A Message From Our Principal

Freedom Middle School News

At A Glance:

• Principal’s Message

News: • PTSA • Summer

Enrichment Info • Eco Rocks • Library • Grade Level

Updates • Dress Code • Attendance • Electronics • Clinic/

Medication • Walkers/Parent

Pickup • Freedom Pride • Student Agenda • ParentVue

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7315 Smith Station Road Fredericksburg, VA 22407

540-548-1030 www.spotsylvania.k12.va.us/fms

Greetings Tiger Parents,

Spring has sprung and trees are bursting with new life. Our spring sports are in full gear as softball and soccer already have one game in the books. The excitement of spring is evident inside the building as students are already longing for the last nine weeks to wrap up. With one round of eighth grade testing behind us, there are only a few more weeks until the "Event" of SOL's. As testing time draws near, make sure your child is well rested and comes to school ready to do his/her best. Encourage your student to finish the year strong by being respectful, responsible and productive.

Respectfully,

Dr. Wright Principal

Our next General Membership meeting will be Tuesday, May 8th at 6:30 pm in the Library

PTSA

Summer Enrichment Info

Rising 6th-8th Graders 2018 Summer Enrichment Camps. Are you interested in Dissection, Cooking, Creating with Clay, Cross-Stitching and Crocheting (Session 1 only), STEM, Music & Computers, Painting, Robotics (Session 1 only), Strategy and Adventure Games? Come join other students this summer to experience these workshops.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pj38_MY9-wxZkmVv5UdYRTeRJzRFYrrwI3YIcBArQrQ/edit

The school year is wrapping up, which means that final exams are coming for Levels 1 and 2 of the world language classes! Each modern world language (French, German and Spanish) final exam will have 4 components: Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking. Be on the lookout for specific information from your child's teacher for dates of the exam and review materials. In choosing courses for the next year, be reminded that students are recommended for the next level of the world language when they have earned a cumulative grade of a B or higher for the year. Grades lower than that demonstrate that the student is not prepared to be successful in the next level of that world language. Please contact your child's teacher if you have questions or would like specific feedback regarding world language course selection for next year. Level 1 and Level 2 world language classes are high school levels courses and the grades earned will appear on the high school transcript and will be factored in to your students high school GPA.

Eco Rocks

Eco Rocks, the FMS ecology club, has been really busy getting ready for spring.

In March, Donna Finnegan from the Virginia Bluebird Society helped us install a

nesting box trail outside of our building. We now have 3 bluebird nests, a

chickadee nest and a tree swallow nest. Two of the bluebird nests now have

eggs! We must check the nests weekly and keep records of the eggs and baby

birds. This information will be shared with the Virginia Bluebird Society. VBS

gave the grant for the nesting boxes in exchange for monitoring and caring for

them.

Recycling continues to be a focus of the Ecology club. We have collected so

much recycling this year and it is so great to know all of that is being recycled

instead of going into the landfill.

With warmer temperatures, the plants in the natural habitat behind the library

are making a re-appearance. It is time to spruce things up because we are

coordinating on a fabulous project with Mrs. Downing, our library media

specialist. Soon, a painted rock garden with representation from the entire

school will be added to the habitat. Due to our many ongoing projects the

ecology club will meet every Monday as of April 23rd.

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CLUB & ELECTIVE NEWS

Library

World Language Department

Important Library dates and upcoming Summer programs will be posted on our Library Announcements page on our website - https://sites.google.com/a/spotsylvania.k12.va.us/fmslibrary/library-announcements.

*IMPORTANT DATES*

Grade Level News

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It’s hard to believe that the school year is almost over. As we get closer to the end of the year, we are gearing up for our Standards of Learning tests, as well as other end of semester tests. The English 6 SOL is on May 24th, the Math SOL will be on June 1st. History students will be taking their post-test during the last week of school. 6th grade Science will be finishing up their atmosphere and weather unit, and then moving on to the final unit on the solar system and space.

We will also be having our final Tiger Token auction of the year and our awards assembly during the last week of school. Please remember that Tiger Tokens are only used in 6th grade, so gather them and spend them at the last auction.

