The Firebird Flash
August 12, 2022
NEWSLETTER HIGHLIGHTS
- Principal's Update
- Like us on Facebook!
- Traffic Reminders
- EmpowerFZ - What are our classrooms working on?
- Mark your Calendar
- Fall Athletics Updates
- Firebird Nation Campus Expansion
- PTSA - We have an upcoming meeting!
- Purchase Firebird Gear
Updates from our Principal
Greetings Firebird Nation Families -
It's Friday! We made it to the end of Week 2! We have had an outstanding start to the year and I have been impressed with all of the positivity around the school. Firebirds have been helping each other with lockers, finding their classes, assisting teachers and staff members with various tasks, and showing a great deal of respect. My Campus Security team has been beyond impressed with students following the expectations, getting to class, and keeping the Cafetorium clean during lunches. Way to go Firebird Nation; I am very proud of you!
Thank you to all of our parents and families for attending Back to School Night! We had an awesome turnout! It was great to see all of the interactions within the classrooms as teachers shared about their classes and what they have in store for their students. During Advisory, I had the opportunity to talk with all of our families, through our Firebird Nation News Channel, about the year and the goals we have to propel us to the next level of excellence. Every year, we look for ways to improve our Student Achievement, enhance the Firebird Nation Spirit, and grow our Community Engagement. I have included this video, in this section below, for you to watch if you were not able to make it to Back to School Night (start at 8:15).
Our PBIS program is up and running! Students have already been earning a great deal of Firebird Points for showing all of their positive behaviors around the school. Staff members can scan student ID's or add points through the computer system as we catch our Firebirds doing great things. Thank you to our PTSA Parents for working the Firebird Store during lunch on Fridays! I know our students have enjoyed spending their points already as well. Be watching for our Parent Access codes to be sent out early next week for the PBIS Rewards system. This is a way for you to be able to see what points your students are earning, what they earned them for, and the comments staff members have added. Parents can download the PBIS Rewards Parent application on their smart devices and use the access codes to activate their app.
Star360 testing begins next week. Students will test in their Math classes on Monday and in their Reading classes on Wednesday. Star360 is an awesome tool that helps our staff see how students are performing in these core subjects. The system shows areas of strength and areas where additional support may be needed in Reading and Math; we get the data in real time. We also see what grade level equivalent students are performing at in these content areas and we will use this information to determine appropriate class placement, particularly in Math. Teachers will work with their students to set goals based on these results to help them progress forward in their learning. I encourage families to talk with their students next week on how they have performed on their Star360 assessments.
Thank you all again for such an awesome start to the year. I look forward to week three and seeing how all of our Firebirds continue to grow academically and support each other as we continue on this 22-23 adventure together! I hope everyone has a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Brian Smith
Executive Principal
Falcon Middle School
Back to School Night Intro Video
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Watch our page to learn about the great things taking place at Falcon Middle School.
Click on the Button below and follow FMS's new Facebook Page:
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Traffic reminders
Please also remember, cars should not be using the bus entrance and exit lane south of the school as it is for school busses only. These lanes are not as wide as the street and the busses need to be able to make their wide turns to enter the school grounds. Pedestrians should NEVER walk up this bus lane. Our facilities department has created a path under the large trees next to the softball field for pedestrians to use.
Finally, we really want to encourage our Firebird families to use extra caution when traveling around the school. Please be mindful to respect our neighborhoods next to FMS. We need to ensure we are not blocking entrances, exits, driveways, and observe all posted speed limits. Please be extra careful in these neighborhoods!
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What have FMS classrooms been working on?
Over this past week, Teachers have reminded students about their classroom visions and codes. We want to keep these at the forefront to help establish a true learner centered culture in the classroom. Visions explain the "Why" behind why we need to learn what we learn. Codes explain how we are going to act and treat each other as we focus on this vision in the classroom. Here is a picture from Mrs. Champlin's classroom as students developed their Vision and Code.
Classrooms were working to establish Standard Operating Procedures this week. This is where teachers and students collaborate on key processes to keep the class operating and focused on learning. Some examples might include, "What do we do if we finish our work early?" or "How should we operate when there is a guest teacher", and there are others. We want to make sure students have ownership in what needs to happen with key tasks in the classroom so that they can maximize learning time and have ownership in the process. Teachers will post these SOP's around the room, especially when needed, to help remind students of the processes they established.
