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THIS WEEK'S NEWS FROM MR. U & THE FMS HSA
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Greetings Frelinghuysen Middle School Community,
It was a pleasure to see so many of you at Back-to-School Night last week. I hope the night’s program, the classrooms, and our teachers’ presentations were helpful and positive, and that you are excited for a successful year of learning at FMS.
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A focus of my presentation was the School-wide Homework Program that we are instituting this year at FMS. Our goal is to create a homework system that focuses on the foundational skills that students need to be successful in high school, college, and career; that provides complete transparency around homework expectations for students and parents; and that values wellness in our children and in our families by limiting the volume of homework assigned nightly.
This FMS Homework Program One-Pager and Calendar summarizes the program and the rationale behind it. I encourage you to review it as a family and to become familiar with it. You will notice that as a school community we will be deeply focused on reading and writing in response to the texts we read. We will work to build our students’ academic vocabulary through the use of a weekly grade-level vocabulary list. Math homework will be independent practice of the skills and concepts learned by students that day in class.
We believe this program will enable us as a school to best prepare our students for the rigors of high school and beyond. We also believe that it will improve your ability to support your child at home. In November, I will invite parents to the school to provide feedback on how you believe the program is going. Until then, I encourage you to read your child’s Night Writes, review their math homework, and practice their weekly vocabulary words with them. Thank you for the partnership!
Please be sure to activate your Parent Portal account. The PowerSchool Parent Portal is a way for you to get real-time information about your child’s attendance and grades in every class.
Please take a moment today to activate your Canvas account. Canvas is another valuable new tool the entire FMS community - including parents and students - will be using this year. All FMS teachers will be posting their assignments and tests/quizzes on the Canvas Calendar on a weekly basis. This will enable you and your child to see exactly what their homework and test/quiz schedule is each week for every one of their classes.
As part of their Parent Education Series, the MEF is sponsoring an important presentation by nationally-known speaker, John O’Sullivan entitled Changing the Game: Helping Our Children Achieve Excellence in Sports and Life. For more information about this October 25th event, follow this link.
Have a great week!
Mr. Uglialoro
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It was great to see everyone at Back to School Night last week. We are so excited for all that is to come this school year! Many parents stopped us in the hall and said, “if you need me, just reach out.”
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We need you! Every day at dismissal time, the HSA works the ever popular “snack bar” to provide inexpensive snacks and drinks for kids attending after school sports and clubs. We need volunteers to run it. See the question of the week for more info!
We’d like to thank everyone who took the time to “Just Write a Check” or pick up an Operation OUTSIDE Donor Fund form last week. All donations can be sent into school marked “HSA – Operation OUTSIDE” or paid online.
We can’t thank you enough…all FMS children will benefit from these contributions! Have a great week ahead!
Gale & Lucy
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Q:
What is “ Snack Bar” and how can I help?
A: Every day at dismissal (2:18PM), two parent volunteers roll a snack cart down the hall from the cafeteria to the doorway near the “new gym.”
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There they sell snacks and drinks to the kids staying after school for sports, clubs or study groups. Prices range from $.25-$1 for offerings like popcorn, baked chips, pretzels, fruit, cheeses, 100% juices, chocolate milk and water. Kids expect that we will be there and appreciate this service.
If you volunteer, you arrive at
2PM
, fill the cart from closets in the cafeteria and roll it into place. Selling is usually over by
2:45
. Volunteers pack up the inventory, count the money and leave by
3PM
!
If you are available just 2-3 times a month, please contact us t
o get on the calendar. We are in great need of these volunteers. It’s easy and a fun way to catch a glimpse of the FMS community! Thank you for helping out if you can!
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HSA After-School Clubs will begin this week, and run for 6 weeks through the week of October 31 (except for Basketball which will run for 2 consecutive weeks).
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Clubs end at 4 pm and your child must take the late bus home or be picked up promptly at 4 pm. If you have not already done so, please send in your payment immediately. Please note your child’s name and club selection on the envelope. Make checks out to the “FMS HSA.”
Questions? Contact us here.
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PLEASE DONATE PBIS PRIZES
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By now we hope you are all familiar with the PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support) program that is in its second year at FMS.
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As part of the reward and recognition stage of the program, there will be three tricky tray events for the kids throughout the school year. The students will have the opportunity to use their Falcon Tickets to try to win prizes.
We could use your help! The HSA will purchase a big ticket item for each tricky tray, but we are asking for donations of the smaller items, so that as many students as possible can win prizes. The prizes we collect will be distributed evenly among the three tricky trays during the school year.
Please sign up for as much as you are willing and able to provide! It will all go directly back to the students!
Sign Up to Donate Prizes
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The Sixth Grade Fall Social is Friday, October 7, from 7-8:30PM. It will be a great evening of fun with DJ music & games, picture booth, prizes, and more.
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We are asking for your help, either through volunteering your time or donations to the event. We need volunteers to sell tickets at lunch time from 10/3-10/5, volunteers at the event on 10/7, and volunteers to send items into school before the event. Thank you in advance for helping make this a special evening!
View Sign-Up Sheet
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The HSA would like to thank the FMS Spirit Wear team - Rebecca Didona, Joan Galbraith and Nancy O’Donnell - for organizing the sale of FMS clothing and gear at all the Back to School nights last week. Thank you!
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Changing the Game:
Helping Our Children Achieve Excellence in Sports & Life
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Part 1 of the 2016-2017 MEF Parent Education Series
Tuesday, October 25, 2016, 7PM MHS Auditorium
This dynamic program will feature
John O'Sullivan, Founder of the Changing the Game Project Presentation, and includes a Q&A Panel and Book Signing. A bonus Meet the Author event will be held from 9-10AM.
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CODE: Debugging The Gender Gap,
Presented by the MHS Science Program
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Made Possible by a Grant from the MEF
Thursday, Oct 6, 2016,
7PM MHS Auditorium
Free Screening and Panel Discussion: Join us for the documentary screening followed by a panel discussion and Q&A on underrepresented minorities in STEM with professionals in the field of coding. Open seating available.
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MHS AUTHOR AT FESTIVAL OF BOOKS
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The Festival is free and the author line-up is quite impressive and includes Morristown High School graduate David Lubar ('72) and his new book, Character Driven.
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Gather all those Box Tops you’ve been saving over the summer and send them in!
Please put them in a Ziploc bag and write your child's Homeroom teacher on the bag.
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Have your student drop the Ziploc bag in the black Box Tops mailbox outside the main office. This is an easy fundraiser for FMS and a great way to raise money for our students! Please continue to clip Box Tops from the products you buy each week because we collect all year.
Also, register your ShopRite Price Plus club card and select FMS. Any time you buy participating products at ShopRite using your Price Plus card during the advertised times, box top earnings will automatically be awarded to FMS!
We will keep you posted of our progress throughout the school year so you can see how you are making a difference. Thank you for your continued support!
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IMPORTANT DATES
Monday, Sept 26: Board of Education Meeting, 7:30PM - Lafayette Learning Ctr
Wednesday, Sept 28: FMS HSA Meeting, 7PM
Friday, Sept 30: Schools Closed, Staff Development
Monday, Oct 2: Schools Closed, Rosh Hashanah
Friday, Oct 7:
School Pictures
Friday, Oct 7-
Sixth Grade Social, 7PM
Wednesday, Oct 12:
Schools Closed - Yom Kippur
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