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Good evening Franklin families,
It has been so good to have teachers and staff back on campus this week. We’ve had time to reconnect, check in, enjoy good meals together, and prepare for the return of students. We are ready to move forward and help our community recover.
Thank you to everyone who helped with the staff lunch on Wednesday. It is such a lovely way to show your support and appreciation, and we feel it!
Return Schedule – Week of Oct 28
We will operate on a two-hour delay the week of October 28, with regular dismissal times. We will not have an early dismissal on Wednesday, Oct 30. The daily schedule Monday – Friday will be as follows:
- 8 am: Staff report to work
- 9:15 am: Before the Bell early arrival – students check into the Community Room
- 10:10 am: Middle School classes begin
- 10:25 am: High School classes begin
- 3:15 pm: 5th and 6th grade dismissal
- 3:25 pm: 7th and 8th grade dismissal
- 3:40 pm: High School dismissal
We will not hold Beyond the Bell after school services the week of Oct 28. Buses will run on a two-hour delay schedule in the morning and the regular schedule in the afternoon. We will provide breakfast and lunch daily.
Note: If your family is experiencing a loss of income due to the hurricane, you may qualify for free or reduced meals. We want to be sure all students have access to healthy meals! 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.
If your family has relocated and you are unable to return to your home at this time, or if you are unable to get to school due to damage from the hurricane – please reach out to us. We will work with you to find the best solution for your student and your family. Contact middle school counselor Jennifer-Rae Negron at jrnegron@thefsi.us or high school counselor Mary Kinsey Hyche at mkhyche@thefsi.us.
Week of November 4
We will resume a normal schedule on Monday, Nov 4. This will include after school Beyond the Bell services and early dismissal on Wednesday. We will use the flexibility granted in the hurricane relief bill for 20 instructional days. This means that we will not make up the days lost due to Hurricane Helene.
The detailed daily schedule for middle and high school is included below in the newsletter.
Thank you for your support and your patience throughout the past month. We are stronger together!
Upcoming Events
Sat, Oct 26
- 10:00 am – noon: HS Open Gym for HS student athletes interested in trying out for basketball
Monday, Oct 28: Return to School! School will operate on a two-hour delay all week with a regular dismissal. We will not have an early release on Wednesday.
Tues, Oct 29
- 3:45 pm: Final MS Volleyball practice
Wed, Oct 30
- 3:50 – 5:30 pm: HS Basketball Try Out #1
Thurs, Oct 31
- 3:50 – 5:30 pm: HS Basketball Try- Out #2
Fri, Nov 1
- 2:15 pm: High School Staff vs Students Volleyball Game in the gym
Keep up with our Community Calendar: FSI Community Calendar
Need to see the year at a glance? FSI 2024-25 Academic Calendar
Parent Crew
Parent Crew is helping our students have some fun this week! On Thursday, Oct 31 Parent Crew will help host some Halloween fun for our middle school students. We will be working together with high school students to provide some games, crafts, and Halloween goodies. Please check out the Sign-Up Genius if you are able to help!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090848A5AA22ABFF2-52664071-fsihalloween#/
Athletics News
High School Open Gym
- Saturday, 10/26: HS Open Gym 10:00am-12:00pm. For HS student-athletes interested in trying out for basketball this season. (HS ONLY)
High School Try-Out Information
- Wednesday, 10/30: HS Try-Out #1 3:50-5:30pm
- Thursday, 10/31: HS Try- Out #2 3:50-5:30pm
Middle School Try-Out Information
- Wednesday, 11/6- MS Try-Outs (5th & 6th grade) 1:00-2:30pm
- Thursday, 11/7- MS Try-Outs (7th & 8th grade) 3:45-5:15pm
Reminder: All student-athletes must have the required paperwork submitted to try-out. (Sports physical and concussion form)
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.
Halloween Fun!
We will be hosting some Halloween fun on Thursday! Please see the Sign-Up Genius under the Parent Crew section. Students are invited to wear costumes on Thursday and participate in our Costume Contest. Please help your student choose a fun costume that is appropriate for school! A few considerations:
- Avoid cultural appropriation: Don’t dress up as a culture you’re not part of, such as wearing a kimono or Native American headdress. Also, don’t imitate characters from cultures other than your own, like Coco from The Disney Movie.
- Consider the message: Think about what your costume conveys, and if it might make someone feel bad.
