Good morning Franklin families,
In like a lion, out like a lamb? March has already shown us the range of weather, from freezing sleet to a day designed to trigger spring fever! It’s still a month till spring break, but only two weeks till the end of Quarter 3. Parents – please take time today to check in on your student’s grades and assignment completion. Recently we’ve been looking at students who are not on track in their classes. For students who are not passing classes, the top reasons are missing or incomplete assignments and attendance. These are trends that schools everywhere are reporting – a sharp increase in student absenteeism along with a decrease in work completion. Let’s work together to help students succeed by getting them to school and creating routines and structures to complete work.
On a cheerier note, a huge thank you to everyone who came out for our 10th Anniversary Gala and Silent Auction! A thousand thank yous to the team that organized the event and all those who donated auction items. We will bring all unclaimed auction items to school by mid-day Monday. If you were the winning bidder but were not able to attend the Gala – you can pick up your items from the school office.
We’re looking forward to the Middle School Theatre performance of the one-act comedy, “Help Desk” this Friday, 6 pm and Saturday, 2 pm in the FSI Community Room. Purchase tickets here: https://franklinschoolofinnovation.networkforgood.com/events/68639-help-desk-fsi-middle-school-drama-club-performance.
As a quick reminder, we have a long weekend coming up, with no school for students on Friday, March 15 and Monday, March 18. Friday is a teacher work day and Monday was held as a possible weather makeup day. As long as our weather behaves, we will not need that day. Our wonderful Parent Crew is organizing a staff breakfast for Friday, March 15. Please sign up and bring items to the school office on Thursday, March 14, or by Friday, March 15th at 8:30 am. Details are included in the sign-up genius below.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080B4FAAA629A02-48108845-teacher
Calendar Events
Tues, March 5
- 4:15 pm: Middle School All-Star Basketball game hosted by FSI
Thur, March 7
- 6:30 pm: Virtual Information Session for Prospective Families
https://zoom.us/j/94364162246?pwd=TFUrYmZ6QjRlcm5ZTnhUaCtKbWU2dz09
Fri, March 8
- 6:00 pm: Middle School Theatre Presents “Help Desk”
Purchase tickets https://franklinschoolofinnovation.networkforgood.com/events/68639-help-desk-fsi-middle-school-drama-club-performance.
Sat, Mar 9
- 2:00 pm: Middle School Theatre presents “Help Desk” (link for tickets above)
Hold the Dates! Friday, March 15 & Monday, March 18
No School for Students
FSI Yearlong Academic Calendar
Parent Crew Updates
March 15 is a Teacher Workday, and the Parent Crew is organizing breakfast for the wonderful FSI staff. We would love to have your help and participation.
Please sign up and bring items to the school office on Thursday, March 14, or by Friday, March 15th at 8:30 am. Details are included in the sign-up genius below.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080B4FAAA629A02-48108845-teacher
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The next Parent Crew Meeting is March 21st from 8:30-9:30 am. We would love to see as many people as possible come and help plan and support our spring and summer events. Reach out to parentcrew@thefsi.com if you have questions.
Bolts Athletic News
The MS JV and V basketball teams wrapped up their season last week with a double header vs Francine Delany. The JV game was super exciting with the action going back and forth. Unfortunately the Bolts came up a little short on the scoreboard 37-41. The Bolts were led by J. Melton, E. Floam, and K. Dula.
The Varsity team took care of business from the jump and secured the victory. The Bolts were solid defensively with multiple steals that led to lay ups to open up the scoring.
The Bolts were led by D. Garcia, Z. Manley, C. Wells and the rebounding was led by G. Stone, D. Garcia and S. Bragdon.
Spring Sports have started. MS soccer will begin the week of March 11th.
