THE VIEWS
August 2023
Dear FPS Community:
This newsletter is meant to serve as an additional avenue to provide updates to families across all 14 schools. We intend to send one newsletter each month highlighting news and events, district resources and community resources. If you have additional ideas about what you would like to see included, please let us know.
The school year is off to an amazing start! We are beginning to see student involvement and energy return to pre-pandemic levels and are delighted to see the return of many traditions that help students feel a sense of connection and belonging. Back to school nights, homecoming festivities, field trips, student led conferences, spirit days and so much more. The energy in schools is contagious.
In full transparency, we’ve had a few setbacks too. A bus driver shortage has forced us to cancel routes on several occasions. Our transition to new software initially made it impossible for teachers to use Teacherease, our online grade management system. In addition, Franklin Pierce Schools has approximately 300 fewer students that we anticipated, and we are looking to better align our expenses for the 2024-2025 school year. In each of these cases, we are continuing to make progress in identifying solutions for a way forward.
In the midst of the ups and downs at the start of the school year, FPS students, staff and families have been incredible. You continue to step up to support our collective work and generate constructive ways for us to make things better.
Sincerely,
Lance Goodpaster, Superintendent
As a district that lives on the ancestral lands of the spuyaləpabš (Puyallup), Nisqually, and Coast Salish people, we are honored to recognize Native American Heritage Month. We recognize, honor, and commemorate the rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories of Native people. Franklin Pierce Schools is committed to a pathway of solidarity-driven actions that better honors Native Past, Present, and Futurity.
FPS Native students represent over 65 tribes! We are proud to host the Puget Sound ESD Native Education Program, which provides cultural education, connection with other Native students and elders, academic and personal support, and post-secondary preparation for Native FPS students. We also participate in the Puyallup Tribal Language Program through their Twulshootseed yard sign program which aims to revitalize the Twulshootseed language. This Fall, the Franklin Pierce Schools Board of Directors adopted a land acknowledgement on behalf of the District.
Franklin Pierce Schools continues to work with local tribes to better understand the history of our community, learn about ways that we can enhance our curriculum, and hold continuous conversations about how we can honor local tribes through the usage of imagery, mascots and names.
On Thursday, November 8, students, families, staff and community members gathered to celebrate the opening of GATES High School at the old Historic Collins site at the corner of 128th Ave. and Bingham Road. Guests toured the newly remodeled building, experienced digital stories from current students, enjoyed refreshments and learned about the history of the Historic Collins facility through photos and a local guest who attended Collins Elementary in the 1930's! We are glad that this historic facility will continue serving students into the future. Welcome to your new home GATES Gators!
Franklin Pierce Schools is delighted to announce a new partnership with Degrees of Change and Pacific Lutheran University to host the Seed Teachers Program! This program is designed to high school graduates attend PLU to obtain a teaching degree with the hope that they will return to teach in their home school district. Seed Teachers offers Franklin Pierce Schools graduates a debt-free, supportive pathway to earning their college degree in order to become teachers in their home communities. The program allows cohorts of students to obtain scholarships to earn a degree at PLU with mentoring and paid work experience at Franklin Pierce Schools throughout their college career. When program participants have completed their degree, they are guaranteed interviews at Franklin Pierce Schools to be hired as full-time staff.
Do you have questions about bell schedules, school meals, calendar dates, or bus routes? Check out our 2023-2024 School Guide to answer all of these questions! We hope you can utilize this tool to stay connected with your child's education and school.
Remind is a communication tool used by Franklin Pierce Schools to facilitate two-way communication between your students teacher(s) and/or school staff and you. Students and families can receive messages in their home language with information about assignments, conferences, events, and more!
Every family in the district is automatically signed up with Remind, but the easiest way to access this tool is through the app.
- Click here to download the app with an Apple device.
- Click here to download the app with an Android device.
Questions? We have answers! Reach out to info@fpschools.org and we'll respond as soon as we can.
Thank you for your patience as we’ve navigated the transition of our new student information system with our online grading system. We are glad to inform you that the systems are now linked, and the gradebook is finally live! Teachers have been working to enter data to provide you with insights into your student’s learning progress leading up to this point in the school year. Our focus has been on capturing an overall snapshot of your student’s proficiency so you may not see every assignment listed from the beginning of the school year. Moving forward, the gradebook will serve as a tool to monitor your child’s learning. We encourage you to login and review your student’s progress and achievements in various subjects. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we worked to address this issue.
Community Spotlight: The Family Resource Center at Franklin Pierce
Did you know that Franklin Pierce Schools operates a Family Resource Center in our Administration Complex? We do! The Family Resource Center at Franklin Pierce (FRC) serves as a community hub that strives to empower families through resources, trainings, and comprehensive supports that lead to a thriving community.
We are community-driven, strengths-based, family-focused and honor the experiences, cultures and perspectives of all who enter our doors.
Please visit us! We are open 7:30am-4:00pm, Monday-Friday at 315 129th St S, Tacoma, WA 98444.
