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Donate to FSI Hurricane Recovery Fund
Good morning Franklin community,
Were you one of the many who attended Friday’s wonderful music concert???
What a fantastic celebration of what students can achieve when they are inspired and challenged to lead their own learning. Among the many highlights of the evening was the student-composed and conducted piece played by our Modern Orchestra. Congratulations to senior Jane Allen for this accomplishment!
As we approach end of year testing, it’s so good to celebrate the many ways that students demonstrate their brilliance. Testing is important but it will never be a substitute for authentic experiences and demonstrations of learning. Thank you to Sandi Wilson, Jack Johnson, and all our teachers and staff who mentor students every day.
Thank you also to everyone, especially our Parent Crew volunteers, who provided a lovely Staff Appreciation week! We love being fed and cared for – it gives us fuel to share that love with our students.
We have about 2 ½ weeks of learning before our end of year testing begins. That’s still a lot of important time for instruction and growth! Please help us make the most of this time by talking with your students about appropriate behaviors at school. Here are a few ways we need your help:
- Be on time and stay all day! More on this below – but please do all you can to have students in school, all day, every day. Every absence adds up to lost learning.
- Keep up with positive school behaviors. I sent a separate message this week about students around the country taking part in TikTok challenges and vandalizing schools and school equipment. This disrupts learning for everyone and takes away from limited school resources.
- Watch the language. Language norms are shifting, but it’s important to remember time and place. School isn’t the place for profanity, especially not profanity directed at another person.
Finally, I urge all parents to monitor and manage your student’s social media and online access and presence. Many problems that come into school start online at home. There are many online guidelines to help parents navigate this challenge. It may feel hard but I promise it is worth the effort!
Important Early Pick Up Notice:
Beginning tomorrow – we will not call students out of class after 2:45 pm. We’ve announced this previously but we’ve seen a steady increase in this practice. It’s disruptive to the rest of the students in the classrooms and our wonderful receptionist, Melissa, can’t keep up with the constant calls!
Please try to schedule appointments after school, allowing enough time for dismissal and travel. If you must pick up early – arrive before the final class of the day. If you arrive after 2:45 pm, you will need to wait for the regular dismissal time.
Thank you for choosing Franklin! Let’s finish this year stronger than ever and stronger together.
Upcoming Events
Mon, May 12
- 5:30 pm: HS Ultimate @ AC Reynolds HS
Tues, May 13
- 6:00 pm: Board of Directors Meeting (virtual – via Zoom link on Community Calendar)
Sat, May 17
- 10 am – 3 pm: HS Ultimate End of Season Tournament @ North Buncombe HS
- 4:00 pm: SWAPPs – Student Written & Performed Plays in the Community Room – free admission
Calendar Changes:
- Wednesday May 21 will be an early release day (regular Wednesday schedule)
- Wednesday, June 4: Full day (3:15/3:35 dismissal)
- Thursday, June 5 – Last day for students – early release (1:00 pm)
Keep up with our Community Calendar: FSI Community Calendar
Need to see the year at a glance? FSI 2024-25 Academic Calendar
Bolts Athletics
HS Ultimate had a challenging game vs the Homeschool team. Down 4-8 at halftime, the Bolts got to within one in the second half but the Homeschool team pulled away with a 10-15 victory. Some great plays by N. Sitton, K. Davis and C. Butler had two goals.
MS soccer concluded their season with a 3-0 victory over Rainbow. This also wrapped up a winning season for the Bolts. Well done!
HS Cross Country has one remaining off season workout date coming up after school from 4:00-5:00pm. Please meet in Coach Mack’s room (214).
- Tuesday, May 13
Go Bolts!
Parent Crew
A huge thank you to everyone who helped with Staff Appreciation this past week!
Our Thursday, 05/29 meeting will be a meetup at the Salt Face Mule. This will be a great time to celebrate the end of the school year. They also have a mini-golf course if you are interested in bringing your children to play a game ($10 to play).
Save the date of 07/20 for our annual back-to-school meet and greet. This year it will be at the Buncombe County Sports Park-with the time still TBD.
