The Freedom Phenom

As I write this, Thanksgiving Day is just three weeks away—a reminder of how much we have to be thankful for at Freedom.

I am grateful for our fantastic students and families, who help make Freedom such a special place every day. I am also thankful for our dedicated support staff, including our front office team, cafeteria staff, and custodians, whose hard work is essential to keeping our school running smoothly.

To our teachers, thank you for the care, effort, and energy you put into helping every student succeed. Each day, I am amazed by your dedication to our students and the work you do on their behalf.

The stretch from Fall Break to Thanksgiving Break is a busy one for our entire school community. My hope is that, in a few weeks, we can all pause, catch our breath, and reflect with gratitude on what we have accomplished together. There is much to celebrate and much to look forward to in the months ahead.

Happy November, and best wishes for a wonderful Thanksgiving!

All the best,

Chad Flatt, Ed.D

Principal

🌟 Congratulations to our October Students of the Month! 🌟

Join us in celebrating these outstanding Patriots for their accomplishments, positive attitudes, and commitment to showing Patriot Pride! We are proud of the way they represent Freedom Middle School. Keep up the great work! ❤️💙

• NOVEMBER 3: Digital Learning Day
• NOVEMBER 3: Chick-fil-A Spirit Night for Band & Chorus
• NOVEMBER 5: Basketball Games vs Woodstock Middle School
• NOVEMBER 6-7: Middle School Honor Band at Reinhardt
• NOVEMBER 7: All-State Chorus Auditions
• NOVEMBER 9: Basketball Games vs Creekland Middle School
• NOVEMBER 10: 8th Grade Jr Beta Club Courtyard Lunch
• NOVEMBER 10: Jr. Beta Club Meeting
• NOVEMBER 11: Veteran's Day Assembly and Recognition
• NOVEMBER 11: 6th Grade Jr Beta Club Courtyard Lunch
• NOVEMBER 12: School Advisory Council Meeting
• NOVEMBER 13: 7th Grade Jr Beta Club Courtyard Lunch
• NOVEMBER 13: Social Hour Reward Parties
• NOVEMBER 16: GMAS Practice Test in 8th Grade
• NOVEMBER 16: Basketball Games vs ET Booth Middle School
• NOVEMBER 18: Cafeteria Serving Thanksgiving Lunch
• NOVEMBER 19: Basketball Games vs Mill Creek Middle School
• NOVEMBER 19: Spelling Bee
• NOVEMBER 19-20: District 9 Honor Chorus in Dawsonville
• NOVEMBER 23-27: Thanksgiving Break
• NOVEMBER 30: Basketball Games vs Dean Rusk Middle School

It’s time to celebrate our amazing Patriots! Rewards Day is Friday, November 13, and the Freedom PTSA will be selling concessions during each grade level’s celebration. Please send your student with cash if they would like to make a purchase.

We’re proud of our students for their hard work and good behavior and can’t wait to celebrate their accomplishments! 🎉❤️💙

It's time to pack the stands, show our Patriot pride, and cheer on our FMS basketball teams! Our 2026-2027 basketball season is underway, and we have an exciting season ahead! Check out the attached basketball schedule for all game dates and opponents.

🎟️ STUDENTS: STAY AFTER & CHEER!

On Thursdays, students are invited to stay after school to cheer on their team! Here's what you need to know:

• Students must have a completed parent permission form and pay the $6 admission fee during lunch on game day. Tickets can also be purchased through our FMS GoFan page.

• Parents, please check your CCSD Direct email each week for the permission forms and additional details.

• Snacks and drinks will be available, and the concession stand will be open throughout the games. ALL concession purchases are CASH ONLY! Enjoy pizza, sodas, water, candy, chips, chocolate, and more!

• Students staying after school will receive a wristband and will be supervised by PTSA volunteers, staff members, and administrators.

• Students attending both games must be picked up by 7:30 PM in the bus lanes.

⏰ GAME TIMES:

• B Teams: 5:15 PM

• A Teams: Approximately 6:30 PM

We're bringing even MORE excitement to game days with themed Thursday Spirit Days! Students and staff are encouraged to dress up and show their school spirit!

• November 5 – Adam Sandler Day: Baggy Shorts. Big Shots. Let's Go Patriots!

• November 19 – Throwback Thursday: Old School Style for the Win!

• December 3 – Red Out: Deck the Halls in Red!

• December 10 – White Out: Let It Snow, Let Us Score!

• January 14 – Jersey Day: From the Pros to the Patriots!

• January 21 – Hawaiian Day: Aloha Raiders! Patriots Are Bringing the HEAT!

