This Week at Frost - August 19, 2022

Good afternoon, Frost Middle School families and community!

We are excited to start the 2022-2023 school year! It was a joy to welcome all the families in over the last few days at our Falcon Fetch (8th Grade Student Course Pickup), our Open House/Walkaround yesterday from 1-3pm, and our 7th Grade Orientation!

The smiles and joy on the faces of all were palpable! Your teachers and all the staff are extremely excited to welcome in all students next week! I reminded our staff to #ShareTheJoy they have with their students and you, our parent community as we enter this school year! We all have our unique stories for why we chose education. We always need to center that, our “why”, so we can share that with all of whom we come in contact.

My why is ensuring that all students have a fantastic, world class education and that all kids have a caring adult in their lives. I know that I would not have accomplished what I have so far without a great education. I loved my teachers coming up as a youngster and I want all my Frost MS students to have that same experience!

As we return to school, I wanted to help you all navigate the first day and first week of school, please reference the following information. Some of this may be a repeat of previous communication we have sent out over the past week and a half. Of course this is way too much information, but I wanted to get it all out for you. This same information will be sent out multiple times over the next few weeks!

Again, all the best this year and remember, “Work Hard. Be Nice. Widen Your Circle. We are #ONEFrost!”

All the best,

 

Anthony Harris

 

First Day of School Reminders

Frost Information

 Main Office

Please call the main office at 703-425-5700 if you need to drop a student off late or pick up early. You can also call the attendance line at 703-426-5702 or submit an absence online at https://frostms.fcps.edu/about-us/attendance-form

 Building Opening

The building will be open, and staff will be on hand to receive students at 7:00 am. Please do not drop students off beforehand. All students will be directed to the cafeteria and/or one of our gyms at 7:00 am and will remain in one of those locations until 7:10 am when they can report to first period. If your child would like breakfast, please remind them to report to the cafeteria in the morning.

 Late/Tardy in the Morning

Classes begin at 7:30 am at Frost MS. The warning bell rings at approximately 7:26 am. Students should be in class and ready for learning at 7:26. Please ensure your students are on time to class in the morning. Students arriving after 7:30 am will be marked tardy. Traffic will not be considered a reason/excuse for tardiness in the morning. The only excused absences in the morning will be if a bus is late. All students are either designated to be a walker or bus rider. Please ensure your child rides the bus if they are a bus rider. This will help with traffic congestion. Students arriving between 7:30 am and 7:45 am should report directly to class. Students arriving to school after 7:45 am should obtain a pass from the main office. 

 Kiss and Ride

There will be a separate communication with Kiss and Ride information to come out today. We are going to have a dedicated Kiss and Ride lane for the morning drop off and afternoon pickup. We will utilize our side parking lot for the kiss and ride lane. As you enter Pickett Road we are asking all families to use the far right lane to enter to parking lot and keep the left lane open for buses and staff to use.

Parenthetically, I am adding that the kiss and ride lane and the morning traffic has been of concern for many years at Frost MS. We are on a dead-end road and the traffic can be extremely heavy. We ask that if you are assigned a bus, to please have your child ride the bus, this will alleviate the congestion that we have in the morning and afternoon. Finally, please follow the directions of the staff who are out supporting and ensuring the kiss and ride lanes move smoothly. 

 

Bell Schedule

The updated bell schedule can be found here on our website.

 

Blue Gray Calendar

An updated Blue/Gray Day calendar can be found here. It can also be found on the bell schedule website.

 

Falcon Focus- 4th Period/ Recess

Students will have an embedded period each day called Falcon Focus. In Falcon Focus (4th Period) students will learn Social and Emotional Learning skills (Blue Days) have an opportunity to study, catch up on work, get help from teachers (Gray Days) Students will also have 15 minutes of recess each day, beginning the second week of school. Because Frost MS is under renovation and there is a limited amount of outdoor space, students will be on a rotational schedule for outdoor recess activities. They will be provided with more information during their Falcon Focus class next week.

 

Cell Phones

Frost MS will be following the new Away for the Day guidelines/policy. The Away for the Day policy includes cell phones and other personal electronic devices to include iPods, iPads, MP3 Players, tablets, video game consoles, air pods etc. Students who have a medical necessity to carry a phone or an IEP/504 accommodation are exempt from this rule.  Teachers will be notified if they have a student that is exempted.

