October 9, 2026

October 9, 2026

Hello Central Middle School Families,

We hope to see the entire Ranger community tonight at homecoming!

Go Rangers!

Jeff Simon
Proud Principal of Central Middle School
jsimon@fhps.net - (616) 493-8750

October 12 Science Olympiad, 2:45

October 14 7/8 Band Concert, 7pm @ CHS Auditorium

October 14 Debate Team Parent/Student Information meeting, 3:45

October 15 2 hour Early Release

October 16 No school for students

October 19 No school for students

October 20 Parent Teacher Conferences

October 21 Orchestra Extravaganza, 7 and 8th grade, 6pm

October 22 Parent Teacher Conferences

October 23 7th Grade Vision Screening

October 26 Science Olympiad

October 27 "Bandtober" with 8th grade Band, 6pm

October 28 Debate Team practice

Central Middle School PTC will be held on Tuesday, October 20, 2026 and Thursday, October 22, 2026 from 3:30 - 7:15 pm. Signs up are open now and will close on Friday, October 15 at 3:30.

Click here for for information on how to sign up for parent-teacher conferences.

We understand that there are times when you need to grab your student from school for a variety of reasons. When this is necessary, please make sure to come into the main office and sign them out.

We are looking for a parent or member of our community to coach our Math Counts team. Math Counts is national middle school math program and in-person competition series for students in grades 6 through 8. You can find more information here.

If you are interested in learning more about what this involves, please contact Principal Jeff Simon at jsimon@fhps.net or (616) 493-8750.

For more information, please visit: Information for Students and Parents

**To sign up to participate in the AMC, please visit: Sign-up Form

The wait is finally over! Dungeons and Dragons sign up will start next week. Meeting times will be after school on Wednesdays from 3:00-4:00.

No experience is necessary. If you are a creative person with a huge imagination, this is the club for you! Sign ups will be in the front office.

Central Middle School is excited to launch our new middle school debate team for the 2026–2027 school year! Debate is a great opportunity for students to build confidence, strengthen public speaking and critical-thinking skills, and learn how to respectfully argue and defend their ideas.

Students and parents /guardians who are interested in joining are invited to an informational meeting on Wednesday, October 14 at 3:45 p.m. We’ll discuss what the team will look like, practice and tournament expectations, upcoming competitions, team fees, and how students can get involved.

We hope to see you there! No prior debate experience is necessary.

ODYSSEY OF THE MIND - it's not too late! Sign-ups are still being accepted for students who love to build cool stuff, perform, write stories, or otherwise use their limitless imagination. Click here for the form to sign up ASAP. Need more information? Contact your OM Coordinator, Marti Atwater, at matwater@fhps.net.

BIKE DRIVE

The COMETS - your Forest Hills high school FIRST Robotics students - are again seeking donations of adult bicycles (26" or larger wheel) in almost any condition. We have supported Upcycle Bikes, a Grand Rapids non-profit organization, since its founding. (See Robotics is about building community' FHS robotics team continues giving back and Robotics students provide smooth bike rides for refugees and youth in need - School News Network | A Window into Your Public Schools) Bicycles are refurbished and then provided by Upcycle at no cost to those in need of transportation. Help us help Upcycle by bringing your bikes to the Fine Arts Center on Saturday, October 17 (1:00 - 3:00) or Sunday, October 18 (3:00 - 5:00). If you can't make it on those dates but have a bike to donate, please email marti.atwater@fhrobotics.org to arrange a pickup time. Thank you for your support!

Please bring any donation to the main office at CMS. Thank you!

Get ready to celebrate 20 years of Disney's High School Musical! Forest Hills Northern's talented students are bringing this fan-favorite musical to life November 19–21 at the Forest Hills Fine Arts Center! Performances are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7 PM and Saturday at 3 PM and 7 PM. Don't miss this high-energy show filled with music, dancing, and Wildcat spirit!

Tickets are on sale NOW at FHFAC.Ludus.com or at the FAC Box Office, Monday–Friday, 9 AM–4:30 PM.

Suggested Donation: $50 per family. Please donate by this Friday, October 9!

Make Your Family Donation

Help us provide meals for our wonderful CMS staff during Parent/Teacher Conferences. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4EACA628A5FBC61-66502765-cmsconference

Help us bring sunshine and smiles to our staff! Pick a theme, get creative, and provide an edible treat and beverage for approximately 50 staff members. Items should be set up in the Staff Lounge. Volunteers must have an FHPS Volunteer Form for the 2026–27 school year on file.

Sign Up for the Treat Trolley

We’re looking for volunteers to make copies for teachers and cover the front desk during office staff meetings. Volunteers must have an FHPS Volunteer Consent Form for the 2026–27 school year on file.

View Volunteer Opportunities & Sign Up

Cannonsburg is offering discounted lift ticket punch cards for K–12 students for the 2026–27 season, with no blackout dates! Purchase by November 30 before prices increase. When purchasing, please be sure to enter “Central Middle School” in the comments section.

Purchase a Cannonsburg Punch Card

On Monday of this week, Central Middle School shared all the information for our reproductive health unit with our 8th grade families. In case you missed it, you can find that letter here.

The last two weeks we provided reminders on drop off. Now let's talk quick about pick-up... and lets keep it simple.

1. The front drive of the school is one-way after school.

2. Park on both sides of the front drive.

3. Pull all the way forward.

4. The lot to the north and east of the building are available to be parked in.

5. When in doubt, be safe, be patient, and know that kids are more important than time.

Click HERE for the newsletter!

• Forest Hills Field Hockey for our Rangers, Huskies, and Hawks: Calling all 5th-8th-grade students interested in playing field hockey. Sign up before Sept. 30, 2026. Practices will run through the end of October. You can come try it out before you sign up! Email foresthillsfieldhockey@gmail.com, for more information, or email Carter McWilliams, head coach of Forest Hills Varsity Field Hockey, carter.mcwilliams@yahoo.com.

• Middle School Girls’ Softball: Would your student (in 7th or 8th grade) be interested in playing middle school girls’ softball in the spring of 2027? If so, there is an interest form to note your student's level of interest in softball. Additional information will be shared later, but right now they’re gathering information on interest level. Complete the Google form for middle school softball if you have a student who might be interested in playing this spring.
• Central High School’s Community Club is hosting its second annual Trunk or Treat event, Wednesday, Oct. 28 (rain date is Oct. 29) from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Forest Hills Central High School’s parking lot in front of the school (the lot off of Hall St.). FHC’s Community Club’s advisor is Rebecca Lipke, a mathematics teacher at FHC. For questions, please contact her at rlipke@fhps.net.

For more opportunities for your student, visit FHPS community flyers.

Show off your FHC pride with some swag from the FHC Swag Store!

OK2SAY is the student safety program that allows students to confidentially report tips on potential harm or criminal activities directed at students, school employees, and schools. It uses a comprehensive communication system to facilitate tip sharing among students, parents, school personnel, community mental health service programs, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, and law enforcement officials about harmful behaviors that threaten to disrupt the learning environment.