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Next Weeks Bell Schedule
Monday Student Holiday
Tuesday Student Holiday/ Elections
Wednesday All Period Day
Thursday All Period Day
Friday All Period Day
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Tardy Policy and Procedures Update
Franklin Middle School believes that punctuality is a learned skill that will serve our students well as they strive for success. Our schoolwide expectation is for students to arrive on time to each class they attend. Accordingly, the behavior of being tardy has an adverse effect on the classroom environment and student learning.
As soon as our doors open at 7:10, all Franklin students are allotted 20 minutes each morning to arrive to their initial class period on time. Students attending breakfast are dismissed from the cafeteria no later than 7:25 am and allotted 5 minutes to arrive on time to the initial period of the school day. Throughout the school day, all areas of our school building are able to be navigated within the 4 minutes allocated between class periods. Additionally, students have the ability to request excused tardy passes from their teachers for any legitimate reasons for being late to their next class. Any extenuating circumstances that prohibit a student from attending classes on time should be communicated to the school in advance.
The tardy policy and procedures are intended to teach and reinforce positive attendance habits. We believe that the partnership between the school and the home is vital to promote responsible time management skills.
Report Cards and Grading
This school year, Q1-Q3 report cards will be printed and sent home with all FMS students. The final report card will be mailed home. If you have questions about a grade for a particular class, please contact the teacher directly.
Remember, the end of the 1st grading period is Friday, November 2nd. November 5th and 6th are Teacher Workdays and Student Holidays, meaning students will not be attending school on those two days.
Progress reports will NOT be sent to parents from Oct 31 through November 9th due to teachers finalizing grades and reports needing to be generated.
FCPS Outstanding Employee Awards
Hello Franklin Community,
Nominations are now open for the Outstanding Employee Awards! To submit a nomination for a Franklin Middle School Outstanding Employee in one of the categories below, please complete the nomination through Google form links below. Teachers or community members may nominate an employee in one or more categories. All that is required for a preliminary nomination is a paragraph or two about how this employee demonstrates exceptional work in the criteria for that category. The Google form link has more information regarding the criteria for each of these awards and the eligibility requirements are below. The deadline to submit a nomination is November 26th, 2018.
Nomination Categories:
- Outstanding Principal- Has at least three years’ experience as a building principal: https://goo.gl/forms/0tkiLB0fnA0kyr5F3
- Outstanding New Teacher- Within their first three years of being a teacher; librarians are included in this category: https://goo.gl/forms/FeujjsX6gktlQE573
- Outstanding Teacher- Has at least three years of experience as a teacher; librarians are included in this category: https://goo.gl/forms/gLJkgSPDsi32CWkA3
- Outstanding Leader- At least one year of experience in current position as a Schedule-B or Schedule-C employee: Common positions in this category: School-based Technology Specialist, Technology Support Specialist, Assistant and Associate Principals, DSA, DSS, Assessment Coach, Career Center Specialist, Instructional Coach, Psychologist, Social Worker, School Counselor, Resource Teachers that serve in an administrative role: https://goo.gl/forms/ODvcs7ymN9AJkKuJ2
- Outstanding Operational Employee- Have completed at least one year of contracted full-time or part-time operational employment in FCPS; Currently work on the Schedule-A, Schedule-H, or Classroom Instructional Support (CIS) Scale in an FCPS school; common positions in this category: administrative and office assistants, custodial staff, food service staff, IA, PHA, PHTA, all parent liaisons https://goo.gl/forms/U9oFLKCPpy1c3omu2
- Outstanding Hourly Employee- At least one year in current hourly position; Examples of possible hourly positions: hourly office staff, hourly program assistants, other unique hourly positions as designated by school: https://goo.gl/forms/lXBkoRH1mYBTZzj73
If you have any questions about this process, please contact Tami Stubblefield at TLStubblefie@fcps.edu
Thank you for considering a nomination!
“Connect with Franklin” Open House
Our annual event, “Connect with Franklin”, is scheduled for Monday, November 12, 2018 (Veteran’s Day observance). Our staff will open their classrooms for you to observe the dynamic and collaborative learning your children engage in every day at Franklin Middle School. Classrooms will be open for visiting from 7:45AM-1:45PM. This is an open house format, so that parents may attend a segment or portion of the day.
Here are a few reminders for the day:
- You may park in either parking lot.
- Entry to the building will be through our Main Entrance, Door 1, and complete the check-in process in the main office.
- You will need a Driver’s License for our Visitor’s Management System, and this may take extra time.
- We will be on an all-period bell schedule.
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Please bring a copy of your child’s schedule, or you may access it online through your Parent Vue account.
- Due to space limitation, our cafeteria will only open to students, so you are welcome to bring a brown-bag lunch to eat in the library if you are present during lunch hour.
- Please model positive digital citizenship, and refrain from using devices while in classrooms or in our hallways.
- Please plan to enter each class you choose to visit at the beginning of the period.
- Teachers are excited to showcase the great work our students are doing. We politely ask for your quiet observation of each class so as not to interrupt student learning.
- Information and resources will be available throughout the day in the library. Some of these resources include: digital citizenship, Parent Vue, school counseling resources, and after-school program information.
We value our parent community and we welcome you on this special day! Hope to see you in attendance.
