Good morning Franklin families,
We’ve enjoyed a week with our new faculty, and tomorrow all FSI staff return for the school year. We have one final week to be ready for our students to return! Whatever your plans are for this final week of summer, our building will be buzzing in anticipation.
Thank you to everyone who was able to join us for Family Orientation last Thursday. If you weren’t able to attend, the video and presentation are shared below::
Meet the Teachers is this Thursday, August 22! We have staggered the times to help with traffic and to make it easier for everyone to get what they need efficiently. Please come during the designated time. This is a drop-in casual event. Come see where your student will be throughout the day, meet teachers and some other FSI families, pick up your welcome packets, and learn more about our athletics, afterschool, and nutrition programs. Please note that high school teachers will not be available before 5 pm, and middle school teachers will not be available after 5 pm. Questions? Reach out to Micah Usher, musher@thefsi.us.
- 3:30 – 5:00 pm: Middle School Meet the Teachers
- 5:00 – 6:30 pm: High School Meet the Teachers
Volunteers Needed!
Please see the weekly Parent Crew section to keep up with our parent organization. This is a great way to get involved, meet other FSI families, and connect! We have some specific and immediate needs, including volunteers to help out during Meet the Teacher and to help with Staff Lunch scheduled for this Friday.
Sneakers Needed!
Sneakers are required to participate in all PE classes! We are looking for any used or new sneakers that you would be willing to donate to the PE program. Youth sizes are in high demand, especially for grades 5 & 6. We will accept any size that you are willing to donate and our PE students will greatly appreciate the donation. The sneakers can be dropped off at the front office labeled for Coach Burke.or brought to the gym once school begins.
Infinite Campus Parent Portal
Please watch for an important email from Erinn Otten, Director of Students Services! She will be sending information on how to access the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. You will use the Parent Portal to update your contact and demographic information, upload medical forms and other student forms, view your student’s schedule, submit attendance notes, and more! Remember that we are transitioning from PowerSchool, the State’s prior student information system, to Infinite Campus. It is a HUGE transition and we are still learning how to use Infinite Campus. It will be a good change but like all change – there will be some challenges and growing pains. Bear with us while we get to the better side.
Enjoy this last week of summer and we look forward to seeing you Thursday for Meet the Teachers!
Upcoming Events
Thurs, Aug 22: Meet the Teachers
- 3:30 – 5:00 pm: Middle School
- 5:00 – 6:30 pm: High School
Mon, August 26: First Day of School!
Note that Wednesday, August 28 IS an early release day
Mon,Sept 2: Labor Day Holiday – No School
Wed, Sept 18: Fall Student Led Listening Conferences – students will not attend school this day. They will come ONLY for their conference time. Times will be scheduled with Crew leaders
Parent Crew
As the new school year quickly approaches, Parent Crew has a few events with volunteer needs, and we hope you can help!
Meet the Teacher event on Thursday 8/22.
We need volunteers to hand out orientation packets, and to sell merchandise/provide information at the Parent Crew Table—which funds staff lunches! Consider signing up for just one hour…
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090848A5AA22ABFF2-50484783-meet
Staff Lunch–in advance and day of Friday, 8/23.
We need set up/clean up help and drink donations (dropped off in advance, flexible during the week):
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090848A5AA22ABFF2-50647897-fsistaff
We also need some grade-level coordinator volunteers.
These volunteers act as liaisons between grade-level staff, parents, and parent crew and conduct news sharing over email only. It’s fun and small commitment. Email jbyrd080908@gmail.com if interested.
And please join us at Dripolator coffee shop on 8/30 at 8:30am for a “get to know you” event with Parent Crew! https://www.facebook.com/events/7815647408562895/?rdid=69I2e0dZ8h9V29Oj&share_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fshare%2FSqgPTbfPNgHCuR3g%2F
First official meeting of Parent Crew is on 9/19 at 6pm–virtual only at: meet.google.com/xxg-ruhh-obs
Thank you for joining us!