Middle School Soccer (grades 5 – 8, mixed gender)
- Practices begin mid-March
- Coach Kyle Wilson (kwilson@thefsi.us)
High School Girls Soccer (grades 9 – 12)
- Practice starts Feb 19
- Coaches Chad Gerber (cgerber@thefsi.us) & Sagan Pizzingrilli (spizzingrilli@thefsi.us)
High School Ultimate (grades 9 – 12, mixed gender)
- Practices begin mid/end February
- Coach Chad Gerber (cgerber@thefsi.us)
Building Bridges Spring Workshop: Mondays, March 11 – May 6
Building Bridges is hosting their next 9-week course on how to intentionally engage in conversations about racism. Registration is now open! The workshops will be held at Evergreen Community Charter School, 50 Bell Road, Monday evenings from 6:30 – 9:00 pm, March 11 – May 6. Register here:
https://www.bbavl.org/register/
Summer Driver’s Education @ FSI
We are pleased to be able to host a Summer Driver’s Education class at FSI. The class will be held June 10-14. Students must be 14 ½ to attend. Registration and more information is available here: mtnpro.com/school-classes
Job Opportunities
We are beginning to recruit for the coming school year! Positions will be posted on our website: https://www.franklinschoolofinnovation.org/our-story/careers/
Reminders
Free YouTube Workshop on Teens & Vaping
Kriya Lendzion, who has led many workshops for FSI families on teens and substance use and abuse, has released a new video with SmartSocial on the risks of youth vaping nicotine and THC. Watch at your own time and interest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QpCR-mtHrc
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.
Buy Your Yearbook Today!
Our Yearbook Class is hard at work designing our school yearbook! Order yours now for the Final Sale: $60 from Jan. 27-May 26th
And here is the link:
Club Updates
Middle School BIPOC Student Union (BSU) – First Fridays
We are excited to announce that the middle school BSU is returning beginning this Friday!
- Who: middle school BIPOC students, grades 5-8
- What: To build and celebrate community.
- Why: Our mission is to confront racism through education, celebration, and messaging to foster inclusive environments that allow all BIPOC students to participate. We charge all FSI community to become advocates of systemic change by promoting dialogue in word or deed, in and out of classrooms with their non-bipoc peers. We celebrate BIPOC culture while challenging systematic oppression. We are committed to accountability and creating a future where all individuals are valued and respected.
- When: the first Friday of each month. Next Meeting: March 1
- Where: room 172 (Mrs. Ryan’s room)
*Pizza lunch will be provided. Please reach out to JR Negron (jrjnegron@thefsi.us) or
Jenn Ryan (jryan@thefsi.us) if you are planning to attend (to make sure we have enough pizza) or with any questions.
Help Desk One-Act Comedy
Mark your calendars for the upcoming Middle School theatre performance of Help Desk, Friday, March 8 at 6 pm and Saturday, March 9 at 2 pm. The FSI Middle School Theatre Department is rehearsing the one-act comedy, HELP DESK. The rehearsal schedule can be found here. Performances will be in the FSI Community Room on Friday March 8 at 6PM and Saturday March 9 at 2PM. Please contact Ms. Lexa with any questions, elexa@thefsi.us. It’s going to be a hilarious show!
THE ADDAMS FAMILY MUSICAL
The FSI High School Theatre Department in collaboration with the FSI Music Department is in rehearsal for our first high school musical production! Auditions were in December and rehearsals underway. SAVE THE DATE! Performances will be in Kittredge Theatre at Warren Wilson College on Friday, April 19 and Saturday, April 20 at 7:00 PM. Cast and crew members can access the rehearsal schedule here. Questions? Contact Julie Wharton at jwharton@thefsi.us or Sandi Wilson at swilson@thefsi.us.
Middle School Student Council Updates
The student council is excited about their new blog! Publicity coordinators Matilda Carter and Alex Pilcher helped create the idea to have a space to share the updates. You can check out the blog with all of our news (https://fsimsstudentcouncil.blogspot.com/). If you prefer to see our updates in person, check out our bulletin board in the 5th/6th grade hall! We will be updating both as new information, events, and news come in!
Find our list of clubs on our website: https://www.franklinschoolofinnovation.org/student-life/clubs/
Who do I go to when….
Whether you are new or returning to Franklin, we know you will have questions, and we want to help you find the best person to answer them, quickly and efficiently. We hope this little guide will help you navigate! Click here to access the guide: Who do I go to when…
Teaching Teams
Need to contact a teacher? Find them quickly with this link to our Teaching Teams for 2023-2024
