Share the link to our Hurricane Recovery Fund with your friends & family!
Donate to FSI Hurricane Recovery Fund
Good morning Franklin community,
We’re heading into that final stretch of school, with most athletic and extracurricular events over and graduation still on the horizon. It’s crunch time for all end of year tests, projects, and final work. Have you checked in with your student to see how they are doing? Now is a great time to check in about their goals for the year and how they feel. As an EL Education school, we work with students to set goals and reflect. This happens in Student Led Conferences and Passage Presentations, but our vision is to create frequent opportunities for reflection so that it becomes an expected routine. We’re doing our own end-of-year reflecting and goal-setting and this is one of the areas we want to improve!
Even as we work to do this better at school, we can’t replace the support you offer as parents and guardians. The end of the year is a good time to reflect on what went well and what might have gone better. It’s also an important time to look forward. What are your teen’s hopes for their future? What does success look, feel, and sound like to them? They might not know what job or career they want, and that’s ok. But they probably have ideas about how and where they want to live. Or maybe they are carrying around a lot of stress about the future. Setting small achievable goals can help students take control, and are a great first step toward larger goal-setting. Make time to check in this week.
A few important reminders about the remainder of the year:
- This Wednesday is a “normal” early release day. Students will be dismissed at 1
- Next Monday, May 26, is Memorial Day. There is no school
- End of year State tests begin on Wednesday, May 28. We anticipate that some grade levels will have remote learning days if they are not testing. We will finalize the schedule this week
- Wednesday, May 28 and Wednesday, June 4 are full days – 3:15/3:40 dismissal
- Thursday, June 5 is an early release day and the last day of school
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.
Please please please – keep reminding your kids about school behaviors. We’re noticing an uptick in vandalism, including some serious damage to our trees. Why would anyone want to destroy trees planted for shade and beauty? This just makes extra work for everyone and wastes school resources. We all have a little bit of spring fever but let’s keep it in check and make the most of the last few weeks of learning!
Thank you for choosing Franklin! Let’s finish this year stronger than ever and stronger together.
Upcoming Events
Thurs, May 22
- 4:00 pm: Poetry Slam – Community Room
Mon, May 26: Memorial Day Holiday – No School
Calendar Changes:
- Wednesday May 21 will be an early release day (regular Wednesday schedule)
- Wednesday, June 4: Full day (3:15/3:35 dismissal)
- Thursday, June 5 – Last day for students – early release (1:00 pm)
Keep up with our Community Calendar: FSI Community Calendar
Need to see the year at a glance? FSI 2024-25 Academic CalendarParent Crew
Our Thursday, 05/29 meeting will be a meetup at the Salt Face Mule. This will be a great time to celebrate the end of the school year. They also have a mini-golf course if you are interested in bringing your children to play a game ($10 to play).
Save the date of 07/20 for our annual back-to-school meet and greet. This year it will be at the Buncombe County Sports Park-with the time still TBD.
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.
Open Mic Is Back! Thursday, May 29, 5 – 7 pm
FSI Music Dept will be hosting a makeup from the rain on 4/30. Open Mic Night will be Thursday 5/29 at Doc Brown’s BBQ 5-7pm! Anyone is welcome to perform at this event, it is not limited to only music students. Come sing, perform, read a short, a poem, or dance. Express yourself at this fun community event on a beautiful spring evening!
As well as hosting us at the restaurant for this event, Doc Brown’s is generously donating 10% of the restaurant’s sales earned during those hours to the music department, so come out and show your support!!
Since this space is outdoors and uncovered, we will take weather into account but hopefully that won’t be an issue for us. If you have any questions, contact Mrs. Wilson at swilson@thefsi.us. We hope to see you there!
Summer Learning Recovery Program & Credit Recovery
I’ll just keep this in here every week – my plug 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. Mr. Freeman sent out the registration form.
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
End of Year Exam Schedule
- May 28: Middle School Math EOGs and Math 1 EOC
- May 29: Math 3 EOC
- May 30: Middle School Reading EOG and English 2 EOC
- June 2: 5th and 8th Grade Science EOG and Biology EOC
- June 3 and 4: Make Up Test Dates
- June 5: Last Day for Students – early release
SunBucks Program!
We are very pleased to announce that our families are now eligible for the North Carolina SunBucks program. This is one of the many benefits of joining the federal school lunch program. Families who receive free or reduced lunch through our school will receive $120 per child through the SunBucks program. Many families have already received their cards. If your students are eligible for free or reduced lunch and you haven’t received your SunBucks card – please learn more about the program on this website. Some families will need to complete a simple application: ncdhhs.gov/sunbucks
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.
Apply for Free/Reduced Lunch
FSI is now participating in the Federal School Lunch Program. Families must apply for the program every year. We will help you with your applications! Click to APPLY HERE!
If you need help, call the school office (318-8140), stop by the front desk for paper applications, or email Tammey Harper, tharper@thefsi.us for help.
Did you know: Now that our school is part of the National School Lunch Program, students with approved applications for free or reduced lunch may also be eligible for summer “Sun Bucks” program, offering $120 per student for summer food purchases? You can learn more here: https://www.ncdhhs.gov/sunbucks
Car Line Reminders
It seems that it is time for a reminder to be good citizens in the car line. No one loves the car line – we get it. But if we all follow the rules and work together, the line moves pretty quickly and we keep students and staff safe! Here are a few 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.
- Watch your speed
Thank you to everyone who regularly follows these expectations!
Drivers Education – Summer Opportunity
Franklin will host a summer Driver’s Ed program July 14 – 18 from 9 am – 3 pm. Please note that we do not provide Driver’s Ed directly – all Driver’s Ed in WNC is provided by Mountain Pro. We are just the hosts. Registration is available at https://www.mtnpro.com/school-classes
Please see the attendance policy below. Again – this is not Franklin’s policy and we cannot intervene or advocate for any changes to the policy. You may want to wait until closer to the date of class to register to avoid any conflicts. Registrations are not transferable or refundable.
Attendance Policy: Students must pay a $65 fee for the classroom phase of Driver Education on or before the first day of their selected class. There will be no refunds if a student does not attend, drops out or fails The State mandates students attend 30 hours in entirety to receive credit. Voluntary medical or dental appointments and school-related activities such as tryouts, sports, field trips, concerts, etc. are not excused absences. Five Day Classes (Holiday Classes, etc.) and Summer classes: There are no makeup days for these classes. Students absent from one (1) of these classes will be listed as a Fail, and if allowed, will have to register and pay to attend another class in its entirety.
Donate Used, Broken, or Unwanted Electronics!
The Franklin School of Innovation Electronics Repair Club is accepting donations of used, broken, or unwanted electronics. Anything from small smart watches up to larger laptops (including PC, mac/apple and android devices). No printers, desktops, or monitors, please… we don’t have the space for them!
Please include the power supply(s), password(s) (if one or more things haven’t been reset) and what is believed to be wrong with the device via a bundled note. Label the donation “for ERC” and bring it to the front office. If we can’t find a second life for your donated item we will make sure personal data is securely wiped and that it is brought to an upcoming local e-waste collection event.
We may be able to repair items! If you are interested in a quote for repair, please include that in your note along with your contact information.
Yearbook Sales
Our yearbook class is busy capturing fantastic memories of this year! Get yours here.
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.
