FMS Newsletter

Dear FMS Families,

As we move through the final stretch of the school year, there is so much to celebrate at Fairfield Middle School!

First, I want to recognize our students for their efforts during state testing. From the initial results, it is clear that our students truly gave their best effort and worked incredibly hard. We are proud of the focus, perseverance, and determination they demonstrated throughout the testing window.

Our spring music concerts were also a highlight of the season. The performances were outstanding, and it was wonderful to see so many families in attendance supporting our students. Thank you for being there—it made the experience even more special for our performers.

We are also enjoying a fantastic track season! Our athletes have been representing FMS with pride, showing dedication, teamwork, and sportsmanship at each meet.

As we look ahead, we are excited for a number of end-of-year events, including field trips, celebrations, and our annual Color Run—always a favorite for students and staff alike!

We are looking forward to our annual Mental Health Day on Friday, May 15. This is a special day where we pause from our regular academic schedule and focus on activities that support students’ mental health and well-being.

On May 18, we will host our Step-Up Day, where each grade level will have the opportunity to learn more about the next grade they will be entering. This is a great way to build excitement and help students feel prepared for the year ahead.

Thank you for your continued support of Fairfield Middle School. We are grateful for the partnership we share with our families and look forward to finishing the year strong together.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Marten
Principal, Fairfield Middle School

We are very excited to welcome Andy McDonald as our new associate principal at the middle school. Thank you to the staff, parents, and students who provided input and feedback into this hire. See a bit more about Mr. McDonald below!

Andrew McDonald currently serves as the 6th-12th grade band director and fine arts department chair at Highland Community Schools in Riverside. He additionally serves on Highland's middle and high school building leadership team and serves as Co-President of the Highland Education Association. In his time at Highland, Andrew has doubled the student enrollment in band across all grades, led the Highland Jazz Band to appearances at the Iowa Jazz Championships in 2025 and 2026, and led the Highland Concert Band to its first Division I rating at the Iowa High School Music Association's State Large Group Contest in over a decade.

McDonald is a Cedar Rapids native and a graduate of Linn-Mar High School. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education and a Bachelor of Music degree in Percussion Performance from the University of Iowa. In May, he will graduate with a Master of Arts degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Iowa. Outside of school, Andrew enjoys cooking, baking, reading, and watching Iowa Hawkeye sports.

Thank you to the community members who gave their time to be interviewed by our 6th grade Writing and Grammar classes! We are excited to read biographies about these people:

• Dr. Grant Landon
• Bryan Hunger
• John Grunwald
• Sarah Brecount
• Shelbee Richards
• Seth Miller
• Dallas Boyer
• Joz Hamilton

As we wind down the school year, if your family has a pair of blue jeans or black dress pants that your student has outgrown and your family no longer needs, please consider donating them to the middle school band program. We use the jeans for marching band and the black dress pants for concerts. Donations can be dropped off in the band room and will be accepted through Wednesday, May 13. Thank you for considering! - Mrs. Coleman

See the attached information about camps and classes this summer at Indian Hills!

Moped Safety
Age 14 and older to obtain a Moped license
Saturday, May 16
8:00 am – 2:00 pm
$50.00

Robotics Camp
Grades 7th, 8th & 9th

Tuesday, July 14
8:00 am – 4:30 pm
$20.00

Class size is limited to 14

We have had such a great experience this year reinstating our pen pal program for 5th graders! Ms. Alexander has been the master organizer and we are so grateful for the many community volunteers who give their time, talents, and even gifts to our students. The relationships built between our students and their pen pals this year has been so heart warming!

• May 4-8 - Teacher Appreciation Week!
• May 4-5 - Math MAP Testing 5th-8th Grade (normal schedule)
• May 6-7 - Reading MAP Testing 5th, 6th, and 8th Grade (normal schedule)
• May 11 - CBMR Testing 5th and 6th Grade (normal schedule)
• May 12 - 5th Grade Pioneer Day
• May 13 - Lyon/Copeland Homerooms to Living History Farms and State Capitol
• May 14 - Alexander/Horras Homerooms to Living History Farms and State Capitol
• May 15 - Mental Health Day (fun day doing things that benefit our mental health!)
• May 18 - Step Up Day - 8th grade will go to FHS in the afternoon; all other grades will "step up" to the next grade
• May 20 - AJ Reward Trip for 6th and 8th grade
• May 26 - AJ Reward Trip for 7th grade
• May 27 - AJ Reward Trip for 5th grade
• May 28 - Big WIG Celebration Day - Movie and trip to Park and Rec
• May 29 - Last Day of School! Assembly and Color Run

On the last day of school, we have an annual color run. Students run/walk a route around the middle school where they are sprayed with water and then have color powder thrown on them as they run by. It has been a fun way to send students off for summer as we wrap up a school year.

Please note a couple of things:

• Students are not required to run - they are welcome to play other games in our recess space if they'd rather not participate.
• If students do choose to run, the color powder shows up best on black or white clothes, but they certainly don't have to wear either of those colors.
• The color powder does stain clothes. Please do not send your students to school in clothes you don't want to get messy.
• When students go home, they will be messy! It would be wise to have towels in the car if you are picking up your students!

On Friday, April 10, all FMS students and staff completed service projects in their Trojan Time groups within the community.