Guidelines: During school hours when first warning bell rings, personal devices are to be put away and out of sight for the entire school day.  This includes hallways, classrooms, cafeteria, library and offices.  Cell phones, iPods, iPads, MP3 Players, tablets, video game consoles, airpods etc... are not permitted at all during the school day. They must be off and away throughout the entire day (to include lunch and recess). Students should not be wearing headphones.  Headphones are only permitted in classrooms and are to be used only with computers for class work upon teacher direction/discretion. The first Falcon Focus Lesson next week will be centered around the Electronic Device Policy.

 

Hats and Hoods

Hats and hoods will not be allowed in school. The only head coverings allowed will be for those for medical, religious, or cultural purposes.

 

Student Planners

We are still awaiting the arrival of student planners. As soon as they get to Frost MS, all students will be issued one. Students will be expected to use their planners for hall passes and organization purposes.

 

Renovation Update

The renovation at Frost MS is scheduled to be completed Fall 2023! We are extremely excited about our new building and the sections that have been turned over to us thus far. Please keep in mind there will be news and updates sent out throughout the school year. Thanks in advance for your patience.

 

In Other News....

Transportation Information

As we prepare for children to come to school and go home on buses this fall, we ask you to be aware of possible adjustments to routes and scheduling. Frost MS will keep you informed of changes as soon as information is available. Your patience and understanding as we make adjustments is appreciated. Frost MS and FCPS are working hard to address the need for drivers and plan for transportation in a way that has the least impact on students. Find out more about bus routes on the FCPS website and download the Here Comes the Bus mobile app.

Please call the Area 2 Transportation Office at: (703) 446-2050 with questions about transportation for your student or to report late buses.

Parents/guardians are encouraged to review their Parent Vue account in Student Information System (SIS) for updated bus route assignment information before the first day of school on Monday in the event there have been updates or changes.

 

Student Medication

Parents and guardians of students who are attending Frost MS need to bring medication to our Health Room. As a reminder, students may not carry medication during the school day. Please click here for information on School Health Services and a link to medication authorization forms. Please contact our School Health Aide, Leslie Grottle, (703-426-5710) with any questions.

 

FCPSOn Laptop Distribution

Laptop distribution will occur on this week. Additionally, student passwords often expire during the summer. All students will reset their passwords when they get their FCPS Laptops during the first week of school.

 

School Meals

For the past two years, the federal government has provided no-cost meals to all public school students.  This year, FCPS will begin charging for school breakfast and lunch.  The price for breakfast is $1.75 and lunch is $3.50.

There are three ways purchase school meals: 

  1. On Line Using  http://myschoolbucks.com This user-friendly service is free, convenient, private and secure. Once the account is open, parents can check the fund account at any time.  Families are strongly encouraged to use MySchoolBucks as the primary method for paying for school meals.
  2. Check Make checks payable to “Frost Middle School Food Services”.  The check can be provided to the food service manager or mailed to: Food and Nutrition Services, 6840 Industrial Road, Springfield, VA 22151.  A local address and phone number are required to be printed or handwritten on the check.  The student’s name and PIN number are required on the check memo line.
  3. Cash Cash may be brought to the food service manager’s office for deposit on student’s account, or students may pay cash on a daily basis.

Families may submit an application and be approved to be eligible for free and reduced price meals for the 2022-23 school year. 

Interested families are encouraged to submit the Free and Reduced-Price Meal application before the first day of the 22-23 school year. The online application is available at the link below and  accessible via the FCPS homepage.  Go to http://fcps.edu and enter "Free and Reduced Price Meals" in the search engine. 

Students approved for Free and Reduced-Price Meals may qualify for additional benefits such as waived or reduced fees for instruments, uniforms, field trips, FCPS class fees, and Parktakes classes. 

 

Screen Activity Report for Parents

Parents can now request a weekly email report with a summary of their child’s FCPS device Internet activity.  To get access, simply submit a request on the Tech Support for Families page, linked here:

https://www.fcps.edu/technology-support-families

Check out this flyer with more information! 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1g2OcKjrXANfNndCR7B5XyQ2Q-2BARBgj/view