FMS Newsletter

Fridley Middle School Families:.

February is an exciting month! The first day of Semester 2 started and it marks the beginning of the second half of our school year! Also, in February we celebrate Black History Month and our Nation's Diverse History! It is an exciting month and a lot to look forward to! Semester 1 report cards have been mailed so be sure to watch for them in the mail!

As always, please let us know how we can best support you and your student. The education and wellbeing of our students is the utmost importance to us and we will continue to do everything we can to meet the needs of all our students. We are here to support, encourage, partner together, and engage students in their learning. Thank you for partnering with us!

Warmly,

Dr. Amy Cochran

Principal

763.502.5401

cochran@isd14.org

Matt Engelhardt

Assistant Principal

763.502.5403

engelhardt@isd14.org

• February 10th - African American Parent Involvement Day
• February 11th- Grade 6 Winter Band/ Choir Concert (7-8pm) FMS front gym
• February 13th- FMS History Day Competition (5:30-8:30pm)
• February 17th - (NO SCHOOL)
• February 19th - Bingo Night (5-6:30pm)
• February 25th- FMS (7/8 Band and Choir Winter Concert ( 7-8pm) FMS front gym
• February 28th- 7th and 8th Grade winter dance (this was rescheduled)

March Parent Teacher Conferences: March 6 and March 13

Semester 1 report cards were mailed to each home on

January 31st. Please be watching for them. If you have any questions, you may reach out to your child's teacher for additional information.

Monday, February 10th

National African American Parent Involvement Day (NAAPID) is a day for all parents to come to their child's school, see what their day is like and to support their child's educational future. Some of the goals of NAAPID are to:

• Promote parent involvement in their child's education
• Address the achievement gap facing African American students
• Promote and provide strategies for all parents and students to take full advantage of the educational process at all levels of the educational system (preschool through college)
• More details on this day to come.

History Day will be on February 13th from 5:30 - 8:30 pm. Students registered for a time and attendance for their presentation is mandatory. If you have questions regarding History Day, please contact Mr. Cuthbert at 763-502-5548 or cuthbert@isd14.org

We are excited to share that our Winter Formal for our 7th and 8th Grade students is quickly approaching. The rescheduled date for the dance will be held on Friday, February 28th from 5:00 - 7:00 pm.

If students already purchased a ticket and turned in a permission slip, they do not need to do anything. We will sell tickets the week of February 18th during lunches. Students must have a signed permission slip (attached below) to purchase a ticket. Tickets are $5.00 and will be sold during lunch.

A cash only concession stand will be available at the dance. If you have any questions, please contact Jaimie Beran at beran@isd14.org. We are looking forward to a fun night of celebrating with students!

We are thrilled to share our instructional plan for the next nine weeks, designed to boost student achievement and ensure every student feels confident and prepared. One key way student achievement is measured in Minnesota is through the MCA (Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments), which students will take in April. While these assessments are still nine weeks away, we're getting a head start to make sure our students have all the skills they need to succeed.

To kick things off, we launched "Achievement Season" with our students today! This exciting period focuses on building strong skills and strategies in Math and Reading, helping students grow academically and feel confident in their abilities. Alongside academic preparation, we're creating a positive, motivating environment with fun incentives to celebrate student progress and effort.

We also shared this information with students today. You can view the presentation they saw here: FMS Achievement Season - Students.

We would love to connect with you in person! Please join us for Bingo Night on February 19 from 5:00 - 6:30 PM. While students enjoy BINGO in the gymnasium, parents and caregivers will attend a special session to learn more about "Achievement Season" and how you can support your child during this pivotal time. It will be an engaging evening filled with fun and valuable information—we hope to see you there!

Thank you for your continued support in helping our students thrive. Together, we can make this "Achievement Season" a great success!

Join us at our breakout session to hear more about FMS Achievement Season!

• 6th Grade Band - February 11th, Winter Concert in the FMS Front Gym at 7:00 PM.
• 7th and 8th Grade Band - Field Trip to Ordway to see DRUMLINE Live! at 10:30 AM (Permission forms will be handed out in class).
• 7th and 8th Grade Band - February 25th Winter Concert in FMS Front Gym at 7:00 PM.

Students may be excused for family vacations for up to 10 school days with prior approval from the Principal. To request approval, parents/guardians must submit a request at least two weeks before the planned vacation. The request should include the student's name, grade, and vacation dates. The Principal will review the request and provide a response within five school days.