Let's fill the gym, bring the energy, and make some noise! GO PATRIOTS! 🔴⚪🔵

Freedom Middle School is honored to invite our veterans and their families to join us for a special Veterans Day Breakfast & Assembly on Wednesday, November 11, at 8:30 a.m.

This special event is an opportunity for our Patriot family to come together and honor and thank the brave men and women who have served our country.

📅 Wednesday, November 11

👉Veteran Recognition RSVP & Wall of Honor – Fill out form

We look forward to celebrating and honoring our veterans! ❤️🤍💙

The holiday season is quickly approaching. As a result, we want to reach out to our families to remind you that we can help connect you to resources and organizations if you are in need of assistance this holiday season. We are always able to give referrals to our families who are in need, but we have additional resources available over the holidays. Please contact the counseling office by Wednesday, November 11th if you would like more information about the programs available.

Please see below for additional community resources to include local food pantries:

Community Resources - Cherokee County School District

Congratulations to McKenna Baskett! We are proud to recognize McKenna for her outstanding accomplishments in the Freedom MS PTSA Reflections Program! McKenna earned 1st Place in Literature, Photography, and Visual Arts for the 2026–2027 theme, “What My Culture Means to Me.” The National PTA Reflections Program encourages students to express their creativity and share their perspectives through original works of art. Congratulations, McKenna, on this incredible achievement! We are so proud of you and your Patriot Pride!

Join us at Moe’s Southwest Grill on Wednesday, November 18th, from 5:00–8:00 PM for a delicious way to support Freedom Middle School! Moe’s will donate 10% of sales back to the Freedom Middle School PTSA. Bring your family and friends, enjoy a great meal, and help support our Patriots. Every bite makes a difference! Thank you for supporting Freedom Middle School!

Basketball season is here, and we’ve got some new Patriots gear!

Check out our new basketball merch options, including hoodies, joggers, lightweight hooded shirts, and zip-up jackets!

Assorted colors available!

Show your Patriot pride on and off the court!

Shop the new collection here: https://districtspiritwear.com/collections/freedom

Go Patriots!

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

Spirit Wear: Freedom Middle School Store – District Spiritwear

These talented Patriots represented FMS at the Cherokee County Honor Chorus, held at River Ridge High School! We are so proud of their hard work, dedication, and love of music. Thank you for representing Freedom Middle School so beautifully! 🌟

🎵 8th Grade

• Sophia Arnold

• Stella Kornegay

• Callie Lane

• Addison Smith

• Amy Smith

🎵 7th Grade

• Ella Bragg

• Beckett Braswell

• Alex Cornett

• Allyson Sisney

• Katie Stultz

• David Toro

• Ethan Weigle

🎵 6th Grade

• Melissa Assis

• Grace Bragg

• Leighton Gwinn

• Isabella Mejias

• Michael Mitchell (Trip)

• Mackenzie Pheifer

• Alexis Sunderland

• Mateo Toro

👏 Help us congratulate these outstanding students on this wonderful musical accomplishment! We are proud to have you representing the Freedom Patriots! 🎶

November 6-7: Honor Band at Reinhardt

November 7: All-State Chorus Auditions

November 19-20: District 9 Honor Chorus

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 October, we honored Amanda Struchtemeyer as the teacher of the month, and Lesly Perez as the staff member of the month! Thank you to our business Partner In Motion Counseling, LLC for supporting and sponsoring this program!

Amanda does so much more than keep our library running! From inspiring a love of reading and creating engaging lessons to making the beloved book fair happen, she helps make Freedom Middle School a special place for our students. She also works tirelessly behind the scenes to manage MTSS protocols and support both students and teachers. Her dedication, hard work, and willingness to jump in wherever she’s needed make a tremendous difference at FMS! ❤️📖

As our Special Education Facilitator, Lesly works diligently to support our Special Education teachers and ensure FMS remains in compliance with important requirements. Her colleagues appreciate her knowledge, dedication, and willingness to help both general and special education teachers do what’s best for our students. Thank you, Lesly, for the incredible work you do to support our staff and Patriots! 👏

Freedom Middle School is incredibly fortunate to have such a caring and dedicated PTSA! From welcoming our staff and students back to school to organizing a nurse supply drive, supporting students at reward parties, and helping sponsor our Student of the Month program with delicious donuts and chicken biscuits, our PTSA continually finds ways to make a difference.

Most recently, they stocked our staff lounges with goodies to help keep our teachers fueled and encouraged as we make our way through the end of the semester! These are just a few examples of the many ways our PTSA shows love and support for our Patriots throughout the year.

To our PTSA members and all of our wonderful parent volunteers, THANK YOU! Your generosity, time, and willingness to go above and beyond do not go unnoticed. You help make Freedom Middle School a special place for our students and staff, and we are so grateful for each of you! ❤️💙

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