Good morning Franklin families,
It’s a busy and fun week ahead! This week we celebrate the love and hard work our teachers and staff members invest in our students. This week is so important. It’s no secret that the past few years have been historically hard for public education. Last summer I spent time advocating for teacher salary increases and talking with state legislators about the impact of some of the proposed legislative changes. The contempt some legislators showed me was unlike anything I have experienced from elected officials in my 30+ year career and it follows a national tone towards schools and educators. It trickles into our day to day school lives in many small ways, from the inexcusably low salaries our State sets for school employees to the few people who ignore our car line rules and threaten or curse at staff members, to the small number of students who see these actions modeled by adults and echo them in the classroom.
Nearly all of our wonderful FSI parents model generosity and appreciation for our school staff in every experience. You attend school events, support our fundraisers, model respect for our school policies, and show up for school appreciation activities. Your actions keep us engaged and passionate in our work. Staff Appreciation Week falls during the busiest time of the school year and your support this week means more than you think! A huge thank you in advance to our Parent Crew for organizing this week’s activities and to all who have donated, written appreciation notes, and shown up to help.
If you haven’t yet had a chance, we’ve got you! You can still take a minute to send a note to a teacher, counselor, administrator, bus driver, facilities person or other staff member who has made a difference or gone above and beyond in some way.
- Middle School Staff Appreciation Notes – Middle School Staff Appreciation Notes (google.com)
- High School Staff Appreciation Notes – High School Staff Appreciation Notes (google.com)
Additionally, you can write them a handwritten note, or have your student write one and give it directly to the staff member. Tomorrow (Monday, May 6th) is the day to bring in notes.
The parent crew has a signup genius to contribute physical goods to Staff Appreciation here – Parents: FSI Teacher Appreciation (signupgenius.com)
Buy a $10 coupon booklet for pizza with a $150 value and help raise funds for staff appreciation via the Parent Crew (or make a donation without the free pizza)! – Parent Crew Fundraiser for Staff Appreciation (networkforgood.com)
This afternoon at 4 pm, Parent Crew will be “Chalking the Walk” with appreciation messages to staff, and we would love to have lots of student participation. If you enjoy garden work, come at 3 for a spring garden clean up & stay to help “Chalk the Walk”! Read all the important details of other opportunities to donate and volunteer in the sign-up genius. Contact the parentcrew@thefsi.us with any questions.
In addition to Staff Appreciation – this week is Spring Arts Week at FSI! We are celebrating the incredible creativity of our students all week, with a display of visual art in our Community Room and ending with the Night of the Arts this Friday, May 10, from 6 – 8 pm. Join us for our Spring Concert and to see all the student art on display! MS and HS Theatre will be selling concessions. If you can help our theatre program by donating snacks and drinks to sell – please click here! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080B4FAAA629A02-49487273-night
We have two other fun events this week! On Wednesday middle school students will participate in our first ever “Intensives”. We’re taking a break from school as usual to engage in a day of deep learning and fun, exploring areas of interest shared by students and school staff. I’m excited to be leading a small group of students in exploring the impact of invasive plants on our school campus and learning how we can take action to protect our environment. Students could choose from a wide range of topics. Intensives have been a planned part of our school model but we’ve never quite gotten them off the ground. Shout out to Mr. Freeman and all middle school faculty for getting this going!
On Thursday high school Crews will compete in the first annual “Anything that Rolls” Parade. The purpose of this parade is simple – to inject some fun and silliness into the school day! Special shout out to teacher Matt Reynolds for the inspiration and to community engagement coordinator Micah Usher for the super fun promo video: https://www.facebook.com/reel/775244501250589
Finally – thank you to all the school staff and parents who helped make our 2024 Prom a great event. We appreciate you!
Thank you for choosing Franklin, choosing EL Education, and working with us to empower students to make the world a better place!
Calendar Events
Sun, May 5
- 3:00 – 5:00 pm: FSI Garden Work Day (bring tools, gloves, and plants to donate!)
- 4:00 pm: Parent Crew “Chalk the Walk” Staff Appreciation Event
Mon, May 6
- 5:00 pm: Ultimate Frisbee vs AHS at Carrier Park
Tues, May 7
- 4:15 pm: MS Soccer @ ArtSpace Charter School
Thurs, May 9
- 5:30 pm: HS Girls Soccer @ Mt Pisgah
Fri, May 10
- 6:00 – 8:00 pm: Night of the Arts! Spring Art Showcase & Concert in Community Room and Courtyard
FSI Yearlong Academic Calendar
Bolts Athletic Updates
MS soccer went 1-0 for the week by defeating New Classical in a fun, exciting match. The team has two games left in the season.
