Franklin Middle School
April Newsletter 2023
Principal's Message
Happy Spring to our Franklin Families!
Okay, the weather may not reflect it, but we did cross from winter to spring, and I think all of us are longing for a little warmth and sunshine! By the time you read this newsletter, we will be wrapping up our spring conferences and everyone will be headed to Spring Break. Thank you to all of you who attended our conferences. The students practiced hard to present their work and grades to their parents. If you missed out, contact your student’s homeroom teacher, and ask for a conference.
Please take the time to read this newsletter. There are several wonderful achievements by Franklin
students-in music, writing, sports, and TSA. It has been a busy month. Also, just a reminder, our annual state assessment, the SBA, is scheduled to begin in May. We are required to test 95% of our students in Reading and Math so students need to be present. More on this subject in next month’s newsletter. In closing, have a well-deserved Spring Break. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and warm up so we can all get outside and enjoy the sun.
With Warm Regards,
Principal Anderson
TSA State Conference
Mr. McFadden, Franklin's Technology Teacher, took his TSA students to the State Conference in SeaTac from March 22nd to March 25th. Franklin students placed in the State competition! Way to go!
Lucy Sullivan - Top 5 finalist for digital photography
Sanaa Dean, Za'Naya McLin, Beronica Valencia - 3rd place for catapult (one of very few all girls teams and only all girl team that placed in the top 5)
Andrew "Ender" Hieber & Giovanni Siino - 2nd place for silent film
Joshua Whitney - 2nd place for flight
Tod Pham - 1st place for flight
The TSA National Conference takes place in Louisville KY from June 28 to July 2. Franklin students Tod Pham and Joshua Whitney will be attending. Two former Franklin students earned officer positions at the state level. Peter Whitney will be Washington TSA president next year. Amalia Pham will be the Washington TSA treasurer.
TSA Competition
Silent Film Category
Catapult Category
Sanaa Dean, Za'Naya McLin, Beronica Valencia-3rd place
Flight Category
Joshua Whitney 2nd
Problem Solving
Problem Solving
Digital Photography
Lucy Sullivan-Top 5
Mr. McFadden
Mr. McFadden and his students on their way to Sea Tac.
YSD Voices Essay Contest
Franklin Student is the winner of the YSD Voices Essay Contest!
We are excited that Natalie Solis-Torrico, a 6th-grade student at FMS, will be celebrated as an honoree for the Voices/Voces Writing Awards for her essay submission, titled The Mystery Gift.
Spring Music Concerts
Franklin's Halls were filled with music the first week of March. It began on March 7th with Choir and Orchestra performing, followed by Band performing on March 9th. Our musically talented Franklin students did an outstanding job!
Franklin Honors Band received a Superior rating at YVMEA Middle School Band Festival on March 14th. Out of 14 bands across the Yakima Valley, with schools like West Valley, Ellensburg, and others, all Yakima School District bands took top spots! Music is alive and well in our district and especially at Franklin!
Class Spotlight-Mr. Fry's Japanese Class
Mr. Fry's students experienced Japanese culture this week. They ensembled a Sushi roll from scratch. The roll included white rice, smoked salmon, soy sauce with sliced apples on the side. They were delicious!
Pick-up and Drop-off Reminder
Parents, we would like to thank you for following our Pick-up and Drop-off routes. Since we have returned from break, we would like to remind you about the routes.
We also ask that you refrain from using the parking lot on 19th during drop-off and pick-up time. We have noticed congestion in the parking lot and cars trying to weave in between parked vehicles; this causes an unsafe situation. We will be blocking off the parking lot during pick-up and drop-off times. Please continue to pick your students up at the Arches on 19th. Thank you for your understanding.
ESD 105's Healthy Youth/Healthy Families
On March 23rd, ESD 105 hosted an event at Franklin Middle School where parents participated in various activities throughout the building. Families participated in Hidden In Plain Site, a presentation to students, and Narcan Training. The night was filled with door and raffle prizes, dinner, and presentations.
