Share the link to our Hurricane Recovery Fund with your friends & family! 

Donate to FSI Hurricane Recovery Fund

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Good morning Franklin community,

It’s our last week of the school year! This has been a challenging year in so many ways. When we returned from the hurricane, I think I somehow expected or hoped that our recovery would be linear – that each day would get a little easier than the day before. Of course recovery doesn’t work like that, and the year was full of moments of joy, leaps of growth, collective resilience, and setbacks that left us wondering if we’ll ever really recover. 

I hope through it all you and your child have felt a sense of belonging, through our school and the broader WNC community. I am grateful for the steady support we have received from you throughout the year. And I am hopeful that next year will be a year of fewer challenges and obstacles. We’ve done some hard stuff. A little break would be beautiful. 

We have one more day of state testing on Monday. Students in grade 5 and 8 will take the End of Grade science test, and students in Biology (primarily 10th graders) will take the End of Course Biology test. Last week, on our first day of testing, students experienced a serious disruption when the State test site crashed. Along with over 200,000 students across the state, they had to sit and wait for nearly an hour before the site was fixed. We know this disruption had a negative impact on students and we are currently exploring all options for our school. This may include retesting for students who did not receive a score of “proficient” on the exams. Please stay tuned as we do our best to quickly resolve a complex challenge. 

This week will include a lot of fun! Here are some of our celebrations this week:

• On Tuesday we will host a Celebration of Learning for our middle school families. 5th and 6th grade families are invited to join us from 9 – 10 am and 7th and 8th grade families are invited from 10:30 – 11:30. We will showcase examples of beautiful work completed by our students this year, including our school wide collection of reflections  from Hurricane Helene. 
• Tuesday evening we will celebrate our 8th grade students as they “move up” to high school. All 8th grade families are invited to join us at AB Tech for this big event.
• On Wednesday at 1:00 we will host a groundbreaking for our new turf field! We have been saving and working toward this campus improvement for years and we are so excited that the time has finally come.This will be a very informal and student-centered event, but you are welcome to join us if you are able.
• And last but certainly not least, Friday brings high school graduation. We will celebrate the hard work and growth of students who have earned their high school diplomas! 

Wednesday is a full day of school. Students will enjoy outdoor activities and wrap up work in their classrooms. Thursday is our last day of school. Students will be dismissed at 1:00. There is no Beyond the Bell coverage.

Thank you for sharing this year with us. It’s been a hard one but we’ve made it through together! 

Upcoming Events

Mon, June 2

• Science End of Grade Exam for 5th and 8th grade, Biology End of Course Exam
• 10th grade students who are not taking Biology will have a remote day on Monday. They may attend school for Crew and afternoon electives if they wish

Tues, June 3

• Middle School Celebration of Learning, 9 – 10 am for 5th and 6th grade, 10:30 – 11:30 am for 7th and 8th grade
• 6:00 pm: 8th Grade Moving Up Ceremony @ AB Tech, 16 Fernihurst Drive
• EOG and EOC Make Up testing

Wed, June 4

• 1:00 pm: Turf Field Groundbreaking! Go Bolts! 
• EOG and EOC Make up testing
• 3:15/3:35 dismissal

Thurs, June 5: Last Day of School! 

• 1:00 dismissal
• No Beyond the Bell 

Fri,  June 6

• 6:00 pm: High School Graduation @ AB Tech

Keep up with our Community Calendar: FSI Community Calendar

Need to see next year’s calendar? 2025-2026 FSI Calendar

Bolts Athletics

Join us Wednesday at 1 pm for the groundbreaking for our new Turf Field! @Bolt Pride! 

Parent Crew

Thank you to everyone who braved the traffic and joined us for our meeting last Thursday!  We will have the annual Summer Meet and Greet at Buncombe County Sports Park on July 20th from 1 to 5 p.m. 1pm-2pm-5th and 6th Grade, 2pm-3pm-7th and 8th grade, and 3pm-5pm—all other grades. Kona Ice will be there for everyone to enjoy and help us raise Parent Crew funds.   We cannot wait to see you there! 

