FBMS Monthly Newsletter

OCTOBER

OCT 21: DISTRICT-WIDE EARLY RELEASE

OCT22: CROSS COUNTRY MEET VS HINGHAM @FBMS

OCT 23: 6th GRADE HALLOWEEN PARTY (after school)

OCT 28: SOUTH SHORE MIDDLE SCHOOL LEAGUE CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS - FORGE POND PARK, HANOVER

OCT 28: FBMS HOSTS UNIFIED BOCCE JAMBOREE

OCT 30: FBMS TERM 1 ENDS

NOVEMBER

NOV 3: NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS (ELECTION DAY)

NOV 3: FBMS CONFERENCES IN AFTERNOON

NOV 6: FBMS TERM 1 REPORT CARDS

NOV 7: MA MIDDLE SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS - DEVENS, MA

NOV 11: VETERANS DAY NO SCHOOL

NOV 12: FBMS CONFERENCES IN EVENING

NOV 25: EARLY RELEASE

NOV 26, 27: NO SCHOOL / THANKSGIVING BREAK

Squishies

Some students like to bring squishy toys to school as fidgets. They can, however, get out of control a bit when students bring several, share them with classmates, and become distracted by them. We would like your help in making sure students bring no more than one squishy to school, and that those toys are no bigger than the palm of their hand. Thanks for your support with this.

Smart Watches

As is stated in the FBMS handbook, Apple Watches and other smart watches are not allowed to be worn in class. If you feel your student needs to wear them to school, they will need to leave them in their locker. They fall under the same umbrella as phones.

This fun-filled event will take place after school in the cafeteria, which thanks to our PTO, will be transformed into a festive space! Students will bring their costumes to school and change at the dismissal bell. We kindly ask that costumes do not cover their face, no blood and no weapons please. Students should make arrangements for a ride home at 4:15 pm.

Our frightfully amazing PTO is also "spreading the spooky" with a Boo Bag fundraiser. Use the QR Code below to purchase either a Mini Boo Bag or a Big Boo Bag and surprise someone at FBMS. Students will also have the opportunity to purchase Boo Bags during lunch on October 20, 26 and 28.

This November, our Student Council is collecting donations to support local veterans in need. We welcome new socks, underwear, hats, gloves, blankets, and personal care items. Thank you for helping our school community show appreciation and support for those who have served our country! Please leave your donations in the bins in our lobby!

Unified Physical Education is looking for Peer Leaders to join us a few times a month to get active during WIN. If your middle schooler is interested, please have them complete this form and return it no later than Wednesday, October 21. More information to follow.

Where: ZOOM Meeting

When: Tuesday October 20th at 6:00 pm

Presented by: Federation for Children with Special Needs

Register Here: https://fcsn.org/event/br-iep-10-20-26/

This presentation provides information about why the Individualized Education Program (IEP) is important, how it is developed, and the different sections of the document. Further discussion will focus on what types of services are included and measurable goals.

Registration: Please click here to register for the Zoom link

Zoom will confirm your registration by email and will include your meeting link to join.

Should you have additional questions you may email SEPAC at mpsdsepac@gmail.com

Click HERE to visit the SEPAC website for information on all our presentations and additional resources.

At the start of each school year, Furnace Brook puts together a wonderful Empowering Reader's Day that ties in with student summer reading. This year Empowering Reader's Day featured a special take on "First Chapter Friday", where students had the opportunity to listen to the opening chapter of seven different books. After hearing each chapter, students had the chance to jump into hands-on activities connected to the reading.

We're grateful to Sara Newcomb-Baker and the FBMS Literacy Team for spearheading this event. A special thanks to our guest readers who brought these stories to life: Dr. Sullivan, Ms. Greene, Ms. Wening, Mr. Casavant, and Ms. Garrod (Teen Librarian at Ventress Memorial Library). Everyone had a fantastic time celebrating reading, learning, and creating!

We proudly wear pink throughout October as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a worldwide initiative focused on educating people about the disease and supporting essential research efforts. The iconic pink ribbon has become a globally recognized emblem of support and compassion for breast cancer survivors, individuals in active treatment, and their loved ones who stand by them.

On this year's National Custodian Day, we're thrilled to recognize our very own dedicated custodians who are the backbone of our school operations, working hard every single day. They handle everything—both major projects and minor touches—that make our school a clean, safe, and inspiring place where students can thrive and learn. The custodial team at Furnace Brook Middle School is absolutely fantastic, and we're so grateful for them. Check out this pic of Mike and his "Grime Fighters!"

The Cross Country season is off to a great start! The Girls Team opened the season with a 22-37 win over Plymouth South and a 15-50 loss against a strong Hanover Team! Mara T. crossed the finish line in 9th, Scarlett G. 10th, Nova J. 11th, and Elizabeth C. 12th. They were closely followed by Hayden W. 18th, CeCe H. 21st, and Ella D. 22nd, all scoring points for FBMS! Terrific racing from the rest of the girls as well!