Most of our teams began working on their Student Learner Profiles this week. This is where students take a personality inventory related to the True Colors personality test. Students will determine whether they are Gold, Orange, Blue, or Green. All of us exhibit characteristics of all of these colors, but we each have a strong personality color that drives our actions and learning behaviors. Students are entering their True Color into the Learner Profile within PowerSchool. Once completed, we will share instructions with you on how to access this for your student. There is also some additional information related to the Secondary Learner Profile here. You can see characteristics related to your student's personality style along with information on how they best learn both inside and outside of the classroom. Mrs. Siemsen, our Choice and Success Advisor, is planning to work with students further on these to help them see what potential careers and pathways could be of interest to students. She will be using a program called YouScience to help students explore various skills sets and possible careers for their future.
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Mark your Calendar
August
15: PTSA Meeting in the FMS Learning Commons (5:30pm)
19: Professional Development Day - NO STUDENTS
22: School Fundraiser with Big Kahuna Begins! More info coming soon!
29: School Accountability Committee (SAC) Meeting in the FMS Learning Commons (5:30pm)
31: Falcon vs. Skyview Home Football Game under the lights! Wear RED and help us pack the stadium!
September
2: Professional Development Day - NO STUDENTS
5: Labor Day - No School
22: Picture Re-take Day
Check the FMS website calendar often for the most up-to-date information.
All dates/events are subject to change.
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Fall Athletics Updates
- Don't forget to check the FMS Athletic Website for specific information related to your sport.
- Please (if you haven't done so already) create an rSchool account for your player, uploading your player's current physical. If you already have an account, please go back in and select 2022/23 seasons and review your player's physical to ensure it is still valid for this year. Physicals need to be updated ASAP!
- Don't forget to pay your athletic fees before the team's first competition!
- Our first Eligibility check will take place NEXT WEEK! An initial list will be pulled on Monday, August 15th and again on Wednesday, August 17th. Coaches will be notified on those dates of students that are at risk of being ineligible. The final list will be pulled by 10am on Friday, August 19th. Students appearing on this final list will be ineligible for the following week. It is important for students to stay on top of their grades and make sure they have all of their assignments turned in.
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Firebird Nation Campus Expansion
Roof framing has been in progress and should be complete in the coming week. The new Gym walls are almost all up and work will continue with the concrete in this area. Structural steel work in the academic areas continues and the exterior framing has begun! Classrooms are also starting to get framed out, which will help the building really take shape. Stay tuned for more updates!
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PTSA (Parent, Teacher, Student Association)
Falcon Middle PTSA Meeting
Monday, Aug 15, 2022, 05:30 PM
Falcon Middle School, Towner Avenue, Peyton, CO, USA
We want everyone to get involved! PTSA is a great way to help out the Firebird Nation Community. Would you like to volunteer at the school? Would you like to help out at athletic or special events? Want to help problem solve issues that arise or create new programs at the school? If you answered yes to any of the questions and/or you just want to know what all is happening at FMS...then PTSA is for you! Our Principal really values the partnership with our PTSA and wants to continue to network with this group to continue to improve FMS. We hope you will join this important community group at our school.
The Parent-Teacher-Student Association (PTSA) invites you to the first meeting on August 15 at 5:00 p.m. in the Learning Commons. Please come and learn more about the school and how you can engage in your student's learning. You don't have to be a member to attend!
Looking for volunteers on Fridays to help with the PBIS store during lunches at the school. Use this link to sign up:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0D4FAEAC2DA7F58-pbis
Looking for volunteers to help with concessions for our first home football game on Aug. 31. Use this link to sign up:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0D4FAEAC2DA7F58-football3
More opportunities for concessions will be posted soon on Signup Genius.
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Looking for Firebird Gear?
Falcon Middle School
6th Grade Assistant Principal: Joy Kovanda
7th Grade Assistant Principal/Athletic Director: Elena Forehand
8th Grade Assistant Principal: Tim Scheck
6th Grade Counselor: Amber Villani
7th Grade Counselor: Lisa Murdock
8th Grade Counselor: Carrie Clay
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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
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FalconMiddleD49