This is How We Crew It FSI Fundraising Campaign
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Good morning Franklin families,
It’s Spring Forward Day – don’t forget to move your clocks ahead.The lost hour of sleep is a little painful but the extra hour of daylight in the evenings is worth it. Just in time to get outside to enjoy this very spring-like weather!
This week is a really important time to check in with your student about their school work and grades. We’ve had a lot of weather disruptions this quarter and it’s easy for students to get off track with on-again, off-again school. There are 3 weeks left till the end of the quarter – plenty of time to take action if needed. For high school students especially, remember that we have updated our grading policies. We’ve retired the post-COVID grace of rounding up grades to 50. North Carolina has also changed the way credit recovery grades are awarded, which means that students who fail a course will have to work much harder to earn that credit. Let’s work together to keep students on track for success this year! If you have concerns about your student’s grades or achievement in school, please reach out to their Crew leader for support.
Another quick reminder – this week is a normal week of school! We originally had a teacher work day and a weather make-up day scheduled for Thursday and Friday. This is one of our calendar changes. Students will have classes every day this week.
A few of you have been asking, so just a quick reminder. The Board of Directors will review and vote on the school calendar for the 2026-2027 school year. The calendar will be similar to this year – stay tuned and we’ll get it posted as soon as it’s approved. We expect the first day of school to be Monday, August 24, with a Meet the Teacher event on Thursday, August 20.
Mark Your Calendars!
On Saturday, April 18, Parent Crew and our Athletic Program are teaming up to offer a fun spring fair! There is something for everyone, from craft vendors, silent auction, food, music, and a pickleball tournament! We’re currently seeking craft vendors, musicians, and pickleball enthusiasts, along with volunteers to support our hard-working Parent Crew to plan and facilitate the day. More info is provided in the athletics and Parent Crew portions of the newsletter.
Call to Action
I’m going to keep this call to action here at the front for a couple weeks. North Carolina public schools are facing a crisis that is caused directly by our elected officials. This isn’t a Democrat vs Republican thing. Other states around North Carolina are doubling down on their investment in public education – raising teacher salaries and investing in their schools. North Carolina is choosing a different path, investing billions in vouchers for private education while starving its public schools. The vast majority of our students are served in public schools so this approach doesn’t make sense on any level.
It’s time for our elected officials to do their jobs and pass a budget that fully funds our public schools. North Carolina is the ONLY state in the nation that hasn’t passed a budget for this year! Let’s make our voices heard! Call or email with one simple message: Pass a budget that fully funds the Leandro remediation plan. Invest in our public schools, our teachers and our students.
House Speaker Destin Hall
Phone:919-733-3451
Email: Destin.Hall@ncleg.gov
Senate President: Phil Berger
Phone: (919) 733-5708
Email: Phil.Berger@ncleg.gov
As always, thank you for choosing Franklin and for partnering with us to prepare students for the futures they create. Our school is stronger with your participation.
Upcoming Events
Monday, March 9
- 4:00 pm: Staff vs Students Basketball Game – MS
- 5:00 pm: Staff vs Students Basketball Game – HS
Tuesday, March 10
- 5:00 pm: HS Women’s Soccer vs Trailblazers @ FSI – season opener
- 6:00 pm: Board of Directors March Meeting
- 6:30 pm: Parent Crew Meeting (Virtual – via Zoom)
Thursday, March 12 – Regular school day (weather make up)
- 4:30 pm: HS Women’s Soccer vs ICI @ FSI
Mark Your Calendars
Wednesday, March 25
- Student Led Conferences – no classes. Students will attend only for their scheduled SLC. Students in grades 8 and 10 will have remote learning days.
Friday, March 27
- Teacher Work Day for the end of Quarter 3(rescheduled). No school. We will offer a Beyond the Bell camp day to help out for this day. Register here
Wednesday, April 1
- 8th and 10th Grade Passages – Remote Learning Day for all other grades. Students in grades 8 and 10 will attend school only for their scheduled appointment.
Keep up with all our school events!
