5th grade students Cherokee Field Trip
Dear Franklin families,
And just like that, it’s October and the school calendar is absolutely packed with events. The pace picks up and stays fast all the way through the winter holidays. While every event on the calendar is intended to create community and fun it can feel overwhelming. I’ve noticed more stress among students and staff as the pace picks up. A number of families have reached out to ask how they can support the school this year. There are many formal ways to help out coming up, including our Giving Tuesday Annual Fund, a community work day October 22, and Student Led Conferences which will be held Wed, Oct 26. These are all opportunities to show up and support our school. There are daily ways to show up as well. Send a kind email to a teacher or staff member (maybe those folks out on the car line working to keep kids safe every day?). Write a thank you note to a bus driver who braves Asheville traffic and 40 teenagers to and from school every day. Send snacks or coffee for staff or to replenish that secret stash almost everyone keeps on hand to boost a hungry student.
There are two weeks left in this quarter. If you have any concerns or questions about how your student is doing – this is the time to check in! Sit down with your student and review their Canvas account together. Ask your student some guiding questions:
- What class is going well? Why do you think you are successful in this class?
- What class is the hardest for you? Do you understand what you need to do to succeed in this class?
- What can we do at home to set you up for success?
If your student is struggling, reach out to individual teachers or to their Crew leader.
This week Monday through Wednesday 9th grade students are heading off for their annual outdoor adventure. We are so excited to bring this back after two years of disruption! Students will enjoy the beauty of our local mountains while practicing our Habits of Scholarship, especially persistence, leadership, collaboration, and ethics. Thank you to the 9th grade team for all the work to make this happen. Be safe, be kind, and have fun!
Upcoming Events
Mark your calendars with these important dates:
- Tues, Oct 4: Picture Makeup Day
- Tues, Oct 11, 6 pm: Board of Directors Monthly Meeting
- Wed, Oct 12, 6 pm: Fundraising Committee Meeting (open to anyone!)
- Fri, Oct 14: Last day of Quarter 1
- Mon, Oct 17: Teacher Work Day – NO SCHOOL for students
- Thurs, Oct 20: First Info Session (virtual) for Prospective Families
- Sat, Oct 22: Community Work Day (9 – 12) & HS Homecoming Dance
- Wed, Oct 26: Student Led Conference Day (students attend ONLY for their conference. No classes are held on this day)
This Week’s Events
Mon, Oct 3, 4 pm: MS Cross Country at Emmanuel Lutheran School
Tues, Oct 4
- 4 pm: MS Flag Football vs. New Classical Academy
- 6 pm: HS Volleyball at Mt Pisgah Academy – HS Volleyball is UNDEFEATED! Come on out and cheer them on! Mt Pisgah is a boarding school with a full fan section so we need some Bolt support in the stands!
Wed, Oct 5, 4 pm: HS Cross Country @ Pisgah HS
Thurs, Oct 6
- 4:15 pm: MS Volleyball vs Francine Delaney @ Foster SDA Gym
- 6:00 pm: HS Soccer @ Mt. Pisgah Academy
Fri, Oct 7, 4:30 pm: HS Soccer vs ICI @ BCSP
Keep up with all our events on our Community Calendar!
FSI Family & Business Directory – Important!
Do you want a way to connect with other FSI families? Want to support local businesses? Own or manage a business? We want to help! Please complete this short survey. We will share the directory with all FSI families. Please note that the directory will be shared for personal use only. The directory is not to be shared publicly or used for political or commercial purposes. FSI Family & Business Directory
School Yearbooks – enter to win
To celebrate National Yearbook Week, Jostens is entering everyone who purchases a yearbook into a sweepstakes for a $100 Visa gift card! You can order by going to www.jostensyearbooks.com and searching for our school name.
Middle School Halloween Costume Contest
Monday, October 31st. Register from 7:45-8:15am in Zone 1 outside O’Keeffe. 1 dollar to enter the contest. Prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place for students and teachers. Sponsored by Community Council. All proceeds support middle school theatre! No masks worn during the day or weapons for costumes.
Community Work Day: Sat, Oct 22, 9 am – noon
Do you secretly love to pull weeds? Maybe you are cleaning up your own perennial garden and have some plants you can divide and share? Want to help us create some much-needed shade on the front field? Join us for our Fall Community Work Day. Bring wheelbarrows, hoes, rakes, gloves, and if you have them – tools we can use to dig posts. We want to install a shade tarp on the front field. We have posts and tarps but the holes will be hard to dig. Students are welcome and high school students can earn community service hours.
