The Firebird Flash
November 5, 2021
NEWSLETTER HIGHLIGHTS
- Principal's Update
- Dress Code Expectations
- Mini Courses are Almost Here!
- Fundraiser Delivery UPDATE
- Do you want to order student pictures?
- Adventure in Panama
- Join a Club
- TDap Reminder
- Mark Your Calendar
- PTSA
- Yearbooks
- Purchase Firebird Gear
Updates from our Principal
Greetings Firebird Nation Families -
Happy Friday! We made it to the end of another week! It is hard to believe that we are just 2 weeks away from Thanksgiving Break! That means there are only 5 weeks of instruction left before the end of 2nd quarter! Where has the time gone?
Students have been steadily coming to the Main Commons in the morning and Learning Commons during Advisory to turn in Permission Slips and Fees for Mini Courses. We are looking forward to November 18th and 19th when students can participate in these awesome courses! We will still be collecting permission slips and fees up through November 10th of next week. Please ask your students for their permission slips if you have not yet seen them so that they can get these turned in. Students will be taken off of course lists as of November 11th...so they want to make sure to turn these items in.
It has been awesome to watch our Firebird Basketball teams this past week. They have had some exciting games and represented Firebird Nation well. I appreciated seeing all of the spectators attend and the support they have shown our teams! We also had the Falcon High School Basketball team attend this past week to show their support for their middle school alma mater...thank you Falcons! We have a few more games next week leading into the playoff season. We hope to see some additional Firebird victories setting us up for a playoff run! Girl's Basketball is coming up. We will be sending out information in our upcoming newsletter, but tryouts are tentatively set for November 29th.
Thank you to all of our Firebirds that participated in the Fundraiser! We raised about $13,000 profit for Falcon Middle School! As the students requested, these funds will be used to update our recreation areas behind the school. We will be replacing our current Gaga Ball pit and ADDING 2 additional Gaga Ball pits! We will also be updating some of the landscaping to allow for additional recreation and games. We hope to have this done by late Winter or early Spring, since we will need to navigate the upcoming winter weather. We have also been graced by a generous memorial donation from a former Firebird teacher from years ago. With this, we will also be constructing a cross country track/walk way around our campus with a pavilion at the start/stop location in her memory. Be watching for more information on this soon!
As the breaks and holidays approach, this is the time when we start to see behaviors increase. I have been reminding students on the announcements of the importance of respecting all students, staff, and guests at Firebird Nation. I have also been reminding them of the importance of keeping their hands to themselves and to their own belongings. This has been challenging for them lately. I can tell that they are truly enjoying the interactions with their friends by getting to be back 100% in person, but respecting everyone's personal space is still very important. I encourage everyone to please help talk with your students and remind them the importance of keeping their hands to themselves. I have also included reminders of the dress code below. It is important for all Firebirds to hold each other to a high standard and follow the established code. I appreciate everyone's help!
My Assistant Principals and I have been popping into various classrooms throughout the week and seen some outstanding learning taking place. I am impressed with the activities students are participating in, the thought and creativity our teachers are putting into the overall lesson design, and the products that students are producing. I typically talk with several students, when in the classrooms, about what they are doing. I have been highly impressed with their explanation of the standard they are working to achieve, what they have to do to master this content, and how their learning is organized! All of this is part of our EmpowerFZ work within the Falcon Zone to truly personalize learning and make it come alive for our students. I look forward to sharing more with you in upcoming newsletters with some specific classroom examples, pictures, and videos on the awesome learning taking place at Falcon Middle. Stay tuned!
Thanks again for your support of Firebird Nation! I truly appreciate the community we have at Falcon Middle! I hope you all have an awesome weekend!
Sincerely,
Brian Smith
Executive Principal
Falcon Middle School
___________________________________________________________________________
Dress Code Expectations
___________________________________________________________________________
Mini Courses are Almost Here!
Permission Slips and Fees DUE: November 10th
Students can turn in Permission Slips, Fees, and Waivers to the Learning Commons during Advisory next week!
