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Newsletters » FSI News for Sept 20

FSI News for Sept 20

Dear Franklin families,

This week we celebrate the beginning of fall. While I miss the long days of summer I’m ready for a little chill in the air and the colors of our beautiful mountain region. Bring on pumpkin and apple spice everything! 

 

Fall might be the most important season in school. Students are creating the school habits that will determine their success throughout the year. As parents, you play a big role in helping your child create the structures, schedules, and routines that guide their learning. Here are a few parent actions that can set your student up for success:

  • Support healthy routines: Life is busy and routines can be really hard to maintain. Make sure your child has time for healthy meals, homework (make reading and math facts practice part of every day routines), healthy movement, and sleep. 
  • Designate cellphone/device-free times and zones: Go offline during meals and for a period before bed - designate bedrooms as device-free areas. 
  • Stay engaged: When your student is online, make sure you know what they are doing. Set limits, establish what online activities are parent-approved, and stick to it. 

 

Students, remember it’s your learning! You have the power to create your future. Remember to reach out for help -there are many helpful adults eager to support your growth. 

 

Student Handbook Reminders

It’s time for a few reminders about dress code and behavior expectations. The dress code and language reminders are taken from our Student/Family Handbook. You can find the full handbook on our website. 

Our dress code is pretty basic and we expect students to uphold it. Parents have a responsibility to make sure students are dressed for school each day. We recognize parent and student choice and preferences as long as these basic guidelines are met:

Students must wear:

  • Clothing that includes a shirt, bottom (pants, sweatpants, shorts, skirt, dress, leggings, or dress), and shoes. 
  • Clothing that covers buttocks, genitals, breasts, and the majority of the torso. Fabric covering these body parts must be opaque. A small gap between the shirt and the bottom that exposes a portion of the student’s torso is permitted. 
  • Clothing that covers undergarments. Waistbands and straps are excluded from this requirement
  • Following our norm “Be visible and valuable”, hats and other headwear must allow the face to be visible to staff, and not interfere with the line of sight of any student or staff. 

Students cannot wear or display:

  • Violent language or images.
  • Images or language depicting drugs or alcohol (or any illegal item or activity) or the use of the same. 
  • Hate speech, profanity, pornography, nudity, or sexual acts. 
  • Images or language that creates a hostile or intimidating environment based on any protected class. 

 

Let’s check our language as well. Student and staff language is expected to reflect respect for all members of our learning community. Language that demeans, insults, harries, or humiliates another member of our school community will not be tolerated. The following guidelines should be used in choosing respectful communication:

  • No swearing or use of profane language.
  • Refer to body parts by their proper names.
  • Do not refer to someone’s race, gender, sexual orientation or religious beliefs, physical appearance, or abilities with contempt or judgment.
  • Be aware that in public spaces your language affects more than just the people with whom you are talking.
  • In all speech, remember that words can hurt. 

 

In general, students are learning the importance of “time and place”. Clothing and language that may be acceptable in casual settings may not be the right choice for school. 

 

Take Action! Building Math Skills

Just a quick reminder! Our math department is tracking student fluency with multiplication (times table). Students generally learn their times tables in early elementary school. We’re seeing the ongoing COVID gaps in basic math skills across many grade levels. This is an easy way for parents to help student achievement. Do a quick google search on the importance of math skill fluency and find fun ways to practice. Get a deck of old-fashioned flash cards and practice daily! We’ll share some data throughout the school year. 

 

Thank you for choosing FSI and taking action to help our students thrive and succeed. When we work together, we can prepare our students for the futures they create! 

 

Upcoming Events

Mon, Sept 21

  • 5:00 pm: MS Volleyball vs Reynolds Mountain @ FSI
  • 6:00 pm: HS Volleyball vs. Reynolds Mountain @ FSI

 

Tues, Sept 22

  • 4:15 pm: MS Flag Football vs Francine Delany @ FSI
  • 4:30 pm: HS Soccer at Asheville School
  • 5:00 pm: HS Volleyball at Asheville School

 

Wed, Sept 23: Wednesday Release (12:45 and 1:00)

 

Thurs, Sept 24

  • 9:30 - 2:30 pm: FSI Blood Drive - details & registration below
  • 4:30 pm: MS Flag Football @ PEAK Academy
  • 4:30 pm: HS Volleyball vs Bethel Christian @ FSI
  • 5:00 pm: HS Soccer vs Bethel Christian @ FSI

 

Bolts Athletics

Highlights from the week:

MS and HS Cross Country participated in the Conference Preview Meet and many runners had PR’s and gave them an idea of what to expect for the Conference Championship!

