FMS SMORE NEWSLETTER
February 15 - 26
UPDATE YOUR CALENDAR
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 18
- Boys Soccer tryouts in gym 3:30-5:30
- Girls Softball tryouts in gym 3:30-5:30
*more information regarding Soccer, Softball, and Football will be added to the athletics website soon - thanks for your patience while we work out the particulars in this weird and wacky school year!
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 18 IS RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS DAY
https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/
MONDAY FEBRUARY 22
- Football tryouts
APRIL -
FMS STUDENT TALENT SHOW!! MORE INFORMATION COMING SOON!! IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BEING A PART OF THE FMS VIRTUAL TALENT SHOW, GO AHEAD AND START THINKING ABOUT WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO DO. ALL VIDEOS WILL NEED TO BE ONE MINUTE LONG (LIKE TIKTOK) OR LESS. ENTRIES CAN INCLUDE POETRY, ART, DANCING, SINGING, SOMETHING COOL TO WATCH, MUSIC, ANYTHING SCHOOL APPROPRIATE THAT YOU WANT TO SHOWCASE!
FYI REGARDING RAMS CHOICE CHARACTER AWARDS
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.
10 ways we can show respect to children
Soft hands – the way we handle them is gentle, not rough
Listen – stop and really listen to their words, their expressions, their face and hands
Use kind words – even when setting a limit
Avoid baby talk – speak to them as we would to an adult
Let them know what we appreciate – give feedback “Your room is so organized and clean!” (rather than empty praise like “good job”)
Allow time (as much as possible) – time for movement, for conversation, to walk at their pace
Include them in daily life – let them help contribute, also in family conversations and to make (age-appropriate) choices.
Find ways to work with them (“Can you help me carry this heavy box inside?”) rather than threaten, bribe or punish them (“If you don’t come inside right now, I’ll…”)
Look them in the eye and accept them for who they are – we can teach them skills but it is not our job to change them
Let them see how capable they are – set things up for them to have success; provide hands-on learning opportunities that they can master by themselves
Bonus
Be a model of honesty – even if it’s embarrassing at times, our vulnerability will show them that we trust them and they will be honest with us and trust us too. This can also mean apologising when we get something wrong instead of blaming someone else. “I got it wrong. What I should have done is…/What I should have said is…”
Shout out someone who loves you and shows it!
MS. MOORE - SCHOOL COUNSELOR
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)
How to contact Ms. Moore:
Call FMS at 919-494-2971
Send email to: marymoore@fcschools.net
Complete and submit this form: Counselor Request Form
Reminder for 8th Grade Students and Parents!
Important! Here is the link for the application for Early College High School: http://bit.ly/fcechs-app
Please let me know if your child is applying to ECHS. 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 with ECHS on March 18th** Please plan to attend if your child is applying to Early College.
Turn dating into a parenting opportunity:
INTERNET SAFETY
Social Media Apps
Are you familiar with the social media apps in the graphic below? Children can use these apps to interact with friends as well as complete strangers all over the world. They can talk, text, video chat, share photos and videos, and most of these apps share locations. Although most or all of these apps are designed for adult use, teens have been known to create profiles and use the apps. Many users of these apps are prone to being cyberbullied and other forms of abuse and harm. Most of these apps allow location sharing, so it’s really not that difficult for Creepy McCreeperton to interact with your child, learn all about your child, groom your child, AND find your child.
Secret or Vault Apps:
The calculator app looks like the calculator app that comes installed on most phones, but it is actually an app that allows users to hide information in it, like photos, videos, browser history, etc This is just one type of secret app or vault app that can do this. There are dozens more.
www.netnanny.com/blog/secret-vault-apps-that-hide-things-on-your-kid-e2-80-99s-phone/
Parental Control Apps
On the flip side, there are parental control apps that help you know where your child is, track texts, phone calls, photos, and browser history. Find out more about these apps to help protect your child from cyber harm. www.geckoandfly.com/25265/apps-monitor-track-teenager-smartphone/ And look for the free apps!
