Share the link to our Hurricane Recovery Fund with your friends & family!
Donate to FSI Hurricane Recovery Fund
Good morning Franklin families,
It’s a brand new year! Have you seen these memes in your social media feed?
“I don’t think I want a new year this time around. I want a gently used year like 2003 or maybe 1985 if it’s still in good shape.”
“Nobody claim 2025 as “your year”. We’re all going to walk in real slow. Be quiet. Be good. Don’t. Touch. Anything.”
It’s normal to have some apprehension about change and I think many of us are a bit more apprehensive this year than normal! We’ve had a lot of change. But here we are and a brand new year stretches ahead. As we think about what we’d like to leave behind and what we’d like to carry forward -I know there’s a lot I’d like to leave behind! What I want to carry forward is the way our community came together after a disaster. It was the embodiment of Crew that is at the heart of our school mission and model. The idea of Crew is that we all have an active role to play in our collective success. So here’s to a great year of Crew. Let’s see what we can do together! Thank you for choosing Franklin and being part of our Crew.
Upcoming Events
Mon, Jan 6: Teacher Work Day – no school for students
- 3:00 – 5:00: School Improvement Team meeting
Tues, Jan 7: Students return to school – 1st day of Semester 2
Wed, Jan 8
- 4:30 – 5:30 pm: MS Basketball (V) game vs Shining Rock @ FSI
Thurs, Jan 9
- 4:15 – 5:15 pm: MS Bball (JV)l vs ArtSpace @ FSI
Keep up with our Community Calendar: FSI Community Calendar
Need to see the year at a glance? FSI 2024-25 Academic Calendar
Athletics News
We return this week with two Middle School basketball home games. Come out and cheer for the Bolts!
Parent Crew
Thank you to everyone who contributed to our Holiday Staff Giving Pool and brought cookies before break. We were able to provide every FSI staff member with a $100 cash gift along with a sweet little bag of holiday cheer. Your contributions and efforts truly help our staff feel valued!
Parent Crew is your organization! We are having a casual parent meet-up at the Dripolator in Candler on Tuesday, January 14, at 8:30 AM. This will be a time to chat and meet fellow FSI families.
Also, Dr. Paula Dowd, FSI High School Principal, will join us for our meeting on Thursday, Jan 23.
Chipotle Dine Out Event: Monday, March 3 from 4 – 8 pm – pick up dinner or afterschool snacks from Chipotle Brevard Road! Make sure you mention the FSI fundraiser and we will receive 25% of sales. Parent Crew uses funds raised to support Staff Appreciation and Events.
Mark your calendars for upcoming Parent Crew meetings!
- Tues, Jan 14: 8:30 am at Dropolator in Candler – parent meet and greet
- Thursday, Jan 23: 6 pm: Special Guest Dr. Paula Dowd, HS Principal
- Wednesday, Feb 19: 8:30 am school -,more details about place closer to date
- Monday, Mar 3: 4 – 8 pm: Chipotle Brevard Road Dine Out – mention FSI fundraiser!
- Thursday, Mar 20: 6 pm at school-more details about place closer to date
- Thursday, Apr 24: 8:30 am school-more details about place closer to date
- Thursday, May 29: 6 pm online- check the school calendar for Google Meet details
Open Enrollment for Next School Year
It’s time for Open Enrollment for the 2025-2026 school year! If you are new to FSI, or maybe just need a reminder, please review how this works. It can be confusing.
- All current FSI students have a guaranteed spot for next year. You will complete a separate re-enrollment process. Do not re-apply through Open Enrollment and the lottery.
- All new students – including siblings – must apply through Open Enrollment. Open Enrollment runs from January 1 – March 31, 2025. Applications are online. Just go to our website and click the link. If you plan to enroll a sibling for next year make sure to check the box. Siblings get priority for enrollment.
- Help us grow! If you have friends or family members with students in grades 5 – 12, make sure they know about Open Enrollment. We would love to fill every slot with great students and families! The link to apply is right at the top of our website: https://www.franklinschoolofinnovation.org/
Reminder: Post-Hurricane Supports Survey
We shared this before the holidays. Here’s a last chance to complete the survey if you missed it before! We want to know how we can best support students, staff and families with mental well-being. Please take time today to complete this survey and help us plan for services and summer programming that will help your student and your family thrive.Please complete the survey by end of day this Wednesday, Jan 8
Post-Hurricane Supports Survey (last chance – due Jan 8)
We are excited to expand mental health services for the rest of this school year! Our MAHEC partner therapist will now be available at FSI full time (5 days/week). This will allow her to serve more FSI students. We are also entering into an agreement with Winter to Spring Wellness, a local mental health practice, to provide counseling services to FSI students, families, and staff members. All student and family services will be arranged by referral from our middle and high school counselors. Services will be provided at no direct cost to families or staff. If you are interested, please contact our school counselors, JR Negron for middle school and MK Hyche for high school.
JR Negron: jrnegron@thefsi.us
MK Hyche: mkhyche@thefsi.us
Yearbook Sales & Senior Ads!
Our yearbook class is busy capturing fantastic memories of this year! Yearbooks are currently $55. Get yours here before the price increases in January!
Want to purchase an ad for your FSI senior? You have until February 7th to shout out your senior. You can purchase an ad by clicking here.
College Corner: FAFSA Update
FSI will be holding a FAFSA (Federal Application for Student Aid) completion workshop on January 15 from 6 – 7 pm. Here is the latest update on the FAFSA which recently opened at the end of November.“The 2025-26 FAFSA is open. Here’s what you need to know.”
After School Clubs
We have updated our Club listing, which is also posted on our website. Many clubs are starting or resuming this week! You can check the listing and see which clubs are starting back up here: 2024 FSI Clubs. Please remember that students need to sign in to Beyond the Bell for after school clubs.
Reminders
Apply for Free/Reduced Lunch
We strongly encourage families to apply for free and reduced lunch. If your family is experiencing a loss of income due to the hurricane, you may qualify for free or reduced meals based on your current income. It is important to our school to collect this information for two reasons. First – it helps us support our families! We will use the free and reduced meal application for all school-based financial aid and scholarships, including meals as well as scholarships for field trips, Beyond the Bell services, and clubs.
Having accurate information about the number of families who qualify for free or reduced lunch also supports the school. Some sources of funding are based on this number.
You can apply for the free and reduced meal program at www.myschoolbucks.com or under the quick links through your My School Bucks app. If you have any issues, contact Tammey Harper at tharper@thefsi.us.
MANNA Packs for Kids
MANNA Packs for Kids is a take-home food program that provides a weekly bag of food to students. Bags will contain items such as proteins, fruits, vegetables, snacks and/or breakfast items.The “MANNA Packs for Kids” program’s mission is to serve those families with children who are experiencing economic difficulty and could use assistance in providing food when school meals are not an option. To join the program, please fill out the Manna Packs google form here.