SWAPPs (Student Written and Performed Plays) on May 17th & Poetry Slam May 22
FSI’s high school theatre department wraps up the school year with SWAPPs on May 17th at 4:00 pm in the community room. Admission is free! Join us for ‘Heroes, Villains, and other Surprises’ a collection of 5 short plays written, directed and performed by high school students. Questions? Email Ms. Wharton at jwharton@thefsi.us
High School Poetry Slam – May 22nd 4:00 – 5:00 pm
Ms. Wharton’s and Mr. Reller’s Poetry classes will host a poetry slam in the Community Room after school on Thursday, 5/22. Come and read a poem you love or a poem you wrote!! Both classes have been working to publish collections of original poetry. Wharton’s poetry book students are working towards having their book available for purchase at this event. Admission is free, some simple snacks will be available. Questions? Email Ms. Wharton at jwharton@thefsi.us or Mr. Reller at nreller@thefsi.us.
Open Mic Is Back! Thursday, May 29, 5 – 7 pm
FSI Music Dept will be hosting a makeup from the rain on 4/30. Open Mic Night will be Thursday 5/29 at Doc Brown’s BBQ 5-7pm! Anyone is welcome to perform at this event, it is not limited to only music students. Come sing, perform, read a short, a poem, or dance. Express yourself at this fun community event on a beautiful spring evening!
As well as hosting us at the restaurant for this event, Doc Brown’s is generously donating 10% of the restaurant’s sales earned during those hours to the music department, so come out and show your support!!
Since this space is outdoors and uncovered, we will take weather into account but hopefully that won’t be an issue for us. If you have any questions, contact Mrs. Wilson at swilson@thefsi.us. We hope to see you there!
Summer Learning Recovery Program
I’ll just keep this in here every week – my plug for our Summer Learning Recovery Program. Our students have faced many disruptions to their learning, from COVID in their early elementary years to the month-long closure following Helene. As one fun component of our program, we plan to partner with Zaniac to provide weekly themed STEM enrichments, exploring chemistry, our ecosystems, robotics, and more! If your student is in grade 4 – 8 and is not yet at grade level in reading or math, please invest the time in this summer program. You received a registration form from Mr. Freeman this past week – sign up today!
This free program will run from 8:30 am – 1:30 pm during the following weeks:
- June 17 – 20 (Tues – Fri only this week)
- June 23 – 27
- July 7 – 11
- July 14 – 18
Reminders
End of Year Exam Schedule
- May 28: Middle School Math EOGs and Math 1 EOC
- May 29: Math 3 EOC
- May 30: Middle School Reading EOG and English 2 EOC
- June 2: 5th and 8th Grade Science EOG and Biology EOC
- June 3 and 4: Make Up Test Dates
- June 5: Last Day for Students – early release
SunBucks Program!
We are very pleased to announce that our families are now eligible for the North Carolina SunBucks program. This is one of the many benefits of joining the federal school lunch program. Families who receive free or reduced lunch through our school will receive $120 per child through the SunBucks program. Many families have already received their cards. If your students are eligible for free or reduced lunch and you haven’t received your SunBucks card – please learn more about the program on this website. Some families will need to complete a simple application: ncdhhs.gov/sunbucks
Join us for 3 weeks of fun at our FSI Summer Quest Camp
Camp this year is only available to rising 5th graders through rising 8th graders. We are planning three great weeks of arts, crafts, games, science, learning, swimming and adventuring! Each week of Summer Quest Camp is a mix of outdoor activities, arts, swimming, cooking, social skill building, field trips and sports!
Choose which week, or all the weeks:
- Week 1: June 23rd – 27th
- Week 2: July 7th-11th
- Week 3: July 14th-18th
Register for summer camp here – https://franklinschoolofinnovation.networkforgood.com/events/84532-fsi-summer-camp
Who to contact and how: Mr. Ron Scott, 828 335 1053, rscott@thefsi.us
Public School Advocacy – Keep Calling!
