Happy spring! Patience is a virtue and with the recent unpredictable weather we have had plenty of chances to practice this skill. Despite these weather difficulties, our modified sports seasons have begun, music performances have accelerated and students are beginning to talk about summer plans. All this activity happening as students continue to stay focused on their studies and finishing this school year with excellence. Our final ten weeks are an opportunity for all students to shine!

On Monday, April 11th it was a pleasure welcoming our new 8th grade student candidates as they were inducted into our Helderberg chapter of the National Junior Honor Society. Honor Society members exhibit excellence in academics and leadership, display honorable and admirable character and demonstrate a commitment to service and citizenship. These students’ focus and hard work over three years of middle school was recognized and celebrated. We are proud of them all.

As warmer weather approaches, we suggest you review our FMS dress code expectations outlined in our handbook. These guidelines, taken from Board of Education policy, are designed to reduce distractions that impact teaching and learning. As you get out summer clothes please be mindful of them. If you have questions regarding specific articles of clothing please contact your child's House Principal. We are compassionate about the challenges parents face with wardrobe options but ultimately are charged with maintaining an environment conducive to learning. We thank you in advance for your support.

The implementation of our new front traffic pattern has been going well provided parents follow a few simple suggestions. If you are dropping off your child, please pull all the way up to front edge of the new curb. This will eliminate traffic building up behind you. If you can afford time at dismissal, park and walk to meet your child on the new curbed area. Your patience, flexibility and understanding are appreciated. The new traffic pattern is safer for students and guests exiting and entering FMS.

I look forward to speaking with many of you as we cheer on our modified sports teams, enjoy the beautiful music from our student musicians or celebrate students at our upcoming award ceremonies. The last ten weeks will go quickly and I encourage all of you to cherish each moment. In the meantime let’s hope for more sunshine, warmth and springtime flowers! Michael Laster Building Principal Farnsworth Middle School

Follow us on Twitter at:

FMSPrincipal@LasterMichael

#FMSlearns

“Somewhere, something

incredible is waiting to be

known. “Carl Sagan

4/13-4/15 NYS Math Testing

4/18 FMS Transition Night for 5th Grade Parents 6:30-8:00 p.m.

4/19 “The Truth About Drugs in Our Community” Presentation 7:00 p.m. at GHS Auditorium

4/25-4/29 Spring Recess

5/4 8th Grade Panoramic - * Please note date change from District calendar

5/9 PTA Meeting 8:00 a.m.

5/11 President’s & 8th Grade Awards Ceremony 7:00 p.m.

5/12 Early Dismissal for Gr. 6 at 10:50 /5th Grade Student Visit to FMS

5/12 8th Grade Concert 7:30 p.m.

5/24 7th Grade Concert 7:30 p.m.

5/26 4th Quarter Interim Report Cards Available on SchoolTool

5/27 No School – Contingent Holiday /FMS & D.O. Offices Closed

5/30 No School - Memorial Day / FMS & D.O. Offices Closed

6/1 ESL Extravaganza 5:30- 7:30 p.m. at FMS

6/2 6th Grade Concert 7:30 p.m.

6/9 Board of Education Awards at GHS 7:00 p.m.

6/10 Select Choir Concert

6/13 PTA Meeting 7:00 p.m.

6/17 Gr. 8 MUD Celebration 7:00-10:00 p.m. at FMS

6/22 12:20 p.m. Dismissal

6/22 MUD Ceremony 7:00 p.m. at GHS

6/23 End of the 4th Quarter Marking Period

6/23 12:20 p.m. Dismissal- Last Day of School

Important Information from the Nurse As of September, 2016, all public and private school students entering 7th and 12th grades in New York State must be fully vaccinated against meningococcal disease in order to attend school. The meningococcal vaccine protects against serious and sometimes deadly diseases such as meningitis (an infection of the brain and spinal cord) and sepsis (blood infections). It is best to check with your doctor to see whether your child needs the vaccine. Students who are not up-to-date will not be allowed to attend school until they are vaccinated and show written proof of vaccination. Once the meningococcal vaccine is completed, please send a copy of the updated immunization record to the Nurses’ Office. The immunization record can be faxed directly to the Nurses Office at: 456-3747 or mailed to FMS, attention: Nurses Office.

8th Grade Moving Up Slide Show

Pictures for the 8th grade MUD slideshow must be submitted by Thursday, May 19th. Each student may submit 3 pictures; preschool, elementary school and middle school. Please send the pictures in .jpg digital format and name the file with the notation (Preschool, Elementary and Middle) and your full name. Do not use punctuation in the file name.

Each picture should be no larger than 2MB. (To check this you may right click on the file and choose "properties." This will display the file size.) You should attach the file to your e-mail and send it to: mudvideo@guilderlandschools.net

If you do not have access to digital pictures, you may bring the pictures in and put them in an envelope with the student’s name and home room printed on the outside. Give that envelope to Mrs. Nichols (located in the Learning Center, with a mailbox in the Main Office) and she’ll make sure your photos are scanned, sent to the “mudvideo” account, and the originals returned to you.

Regional Spelling Bee Melody Yu, Brianna Vottis, Jillian Creighton and Sanari Ismail represented FMS at the Regional Spelling Bee. Brianna Vottis made it to the Final round placing 5th overall and Melody Yu placed 21st. We want to congratulate them all on their hard work and excellent job in representing FMS.

