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Franklin Middle School believes that on-time attendance is a learned skill that will serve our students well as they strive for success. Our school-wide expectation is for students to arrive on time for each class. Accordingly, the behavior of being tardy has a negative effect on the classroom environment and student learning.
During the first quarter, all students have become very familiar with our daily bell schedule and have learned how to navigate our building using their individual class schedules. In addition, students have successfully learned how to open lockers, how to take the quickest route to be timely, and how to manage time between class periods. Franklin staff members have facilitated the learning by providing prompts, warnings, and strategies to students who have shown struggles along the way.
Beginning with the second quarter on Wednesday, November 6, all Franklin students will be accountable for following our school tardy policy. You may find and print our tardy policy here, or you can find it posted on our Franklin public website. Prior to November 6, you are encouraged to look at ParentVue to determine if your child has developed some patterns of tardiness during the 1st quarter. Thank you for having a conversation with your child about your expectations for arriving at school on time and for being timely throughout the course of the school day.
Our doors open at 7:10 for bus arrival and parent drop-off. All Franklin students are allotted 20 minutes each morning to arrive at 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. Classes begin promptly at 7:30 am.
Throughout the school day, all areas of our school building are able to be navigated within the four minutes allocated between class periods. Additionally, students have the ability to request excused passes from their teachers for any legitimate reasons for being late to their next class. Any extenuating circumstances that prevent 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. Thank you.
If you have registered for SIS ParentVUE and have a primary email address recorded in ParentVUE, you can receive your student’s Weekly Progress Report via email. This report provides a summary of your student’s grades for the current quarter. To activate the Weekly Progress Reports via email, login to your SIS ParentVUE account and verify that you have a primary email address within the system. It is listed under the “My Account” tab. If it is blank, enter the email address where you would like to receive the progress reports, and click on “Update account.” Once your email is confirmed, return to the “My Account” tab to activate and select your preferences for receiving these reports. Emails will be sent according to your selected preferences. Weekly Progress Reports for all of your middle and high school students will be included in one email. For additional help, refer to the quick reference guide for FCPS parents/guardians.
As a reminder, FCPS Weekly Progress Reports will not be sent to parents Wednesday, Oct. 30 through Friday, Nov. 8 during first quarter grading and report card generation.
We are in the process of conducting a brief follow-up survey based upon the results of the Parent Engagement Survey that was administered last spring. Your input will help guide our programming and communication in order to better meet the needs of the community. The results of this survey are confidential. Click here to access the survey.
Chantilly HS Varsity Football is having its best season in many years and crowds at home games have been growing in size. Chantilly HS encourages and appreciates it when community members share in their success by attending home games, but we have experienced some problems with younger students that come to games unattended by a parent or guardian. If your middle or elementary aged child wants to attend a football game, they are welcome to do so as long as a parents or guardian comes with them. Thanks for your help.
Scott F. Poole, PhD
Principal
Chantilly High School
The Franklin Middle School Department of Student Services cordially invites parents to attend an informational parent coffee session in the the FMS Library this Monday, November 11th, 2019 in the FMS Library from 9:00 am to 10:00 am. We are excited to see our parents and especially our Veterans!
The Chantilly High School Pyramid and iWitnessed --> iRemember would like to invite you to our Chantilly Thanks! performance and dessert reception. We appreciate all of the sacrifices you and your family have made to protect our country, and we would hope you can join us at this event.
The event will take place on November 12 (Tuesday) at Chantilly High School. The performance portion of the evening will begin at 6:00 PM, followed by a dessert reception (and a thank you gift for all of our attending veterans!)
Space is, unfortunately, limited, so please RSVP for you and your guests at the following link: chantilly-thanks-our-veterans.eventbrite.com
If you have any questions, please email iwitnessed.iremember@gmail.com.
Dear Parents of 8th Grade Students,
Thank you to the parents who have already signed up to volunteer for Finance Park. 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.
- November 20th Mr. LaMay
- November 21st Mr. Caslavka
- November 22nd Mr. Phillips
Odyssey of the Mind –
- We still looking for one more parent to coach an Odyssey of the Mind team. If you are interested and able to help, please email our Odyssey of the Mind coordinator; fmsomcoordinator@gmail.com.
General After-School Information
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The after-school program will not convene on the following days before holidays; 11/1/2019; 11/25 – 11/26/2019; 1/17/2020; 1/24/2020; 2/14/2020; 4/3/2020; 5/22/2020
- Transportation is available to students staying after school on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays – departing Franklin at 4:45 PM. The late bus schedule is posted on the after-school bulletin board in the cafeteria and on your child’s grade level google classroom. Please be aware that the after-school late bus numbers and routes may differ from your child’s normal school day bus route. Please use the Kiss-and- Ride to pick-up your child from the After-School Program.
