December 20, 2018
Message From the Principal!
Dear Five Forks Community,
As I have said many, many times over these past 19 years at Five Forks…I am blessed. What a great community to call my home! What an excellent and dedicated staff to call my family! What an amazing student body…THE VERY BEST!
As 2018 comes to a close, I come to you again to share amazing news! The Five Forks Middle School students and staff have, for the third year in a row, earned recognition from Governor Nathan Deal’s Office of Student Achievement in two areas. We earned a Silver Award in the Greatest Gains category for exhibiting high growth in student achievement. This means that our academic growth over the last three years has been in the top 5% of all schools in the state! We also earned a Silver Award in the Highest Performing category for exhibiting high academic performance, meaning that our overall achievement for the last three years has been in the top 5% of the schools in the state! This is excellent news as we moved from a Bronze Award to a Silver Award in the Highest Performing category. Five Forks’ students continue to make academic gains across the board!
Additionally, Five Forks Middle School is one of 112 Greatest Gains schools in the state and one of only 27 schools to receive the 2018 Silver award for Greatest Gains. We are also one of 78 Highest Performing schools in the state and one of only 23 schools to receive the 2018 Silver award for Highest Performing schools. Finally, Five Forks Middle School is one of ONLY 31 schools in the state to receive an award in BOTH categories.
To learn more about the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement and the 2018 Single Statewide Accountability System (SASS) awards, please click this link. There is much to be proud of as a Five Forks Bronco! Our committed staff and our bright students are supported by a wonderful community. We are truly a team - determined to help our students soar.
Sincerely,
Christine Douthart, Proud Principal
Talent Show News!
FFMS Chorus Students to Perform at Carnegie Hall!
The invitation came earlier this year after someone saw a YouTube video of the FFMS Chorus and recommended them. Our students who auditioned to be a part of this experience were selected based upon their ability to sing, not their ability to pay. This will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for these twenty-four students, and we could really use your support to help get them there.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to rally support from within our Brookwood community, and 100% of any donations will go toward the cost of the trip and performance. Your generosity can be a part of this life-changing experience for these students, most of whom have never been to New York City and several of whom have never been on an airplane!
No amount is too small and will truly be appreciated. Even if you are unable to give a monetary donation, we ask that you share the GoFundMe page on your personal social media accounts to help spread the word throughout the entire Brookwood community and with anyone who might be interested in supporting these deserving Chorus students!
Flu Info From GCPS!
The 2018-19 flu season has begun and Georgia is experiencing higher levels of flu than anticipated for this time of year. Experts from the CDC recommend an annual flu vaccine as the first and best way to protect against influenza. And, although the flu can't prevent every case of flu, it can protect you from more severe illness. It's not too late to get a flu shot; so consider getting a shot for yourself and your family members, especially those with asthma and other chronic illnesses. Health officials encourage families to take precautions to limit the spread of illness, including washing hands frequently, covering coughs and sneezes, and staying home and keeping ill children home when flu-like and other cold symptoms appear.
If your child has flu-like symptoms, please contact your physician or health clinic for recommendations. The flu may last 7-10 days. If your child has a fever, they must be kept home. They must be fever-free for 24 hours without medication prior to returning to school. Please refer to this Healthy Habits link for tips on flu prevention. If you have questions about the flu or flu prevention, you may also contact the Gwinnett County Health Department at 770-339-4260.
Information about flu shots available from Gwinnett Medical Center's primary care and urgent care locations is shown below.
We appreciate your efforts in helping us keep our students and staff well and healthy!
See Something, Send Something!
The Georgia Department of Public Safety, along with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, have led efforts to implement the "See Something, Send Something" system in Georgia. This app provides a mechanism for citizens to help keep our cities safe by assisting law enforcement by immediately making reports of criminal or suspicious activity.
Georgia is the 10th state to participate in "See Something, Send Something." The service is already available in Alabama, Colorado, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Please contact Officer Woytek here at Five Forks with any questions.
Local Events!
MyPayments Plus Info!
Safety and Security!
Count Me In Award!
Progress Reports!
Student Info Undates!
Recycling News!
Clinic!
Media Center!
Art Room!
Parents/Guardians,
Check out the FFMS Counseling Department's website for the community resources, tutoring list, suicide prevention resources (including parent discussion guide for watching TV shows with sensitive content), digital citizenship, and much more.
We Are Smoke Free!
Help Sessions!
Car Riders!
Attention, Business Owners!
Dates to Remember!
12/21 - Winter Break - No School (through January 2nd)
1/3 - School Resumes
1/10 - Basketball vs Sweetwater, Berkmar HS, 5:00 pm
1/12 - Basketball vs Snellville, South Gwinnett HS, 9:00 am
1/15 - All Pro Dad event, Cafeteria, 7:30 am
1/17 - Basketball vs Couch, BHS Gold Gym, 5:00 pm
1/21 - MLK Holiday (No School)
1/22 - Parent Meeting: Drugs & Trends, Cafeteria, 6:30 pm
1/24 - Basketball vs Jordan, Central Gwinnett HS, 6:00 pm
1/26 - Saturday Opportunity School, 9:00 - 11:00 am
1/26 - Basketball vs Richards, Discovery HS, 9:00 am
1/26 - Soccer vs Pinckneyville, FFMS Field, 10:00 am
1/26 - FFMS 40th Birthday Celebration, FFMS Field, 5:30 pm
1/28 - 7th Grade Jekyll Island Field Trip (through 30th)
1/31 - 6th Grade Band "My First Concert", Cafeteria, 5:45 pm
1/31 - 6th Grade Orchestra Winter Concert, Cafeteria, 7:30 pm
Five Forks Middle School
Email: five_forks_middle@gwinnett.k12.ga.us
Website: fiveforksmiddleschool.org
Location: 3250 River Drive Southwest, Lawrenceville, GA, United States
Phone: 770-972-1506
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BuckyConnects
Twitter: @BuckyConnects