The Faubion Lion Pride Press
Holiday Edition
Dear Lion Pride,
Please read this week's installment of the Faubion Lion Pride Press. In this edition, we explore the high school registration process, provide an Acceptable Use Policy video in kid-friendly language, and celebrate several members of our school community.
In my time here at Faubion Middle School I have been so impressed with how much our students respect the educational process, as demonstrated by their persistence and kindness. We continue making strides in how we engage our face-to-face and virtual learners through pedagogy that considers the needs of all students. Our students are learning so much about kindness, the historical significance of this period, and resilience.
As you are likely noticing from our weekly updates, the purpose is to showcase our students, faculty, and community. We are deeply appreciative of the opportunity to educate your children so they can be difference makers in a rapidly changing world. Your feedback and encouragement are critical to our improving every day. We have seen the holiday gifts pour in for our teachers, and that is a reflection of your appreciation.
The work that we continue is developing a playbook for future generations. Our teachers have looked this challenge dead in the eye, have stood tall with shoulders back, and have brought their courageous spirit to work every day. Having seen the drive and passion that our teachers bring every day gives me complete confidence that your children are receiving the best education that the state of Texas has to offer.
Today's educational landscape presents a moving target for all of us, but we are rooting ourselves in doing what is right for your children. High-yield instructional strategies focusing on the development of content through language and an intense focus on kindness are what will help us conquer these times. Over this break, we encourage our teachers, our scholars, and our families to enjoy quality time with immediate family.
Aristotle once said, "We are what we repeatedly do. Therefore, excellence ought not be an act but a habit." At Faubion Middle School, we make excellence a habit, and we are kind to each other. Parents, thank you for instilling those values in your children so they can make a lasting and positive mark on our community.
Go Lions!
-Mr. Boom
Spreading some holiday cheer
National Bill of Rights Day
On December 15, 1951 President Franklin Delano Roosevelt designated that day as Bill of Rights Day. The first 10 amendments to the United States Constitution make up the Bill of Rights. The purpose of the Constitution was to establish a federal structure, developing the three branches of government and their respective authority. The Bill of Rights placed limits on government power, helping citizens maintain their civil rights and personal liberties.
Pictured are: Jose Martinez, Jasmine Delgado, Antonio Strigus, Daniel Rocha, Sarahi Franco, Chase Culligan, Fray Campos, Gianna Hardy, Andrew McGee, and Lexi Villarreal.
Virtual Field Trip
What would it be like to experience Mexico up close? Mrs. Gagarin's class took a virtual field trip to Mexico to review the North America Unit. Students were able to build their background knowledge and add to what they had already learned from the unit. During the field trip they observed landmarks through VR goggles, read interesting facts, watched videos, and answered questions along the way. The lesson culminated in writing a paragraph or two, which compared/contrasted Mexico with our country. What a fun way to review our knowledge!
Pictured are: Eduardo Machado (raising his hand), Angel Martinez-Esquivel, Roman Mitchell, Josiah Shelton, Jake Coleman, Dawson Folts, Liberty Klueber, Wesley Rodriguez, Adrian Sereno, Ethan Sherman, and Dionna Sims.
Newton's Second Law of Motion
Lots of reflection in English
Student Spotlight - Elise Wright
This week's student spotlight features the student-artist-athlete, Elise Wright! Aside from making great grades in her classes and having a humble and grateful attitude, Elise is incredibly talented and interesting.
Elise loves to play tennis, where she is at the Challenger level. This allows her to compete in tournaments, and her preference is singles. This format allows her to strategize a bit more by focusing on one opponent and avoid getting hit in the back of the head! Elise has been playing since the age of four, when she started hitting the courts with her older brother, who is now 18.
Born in Switzerland, Elise moved to the United States at the age of three. All of her family now lives in the US, but there is a very good chance that her grandmother will move to Korea this March. This possibility has its perks, as Elise is excited to learn Korean and visit her grandmother in Korea over the summer months.
