Franklin e-Newsletter
Friday, October 26
Follow us on Twitter: @FranklinBolts
New Fax Number: (319) 558-2640
Offices closing at 1:30 on November 2 Due to Professional Learning
Fall Conference Follow-up
We're also grateful to our amazing PTA and volunteers who provided our staff dinner on Monday. What a terrific spread of soups, breads, and desserts. Thank you to our following parents, by last name: Attwood, Baldwin, Burkamper, Caldwell, Canfield, Chawla, Gale, Greco, Jacobo, Kunstorf, Longwisch, Novak, Paricka, Parlet, Pitcher, Semaan, Snitkey, Swanson, Vick, White, Wray, Zieser.
2nd Quarter Begins
Mix It Up Day @ Lunch
Our Franklin Student Council was vital in organizing and managing the three lunch shifts and communicating the outcomes for the days. Our goal was for students to meet and talk with students they might not typically associate with. Topics of discussion were provided as well as our staff going around to help facilitate those conversations.
In addition to lunch, in homeroom the past two weeks, teachers guided the students through a lesson to speak to past experiences. Students were asked to take a moment to reflect on their experiences with intolerance, isolation and bullying. This could be an interaction with a peer or an adult, inside of the school or out in the community. They could have been the perpetrator or the victim. These experiences were placed anonymously on a "brick" and placed on a wall in their grade level appropriate hallway. During lunch, students each went and took down a brick to signify how they can be part of a larger community where these types of experiences no longer occur. Be sure to ask your child about their experience.
Waiting Before & After School
Safety Drills
Fire:
- 08/30/17 9 am
- 11/15/17 8:45 am
- 04/04/18 1:00 pm
Lockdown:
- 09/05/17 8:45 am
- 02/22/18 10:00 am
Tornado:
- 08/31/17 8:45 am
- 11/14/17 8:45 am
- 05/08/18 9:30 am
So far this year we have conducted 2 fire drills, 2 tornado drills, and 1 lockdown drill. We will continue to perform these drills throughout the year. As always, if you have any questions concerning the work of our drills, please don't hesitate to reach out.
Picking Up & Dropping Off
Fall Sports Recap
Cross Country
7th Grade Volleyball
The 7th Girls Volleyball team had a great time learning about volleyball and competing for the first time against different schools in our area. The girls learned a great deal about the many components of volleyball and there was improvement at all levels. The girls worked very hard during practices and improved tremendously as they ended their short season. Coach Schulte will be offering announcements in early November regarding additional opportunities to play volleyball with various clubs in the Cedar Rapids. The volleyball club season typically include try-outs followed by practices and games during the winter months. Best of luck to all the young athletes as they continue their journey of volleyball and all the additional sports and activities they will continue to explore.
8th Grade Volleyball
8th grade volleyball was an excellent group of girls this year! This is my first year at Franklin and coaching here and they provided numerous moments of determination, leadership, teamwork, fun, and humor. I was very impressed by the motivation and cheering they did for each other, regardless of whether they are in the same peer group during school or not. Each student improved in their volleyball skills and there was a noticeable difference between the first day of practice and the last. Congratulations on finishing your season and being a spectacular group of kids!
Girls' Soccer
The Franklin Girls soccer team finished their season with a record of 2 wins, 2 losses and a tie. Their only losses were to 3-year undefeated Excelsior and a 1 goal loss to a very strong Oakridge team. 2 lopsided wins over Roosevelt and Wilson and a tie with continual City Champ contenders Harding rounded out the season. Franklin has not tied or beaten Harding in the last 10 years. Franklin was joined by a few girls from McKinley this year due to their small numbers. It took a bit of adjusting, but in the end it worked out well. The girls played aggressively all year and their efforts payed off. I am very proud of their play on the field, but most proud of the way they welcomed and handled themselves with the addition of the players from McKinley. I know that some new friendships were formed and all the girls learned some valuable lessons about the importance of tolerance and acceptance!
7th Grade Football
Coach Brune and Coach Suthers would like to thank the players and parents of the 7th grade football team for a great season. Although our record (1-4) may not reflect a winning season, the efforts of our athletes did. This was a year of growth. We had many athletes where this was their first year of organized football and putting on pads. These athletes learned a lot about football, responsibility, accountability and playing as a team. We are very proud of the effort that players put into each and every game and practice. As the season progressed we actually grew in numbers, which shows that the pride players were showing on and off the field, was rubbing off on others. This year’s players were not ones to shy away from hard work, they were at practices consistently, whether they were rainy and wet or 89 degrees when it should have been 59 degrees, they were there. Our one win came against McKinley at Kingston Stadium where we pulled out a 20-6 win with a blocked punt and some long runs. Unfortunately, we were not able to play a reserve game that day, but they were able to get in a full game against an experienced Prairie team, where they held there own with some great tackling and a turnover. We look forward to seeing these players grow over the year by participating in other sports and coming back out next year as 8th graders, who this year were 4-0-1 and had the same record as we did last year. Congratulations and keep growing on and off the field. GO BOLTS!!
8th Grade Football
The 8th grade football team capped off an undefeated season (4-0-1) on Monday with a hard-fought, come from behind victory over Harding 14-8. The strength of the team was a stellar defense that allowed only 14 points through five games. Consistent effort at each practice allowed for continuous improvement during the season which led to us playing our best football at the end of the year.
Boys' Tennis
The Franklin tennis team finished with a record of 9-0 this season. The reserves finished 8-0. The team was 18-0 the past two seasons. We had 20 players out for tennis and everyone finished the season. All of the players made improvements this season. They set a goal at the start of the year to go undefeated and they achieved it. During the year I received several compliments from other coaches about our level of play and even more importantly, our sportsmanship.
New Information
Fall Musical
The Vocal and Drama programs have teamed up to include more than 100 students in their production of "Spamalot (Young@Part Edition)!" It's a comedy based on the movie "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," in which King Arthur and his knights go on a quest, encountering many ridiculous obstacles. November 8 & 9, 7 p.m., Franklin Middle School Auditorium, 300 20th St. NE, Cedar Rapids. Tickets are $5 at the door (cash or check).
Continuing Information
Tutoring Available
If you're interested in your child attending tutoring please contact our Counseling Office at (319) 558-2258.
Bolt Closet
Hy-Vee Receipts & Box Tops
We would appreciate your support in our collection of Box Tops for Education and Hy-Vee Receipts. There are collection bins in our main office and can be dropped off at any time. Later in the year we will hold Homeroom competitions for the receipts. Annually, we have amazing support for our families that comes back to benefit our students.
Franklin Office Hours
Getting Messages to Your Child
Upcoming Events
- Girls Swimming @ Washington
Tuesday, October 30
- Boys' Basketball: 7th @ Taft / 8th @ Home
Thursday, November 1
- Boys' Basketball: 7th @ Home / 8th @ Wilson
Monday, November 5
- Girls' Swimming: @ Washington
Tuesday, November 6
- Boys' Basketball: 7th @ Linn-Mar Excelsior / 8th @ Home
Thursday, November 8
- Boys' Basketball: 7th @ Home / 8th @ McKinley
- Fall Musical, "Spamalot" @ 7:00
Friday, November 9
Franklin Middle School
Email: lptacek@cr.k12.ia.us
Website: franklin.cr.k12.ia.us
Location: 300 20th Street Northeast, Cedar Rapids, IA, United States
Phone: (319) 558-2452
Facebook: facebook.com/franklinms
Twitter: @FranklinBolts