think we’ve made it work and had some fun in class.
Please make sure your chrome books are charged overnight and if you come to school for A or B days, bring your charger with you! You don’t want to just sit in class with nothing to do (and have to catch up on what classwork we did).
I am available for office hours on Wednesday mornings from 9 to 10, or by appointment during the day on remote learning days. If you need class codes, please email me at Tashahatten@fcschools.net and I will be happy to help you.
PARENTS: Please let me know if you would like to be added to our classroom as a guardian. I will need to invite you (I will need a current/preferred email address)
MR. DOWNUM - GRADE 8 SOCIAL STUDIES
Hey everyone I hope you are rested from the long weekend and are prepared to start the third quarter strong. We have already started the next unit that we will be covering which is The New Republic. We just finished the formation of the government and are moving on to the growing pains the country endured in the first 60 years or so. I do want to inform all parents about how grading works in my class. I grade all of the work that I get and if it is turned in by the time I grade and put in Powerschool, then the work is on time. If the student turns in the work after I put the work in Powerschool then it is late. If a student turns in a late assignment they have to email me the name of the assignment that they are turning in because I do not check individual students' work anymore. I have a lot of students and I do not have the time to make individual work owed sheets. The students have been aware of this policy and I wanted to ensure that parents were aware as well.
MS. FOGG - GRADE 8 SCIENCE
Hello Parents and Students, This quarter we will be investigating Evolution and Genetics along with ecosystems. Please encourage your child to study key vocabulary terms each night. Also, the first week in February marks the time for our next NC check in. Parents please be on the lookout for further details.
MRS. NEUJAHR - 7TH GRADE SCIENCE
For the upcoming weeks, students will be heavily focussed on their I-Ready Diagnostics for Math and ELA. To help them maintain focus, we are continuing our review on the Human Body systems. Those systems include the Integumentary System as well as the Skeletal System. Week 3, which is next week, we will jump start into learning the Muscular system as well as the Cardiovascular System. Students did wonderfully well on their research papers for the second nine weeks. For the third nine weeks projects, students are either soloists or working with partners to complete a chapter book that will be a virtual sketchbook online. This chapter book includes all components of the 11 Human Body Systems we will be learning for this nine weeks.
MS. BAECHLE - 7TH GRADE ELA:
For the weeks of 1/19-1/29 students will be taking the second I-Ready Reading Diagnostic. Students will be taking ELA on Wednesday 1/20 and Math on Thursday 1/21. Friday 1/22 will be utilized as a make-up day. Upon completing the reading diagnostic students will refer to their core and elective teachers Google Classroom for Asynchronous work with no Google Meets. Attached is a video I share with the students prior to helpful test taking strategies: Copy of Middle School Getting Students Ready for iReady Diagnostics - Google Slides Upon completion of the second I-Ready reading diagnostic, students will receive a 100% participation grade!!
In addition, the following week we will be completing our second text Lyddie with a central focus on writing structure and utilizing direct quotes and analyzing (explaining) for significance within the text.
Parents/guardians, please make sure to have your students check Power school regularly to see what work they are missing. It is critical that ALL students take accountability for their work, come to class regularly, and turn in work on a consistent basis. Q2 as stated prior ended on Friday 1/15, and grades will be submitted by Wednesday 1/20. You should expect your child’s report card roughly a week later.
In addition, I have new office hours weekly on Wednesdays from 9:00-10:00am, for any additional support with work. The code for Google meets is: fmsoffice7. The expectation is that students are working on theri I-Ready Pathways for at least 40 minutes weekly for both ELA and Math, which is roughly 2-3 assignments each. This is a program utilized to increase reading comprehension and strengthen specific skill sets. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at: kimberlybaechle@fcschools.net
REMINDERS FROM THE SCHOOL COUNSELOR (MS. MOORE):
Helpful Resources
NC211.org (or call 211)
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)
Reminder About Student Email
Remind your child to be in the habit of checking their student email daily to keep up with communication with their teachers at FMS.
Check Powerschool and Google Classroom often!
To keep up on assignments, missed work, progress and grades. Please let us know if you’re having any difficulty with this!
Reminder for Parents
Remind your child to charge his or her chromebook every night, so they’re prepared for learning all day at school
THANK YOU FOR BEING A GREAT PARENT! WE APPRECIATE ALL YOUR HARD WORK!!
FMS - A COMMUNITY SCHOOL OF CHOICE
Email: heidiboardman@fcschools.net
Website: fcschools.net/Page/25
Location: 3 North Main Street, Franklinton, NC, USA
Phone: 919-494-2971
Twitter: @FranklintonMS