Thank you to all of our families that attended our incoming 5th grade parent night! We are excited to welcome our incoming 5th grade students in the fall!

Winter weather is here! It’s important to understand that school closings may occur when weather conditions create a risk to the safety of our students, families and staff.

Please take a moment to read the following to understand more about what will happen if a school cancelation occurs due to inclement weather.

Yearbooks are available for pre-ordering! Yearbooks will be $15.74 this year.

The link below; you will need to create an account and add your student's name. Then you will be able to order your 24-25 year book. If you have additional questions, please email questions to acosta@isd14.org.

• Winter sport registration is open through Campus.

• Registration questions: Contact Mr. Ferry

• Practice questions: Contact the head coach of your sport.

• Winter Sports:

• HS Boys Swim & Dive (7-12): Begins 12/2 (Head Coach: Adam Berg)

• MS Boys Basketball (7-8): Begins 1/6 (Head Coaches: Mr. Bobick & Mr. Reiter)

Check out the flyer for all of the different athletic and activity opportunities at FMS!

Did you know that Nutritional Services utilizes a variety of pre-made and school made items at lunch time? The lunch menus need to meet strict nutritional guidelines including calories and sodium. We offer 3-4 different vegetable choices and 2 different fruit options daily. Students must take at least 1/2 cup serving of fruits or vegetables on their tray.

We encourage students to take more items to ensure they get enough to eat. Our menu items are tested by students and we use student feedback to make menu changes. We recognize that some students may not like what is served everyday but we plan our menus to reflect the tastes of our student population.

Please encourage your students to try new menu items. It takes trying something at least 10 times before they know if they like it or not. Menus can be found on the nutritional services website and they can change due to supply chain issues. We continue to provide student favorites including mac and cheese, hamburgers, and pizza.

Remember that students are able to receive one breakfast and lunch at no charge each day. If your student comes through second chance breakfast for an additional breakfast, they will be charged. Please talk with your student about any extra charges on their meal account. Parents can find your student meal balances on the Parent Portal of Campus. Students are able to purchase Ala Carte if they have a positive lunch balance. Students can purchase one beverage and one snack item daily. Cash is not accepted at the cashier station during lunch. If you have any questions please contact Renee Arbogast at arbogast@isd14.org or 763-502-5022.

Emergency Sheets need to be updated and signed yearly. It is very important that we have the most current contact numbers in case of an emergency or illness. These forms will be updated at open house.

It is also important that we are told about any health conditions your child might have. This information is listed on the emergency sheet as well. If anything has changed over the summer, please call the Health Office about this.

Attention parents of 7th graders

There are additional immunizations that are required for 7th grade; Tdap and Menningococcal. These are required BEFORE starting school or a conscientious objection form must by notarized and given to the health office BEFORE school starts. Notification letters were mailed to parents in May. The immunization form is on the District Web Page under Health Services. Please make an appointment with your clinic to get these immunizations completed as soon as possible.

Per our District Policy, all immunizations must be current in order to start school. Please help in making it a great start for your child's school year by getting this done.

Minnesota State Law requires all students enrolling in school to be immunized against certain diseases or file a legal medical or conscientious exemption. If these are not obtained, your child will not be able to start school in the fall. The MN Department of Health has an immunization form you may use to provide documentation of your child's immunizations. It has been attached to this message.

Check parent portal for immunizations your child may be missing, https://www.fridleyschools.org/

Here is a resource for other options for low cost vaccinations through the Anoka County Immunization Clinic:

https://www.anokacountymn.gov/2285/Immunizations

This program is supported by Neighborhood HealthSource and is funded through a grant with the Anoka County Children Family Council (ACCFC). This year we will have two team members supporting our district. If you need support, please click the flyers below.

They are available to help with health insurance and medical/community resources. Benny is stationed at the Middle School on Friday's 8:00 am - 12:00pm in the health office.

We so excited we can offer this support again this school year. Please let us know if you have any questions.

This newsletter was created to give parents and students a place to check in for the most up to date information on multiple areas of our building. If you should have any questions, please reach out to us.

Email: cochran@isd14.org
Website: Fridley.k12.mn.us
Location: 6100 West Moore Lake Drive Northeast, Fridley, MN, USA
Phone: 763.502.5400
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FridleyMS