Return School-Owned Chromebooks & Hotspots

All school-owned technology should be turned to the front office no later than this Thursday. Please return devices and their charge cords fully charged and in a bag together with the name of the student. Mrs. Crockett and Ms. Robitaille are available from 8 to 4 weekdays. If your student needs the device to complete school work, please return the device no later than June 4. If you have special circumstances and need the device longer, please email fsitechrecoup_spring2025@thefsi.us to request an extension. 

Join our Board of Directors

As we begin looking ahead to the next school year, we are seeking new members for our Board of Directors. This is an important role to support the school and guide its future growth and development. If you know anyone (recently retired grandparents perhaps? Empty nesters looking for a new passion project? A colleague at work looking for a way to have a bigger impact on the community?) or if you are interested – please reach out to me or to Board Chair Al Glicksberg (aglicksberg@thefsi.us). We are recruiting now for members to begin in August or September. 

Summer Learning Recovery Program & Credit Recovery

Register today for our Summer Learning Recovery Program!  Our students have faced many disruptions to their learning, from COVID in their early elementary years to the month-long closure following Helene. As one fun component of our program, we plan to partner with Zaniac to provide weekly themed STEM enrichments, exploring chemistry, our ecosystems, robotics, and more! If your student is in grade 4 – 8 and is not yet at grade level in reading or math, please invest the time in this summer program. If you have already registered – you are good to go! 

This free program will run from 8:30 am – 1:30 pm during the following weeks:

• June 17 – 20 (Tues – Fri only this week)
• June 23 – 27
• July 7 – 11
• July 14 – 18

We will also offer Summer Credit Recovery for high school students who need to earn credits toward graduation. Credit recovery will be offered during the same weeks and times as the summer learning program. Students who fail a course required for high school graduation are strongly urged to complete credit recovery in the summer. 

Reminders

Reminder – No Early Dismissal after 2:45 pm 

We will no longer call students out of class after 2:45 pm, or after noon on Wednesdays. We’ve announced this previously but we’ve seen a steady increase in this practice. It’s disruptive to the rest of the students in the classrooms and the flow of traffic on campus. 

Please try to schedule appointments after school, allowing enough time for dismissal and travel. If you must pick up early – arrive before the final class of the day. If you arrive after 2:45 pm or after 12:00 noon on Wednesdays, you will need to wait for the regular dismissal time. 

Join us for 3 weeks of fun at our FSI Summer Quest Camp

Camp this year is only available to rising 5th graders through rising 8th graders. We are planning three great weeks of arts, crafts, games, science, learning, swimming and adventuring! Each week of Summer Quest Camp is a mix of outdoor activities, arts, swimming, cooking, social skill building, field trips and sports!

Choose which week, or all the weeks:

• Week 1: June 23rd – 27th
• Week 2: July 7th-11th
• Week 3: July 14th-18th

Register for summer camp here – https://franklinschoolofinnovation.networkforgood.com/events/84532-fsi-summer-camp

Who to contact and how: Mr. Ron Scott, 828 335 1053, rscott@thefsi.us

Public School Advocacy – Keep Calling! 

It is budget season in North Carolina. We must let our elected leaders know that public school funding matters!  Over 80% of all students in North Carolina and 85% of students with learning differences attend public schools. This isn’t a partisan issue – public schools have an impact on everyone. What does North Carolina’s terrible public school funding (seriously – 48 out of 50 is embarrassing!)  mean for parents and students? Here are just a few ways that inadequate funding  impacts parents and students:

• Higher teacher turnover as teachers leave the profession or the state for financial stability
• Less experienced teachers in classrooms
• Fewer school staff overall, so no one has time to do their job well
• Teachers and other school staff with second and third jobs, leaving them with less time and energy for their chosen profession

What can you do? Contact our elected officials! Call, email, write letters, drive to Raleigh if you are able! And get everyone you know to do the same. Let’s make our voices heard! Here’s the link again to the Education Call List.  If you have time only for a few calls, prioritize our State elected officials and tell them to pass the House education spending plan. 

Car Line Reminders

• All traffic is one way during arrival and dismissal. There are NO exceptions. It simply isn’t safe. 
• Students are to be picked up by the building – not in the driveway and especially not by the road. 
• Turn right at Sardis Road. Always.
• Watch your speed.

Thank you to everyone who regularly follows these expectations! 

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.