Dear Franklin families,
We’re almost halfway through our first quarter already! This week we welcome everyone for Student Listening Conferences (SLCs). On Wednesday we’ll cancel classes for the day and take time to listen to our students tell us their goals, how they learn best, and what adults can do to support them. Students attend school only for their scheduled conference. If you have questions, reach out to their Crew leader.
On Tuesday our 9th grade students head off to Green River Preserve for 2 days of adventure! Students will build community and belonging through shared challenges, fun, and outdoor learning. Note that 9th grade SLCs will be held Oct 6 or as arranged by the 9th grade teachers.
Back here on campus we’ve got another busy week with lots of Bolts athletics. Thanks to everyone who came out for our inaugural game on our new turf field! There was such a wonderful feeling of fun and community as we celebrated our growth as a school. We loved the excitement in the packed gym for our volleyball team as well. Come on out this week and join the fun.
Don’t miss the Parent Crew coffee social on Thursday, 8:30 am at school. This is a great opportunity to meet other FSI parents and learn more about how you can get involved. Then stay for our 1st FSI Blood Drive – if we get 30 donors we earn a $500 grant to support our Student Habitat for Humanity Home Build. More info and the link to sign up follows in the newsletter.
A word about our driveway and Sardis Road:
I’ve heard from some of you with concerns or suggestions for Sardis Road. It is a busy and underdeveloped road, like too many in our growing region. Here’s a little background to help you understand our driving expectations:
- Our initial driveway permit requested a traffic light. It was denied by DOT and subsequent efforts have also been denied.
- The DOT, through our driveway permit, established the traffic pattern for our campus, with one-way traffic, the exit on the east of our campus, and the requirement for the right turn onto Sardis.
- The APD recommends turning around with the light at the corner of Sardis and Sand Hill if you need to travel east from the school.
- We do NOT recommend that students cross Sardis Road at any time. There is no crosswalk or sidewalks that allow for safe crossing.
- We are not allowed to stop or direct traffic. Not only is it unsafe for our staff to attempt this – it’s illegal.
We truly appreciate everyone following the traffic expectations and helping keep our students and staff safe.
Thank you for choosing Franklin and helping us create a thriving school community.
Upcoming Events
Monday, September 15
- 5:00 pm: HS Volleyball @ Shining Rock Academy
Tuesday, September 16
- 4:15 pm: MS Flag Football season opener vs New Classical Academy
- 5:00 pm: HS Cross Country @ McDowell HS
Wednesday, September 17 – SLC Day – NO CLASSES
Thursday, September 18
- 8:30 am: Parent Crew Social – room 261 (upstairs)
- 9:30 am – 2:30 pm: Blood Drive at FSI The Blood Connection – Schedule your appointment!
- 4:00 pm: HS Soccer vs Asheville School
- 5:00 pm: HS Volleyball vs Shining Rock
Friday, September 19
- 4:30 pm: HS Soccer vs IC Imagine
- 4:30 pm: MS Volleyball @ IC Imagine
- 5:00 pm: HS Volleyball vs Reynolds Mountain
- 6:25 pm: MS Cross Country @ North Buncombe
- 8:20 pm: HS Cross Country @ North Buncombe
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
Bolts Athletics
MS and HS started off their seasons with a great showing at the pre-conference meet hosted by Shining Rock. H. Harding was the top finisher for the Bolts in the MS race and T.Harding was the top finisher for the Bolts in the HS race.
MS volleyball had their first match of the season vs Shining Rock. The Bolts put in a solid effort, but fell short. Some great plays and serves were made by J. Holt and G. Pertile.
HS volleyball had a busy week with 3 matches. The Bolts battled and had some great rallies in all the matches, but couldn’t quite come up with the wins. Standouts for the week were V. Malyk, G. Newman, and S. Hudgins.
HS soccer hosted our first ever game on our new field and defeated Mount Pisgah 4-3. Goals were scored by A. Gardella (1) and D. Bennett (3). Outstanding leadership by E. Larsen-Chaney and solid defense by G. Stone.
Thanks to everyone that came out to support the grand opening of the new field. It was a special night and we could not have done it without you!
Parent Crew
Parent Crew is your organization! It’s similar to a PTO or PTA, and it’s a great way to get involved, be engaged, and meet other FSI families. Fill out this form for more information and to get involved!
Upcoming Events
Parent coffee social and Parent Crew Meetup
Thursday Sept.18th 8:30am-9:30am
Meet upstairs in room 261 after drop off! There will be coffee and light noshes, along with a social to meet other parents, build community, and learn more about the parent crew as well!
Sept 25: Parent Crew Dine Out for Franklin
Thursday, Sept 25 – dine out or order online with the code MODGIVES20 at Mod Pizza on Merrimon Ave and MOD Pizza will donate 20% to the school! Make sure to mention the fundraiser if dining at the restaurant!
