The Firebird Flash
August 13, 2020
Updates from the Principal
Greetings Firebird Nation Families -
The new year is almost here! On Monday, August 17th, we will be sending out communications from the school and individual teams on how the year will operate. Monday will be an Open House day where teams will be sending out links for students and/or parents to engage and meet their teachers. You will also be able to ask questions and learn about what your classes will be like this year. 6th Grade Orientation videos and a new 7th and 8th grade orientation session will be taking place on this day as well. We will have specific links in our newsletter tomorrow. Our first official day will start on Tuesday, August 18th. This will be where students will follow their actual schedule. More information about how E-Learning will work is contained in a section below.
Student schedules are now ready to review! Our counselors have worked incredibly hard to finalize schedules and ensure classes are balanced in preparation for a return for the future when that happens. We appreciate all of their hard work! Due to space limitations, it will be incredibly difficult to accommodate schedule changes at this time. To access your schedule:
On the Internet:
1. Go to d49.powerschool.com/public.
2. Log in with your username and password
3. Student names (if you have multiple students) are listed at the top left corner
4. Click on student name and it should open to their schedule.
5. You can also access transportation, fees, attendance, etc. from this platform.
From the D49 App:
1. Log in with your username and password
2. Student Dashboards will appear
3. For the schedule, tap "Schedule" in the main navigation to view the student's daily class schedule.
4. You can also click "Classes" on the main navigation bar at the bottom to see a version of the schedule as well.
If you have any trouble accessing the portal, please contact our office at 719-495-5232 or fms@d49.org and we would be happy to help!
Our next newsletter will contain a video to watch related to our new online learning system. Teachers have worked to create Landing Pages that will make our E-Learning process more efficient for students and parents. You can preview some of these at www.d49.org/fms and click on E-Learning. Take a look now and watch some of the intro videos from your Teams!
Teachers will also be providing synchronous instruction through their online systems so that students can interact live with their teachers. It is going to be awesome! Our landing pages will really make this process easier for students and parents.
Sincerely,
Brian Smith
Executive Principal
Falcon Middle School
How We are Supporting This Season of E-Learning
- Students at Falcon Middle School will be following the regular bell schedule. Please see this schedule below.
- Classes will take place Monday through Friday each week, based on the district calendar.
- Students will participate in live instruction from their teachers and engage in tasks during the class period time.
- To start the year, teachers will not be assigning homework on top of what is taking place during the e-learning class time. Students may have some independent work, but the teacher will remain available on Zoom and by email during the class periods for students to ask questions.
- After piloting Zoom™ video conferencing with students last year, we have found that this is an incredible instructional tool for our teachers. Teachers have been trained on the security features and will be utilizing waiting room features to control who is able to enter their classrooms at given times.
- Attendance will be taken each period. It is important for students to engage with their teachers during the scheduled class times to be counted as present. If students are unable to participate or join the zoom sessions, they will initially be marked absent.
- We understand that some families may have schedule conflicts and a student may miss their scheduled class. Teachers will be uploading recordings of the lessons for students to view and still complete their work. As long as work is completed within the same day, then the absence can then be changed in the system.
- All of our work will be posted through our new FMS E-Learning Page. Teachers and teams will be updating landing pages daily. Go to www.d49.org/fms and click on "E-Learning" at the top of the page. Each team will be updating their landing page daily. The previous days will auto-archive below the current day so that if a student was absent, they immediately know what the exact work missed was. We will have a video related to this process that will come out soon. We will be teaching students and families how to access this simple link daily for their work versus using a daily email this year.
- Student work will be completed and submitted online through Schoology. Teachers will show their classes how to navigate to their pages and what to do to submit work.
- We know that being away from school for as long as we have will require time to build relationships, check in on our students, and step them back into the learning process. Because of this, we will slowly build towards a normal academic routine over the first 2 weeks of school.
- If you are still in need of a device to support E-Learning at home, please contact our office directly at 719-495-5232.
- As always, we allow teachers 24 hours to respond to correspondence from parents and families. With having our classes live, students will have a much easier time connecting with their teachers during their scheduled classes. This should help reduce the email load overall.
We thank you for your hard work, your trust and understanding as we walk together through this season of E49.
Mark Your Calendar
AUGUST 13 - The 6th Grade Orientation previously scheduled for Friday, August 14th, has been rescheduled for Aug 17th as a Virtual event.
Aug 17: E-LEARNING LAUNCH DAY! Teams will be sending out links to host an "Open House" at different times. This is a way for students and/or parents to check in and introduce themselves to their teachers and learn about what the different classes will be like. We will NOT be following the bell schedule on this day.
Aug. 17: 6th Grade Orientation - We are finishing our recording of the WEB Program and will be sending a link to all 6th grade families on Monday to view at a time that works best for you. Web utilizes our 8th grade WEB leaders to help welcome our new 6th graders to the school.