Math Counts The FMS Math Counts Team competed in a Regional Competition at the GE research facility in Niskayuna. They competed against 17 schools in the region and placed second! Our team members were: Amy Chen, Brock Cottle, Bryan Guo, Ian Zhang, Joanna Chen, Sam Chen, Kevin Huang, Jeffrey Li, Aneesh Muppidi and Kenny Yamashita. Congratulations!

Google Computer Science Mr. Winchester and Mr. Wolf started the first Google Computer Science Club at FMS. They are teaching students about computer science but more specifically, students are learning about game design and computer programming. They are doing some amazing things!

Art News FMS 8th grader, Victoria Ewing, has had her artwork, Head of the Skeleton, accepted into the 2016 Talent Unlimited Literary Arts Journal. Victoria's work was one of 50 selected from over 315 submissions. The journal will be published in April 2016. Congratulations Victoria!

History Club Congratulations to the History Club Members who have achieved top honors and will be representing FMS at the State competition in Cooperstown on April 18th. Shashank Shamshabad, Sreethitha Manga, Shriya Suresh, Aneesh Muppidi, Melody Yu, Joanna Chen, Colin Ingraham, Ellen Chiang, Audrey Cui, Dilni Pathirana ,Victor Dai, Bryan Guo and Lisa Rastegar. All of these students will be competing against many others from regions all over New York State for a chance to go to the National Competition in College Park, Maryland in June. Good luck!

Music News On March 4th and 5th, two 8th graders, Rose Petitti and Tracy Wei participated in the NYSBDA Middle School Honors Band in Liverpool, NY. They were accepted into the band based on their last years NYSSMA solo evaluation on their instruments. Both girls are in the 8th grade band, and are in the Select Band as well here at FMS. Congratulations to them both on their achievement!

Scholastic Spring Book Fair Thanks you so much for your support of our spring Book Fair! We had $4,152.13 in total sales, over a thousand more than last spring's fair. We earned cash profit of $1,038.03 which will go towards author visits. We also were able to purchase some books for the library, including newer titles that we wouldn't be able to get until next school year because of the budget cycle.

Kuwait Ministry Tours FMS

On March 15th a group of Representatives from the Kuwait Ministry of Education along with two directors of the School Administrators Association of NYS (SAANYS), toured FMS. It was one stop on the groups two-week visit to the United States. The group is learning about the structure and practices of the Guilderland Central School District, as they consider restructuring their own educational system.

Academic Awards

Throughout the coming months some of our 8th grade students will be recognized for their academic achievements by being inducted into the National Junior Honor Society or receiving Presidents Awards the Knights of Pythia’s Award the NYS Comptroller Award and the NYS Attorney General Awards. Also 6th, 7th & 8th Grade students will also be recognized for academic achievement at the Board of Education awards. Congratulations on your achievements!

8th Grade Moving Up Celebration

This year the Moving Up Party, sponsored by the FMS PTA and Student Council, will be held on Friday, June 17th, at FMS from 7:00 -10:00 p.m. The dance includes a casual dress format with lots of fun activities. Students are reminded that all school rules apply at the dance. Parents should plan to pick their children up promptly at 10:00 p.m. in the front FMS parking lot. If you would like to help with the dance please contact Amy Steward (stewarda@guilderlandschools.net ).

8th Grade Moving Up Ceremony Information

The annual Farnsworth Middle School Moving Up Day Ceremony will be held in the large gymnasium at Guilderland High School on Wednesday, June 22, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. (doors for the ceremony will open at 6:30 p.m. This ceremony brings closure to the accomplishments your child has made while here at FMS. It also allows for students of the class of 2020 to reflect on their experiences and bid fond farewells to FMS staff

members. This has always proven to be a memorable and exciting experience for all students.

We ask that students dress appropriately for the MUD Ceremony, keeping in mind the serious, but fun nature of the event. If you have any questions about attire, please contact us at your house office. We are looking forward to celebrating with you and your child at our Moving Up Day Ceremony.

World Language and Culture

Our annual ESL Extravaganza will be held Wednesday June 1st at 5:30pm. The event is open to all ESL students and families. Families are asked to bring a dish to pass. The event will be held in the FMS Cafetorium. We hope to see you there! Any questions can be directed to Marcia Ranieri, Administrator for English as a New Language at ranierim@guilderlandschools.net

Dressed for success

Warmer weather means your

child will start wearing lighter

clothing. Together, go over the

dress code in the student

handbook so they know what’s

allowed. For instance, maybe they

can’t wear “muscle shirts”, flip

flops, or baseball caps in the

building.

Summer Socializing Help your middle grader socialize safely this summer with ideas like these. Enroll in Programs. Encourage them to join a class, craft program, or tween “club” that meet throughout the summer. Check free or low-cost offerings at rec. centers, libraries, YMCAs, places of workshop, or local businesses. Attend community events. They may run into familiar faces at an Independence Day parade, free community concerts, or local festivals. Consider inviting along another family with a child their age. Plan a get-together. Perhaps your tween would like to host a mid-break party for classmates. She might have everyone bring a game, and you will supply snacks. (Note: Be sure you’re home to supervise