Elise likes to read murder mysteries and watch animated movies and shows. This transfers well to Elise's work on stage, as she is working on a pop show with the Fairview Youth Theater. Elise is curious to see how it will all play out with the choreography, as the show will be 100% remote through "zoom".
Elise loves that our teachers are nice and flexible, helping out if she needs anything. She really appreciates that they make themselves available for tutoring regularly.Pictured is Elise with her theatre director, Ms. Brooke Riley. The Faubion Lion Pride hopes that you "break a leg" in your upcoming show, Elise!
An italian feast for our staff
VIDEO of Technology Acceptable Use and Fee
McKinney ISD is uniquely positioned to not only address the challenges presented by the pandemic but also to create an environment where students can become producers in an increasingly digital world.
Please emphasize to your child that the district-issued MacBook is property of the district, and as such, students are not allowed to download programs or circumvent district security measures. If your child has done so, please ask him/her to bring the device to the library so we can assist. Please watch this VIDEO with your child to see the district's expectations for student MacBook use.
In order to provide the very best technology for our students, parents pay a nominal annual fee for insurance on their district-issued laptop. These fees can be paid in HAC through either the parent or student account. The deadline to pay laptop fees is January 22, 2021. You are welcome to pay in person with cash or check if you prefer.
The district has developed a comprehensive resource for parents, including payment details. This file provides instructions for how to pay the fee, including troubleshooting suggestions. Also included in the file is the 1:The World handbook (in English and in Spanish). Please pay the assurance fee at your earliest convenience.
Staff Feature - Mrs. Cabrera
Cheese pizza is our best-selling pizza here; however, Mrs. Cabrera recommends the pepperoni with jalapeño pizza. The students also really enjoy the spicy chicken sandwich and the corn. Mrs. Cabrera is impressed by the supervision in the cafeteria, including the reminders for students to throw away their trash and put their masks on when they finish eating. The level of care that the custodial crew gives to cleaning between lunches is equally as impressive. Her favorite part about working at Faubion Middle School is everything, especially serving the children.
Registering 8th graders for high school
Believe it or not, the counselors will begin the process of registering 8th graders for high school after holiday break! The thought of registering your middle schooler to begin their high school journey can be daunting. The counselors will guide your child through this process and will be available to answer your (and your child's) questions.
Please follow the link below for an overview on the registration timeline and a basic overview of high school requirements.
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION TIMELINE AND GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
For current 6th and 7th grade parents, we will begin your registration for next year in the spring.
As always, check out the Faubion MS Counselor Website for more info and counselor contacts:
MISD facilities crews always a welcome sight
Zaragoza Salas and Nigel King from McKinney ISD facilities helped us over the week by painting hallways in need of touch-up. Over the course of time, you will notice small improvements that will help transform our campus into one that truly celebrates student excellence, effort, and kindness. The support of Central Office and input from our staff is instrumental in this endeavor.
This November marked 25 years of service for Zaragoza with the district, and Nigel has served for 17 years. These gentlemen took great pride in their work and were a joy to have in our building. If you would like to send a note of appreciation, please send it to us so we can pass it along.
CODEZ Playoffs with mr. lazcano
The CODEZ competition encompasses around 300 middle schools in our region of the country. In order to qualify for the CODEZ Playoffs, a team was required to score and place in the top two positions. Faubion’s Engineering teams qualified three out of four teams to compete in the playoffs. The other teams to qualify are the 2B Engineering Team and 3A Engineering Team. All of the Engineering students at Faubion Middle School have been working really hard in this competition. Let’s cheer on our Engineering Lions!
More Works of Art for our building
Drug Use Prevention Resources
McKinney ISD offers a Canvas course called "Talk it up! Prevention resources for parents," which is full of drug prevention resources. Please visit the following LINK, bookmark it, and review it at your convenience. Our district truly embodies the "Live Kind" mindset in taking care of the entire child. Our district Substance Use Prevention Committee works hard to make the content relevant, engaging, and timely. Our counselors are also equipped with lots of resources to assist you, so if you need anything please reach out to us.