FSI Community Calendar – add our events to your google calendar
2025-2026 Yearlong Calendar – year at a glance (changes will be made following Wednesday Board meeting)
Bolts Athletics
Join us this week for the HS Girls Soccer Season Opener at Home – Tuesday, March 10, 5:00pm vs Trailblazers
Boys Soccer Conference Championship Banner Reveal: Come celebrate our first ever conference championship!
Ceremony will take place at approximately 4:45pm before the girls soccer home opener on Tuesday, March 10th.
Middle School Soccer Information
Try-outs will be held on Monday, March 16 and Thursday, March 19 from 3:45-5:00pm.
Boys and girls, grades 5 – 8. All required paperwork must be submitted prior to try-outs.
Contact Coach Kyle Wilson with any questions. kwilson@thefsi.us
Annual Staff vs Students Basketball Games
Monday, March 9
MS game at 4:00pm
HS game at 5:15pm
Pickleball Tournament – Sat, April 18, 11 am – 1 pm
Adult & Student divisions, MS and HS. $25 per team. Get ready!
Sponsorship Banners to Support Bolts Athletics
Do you have a business or know of a business that would be interested in purchasing a sponsorship package that supports the Athletics Program? It is great advertisement for a business as the business name and logo will be displayed on banners in the gym and/or field depending on what package is purchased.
Sponsorship Levels:
Thunder ($500)
1 Banner displayed in either the gym or field area (your choice)
Lightning ($800)
2 Banners. One banner displayed in the gym and one in the field area.
Bolt ($1,000)
Includes everything in the Lightning package plus logo displayed on printed materials (game programs and possibly team gear (practice and travel gear).
Banners are 72×24 inches and will be displayed for one full year with an opportunity to renew. Please contact Coach Burke (Athletic Director) for more information or questions. kburke@thefsi.us
Parent Crew
The Parent Crew is meeting this Tuesday via Zoom at 6:30 pm. We will be discussing the Silent Auction, Spring Fair, and Staff Appreciation Week. Link to join:
https://zoom.us/j/95998763489?pwd=coaPbD9odBBNEamIw1W97jIEk2IvVp.1
Meeting ID: 959 9876 3489
Passcode: dieq23
Can you dedicate three hours or more on Saturday, 04/18, to help raise funds for FSI? These funds support all the things we love about Franklin, including our amazing staff, fantastic arts programs, sports, county-wide transportation, and the lunch program.
If you can help the Parent Crew raise these essential funds during the 04/18 Spring Fair, please sign up here.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090848A5AA22ABFF2-62640459-spring
Spring Craft Fair: Call for Vendors!
The Parent Crew is organizing a spring craft fair and celebration to complement the upcoming pickleball tournament on April 18th, in collaboration with the FSI Athletics department. We would like to offer the opportunity to our enterprising kids and FSI family businesses to join this event and really make it a fun celebration of our community. This opportunity is being released first to our families before we open it to the wider community. There will be live music, food, inflatables and more, but this isn’t the official announcement! If you or your student are interested in a booth space to sell your crafts, artwork, wares or other self-made products please fill out this form – Spring 2026 Craft Fair & Festival FSI Community Vendor Interest Form
Spring Fair – Call for Musicians!
Calling all musicians! We are also seeking performers for the Spring Fair. Open to students, family members and community members: https://forms.gle/yDwjsRvZeJwRBH7j8
Breakfast & Lunch Menus
You can find our menus online: https://www.franklinschoolofinnovation.org/parents/nutrition/
Senior Passage Panelists Needed
Senior passages are happening March 25th from 4-7pm. We are in need of community panelists to sit on a panel of administrators and teachers, listen to the students’ presentations and provide feedback. Your participation is so valuable for the students getting ready to graduate! Volunteer for an hour or for the entire session, we need a total of 7 volunteers for each hour – Community Engagement: Senior Passages Community Panelists
Career Opportunities
We have a few immediate opportunities for this school year and we are beginning to recruit for some opportunities for next school year.
