The Firebird Flash
August 20, 2021
NEWSLETTER HIGHLIGHTS
- Principal's Update
- Counselor's Corner - Class Presentations
- Yearbooks
- Athletics Communication - Team Reach
- Club Updates
- Greece Trip
- Landing Pages
- PTSA - 1st Meeting on Monday, August 23rd at 5:30pm!
- Purchase Firebird Gear
Updates from our Principal
Greetings Firebird Nation Families -
Week 3 is in the books! Each week seems like it goes by faster and faster.
We were able to take advantage of the nicer weather this week and have our Firebirds eat outside in the stadium. Our Firebirds have told us that they like being able to do this so that they can enjoy the fresh air, socialize with friends, and have some recreation time out on the football field before heading back to class. We continue to emphasize to the students that it is important to pick up after themselves during lunch so that we can continue to use this space when possible. A grade level's ability to have lunch in the stadium is contingent upon how clean they leave the space the day before. We have really appreciated many of our Firebird athletes that have stepped up to help keep the stadium clean so that we can continue to enjoy our outdoor space! Way to go Firebirds!
Our counselors conducted their peer conflict versus bullying presentations in 6th grade and 8th grade classrooms this week; 7th grade will take place at the beginning of the week next week. You will find some additional information about this in our Counseling Corner section below. We take special care to talk with our students on these issues as we take it very seriously. I want to make sure all Firebirds understand that Bullying is NOT TOLERATED at Falcon Middle School. Our administrative team takes this very seriously, investigates all reports, and addresses them accordingly. We will also follow up with parents to ensure they are in the loop and know that situations are addressed. One of the biggest challenges we find is that students talk about situations that have occurred, but that they have not been reported to an administrator or counselor. Please encourage your students to report situations to us when they occur, or to use SAFE2TELL to anonymously report situations as well.
Our team also keeps Deputy Murphy in the loop with any situation of bullying or harassment that occurs. We have informed students of this process and the legal charges that can be involved for severe and/or subsequent offenses. If your student ever talks with you about a situation and you have not heard from one of our counselors or administrators, then please reach out to us to ensure it has been reported to us. We want to ensure all situations are addressed. Again, we will always contact you whenever a situation is brought to our attention; so, if you have not heard from us, then we are not aware of the situation.
We know there is a great deal of news surrounding COVID-19 updates and the different points of view that exist around this topic. At FMS, it is our expectation that we are respectful of each of these differences. Students, families, and staff choosing to wear masks are supported. If at ANY time someone is picked on or made fun of for wearing a mask, then we want to know. This will not be tolerated and we encourage our students and families to reach out to our grade level administrators if this occurs so that it can be addressed. Also, when cases of COVID-19 are reported to us, we will notify families through our email system of any close contacts that may have been exposed. We want to make sure we notify families if their student may have been exposed to an individual with COVID-19.
We are also continuing with our cleaning and sanitation procedures to help keep FMS clean. Our custodial teams are maintaining a thorough cleaning schedule while also conducting additional cleaning if any possibility of COVID is reported to us. We continue to encourage our students to wash their hands through the day and provide hand sanitizer throughout the building and in each classroom. Students also clean their work spaces each period to ensure they leave it clean for the next student that comes to the classroom as well. The most important step is also making sure that students and staff stay home when they are sick or feel ill. It is important for them to stay home until any symptoms resolve so that we can all do our part to keep illness out of the building as best as possible. If you ever have any questions about symptoms or other health related questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to our Health Room Staff; Wendy Barnett and Nelda Detwiller would be happy to help where they can!
Please remember that Make Up Pictures and Picture retakes are September 22nd. We want to ensure all of our Firebirds have had their yearbook photo taken and also receive their Student ID. We will send out ordering information once we get closer in case you would like to purchase a picture package.
In this next month, we will begin our Mini Course Planning process. This is an annual event (returning this year) where we take the 2 days before Thanksgiving Break to help students immerse in a course related to specific interests, skills, future careers, or hobbies. We have taken groups to the zoo to work with zoo keepers, had indoor skydiving lessons around the science of flight, opportunities to build and make various things, tours of stadiums and historic sights, you name it! We want to provide experiences and opportunities that help our students explore all sorts of possibilities. Each year we also offer for parents to help with signs ups, teach various courses where they specialize in something, or help chaperone trips. We will send more information about this as we get closer...but start thinking if this is an opportunity where you could help out with something. We really enjoy getting our community involved in these as much as possible!
As always, have a great weekend! We look forward to a great week #4 ahead!
Sincerely,
Brian Smith
Executive Principal
Falcon Middle School
Counselor's Corner
6th Grade
7th Grade
8th Grade
Your Counselors are here to help!
Over the past week and into next week the Counseling Department with the help of Deputy Teresa Murphy, our school SRO, have been going into grade level classrooms, presenting information to students on positive behavior.
One of the main topics that has been covered is peer conflict & bullying. The goal is to help students develop healthy behaviors and promote an environment of kindness and acceptance. The presentations included other topics regarding behavior that can help students work with one another and the staff at FMS to be the best that they can be!
The Counseling Department chose classroom presentations so they could meet with each class and personally address these topics. This also allowed students to see their grade level counselor. We also wanted to remind students that if they see or hear of something concerning that does need to be reported that we are here for all students & to let us know.
Watch this great video from Jeremy Anderson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gpMP-qiAGI
Peer Conflict vs. Bullying
Purchase your 21-22 Firebird Yearbook!
