Ferndale Middle Weekly Update

Good Evening, Trojan Family!

This is Mrs. Kinard, your proud principal, with your weekly updates and announcements.

Tomorrow, we officially begin our third week of school! Let's go Trojans!

In the first two weeks, students have been working on reviewing important information; in all classes, students have begun learning new grade-level concepts. We are very proud of the academic progress our Trojans have been making. We have also begun learning about our school wide expectation for behavior, which is the acronym P.R.I.D.E.

• Positive Attitude
• Respect
• Integrity
• Dependability
• Excellence in all we do!

Students have been learning the expectations for behavior in their classroom, hallways, cafeteria, and restrooms. We are holding our scholars accountable for being their best daily.

Our FMS School Day: 8:20 a.m.–3:20 p.m.

Scholars cannot be dropped off before 8:00 am and must be picked up by 3:40 pm for the safety and supervision of all students. Please work to ensure students arrive by 8:20. Students arriving after that time are considered late.

Arrival

Please help us make the car drop-off line by making sure:

• Your student is seated on the passenger side of the vehicle.
• They are ready to get out of the car once you pull in to the circle next to the sidewalk.
• After pulling up near the sidewalk, your student gets out of the car and walks to the front entrance.

Dismissal

This year, we have more students than ever being picked up after school. We encourage all students who have bus transportation to ride the bus. This week we will begin a new dismissal process in order to assist with the traffic issue created by the number of students who have become car riders. We ask for your patience as we work to find the best, fastest, and safest way to get students to their vehicles in the afternoon.

The new procedure for student pick-up is as follows:

• If you are picking up a sixth grader who does not have an older sibling in seventh or eighth grade, your sixth grader will be standing on the sidewalk at the regular drive-up location.
• If you have a sixth grader with an older sibling in seventh or eighth grade, he or she will join their older sibling in the auditorium for pick-up. Seventh and eighth grade students will be in the auditorium waiting to be dismissed as you arrive at the building.
• If you are picking up a seventh or eighth grade student, you will take an immediate left into the front parking lot parallel to Ferndale Boulevard. You will not drive through the loop toward the front door for drop off and pick up.
• Ferndale staff will be outside to find out what student(s) you are here to pick up. You will drive through the front parking lot parallel to Ferndale Boulevard and exit on the far side of the lot.

Safety

As a district and school, we are taking every precaution to ensure the continued safety of our students. Here's how you can help:

• If your student is sick, please keep them at home. Our teachers will be updating assignments on Canvas. Students experiencing COVID-19 symptoms should stay home and get a test for COVID-19 on day five.
• If you suspect or confirm that your student has COVID-19, please report it immediately by contacting the school at 336-819-2855 or emailing our data manager, Ms. Pierce.

Seventh-graders are required by state law to get an updated Tdap vaccination and an MCV vaccine. Therefore, we need proof of the Tdap and MCV shots for every 7th grader. If they don’t get the vaccine and show documentation, schools are required by law to suspend them.

Tdap & MCV are available at your family doctor’s office or by appointment at the Guilford County Department of Public Health offices. Call 336-641-3245 to schedule an appointment. Offices are located at 1100 E. Wendover Avenue, Greensboro, and 501 E. Green Drive, High Point.

Clinics Scheduled this Month

for Back-to-School Vaccinations

Back-to-school vaccination clinics are scheduled at the Greensboro and High Point locations of the Guilford County Health Department.

Clinics at both locations will be held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday from August 22 to Sept. 1. Click here for a full schedule and more details

Each member of our administrative team is responsible for supporting a specific grade level.

• Ms. Wilson - 6th Grade Administrator
• Mr. Russell - 7th Grade Administrator
• Mr. Garnett - 8th Grade Administrator

Ms. Kinard - FMS Building Principal

The school dress code will be strictly enforced.

Here are some of the highlights of our policy:

• All tops must cover the entire midsection and extend past the waistband.
• All tank tops must have at least a two-inch strap.
• Spaghetti strap tops, tube tops, backless shirts/dresses, halter, and crop tops are not allowed.
• Dresses, skirts, rompers, and shorts must extend past the wearer’s fingertips when standing. This includes athletic running shorts.
• Pants, shorts, and skirts must be worn at the waist and secured.
• Spandex shorts and/or biker shorts must be worn with long shirts or shorts over top.
• No holes/rips in inappropriate places will be allowed in any clothing. There can be no holes/rips in clothing above the knee unless the student wears leggings or tights under them.
• At no time can undergarments be visible.
• Shoes must be worn at all times.
• No bandanas, bonnets, durags, sunglasses, blankets, or sleepwear of any kind are allowed inside the buildings during the school day.
• Student hoods or hoodies are at the teacher’s discretion, but headphones or earbuds under hoodies is prohibited.
• Sleepwear is not permitted at school. This includes but is not limited to pajamas, pajama pants, slippers, bedroom shoes, and hair bonnets.

For more information please review the FMS Student Handbook.

We believe our scholars are capable of excellence and will hold them to a high standard for academics and behavior.

We are preparing our students for greatness, starting with academics, a positive attitude, and appropriate behavior as described in the GCS Code of Conduct and the FMS Student Handbook.

This year, GCS is going digital with its student handbook. The handbook is located online at www.gcsnc.com under Quick Links. It is also on our school's webpage under the student tab.

Website: https://www.gcsnc.com/ferndale_middle
Location: 701 Ferndale Boulevard, High Point, NC, USA
Phone: 336-819-2855
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FerndaleTrojanPride
Twitter: @fmstrojanpride