- Be respectful: Avoid costumes that make fun of religions, ethnicities, genders, or sexual orientations. Also, don’t impersonate historical figures who are recognized as having caused significant harm.
- Be mindful of controversial themes: Avoid costumes that reference ageism, drugs or alcohol, or victims of genocide or war.
Avoid weapons and excessively gory costumes. Masks are allowed, but masks that cover a student’s face will not be permitted inside/in classrooms.
Quarter One Assignments & Grades
The first quarter was supposed to end Oct 18. We would normally issue Progress Reports (report cards) at the end of the quarter. Students would receive a Q1 grade and then would also receive a Q2 grade, which would be averaged together for their final semester grade. We understand that our 1st quarter was cut short and students completed a relatively small number of assignments prior to the hurricane. Therefore we will not be calculating a Q1 final grade. We will simply run the first semester as a single grading period.
Our current plan is to have grades updated by next Friday, Nov 1. We will send information next week on how to see your student’s grades. These grades will be based on work completed through September 25. These are not final grades, but they will be included as part of the first semester grade. If students are unhappy with their current grades they have from now till the winter break to improve their grades. If students are satisfied with their grades at this point in time they can continue doing good work to maintain them.
Water Update
It’s probably no surprise that our water at school is not very pretty right now! You do not want to drink it. But we have plenty of water for students to drink.
- Hand sanitizer is available in bathrooms and throughout the school. Students can use soap and water to wash their hands, but should also use hand sanitizer before eating.
- We have plenty of bottled water. Students will pick up a bottle of water from the Community Room at the beginning of the day and again at lunch. We have some larger water coolers and there will be a small supply of water bottles in the classrooms. Students will not be permitted to leave class to go to the Community Room for more water. Please remind your students to get their water at the start of the day! We will remind them as well.
- Students are encouraged to bring reusable water bottles! We are very excited about our new water filtration system installed by Water Mission! This system filters the City water so that it is potable – reducing our need for plastic water bottles and giving us the chance to learn about how water filter systems work! We are just waiting on the lab results to be sure the water is ready to go. Students will then be able to fill their water bottles from our water system. We will have plenty of bottled water for students who do not want to use the filtered water.
Our water filtration system – thanks to Water Mission!
Daily Middle and High School Schedules
Middle School
| Period | Time | 5th Grade | 6th Grade | 7th Grade | 8th Grade |
| 1 | 10:10 – 10:55 | Core | Core | Core | Core |
| CREW | 10:58 – 11:18 | CREW | CREW | CREW | CREW |
| 2 | 11:21- 12:06 | Core | Core | Core | Elective* |
| Lunch/ Recess | 12:09 – 12:29 | Lunch | Lunch | Recess | Recess |
| Lunch/ Recess | 12:29 – 12:49 | Recess | Recess | Lunch | Lunch |
| 3 | 12:52 – 1:37 | Core | Core | Elective* | Core |
| 4 | 1:40 – 2:25 | Core | Enrichment | Core | Core |
| 5 | 2:25 – 3:15 (25) | Enrichment | Core | Core | Core |
High School
High school will start on an “A” day.
| 1st Period | 10:25 – 11:20 |
| 2nd Period (2A /2B) | 11:23 – 12:20 |
| 3rd Period (3A/3B) | 12:23 – 1:03 |
| Lunch/Crew (9/12) | 1:05 – 1:35 |
| Lunch/Crew (10/11) | 1:35 – 2:05 |
| 5th Period | 2:05 – 2:45 |
| 6th Period | 2:45 – 3:40 |
Lunch Menu for Week of Oct 28
We have modified our lunch menus so that we can offer hot lunches even without potable water flowing through our faucets. We have a large cooler of potable water in the kitchen that will be used for hand washing and meal preparation. This week’s menu is posted below – please understand that menus are always subject to change. If a change is required we will substitute similar items.
Apply for Free/Reduced Lunch
We strongly encourage families to apply for free and reduced lunch. We will use the free/reduced lunch application to help make decisions about any school-provided scholarships and support, such as field trips, Beyond the Bell, and club fees. We know that many families have experienced a loss of income and we want to help! 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.
We are working hard to complete our application for the federal school lunch program. This will provide needed funding to help us continue our comprehensive nutrition program. We hope to have this completed by January or earlier so that we can ensure all students have access to meals at school!
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.