ARTWORK BELOW BY MALIYAH KIRKLAND
ELECTIVES
MR. SMITH - BAND/MUSIC APPRECIATION
**If you have any questions, please contact me jimmiesmith@fcschools.net. **
Students should remember to check their email throughout the day, each day and check for announcements in Google Classroom. I post the elective schedule to Google Classroom every Sunday afternoon as well as any other information then will need to know for the week ahead. Students have also been encouraged to keep track of grades and assignments. I don't want anyone to get so far behind that they feel overwhelmed or as if they are in a hopeless situation. Communicate with teachers. HELP US HELP YOU!
Band 6: 6th grade band students are working hard on developing characteristic sounds on their instruments. We have been working through warm-up exercises and building the physical skills necessary to play and instrument success. Students are also being assigned various short playing assignments that will allow us all to track their progress. Over the next few weeks, we will begin working on concert music. Please encourage your child to practice daily and give positive feedback when you hear they are really working hard.
Band 7: 7th grade band students are working on Celtic Air and Dance No. 2. Last week, the second half of the piece (measures 36 to the end) was due in Smartmusic. I have quite a few students who did not turn in this assignment. This week, the first part of the piece (measures 1-36) is due. Students have the entire class period to work on this piece and receive immediate feedback. Outside of class, I am asking for just a few minutes of meaningful practice time each day. This does not necessarily mean they have to play. They can work on notes, fingerings, and/or rhythms.
Band 8: 8th grade band students are working on Celtic Air and Dance No. 2. Last week, the second half of the piece (measures 36 to the end) was due in Smartmusic. I have quite a few students who did not turn in this assignment. This week, the first part of the piece (measures 1-36) is due. Students have the entire class period to work on this piece and receive immediate feedback. Outside of class, I am asking for just a few minutes of meaningful practice time each day. This does not necessarily mean they have to play. They can work on notes, fingerings, and/or rhythms.
Music Appreciation 6: Last week, we finished our unit on the musical alphabet. On Tuesday, the students will have a quiz on identifying the notes on the treble and bass staves. Following the quiz, I will introduce our next unit, rhythm. Students will learn how to count, analyze, and transcribe rhythms in various time signatures.
Music Appreciation 7: We have completed our study of the music of the baroque era. The students will take a quiz on this topic on Tuesday. Following the quiz, we will start on the music of the classical era. We will talk about events that occured during this time (1750-1820), major musical accomplishments, and key points about the classical era overall.
Music Appreciation 8: We have completed our study of the music and culture of Latin America. The students will take a quiz on Latin American music and culture on Tuesday. Following the quiz, we will begin our study of the music and culture of Africa. Students will learn about various instruments of Africa as well as the use and structure of African music.
MS. CULVER - ART
Click here to see some art projects that have been completed over the last couple weeks!
Parents: Please encourage your students to monitor their grades and get into a habit of checking them often! Also, students are coming to school without their art supplies. I am not able to pass out materials & students should be coming to school with their art materials in their backpacks and ready to begin! Please see below a list of materials that was sent out at the beginning of this semester.
**Please see the list below to know what materials you'll 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 drawing 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! (paints, clay, watercolors, you name it!)
MS. HATTEN - DRAMA
Students in 8th grade will be wrapping up our unit on Shakespeare and Midsummer Night’s Dream this week. I’ve enjoyed it, and I hope they have! Stay tuned for what we are up to next! I promise it will be fun!
6th and 7th grade classes have been working on superheroes that can fight stereotypes. So far they have created a character and told a story. I hope to be working on comic strips starring their characters with them this week!
PARENTS: Please look at PowerSchool to see an accurate representation of your child’s grades in Drama. I’m getting a lot of blank work turned in to Google Classroom so it won’t show up as missing when you look there. I am updating PowerSchool this week to show if they are missing work, were absent and haven’t made up work, or if they have incomplete work.
8TH GRADE TEAM
Our 8th grade math students did well on their NC Check-ins and we out performed the other middle schools. I am extremely proud of the effort that all students made. We are currently working on the Functions Unit, and we are learning about slope, y-intercept, and the slope intercept equation of a line (y=mx+b). We are working on finding the y-intercept, when given the slope and a point. Next we will be working on how to write the equation of a line when given two points. Please make sure that your child is logging into Canvas to access their math work and completing any missing assignments As always, if you have questions, please email me at davidhooper@fcschools.net. Need some extra help with math??? Try logging into to Clever and access the i-Ready app. There will be fun activities that can be used to improve your math knowledge!!