Yakima School District employees can be nominated for an Excellence in Education award. Employees need to have served two years in a full-time position. Community members can be nominated for the Yakima Schools Foundation's Champion of Youth award.
- Crystal Apple Award: Up to five certificated, non-administrative candidates will be awarded (YEA)
- Crystal Apple Principal Award: One building administrator candidate will be awarded (YPA)
- Shining Star Award: Up to five classified, non-administrative candidates will be awarded (Teamsters 760, YABS, YAP, YEOP, PSE, YMA, YPTA, Exempt, OSG)
- Shining Star Department Director Award: One district department director candidate will be awarded (certificated and classified YDA members)*
- Champion Of Youth Award: The Yakima Schools Foundation's Champion of Youth Award recognizes s community member who impacts the lives of our students and empowers them to achieve academic and personal success. Nominees are seen as outstanding community members dedicated to strengthening public education, creating equity, and empowering students. They are committed to seeking ways to enhance student learning to ensure a brighter tomorrow.
Nomination packets are due April 10, 2023, at 4:00 pm. There will be no extensions. Nominations can be made by students, former students, parents, community members, teachers, administrators, or school-related groups.
PBIS NEWS
BOLT STORE OPEN
We have opened our PBIS BOLT Store. We encourage teachers to recognize positive behavior daily by giving students our PBIS Rewards incentive called a BOLT. Students can collect BOLTS and spend them at our BOLT Store, which will be open every Friday.
Our Grand Opening was held on Friday, September 30th and it was met with a positive reception. Our students were excited about the items that were being sold, they were excited that they could use their BOLTS to buy items of high interest to them. Some of those items include snacks, keychains, tumbler cups with a Franklin logo, stickers for computers and phones, and much more. We will continue to ask students what items they feel should be in our store.
We have an amazing team of staff members on our PBIS team that have made this BOLT Store possible. They have donated items to the store that students find of value. Our staff works hard to make sure that we are recognizing when students have pride in our school and are following the Franklin Way.
If you are interested in donating to our PBIS BOLT Store, please reach out to the Franklin Middle School office for more information.
Migrant Education Program
The goal of the Migrant Education Program is to ensure that all migrant students reach challenging academic standards and graduate with a high school diploma (or complete a GED) that prepares them for responsible citizenship, further learning, and productive employment. The goal also includes collaboration with migratory parents and the collective community to provide a full range of services to address unique educational needs. The Washington State Migrant Education Program (MEP) is federally funded to ensure high-quality education programs and supplemental support services for migratory children. Migratory families often have trouble receiving continuous, high-quality educational services because of their high rate of mobility, cultural and language barriers, social isolation, health-related problems, disruption of their children’s education, and the lack of resources in the areas in which they live and work.
The Migrant Education Program is authorized under Part C of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended. Federal funds are allocated to OSPI based on per pupil expenditure for education and counts of eligible migratory children, ages 3 to 21, residing within the state. OSPI authorizes the sub-grants to local education agencies (school districts), institutions of higher education and other public and non-profit agencies.
Services offered to migrant children and their families may include:- Supplemental academic programs to assist in the achievement of state academic standards
- Instructional training
- Health programs
- Preschool programs (readiness, transitioning to elementary education)
- Family home visiting and academic counseling services
- Parental involvement
- Migrant student data and collection
- Student leadership opportunities
- Summer school programs
- Secondary credit accrual and exchange
- Grants for supplemental secondary services, dropout prevention and retrieval and alternative education programs
For more information, please contact Ms. Elizabeth Montelongo, our Franklin Middle School Migrant Education Advocate. Montelongo.elizabeth@ysd7.org
Franklin Dress Code and PBIS Expectations
As the weather begins to warm up, we wanted to remind students about our Dress Code. Please remind your students to follow the following school rules. The purpose of the Franklin Dress Code is to foster a professional, safe, and respectful learning environment at school. We believe it is one more component of preparing students for success.