 

HS Soccer went 1-1 for the week with their first conference victory versus Franklin Christian School with a score of 6-1. Goals scored by Z. Garcia-Solano (2), D. Bennett (2), B. Garcia (1), O. Palacios (1).

 

HS Volleyball continued their winning streak with victories over Mount Pisgah (3-0) and Bethel Christian  (3-2). Both huge conference victories and that makes 5 wins in a row for the Bolts!!

 

MS Flag Football kicked off their season vs Mountain Community School and battled to a 21-21 draw in an exciting and competitive game.

 

The Bolts Athletics team store is now open.

Click on the link to see what is new and available for purchase.

These items ship directly to you.

https://bsnteamsports.com/shop/euJxhnyCfE 

 

Parent Crew

Parent Crew is your organization! It’s similar to a PTO or PTA, and it’s a great way to get involved, be engaged, and meet other FSI families. 

Upcoming meetings:

  • October 8, 8:30 AM at the school
  • November 12, 6:30 PM online only

 

We are looking for a few items, some helpful hands, and a LOT of apples so that FSI staff can enjoy an "apple nacho bar" on Wednesday, 10/21! Please deliver your items to the front desk by the morning of Tuesday, 10/20 labeled for Micah Usher/Parent Crew. You are welcome to deliver them to the school anytime before 10/20 as well! Please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up. Thank you! 

https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10C044FA9AC2BA5F94-65781357-apple?useFullSite=false

 

FSI Blood Drive is this Thursday, Sept 24

We need donors! Our goal is at least 30 donors to receive a grant for our school. Sign up today! 

Our first Blood Drive of the year is this Thursday, Sept. 24, from 9:30 am - 2:30 pm. If we get 30 donors, the school receives a grant of $500. We pass this donation along to Habitat for Humanity as part of the Student Home Build. Our students need to raise a little over $7,000 for every build - so these grants matter! 

Individual donors also receive $30 TBC Rewards. It’s a win-win-win!

Students age 16 and up can donate. Students ages 16 and 17 must have parental consent. 

 

College Corner

Your student may already be admitted to college!

Through NC College Connect, current North Carolina public high school seniors on track to graduate are directly admitted to participating institutions across North Carolina. It’s that easy! All you need to do is log into the NC College Connect portal, review the options, and submit a short form to accept admission - no essays, test scores, or recommendation letters required. For more information visit NC College Connect. You can also email Gretchen Kehrberg with any questions, [email protected].

 

Free Books - Community Event

Sunday, Sept 27, noon - 4 pm, Reading Opens the World is hosting a free book fair. Students may choose up to 10 free books; educators may choose up to 50 free books. Lego Brick Blocks are also available. The book fair is at Nesbitt, 175 Bingham Road, Asheville. For more information, email Jennifer Mangrum, [email protected].

Yearbooks Are On Sale — Don't Wait, Prices Go Up!

Order your 2026-2027 yearbook today and lock in the best price before it increases. Prices go up on the following dates, so the earlier you order, the more you save:

  • $45 — now through Sept. 11th
  • $50 — Sept. 12th to Oct. 16th
  • $55 — Oct. 17th to Nov. 20th
  • $60 — Nov. 21st through May 1st (lMay 1st is the last day to guarantee a copy!)

Order your yearbook: jostensyearbooks.com

Want to purchase a yearbook ad or shoutout for your 8th grade or 12th grade student? Order here

Yearbooks are printed in limited quantities based on early orders — after 6/1, we can't guarantee a copy will be available, so don't wait!

 

Reminders

Fees for Early Morning Drop Off

Our early morning drop off program (7:30 - 7:45 am) has been free these first weeks while we evaluated how many families need this service and developed a plan for staffing and cost. Fees will begin on Monday, Sept 14. To simplify the payment process, this will work like a membership. The fee is $20/month, whether you use it every day or just some days. The fee will offset but does not fully cover our costs for staffing this program. We are doing our best to provide affordable coverage for working families while also balancing our budget. 

 

    • Cost: $20 per month, paid in advance. 
    • How to pay: You will receive an invoice and can pay through MySchoolBucks
  • Invoices will be sent after you register
  • Fees begin Monday, Sept 14

 

A Few Spots for 5th Grade! 

