Happy March Fairhaven Friends and Families,

March is a wonderful time of year, with more daylight, warmer temperatures, and clocks moving forward an hour for Daylight’s Saving Time on the 12th. As we approach spring, we move into a time of transitions. This month we begin the transition to high school for our 8th grade students and families. Families are invited to Sehome on March 20th for the incoming 9th grade Family Night starting at 6:30pm. While we are sad to be saying goodbye to an amazing group of young people, we are excited to help them move into their next school chapter. You will also notice below that our incredible PTSA is seeking both members and officers. Our PTSA does so much for the students, staff, and families at Fairhaven. PTSA will be meeting the evening of March 15th via Zoom and they hope to see many of you there. Finally, below you will notice a huge thank you to our Bellingham School Foundation for their support for our district-wide, 7th-grade author visit last month. Our foundation is such a consistent support for our students and schools and like our PTSA, would not be possible without our families. Thank you in advance for looking through this month’s Grizzly Growl. If you have any questions, suggestions, or thoughts for us, please reach out to our front office team at 360-676-6450.

My best,

Steve Ruthford, Principal

A Grizzly Receiving Recognition (GRR) award recognizes students who go above and beyond. GRR awards are a way to publicly recognize a student for their excellence, exceptional effort, kindness toward others, or other significant contribution to our FMS community. Students chosen this Month were:

LYLA ALCANTAR

CASHOUS BARNES

JAYDON HINDS

NINA LAMONICA

ANNA SANTANA

TYLER STOCKBURGER

GABRIELA VARGAS-OCASIO

AVA WILSON

SANTIAGO ARMENDARIZ

OWEN BURDICK

OLIVE CARLSON

FINN CONNOR

BELLA EVERETT

MORGAN GISH

MAKENNA JEFFERY

CALLIE MCPHERSON

MACKLIN SHANNON

REGELIO ARREOLA MARTINEZ

HELEN BUETOW

ELSA ETHELBAH

IAN HERNANDEZ

IAN HOWARD

LUE JACKSON

ROWAN JOHNSON

EMMA LATTERELL

ANDREW MAO

AVA OSTERLOH

WHITNEY PARNOW

ADA QUESSENBERRY

BETH ROBINSON

SEQUOIA SHINN-SHEARER

COLLIN STEWART

KONNOR TRINDLE

This is one big book club, made up of kids, adults and good reads. We get together to build community and connections through our discussion of a common book.

Our meeting will be held this spring. Prior to the meeting, participants read the current pick – on their own or with a friend or family member. Then, we all meet up one evening in the Commons for refreshments, activities, and to share our thoughts about the book. By the end of the night, readers achieve a greater appreciation for the book and one another!

This spring’s meeting will be held in the Fairhaven Middle School Commons on Thursday, May 11th, 2023, from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. We look forward to seeing you there!

This year’s book is Attack of the Black Rectangles by Amy Sarig King.

You can check one out in our FMS library, in your language arts classroom, or buy one at a local bookstore. Mention you are part of the Fairhaven Reads book club at Village Books and you’ll receive a 15% discount.

We’re looking forward to seeing you there!

Friday March 31st Staff Appreciation!

Thank you to everyone who made February's lunch such a success! We are going with a Chili Feed theme this month for the 60+ teachers and staff at Fairhaven Middle School. The effort you give and food/items you provide are greatly appreciated! This month's lunch is on Friday, March 31st. All kinds of chili are encouraged from veggie to meat, and mild to spicy! We have a handful of staff members who are gluten-free, so if anyone has gluten-free options that would be fantastic. We will also provide a variety of toppings, cornbreads, drinks, and desserts.

Sign up HERE: March 31st Staff Appreciation Chili Feed

Please check out the list of options and find what works best for you. You or your student can bring your item(s) to the school's office by 10:00 a.m. on Friday, March 31st.

Make sure dishes/utensils have your name on them. All dishes will be ready for pickup as close to 3:45 pm as possible in the lounge the same day. Thank you kindly for your contribution.

Thank you!

Your Staff Appreciation Coordinator,

Alicia Gabrielson (tralicia@gmail.com)

Fairhaven PTSA Membership & Meetings Time Survey Results!

The results are in, and the survey says…evenings and Zoom are preferred by the respondents at this time. We will leave the survey open for now, in case anyone would like to weigh in, but the March PTSA meeting will move to:

Wednesday March 15th

Zoom

7:00 PM

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81578625645?pwd=NWg1M3I3c1orRXNuNzJZcHU1V0hvZz09

This link will also be posted on our FMS Facebook page prior to the meeting.

Fairhaven PTSA Meeting Times for General Meetings! Survey

PTSA Officer Openings!

Another reminder! We have OPEN positions for officer roles for Co-Presidents (2) and Secretary for the remainder of 2023, and Fundraising for 2024. We will ask for nominations or volunteers at every meeting, so please give us a shout if you have questions or want the inside scoop. Jump in now if you have a 6th or 7th grader and want to seize the opportunity to be mentored by this year’s PTSA board – who are acting in the interim until someone claims the “hot seats” - before our kids move out of middle school next year. 😉

HEY – We are especially looking for a PTSA Bookkeeper!!

• Is your check book always balanced?
• Are you unafraid of Quickbooks?
• Do you do your own taxes?

This position takes no more than an hour or so each month, and is responsible for creating a budget report for the monthly meeting. It is budgeting light, trust us – there are few transactions each month, and reconciling them takes very little time. But, this position is critical to us for keeping our oversight obligations! You’ll have a “Treasurer Buddy” who writes all the checks and sends you the information (not an elf, sorry). You also get to file our taxes, but again – super simple. The previous position-holder is available to train you.

Join the PTSA:

Questions? Email PTSAFMSMembership@gmail.com or FairhavenPTSA@gmail.com

Your membership helps provide:

• Teacher Grants
• Staff Appreciation
• Sports Uniforms
• 8th Grade Celebration
• Sponsoring Special Events (Masquerade Ball, Parent Education) and more

If you have ANY questions or wish to volunteer, please email fairhavenptsa@gmail.com

Students and parents: It’s not too soon to think ahead to summer 2023! Once again, the Assistance League of Bellingham (ALB) is offering summer scholarships to students, grades 6-11, who attend Whatcom County public schools. Scholarships for middle school students will be up to $400. Here are some important reminders: Applicants will need to specify which summer program they plan to attend on their application form; ALB does not fund religion-centered camps, sports camps, programs in foreign countries or private lessons; programs that qualify include a wide range of subjects including debate, music, dance, theater, writing, art, leadership, ecology studies, college prep and more! Applications are due on or before April 14th…for more information and/or to get an application, please see the Fairhaven Counseling Department (Bacon/Penner).

The Fairhaven Spring Sports Season will soon be here. It will start on April 11th, after Spring Break. Please sign up before March 31st

. The following spring sport include:

• Coed Football (7th and 8th grade)
• Girls Basketball (6th, 7th, and 8th grade)
• Unified Soccer (all grades, partnered with the Special Olympics)
• Coed Cross Country (6th, 7th, and 8th grade)

Teams will practice at Fairhaven and play the other middle schools in Bellingham. All experience levels are welcome. If you are interested in joining, have your parents/guardians sign into FinalForms to register. A current sports physical (within the last 2 years) is required, PhysicalForm . If you have any questions, please email our ASB Secretary, Karen Batt at karen.batt@bellinghamschools.org.

Go Grizzlies!!!