The Freedom Phenom

Welcome to September, although it certainly doesn’t feel much like fall yet—HOT! I hope everyone has had a smooth start to the school year.

We have accomplished a great deal in a short time, including the rollout of our student 1:1 device initiative. Our students and teachers have handled this transition remarkably well. As we continue this work, please know that our school board and superintendent remain steadfast in their belief that the most important part of every classroom is our students and teachers—not the devices. Guided by Policy IFB, we will continue to learn, grow, and refine this process together.

On a more operational note, please take a moment to review an important change to our car rider line designed to increase safety. Most importantly, please remind your student to be watching for their ride! Thank you for your continued support and cooperation.

As always, please reach out with any questions or concerns.

All the best,

Chad Flatt, Ed.D

Principal

We wanted to share an important update to our afternoon car rider procedures that will begin Tuesday, September 8, following Labor Day weekend.

Currently, if a student does not see their car during the wave they are in, the vehicle may pull over into the handicap lane for pick-up. Due to safety concerns with vehicles crossing lanes and backing up traffic, we will be changing this procedure.

Beginning September 8, if your student does not see your car during the wave you are in, please continue through the car rider line and loop back around to re-enter the line. We will no longer be allowing vehicles to cross traffic or stop and wait in the handicap lane, as this creates a safety concern and slows down the entire car rider process.

Please encourage your student to watch carefully for your vehicle during so that we can keep the line moving as efficiently as possible while also keeping our students, families, and staff safe.

Thank you so much for your patience, cooperation, and help as we make this adjustment. We appreciate everyone doing their part to keep afternoon dismissal safe and efficient for everyone!

• SEPTEMBER 3: Grade Level Social Hour Reward
• SEPTEMBER 7: Labor Day - No School
• SEPTEMBER 8-9: 6th Grade Hearing & Vision Screenings
• SEPTEMBER 9: Fall Pictures
• SEPTEMBER 10: First Responder's Breakfast
• SEPTEMBER 10: Chick-fil-A Spirit Night for Band & Chorus
• SEPTEMBER 11: 8th Grade Band Night at CHS & WHS
• SEPTEMBER 15-16: PSEAE Lessons During Connections
• SEPTEMBER 17: CCSD Board Meeting
• SEPTEMBER 17-18: Be Pro Be Proud in 8th Grade
• SEPTEMBER 21-25: Fall Break - No School
• SEPTEMBER 28: PTSA Spirit Night at Butcher & Bottle Sixes Tavern
• SEPTEMBER 30: Panama Travel Information Meeting

Freedom Middle School is honored to continue our tradition of recognizing and celebrating the brave men and women who serve and protect our community.

As we mark 25 years since the events of 9/11, we invite our local First Responders to join us for a special First Responder Breakfast as we come together to say thank you for your service and sacrifice.

📅 Thursday, September 10, 2026
⏰ 8:45 AM
📍 Freedom Middle School Media Center
☕ Breakfast will be provided

We welcome police officers, firefighters, EMTs, 911 dispatchers, and other First Responders who are part of our Freedom Middle School family and community as well as the surrounding areas.

If you are a First Responder—or have a family member or friend who is—and would like to attend, please RSVP to Mary Robinson at Mary.robinson@cherokee.k12.net.

We would be honored to have you join us as we remember, recognize, and give thanks to those who serve our community every day.

Together, we remember. Together, we thank you.❤️💙

We look forward to gathering with our community for this meaningful celebration!

Get ready to capture those smiles! Fall Picture Day at Freedom Middle School is Wednesday, September 9th.

Families can pre-order pictures online at GCIPortraits.com using our school code F115.

📅 Picture Day: Wednesday, September 9
💻 Online Ordering Deadline: Thursday, September 10 at 11:59 p.m.
🔑 School Code: F115

Be sure to order online and have your student ready to smile for their fall pictures! 📸

It's tiiiimmeee!! Scholastic Book Fair is coming to Freedom Middle School Oct. 5 - 9, 2026. Parents, we need your help to make it a successful fundraiser! Any and all help is appreciated! SIGN UP HERE

💙❤️ Help Us Support Our School Nurse! ❤️💙

The Freedom PTSA is collecting donations to help stock our school nurse’s supply closet and make sure she has the items she needs to care for our students throughout the school year.

We are asking our amazing Freedom families to consider donating any of the following:

🩹 Quart-size Ziploc bags
💧 Bottled water
🥤 Small cans of Sprite
🍪 Individually packaged snacks (chips, crackers, cookies)
🧃 Juicy Juice (Apple or Berry)
🧴 Travel-size deodorant for girls and boys

📍 Donations can be dropped off in the front office.

