Share the link to our Hurricane Recovery Fund with your friends & family!
Donate to FSI Hurricane Recovery Fund
Good morning Franklin families,
I hope everyone enjoyed the unexpected remote day on Friday. If you had snow where you lived – I hope it was enough to get out and enjoy! To say we’ve had a lot of weather disruptions this year would be a serious understatement! As we move into the winter weather season, a few reminders:
- Franklin does not necessarily follow Buncombe County or Asheville City weather decisions. However, if both districts have a delay or are closed, we generally follow.
- We share information about weather delays or closings in the following ways: text or phone calls, email, and on WLOS. Please do not call the school or email individuals directly. We are busy making decisions and communicating plans and cannot respond to individual questions.
- If we have school but conditions at your home make it unsafe to travel, send an attendance note to attendance@thefsi.us. We will excuse absences based on local weather conditions.
In making these calls safety always comes first, balanced with the urgency of school for our students. We’ve missed a lot of time this year! It’s important to make the most of the time we have.
With all that said, this is a short week! I hope everyone has the opportunity to be with friends and family for the Thanksgiving holiday, and that your family traditions can move ahead with as much normalcy as possible this year. For many of us Thanksgiving is all about our favorite foods. Did you know Manna Food Bank has a helpline you can call to find food assistance near you? Dial 1-828-290-9749. Or check out their website for more information: https://www.mannafoodbank.org/where-to-get-help/#googtrans(en|en). You can donate food or volunteer to support this community resource.
A quick note about Giving Tuesday and our school fundraising efforts:
Last week I had the opportunity to meet with members of Parent Crew. We are so fortunate to have an engaged and supportive parent organization! I encourage everyone to check out Parent Crew and get involved. We talked about school funding and the challenges and opportunities of our budget this year and I want to share a few notes with all our families.
- Our school is financially ok – though this year’s budget is lean. We have managed our funding carefully over the last 11 years. The challenges as face as we move forward are due to our state’s extremely low funding for public education. North Carolina is ranked 46th out of 50 states. If North Carolina funded schools at the national average funding level – Franklin would receive $3.5 million more each year. We could do a lot with that funding!
- Our Annual Fund traditionally helps us meet the gaps for special programs like transportation, field trips, after school programs, our school nutrition program, arts and athletics.
- This year’s Hurricane Recovery Fund will help cover costs for our nutrition program and field trips, but will also provide funds to meet the daily needs of families and staff members who experienced significant loss in the hurricane – things like gift cards to cover gas or food, or to purchase new clothing and household items.
- If your family is not in a position to give this year – it’s ok! Take care of your family first. There is an abundance of generosity from those in our immediate community and our extended community who are able to share.
You can help by sharing our “Stronger Together” fundraising page. Encourage your friends and family to join us on Facebook on Giving Tuesday, Dec 3 to learn more about our school’s experience during the hurricane and how we responded, individually and collectively. Stay tuned for more information about our Giving Tuesday social media plans!
It feels like a lot right now, but we are also asking those who can to support our Holiday Staff Giving Pool. If you would buy gifts for teachers, consider a donation to the Giving Pool instead. All funds raised go directly to our staff in the form of cash and small holiday gifts. We know this is a hard year for many of our families. Give if you are able. Handwritten or emailed notes of appreciation and support are also treasured!
Holiday Staff Giving Pool https://franklinschoolofinnovation.networkforgood.com/projects/240091-2024-staff-holiday-giving-pool
We are stronger together. Thank you for choosing Franklin and for working with us to create a great school community.
Upcoming Events
Mon, Nov 25: Pie Day for FSI Staff (rescheduled)
See information under Parent Crew below.
Wed, Nov 27 – Fri, Nov 29: Fall Break – No School!
Please note the school building will be closed during fall break so all our staff can enjoy the holiday!
