Good morning Franklin families,
We made it through a full week and into the Labor Day weekend! The start of the school year is always a combination of exciting and exhausting as we adjust to busier schedules, meet new friends, and catch up with old ones. I hope everyone has the opportunity to unwind a little this weekend. I’m spending lots of time outdoors, grateful to enjoy the beauty of our region.
Despite some very real challenges resulting from the State’s transition to Infinite Campus, it felt like a really good week at school! I saw many beautiful examples of returning students welcoming new students, teachers having lunch with students who were sitting alone, and parents and students starting the week with anxiety and ending the week with smiles. The beginning of the year is a really important time to pay attention to attendance and set up those healthy routines that will support students throughout the year. Take a few minutes over this long weekend to check in with your student to reflect on last week. Did the morning routine work? Did they fill up with healthy meals and snacks? Do they have a plan and a place for homework or quiet time away from screens after school hours? How about physical activity? Check in with yourself as well – what about the week worked well and what created stress? Model the process of reflection, goal setting, and making little changes as a normal healthy practice.
A huge thank you to all the car drivers who paid attention to our car line process and helped keep the line moving this week! The first week is really hard, with lots of extra traffic and a whole new process to learn. A few quick reminders that will help keep our line moving as quickly as possible:
- First, dismissal is 5 minutes later than last year. We have 3 staggered dismissal times every day except Wednesday
- 5th and 6th grades: 3:15
- 7th and 8th grades: 3:25
- High School: 3:40
- Wednesday dismissal is 12:45 for middle school and 1:00 for high school.
- Try to arrive as close to your student’s dismissal time as possible. We know that isn’t always possible and sometimes you will arrive early. If that happens, just pull as far to the right or left side of the entrance road as you can.
- 7th and 8th grade: Enter dismissal traffic at 3:25
- High school: Enter dismissal traffic at 3:40
- Remember to form 2 lanes around the school.
- Traffic is ONE WAY. Do not turn around and exit the entrance road. This is dangerous for everyone
- We will allow our student drivers and staff members to exit through the entrance road starting around 3:50 pm. Many of them are trying to get to work or to pick up their own children from school. This past week the traffic entering our road was pretty much done before 3:50. We’ll keep watching this time to be sure it is a safe point to allow two-way traffic.
- Please drive slowly! The car line is a busy place. Let’s keep our students and staff members safe.
- Turn right onto Sardis Road at the exit.
Please share these instructions with anyone who drives for your family. No one loves the car line but we do our best to keep it safe and keep it moving.
Sneakers Needed!
Sneakers are required to participate in all PE classes! We are looking for any used or new sneakers that you would be willing to donate to the PE program. Youth sizes are in high demand, especially for grades 5 & 6. We will accept any size that you are willing to donate and our PE students will greatly appreciate the donation. The sneakers can be dropped off at the front office labeled for Coach Burke.or brought to the gym once school begins.
What a great turnout for Parent Crew Friday! Please remember to check the Parent Crew section of the newsletter each week. This is your opportunity to be Crew!
These early year newsletters are long – there is a lot of information to share! If you’ve been keeping up with the news you can skip all the “reminders” and shave off some of the reading.
Thank you for choosing The Franklin School of Innovation and helping us make a great school!
Upcoming Events
Mon, Sept 2: Labor Day Holiday – no school
Tues, Sept 3, 4:00 – 5:30 pm: MS and HS Cross Country @ IC Imagine
Wed, Sept 4
- 6:30 am: Senior Sunrise (high school seniors only!) See below for more details
- 12:45 – 2:00 pm: MS Student Council meeting (see below for more details)
Wed, Sept 18: Fall Student Led Listening Conferences – students will not attend school this day. They will come ONLY for their conference time. Times will be scheduled with Crew leaders
Keep up with our Community Calendar: FSI Community Calendar
Need to see the year at a glance? FSI 2024-25 Academic Calendar
Parent Crew
Thank you to everyone who joined us on Friday at Dripolator for the Parent Crew get together! It was so great to see you & connect.
We also need some last grade-level coordinator volunteers.
Just for 10th and 11th grades. These volunteers act as liaisons between grade-level staff, parents, and parent crew and conduct news sharing over email only.
It’s fun and a small commitment. Email jbyrd080908@gmail.com if interested.
