FMS BLAST
Monday, September 27th, 2021
CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE & VIEW IN BROWSER
Dear Parents,
It is amazing to think that we are quickly approaching wrapping up the first quarter of the school year. Time is flying by! Our students are now well engrossed in the expectations of their classes. Clubs are getting underway on campus and our sports program is going strong with volleyball and cross country fully into their seasons. Boys’ basketball try-outs are just a couple of weeks away! October is sure to be a busy month. The end of the 1st Quarter is Friday, October 8th. Progress Reports will be available for parent view the following week. We do not mail out progress reports. Only end of semester grades will be mailed home. Parents will need to view progress reports on the parent portal of PowerSchool once they are made available.
The PTO Jag-a-thon is scheduled to take place in the students’ PE classes on October 15th. More information on the Jag-a-thon is included below under the PTO Matters section of the BLAST. After school tutoring, homework help, and targeted intervention sessions for students who are struggling with academics will begin this month. More information is addressed below.
Our student leadership is working on activities to take place on campus during the month of October. Club Live will be hosting activities for Red Ribbon Week which is Oct. 23-31st. This will also be the week of our upcoming Book Fair in the library. So, as you can see, October will be filled with opportunities and activities and FMS will be a bustling campus. As the weather cools and we head into autumn we wish all our FMS families a safe and memorable Fall 2021. As Walt Disney said, “Life is beautiful. It’s about giving. It’s about family.”
In partnership,
Dr. Daniels
DOES YOUR CHILD RIDE THEIR BIKE TO SCHOOL? IF SO, WE NEED YOUR HELP.
We are receiving several concerns from the community that FMS students are being very careless when riding their bikes to and from school. On campus we can use your help reviewing with your child how riding their bikes on and off campus takes awareness for cars that are dropping off and picking up students in our parking lot. Darting in and out of traffic is getting to be a serious concern as they come on and off campus. Students are not being safe when they come onto and leave through the parking lot.
However, beyond that we are hearing from neighboring community members that our students are not being safe as they ride on the surrounding streets. Unfortunately, we have a history of students who get hit by cars on Blue Ravine and surrounding streets and these accidents are often due to the students not practicing awareness to the dangers that surround them as they are riding.
Parents, you can help us to keep the students safe by reviewing with them the expectations of bike safety. Your child’s safety and health is our main concern. Thank you for your assistance on stressing these concerns with your child.
Also, please be aware that there are goat head stickers on campus and along the trails near the school. These stickers do puncture bike tires. Students need to be aware of these hazards as they ride their bikes as this time each year there are several popped tires due to the amount of goat heads. We have no control over these. They are everywhere. We apologize for the nuisance they cause.
ATTENTION ALL BOYS INTERESTED IN BASKETBALL:
The 2021 Boys Basketball season is just around the corner. Please plan ahead and get your athletes' physicals completed and uploaded to athleticclearance.com before tryouts begin on Monday, October 18.
An up-to-date physical form must be uploaded to athleticclearance.com in order to try out for any school sport. If you have any questions, please contact the coaches.
6th/7th Grade Coach
Miss Bell sbell@fcusd.org
8th Grade Coach
Mr. Isbell visbell@fcusd.org
UPCOMING BOOK FAIR
We need volunteers...we need YOU! Volunteering at the FMS Haunted House Book Fair is the perfect way to stay connected to your child at school and help students find the books they can't wait to read. Our book fairs bring in money for the library so we can get the newest and best books for our students! Sign up now and get ready for a fun and rewarding volunteer experience!
Masks Required by Visitors to the Office:
Parents,
Please do not enter the school office without wearing a mask. You will be asked to leave if you are not wearing a mask. This is a mandate on California public school campuses as well as required in places of business in Sacramento County.
The staff appreciates your adhering to these safety measures when entering the FMS campus.
Thank you.
STUDENTS, PLEASE PACK EXTRA MASKS IN YOUR BACKPACK
TUTORING/HOMEWORK HELP/TARGETED INTERVENTION OPPORTUNITIES
At FMS we recognize that there are some students that can benefit from extra support that looks different based upon the needs of the students. We are moving forward with offering a few different types of academic help.
One on One and Group Tutoring provided by VDL students: These sessions will be available after school on Wednesdays from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. beginning October 13, 2021. To sign your student up to participate in this opportunity we will need parents to contact your child’s counselor and identify the need that they need assistance with so we can match them to a tutor that will focus on that struggle. PLEASE CONTACT YOUR CHILD’S COUNSELOR WITH THE DESIRED NEED TO SIGN YOUR STUDENT UP FOR THIS TUTORING OPPORTUNITY.
