Grizzly Growl
May 2019
Letter from the Principal
Happy May Fairhaven Friends and Families,
As we close out the last full month of the school year, we are moving into a time of goodbyes and welcomes. Goodbyes to our 8th grade students and families, and welcome to our incoming 6th grade Grizzlies. And as we do all of this, we are finishing our spring assessments with the dedication, determination, and focus that is a part of our common culture.
Soon we will send our 8th grade students and families off to high school, and we have a few reminders and a date for celebration. Please help your students prepare for turning in their computers by making sure each laptop is in working order and has an attached stylus and power cord. Your son or daughter will be receiving a fresh computer upon arrival to Sehome, Squalicum, Options, or Bellingham and their current devices will transfer to our incoming 6th graders. We also want to let families plan for our 8th grade celebration ceremony. This annual ceremony will be held in our Fairhaven Commons on the morning of June 19th, with more information to below. Please hold the date.
We also want to welcome our incoming 6th grade Grizzlies with some upcoming information sessions. We hosted the current 5th grade students on Tuesday and plan to welcome our families on May 15th, in the Commons from 6:00 to 7:30pm. There will be multiple communications to our feeder elementary schools, but please pass the word along to families in your neighborhoods.
We also have some changes afoot with our schedule for next year. In your registration packets coming home you will notice some new electives for next year, along with the expansion of our extended learning options. While we will continue with our Future Problem Solvers program, we will also offer rich experiences such as school newspaper, documentary filmmaking, world language study, and computer programming to name a few.
Phew! It is an exciting time of year here at Fairhaven. As always, one of the core beliefs of our Bellingham Promise is that together we achieve more than alone. To this end, please reach out to our front office support team or any staff member with questions, comments, or concerns. We are always happy to help.
Thank you for all you do.
My best,
Steve
8th Grade Celebration
Wednesday June 19th
We are a month out from the 8th Grade Celebration and need volunteers to help pull this event together. We'll have opportunities ranging from being able to give time or contribute food items for the party at the Wade King Student Recreation Center at WWU.
8th Grade Parents
We need a group of volunteers to take on the decoration development effort. This year's theme is "Fire and Ice."
We need someone to take care of music (Pandora or make up a play list). Also needed are people to help with the photo booth, in addition to chaperones at the event. Only parents volunteering at the event will be allowed to be there. See SignUp link below to assist with this.
Beginning the week of May 20th kids can start bringing in a copy (that won’t be returned) of their baby/toddler pictures to go up in the display case located in the main foyer. Students will drop off their photos in the box that will be located near the PTSA filing cabinet in the Main Office. Please look for a letter going home from school that will explain more details for the day.
6th and 7th Grade Parents
This is your chance to get a glimpse of what goes into putting this event together as middle school flies by and your child will be in 8th Grade before you know it. We need parents to meet up at the Rec Center at 11:00 AM the day of June 19th to set things up so that the 8th Grade parents can attend the event at school. Once the celebration at school ends at 10:45 a.m., students will be bussed up to WWU for the festivities up there, and your work will be done.
Sign up to volunteer or contribute something to the celebration via Sign Up Genius:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F48A4A923A0FD0-8thgrade
Please contact Jen Burgess at lasiocarpa@comcast.net to get involved.
8th Grade Service Learning
Service Learning—Eighth Graders Serving the Community
Service Learning—Eighth Graders Serving the Community
This winter, all eighth graders at Fairhaven Middle School have been engaged in various service learning projects in our community. This collaborative learning experience has paired over 200 eighth grade students with over 50 parent volunteers at 24 community sites.
Prior to working on site, students chose a service category in which they would like to participate. These categories included environment, youth, elderly, and social services. Students researched their service category through various current event assignments. Next, students worked to fulfill a specific need at their community sites on five different Fridays for a two-hour block of time. Each week they reflected about these experiences through several journal reflection questions that they discussed about in small groups.
Now that the service learning projects are coming to an end, students will be considering a change they would like to see made by writing a bill for our Mock Congress related to their service category.