Every donation, big or small, helps our nurse care for our students and keeps them comfortable when they need a little extra TLC at school. Thank you for supporting our students and the Freedom community! ❤️💙

SIGN UP HERE

Thank you from the Freedom PTSA!

To stay up to date on PTSA events, activities, and announcements, please join our Facebook page:

Spirit Wear: Freedom Middle School Store – District Spiritwear

Join us for a Freedom Middle School PTSA Spirit Night at B&B Tavern on Monday, September 28th, from 5:00 p.m. until close!

Grab dinner with your family and friends while supporting our Patriots! 5% of sales will be donated back to Freedom Middle School PTSA when you dine at B&B Tavern. Takeout and delivery orders through Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub are also included.

📍 B&B Tavern

3568 Sixes Rd.

Canton, GA 30114

❤️🤍🩵 Enjoy a great meal, support a local business, and give back to Freedom Middle School! We hope to see you there!

Middle school is an exciting time of growth, change, and discovery—and our counselors are here to help students and families navigate it all! In their new “Counseling at Freedom Middle School” presentation, Mrs. Sarah Bigelow and Ms. Leslie Holley introduce themselves and share how they support our students academically, socially, and emotionally.

Parents will find practical tips for supporting your middle schooler, including strategies for organization, time management, healthy technology and social media habits, building independence, handling friendships and challenges, and more. The presentation also includes an important attendance reminder and information about when and how to connect with our counseling team.

Take a few minutes to look through this valuable resource—you may find a tip that makes navigating the middle school years just a little easier! 💙🤍❤️

Join us for a Freedom Middle School Chorus & Band Spirit Night at Chick-fil-A Riverstone on Thursday, September 10, from 4:00–8:00 p.m. Enjoy dinner while supporting our talented FMS musicians!

When ordering, use the mobile app code: PATRIOTS to make sure your purchase counts toward our fundraiser. Mobile app orders are available from 7:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. that day.

📍 Chick-fil-A Riverstone

1459 Riverstone Pkwy., Canton, GA

Come hungry, show your Patriot pride, and help support FMS Chorus & Band! ❤️🤍💙

Over the summer, Freedom Middle School had plumbing repairs completed as part of ongoing maintenance and upgrades at schools across the district. Thank you to our CCSD maintenance crews who spend the summer break making sure our schools are ready to shine on the first day back!

Through practical and data-driven investments, the CCSD School Board has committed to maintaining and methodically updating the school facilities across CCSD. This long-range planning approach ensures quality care and oversight is in place for all school buildings, classroom spaces, and campus environments so that safe, updated, and adequate facilities are available to the 40,000+ students across Cherokee County.

Thank you to the voters in our community for their steadfast support of Ed-SPLOST which turns that vision into reality, ensuring the best place to get an education in the State of GA happens right here in CCSD.

Check out this video made by an FMS teacher guiding you through some Canvas basics.

FMS CANVAS VIDEO

The following links are detailed instructions for setting up the Parent's account and generating the Observer Code from the Student account.

Canvas Parent Instructions

This next link is a resource page for everything Canvas related.

Canvas for Students and Parents

Set up notification preferences to be alerted to your student's grades, teacher announcements, etc.

Canvas Notification Preferences

Each month we recognize a teacher and a staff member who has gone above and beyond in their role. These people truly exemplify the FMS spirit. This award is called The Patty Award symbolizing an authentic Patriot. For the month of August, we honored Sharon Archibald as the teacher of the month, and Amanda Hoffman as the staff member of the month! Thank you to our business Partner In Motion Counseling, LLC for supporting and sponsoring this program!

Archi brings contagious energy, positivity, and kindness to FMS every day! She is loved by students and parents for her ability to teach math while also building confidence and resilience in her students. She is always willing to lend a hand and consistently goes above and beyond to make things easier for others. From supporting her fellow staff members to picking up and distributing all 7th and 8th grade math consumables, Archi is truly a force for good at FMS! 💙❤️

Amanda handles scheduling and all the changes that come with it like a boss! 👏 She also went above and beyond to create an incredible Staff Wellness Room — a welcoming space for everyone at FMS to enjoy. Her hard work, creativity, and dedication make a difference every day!

In Motion Counseling is sponsoring our monthly Patty Awards for the 2nd year in a row. They donate gift cards each month for the Teacher and Staff Member of the Month. We appreciate you!!!

Cherokee Orthodontics surprised us with a goodie basket of teacher supplies and water bottles. Thank you so much. We appreciate you!