Let the Countdown Begin

With only a week until school starts, I wanted to update everyone on some of the new initiatives we are working on for this year. 

1. School Garden - We have a plan to build a huge garden, adjacent to the tennis court, with an outdoor classroom.   The garden will have 10 raised beds, each 6' by 6', where we hope to grow vegetables throughout the year.  We are waiting for approvals to move forward with the next step which will be raising the funds needed to begin construction.  Our hope is that every student will be able to work in the garden once it is constructed.

2. After School Clubs - We have been working with our HSA parents to plan after school clubs similar to what some of our elementary schools provide.  Our vision is for teachers to design and lead a fun activity that will meet after school, once a week for 5 or 6 weeks.  Teachers will be asked to submit proposals for theses activities and we will have sign ups before the end of September.  This will be one more way for students to become involved and have fun outside of the school day.

Finally, a few reminders for parents:

1. The first full day of school is Thursday, September 6th - can't wait to see everyone.

2. Parents of 6th graders - if you haven't already done so, please make sure you that your children have received the necessary vaccinations and that you have submitted the documentation.  If you have have questions, please call our school nurse.

3. Please make sure you sign up for our Daily Bulletin.

4. Please visit our new school website - it looks fantastic - especially the Principal's message!  It is full of great information for students and parents.

5. Consider following me on Facebook.  I plan on posting a lot of information that will be helpful for parents.

Enjoy the closing days of summer and the long weekend.

1:1 iPad Pilot coming to FMS

This fall, all 7th grade students will receive an iPad to support their learning at Frelinghuysen Middle School.  This pilot is an ambitious project that we hope will go a long way to help our students deepen their learning while developing vital 21st century skills.  We are inviting parents of 7th graders to partner with us in this program and we have prepared parent information meetings to help parents understand the goals, process, and student/parent expectations of the pilot.  The information meetings will be as follows:

September 10th at 11:00 at FMS
September 11th at 6:30 at FMS
September 18th at 6:30 at Morristown High School Media Center
September 19th at 11:00 at FMS
September 24th at 6:30 at FMS
September 25th at 11:00 at FMS

Parents of 7th grade students are strongly encouraged to attend one of these meetings.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

August Reminders

Important dates in August:

1. Tuesday, August 14th - "Nuts and Bolts" for 1st Time Parents at FMS 6-8pm.  Come and meet with me to learn more about FMS to ease your transition as a middle school parent.

2. Wednesday August 22nd and Thursday August 23rd - Open House 8am-12pm parents and students welcome to come and try out their lockers and walk their schedules.

  Looking forward to seeing everyone on the first day of school on September 6th!