HS soccer went 0-2 for the week falling to Hendersonville HS and the Trailblazers. Emily Cruz- Macey scored 2 goals vs Trailblazers to take her season total to 17! The team also celebrated senior night…congrats to our 5 seniors, Aixa Aroujo, Aleigha Collins, Addison Hudgins, Lily Larimer and Ayden Stewart. We appreciate your dedication to Bolts soccer!
HS Ultimate dominated in their game vs North Buncombe with a final score of 13-1. That moves the team to 2-1 on the season!
Basketball Open Gym confines this week on Thursday from 3:30-5:15 pm.
Parent Crew Updates & Leadership Opportunities
Get involved with all the Staff Appreciation events! See the start of the newsletter for details. And then join the Parent Crew for their next meeting on Tuesday, May 14, 8:30 am. Everyone is welcome! Parent Crew would love to see some new faces – it’s not too late to get involved!
School Online Store: Need some Franklin gear? Get it here! https://apparelnow.com/the-franklin-school-of-innovation-apparel?
Spring Arts Week! May 6 – 10
This week we will celebrate the creative genius and skill of our students! From May 6 – 10 student art will be on display. Friday, May 10 is our annual Night of the Arts. From 6 – 8 pm, join us for a Spring Concert, Visual Art gallery show, and Fine Art Awards. All events will be held in the Community Room and courtyard.
Anything that Rolls Parade May 10
Starting a new tradition! On May 10 at 1 pm high school student Crews will compete in the 1st Annual “Anything that Rolls” Parade! Crews will compete for bragging rights and fantastical trophies in seven categories. The parade starts promptly at 1pm and ends with a pep rally in the gym to honor all the coaches and student athletes this year.
Dual Enrollment College Credit Courses through AB Tech
Did you know that FSI students can take college courses for free? Many of our students participate in the Dual Enrollment program and earn college and high school credit. Here is a little information – more information is available from our College and Career Counselor, JaneAnne Tager (jtager@thefsi.us).
- Courses completed in the College Transfer Pathways are weighted the same as AP courses in high school and some Career Tech Pathway courses are also able to transfer to a university and offer AP weight.
- If you would like to review the possible pathways, here is a link:https://abtech.edu/programs/high-school/career-and-college-promise-high-school-programs .
- Most pathways require students to have a cumulative, unweighted GPA of 2.8 after sophomore year.
- Most courses are offered online and students have the option to select a study hall at Franklin to build in time for their coursework.
ACT and SAT Weekend Boot Camp
The ACT and SAT exams are two of the most important factors colleges use in determining admissions and scholarships. For students who would like help preparing for the ACT and SAT exams, Asheville Christian Academy will be partnering with Tutors Across America to provide a discounted ACT/SAT Weekend Boot Camp. Students of all ages are welcome to attend.
Schedule for the 3-Day (20-hour) ACT/SAT Weekend Boot Camp
Wednesday, July 31st: 1:00 pm – 5:30 pm
Thursday, August 1st: 9:00 am – 6:00 pm (lunch break from 1:00 – 2:00)
Friday, August 2nd: 9:00 am – 6:00 pm (lunch break from 1:00 – 2:00)
The boot camps are averaging 3–7 point improvements on the ACT and 100–200 point improvements on the SAT, which can help with college admissions and scholarships.
Regular Cost: $399
Discounted Cost: $199
Use coupon code GOLIONS at checkout
The Dentist is Returning!
The dentist is returning! The Mobile Dentist will be here on 5/13 and 5/14 for those who sign up. Permission slips are available both online and on paper. Please see the link here to get more information and to sign up: https://mobiledentists.com/
Thank you to Platinum Sponsor ARCA Design! ARCA Design served as our long-time architect, helping us with all the original site development, placement of our modular buildings, and finally designing and partnering with us in the construction of our permanent building. We appreciate their decade of support!
Reminders
NAMI Mental Health Education Series
NAMI is hosting a series of free education events. The first one is happening on Thursday April 25th from 5-7pm at AmeriHealth Caritas (216 Asheland Avenue in Asheville). This one is specifically for parents (and caregivers) of teens/young adults who have recently been diagnosed with a mental health condition or who appear to be headed down that path.
Parent Leadership Opportunities
The Board of Directors is seeking prospective Board members and Committee members. The Board has some specific needs, including an attorney and people with fundraising experience. The Board is also seeking people who represent our community. Parents are welcome but it is not a requirement! What does a Board member do? Board members should be prepared to contribute time and other resources (such as your expertise) to support the School, attend monthly Board meetings and actively participate on a Board committee. Looking to learn more about what the Board does, but not ready to commit fully? You can join a Board committee without joining the Board. Email Al Glicksberg (aglicksberg@thefsi.us) or Michelle Vruwink (mvruwink@thefsi.us) to connect with a Board member and learn more.
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/
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 Student Council Updates
The next middle school student council meeting will be held on 4/18/24 from 3:30-4:30pm. We hope to see you there!
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