English 7: In the third nine weeks, English 7 students worked hard to apply their most persuasive writing skills and research efforts to create our 3rd nine weeks major writing piece, dazzling persuasive travel brochures! As we enter the fourth nine weeks, please remember that our Reading SOL will take place on Wednesday, May 23rd. Leading up to the SOL, students will continue to analyze fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, as well as review the many skills learned this year. After the SOL, we will keep the momentum going through the end of the year! We are looking forward to creating personal narrative writing pieces, as well as dabbling in drama and exciting literary works. Math 7: During the past nine weeks, Math 7 classes covered various key skills such as consumer application skills, functions, and similar figures. In the upcoming fourth nine weeks, students will learn about transformations on the coordinate plane and will briefly touch on probability prior to the SOL. The Math 7 SOL will take place on Thursday, May 31st. Leading up to the SOL, we will spiral back to review all previous topics in order to prepare students for the state assessment. Please encourage your student to work on IXL in order to review the previous material outside of school. After the SOL, we will return to probability and dive deeper into skills to further prepare students for their 8th grade year! The Civics students had a very busy third nine weeks. They worked hard to learn about the court system

and different types of crime. We even had the honor of having our school resource officer come to talk to

our classes. At the end of the unit, we had an awesome mock trial and the kids really enjoyed "playing their

parts." We are now moving into a whole new subject called, Economics. The students are busy learning

about the different economies around the world and how we make choices that drive the production of

goods and services. We are also gearing up for our end of year SOL. We host SOL review sessions

every Thursday from 3-4 p.m. (May 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31) . If you would like your child to attend,

please include a written permission slip allowing them to stay. Please also indicate the person who will pick

them up and a working phone number to reach in case of an emergency. We are also hosting a SOL night

on Monday, June 4th from 3-5 p.m. Our Civics and Economics SOL is on June 5th.

In Life Science, third nine weeks was all about the classification of living things. Students learned the

levels of classification for living things, how to use a dichotomous key, and how to identify organisms in the

six kingdoms of living things. Both classes did different projects on invertebrate animals. Fourth nine

weeks in life science will have the students examining the relationships between living and non-living

things in an ecosystem. Classes will look at food chains and food webs and how energy moves through an

ecosystem. Activities involving population changes and predator/prey relationships will help students

make important connections. Additionally, students will investigate what might happen if important

relationships in an ecosystem are interrupted and how humans might impact an ecosystem. Our recent

field trip to the Earth Day event at Fort AP Hill helped our students think about things such as air and

water quality, habitat loss for wild life and energy conservation, all of which will be examined more closely

during the fourth nine weeks.

6th Grade

7th Grade

8th Grade

The FMS Important Reminders

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Dress Code : Spring has sprung! With the warmer weather here, please remind your child of the school's dress code. A few reminders: Dresses, skirts and shorts must fit appropriately and be finger-tip length. Leggings, tights, yoga pants and the like may only be worn with a top that is finger-tip length on ALL sides of the garment. Jeans with rips and holes in the thigh area are not allowed to be worn without leggings underneath or a top that is finger-tip length on all sides of the garment. Pajamas, lounge pants and slippers are not permitted in school. Mid-driff tops, crop tops, and tank tops are not permitted unless a shirt is worn underneath. Shirt sleeves must come to the shoulder and bellies cannot be exposed. Please refer to page 6 in the student agenda for additional dress code information. Thank you for ensuring that your child adheres to the school dress code.

Cell Phone:

We are seeing an increase in students violating the cell phone policy. The FMS cell phone policy is that phones are to be out of view and not utilized (to include texting, talking, taking photos, listening to music, etc.). Additionally, since students are not allowed to use cell phones in school, headphones and earbuds may only be permitted within classes for instruction if needed. Students are not allowed to have earbuds/headphones displayed around their neck while in school. They must keep cell phones and earbuds out of view and off. We appreciate your assistance in ensuring that your child adheres to all school policies.

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Arrival to School

Parents please note that students should

not arrive at school before 7:15 a.m. We

ask that you note this time because there

will not be adult supervision of students

before the time. Students arriving before

7:40 need to report directly to the

cafeteria until the 7:40 homeroom bell.

To ensure students are not marked

absent when attendance is taken during

homeroom, students are to check in with

their homeroom teacher before going

anywhere in the building. (ie. library,

breakfast, counseling, locker issues, etc.)

Parents and students should

note that attendance is a high

priority at Freedom Middle

School. Students should be here

on time and in class ready to learn.

Students are considered tardy if

they are not in homeroom by 8:00

a.m. Parents of students who miss

school for illness or family

emergency will need to call the

main office AND send their child

back to school with a note to be

given to their homeroom teacher. It

is also very important that students

refrain from leaving school early.

Our school day ends at 2:45

p.m. All students must be

picked up at this time unless

staying after for a club/event.

Students that wish to remain

after school for any reason

must have written permission.

We appreciate your cooperation

with this matter.