Keep up with our Community Calendar: FSI Community Calendar
Need to see the year at a glance? FSI 2024-25 Academic Calendar
Athletics News
Middle School Basketball tipped off their season vs Christ School. The Bolts battled but fell short 32-20. S. Bragdon and C. Wells led the Bolts in scoring and C, Garcia was the leading rebounder.
Basketball returns to action after the Thanksgiving break with a double-header at home on December 3 vs the Trailblazers.
Homecoming 2024 – Rescheduled
Homecoming Spirit Week will be held December 2-6
Spirit Day Themes
Monday 12/2- Pajama Day
Tuesday 12/3- Bolts Day
Wednesday 12/4- Dress Like a Teacher Day
Thursday12/5- Ugly Sweater Day
Friday 12/6 – Anything But a Cup Day
The High School Homecoming Dance will be held on Saturday, December 7th from 7:00-9:00pm. Tickets for the dance will go on sale on November 25th. Ticket Prices: $15 in advance, $20 at the door
We are in need of some items (snacks, drinks and decorations) to make the Homecoming Dance fun and magical. Please click on the link to see what items are needed. We appreciate your help!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080F45A4A82BA5FE3-51704912-fsihomecoming
Parent Crew
Pie Day is rescheduled for Monday, Nov 25. If you did not deliver your pie yet, please drop it off on Monday.
Save the Date: Middle School Movie Night Dec 6
Holiday Movie Event for Middle School!
The prom committee is hosting a holiday movie showing for FSI middle school students.
Date: Friday, December 6th
Time: 3:30 – 5:45
Tickets: $3
Snacks and drinks: $1
Movies: Home Alone and Elf
Questions? Email Gretchen Kehrberg, gkehrberg@thefsi.us
High School Musical “The Prom” Rehearsals Underway!
This year, FSI’s High School Theatre and Music Departments are once again collaborating to produce a musical, The Prom! We have a cast and crew of about 35 students who will be working in rehearsal and on set/props/costumes over the next several months to bring this fun show to the theatre at the Asheville Masonic Temple. Save these dates: performance will be at 7:00 pm March 14 &15 and at 2 pm on March 16. For those involved, here is a link to the rehearsal schedule. Rehearsal snack donations are SO appreciated!
Sound of Music FSI Community Get-Together Dec 5
FSI students, families and staff are invited to attend Asheville Community Theatre’s performance of “The Sound of Music” on Thursday December 5 at 7:30. The cast and crew features several members of the Franklin community, Matt and Everett Leggat, Vivian, Nadia and Janice Kominski. Micah Usher is the presenting artist in the lobby gallery. “Pay what you can” tickets can be purchased at ACT.
This is a fun opportunity to support our community, enjoy live theatre, and hang out with other FSI families!
After School Clubs
MS Drama Club
The first meeting of the Middle School Drama Club will be held on Tuesday December 3rd from 3:30-4:30 in Ms. Lexa’s room, 178. At the meeting, we will read the play being produced and information about the rehearsal schedule will be provided. Auditions for the play will be the following week, Tuesday December 10 from 3:30-4:30. All middle school students are welcome to attend! Email elexa@thefsi.us with any questions.
We have updated our Club listing, which is also posted on our website. Many clubs are starting or resuming this week! You can check the listing and see which clubs are starting back up here: 2024 FSI Clubs. Please remember that students need to sign in to Beyond the Bell for after school clubs.
Reminders
Apply for Free/Reduced Lunch
We strongly encourage families to apply for free and reduced lunch. If your family is experiencing a loss of income due to the hurricane, you may qualify for free or reduced meals based on your current income. It is important to our school to collect this information for two reasons. First – it helps us support our families! We will use the free and reduced meal application for all school-based financial aid and scholarships, including meals as well as scholarships for field trips, Beyond the Bell services, and clubs.
Having accurate information about the number of families who qualify for free or reduced lunch also supports the school. Some sources of funding are based on this number.
You can apply for the free and reduced meal program at www.myschoolbucks.com or under the quick links through your My School Bucks app. If you have any issues, contact Tammey Harper at tharper@thefsi.us.
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.