The Boys Team opened the season with a a 19-41 win over Plymouth South and a hard fought 24-33 loss against Hanover! Graham D. led the way in 2nd, followed by Garrett W. in 3rd. The next four slots for FBMS were all in their debut race, Colin O. 8th, Charlie M. 10th, Henry Si 20th, Connor R. 21st and Dylan H. rounded out the scoring in 25th! All of our boys ran hard, and we look forward to a great season with both the Boys and Girls Teams!

The Boys and Girls Teams also raced against Plymouth Community and Silver Lake on October 6. The girls beat SL 21-40 and PC 15-50, which moves them to a 3-1 record for the season! Top scorers for FBMS were Mara T. 2nd, Eliza M. 3rd, Scarlett G. 4th, Elizabeth C. 5th, Ruth M. 7th, Nova J. 8th, and CeCe H. 9th! Following closely behind were Lexi K. 10th, Maeve P. 11th, Anna C. 12th, and Ella D. 13th! Great racing also from Lillian B. 17th, Brooke B. 18th, Penny G. 20th, Lucie O. 21st, Emily S. 24th, Maggie E. 25th, and Maggie M. 26th!

The boys record fell to 1-3 with two losses, 19-39 to PC, and 23-34 to SL. Excellent races by Garrett W. 5th (#33 FBMS all-time), and Colin O. 6th (#38 FBMS all-time), to lead the way for FBMS! Rounding out our top seven finishers were Henry Silva. 13th, Luke W. 14th, Connor R. 17th, Matthew M. 18th, and Charlie M. 23rd. Great racing also from Liam L. 24th, Henry S. 26th Owen F. 27th, Dylan H 28th, Reid E. 29th, Raphael R. 32nd, Jack VC 34th, and Ben R. 35th.

Congratulations again to all our runners!

As our 8th graders begin looking ahead to high school, there are many opportunities to explore different paths and find the option that best fits students' interests and goals. See below for important dates of upcoming presentations, tours, open houses, and admissions opportunities at Marshfield High School, South Shore Vocational Technical High School, Bristol County Agricultural High School, and Norfolk County Agricultural High School. Families are encouraged to take advantage of these events, gather information, and learn more about the exciting programs and opportunities available for the next step in their students' educational journey!

FBMS raised a bunch of money for Pediatric Cancer Research as part of a district-wide initiative to collect change and fill the Golden Boot!

From the mind of a middle schooler......

Our eighth-grade students had the chance to attend a presentation from a South Shore Vocational Technical High School representative. As they consider their choices for the upcoming year, this was a fantastic opportunity to discover everything that the vocational tech school has to offer them.

We have a growing number of items in our Lost and Found! If your family is missing something, please encourage your kids to take a look in the Lost and Found, which is located in the main lobby here at FBMS!

Our Theater Club year is off to a fantastic start! We have an exciting season ahead, with opportunities for both actors and techies!

Information about what to prepare can be found on our Canvas page and on our FBMS Theater Club Facebook page.

Student Council is hosting our fun week full of spirited dress up days to help celebrate Halloween! Why dress up just on one day when you can dress up for five? Dress up days are listed below and start on Monday, October 26, and run through Friday, October 30. Join in the fun!

Great opportunities to volunteer and work in our community!

Who are they? They are a professional team of public health dental hygienists

What do they do? They provide as needed fluoride treatments, cleaning, sealants and oral health screenings in school during the school day!

When are they coming? This fall and spring to all schools!

Is this required? No! This service is 100% optional. A consent form was sent home, please compete and return the form to sign up! If you consent to have your child screened in the fall, they will be seen this spring for a second visit.

Does this require dental insurance? No! This is a public health initiative and is free of charge. All children can benefit from this program and all children can sign up!

The dates for Polished Dental at each school will be shared in the coming weeks!

If you have any needs or questions, please feel free to reach out to us. We are here to help you!

Principal

Patricia Casey: pcasey@mpsd.org

Assistant Principals

Scott Madden: smadden@mpsd.org

Jeanine Smith: jsmith@mpsd.org

Guidance Counselors

Julie Swan 6th: jswan@mpsd.org

Lori Damphousse 7th: ldamphousse@mpsd.org

Lou Johnson 8th: ljohnson@mpsd.org

Special Education:

Melissa Morrison: mmorrison1@mpsd.org

School Adjustment Counselors:

Greg Sorensen: gsorensen@mpsd.org

Front Office Administrative Assistants:

Susan Martina: smartina@mpsd.org

Melanie Drew: mdrew@mpsd.org

For a full staff listing, click here.

For other school and district contacts, please click on the district's web page here.