Athletics News
Middle School Sports
- Girls Volleyball- please contact Matt Mikulski mmikulski@thefsi.us or Devan Dixon ddixon@thefsi.us
Start Date: Interest Meeting August 28th and practice begins September 3
- Boys & Girls Cross Country- please contact Joanna Agnew jagnew@thefsi.us
- Flag Football (co-ed)- please contact Tony Freeman tfreeman@thefsi.us or Anne Gillis agillis@thefsi.us
Start Date: After Labor Day
High School Sports
- Boys Soccer- please contact Teshale Byan tbyan@thefsi.us
Start Date: August 26
- Girls Volleyball- please contact Heather Kabat hkabat@thefsi.us
Start Date: August 19-23 (pre-season try-outs) 9:00am-12:00pm
Try-Outs- August 27-30 3:45-5:00pm
- Boys & Girls Cross Country- please contact Mackenzie Arnold marnold@thefsi.us
Start Date: August 19-23 on campus 7:45-8:30am
Practices starting August 26th will be on M. T. Th, F 4:15-5:30pm
All required paperwork(sports physical completed by a physician and concussion form) must be submitted prior to participation. These forms can be found on the school website.
Reminders
Bus Rider & Carpool Information
It’s great to see action happening on the carpool page! No matter where you live, you’ll find FSI families nearby. You need to join the Franklin Carpool Facebook page. Find your carpool friends here: Franklin Carpool Facebook Page
You should have received the bus sign up information from Deeana Bennett, Director of Operations. You must complete the Bus Rider Form if you want your student on the bus – even if they rode the bus last year! Please click here to fill out the Bus Registration Form. We will review registrations and do our best to accommodate all requests. We have added about 40 spaces on our buses this year with the purchase of 3 larger buses – but space is still limited. Priority will be given to students who live in lower wealth households and under-represented demographic groups. We will also consider family hardship in determining placements. Please note that last year there was a waiting list for the buses. After a couple of weeks we were able to accommodate all riders – but it takes a little while to work through the individual student schedules.
School Lunch Options
We offer a daily cold breakfast and hot lunch for students. Students can apply for free or reduced lunch, or opt into our paid meal program. There will be some changes to our program as we get ready to join the National School Lunch Program, but our program will still emphasize student choice as a way to limit food waste and we will keep many of the student favorites. Examples of lunch choices could include:
- Sandwiches
- Mac & Cheese
- Pastas
- Bean & Cheese Burritos
- Burgers (beef and vegetarian)
- French Toast or breakfast biscuits as a Wednesday “brunch” option
Families will purchase lunch items using the online payment platform, MySchoolBucks. You will be able to use the MySchoolBucks platform to pay for meals, Beyond the Bell, and athletic fees.
Beyond the Bell Before and After School Program
Before and after school care and activities are provided through our Beyond the Bell program. Ron Scott is returning as Director of Afterschool Services and Damon Scott is returning as Afterschool Coordinator. Beyond the Bell will be offered from 7:15 – 7:45 am and after school until 6 pm daily, Monday through Friday. Families will register and pay through MySchoolBucks online payment platform.
Important change for this school year: All students who are at school after dismissal will be placed in Beyond the Bell. This includes students staying for afterschool clubs. Students will register and sign in to Beyond the Bell. Club sponsors will pick students up from Beyond the Bell and return them to Beyond the Bell when the club is finished. The daily BtB fee will apply for afterschool clubs. This does not include athletics or rehearsals for music or theater, but it does apply to all after school clubs.
This change is important to improve student safety. Last year we found many students were staying at school for late pickup, but they were not checking into our programs. This creates a real safety risk for students! Program fees will also allow us to provide stipends for club sponsors, honoring the time and talents of our staff.
Summer Reading Suggestions, Supply Lists, and Welcome Letters
There is something undeniably appealing about new pencils and fresh notebooks. You will find grade-specific Supply Lists, Summer Reading Suggestions, and Welcome Letters posted on our website under the “Students” tab. Check them out here! Supply Lists & Summer Reading
With appreciation,