Attendance: A Priority at FMS

Student Phone Calls

Please help us keep interruptions in

the classroom to a minimum. We will

deliver messages to students ONLY in

the case of an emergency. Please make

every effort to make arrangements

with your child about doctor’s

appointments, transportation issues,

etc. before they leave for school in the

mornings. Students are not permitted

to use the school phone (or their cell

phones) for these purposes or to call

for assignments or PE uniforms left at

home. We appreciate your

understanding and cooperation in this

matter.

Electronic Devices

Please encourage students to leave their

electronic devices at home. While parents find

comfort in their child having cell phones for

emergency situations, there is really no reason for

students to use them during the school day.

Students may NOT use their cell phones to call,

text message, or take pictures during school hours

(7:15-3:00). Cell phones must be turned off and

not visible at all times. If a staff member sees or

hears a cell phone, the cell phone will be

confiscated and turned into the office. It will be

stored under lock and key in the front office until a

parent picks it up.

The school will not be held responsible for

the loss or theft of an electronic device.

pg. 6 of 7

Please Read Carefully

Medication

All medication must be kept with our school nurse for safekeeping and

administration. Medication will ONLY be administered if the appropriate forms are on

file with the school nurse. Students are not allowed to have medication (over-the-

counter or prescribed) in their possession. This includes cough drops, Tylenol, Advil,

cough syrup, etc. Please follow all guidelines to help us guarantee your child’s safety. If

you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact our school nurse, Ms.

Newton.

Walkers and Parent Pick-Up

At Freedom Middle, the safety of our students is most important. Parents, please note

that you will need to write a note if your child requests an alternate way home.

Students that live within our specified walking perimeter must fill out a “permission to

walk form.” These forms are available in the main office and a new form must be

completed each school year. Car riders must be promptly picked up by 3:00 p.m.

unless they are staying after for a specified club or event.

If you wish to make a temporary change in the way your child is to go home, a written

request with the student’s name, specified dates, and location/name of student that

they wish to go home with must be presented to the main office. Permanent requests

are to be submitted to Mrs. Sutton in the counseling office.

Students will not be allowed to leave with anyone unless it is specified in writing

by a legal guardian or noted on their emergency card.

Policy Regarding School Visitors/Student Pick-Up

The Spotsylvania County School Board requires that a state/government issued ID

be presented when visitors and volunteers check-in or parents come to pick up

students early.

We are pleased to offer a consistent check-in and check-out method that will be

utilized division-wide and one that offers another level of reassurance for our

parents. The visitor management system is part of our ongoing efforts to enhance

overall safety. No notes may be hand carried in for those not on the pick up list. All

notes must be emailed, faxed or brought in by the student.

Safety First

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Student Agendas: Key to Organization

Each student is provided a student agenda/planner designed especially for our

school. The agenda provides space to write daily assignments and is an excellent tool

for home/school communication. Our special agenda provides handbook information

and important details for all students and parents to read.

Students received their agenda during the first week of school and have been asked

to use them in every class.

We hope to teach organizational skills through use of our student agenda and

increase communication between home and school. Organization and success go hand

in hand. Should your child misplace their agenda, a replacement agenda can be

purchased for $5 in the main office.

ParentVue:

ParentVue is a secure website which offers parents real-time access to this

information and much more. Assignments, grades, attendance, credits earned,

school contact, teacher contact, calendar information, and course schedules are

additional types of school and student information available online. If you did not

activate your parent account last year, please contact your school to obtain your 7

digit activation code.

FREEDOM PRIDE NEWS

“Freedom Pride” is ALIVE at FMS! As all are aware, “Freedom Pride” is our school-wide

effective discipline approach which provides a common language for addressing behavior, clear

expectations, and acknowledges and celebrates desired behavior across ALL school settings.

Students have been taught the expectations of the Freedom Pride pillars: being respectful,

responsible and productive though engaging classroom lessons and are working hard at

displaying these behaviors on a regular basis. They are earning pride cards whenever they are

noticed by a staff member exhibiting these characteristics and submitting them for a chance at

being recognized as a weekly winner!

Ask your child if they have been a lucky Freedom Pride weekly winner, as we draw 5 names per

grade level every week! Students that have been chosen have won prizes in the weekly drawings

and some of the prizes offered include: utilizing electronics at lunch, eating lunch outside with

friends, getting two free cookies at lunch, lunch with the principal and more!

Continue to encourage your child to “Show their Freedom Pride” by making positive behavior

choices daily!

Congratulations to our

very own Mrs. Gaines for

“Getting Spotted” for

being an outstanding

administrator. We

appreciate you.

FMS wins with the

most participants at

the Spotsy Ed

Foundation 5K Race

for Education.