8th Grade Ads - 8th Grade Parents may also purchase 8th grade ads for their students using the link below.
Athletics Reminders...
Don't forget to sign up for your Team Reach!
FMS Firebirds code: 9755
Cross Country code: 9755-1
Football Code: 9755-2
Volleyball Code: 9755-3
We will continue to keep our FMS Athletics Website up to date with the latest information as well. You can access this using the link below.
Firebird Nation Club Updates
Attention All Gamers. FMS Gaming Club is Back!!!
We will be holding Club on Wednesdays From 3-4:30 pm Beginning On August 25th In Room 6 with the possibility of moving to a bigger space if needed.
There Is No Permission Slip Or Fee To Join.
Feel Free To Bring Your Own Board And Card Games Or Handheld Gaming Devices. However, we encourage you to try some games that you have never tried before.
We Hope To See You There
Anime Club:
Attention Parents! Anime Club is starting soon here at FMS! What is Anime Club? Anime Club is an awesome place for anyone interested in art, animation, cosplay, and more to immerse themselves in Japanese Culture and Art. We are an education club that provides students with opportunities to learn more about the art, crafting & sewing techniques, and cultural practices related to all things Anime. In our club students will watch episodes of anime shows (rated g-pg), meet professional guest speakers of art, cosplay, technology, and culture, practice their crafting skills, and participate in guided lessons and activities about the culture of Japan! Is your student interested in joining us? Have them join us after school on Thursday, August 26th from 3:00PM to 4:30PM to learn more information about our club and to sign up for activities! For more information, please contact Ms. Vari at - svari@d49.org. We hope to see your student there!
Craft/Chess Club:
Craft Club/Chess Club will begin on Monday August 23rd. Please come to room M3 (Modular 3) after school. Some crafts we will be working on include: scrap booking, knitting, crochet, jewelry, and more! Chess players come ready to compete! We look forward to seeing you. Ms. Strunc and Mrs. Greiner
WRITING CLUB:
Are you interested in or passionate about creative writing, spoken word, poetry, storytelling, or any form of written communication? Would you like to write in a safe, comfortable, and creative environment to harness your craft and share your work with like-minded students? Are you interested in sharpening your writing skills? Then join Writing Club! We seek to create a community of writers and make connections through our love for writing!
WHO?
This club is open to all students at FMS! You don't need to be a seasoned or strong writer - if you're interested in any form of writing, join us!
WHEN?
We plan on meeting every Tuesday from 3:00 P.M. - 4:00 P.M. The first meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 24, 2021!
WHERE?
Ms. Lowe's classroom (Room 35)
If you have any questions about the club, please email Mr. Kim at akim@d49.org or Ms. Lowe at alowe@d49.org!
Yearbook Club:
Yearbook staff applications are due next Wednesday, the 25th. Applications can be picked up and returned to Mrs. Telljohn in Room 17.
FMS is Going to Greece!
Landing Pages
Falcon Middle School will again be utilizing Landing Pages this year as a daily way of communicating with our families. This is where all teams and classes post their daily classwork, team announcements, and homework assignments. It is very important that students check their Landing Pages every day. We encourage parents to do the same so that they know what is going on in their student's classes.
Landing Pages are also a way to know what work was missed if your student was absent. They can even get a jump start on it while home since everything is posted in once place. Teachers also archive previous days at the bottom of the page and continue to do so throughout the semester. This ensures that students and families could go back to any date during the semester and see what work was completed/due for that day.
Teachers and teams will be updating landing pages daily. Go to www.d49.org/fms and click on "Staff Landing Pages" at the top of the page. You can then navigate to the appropriate grade level, team, explore class, or program. All of our information is contained in one easy place for you to access during the year. We have included a button to this site below for quick access as well.
Contact your team of teachers if you have any additional questions about their Landing Pages.
Communication Reminders
- As always, we allow teachers 24 hours (next business day) to respond to correspondence from parents and families.
- We do ask our teachers to also sign off of their computers at the end of the school day to recharge for the next day. So, it is likely that if you email past 4pm, that you will not hear from them until the next day.
- Team announcements, school announcements, and other communication will all be posted through our Landing Pages. This helps provide a one stop area for parents and simplify the process overall from what we had in the past.
PTSA (Parent, Teacher, Student Association)
PTSA Meeting - 1st Meeting of the Year!
Monday, Aug 23, 2021, 05:30 PM
Falcon Middle School, Towner Avenue, Peyton, CO, USA
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
We want everyone to get involved! PTSA is a great way to help out the Firebird Nation Community. Would you like to volunteer at the school? Would you like to help out at athletic or special events? Want to help problem solve issues that arise or create new programs at the school? If you answered yes to any of the questions and/or you just want to know what all is happening at FMS...then PTSA is for you! Our Principal really values the partnership with our PTSA and wants to continue to network with this group to continue to improve FMS. We hope you will join this important community group at our school.
Looking for Firebird Gear?
Falcon Middle School
6th Grade Assistant Principal/Athletic Director: Elena Forehand
7th Grade Assistant Principal: Tim Scheck
8th Grade Assistant Principal: Joy Kovanda
6th Grade Counselor: Lisa Murdock
7th Grade Counselor: Carrie Clay
8th Grade Counselor: Amber Villani
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FMS Office Hours
7:15am-3:30pm
Email: fms@d49.org
Website: https://www.d49.org/fms
Location: 9755 Towner Avenue, Peyton, CO, USA
Phone: 719-495-5232