Visitor Parking
Parking is limited this year! We know that construction has created a shortage of parking spaces for visitors. We have short-term visitor parking available on the exit road, on the right-hand side of the drive. We updated our Traffic Flow Map to show the visitor spaces.
COVID Testing at Franklin: Every Monday
Reminder: We are providing weekly individual PCR testing this year. Testing is OPTIONAL and consent must be provided prior to testing. Parents – students are expected to know if they are participating. We are not calling students out by name. If you want your student to participate please remind them Monday morning.
Testing for high school students will be available from 11:30 – 1 pm in the collaboration space on the first floor of Big Ben. High school students can come on their own during lunch. Testing will then be available in Einstein, Parks, and Johnson for students in grades 5 – 8; nurses will let students know when they are available in each building.If you are new to Franklin or did not provide consent last year, you can sign in to give consent below:
- Parental consent for students under age 18: Click here: https://testcenter.concentricbyginkgo.com/minor-consent
- Student consent – age 18 and up: Click here: https://testcenter.concentricbyginkgo.com/invite-by-code
- Our school access code is FRANKLINSI. You will need this to complete the consent form
- You only need to provide consent once
Connect with Canvas
As a school, we use Canvas as a system to help students and parents keep connected with assignments and grades. This is a schoolwide program, though of course high school students use Canvas differently and more than our youngest students. Parents and guardians can download the Canvas app and connect with their student’s account. Click here to learn how to do this – it only takes a few minutes but you do need your student’s help! Canvas Family App How To.
Middle School News Videos
8th Grade Theatre students are writing, filming, producing, and directing the news Monday and Friday each week. Click on the folder below to see the news each week!
Morning News Videos- 2022-2023–
Clubs & Athletics News
Bolts Athletics
Another successful week in Bolts athletics!
- MS Flag Football defeated Odyssey in a scrimmage game.
- HS Volleyball continued their winning streak with a come from behind victory over the Trailblazers, 2-1.
- MS volleyball played well, but lost to the Trailblazers 2-0. The team then scrimmaged ELS later in the week and won their first set of the season!
Lots of Bolts athletics action this week! Follow fsiboltsathletics on Instagram to keep up with all the athletic news.
Club News
New!
Chess – Started Sept 27: Do you like to play Chess or do you want to learn?! Join FSI’s Chess Club and learn from our expert instructor, Mr. Bruce Roth. Chess Club meets every Tuesday from 4-5 p.m. starting September 27 and running through December 13. The winter semester will begin January 10, 2023, and end April 25, 2023. Students will meet in the Community Room with Beyond the Bell from dismissal until the class begins! All grades and levels are welcome!! The fee is $50/per semester or $100/per year. All checks must be payable to Bruce Roth. For more information, contact Bruce Roth at 828 230 5139 or by email at brucerothchess@gmail.com
BIPOC Student Union (BSU) is gearing up. This year we will host a middle school and a high school BSU. The BSU offers a safe space for students to share their experiences and to identify ways our school can address specific and systemic racism. Community mentor Bruce Waller is returning to support our BSUs, joining faculty sponsor Keith Knox. BSU is open to all students who identify as People of Color. Club sponsors will work with students to find the best time to meet. Sign up here if you are interested: BSU Sign Up and stay turned for meeting times.
Film Club! This club is returning from last year and meets alternating Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:45 – 4:45. They will meet this Thursday. Email Michaela Mamone-Peeples for more information.
Continuing
Girls who Code will meet every other Monday after school from 3:15 – 4:30 in Edison 19. Email bdavenport@thefsi.us with any questions.
MS GSA (Gender & Sexuality Alliance)
Starting 9/16! MS GSA (gender and sexuality alliance): Middle School GSA meets every Friday 3:15-4:30pm. We welcome everyone and work to empower LGBTQ+ lives. Contact afortune@thefsi.us to join.