- Please see below for the After-School activities for Monday, November 4th – Friday, November 8th.
- Students who plan to stay after-school must notify their parent/guardian BEFORE the 2:15 dismissal bell and should report to the cafeteria with all their belongings after the 2:15 dismissal bell for after-school check-in.
- The majority of clubs/activities is open enrollment; however, due to limited capacities some will require registration. If registration is needed, it will be posted on your child’s grade level google classroom.
General Schedule of After-school:
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 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.
2:40 – Club/activity sponsors will come to the cafeteria to get their group and take them all together to the correct room.
2:40 – 3:40 – 1st block activities
3:40 – 4:40 – 2nd block activities
4:40 – Students will report back to the cafeteria for late bus dismissal.
Fall After-School Activities List and Descriptions
All students will report to the cafeteria after the 2:15 dismissal bell to sign-in for after-school. If additional sign-ups are required an activity, they can be found on your child’s grade level google classroom.
The next PTA Meeting will be November 12 at 6:00 pm in the Library. An Investigator from the Secret Service Cyber Crime Team to lead a discussion on cyber safety for middle school students and provide a short demonstration. For information on the PTA, please visit the PTA Website, or send an email to franklinmiddleschoolpta@gmail.com. Future PTA Meetings are scheduled for January 7, February 11, March 10, April 16, May 12, and June 9.
Mark Your Calendars! November 19 is our next Dining for Dollars fundraiser event! This month we have partnered with Piero's Corner and Baskin Robins in Franklin Farm. They have generously offered to donate a percentage of the sales from dining that evening to the PTA. Come out to enjoy some awesome Italian cuisine at Piero's and finish off the evening with your favorite frozen treat before the holiday hustle starts!
Is your Student Looking for Service Learning/Volunteer Hours? The FMS PTA posts volunteer opportunities that will qualify for civics service hours on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/fmsptainchantillyva/. Please visit and follow the Franklin Middle School PTA - Chantilly VA page on Facebook for information on volunteer opportunities throughout the year!
Members Wanted! There is still time to join the PTA. Your membership donation is tax-deductible and goes to support your school community! Visit the PTA Website and join today!
The Fairfax County School Board and the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors work together to administer the Fairfax County Youth Survey. The results of this survey are published each year on https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/health-humanservices/fairfax-county-youth-survey and are used by school officials, youth leadership classes, youth-serving county agencies, and local non-profits to determine the effectiveness of prevention and intervention programs offered in schools and communities. It is also used to identify changing trends and areas of need. The survey is anonymous and no individual information is reported. The survey will be given to 8th grade students during Social Studies class.
The Fairfax County Youth Survey asks questions about risky behavior, mental health, physical health, and safety. There are questions about behaviors related to alcohol, illegal drugs, or misuse of prescription drugs. Additional questions about depression, student stress, bullying and harassment, and questions about personal health, and for students in eighth, tenth, and twelfth grade only, sexual behavior, will be included in the survey. Students are also asked about specific protective factors concerning health and safety.
You have the right to preview the survey and may deny permission for your child to participate if you desire. If a student is uncomfortable with any question on the survey, the student does not have to answer that question or may elect to discontinue the survey. While it is hoped that as many students as possible will participate, you have the option of completing the attached form if you wish to opt out your child.
The survey will be administered to 8th grade students on November 8, 2019. A copy of the survey will be available to parents and/or guardians online at https://www.fcps.edu/resources/student-safety-and-wellness/youthsurvey beginning October 4, 2019. If you do not wish for your child to take part in the survey, please complete THIS FORM and return it to the main office no later than October 18, 2019.
Welcome Franklin Falcons! Franklin Middle School is excited to welcome writer Ben Mikaelsen, author of Touching Spirit Bear, next spring on April 1, 2020. In preparation for this author visit, part of each student’s school supplies are to purchase a copy of Touching Spirit Bear. When Ben is here in the spring, he will sign personal copies of the students’ books. If you do not purchase a copy, Franklin Middle School will have copies available for students to borrow during the school year. Franklin Middle School prides itself on building literacy for all students and we incorporate ten minutes of reading in fifth period two times per week. Beginning the week of September 23, 2019, students will be reading Touching Spirit Bear. Prior to beginning work on Touching Spirit Bear, students should have another book to read during fifth period. Thanks for supporting literacy at Franklin Middle School. Photo credit: Scholastic.com
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