FPHS Parent and Student Memo
Nov 16, 2020
Franklin Pierce High School
Dear Parents and Students,
IMPORTANT: Please, visit the following link regarding remote learning schedule changes for secondary schools beginning Nov. 23: https://www.fpschools.org/remote-learning/secondary-schedule-change
New Schedule Beginning Nov. 23:
- Scroll all the way to the bottom of this memo to see the current schedule, the new schedule, and the Pierce County Skills Center Schedule.
- The intent of the new schedule is to provide more synchronous time with the teacher and less independent/unstructured asynchronous time for the students.
- In other words, this will mean less "homework" for students. Instead, that homework (aka asynchronous work) will be brought back into the classroom (synchronous time) where teachers can provide supervision, guidance, and on-going feedback.
- Your classes will NOT be 75 minutes of lectures or direct instruction. They will be a combination of teacher-led instruction, whole-group guided practice, small-group guided practice, and independent practice (think "Teacher does; We do; I do).
Making Sense of the Attendance Auto Dialer:
Recently, the district has stared automatic attendance phone calls when a student is absent from class. A student is marked absent when:
- They are not present in the live conference session OR
- If they did not log in to Canvas that day
Students who log in to Canvas but do not join their class session are marked absent with a special code: V for Virtual Presence. This will also trigger the automatic phone call because the student was not actually "in class." Please contact Ms. Disney or Ms. Marzano for attendance questions.
SAT Testing: Franklin Pierce Schools will not be hosting the SAT this year. Most outside providers have canceled the Saturday SATs as well. We are advising seniors to check the admissions page of their college of choice. For example, University of Washington is no longer requiring the SAT for 2021 admissions. This is likely to be the case with many colleges.
Pottery Students: Ms. Pascal has scheduled another supply pick-up date for Wednesday, Nov. 18 from 8am to 2pm. You can pick up your Pottery supplies in the back of the school at the Art Room doors. Check your email for a reminder. Please, wear your mask!
Please, make sure you have all the info below. We miss you and wish you all the very best. Stay safe and be well!
Need help with time management or organization?
If you're noticing that managing asynchronous time has become a challenge, please use the Weekly Planner attachment below to organize your day. If you're organized and managing your time wisely, you should be finished with all of your schoolwork by 3pm each day. If you're using this planner and still not able to finish by 3pm, please contact your teachers or the HW Center for additional help.
New Version of the Weekly Planner (Starting Nov. 23):
Thank you ASB Freshman Leaders! Freshmen, watch the video below:
Zoom! Zoom!
While things have improved since the beginning of the year, we continue to experience challenges with Big Blue Button (BBB) as staff and students are kicked off conferences due to bandwidth issues and/or product instability. We have reached out to other districts, beta tested several conferencing platforms, and looked at product features associated with BBB, Zoom and Microsoft Teams.
Based on the recommendation of the teachers who have been conducting a pilot, FPS secondary schools will begin shifting the conferencing platform from BBB to Zoom beginning the week of November 23. Staff will be able to use Zoom or BBB until the end of the calendar year. We plan to move all video conferencing to Zoom by January 2021. Based on feedback from staff and families across the district, we are hopeful that this change will lead to better instruction and fewer challenges with audio and video quality.
Important: Canvas is still our Learning Management System for all classes. We're only shifting to Zoom for class conferencing.
Starting on Nov. 23rd, Zoom will become a conferencing option on teacher’s Canvas pages.
November Culture Calendar
November is ...
- Native American Heritage Month. Learn more HERE.
- National Adoption Awareness Month. Learn more HERE.
- Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. Learn more HERE.
- 11/1: Dia de los Muertos. Learn more HERE.
- 11/11: Veterans Day. Learn more HERE.
- 11/14: Diwali. Learn more HERE.
- 11/16: Dutch American Heritage Day. Learn more HERE.
- 11/26: Thanksgiving
Cardinal Character Trait for October: RESPONSIBILITY
Native American Heritage Month:
This November, we celebrate Native American Heritage Month, a time for us to honor the history, culture, and traditions of Native Americans past and present.
On September 28, 1915, President Calvin Coolidge issued a proclamation that resulted in the first Native American heritage celebration in the United States; he declared the second Saturday of each May as American Indian Day. In 1990, President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November as National American Indian Heritage Month. Similar proclamations, with different names, have been issued every year since 1994. In 2016, President Barack Obama attended the eighth annual White House Tribal Nations Conference, where he proclaimed November 2016 as National Native American Heritage Month and announced November 25, 2016, as Native American Heritage Day.
Enjoy the video below from a local drum maker and the father of one of our staff members.
Carrying Our Words by Ofelia Zepeda
We travel carrying our words.
We arrive at the ocean.
With our words we are able to speak
of the sounds of thunderous waves.
We speak of how majestic it is,
of the ocean power that gifts us songs.
We sing of our respect
and call it our relative.
Translated into English from O’odham by the poet.
’U’a g T-ñi’okı˘
T-ñi’okı˘ ’att ’an o ’u’akc o hihi
Am ka:ck wui dada.
S-ap ‘am o ’a: mo has ma:s g kiod.
mat ’am ’ed.a betank ’i-gei.
’Am o ’a: mo he’es ’i-ge’ej,
mo hascu wud. i:da gewkdagaj
mac ’ab amjed. behě g ñe’i.
Hemhoa s-ap ‘am o ’a: mac si has elid, mo d. ’i:mig.
A message from our Family and Community Engagement Coordinator, Ms. Bonita Lee:
Hello FP Community,
November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month.