HS GSA
HS GSA will begin meeting this Thursday during HS lunch. This will be a kickoff/information gathering meeting. Date/time may be changed based on student schedules and input. For more information, contact MK Hyche, mkhyche@thefsi.us, or Justina Powell, jpowell@thefsi.us
High School Studio Art Club
Mondays, Starting September 19, 2022
3:45 – 5:00, Big Ben, first floor Art Room #133
Hosted by Ms. Jen jlipsey-edwards@thefsi.us
HS Studio Art Club is a place to gather with other creative teens who have a genuine interest in the visual arts. Folks will have a place to chill, work on art, listen to music, have tea, and to inspire and be inspired. The Studio is where friendship, collaboration, feedback, sharing, and support come together to make magic! You do not need to commit to showing up every week. However, advance registration is required to attend as you’re able to. Register here: https://forms.gle/czLbV186Ep7K31gb9
Mountain Bike Club
The purpose of the FSI MTB Club is to get students together riding bikes, sharing the joy of bicycles, creating community around shredding on two wheels. There are no club dues or fees, and most rides are free, though some locations require an individual payment. We will have a couple meetups each month from September – December at locations like KOLO, Richmond Hill, Bent Creek, Dupont or Fire Mountain. Contact Ethan Burns, eburns@thefsi.us, for more information.
Science Olympiad Club
Do you geek out on all things science? Are you a competitive person who needs a medal hanging around your neck to prove your science prowess? This is a science competition against other schools in our area with a potential to move on to state and national levels. Science Olympiad will meet in Room 141 from 3:30-4:15 every Friday. Open to MS and HS students! Contact jbragdon@thefsi.us if you have any questions.
High School Drama Club
The High School fall theatre production, ‘Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm?’ is well underway. Based on a true story about the corpse of a woman that was found hidden in the trunk of a tree in England in 1943, the play presents the popular theories behind her identity while spotlighting the many ways individual identity is suppressed, stolen, or shattered. This is a brand new play and we are collaborating with the California playwright throughout our production process. Fingers crossed that she will be able to attend one of our performances! Performances will be November 18 and 19 at 7:00 pm and we hope to soon have an announcement about our performance venue! Put our performance dates on your calendar so you don’t miss this fascinating mystery drama. Keep up with the FSI HS Theatre scene by visiting our monthly newsletter using the QR code below!
Middle School Drama Club
Updated Drama Club and Rehearsal Schedule- Click Here!
Drama Club Needs- All items can be brought to the theatre room- O’Keeffe 22
– Parents needed for the production team. We meet once a month for 30 minutes after rehearsals. Next meeting- Tuesday, October 4th at 5pm.
Parents needed to help with set crew and rehearsals weekly. We need help with set crew on Tuesdays and rehearsals on Thursdays! Email Chris Martin, cmartin@thefsi.us for info & to attend
Middle School Robotics
Middle School Robotics team meets Thursdays, 3:15pm to 4:00 pm in the Middle School Tech room (Edison 19).
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!
I have a question about my child’s grade, an assignment, or something specific to one class: Start with your child – what do they know? Then, the classroom teacher
I’m worried about my child’s overall progress, or progress in multiple classes: Your child’s Crew advisor can help coordinate a team response or meeting
My child seems anxious, sad, or unhappy: Jennifer Negron is our middle school counselor, and Mary Kinsey Hyche is our high school counselor
I think my child is being bullied, or other behavior/discipline concerns: Tony Freeman, Middle School Principal or Peter Tromba High School Principal
My child will miss school: For short-term absences (illness, doctor’s appointments, etc), send an email to attendance@thefsi.us, or bring a written note to the front office. Notes must be received within 48 hours of student’s return to school. Longer-term or frequent absences (5 days/quarter) require documentation from a medical care provider.
I’ve contacted a teacher, but the problem isn’t resolved: Your child’s Principal
I think my child may need special education services or accommodations: Paula Dowd, Director of Exceptional Services
My child requires medication during the school day, has a special health need, or has tested positive for COVID: Contact our school nurse, Jessica Perraud
I think we need some support for my child’s challenging behaviors: Jessica Potter-Bowers (JP) or Kara Lacey, Behavior Specialists
I have a question about enrollment, student records or I need a copy of my student’s report card or transcript: Erinn Otten, Director of Student Services
My student needs a chromebook, hotspot, or help with technology: Matt Mikulski, Technology Director
My child has an IEP, and I have questions about the services provided: Your child’s Exceptional Children teacher is your first contact:
- Grade 5: Brittany Davenport
- Grade 6: Tammy Leahy
- Grade 7: Meagan Barnhard
- Grade 8: Donnie Stahlke
- MS Resource Room: Meaghann Denkenberger
- Grade 9: Lindsey Wehrli
- Grade 10: Greg Wingard
- Grade 11: Paul Szumski
- Grade 12: Gretchen Kehrberg
- HS Occupational Course of Study: Kelsey Reid
I have questions about sports: Kim Burke, Athletic Director
I want to know more about after or before-school services: Martha Rutherford, Beyond the Bell Coordinator
I want to know more about your music program: Sandi Wilson, Director of Instrumental and Vocal Ensembles
I am interested in your theatre programs! Chris Martin, MS Theatre teacher/director and Julia Wharton, HS Theatre teacher/director
I have questions about your school bus or student parking: Deeana Bennett, Director of Operations
I am interested in carpooling/ride-sharing: Check out our carpool facebook group (you need to request to join):
I want to know more about college planning, including advanced courses like AP and Dual Enrollment, financial aid, or the college application process: JaneAnne Tager, College & Career Counselor
I have high level concerns or questions about the school, such as a problem that hasn’t been resolved through my principal, an immediate school safety concern, or more general questions about the school’s philosophy, approach, or plans for the future: Michelle Vruwink, Executive Director
Our Teaching Teams for 2022-2023!
