FPHS Parent and Student Memo
August 16, 2021
Franklin Pierce High School
FPS District Equity Statement
DISTRICT AREAS OF FOCUS AND IMPROVEMENT:
- Equity and Social Justice
- Improved Instruction
- Family and Community Partnership
Our Equity Team would like to partner with our parents and students to fulfill our mission to support our students, staff, and families by identifying and dismantling systems that perpetuate, exacerbate, or produce inequities based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, etc. If you would like to collaborate with us, please let us know HERE. If you want to learn more about our commitment to EQUITY and ANTI-RACISM, feel free to contact any of our FPHS Equity Team members: Hartley, Marzano, Wright, Laban, Apelu, Brist, Call, Chapman, Detweiler, Fineman, Goodrum, Inman, Kaunda, B. Lee, Martin, Plaskett, Quill, Roscoe, Scroger, Shoopman, Washam, McNeil, Wacker, Tracy, and T. Johnson.
Dear Parents and Students,
- Freshman Orientation Night: In-Person event CANCELLED. We're sorry, everyone! We were very much looking forward to seeing and meeting you in person. However, we have just been advised to NOT hold large in-person back-to-school events due to Covid safety, so we need to change our plans for Freshman Orientation Night. We will create a digital Freshman Orientation and share details on how to access the information asap. Stay tuned!
- Are you a Pierce County Skills Center student? Would you like to be? They still have some spots open in various programs. Apply HERE and make sure to communicate with your FPHS Counselor about your desire to attend PCSC.
- Also, if you're a Pierce County Skills Center student, you'll notice that FPHS starts about a week before they do. During that week, if you have your own transportation, feel free to come to FPHS for only your FPHS classes (periods 3, 4, 7, and 8). If you don't have your own transportation and you take the bus and have to arrive at 8:15am, you'll just spend your first two periods in the Library waiting for your FPHS classes to start.
- Find more info on Tacoma Pierce County Health Department School Guidelines HERE.
- We are still finalizing student schedules for 2021-22. Once they're complete, they'll be available on Skyward Family Access. Students will also receive copies on their first day of school.
- See HERE for information about student bus routes.
- Make sure you're following us on Social Media: FPHS Facebook page; FPHS Twitter page; FPHS Instagram page.
Visit HERE to view previous Parent and Student Memos.
Please, make sure you have all the info below. We miss you and wish you all the very best. Stay safe and be well!
COVID Safety Guidelines and FAQs:
- Will students be checking in at the beginning of school in the commons and completing daily health attestations like we did in Spring? No, but for everyone's safety, please stay home if you are sick or have any Covid symptoms.
- Will there be social distancing? Yes. Current guidelines require 3 feet of social distancing between students while in the classroom and recommend 6 feet between students during lunches and in common areas as much as possible (ex: hallways during passing periods). Guidelines require 6 feet of social distancing between staff and students at all times.
- Will we be wearing masks? Yes, all students, staff, and visitors are required to wear masks regardless of vaccination status.
- What other precautions are being taken? Our Maintenance team has adjusted our HVAC systems campus-wide to maximize outside air flow and increase filtration. Our Custodial team will continue to focus on cleaning high-touch areas throughout the day. Desks will be cleaned between periods with soap and water.
- What if there's a positive Covid case? Staff or students with Covid symptoms should self-isolate immediately. If staff or students are already on campus, they will be isolated immediately and sent home as soon as possible. Staff or students displaying symptoms should seek medical attention immediately. If staff or students test positive, they should notify school administrators immediately and not come to school. Contact tracing will be conducted by school administrators and the TPC Health Department. Students or staff in close contact according to TPCHD guidelines will be notified and required to self-isolate.
- Will breakfasts be served? Like last Spring, breakfasts will be "grab and go" and available when students pick up their lunches. We will not be serving breakfasts in the mornings.
- Will lunches be served? Yes, students will be divided into three lunch groups (1st lunch, 2nd lunch, 3rd lunch). Lunches will be picked up in the cafeteria and can be eaten in the Cafeteria, Commons, or Corrigan Room. Like last year, students must eat lunch in an assigned seat for contact tracing. "Grab and go" breakfasts will be available at the lunch pick-up stations.
First Day of School: Tuesday, August 31.
- 8:15am to 11am: Freshman Orientation. This is for FRESHMEN ONLY! Teachers and student leaders will help our newest Cardinals acclimate to our school campus and school-wide expectations. Freshmen will be served lunch during this time.
- 10th, 11th, and 12th graders will not arrive to FPHS until 11:05am. The buses will be running a morning route for Freshmen only and a second route for 10th, 11th, and 12th graders.
- VERY IMPORTANT: Lunches will not be served for 10th, 11th, and 12th graders on the first day of school, so please eat before you arrive.