MR. DOWNUM - SOCIAL STUDIES
Hello 8th grade Ram families. We have started working on The Civil War unit and we will be working on this unit for the foreseeable future. Parents and students please make sure that you are checking PowerSchool and not Google Classroom for missing assignments. Many students have been turning in work from quarter 1 and quarter 2, because they are going off missing work in Google Classroom. I cannot separate work in Google class by quarter in Google Classroom, that is only possible in Powerschool. I just do not want students to be discouraged when they are completing work and then not getting a grade on it because it is too late. I want to let families know that I will not be here for the next week, week and a half. The students will be in great hands because I work with a great team, and school and everybody is pitching in to make sure the kids are continuing to learn the important lessons that history has to offer.
Ms. Frost - ELA
7TH GRADE TEAM
MS. NEUJAHR - SCIENCE
Hello! This week in science, we are strictly reviewing the first 6 chapters of our human body systems book. Students are making connections with how each system works well with each other and exploring those systems in the eye of a microscope. Students are expected to work on their third nine weeks project which is a slide show that portrays all the components of each 11 systems as well as the functions for each. Please make sure they are diligently working on this project because it is a huge portion of their grade.
As always, please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns. My email is danielleneujahr@fcschools.net
MR. COBB - MATH
This week we are finishing up our Unit on Expressions. We will then begin our unit on Equations! Please remind students that if they are missing assignments, they need to email me with the list of completed assignments so that I can update the gradebook. There are no penalties for late work. If students have not yet finished the IReady Diagnostic, this counts as a quiz grade so they need to get that finished as soon as possible.
As always, please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
MR. LEMONS - SOCIAL STUDIES
Over the next few weeks, we will be talking about the interwar period between WW1 and WW2 and the origins of WW2. We will talk at length about how economic factors impact nations and the agreements made between them. We will also compare what happened in Europe to what happened in the U.S.’ Great Depression. Students should also be turning in their third and fourth pages of their papers. Many are making progress, but a few have yet to start. The papers are the only project grades this quarter, so they are very important.
MS. BAECHLE - ELA
For the weeks of 2/15- 2/26 students will be introduced to the third text of the year, ¨The Autobiography of Frederick Douglass.¨ Our lessons will be centered around reviewing specific standards from NC check-in two which require additional growth. We will be reading excerpts (sections from the FD text) throughout Q3. Additional mini-lessons and class activities will occur in connection to Black History Month as well including: poetry, a social issues project of choice, journals; etc.
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. I will take any late work for full credit. In addition, students should be working on their Q3 project. An outline of dates and instructions are included within the link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zYgp9f2Yu-1-593SMa1ueoJumVDaHnTJRta37Bk-7Xg/edit?usp=sharing
In addition, I hold office hours weekly on Wednesdays from 9:00-9:30 (C1-C2) and 9:30-10:00 (C3-C4). I have begun working with small groups of students on specific skill sets during the times mentioned above. If your student receives an email, they should do their best to attend for additional support. 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. This 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
6TH GRADE TEAM
MS. DOWNUM'S CLASS MADE PLANT AND ANIMAL CELLS!
Ms. Brooks - Social Studies
Mr. Gentile - Math
Hope you all enjoyed your “snow” day on Friday and had a super Happy Valentine’s Day!
This week is a pretty normal week. We are continuing to review how to plot rational numbers on number lines to prepare for our QUIZ on Tuesday (Feb. 16th). After that, we will begin our last portion of Unit 6 which is working with and writing inequalities. Please ask your child to show you their math vocabulary slides project to help them stay up-to-date. Keep up the positive encouragement at home and please email me with questions or concerns! kurtgentile@fcschools.net
Ms. Downum - Science
We finished up Unit 5-Matter last week and we are spending this week (2/15-2/19) reviewing for the test that will be on Friday the 19th. I will be giving time during classes for the students to study using their notes and the review sheet. Please encourage your student to spend a few minutes each day reviewing the material so they feel confident when they take the test. I tell the students the test is a place where they get to impress me with all they have learned. I know they have this and I can’t wait for your scientists to shine.
YOU CAN ALSO COME INTO THE SCHOOL OFFICE AND BUY A WATER BOTTLE IF YOU ARE VIRTUAL :)
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