And don’t miss it–the first official meeting of Parent Crew is on 9/19 at 6pm. Virtual only at: meet.google.com/xxg-ruhh-obs
Athletics News
Middle School Sports
- Girls Volleyball- please contact Matt Mikulski mmikulski@thefsi.us or Devan Dixon ddixon@thefsi.us
Start Date: Interest Meeting August 28th and practice begins September 3
- Boys & Girls Cross Country- please contact Joanna Agnew jagnew@thefsi.us
- Flag Football (co-ed)- please contact Tony Freeman tfreeman@thefsi.us or Anne Gillis agillis@thefsi.us
Start Date: After Labor Day
High School Sports
- Boys Soccer- please contact Teshale Byan tbyan@thefsi.us
Start Date: August 26
- Girls Volleyball- please contact Heather Kabat hkabat@thefsi.us
Start Date: August 19-23 (pre-season try-outs) 9:00am-12:00pm
Try-Outs- August 27-30 3:45-5:00pm
- Boys & Girls Cross Country- please contact Mackenzie Arnold marnold@thefsi.us
Start Date: August 19-23 on campus 7:45-8:30am
Practices starting August 26th will be on M. T. Th, F 4:15-5:30pm
All required paperwork(sports physical completed by a physician and concussion form) must be submitted prior to participation. These forms can be found on the school website.
Student Council & Student Government News
MS Student Council
If your student is interested in joining the middle school student council, our first meeting of the year, 9/4/2024 at 12:45pm. The meeting will end at 2pm. Students who are not picked up at that time will be enrolled in BTB. In this meeting we will discuss what the student council does within the community, when meetings will be held, and what is expected of our members. The purpose of the FSI MS student council is to work together to provide a means for student voice, build community, and promote leadership at FSI and the community at large. Our first service project of the year will be participating in the WNC Walk for Autism.
WNC Walk for Autism
Please join members of our High School SGA, Middle School Student Council and Nurse Courtney and participate in the WNC Walk for Autism on Saturday, September 14th at 9am. Race proceeds go to improving local programs for adults and children with autism. The race is at Bill Moore Community Park in Fletcher and bib pickup starts at 8am. Students will need their own transportation and to sign up on the website below. Individual registration is $30 and due by 9/11/24. Please let Nurse Courtney know if you are interested! https://runasheville.com/events/2024-wnc-runwalk-for-autism/
Senior Sunrise
Senior students are welcomed to gather at FSI 9/4/24 at 6:30 am to catch a sunrise together, as they embark on the beginning of their last year at FSI. Students should bring chairs and blankets for sitting. Students are expected to follow school rules.
Nominate your teacher for a Golden Apple Award!
Do you have a teacher who stands out to you for exceptional teaching methods? Nominate them for a Golden Apple Award! Each week, Ingles and WYFF News 4 will select a teacher from the applications and profile that teacher on WYFF news 4 on Thursdays. The teacher of the year will receive a gift card from Ingles. To nominate, neatly write or type a one-page letter on the sheet provided (or a blank 8.5×11″ sheet of white paper) about the teacher you would like to nominate. Include their name, school name, school phone number & your name, address and phone as well.
Mail the entry to:
WYFF News 4
Golden Apple Award
505 Rutherford Street
Greenville SC 29609
Help recognize someone special in your life and write a nomination for them. There are pre printed applications at the front desk if you would like to pick one up!
MAP Testing for Students
We will conduct NWEA MAP testing for students in grades 5 – 9 starting next week. We use MAP testing to help us know more about what students know and can do. Unlike State testing, MAP testing is adaptive, meaning that it responds to each student’s individual skills and knowledge. It gets harder or easier depending on how students answer questions. Students should do their best so that we have good information about their academic needs. The tests are not graded, but they do matter! You can learn more about MAP testing in the attached letter from our school testing coordinator, Liz Baron.
After School Clubs
We are working on pulling together a list of the clubs and when they will start. Be patient – most clubs do not start right away! Teachers and staff need a little time to adjust to the beginning of the year as well. We will publish the list of clubs starting in the newsletter next week and we’ll update it throughout the year.
Students can create new clubs! Please remember that ALL clubs must have a staff sponsor. Staff sponsors will receive a stipend for their time and they are responsible for supervision of students during all club meetings. Parents are welcome to volunteer to help the staff sponsor but cannot serve as the sponsor themselves. Fill out the application here: Apply to create a club or organization at The Franklin School of Innovation! (google.com)
Reminders
Infinite Campus Parent Portal
We’ve had so many questions about Infinite Campus! If you have successfully joined the Parent Portal -you can just skim this section. Hopefully this FAQ will be helpful!
What is Infinite Campus?