Not Attending Mini Courses?
If you still need to notify us that you are not planning on attending mini courses on Thursday, November 18th, and/or Friday, November 19th, then please please contact the Attendance office by Email or Phone at 495-5221.
Would you like to Chaperone a Trip?
Once you have completed this process, please email our registrar, Cindy White, to let her know of your interest. If there is a particular course you are interested in, please let us know this as well. We will follow up with you on your request as soon as possible.
___________________________________________________________________________
Fundraiser Delivery Update
___________________________________________________________________________
Would you still like to order Student Pictures?
We have taken student photos a few times over the course of this year. According to Inter-State pictures, we should have student photos for any student enrolled before October 28th. If you are still interested in purchasing student pictures, then go to the Inter-State Pictures Website. There is a distinct code assigned to each picture day. The following codes should work based on which day a student got their picture taken.
July picture date- 60036G
September picture date- 60352Z
October picture date - 61686B
We will have another photo day sometime in February to take any additional photos needed along with photos of new students to FMS.
___________________________________________________________________________
Adventure in Panama!
Reminder about the meeting coming up!
Dear Parents & Guardians,
I hope the week is flying by and we can daydream of traveling together soon.
I wanted to send a reminder of the upcoming informational meeting for our 2022 Educational Travel Program to Panama coming up soon. (meeting date/details via link below) I will be discussing all travel logistics—including safety, affordable payment options, earning high school/college credit, and so much more!
View meeting details and RSVP to receive the meeting link and follow up information here: https://bit.ly/2VSNLfK
In the meantime, take a look at this video and picture yourself participating in one of these cultural experiences and not needing to social distance yourself! This time has made me even more excited for the moments we will be getting to share together while seeing new parts of the world with our amazing students.
Please let me know if you have any questions!
Milithza McNeil
___________________________________________________________________________
Join a Club!
- Anime Club is held Thursdays from 3-4:30pm in the Learning Commons
- Craft & Chess Club is held on Mondays, after school in Mod 3
- Writing Club is held on Tuesdays from 3-4pm in Room 35
- Gaming Club is held on Tuesdays from 3-4:30pm in the Main Commons
- Robotics Club is held on Mondays from 3-5pm in Rooms 33 & 34
Special Reminder for All Parents:
All students are required to have one dose of Tdap vaccine by the time they enter 6th grade to attend public school.
If your FMS student has not been given a Tdap vaccine dose, please contact your medical provider or local pharmacy to have this administered soon.
If you are unsure if your child needs a Tdap dose, please call the school health office at 719-495-5227.
Thank you!
Mark Your Calendar!
Nov 8 - School Accountability Meeting at 5:30pm
Nov 10 - Mini Course Permission Slips and Fees will be due
Nov 11 - Veteran's Day Assembly
Nov 18 and 19 - Firebird Mini Courses
Nov 22 to 26 - Thanksgiving Break
___________________________________________________________________________
Please consider joining PTSA. Dues are only $8! You can send in cash or check (payable to FMS PTSA) or join online: https://falconmsptsa.memberhub.com/store
This is a great way to become engaged and involved at FMS!
We are also looking for parent volunteers to help with mini course sign ups and working the Firebird RISE Store on Fridays. Take a look at the opportunities below.
___________________________________________________________________________
8th Grade Ads - 8th Grade Parents may also purchase 8th grade ads for their students using this link.
___________________________________________________________________________
Looking for Firebird Gear?
Falcon Middle School
6th Grade Assistant Principal/Athletic Director: Elena Forehand
7th Grade Assistant Principal: Tim Scheck
8th Grade Assistant Principal: Joy Kovanda
6th Grade Counselor: Lisa Murdock
7th Grade Counselor: Carrie Clay
8th Grade Counselor: Amber Villani
**************************************************
FMS Office Hours
7:15am-3:30pm
Email: fms@d49.org
Website: https://www.d49.org/fms
Location: 9755 Towner Avenue, Peyton, CO, USA
Phone: 719-495-5232