FMS @ a Glance
September 10-14, 2018
A great five minute learning lesson (below) for us all that is well worth a watch. Helpful suggestions are shared at the 3:30 mark of the video. Consider MCA's, consider assessments versus tests, consider what you do in the classroom or what we do from the office! Enjoy the learning lesson.
Open House = Back-to-School Night
Our Open House has officially been renamed Back-to-School Night. Teachers will have the same responsibility as always - be present, be available, and be welcoming to all that stop in to say hello.
We have added a little more "sparkle" to the night; we will have a quick presentation for those that want to stop in, we will have tables/booths lining the cafeteria and front hallways, we will have passports for families to pick up when they arrive. We are working on a few other things as well.......
Passport info: Students and parents will receive a stamp when they visit the dozen or so identified locations. The draft passport includes the following stops: (pay close attention to the bold text stops as they will affect you.)
1. Auditorium to meet the Admin Team
2. Stop at Parent Portal booth to sign up or ask questions.
3. Stop and visit your teachers
4. Stop at your locker and show your parent/guardian
5. Visit the Community School booth
6. Visit the Behavior Policy table and scan the QR code
7. Stop at the Parent Advisory Group table
8. Check the School Forms table to see if you have everything filled out
9. Sign up for a SLC time
10. Sign the FALCON Pledge posted near your child's Team Wing
11. Visit the new FAB LAB
12. Stop by the photo booth, take a picture and post it to a social media site.
We are taking care of all the booths we have lined up but we want more added. Please let me know if your organization, group, team, production, etc...wants a table displayed in the cafeteria or near the office. I would love to see the cafeteria and front hallways packed with colorful displays and tables showing off your class or group. We will have some green table clothes available to use.
Stamps will be provided for you to use with the passports.
A FALCON Pledge poster will be printed and hung near the Team Wings.
Kelly will be placing flyers in your mailbox sometime tomorrow. Please pass these out to your 7th-hour students.
Ramp up the excitement, challenge your grade alike Team to collect the most signatures on the pledge, hype up the passports and explain that small prizes will be given if you collect "x" amount of stamps.
We will continue to pass along information. Some of this is brainstorming at its finest, throw out suggestions and ideas. We want to build the excitement and get people talking positively about our kick-butt building.
** Coaches and any teacher that will miss part of the evening - be sure to communicate with your Team for SLC sign up and all other classroom information that you want to pass along to parents/guardians.
Breakfast
1. If a student arrives at school on a later arriving bus (7:40 a.m. or later)and wants to eat breakfast, they are allowed to grab a breakfast and report to class with the food. Not a lot of students do this but we want to make sure our bell schedule does not prohibit them from getting their food.
2. 2nd chance breakfast will start this week on our block schedule days. Be sure to plan accordingly during the first-hour block to escort your students to the cafeteria or to the hallway in front of the Media Center (mobile cart). Please do not just send students without proper supervision!
Please follow this timeframe and location for breakfast:
8th grade - 8:30 am
7th grade - 8:40 am
6th grade - 8:50 am
Cafeteria - "01" wing, "C" wing, A116, A117, A118, A119, gym
Media Center hall - "02" wing, A118A, A120, A121
PROUD to be!
Our new weekly section highlighting staff members and their contributions making FMS a first-class, student-centered building.
Advisory Council - For organizing and creating lessons and activities for our students.
Hallway Supervisors - keeping our students on task and a positive presence in the hallways during classes.
Britta - using the Fab Lab the first week of classes.
Kevin (custodian) - great job getting our building prepared and looking so nice.
Matt, Liz, Connie, LuAnn - acknowledged for their consistent greetings at the door! 4@thedoor
Minda, Judy, Laura - for all they do keeping the building operating at the highest level.
Char and Drew - for all the work with iPads and technology needs.
Sunshine Group for a great Friday feast.(and for being a group again)
Teacher mentors for helping all new staff feel welcomed and prepared.
Eric A. - HE GOT MARRIED!!!
Lauren F. for her work and flexibility getting the new EL Interventionist position off to a good start.
Kelly Z. is helping students in the hallways during her prep.
A SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO ALL THE STAFF THAT WERE ASKED TO MOVE CLASSROOMS THIS SUMMER! ITS NOT ALWAYS EASY TO MOVE BUT EVERYONE KEPT THE "TEAM" IN MIND AND MADE THE CHANGES FOR THE BETTERMENT OF THE BUILDING!
Breakout Edu
Coming Soon to the Faribault Middle School!
Alicia Sheehy, as part of the Falcon Fab Lab, is proud to present:
Breakout EDU is a revolutionary new product that brings gaming into the classroom in a meaningful way.
Click on the highly classified link below to find out more information about this crowd-pleaser. You will NOT want to miss this:
Together, we can create a world without bullying!
Make a statement: order your orange Tee or Tote to show that you're contributing to a kinder, more inclusive & accepting world. #UnityDay2018
Proceeds benefit PACER's NBPC.
Order before Oct. 4th for delivery by Unity Day (Wed, Oct 24).
$12.00
Order on your own or let Nicole H, Kelly, Ted, or me know if you want to order a t-shirt.
Week @ a Glance
Monday, September 10
CPT visits
Student Services meeting - TBD
Evacuation Drill
9:00 am Community School Admin meeting
3:30 pm District Staff Development meeting
Tuesday, September 11
Wednesday, September 12
Wednesday Development Day meetings / Team and Department Goals
Lock Down drlll
Thursday, September 13
4:00 - 8:00 pm Back-to-School night
(Staff hours 3:30 pm - 8:30 pm)
Friday, September 14
9:00 am FMS Admin meeting
A look ahead:
9/17 Finance Committee meeting
9/17 Student Services meeting
9/17 New Teacher Induction meeting
9/18 SITE Co. meeting
9/18 District Leadership meeting
9/19 7th grade Courage Retreat
9/20 Department Chair meeting
9/20 FMS Admin PLC with Ryan K.
9/21 FMS Admin meeting
Salsa Ingredients
Next week students in Foods 8 will be learning how to do different knife cuts using chef knives and paring knives. They will then be practicing their knife skills to make fresh salsa to tie in with our unit on Mexican cuisine. If you have any fresh garden veggies to share, we would love tomatoes, peppers, onions and anything else that would be tasty in salsa! We will need around 40 tomatoes so all donations are appreciated! Their lab will be Tuesday, September 18th. If you have any vegetables to spare, please let me know this week.
Thanks so much!
Myranda
Reminders from past newsletters:
Individual Staff Photos
We are looking to get individual staff photo displayed in the large case. One change is that we are going to delegate some of the processes out to you all.
We will have a "photo stand" set up in The Nest, snap a photo of yourself. We will get the photos printed and then we will place the print in your mailbox. We are asking you to find your photo from last year and replace the picture. New staff can grab an empty frame and add your photo. We will make the name tags so they all match.
Thank you for your help getting the photos proudly displayed
Building Bond
Mr. Sesker is asking for staff to meet with our architects to become informed on rough plans for revamping our building and classrooms. Staff input is needed and appreciated. If the building bond moves forward, the district will be relying heavily on us all to make this a positive and attractive improvement for our community.
Please let me know if you are interested in getting involved and learning more.
Blue Team members needed
We are again looking for staff members that are willing to serve on the building BLUE Team. This team will assist us in the case of a building emergency or high-priority situation. Training or experience in CPR, AED, or 1st Aid is not required. You may be asked to escort outside agencies to different areas of the building, or monitor the hallways as needed, or be a support for others. This is a districtwide initiative to make sure we are providing a safe and secure building for all.
Classroom walkthroughs
Plan on seeing one of your FMS administrative team members popping in from time to time on a walkthrough. It is important for students to see us out and about and it is our hope that they would never be surprised to see an administrator in their classroom.
Feedback will be provided after we pop in. Please continue on with your lesson and class activity. We will be sharing out different "look for" themes from time to time.
To start the year out, out focus will be on:
1. student engagement
2. accurate Learning Targets in use
3. student behavior (and heads-up, it has been made clear to us that visitors should not see students standing at the door ready to race out of the classroom when the bell rings. Students should be actively learning and engaged and practicing safe behavior skills at all times in your classroom.)
Bus Supervisor Needed
Interested in picking up a little extra moola? We are looking for a bus supervisor to monitor the parking lot before school and after school. See me for more information if you are interested.