Sincerely,
Sharon Eisenberg
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PTA MEMBERSHIP
We are currently about $2,000 short of our $12,500 goal! We don’t want to start making cuts to our programs. Remember, every dollar ensures that we can continue to offer the programs that the PTA funds . . . like NJHS, Parent/Teen Book Club, Talent Show and Teacher Mentor Program. Simply click HERE to submit your membership/donation online or print the Friends of Franklin form and send to school with your check made payable to FMS PTA. We need you!
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SPIRIT NIGHT
We are very excited to announce our next spirit day at Mod Pizza on November 15th. They will generously donate 20% of the sales to Franklin. You must present either a paper copy or a digital copy of the flyer in order for Franklin to get credit. Please click HERE to access the flyer. Flyers will be distributed to students on the day of the event.
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PTA MEETING
Our next PTA meeting will be held during evening hours for those parents who work and would like to attend. It will be held on November 13th at 7:00 pm in the Franklin Library. We hope to see many of you there!
HAVE A SAFE AND WONDERFUL WEEKEND!
Volunteers Needed for Finance Park Field Trip
Dear Parents of 8th Grade Students,
Thank you to the parents who have already signed up to volunteer. We are still seeking assistance for our trips to Finance Park. What is Finance Park? It is simulation of a real-life personal finance budgeting experience in which students will become an adult with families, salaries, credit, and financial obligations. They will be making decisions based on buying a home, a vehicle, as well as budgeting for student loans and health care. What does it mean to be a volunteer? The time commitment is 5 hours including a 1 hour training the morning of the trip, prior to your child arriving at Finance Park. You will use your knowledge and experience to guide students through a digital and hands-on experience. Finance Park Volunteer Video
The dates for the trips are listed below, if you are interested and for additional information please contact Mike LaMay at mplamay@fcps.edu with the following information- your child’s name, your child’s Civics teacher, and the date you are available.
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November 7th LaMay
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November 8th Caslavka
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November 9th Barrow
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After school Art Club painted pumpkins on October 31st. It is really amazing what they created! |
Spanish 1 - PALS Assessment
Spanish 1 students will have their Speaking PALS (speaking exam) the week of November 12-16. Spanish 2 students will have their Speaking PALS the week of November 7-9. These exams are interviews. It is important to study every day; study guides are posted on Spanish class calendars.
Lost and Found Items
Parents,
We have collected many lost items at our "lost and found" table in the cafeteria, including student planners, jackets, water bottles and lunchboxes. If you see something familiar, please encourage your child to retrieve it.
Thank you!
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Oakton HS presents: Peter and the Starcatcher
The Oakton High School Theatre Arts Department presents Peter and the Starcatcher on November 8-10 at 7:00 pm. Come witness this magical journey as a young orphan and his mates join forces with Molly, a Starcatcher-in-training who must deliver precious cargo. The journey quickly becomes a thrilling adventure as they face off with the fearsome pirate Black Stache, a villain determined to claim the trunk and its treasure for his own. www.oaktondrama.org
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Franklin MS After School Program
- New Activities – Bowling League, Reading Buddies, Payton’s Peers, and Top Chef Interest Meeting.
- Bowling – If your child would like to attend Bowling, please click here for the bowling permission form. Forms can be returned to the main office. Students must bring $6 cash on Friday and parent pick-up is required by 4:15 PM at Bowl America in Chantilly.
- Transportation is available to students staying after school on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays – departing Franklin at 4:45 PM. Please be aware that the after-school late bus numbers and routes may differ from your child’s normal school day bus route.
- If you are picking up your child after 4:00 PM please use the Kiss and Ride area. Please DO NOT park in the bus loop.
- Students who plan to stay after-school must notify their parent/guardian BEFORE the 2:15 dismissal bell.
o 2:15 – Dismissal bell, students who are staying after-school will go to their locker, grab all their belongings and head to the cafeteria. Each table will be labeled with the club/activity. They just find the correct table (ex. Chess Club) and will sign in and have a seat at that table. Everyday students will report to the cafeteria for sign-in and a snack.
o 2:40 – Club/activity sponsors will come to the cafeteria to get their group and take them all together to the correct room/location.
o 2:40 – 3:40 – 1st block activities
o 3:40 – 4:40 – 2nd block activities
o 4:40 – Students will report back to the cafeteria for late bus dismissal.
- Some activities are only 1st block and some are both blocks. If an activity is only 1 block, students can be picked up or report to a 2nd block activity.
Please see the calendar below for October 22 – November 2 Activities.
 https://www.yearbookordercenter.com/?event=general.displayLanding&jobnumber=5330
FCPSOn News and Resources
Screen time is a big topic of discussion in our area and around the world. I know it is a struggle at times that I face with my son. I will be sharing articles and information on this topic from time to time here in our News You Choose to help you think about ways to manage screen time with your child's devices at home. Over the summer I stumbled on this NPR article, “Parenting in the age of screens: Here’s what the experts do” by Anya Kamenetz. I thought I would share it with you all as we try and figure out what is the right amount of time to be in front of a screen. The articles cover different doctors and other professionals as they share their house rules about screen time.
Screen time at school is also a concern for parents. I wanted to let you, the parents, know that devices at school are not used continuously all day. There's a mix of screen time and non-screen time in each class. The time on the devices is more about student creation and engaging students to explore the curriculum they are learning. They also use the devices to engage in class discussions and collaborative work.
Resources are available below via hyperlink, on our school website.
Digital Citizenship Parent flyer
FCPSOn Device Information
FCPSOn Computer information (Youtube playlist)
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