Infinite Campus is the state’s new Student Information System for all NC schools. It replaces PowerSchool. All student and family information is stored in Infinite Campus, and is linked with all our other systems such as MySchoolBucks school online payment system and Canvas learning management system. We are in the first phase of the transition. All NC schools will transition to Infinite Campus by next year.
What is the Parent Portal?
The Parent Portal is how families access Infinite Campus. Families can update their contact information and student demographics, update all medical and annual forms, submit attendance notes, view student schedules, and receive messages from the school through the Parent Portal.
How do I get into the Parent Portal?
Parents received emails through Infinite Campus with a link to join the portal. You must use the link in the email – these were sent last week and sent again on Friday.
- Infinite Campus recommends that you join the portal from a computer or chromebook, not from your phone
- You must complete the setup at one time – so start the process when you have time to finish
- Do not try to sign up via the QR code included with the Welcome Packets. The QR code asks for an “activation code”. We do not have activation codes.
If you have followed the instructions and you are still unable to get into the Parent Portal, please complete the following GOOGLE FORM so we can help you. Do not email – we cannot respond to all the individual email requests.
I didn’t receive an email about the Parent Portal. What do I do?
We are finding that some data was either lost or did not come over correctly in the transfer from Powerschool to Infinite Campus. If you did not receive an email about the Parent Portal, it’s likely that your contact information wasn’t coded correctly in the transfer. We’ll help! Please complete the GOOGLE FORM and let us know you did not receive the Parent Portal information.
Where do I get the activation code?
We are not using the activation codes. Please look for the email with the link to join the Parent Portal and follow those instructions. We are sorry for the confusion!
We’re returning Franklin families. Why do we need to fill out this information again?
This is a two-part answer. We are required to collect some information every year, so the duplication is just part of the process. Also, some crucial information was lost in the transfer from Powerschool to Infinite Campus. We need families to complete this process so we have current information in our system.
When will students be able to join the Student Portals?
We hope students will be able to get into Infinite Campus within the next week. Students will sign into Infinite Campus through NCED Cloud – the same way they log into Powerschool and Canvas. As soon as the Student Portal is ready, we will help students get logged in.
MySchoolBucks Online Payment System & School Lunch
We use MySchoolBucks as our online payment system. You can pay for Beyond the Bell, athletic fees, and school lunch through MySchoolBucks.
Unfortunately the link between Infinite Campus and MySchoolBucks is not working yet. We hope it will be working this week. As soon as the link is working we will send information so families can register!
Families apply for free and reduced lunch through MySchoolBucks. We will use the free and reduced lunch application for all needs-based scholarships and financial support – including school nutrition, Beyond the Bell and clubs, and field trips. This will provide an efficient and fair process for all families. Once a student is found eligible, you will not have to complete multiple applications.
We will be serving breakfast and lunch this week! Students can pay with cash or with credit or debit cards, or on their school accounts. We will feed students even if they don’t have an account yet. Students are always welcome to bring bagged lunches from home – but we’ll be ready to feed everyone who needs a school lunch.
Beyond the Bell
Beyond the Bell is our before and after school program. This year, all student clubs are part of Beyond the Bell. Students who are at school after dismissal will be placed in Beyond the Bell for supervision. The only exceptions are students in athletics practices or school theatre and music rehearsals. Students waiting for late athletic practices must either be under the direct supervision of their coaches or they will be placed in Beyond the Bell. Beyond the Bell is available from dismissal until 6 pm every day, including Wednesdays. Daily fees are $1 for morning care (7:15- 7:45 am), $15 for daily care, and $25 for the extended Wednesday. The daily fee helps cover the cost of staff and supplies for our afterschool programs. Limited scholarships are available up to the school’s capacity. We will use the free and reduced lunch application for all scholarship determinations.
Bus Rider & Carpool Information
No matter where you live, you’ll find FSI families nearby. You need to join the Franklin Carpool Facebook page. Find your carpool friends here: Franklin Carpool Facebook Page
You should have received bus sign up information from Deeana Bennett, Director of Operations. You must complete the Bus Rider Form if you want your student on the bus – even if they rode the bus last year! Please click here to fill out the Bus Registration Form. We will review registrations and do our best to accommodate all requests. All students must be registered before riding the bus. Priority will be given to students who live in lower wealth households and under-represented demographic groups. We will also consider family hardship in determining placements. Please note that last year there was a waiting list for the buses. After a couple of weeks we were able to accommodate all riders – but it takes a little while to work through the individual student schedules.
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.
School Supplies