| Teaching Teams
5th Grade Brandie Dallara, ELA & Social Studies: bdallara@thefsi.us Jennifer Ryan, Science & Social Studies: jryan@thefsi.us Chris Pauley, Math & Social Studies: cpauley@thefsi.us 6th Grade Ashley O’Dell, ELA: aodell@thefsi.us Charlie Keller, Math: ckeller@thefsi.us Samuel “Latt” Berry Foster:, Science: sfoster@thefsi.us Evan Baptista, Social Studies: ebaptista@thefsi.us 7th Grade Jared Gallow, ELA: jgallow@thefsi.us Zoe Wallce, Math: zwallace@thefsi.us Nick Liu, Science: nliu@thefsi.us Grace Nyanga, Social Studies: gnyanga@thefsi.us 8th Grade Kyle Wilson, ELA: kwilson@thefsi.us AJ Jones, Math lead: ajones@thefsi.us Rhneea Riddle, Math Specialist: rriddle@thefsi.us Keith Knox, Social Studies: kknox@thefsi.us Carlos Edwards, Science: cedwards@thefsi.us 9th Grade Lora Hawkins, English I: lhawkins@thefsi.us Jerry Lubos, World History: jlubos@thefsi.us Sharon Breedlove: Math 1 & 2: sbreedlove@thefsi.us Liz Baron: Math Specialist/Tutor: lbaron@thefsi.us Jessica Bragdon, Earth Science/ AP Earth: jbragdon@thefsi.us 10th Grade Matt Reynolds, Civics: mreynolds@thefsi.us Justina Powell, English 2: jpowell@thefsi.us Marcel Duhaime, Math 2: mduhaime@thefsi.us Gabrielle “Gabe” Isaac: Biology: gisaac@thefsi.us 11th Grade Bryan Head, English III/AP Lang: bhead@thefsi.us Tess Barnes Dunn, American History, AP Research: tbarnesdunn@thefsi.us Teshale Byan, Math 3 & AP Calculus: tbyan@thefsi.us Mary Smith, Chemistry, Forensics: msmith@thefsi.us 12th Grade Alex Humphrey, English IV & AP Lit:: ahumphreyr@thefsi.us Lexi Johnson, World History: ljohnson@thefsi.us Teshale Byan, AP Calculus: tbyan@thefsi.us Elizabeth Joslin, NC Wildlife (Science) & EcoWarriors: ejoslin@thefsi.us Jessica Fine: Pre Calc, Math 4: jfine@thefsi.us Elective Teachers: MS PE: Anne Gillis: agillis@thefsi.us HS PE & Athletic Director: Kimberly Burke, kburke@thefsi.us MS Art: Jennifer Lipsey Edwards: jlipsey-edwards@thefsi.us HS Art: Kati Robbins, krobbins@thefsi.us MS Tech & Computer Science: Adrienne Fortune, afortune@thefsi.us MS Counselor: Jennifer-Raé Negron, jnegron@thefsi.us HS Theatre, Art of Argument: Julia Wharton, jwharton@thefsi.us MS Theatre: Chris Martin, cmartin@thefsi.us MS/HS Music and Orchestra: Sandi Wilson, swilson@thefsi.us, French 1: Mackenzie Arnold: marnold@thefsi.us French2 & 3 and HS, PE: Chad Gerber, cgerber@thefsi.us HS Spanish: Hanna Walden, hwalden@thefsi.us MS & HS Spanish: Heather Kabat, hkabat@thefsi.us Adventure Ed: Jessica Potter-Bowers, jpotter-bowers@thefsi.us |
