SchoolTalk

Kindergarten Registration for Fall 2026 is now open! It is important to register your child as soon as possible to give FPS and your future school enough time to provide students the best possible experience. Your child is eligible to attend school in the fall if they turn 5 by July 31, 2026. Visit the FPS kindergarten registration webpage to register and learn more about the registration process. Kindergarten Registration will close on May 15 and will reopen again in July with a different process.

Read more about the importance of registering early and what to expect from the process in this Cabinet Column by Associate Superintendent Missy Eidsness.

February is the heart of the school year, a time when learning deepens, routines are tested, and the weather doesn’t always make showing up easy. Research shows that students who miss just a few days each month, excused or unexcused, can fall significantly behind in academic progress. Over time, this adds up to real consequences for overall achievement and future opportunities. Attendance in February can shape outcomes in May.

Read more about why mid-year attendance is critical in this Feature Column by Assistant Director of Student Support Services Dr. Jen Sahr.

Congratulations to Discovery Middle School Spanish Teacher Jim Urlacher on being named the Fargo Public Schools 2026 Teacher of the Year! The announcement was made by Superintendent Dr. Cory Steiner at a surprise assembly during a HAZMAT drill. His work was celebrated by Discovery students and staff along with his family. Read more about him in this special edition of the District newsletter.

Congratulations to the North High School Spartacas dance team on on winning the High Kick state championship at the North Dakota Association of Dance and Drill State Competition! This is the Spartacas' first state championship since 2007 and first kick state championship since 2000.

They will travel to Orlando, Fla. to compete in the National Dance Alliance High School Nationals competition from February 14-16.

Congratulations to North High School senior Charlotte Davis on being recognized with the Class A Senior Scholarship Award at the North Dakota Association of Dance and Drill State Competition! The award recognizes her hard work in the community, classroom, and dance team.

Congratulations to Fargo Adult Learning Center Principal Jennifer Frueh on being named to the COABE State Advocates for Adult Education Fellowship! The Fellowship, featuring adult educators from all 50 states, focuses on developing leadership, strengthening advocacy skills, building research capacity, and expanding networks of influence for adult educators, educational staff, and administrators committed to advancing adult literacy across the country.

The Fargo Public Schools Human Capital Department wants to shine a spotlight on its valuable employees who have a tremendous positive impact on the District's students, staff, and families. The District's educators are crucial to achieving our goal of educating and empowering all students to succeed and are dedicated to the idea that we are stronger together. HC has selected FPS staff members who are deserving of greater recognition and will highlight them each week. Meet Nutrition Services Lead Driver Nate Schue in this week's Employee Spotlight.

There will be NO SCHOOL on Monday, February 16 due to the Presidents' Day holiday. Classes will resume as regularly scheduled on Tuesday, February 17.

View the 2025-26 District School Calendar to see school out days and other important dates throughout the school year.

Roosevelt Elementary School will host the third History Harvest event from 5:30-7 p.m. on February 17. The History Harvest events aim to honor the history and legacy of Madison, Horace Mann, and Roosevelt Elementary Schools as they journey toward their consolidation into a new single facility.

Community members are invited to participate, contribute, and celebrate the legacy of these beloved schools. Voices gathered through the History Harvest will help ensure that the history, culture, and traditions of Horace Mann, Roosevelt, and Madison continue to shape the next chapter in public education for our students. Information and materials collected will be preserved in a digital time capsule and may help inspire elements within the design of the new elementary school. Learn more about the History Harvest Events on the FPS website.

Ben Franklin Middle School presents its musical Willy Wonka Jr. tonight and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Ben Franklin Theater. Admission is free.

The musical, based on the beloved children's book by Roald Dahl and the 1971 film, follows enigmatic candy manufacturer Willy Wonka as he stages a contest by hiding golden tickets in five of his candy bars. Whomever comes up with these tickets will win a free tour of the Wonka factory, as well as a lifetime supply of candy. Four of the five winning children are insufferable brats, but the fifth is a likeable young lad named Charlie Bucket, who takes the tour in the company of his equally amiable grandfather.

AD-Ventures is a district publication intended to help families find activities for their children throughout our community. It is published on the first of each month during the school year (September through May).

AD-Ventures for Kids is for youth in grade levels K-5.

AD-Ventures for Teens is for youth in grade levels 6-8.

Thank you to MinnKota Recycling, The City of Fargo, and the Metro Sports Foundation for the donation of $1,100 raised during the Cans to Cartons Recycling Challenge to the Fargo Public Schools Development Foundation! This donation was made as an early Giving Hearts Day donation, meaning it will receive a match and grow to $2,200. This will provide 4,400 cartons of milk for elementary students in the Milk and Elementary Snack Program.

This November, MinnKota Recycling, The City of Fargo, and the Metro Sports Foundation partnered on the Cans to Cartons Recycling Challenge to support students in need through the Fargo Public Schools Development Foundation. Through this collaborative effort, MinnKota Recycling donated one cent per pound of aluminum cans collected at Fargo recycling sites, while the Metro Sports Foundation matched proceeds up to $500 and expanded the challenge by placing recycling bins at Fargo Force games at Scheels Arena.

Giving Hearts Day, a 24-hour online giving event, is coming up next Thursday, February 12. The day is a large fundraising event that benefits North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota non-profits. Each organization finds a sponsor to generously match donations. Trollwood Performing Arts School and the Fargo Public Schools Development Foundation are both taking part. Tax deductible donations can be scheduled now. You may also wait to give on February 12.

Donate to Trollwood Performing Arts School.

Donate to the Fargo Public Schools Development Foundation.

Donations to the FPS Development Foundation are matched by the Fargo Public Schools Federal Credit Union and the Dr. Calvin K. Fercho Family Foundation. Donations to Trollwood are matched by Bell Bank.

The Fargo Public Library has several events for kids and teens coming up including a Teen Writing Workshop at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Dr. James Carlson Library, in which teens will learn about their writing strengths, how to conquer blank page jitters, how to organize ideas, and gain confidence in writing; the 10th Annual Northern Narratives Writing Project accepting submissions of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction writing from teen aged 13+ and adults through March 31 at fargolibrary.org; and the 2026 Winter Reading Challenge for kids and teens running through February 28 on the Fargo Public Library Beanstack App.

Email: comments@fargo.k12.nd.us
Website: www.fargo.k12.nd.us
Location: 700 7th Street South, Fargo, ND
Phone: 701.446.1000