Students who choose to dress inappropriately* will be asked to change. If they do not have other attire to change into, parents will be called and asked to either bring appropriate clothing or take their student home. The following is a guideline of how to wear some articles of clothing, as well as what is viewed as unacceptable.
* Inappropriate clothing is any item deemed by administration as disruptive to the educational process, advertises illegal substances, or promotes/is identified with gangs.
Shirts-
- Must cover all of the stomach, back, and chest at all times, even with raised arms
- May not be see-through (except sleeves) nor reveal any undergarment. No portion of bra may be visible.
- Tank tops can only be worn as a layer with another shirt.
Pants-
- Cannot sag below hips or show any portion of underwear, even when worn with untucked shirts
- May not have tears or rips in the hip or thigh area, where skin is visible
Miscellaneous Articles that may not be worn
- Apparel with pictures, symbols, graphics, or words that depict alcohol, tobacco, drugs, unlawful activities, profanity, or have messages deemed lewd or suggestive by administration.
- Gang related clothing, accessories, or jewelry. This includes gang symbolism, graffiti, numbers 13, 14, 21, XIV, XIII. We collaborate with the Yakima Police Dept to update changes in gang related apparel.
- Bandanas/Headbands/Do Rags / Web belts
- Rosaries, Dangling chains, unsafe jewelry, or unsafe body piercing jewelry
Upcoming Events at FMS
Spring Break
- April 4/3-4/7 - No School
Winter 2 Sports
Our students have been working hard over the last couple of weeks of Winter 2 Sports. Here is a quick update.
Boys Basketball - Our boys basketball team earned 2nd place overall for the District. Coach Voelker and the 8th Grade team earned a 6-4 record and lost a nailbiter to Wilson with a 55-50 game. We saw tremendous growth from all of our players and a huge thank you to Coach Voelker, Coach Denney, Coach JJ, Coach Juarez, and Coach Sanchez for all their work this season.
Girls Bowling - Our Girls Bowling team had an amazing season! Our ladies ended the season with a 4-2 record. We had 10 girls who participated in the All-City bowling championship. Our Franklin ladies came in 3rd place overall with a total score of 2,129. Congratulations to our ladies for an amazing season! Huge thank you to Coach Maxwell, Coach Davis, Coach Montemayor, and Coach Huth for a great season.
Spring Sports Registration closes April 10th
Please register your student for Spring Sports Registration by April 10th. You can access registraion through FamilyID.com. You can also call the Franklin Middle School office if you have any questions.
Franklin Track and Field is looking for 6th graders! If your interested, please fill out a registration on FramilyID.com by April 10th.
Franklin Middle School Title 1 Information
2022-2023 Nondiscrimination Statement
Nondiscrimination Statement: “Yakima School District does not discriminate in any programs or activities on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following employees have been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination:
Civil Rights Compliance Coordinator: Title IX – Dr. Robert Darling, Deputy Superintendent, 104 N. 4th Ave., Yakima, WA 98902,(509) 573-7003, darling.robert@ysd7.org ;
Civil Rights Compliance Coordinator (Students): ADA/Section 504 – Omar Santoy, Director of Student Services, 104 N. 4th Ave., Yakima, WA 98902, (509) 573-7221, santoy.omar@ysd7.org
Civil Rights Compliance Coordinator (Non-Students): ADA – Christopher Miller, Director of
Human Resources, 104 N. 4th Ave., Yakima, WA 98902, (509) 573-7066
Individuals with disabilities who require assistance or special arrangements to attend a program or activity sponsored by the Yakima School District should contact one of the ADA Coordinators 24 hours in advance of the event to inquire about reasonable accommodation. Deaf, deaf-blind, hard of hearing, and/or speech impaired individuals may access Washington Relay Services by calling 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6388.”