If you have a purple shirt, please wear it on November 20th and send me a picture so we can share it.
Did you know?
- The American Cancer Society says that the average lifetime risk of developing cancer of the pancreas in both men and women is 1 in 65.
- Most pancreatic cancers form at age-55 or older.
- Males are slightly more likely to develop pancreatic cancer.
If you have any questions, please reach out.
Sincerely,
Ms. Lee
Family and Community Engagement Coordinator
Please see this ONE time COVID-19 financial relief program available to immigrants in Washington State.
The Immigrant Relief Fund WA is providing direct cash payments to individuals who have not qualified for federal stimulus, etc. due to status and have been financially impacted by COVID.
SENIOR Yearbook Photos!
Hello Seniors!
This is a reminder from your FPHS Yearbook Crew that senior portraits are due by 12/1. Below are instructions on how to upload them online (do not send photos via email). Please, remember this is for seniors only. Underclassmen who want to submit photos will have the opportunity to do so at a later date. Thanks!LIFE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL:
Homework Center: Free Tutoring Daily
Hours:
- Monday through Friday: 9am - 11am and 12:30pm - 2:30pm.
- On Wednesdays, there is an additional hour available from 3pm to 4pm.
HW Center LINK.
Assessment Center!
FPHS Sports!!!
FPHS athletes and families,
There is still a lot to be decided in terms of how our interscholastic sports seasons are going to be formatted. As of right now there are no changes in athletic seasons from the initial modifications the WIAA made this summer. However, considerations are being made on potential new formats due to risk levels associated with each sport in association with Covid-19 case numbers. If changes happen we will notify our families through all outlets possible. You can also stay connected on most recent developments through these links provided by the Washington Interscholastic Athletics Association.
For the latest updates and information about 2020-21 high school sports, please visit the WIAA website HERE and watch the video from Mr. McNeil below.
For the most recent modified sport season calendar, visit HERE.
For some exciting news! There are now opportunities for your son or daughter to engage with FPHS coaches and take part in an organized conditioning program. See below for dates and times have been approved by the school district for a conditioning program.
In order for athletes to be able to participate in the conditioning program they will need to complete the following items prior to arrival.
- Register in Family ID (Covid-19 waiver included in registration)
- Have a current physical on file
It is important for athletes and families to note that spaces for these conditionings are limited based on capacity. Registrations will be approved on a first come first serve basis as long as athlete has a current physical and familyID registration is complete. A Microsoft Forms registrations will become an active live link on Franklin Pierce High School’s homes page on Tuesday at 3PM. https://franklinpiercehighschool.fpschools.org
Access this website and link to ensure you spot in the program.
If approved for the conditioning program. The following practices and guidelines will be in place on each day upon arrival:
Daily Screening
· All coaches, student-athletes and approved school personnel are required to complete an in-person COVID-19 Screening PRIOR to entrance to the training session.
· Temperature will be taken of each person attending the training session.
· Screening questions will be asked of each person attending the training session. This allows coaches to interact directly with the student-athlete.
· Any coach or student-athlete answering yes will not be allowed to enter the facility or practice. Contact parent/guardian immediately about next steps and pick-up from practice.
· No parents or spectators will be allowed at Fall Training in-person practices. Only coaches, student-athletes cleared for practice, athletic trainers, and approved school personnel will be permitted. Others are welcome to wait in their vehicle or return after practice for student pick-up.
· Coaches will receive training/instruction on all screening protocol prior to conducting any training session.
Other Requirements
· Cloth masks will be properly worn by student-athletes any time they are not participating in drills. Entering and exiting the facility, moving around the facility, occupying the sideline, etc. To the extent possible masks should be worn during training. All adults, coaches and school personnel will wear the KN95 masks provided by the district.
· Students will bring their own clothing, towels, and other personal equipment. Sharing of any equipment is NOT allowed.
· Everyone will bring their own container of water to drink. Sharing is NOT allowed. Water faucets will not be available to use.
· Gathering size meets TPCHD and State DOH guidelines. This number will depend on multiple criteria such as TPCHD metric status, State DOH Guidelines, WIAA guidelines for each sport, indoor or outdoor training, and capacity of the facility.
· Maintain distancing protocols per State DOH, WIAA and TPCHD guidelines.
· Practicing physical distancing of more than 6 feet is always required of all participants.
Parents, need help checking your child's grades? Watch the video below.
Resources
School Resources:
- District Website: https://www.fpschools.org/
- Franklin Pierce HS Website
- FPS Remote Learning Website
- IT Help Desk for Students and Parents: 253-298-4647, 7:30AM to 4PM.
- Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI)
- FPS Breakfast and Lunch Program: www.fpschools.org/meals
- FPS Education Resources: https://www.fpschools.org/exended-closure-resources-and-information/closure-educational-resources
- Want to add Canvas to your phone? Android or iOS. Once you download the app, search "fpschools" to find our district.
- FPHS Facebook page.
- Information about GRADES and GRADING.
- Information about BUSES.
- District CALENDAR.
- Information about ATTENDANCE.
- How to access and use DORA.
COVID- 19 Resources:
- District Website: https://www.fpschools.org/
- Gov. Inslee's COVID-19 updates web page: https://www.governor.wa.gov/tags/covid-19-coronavirus
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
Community Resources:
- District resources and partners: https://www.fpschools.org/departments/family-engagement-office/community-resources
- Check with your phone and internet provider: many providers are offering free and/or unlimited data, internet etc. during the Stay Home, Stay Healthy order.
- Financial Resources: https://dfi.wa.gov/coronavirus/financial-resources