Immediate Openings
- Part Time Nutrition Assistant: 15 – 20 hours per week. Email dbennett@thefsi.us
- Substitute Teachers: flexible schedule – work when you can! Cover letter and resume to jobs@thefsi.us
- Bus Drivers: must have or be eligible to receive a CDL. Email jobs@thefsi.us
2026-2027 School Year
- College & Career Counselor: Position is posted on our website. Cover letter and resume to jobs@thefsi.us
- High School Exceptional Children Teacher – OCS/ECS Classroom: Cover letter and resume to jobs@thefsi.us. Must hold or be eligible for EC certification in North Carolina.
Student Club News
Middle School Student Council
Executive Committee will meet this Wednesday during lunch and recess in the Middle School conference room. We missed the meeting last week because Ms. Vruwink was out sick! We’ll meet this week and plan our next full student council event.
General Club Information
You can find more information about clubs on our website, or contact Ron Scott, rscott@thefsi.us. We’ve got some new and returning clubs coming up!
Reminders
High School Summer Opportunities
Have you made plans for the summer? Students and families are beginning to consider the options. Here are some links to some pre-college programs in our area. You can use the Teen Life site to search for summer opportunities across the country and beyond.
UNC-Chapel Hill Project Uplift
FSI Business Directory – submit your business to be included
We are compiling a directory of our family owned businesses. If you would like to be included in the directory, submit your business information here. The directory will be available on our website and in the newsletter. Let’s keep it local!
Free Resources for Resilience Community Events
Passing this along from our friends at Resources for Resilience!
Resources For Resilience is an Asheville-based nonprofit sharing practical tools and educational trainings to help individuals and teams manage stress and prevent burnout in themselves and others. They are currently offering FREE programming for WNC residents and professionals, now through June. Many of our offerings also include CEU professional credit through Area L AHEC! Space is limited for these no-cost opportunities, so interested participants are encouraged to register early to secure their spot. Learn more here: https://conta.cc/3NBqYiU
Girls Who Code Free Summer Learning Program
We’re passing along this opportunity from the nonprofit group Girls Who Code:
Pathways is a free, virtual program that empowers high school girls and non-binary students of all experience levels — including rising 9th graders, graduating seniors, and returning participants — to explore AI, Game Design, Cybersecurity, and more, while learning how to build tech for good. The program is entirely flexible in how participants choose to learn and requires no prior coding experience. Students complete courses at their own pace over seven weeks, from June 29 to August 14.
Beyond coding, students gain real-world insights through Partner Events with leading tech organizations, connect with peers through Girls Who Code’s private Discord community, and join optional Student Hours for live support. Participants earn a certificate for each completed course and join Girls Who Code’s lifelong alumni network, gaining access to mentorship, internships, and career opportunities in tech.
Students can apply by February 25th for priority consideration. The application closes on April 10th.
Music T-Shirts & Hoodies Now Available!
Our Modern Orchestra and Choir shirts are now available for purchase using the links below. This year we have three options of shirts, T-shirts, long sleeve shirts, and hoodies. There is also an option to get something printed on the back like a nickname, last name, etc. You can place orders up until 1/31/26. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
- Modern Orchestra- https://www.imagemarket.com/b34hdf8a
- Choir- https://www.imagemarket.com/bb8f7hc5
High School Europe Adventure
Calling all travelers! The high school Europe trip is currently being organized – Contact Deeana at dbennett@thefsi.us if you are a rising 9th or above (parent) and interested in your student joining the trip to Switzerland, Italy, France and Spain!
- 13 days traveling in Europe
- Travel from the Alps to the Mediterranean Coast!
- Zurich, Switzerland and from there travel to Lake Lucerne, Lake Cuomo, Cinque Terre, Monaco, Avignon, Provence, Barcelona, and finally Madrid.
Order Your Yearbooks & Ads
The 2025-2026 Yearbooks are on sale! They are currently $55 until November 15th. They will go up to $55 after Nov. 15th. Purchase via this link
Parents/Guardians of Seniors and 8th Grade Students can purchase ads to be featured in the back of the yearbook – just click this link to create your ad!
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. Click here to access the guide: Who do I go to when…