Cheer Tryouts - Sign-Ups end February 5
Upcoming Events
Monday, Jan. 4 - No school for students
Wednesday, Jan. 6
7th boys' basketball (home) vs. Scott Johnson - Gold - 5:00 / Navy - 6:00 / White - 7:00
8th boys' basketball (away) @ Scott Johnson - Gold - 5:00 / Navy - 6:00 / White - 7:00
Thursday, Jan. 7
7th girls' basketball (home) vs. Scott Johnson - Gold - 5:00 / Navy - 6:00 / White - 7:00
8th girls' basketball (away) @ Scott Johnson - Gold - 5:00 / Navy - 6:00 / White - 7:00
Saturday, Jan. 9
7th girls' basketball (away) @ Rogers - Prosper HS - Gold - 9:00 / Navy - 10:00 / White - 11:00
8th girls' basketball (home) vs. Rogers - Gold - 9:00 / Navy - 10:00 / White - 11:00
7th boys' basketball (away) @ Rogers - Prosper HS - Gold - 1:00 / Navy - 2:00 / White - 3:00
8th boys' basketball (home) vs. Rogers - Gold - 1:00 / Navy - 2:00 / White - 3:00
This week in AVID, we had a lot going on as the quarter comes to an end. Each student made an individualized plan to end the quarter strong. Algebra and Pre-algebra students reviewed in small groups for their district assessments. Students actively participated in a Socratic Seminar.
A Socratic Seminar is an educational conversation that engages students in deep thinking. Through dialogue and higher level questioning, students are able to consider new perspectives and develop problem solving skills. Virtual students were each paired with a face to face student so that they could have an equal voice in our discussion.
Pictured are: Victor Torres, Janessa Codoy, Lexi Ahmad, Lexie Lara, Alaysia Joseph, Jeremiah Sowe, Jeremiah Castillo, Alondra Hernandez, Brandon Arteaga, Shalom Matteewos, Addison Graham, Daniela Zavala, Princess Licea, Miranda Frias, Chris Chavez, Ava Walker, and Maya Knight.
Drs. Henke and Jones-Roberson in AVID
Students took an SAT vocabulary quiz on the Canvas platform, and a Kahn Academy SAT prep quiz for math reading and writing. After that was complete, they worked on an appreciation chain, sharing accomplishments so far this year and what they were excited about for the winter break.
Checking Your Child's Grades and Attendance
You may monitor your child's grades and attendance by using the Home Access Center.
Here are the steps to follow:
1) Please make sure that you are using Google Chrome as your browser.
2) Go to https://sso.mckinneyisd.net
3) Enter your login credentials. If you need assistance with your login information, please reach out to your child's house secretary:
A-G: Mrs. Soroa - rsoroa@mckinneyisd.net or 469-302-7005
H-O: Mrs. Gonzalez - amgonzalez@mckinneyisd.net or 469-302-6911
P-Z: Mrs. Dedman - odedman@mckinneyisd.net or 469-302-6917
Words from the Learning Commons
Have you heard a good book lately? Audio books are a great way to build vocabulary and comprehension skills! Many of us are able to comprehend spoken language at a higher level than we are able to read.
My family has a history of taking road trips. On these trips we are always sure to take along a book or two to listen to along the way. A few we have listened to include The Bartimaeus Trilogy, several from the Harry Potter series, and My Name is Not Friday. Take some time to listen to a great book and then discuss it with your family! It’s a lot of fun and educational too!
You can find audio books in the Sora App on your phone or computer! Students login with their SSO credentials. Here’s a couple of videos if you need help:
Sora on a computer: https://youtu.be/tUR6QU_RRJ0
Sora on a phone (no sound): https://youtu.be/rj7SMHEeLaQ
Have a great break!
Mrs. Willardson
Jack C. Faubion Middle School, the best middle school in the State of Texas
Email: mvandenboom@mckinneyisd.net
Website: faubionmiddleschool.com
Location: 2000 Rollins Street, McKinney, TX 75069
Phone: 469) 302-6900
Facebook: facebook.com/FaubionMS/
Twitter: @FaubionMS