Homework Help: We are in the process of setting up a study lab where students are able to come after school to get help with homework assistance. Sign ups will be required to limit the number of students, but this can be more of a drop-in service as long as students are pre-registered. More information on this schedule will be forthcoming later this week for families.
Targeted Intervention: Math and ELA instructors will be working together to provide targeted interventions based on student needs. More information will be forthcoming as the intervention sessions are scheduled. Parents will be notified if your child is identified to participate in these sessions.
The goal at FMS is that ALL STUDENTS will learn and will make academic growth. We plan to provide ALL OUR STUDENTS with the ability and opportunity to be able to master the academic standards. For more information, please contact your child’s counselor for assistance.
Thank you.
HEALTH NEWS
Modified quarantine: what does this mean?
· CDPH addresses this in item 9 of their FAQ: Extracurricular activities, including athletics, are not eligible for modified quarantine.
· Students continue to attend school ( while wearing a mask)
o Students with mask exemptions are not eligible for modified quarantine
· Students will be intermittently tested for COVID-19.
o Parents may take their student to any testing facility they choose. Please send the school a paper copy of the result when they are available.
· Testing frequency: per guidelines* (2x in the 10 day quarantine period AND at least one test after day 5)
o To shorten modified quarantine: Test once between day 1-5. Test again on day 6 or later. Second negative test result may end quarantine after day 7
o This means students can return to extra-curricular activities (like sports) on day 8
· Students in modified quarantine may use school buses, including buses operated by public and private school systems. They may participate in all required instructional components of the school day, except activities where a mask cannot be worn, such as while playing certain musical instruments.
o However, students on modified quarantine may eat meals on campus using food service recommendations provided in the K-12 Guidance
A Website to Promote Student Mental Health and Self Esteem Building
Kendall Skratt is a former student at Folsom Middle School who now attends Folsom Lake College. For the past two and a half months, she has been working on a Gold Award project for Girl Scouts.
The project has culminated in this website which she designed to help middle school and early high school students understand and cope with low self-esteem. This project is quite personal for her as she has voiced she has struggled with low self-esteem her whole life and she is eager to aid as many students as she can. Perhaps it is something that can benefit your child or someone else you know.
Thank you, Kendall, for sharing your work with us!
THERE IS STILL TIME TO SUPPORT YOUR SCHOOL AND WIN
We are excited to announce Folsom Middle School's largest ANNUAL SCHOOL FUNDRAISER will be 100% online this year. You will be able to reach out to family, friends, neighbors, and businesses by email, Facebook, and Twitter.
This week, you will receive an email with a link to your student's unique pledge page. Simply click the link to make a donation to your student's unique pledge page, and share your student's link with others. We are shooting for 100% participation so no amount is too small.
If you do not receive the email for whatever reason, simply search and find your student's unique online pledge page here: https://www.99pledges.com/fund/fmsjagathon21 or email president.fmspto@gmail.com for assistance.
🎯WE'RE ASKING EACH FAMILY TO RAISE $50. Having a unique pledge page URL makes it easy to notify family, friends, neighbors and businesses by sharing your student's URL link. Imagine: if 5 people donated $10 (tax-deductible) then each student would reach their goal!
📝DONATIONS ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE. Jagathon is sponsored by Folsom Middle School Parent Teacher Organization- a registered 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization. Federal Tax ID 68-0187183. Please share this tax-deductible Federal Tax ID so they can use it as well. This event helps you and all who donate to your student's fundraising efforts reinvest your tax dollars in your student's education.
JAGATHON is our school's largest- and most important- Annual School Community Giving Campaign. Administrators, Teachers, Staff, and Parents work together to guide and encourage students to do their best! 🐾 Will you help them achieve their goal? Your donation directly impacts our 1,300+ students and over 100 staff members for the entire 2021-22 school year!
😷 SAFETY of our Jaguars is our highest priority. For the safety of our students and staff, our Jagathon has been modified to take place throughout the school day in smaller groups, outdoors, applying all appropriate health and safety precautions.
🌈You will be receiving more information via email this week. You can also find out more on our website. Our link is on the Folsom Middle School website face page. If the have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us at president.fmspto@gmail.com
💛THANK YOU! On behalf of all our Jaguar Students, Administrators, Teachers, Staff, PTO Members and Parent Volunteers, please accept our warm gratitude for your generous support!
QR Code to Membership page: Join and Pay online here.
FOLSOM MIDDLE SCHOOL
Website: www.fcusd.org/fms
Location: 500 Blue Ravine Road, Folsom, CA, USA
Phone: 916-294-9040
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fms.pto