- After Freshmen Orientation and after 10th, 11th, and 12th graders arrive, all students will attend their classes briefly to meet their teachers based on the following schedule:
- Cardinal Connections (Advisory): 11:20 – 12:05
- Period 1: 12:10 – 12:25
- Period 2: 12:30 – 12:45
- Period 3: 12:50 – 1:05
- Period 4: 1:10 – 1:25
- Period 5: 1:30 – 1:45
- Period 6: 1:50 – 2:05
- Period 7: 2:10 – 2:25
- Period 8: 2:30 – 2:45
Students, if you ride the bus, please make sure you write down your bus number so that you can find it again at the end of the day. Also, at the end of the day, our buses load in two different locations (near the gym and in the student parking lot). In the morning, please, make sure you ask your bus driver where you will find him/her at the end of the day.
Calendar Items:
- Jun 29 - Aug 6: Summer School -- T, W, Th from 8:35am to 12:35pm.
- Aug 23 - 26: Staff Training Days
- Aug 31: First day of School
- Sep 3: No school
- Sep 6: Labor Day -- no school
- Sep 8: Back to School Night, 6pm to 7:30pm
- Sep 14: Picture Day
- Sep 15, 22, and 29: Early release Wednesdays
Daily Bell Schedules
Advisory classes will meet on M, T, Th, and F.
Most Wednesdays will be early dismissal.
See bell schedules below.
AUGUST Culture Calendar
AUGUST is ...
- NATIONAL CIVILITY MONTH. Learn more HERE.
- 8/9: INTERNATIONAL DAY OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE. Learn more HERE.
- 8/14: INTERNATIONAL LEFT-HANDERS DAY. Learn more HERE.
- 8/19: WORLD HUMANITARIAN DAY. Learn more HERE.
- 8/22: OBON. Learn more HERE.
- 8/23: INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE REMEMBRANCE OF THE SLAVE TRADE AND ITS ABOLITION. Learn more HERE.
- 8/26: WOMEN’S EQUALITY DAY. Learn more HERE.
The Cardinal Character Trait for AUGUST is DIGNITY. Learn more HERE.
LIFE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL:
Family and Community Engagement
The Franklin Pierce High School Food & Hygiene Pantry is available for all students and their families.
Use this LINK to view our current food & hygiene pantry options. Please mark the items you need and staff will put together a bag or box. We will contact you when your bag is ready for pick up or delivery.
Additional ways to request items: You can request a paper copy of this form by contacting Bonita Lee at blee@fpschools.org or call 253-298-3837 to request items via phone.
Social Justice, Equity, and Anti-Racist Resources:
- In the video below and HERE, Pharrell Williams reacts to some emotional discoveries behind his family history in this clip from PBS' Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr.
The first step in ALLYSHIP is LISTENING.
The second step is BELIEVING.
The third step is ACTION. Get involved and create the positive change you want to see in the world.
FPHS Sports!
FPHS Athletes and Families,
Fall sports is right around the corner! FPHS would like to ensure that as many athletes as possible are at turnout for the first day of practices. For those athletes interested in swim, we are currently in the same circumstance as last year. We are working on a partnership with a pool facility in order for our program to practice and compete. Any updates on that will be communicated through this Parent/Student Memo.
Please also be aware that the safety protocols and practices surrounding Covid and our athletic programs is constantly changing. Communication with families on what that may look like will come through the memo and our coaches for each of the fall sports.
For more details or information on what you will need on the first day of practice, please use the contact information provided below for the coach of your program.
Here are the official start dates for the fall season.
- August 18th – Football
- August 23rd – Cross Country, Golf, Soccer, Tennis, Swim, Volleyball, and Cheer
Prospective athletes and their families need to:
- Register student athletes in familyID (FPHS Sports Registration link below)
- Ensure you have a current physical within the last 2 years and that it is on file at the high school
FALL
Football
Trevor Hanson
Cross Country (B&G)
Jesse McNeil
Golf (Boys)
Colin Horak
Golf (Girls)
Jeff Melvard
Soccer (Girls)
Kyle Wynkoop
Swim & Dive (Girls)
TBH
TBH
Tennis (Boys)
Tyler Parsons
Volleyball (Girls)
Tiffany Disney
Cheerleading
Trisha Tracy
Resources
School Resources:
- District Website: https://www.fpschools.org/
- Franklin Pierce HS Website
- IT Help Desk for Students and Parents: 253-298-4647, 7:30AM to 4PM.
- Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI)
- FPS Breakfast and Lunch Program: www.fpschools.org/meals
- FPS Education Resources: https://www.fpschools.org/exended-closure-resources-and-information/closure-educational-resources
- Want to add Canvas to your phone? Android or iOS. Once you download the app, search "fpschools" to find our district.
- FPHS Facebook page.
- FPHS Twitter page.
- FPHS Instagram page.
- Information about GRADES and GRADING.
- Information about BUSES.
- District CALENDAR.
- Information about ATTENDANCE.
- How to access and use DORA.
COVID- 19 Resources:
- District Website: https://www.fpschools.org/
- Gov. Inslee's COVID-19 updates web page: https://www.governor.wa.gov/tags/covid-19-coronavirus
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
Community Resources:
- District resources and partners: https://www.fpschools.org/departments/family-engagement-office/community-resources
- Check with your phone and internet provider: many providers are offering free and/or unlimited data, internet etc. during the Stay Home, Stay Healthy order.
- Financial Resources: https://dfi.wa.gov/coronavirus/financial-resources