Aug 17: Brand new 7th and 8th grade student orientation - We will also be providing a link for brand new 7th and 8th grade families to connect with our counselors and our Junior Student 2 Student (JS2S) leaders for a new student orientation.
Aug 18: First Day for all Students! All students will follow their normal bell schedule on this day. Our E-Learning page will have updated landing pages for students to access the various links for their classes.
Aug 27: Virtual Back to School Night (more information to come)
(Please keep in mind that due to the current situation, these dates may change.
Be sure to check the FMS website often and watch for updates in your email.)
From the Health Office
Hello Parents,
Please take a few minutes to fill out the medical form for each one of your children. The form is included below.
The Health Room must have a new form on file each year for each student. Once you have completed the form, please print it out or send it directly to our Health Assistant, Wendy Barnett, at wbarnett@d49.org. You may also contact her for any questions.
If your child requires medication (including over the counter medications) once we are back in the building, you will need to have a doctor completed form with the medication, per state rules. The medication form is available on the D49 website https://www.d49.org/domain/261
We are trying to keep as much paper as possible from going back and forth. Thank you for understanding.
Hola padres
Tómese unos minutos para completar el formulario médico de cada uno de sus hijos. El formulario se incluye a continuación.
La Sala de Salud debe tener un formulario nuevo archivado cada año para cada estudiante. Una vez que haya completado el formulario, imprímalo o envíelo directamente a nuestra asistente de salud, Wendy Barnett, a wbarnett@d49.org. También puede contactarla para cualquier pregunta.
Si su hijo necesita medicamentos (incluidos medicamentos de venta libre) una vez que estemos de regreso en el edificio, deberá hacer que un médico complete el formulario con el medicamento, según las reglas estatales. El formulario de medicación está disponible en el sitio web del D49 https://www.d49.org/domain/261
Estamos tratando de evitar que la mayor cantidad de papel se mueva de un lado a otro. Gracias por entender.
Wendy Barnett
Health Assistant
Falcon Middle School
(719) 495-5227 Fax: 719-495-5237
Meal Services During E-Learning
Dear D49 Families,
We are pleased to resume our grab-and-go meal service as we return to learn in our virtual, E49 status. Starting Tuesday, August 18, we will serve lunch and breakfast to D49 registered families at three of our campuses (note the locations have changed) from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
We are offering meal service as we would during a typical school year. We invite families who would normally take advantage of our meal program to come join us. For families qualified for free, or reduced meal benefits for 2020-21, there is no cost.
Our families without meal benefits are welcome to purchase meals. Please note this is not the same program we could offer to our entire community this spring and through the summer. We thank you for your understanding.
Meal Pickup Information:
Student District ID numbers are required
Locations: 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Monday - Friday
Horizon Middle School - 1750 Piros Dr, Colorado Springs, CO 80915
Skyview Middle School - 6350 Windom Peak Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO 80923
Falcon High School - 10255 Lambert Rd, Peyton, CO 80831
Families who would like to purchase meals:
PreK-5: $2.70 lunch, $1.65 for breakfast
6-12: $3.00 lunch, $1.85 breakfast
Checks are accepted
Families who qualify for free or reduced meals can collect meals at no charge
All families need to reapply annually for Free and Reduced benefits-- Click here to reapply
Menu:
8/18: Chicken Patty Sandwich
8/19: Three Cheese Cavatappi
8/20: Hamburger
8/21: Chicken & Waffles
8/24: BBQ Pork Rib Sandwich
8/25: Oven Fried Drumstick
8/26: Grilled Chicken Sandwich
8/27: Twin Beefy Tacos w/Rice
8/28: Hot & Spicy Chicken Sandwich
Offered daily: Salad Mix, Carrots sticks, Cucumber slices, kidney Beans, Fresh Fruit, Canned Fruit, Juice and Milk
Free and Reduced Lunch Meal Program Information
All D49 families are welcome to apply for the federally assisted free and reduced meal program. Many who apply are surprised to discover they qualify. The free and reduced-price meal program provides more than healthy meals for qualifying students, it provides much needed funds for school districts, and can provide many other benefits to your family as well!
New to District 49? Register and apply online by clicking the link to PaySchools Central
Returning for school year 20-21? Update your D49 PaySchools meal account and re-apply by clicking here. Families must apply annually.
*Paper copies of the application can be picked up and turned in at school as well.
Falcon Middle School
6th Grade Assistant Principal: Tim Scheck
7th Grade Assistant Principal: Kava Lientz
8th Grade Assistant Principal/Athletic Director: Elena Forehand
6th Grade Counselor: Carrie Clay
7th Grade Counselor: Amber Villani
8th Grade Counselor: Lisa Murdock
Email: fms@d49.org
Website: www.d49.org/fms
Location: 9755 Towner Avenue, Peyton, CO, USA
Phone: (719)495-5232