FES: Monthly Newsletter

March 2024

Principal Message

Dear Families,

I hope this nice weather has been treating everyone well! The sunshine always brings a smile to my face 😎 March is a busy month, and one that ends with our Spring Break. Here are some things to look forward to this month!

March 9: Our PTO has brought back the school carnival in a bit of a different way. Don't forget to check out more information below, and please consider signing up to volunteer so we can make the event a success. I have heard so many stories about the history of the elementary carnival and I am excited to be a part of bringing this back.
March 9: During the spring festival, we are also going to be setting up the Scholastic Book Fair. Students will have access to many new titles by shopping at the book fair!

Book Fair E Wallet Information
Book Fair Information Letter
If you can't make it out on Saturday, you can still shop online by visiting (March 4-8): https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/freelandelementaryschool

Starting in April: We have our spring testing window coming up in April and May. Please watch for more information from your child's teacher about testing dates and testing information.

As a school we have been discussing what it means to have Falcon Pride, and a passion for our building and the work that we do each day. I am having conversations daily with students to make sure that we are keeping our building looking nice, taking pride and passion in the work that we complete, and also the respect that we are giving the staff and each other. I am impressed with the work that they are doing each day, and the changes that they are making. If you can continue those conversations at home, it will make our learning environment even more positive.

As always, your support and conversations at home is very much appreciated and we couldn't do our jobs without your support.

Sincerely,

Your Proud Principal

Mrs. McKenna

PTO Information

zoom_out_map

Next Meeting: March 12, 2024, 6:30 p.m. at Freeland Elementary School
For more information and meeting notes visit our FES/LC PTO Website
Spring Festival is on SATURDAY! We are in need of many more volunteers to make this event a success. Please consider signing up! CLICK HERE to sign up
Spring Festival Flyer! We hope to see you there!

Order your 2023-2024 Yearbook NOW

Get your 2023-2024 Yearbook NOW! All yearbooks will have a custom cover created by one of our 6th graders, as a new tradition we have started at Freeland Elementary School.

Please note:

All yearbooks are sold separately and are not included in picture packages purchased in the spring.
Extra yearbooks will not be purchased and sold separately at the end of the year. If you are interested in a yearbook, you MUST order through the link below.
All orders must be placed by: April 22, 2024. Late orders will not be accepted.

Class Placement Information 2024-2025

Student placement is a thoughtful process that involves time and input from parents/guardians, classroom teachers and other school staff and administrators. The placement team (which includes the current teacher and potential future teachers, principal, special education department, school counselor and social worker) reviews academic progress, interpersonal relationships, gender, medical needs, and specialized instruction. We work hard to keep classrooms balanced and place students appropriately, knowing their academic and social strengths and other unique characteristics. Please know that specific parent requests are considered, however not guaranteed, as we always make placement decisions to ensure all classrooms are balanced.

Our goal at Freeland Community School District is to provide a safe and successful learning experience for all students. The following list includes, but is not limited to some of the criteria we consider when placing students into classrooms:

Program needs of students (e.g., special education services, 504 services)
Classroom configuration
Social needs of students
Compatibility of individual students and groups of students
Behavioral factors
Motivation level of students
Balance of achievement levels in groups of students
Information/Input provided by parents/guardians and teachers
Balance of class sizes throughout the grade level

To ensure the best placement for your child, we would like to offer you the opportunity to provide input for your child’s placement for the 2024-2025 school year. This form serves two purposes: one, it informs the placement committee of the parent’s thoughts and understanding of their child as a learner, and secondly, it provides your child’s new teacher with as much information as possible regarding your child as a learner.

We believe that every teacher at Freeland Learning Center and Freeland Elementary School works hard to know and understand the children in their classrooms. We work closely with families to support any need or issues that may arise, always placing the best interests of all of our students first. Requests for a specific teacher are considered, however, are not guaranteed. Final decisions for student and class placement rest with the school staff.

Please note that the student placement questionnaire is optional. If you wish to complete the questionnaire it can be accessed at:

Freeland Learning Center and Freeland Elementary Class Placement Survey- This survey is more for our 2nd and 3rd grade families, but 4th and 5th grade families, please feel free to fill it out. Since our 5th and 6th grade is content specific, class placement is randomized, but the information could be found helpful to the class teachers.

The deadline to submit the questionnaire is March 22. The student placement process is lengthy and detailed, therefore we will not be able to accept any submissions after the March 22 deadline.

Class Placement Timeline:

May/June: Placement team works at school to place students into classrooms.

July/August: Placement is finalized with school based teams.

Middle of August: Placement is shared with students/families via Skyward.

FCSD Election Information

Stay up to date with FCSD Election Information. Our website is consistently updated with new information.

FCSD Website

Bond Information

Bond FAQs

A Note from Your School Counselor

Parents/Guardians,

Hello! I just wanted to reach out and share a resource with you that I think could be very helpful to you. In September of 2023, The Legacy Center for Community Success, in Midland, hosted a Youth Development Conference where I was introduced to the Developmental Assets Framework. Essentially, the Search Institute has identified 40 building blocks of healthy development that help kids grow up to be healthy, caring, and responsible adults.

The most interesting piece that I took out of this training was that studies have shown that assets peak in 6th grade, because at that point there is a natural shift and their peers become a primary influence in the child’s life, rather than parents, caregivers, and teachers (parents of 6th graders, I’m sure you are seeing this shift starting to happen at home, and have maybe been a victim of the sass as of late ).

This shift in influence means, after 6th grade, the assets will start to drop off. The more assets the child has been equipped with up until this point, the less of a drop will come after this 6th grade shift, and the less risk taking behaviors they will participate in as they move through middle and high school.

I thought this was a really great framework to look at and wanted to share what these specific assets look like. I have been using the 40 Developmental Assets Framework to guide and plan my classroom lessons in each grade level. Below is a list of the assets, but I have attached the sheets that are directly from the Search Institute that explain them at each developmental stage; ages 3-5, ages 5-9, and ages 8-12, and ages 12-18.

Developmental Asset (Ages 3-5)

Developmental Asset (Ages 5-9)

Developmental Asset (Ages 8-12)

Developmental Asset (Ages 12-18)

It takes a village! It is our job to work together and make sure we are equipping our children with everything we can in order to ensure they grow up to be healthy, caring, and responsible adults.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any questions!

❤️ Ms. Castillo

FCSD Wellness Fair is Coming Soon

FCSD Food Service Information 🍏

Our March Menus are here! A little note for you. There has been a third option added for our lunches. If you look to the left hand side of the menu, you will see rotating fun lunches that have been added. I have also listed those third options below, along with the full menus.

Third Lunch Options By Week

March 4-March 8: Cottage Cheese Fun Lunch

March 11- March 15: Hummus and Veggie Fun Lunch

March 18-March 22: Cottage Cheese Fun Lunch

March Breakfast Menu

March Lunch Menu