FMS September Update

Dear Families,

Thank you for helping us get the school year off to such a great start! We have been so pleased to see our students settling into routines, building relationships, and getting back into the rhythm of learning.

This week, our students began MAP testing, which helps us better understand their current academic strengths and areas for growth. FAST testing will begin next week, giving us another opportunity to gather important information to support each student’s learning and growth.

One of our biggest priorities is making sure every student feels connected and known at school. We hope that by now, your child is beginning to build a positive connection with at least one trusted adult in the building, as well as with other students. If your child is struggling to find those connections or doesn't yet feel like they belong, please reach out to us. We want to partner with you to help your child find their people and feel a strong sense of belonging at school.

As always, please don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions, concerns, or anything you'd like us to know about your child's experience at school. We are grateful for your partnership and look forward to a wonderful year together!

Thank you for a great start to the school year!

Go Trojans!

Mrs. Marten, Principal

Mr. McDonald, Associate Principal

• Students should follow all traffic laws while riding any bike or scooter. We've seen students darting into traffic and going the wrong way through the bus loop. Follow traffic laws, safety first!
• Practice safe riding habits! Make sure we aren't piling extra people onto a bike or scooter made for just one person.
• We strongly encourage wearing helmets whenever students are riding a bike or scooter.
• Bike and scooter parking is available at the bike racks on the south side of the building. Please use the sidewalks to get there instead of trying to ride through the car drop-off and pick-up lines.
• Please avoid riding in the parking lot after dismissal. There are lots of cars coming and going, so please stick to the sidewalk when riding your bike or scooter.
• Please avoid 6th St. after school because it gets very hectic with bus traffic and parent pick-up traffic at Pence.

Thanks for doing your part to practice safe bike and scooter riding habits!

🍎 5th Grade families should only sign up for times with their homeroom teacher and special education roster teachers (if applicable) and specials teachers as appropriate.

🍏 6th-8th Grade families are encouraged to sign up with as many teachers as you feel you need to see.

• By now, your child should have been issued an assignment journal (AJ) to keep track of what they're doing in each class. Please ask your child to show you their assignment journal at least once a week and sign that their AJ has been filled out. Students who do this for at least 8 out of the 12 weeks each trimester receive a prize for having their AJ filled out and signed.
• Trimester 1 reward is an ice cream party
• Trimester 2 reward is pizza and watching a movie
• Trimester 3 reward is a field trip (to earn this one, a student has to also earn the reward in either trimester 1 or trimester 2)
• Starting next week, parents and guardians will receive an email from Infinite Campus letting you know if your child has a D or F in a class. If you receive this email, we encourage you to log into your Infinite Campus parent portal and talk to your child about what work they need to do to improve their grade. If you're having trouble logging into your Infinite Campus parent portal, please call the ACT building at 641-472-2655 for assistance.

Harassment and bullying are defined as: Any repeated and targeted electronic, written, verbal, or physical act or conduct toward a student that creates and objectively hostile school environment that meets one or more of the following conditions:

• Places the student in reasonable fear of harm to the student's person or property
• Has a substantially detrimental effect on the student's physical or mental health
• Has the effect of substantially interfering with a student's academic performance
• Has the effect of substantially interfering with the student's ability to participate in or benefit from the services, activities, or privileges provided by a school

If you suspect that your child is being bullied or harassed, please report it to Mrs. Marten and/or Mr. McDonald immediately (carly.marten@fairfieldsfuture.org; andrew.mcdonald@fairfieldsfuture.org)

We're proud to be a Leader in Me school, where we teach daily lessons about character development that are rooted in the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Here's a small sample of what we're all about!

Lost and Found

• The Lost and Found rack is in the cafeteria. If your child thinks they have lost something at school, please tell them to check the rack first then ask the office.

Doctor's Notes

• If your child has a note from a doctor excusing them from a class or activity, please send that note to Secretaries Janice Kaufman (janice.kaufman@fairfieldsfuture.org), Dawn Hardy (dawn.hardy@fairfieldsfuture.org), and Nurse Beth Guise (elizabeth.guise@fairfieldsfuture.org)