Fall Community Meetup at the Corn Maze – Saturday, October 11th @ 1pm
The weather is cooling, and Fall is on the horizon! That means beautiful leaf weather, pumpkin flavored things and corn mazes are all about to start. We thought it would be fun to have a low stakes community meetup, one that is self-directed and also gives families the ability to all be in the same place at the same time, have fun activities available to build relationships, and run into unexpected friends in a corn maze.
Eliada hosts an awesome Fall Festival every year, and they were kind enough to extend our community a discount on tickets for $3 off of each ticket. Use the code “FSI” when purchasing the tickets! https://eliadacornmaze.mazeplay.com/
The Parent Crew will be facilitating this and will meet there at 1pm – so meet up at that time if you’d like to socialize but the tickets are good all day.
Parent Crew Meetings
Thursday, October 16th at 6pm, Virtual Meeting
Thursday November 20th at 8:30am In-Person Meeting
Blood Drive @ FSI – Thursday, Sept 18, 9:30 – 2:30 pm
We are excited to host our first Blood Drive of the year Thursday, Sept 18, from 9:30 am – 2:30 pm. We host blood drives for several reasons. First – we can help meet a real need in our community. Second – it helps us raise funds for the Habitat for Humanity Student Home Build. The school receives a grant of $500 if we meet our goal of 30 donors! All donors also receive a bonus for donating.
Students can also donate! They must be at least 16 and weigh at least 110 pounds. Students under age 18 must have parent consent to donate.
Here’s how you can help:
- Make an appointment here: http://bit.ly/sponsor_tbc – sponsor code 5INN
- If your child (age 16 or up) wants to donate, complete the parent consent form here
| Electronic Parent Consent Form
Parent/Legal Guardian (print name) / Nombre completo del Padre o Madre, o Guardian |
TEDx Youth – You Can Do a TED Talk!
Would you like to do a TED talk? The theme for FSI’s TEDX Youth 2026 event is Time. This word can evoke many emotions through its association with both hope for the future and grief of the past. We invite speakers to explore the idea of change across time, and the lessons that come with those experiences. Similarly, they can look at the concept of time itself and how the ways that we use it have changed in recent years. If you’re interested, please contact tedxyouthfsi@gmail.com!
FSI is proud to sponsor the only student-led TEDX event in Asheville. Come see what student leadership looks like!
Reminders
Get Involved! Parent Crew, School Improvement, or Board Memberships
Charter schools offer great opportunities for parent/guardian involvement and engagement. In addition to participating in our Parent Crew, you can join our School Improvement Team or our Board of Directors. If serving on the Board feels like too much to take on – you can join a Board committee and learn more about what it takes to be an active Board member! We’re currently recruiting Board members. While we are always looking for people with some specific skills (lawyers, financial advisors, community leaders), we also need parents who bring different perspectives and are willing to engage and contribute! For more information, reach out to Board Chair Al Glicksberg, aglicksberg@thefsi.us.
Traffic Reminders
All traffic on campus is one-way. There are no exceptions. Form two lines when you enter campus and stay in two lines to the school entrance. We’ll help you merge into one line to exit. Turn right at Sardis Road for safety and to keep the line moving. More information is available in our Family Orientation presentation
Do not park near the entrance and wait for your students to walk to your car. Follow the road to the pick up location (awning).
Thanks to everyone who followed the traffic expectations this week! The line went pretty smoothly and 99% of our families followed our requests. Let’s make it 100% this week!
Infinite Campus Help
If you need help getting into the Parent Portal or other Infinite Campus problems, please complete this FORM to request support. We will get to you as quickly as possible. Do not email individual staff members – you will get help more quickly by using the form.
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. It may take longer right now or when the email load is especially heavy. Click here to access the guide: Who do I go to when…
Free & Reduced Lunch
Did you know that Franklin participates in the federal school lunch program? We are so pleased to provide this service for our families. Our kitchen staff have been trying out some new recipes and treating us all this summer – we can vouch for the delicious meals! You can sign up here: Free and reduced lunch application
Beyond the Bell (BTB) Before & After School Program
Before School: 7:15 am-7:45 am: Mon-Fri
After School: 3:15 pm-6:00 pm: Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri, and 1:00-6:00 pm Wednesdays
This is a fee-based program. Financial aid is available for qualifying households, upon completion of application. More information is available on our website. https://www.franklinschoolofinnovation.org/parents/beyond-the-bell-btb/ Contact Ron Scott, rscott@thefsi.us, for more information.
Please note that all afterschool clubs also run through Beyond the Bell. More information about afterschool clubs will be available soon. Most clubs start mid to late September.