It is budget season in North Carolina. We must let our elected leaders know that public school funding matters! Over 80% of all students in North Carolina and 85% of students with learning differences attend public schools. This isn’t a partisan issue – public schools have an impact on everyone. What does North Carolina’s terrible public school funding (seriously – 48 out of 50 is embarrassing!) mean for parents and students? Here are just a few ways that inadequate funding impacts parents and students:
- Higher teacher turnover as teachers leave the profession or the state for financial stability
- Less experienced teachers in classrooms
- Fewer school staff overall, so no one has time to do their job well
- Teachers and other school staff with second and third jobs, leaving them with less time and energy for their chosen profession
What can you do? Contact our elected officials! Call, email, write letters, drive to Raleigh if you are able! And get everyone you know to do the same. Let’s make our voices heard! Here’s the link again to the Education Call List.
Apply for Free/Reduced Lunch
FSI is now participating in the Federal School Lunch Program. Families must apply for the program every year. We will help you with your applications! Click to APPLY HERE!
If you need help, call the school office (318-8140), stop by the front desk for paper applications, or email Tammey Harper, tharper@thefsi.us for help.
Did you know: Now that our school is part of the National School Lunch Program, students with approved applications for free or reduced lunch may also be eligible for summer “Sun Bucks” program, offering $120 per student for summer food purchases? You can learn more here: https://www.ncdhhs.gov/sunbucks
Car Line Reminders
It seems that it is time for a reminder to be good citizens in the car line. No one loves the car line – we get it. But if we all follow the rules and work together, the line moves pretty quickly and we keep students and staff safe! Here are a few reminders:
- All traffic is one way during arrival and dismissal. There are NO exceptions. It simply isn’t safe.
- Students are to be picked up by the building – not in the driveway and especially not by the road.
- Turn right at Sardis Road.
- Watch your speed
Thank you to everyone who regularly follows these expectations!
Drivers Education – Summer Opportunity
Franklin will host a summer Driver’s Ed program July 14 – 18 from 9 am – 3 pm. Please note that we do not provide Driver’s Ed directly – all Driver’s Ed in WNC is provided by Mountain Pro. We are just the hosts. Registration is available at https://www.mtnpro.com/school-classes
Please see the attendance policy below. Again – this is not Franklin’s policy and we cannot intervene or advocate for any changes to the policy. You may want to wait until closer to the date of class to register to avoid any conflicts. Registrations are not transferable or refundable.
Attendance Policy: Students must pay a $65 fee for the classroom phase of Driver Education on or before the first day of their selected class. There will be no refunds if a student does not attend, drops out or fails The State mandates students attend 30 hours in entirety to receive credit. Voluntary medical or dental appointments and school-related activities such as tryouts, sports, field trips, concerts, etc. are not excused absences. Five Day Classes (Holiday Classes, etc.) and Summer classes: There are no makeup days for these classes. Students absent from one (1) of these classes will be listed as a Fail, and if allowed, will have to register and pay to attend another class in its entirety.
Donate Used, Broken, or Unwanted Electronics!
The Franklin School of Innovation Electronics Repair Club is accepting donations of used, broken, or unwanted electronics. Anything from small smart watches up to larger laptops (including PC, mac/apple and android devices). No printers, desktops, or monitors, please… we don’t have the space for them!
Please include the power supply(s), password(s) (if one or more things haven’t been reset) and what is believed to be wrong with the device via a bundled note. Label the donation “for ERC” and bring it to the front office. If we can’t find a second life for your donated item we will make sure personal data is securely wiped and that it is brought to an upcoming local e-waste collection event.
We may be able to repair items! If you are interested in a quote for repair, please include that in your note along with your contact information.
Yearbook Sales
Our yearbook class is busy capturing fantastic memories of this year! Get yours here.
MANNA Packs for Kids
MANNA Packs for Kids is a take-home food program that provides a weekly bag of food to students. Bags will contain items such as proteins, fruits, vegetables, snacks and/or breakfast items.The “MANNA Packs for Kids” program’s mission is to serve those families with children who are experiencing economic difficulty and could use assistance in providing food when school meals are not an option. To join the program, please fill out the Manna Packs google form here.
