FHTMS Weekly Newsletter #14

Dear Families,

We hope you had a great start to the week. We mailed home the assessment information and you should be receiving it soon. Be sure to read the cover letter from Superintendent Dr. Clark that explains important information about each assessment. I have included some specific information on the STAR and VtCAP assessments below as well.

Congratulations to our 6th grade band on a fantastic concert Monday evening. Their dedication to practicing shows in their progress!

Your Principal,
Suzanne Gruendling

No afterschool math tutoring this week and no Art Club this week.

Picture Retakes will be sent home on Wednesday 11/20/25.

Yearbook:

Reminder that the yearbook ordering deadline is Jan. 1st.

The Bolton Ski &Ride Parent/Participant meeting is postponed. We will reschedule for after Thanksgiving break. We will announce the new meeting date as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience as we get all the details set.

Friday December 5: Evacuation Drill

Monday December 8: 7/8 Band Concert 7:00 pm at SBHS Auditorium

Wednesday December 10: Late Start Day 10:30 am start

Thursday December 18: 6/7/8 Chorus Concert 7:00 pm at SBHS

***8th Grade Save the Date

SBHS Academic Information night Thursday January 22nd 7:00 - 8:30 pm

Please take our SBSD Superintendent Search Survey and let us know what you are looking for in the permanent Superintendent. The survey closes December 1st.

Given at the end of the school year, the VTCAP reports the result of the year’s instruction. The VTCAP reports just mailed are from the spring 2025 VTCAP assessing math and literacy for students in grades 3-9, and science in grades 5, 8, and 11.

As a district we give the Star assessment in the fall, winter, and spring, using the assessment information as a guide for instructional needs.

A few notes about the Fall Star Family Report:

• Overall Score: Star uses a scale from 600 - 1400. This score also shows where your student performed at the beginning of the year; this report shows how your student’s score relates to four levels of performance. A level 3 or higher is considered proficient.
• Domain: These scores show your student’s level of mastery at the beginning of the year compared to end-of-year goals. A score of 80 or higher is considered proficient at the end of the year; however, a score in the beginning range (0-59) is expected for students in the fall.

• Sign up for Family Schoology access
• Complete Family Guide to Schoology
• Family Schoology Login page
• Student Schoology Login page

This December, the student government is sponsoring a Food Drive to benefit the South Burlington Food Shelf. Did you know that in Vermont, 79,010 people are facing hunger- and of them 15,960 are children? (Vermont | Feeding America. (n.d.). Feeding America. )

This is an issue that you can do something to change. Food shelves help provide much needed food to families in need. From December 1st to the 16th students can start collecting non-perishable items and bring them to your Advisory. There will be 2 collection days- Tuesday, December 9 and Tuesday, December 16th. The Advisory that collects the most items, will deliver them to the food shelf on December 19th! We can do it!

Thank you to all our wonderful parents for your generous support of the bake sale and for helping make the social a success. Your contributions, whether baking, volunteering, or simply showing up, made a huge difference, and we truly appreciate your time, effort, and enthusiasm. We couldn’t have done it without you!

Student Council

Preorder your child’s yearbook by January 31 to make sure they have a copy when they’re distributed in June. A small number of extra copies will be available then, but they go quickly!

FY2027 Budget Development Update
SBSD has begun developing the budget for the 2026–2027 school year (Fiscal Year 2027). Families, staff, and community members are encouraged to get involved and share input on district priorities. Review key dates and engagement opportunities on the FY27 Budget Information page

2025-2026 Winter Sports Registration is now OPEN! Please visit the athletics website to register. FHTMS will offer the following sports this winter: Nordic Skiing (Grades 6,7, & 8), Cheer (Grades 6, 7, & 8), Gymnastics (Grades 6, 7, & 8), Boys Basketball (Grades 7 & 8) and Girls Basketball (Grades 7 & 8). Please see Mr. Button with any questions.

Boys Basketball tryouts begin on Monday, November 17th. 8th grade tryouts will be held from 5:45-6:45. 7th grade tryouts will be held from 6:45-7:45.

Girls Basketball tryouts will continue on Monday, November 17th. Tryouts will be from 3:45-5:45.

Nordic Ski practice will begin on Monday, December 1st. Practice will be from 3:45-5:00 at FHTMS. Please meet in the lobby after school.

Gymnastics practice will begin on Monday, December 1st. Practice will be from 6:45am-8:00am at GMTC (Green Mountain Training Center).

Cheer practice will begin on Tuesday, December 2nd. Practice will be from 3:45-5:30 in the SBHS small gym.

*All student athletes must be registered to attend practices. Please visit the FHTMS Activities website to register.

The Bolton Ski &Ride Parent/Participant meeting is postponed. We will reschedule for after Thanksgiving break. We will announce the new meeting date as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience as we get all the details set.

Lego First Robotics Club. Thank you for registering, this session is full. Lego robotics is held every Wednesday and Thursday that school is in session from 3:30–5:00 PM. For any questions, please contact balmassalkhi@sbschools.net

Student Council is every Tuesday at 8:00am in room 257 (Ms. Meisenzahl room)

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• Complete Family Guide to Schoology
• Family Schoology Login page
• Student Schoology Login page