Dear Franklin community,
It’s mid-July and things are literally moving and shaking here on campus! Every day we see something big happening. It’s been an exciting summer with lots of “out with the old, in with the new” action right outside our windows and in our hallways. We’re tracking along on schedule without a minute to spare. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with the action!
This mid-summer newsletter has some important dates, so get your calendars out. Remember, you can add our Community Calendar to your own Google calendar to keep up with all big school events. Find it here: COMMUNITY EVENTS CALENDAR
It’s time for the annual reminder of the importance of the first day of school. Our school year starts a little earlier than area district schools. Charter schools have more flexibility for their school calendars and we take advantage of this flexibility! Starting earlier allows us to end our 1st semester in time for winter break. It is incredibly important for students to be at school for the first day! Why is this so important? The State does not consider students to be enrolled with our school until they attend. This is true if you are new to FSI or if your student has been enrolled with us for 7 years – they are not counted as our student until they walk through our doors. Our funding is based on the number of students in school during the first 20 days of the year. If your student is absent for the first week of school – we lose 25% of the funding for them, or close to $2,000. That buys a lot of classroom supplies! Students also lose out on important community-building activities. Let’s work together to get 100% of our students at school the first day. Of course – if your child is sick – they should stay home. If your student needs to be absent during that first week, contact attendance@thefsi.us immediately and keep us in the loop.
With our expanded classrooms this year, we are excited to grow our 5th grade by one full classroom. We still have limited space available for 5th grade! If you know a family who is looking for a great option for their child, connect them with Micah Usher, musher@thefsi.us. We are accepting applications for all grade levels. Help us serve as many students as we can and grow a great family community at Franklin.
Finally, we are pleased to have filled our teaching positions for the coming school year. We are currently recruiting for a School Nurse. We will sadly say farewell to Nurse Jess as she moves back to Georgia. She’ll be around to help us with the transition but we are looking for a full-time replacement. The job description is posted on our website; resumes and cover letters should be addressed to jobs@thefsi.us. We are always recruiting for Substitute Teachers! Please help us spread the word about these opportunities.
Remember – there’s still time to vote for Franklin for Best of Asheville! We were nominated as Best Charter School and Best High School. Vote every day! Best of AVL
Now – onto some fun!
Upcoming Community Events
Come out and meet other FSI families! We have several fun, low-key events planned:
Sunday July 16th starting at 2pm – have an Afternoon at the Arboretum with FSI. This is a loosely led event where families from FSI can meet up and have an afternoon exploring outside. Please RSVP via the event page or email Micah Usher at musher@thefsi.us so we can track how much parking will be needed. How to utilize that will be announced on the event page closer to the date.
Sunday, July 23rd starting at 1pm – The FSI Parent Crew is hosting a Family Meet and Greet at the Buncombe County Sports Park Pavilion. From 1-3pm 5th and 6th grade kids meet and greet, and then from 3-5pm the event is open to all other grades, including High School.
Mark your calendars for this event, this is the only opportunity this summer to have your kids meet their new classmates & friends, and for you to build a stronger community among other parents here at FSI! Bring snacks and yard games if you would like. There is a playground for the kids to run around on and some open fields to play in. The Parent Crew will also have some refreshments & snacks available for purchase as well as FSI gear raffles.
Friday, August 11th at 7:30pm – have an Evening Out at the Theatre with FSI – see the classic adventure tale “Treasure Island” performed by the Montford Park Players! It’s a great way to get out, and enjoy a summer evening with the family. FSI will have a reserved section based on how many tickets are claimed. Join the event here, claim your tickets from the organization’s website here. Use the code “Franklin” when claiming your tickets so they can track attendance and make an appropriate reserved section for our community. Please make sure you have the correct show selected – Treasure Island (Fri 08/11/23 @7:30pm) and leave a donation for your tickets if possible.
Sunday, Sept. 24th 2-5pm – The 7th annual Filthy Franklin Mud Run is back! What better way to break in all of the new space than to make a new and improved super muddy obstacle course to crawl, run and jump through? Get your tickets before Sept. 8th to receive a free signature event t-shirt! Tickets can be purchased here, join the event on facebook here
Beginning of School Events
Tues, Aug 8, 6:30 pm: Middle School Family Orientation (virtual): Join us on Zoom for important back-to-school information! We will review our school mission and values, schedules, drop-off and pick-up information (all new again this year!), behavior expectations, bus schedules, lunch options, and more. Sessions will be recorded.
Zoom link to join: Middle School Orientation Passcode: KNBa4A
Thurs, Aug 10, 6:30 pm: High School Family Orientation (virtual): Join us on Zoom – information will be the same as the middle school orientation except we will cover high-school specific schedules as well as a discussion of the importance of GPA!
Zoom link to join: High School Orientation Passcode: w6KD5x
Thurs, August 17th from 3-5pm – Meet the Teachers at FSI – Get oriented with the new layout of the building, see classrooms and meet the teachers. More information about this coming soon.
Tuesday, August 22: First Day of School!
Bus Rider & Carpool Information
It’s great to see action happening on the carpool page! No matter where you live, you’ll find FSI families nearby. You do need to join the Franklin Carpool Facebook page. Find your carpool friends here: Franklin Carpool Facebook Page
You should have received the bus sign up information already. Registration information was emailed late June. 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 Rider Form. We will review registrations and do our best to accommodate all requests. However – space on the buses is limited. 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.
We will contact families by the beginning of August to let you know if your student has a spot on the bus.
School Lunch Options
We are excited to expand our school nutrition program this year! In addition to serving students who qualify for free or reduced lunch, we will offer a paid meal program. The paid meal program is modeled after our existing program, with an emphasis on student choice of meal items from an a la carte menu. We anticipate that the average price per lunch (including one main, one side, and one drink) will be $4. Breakfast and lunch will be available. (Pizza sales will continue on Fridays as a fundraiser for our athletics program.) Examples of lunch choices include:
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Sandwiches
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Mac & Cheese
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Chili
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Bean & Cheese Burritos
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Burgers (beef and vegetarian)
Families will purchase lunch items using our new online payment platform, MySchoolBucks. You will be able to use the MySchoolBucks platform to pay for meals, Beyond the Bell, athletic fees, tickets for events, and more. We will provide more information on MySchoolBucks closer to the beginning of the school year.
Beyond the Bell Before and After School Program
Before and after school care and activities will be provided through our Beyond the Bell program. Ron Scott is returning as Director of Afterschool Services and James Love is returning as Afterschool Coordinator. Beyond the Bell will be offered from 7:15 – 7:45 am and after school until 6 pm daily, Monday through Friday. Families will register and pay in advance, using the MySchoolBucks online payment platform. More information will be provided early in August, when Mr. Scott and Mr. Love return for the school year.
Summer Reading Suggestions, Supply Lists, and Welcome Letters
If your children are anything like mine – you’ve probably already started your back to school shopping! There is something undeniably appealing about new pencils and fresh notebooks. You will find grade-specific Supply Lists, Summer Reading Suggestions, and Welcome Letters posted on our website under the “Students” tab. Check them out here! Supply Lists & Summer Reading
Enjoy the rest of summer – we are so excited to welcome everyone to campus in August!
Be well,