It is evident that our students have benefited from this experience in diverse ways, including exploring their roles in the community and expressing their civic responsibilities. This service learning project would not have been possible without our parent volunteers and our community partners. Our 8th grade teachers would like to formally recognize their participation.
Thank you parent volunteers and community sites.
Fairhaven Cares
Do You Know About Fairhaven Cares? We are Fairhaven families supporting and up-lifting FMS students, families and staff in times of need. Every student, family and staff member in our community is loved and valued, and has a place in our hearts and in our Grizzly community. We are here for you!
We hope to be able to assist with specific needs, such as:
* Clothing - coats, sports gear, shoes, shirts/hoodies, pants, socks, undergarments, Grizzly Wear
* Food - meals, snacks, groceries for the week or weekend, holiday meals
* Personal care items - deodorant, shampoo, toothpaste/toothbrushes, feminine supplies
* Household items - sheets, pillows, blankets, towels, sleeping bags, tents, backpacks
* Kitchen items - pots & pans, silverware, plates, utensils, toaster oven
* Baby items - diapers, wipes, baby or children’s clothing, baby blankets
* Laundry detergent or other laundry support; after-school activities, camps
* Transportation, unexpected expenses, holiday or birthday gifts, and more…
Students, families, and staff can contact Fairhaven Cares directly with any needs or questions here: fairhavencares@gmail.com. Or, if you feel more comfortable let-ting one of our counseling team know what you or your family needs, you can con-tact the counselors directly: https://fairhaven.bellinghamschools.org/counseling/. Please know that any identifying information will be kept confidential.
Please keep in mind that requests are not guaranteed to be fulfilled. This is a Fairhaven Families Supporting Families program and assistance is dependent on the number of families participating.
Perhaps your family wants to participate by providing resources or extra support?
Become part of the Fairhaven Cares support team.
Email fairhavencares@gmail.com and we’ll alert you to needs in our community – opportunities to help donate specific items or to volunteer. This is a wonderful way to build empathy in our children, as we teach them to appreciate what they have and to joyfully give back to others who are in need of support.
Link your Fred Meyer Rewards Card to FMS PTSA
Easy Way To Support FMS PTSA!
If you link your Fred Meyer Reward Card to FMS PTSA, every time you shop a portion of your purchase will be rewarded back to our school. It’s simple, takes only a moment, and has a positive impact on our fundraising efforts.
To link your Fred Meyer Reward card...
1. Go to Fred Meyer Community Rewards:
2. Follow the links to COMMUNITY REWARDS and link your card to Fairhaven Middle School
Don’t forget to tell your friends and family about these programs.
Sehome High School Summer Camps
Building Peace with Poetry
Youth voices are essential for creating community resilience. The Youth Peace Poetry Contest invites kids and teens to write a poem or song about peace (with themes like: listening, respect, anti-bullying, friendship, etc). Five winning poets receive public recognition, and have the opportunity to read their poems aloud at the WDRC's annual Peace Builders Awards Gala.
Kids (aged 4-18) may submit poems online or download this submission form.
Chat Room Still Needs Volunteers!
Yearbook
Did you miss the deadline to purchase a yearbook? Well, you are in luck! We have ordered an extra 90 to sell and you can reserve one by making a payment in the front office for $30.
Ski to Sea
- 6th grade runs the event from 12:24 to 1:16
- 7th grade runs the event from 1:20 to 2:08
- 8th grade runs the event from 2:12 to 3:00
Smart Trips Adventure Camps
You'll play games, go on field trips, and learn how to get around on your own-walking, bicycling and riding the bus all over Bellingham. The week-long camp ends with a super-fun urban transportation scavenger hunt!
Click here for more information.
Fairhaven Middle School
110 Park Ridge Rd Bellingham WA 98226
Attendance
647-6876 or 676-6450 ext 1# Athletics
676-6450 ext 2#
Registrar/Counseling
676-6450 ext 3#
Main Office
676-6450 ext 4#
Email: tami.kohonen@bellinghamschools.org
Website: http://fairhaven.bellinghamschools.org/
Location: 110 Park Ridge Rd Bellingham WA 98226
Phone: (360)676-6450