Principal's Message
Dear Franklin Sherman Elementary School Community,
In our last week of February, we welcomed several visitors into our building to include Dr. Menuey (region 2 Executive Principal), Ms. Vroman (Region 2 Assistant Superintendent), and Dr. Reid (Superintendent). Each offered lots of positive feedback about the high level of student engagement and the exciting, rigorous lessons being provided to students. Dr. Reid was able to join a math and language arts class- both of which she commented on how wonderful our learning environments are and how proud she is of the dedicated staff to ensure students have a nurturing, welcoming environment.
Mr. Ralston and I finished celebrating our kindness winners for the month of February and awarded our upper grade students during the morning meetings. I also enjoyed joining students during lunch to discuss how mustard and pretzels are a delicious snack! This was up for debate from the table but I tried to win them over. I also joined 5th grade classes as they practiced their Socratic seminar skills. The students did a fantastic job using quotations from their reading to argue their cases.
This week we had a lot of fun as a staff celebrating Leap Year. Mr. Ralston and I hid little frogs throughout the building for staff to find. Ms. Elston and Ms. Michalski were our winners! I heard some staff asked students to help them which created a very fun, competitive activity. We also had our monthly staff meeting on Friday which included fun, interactive ways for us to unite as a staff and as always we thank the PTA who help fund breakfast for staff each month.
I rounded out the week with a very well attended parent coffee where we discussed current topics to include the boundary change, recess, and many other items on the communities’ mind. I encourage you to join us this Thursday for our PTA meeting in the cafeteria. Before the event, the book fair will be open so it could be a great night to come to the building to purchase books and listen to Christy Stoermann, our advanced academic teacher, who will be our guest speaker. She will touch upon what AAP looks like at Franklin Sherman and answer any pressing questions. As I discussed at the coffee, Franklin Sherman, similar to the other McLean pyramid schools, offers a phenomenal AAP program. I hope to see you Thursday at 6:30.
Farris Thomas
Principal
Franklin Sherman Elementary School
Important Dates
March Women's History Month
March Equity in Education Month
March Celebrating Arts in Our Schools Month
March 5 Student Holiday
March 7 PTA Meeting
March 10 Daylight Savings Begins - Spring Forward
March 14 Pi Night
March 22 End of Q3
March 25-29 Spring Break
School Calendar: 2023-24
Contents
The book fair will be open all week from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The fair will be open all day on Tuesday as well even though it is a student holiday. This would be a great day for families to visit the fair together. The release date for the new Stuart Gibbs graphic novel, Evil Spy School Graphic Novel, is tomorrow and we will have it here at our book fair! Come and get a copy for your child. They will be among the first people to hold it in their hands.
Thursday evening will be Family Book Fair Night and we will be open until 6:00PM
When at the fair, be sure to check our teachers’ wish lists to purchase an item for their classroom library.
Bookworm central, our book fair vendor, is offering the ewallet option of payment for your child’s purchases. Please click on this link to set up an account. There is a short tutorial to explain how it works.
Registration to the ewallet
Also, as in the year prior, the virtual book fair is ongoing. The site will stay up until the end of the school year. All proceeds go to our school. While there, do not forget to check your child’s teacher’s wish list.
Franklin Sherman Virtual Bookstore
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Parents/caregivers received the FCPS’ Family Engagement Survey Sunday, March 3, from independent research firm K12 Insight. Please participate — your feedback is critical in helping to inform and improve practices to best support our students.
Taking this survey will also help strengthen the partnership between your family and our school. When that partnership is strong, students can experience a range of benefits including improved school readiness, higher student achievement, better social skills and behavior, and an increased likelihood of graduating high school. The survey will take about 10-15 minutes to complete and will be available in 10 languages.
Please visit the Family Engagement Survey webpage for more information. Your voice matters!
Fill out the survey today!
In case you missed it in FCPS This Week, the school division shared updates on the following topics:
Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving the weekly newsletter, please sign up today.
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Pi Night is Coming: 3/14
6 - 7:30 pm at Franklin Sherman
We are thrilled to invite you to Franklin Sherman's Pi Night celebration to honor the mathematical constant π--and indulge in some delicious pies! We have an exciting line-up of activities that we hope will inspire and entertain both math enthusiasts and pie lovers alike, including:
- Math Maze
- Pi Memorization Contest
- Math Trivia
- Pi Crafts
- Explore Pi
No Pi Night celebration would be complete without eating pies! We encourage all families to bring a pie--homemade or store-bought; no peanuts, please!--for our pie walk (similar to a cakewalk). Sign up to bring a pie.
And for those who can't imagine celebrating Pi Night without pizza, we've got you covered! Order your own pizza pie for Pi Night.
Don't miss out on the opportunity to celebrate the beauty of mathematics and the deliciousness of pie! We look forward to seeing you on March 14 for this very special event!
Join the PTA Board
Work with other dedicated parents to foster our strong school community; bring much-needed resources to support Franklin Sherman; and offer enriching programs, events, and activities for our students and families.
The following positions are available for the 2024-25 school year:
- President
- Treasurer
- VP, Fundraising
- VP, Programs
- Secretary
We also are seeking help with Web design, social media, philanthropy, Food Bus, and dine-out fundraisers. If you can help in any of these areas, we would greatly appreciate your support. We have experienced current and former Board members who can answer questions and help get you settled into your role, in whatever capacity you would like to serve. Please reach out to Melissa Vayra at mdavistwh@yahoo.com if you can help.
Annual PTA membership costs $20 per family and is due EACH school year. Join here!
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Important Forms for SY 2024-25
If you will be moving out of the area or transferring to another school, please complete the Student’s Intention for the Next School Year form (IT-110) for 2024-25 and email to Ann Rajabi by March 1. We need this information to plan for staffing for the new school year. This form should also be completed for rising 7th graders if they will not be attending an FCPS middle school.
The Survey of Preschool Children form (IT-112)should be submitted if you have a child who will be entering kindergarten this fall, please complete this form and email it to Ann Rajabi by March 31.
Non-profit Distribution of Fliers
Review Regulation 1367 on Distribution of Fliers
FCPS offers the opportunity for nonprofit organizations to make their materials available, through local schools, to students and parents. Fliers will be sent home in student’s backpacks. Fliers, sorted into 15 groups of 25, need to be at the school by 12:00 p.m. on the Friday before the below date.
May 17, 2024
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FCPS Cares is an opportunity for parents, staff, and community members to recognize those who go above and beyond to help others and show they care. We invite you to submit your story so we can all acknowledge the outstanding work of FCPS and specifically Franklin Sherman.
FCPS Cares Program
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