We have a few spots open for 5th, 11th and 12th grades. We would love to serve as many students as we can! Full enrollment helps us as we work hard to provide an excellent educational experience for students despite North Carolina’s lack of funding for public schools. If your student loves FSI - help us spread the word! 

 

Clubs Update

It’s mid-September which means after school clubs are getting started! Please remember that high school students have designated club time during the school day. These school-based student led clubs are not part of Beyond the Bell and run independently from our afterschool programming. There is a fee for clubs that run through Beyond the Bell. This helps cover the cost of supplies and stipends for our club leaders.

 

The club listing can be found on our website under Beyond the Bell. Here are the BtB clubs that are getting started right now:

  • Outdoor club - both middle and high school, Mondays
  • D&D club - starts Monday, Sept 14
  • MS Football Fundamentals - starts Friday, Sept 18
  • Academic Tutoring/Homework Help - starts Tuesday, Sept 21

 

We are also excited to partner with Nantahala Racing Club to offer the only youth paddling clubs in our area! NRC has installed gates on our little section of Hominy Creek, and we’ve brought some kayaks out of storage to provide some basic boats to get kids out on the water. Fees for the youth paddling clubs are paid to NRC, not to FSI.

 

  • FSI Middle School Paddling Club: Wednesdays Sept 16 through Nov 18 from 1:30 - 3 pm. Register here: FSI MS Paddling Club Registration. Students are welcome to sign into BtB after the paddling club - please reach out to Ron Scott if your student will be participating in the paddling club and will attend BtB. There is no additional BtB fee beyond the paddling club cost. 
  • Open Paddling Clubs: NRC is offering additional clubs for anyone interested in learning basic paddling skills. These clubs are not limited to FSI, but FSI high school students and parents are invited to join in the fun! More info and registration here: NRC at Hominy Creek

 

Questions? Contact Jedediah Hinkley, [email protected].

 

Free Family Weekend Nov 6 - 8

Victory Junction is offering all families who live in a county impacted by Hurricane Helene a FREE Family Weekend, Nov. 6–8, 2026, where they can reconnect, recharge and continue staying strong together. All families living in a county impacted by the storm are welcome. Unlike Victory Junction’s traditional programs, children do not need to have a qualifying medical condition or physical need to participate.

Visit victoryjunction.org/helene to learn more and apply. This program is made possible through Hurricane Helene relief funds in the state budget.

 

NC Governor’s School Opportunity

The Governor’s School of North Carolina is a four-week summer residential program for gifted and talented 10th and 11th grade students, integrating academic disciplines, the arts, and unique courses. Students explore, ask questions, and discover new possibilities that complement their high school instruction. Learning does not involve credit, tests, or grades. Students interested in attending must first go through a school nomination process, with selected nominees then considered at the state level.

 

Contact Gretchen Kehrberg ([email protected]) for the 2027 student application. Applications need to be submitted by Monday, October 26, 2026.  Please note that while the application process goes through the school, parents are responsible for the cost of this program. Governor’s School has a scholarship program outside of FSI. 

 

Student Eligibility and Nomination Areas

Governor's School Family Overview

Governor’s School Family Overview Spanish

Governor’s School Video

 

Substitute Teachers & Bus Drivers

We are also looking for substitute teachers and for bus drivers. Our bus driver positions pay better than the County - we will pay for driver education - and our bus routes are easier to drive. Serving as a substitute allows our teachers to take time off without worrying about what happens in their classrooms. If you are or you know someone interested in working as a substitute or a driver, please have them email us at [email protected]. 

 

New Website and App! 

We are excited to reveal our new website and app. You received an invitation and a password reset request from Edlio, our website host. It might look a little suspect because you haven't activated your account yet - but it's fine to click through and create your account. The email you provided us (or for students, your school email) is the email that will be connected with our app! If you don't see the email in your inbox, check your spam folder. This new app will make it easier to keep up with events and find the resources you need. There are features specific for parents, students and our staff - so you may see different functions available. We are in the process of implementing some of the features, so some of them may not be fully functional quite yet - but just hang tight, there is a lot more coming to this! 

 

To download the app, go to your app store, search for Edlio and download the app - you will see an option for The Franklin School of Innovation - click that and the app will relaunch as FSI's and log in!

 

Who Do I Go To When….

Whether you are new to FSI or returning, we know you have questions and want to help you find the best answers! This handy guide can help you connect. We do our best to respond to questions within 24 hours. We do not expect school staff to respond outside of school hours.  It may take longer right now or when the email load is especially heavy.  Click here to access the guide: Who do I go to when…