FBMS Weekly Newsletter

December 22--Early Release at 11AM

December 25-January 1st, Winter Break

Return to school, Tuesday, January 2nd

Our student council organized an upcoming spirit week. It begins on Monday. Lets spread some fun and cheer!

On Friday, December 22, selected students will participate in a volleyball competition as each cluster takes on each other in short matches. All grades and students will attend. Who will be the holiday volley champs?

VIKINGS/WHALES/NAVIGATORS- Wear Green

STARFISH/SHARKS/BEACONS- Wear White

ANCHORS/NARWHALS/CAPTAINS- Wear red

Should be a great time before we kick off the vacation!

Thank you, Mr. Madden, for organizing this event!

Candy Grams orders have closed. This was a very popular event run by our Student Advisory Leaders, Mrs. Segalla and Mr. Baldwin. Candy Grams will be delivered next week. Thank you, everyone, for participating! Funds raised go towards Grade 8 events at the end of the year.

Please have your child check the various lost and found drop locations around the building. We seem to have a lot of water bottles and jackets. These items need a home!

Our music department is in the process of preparing for our annual January Winter concerts. Our talented students will perform on the following dates:

Winter Concerts:

• Grade 6: Tuesday, January 9th, 7:30PM
• Grade 7: Thursday, January, 11th, 7:30PM
• Grade 8: Wednesday, January, 17th, 7:30PM

Boston’s Police and Furnace Brook parent, Chris Carr, visited the Criminal Justice Club this week to take questions relating to his multiple positions within the Boston Police Department over the past 18 years. Thank you for the time you took to visit our students!!

We collected an enormous amount of canned and nonperishable items these past two weeks, and we THANK YOU for the donations! Next week we work on transporting the items to the Marshfield Food Pantry. Thank you for helping those in need! We'll announce the winning homeroom soon!

Starfish Cluster is pictured below....they were able to collect almost 700 items!

Does your child need another or replacement Chromebook charger? If so, click here. Cost is $35.

Little creatures invited for lunch....

At various times during each term, many teachers and clusters recognize the hard work of students. As a school we have two formal award ceremonies, but teachers and clusters also recognize students on their own. Congratulations to these cluster award recipients on Sharks this past month. We are so proud of your hard work and dedication!

Thank you to our amazing cafeteria staff for working to put together an enjoyable healthy experience each day! We appreciate all you do!

Between 7:15 AM - 7:48 AM any student can go to the cafe and get a grab-n-go breakfast. They will be required to go through the register so we have proper accounting of breakfasts served. This time gives students access to get breakfast BEFORE homeroom. Students are to be seated in HR by 7:50am to be on time.

Our students have choices of what to have for lunch each day. A balanced choice is the main meal though students can also elect to have pizza, a salad, peanut butter and jelly, or cereal, all offered with snacks, each day.

Breakfast & Lunch is free, and students can get a second lunch for $3. Your child can pay cash or you can put money on your child's lunch account.

Mrs. Damphousse and our comfort dog, Winnie, are seen heading out to visit students in the classroom this morning.

Grade 8 art classes completed an assignment on value and proportion using the grid method. The final results are amazing! Great job to students in Mrs. Walsh's class!

Don't miss out!

Yearbooks contain pictures of all students and staff and are distributed in June. The yearbook is a wonderful item for students to receive at the end of the year. About 75% of our students will order a yearbook. Please order using this link. We encourage you to order the yearbook now. Only a few are ordered to purchase with cash at the end of the year, and they always sell out. Order yours now so that your child is guaranteed to receive one in June.

General Law 76 requires that all public schools have plans in place to achieve the highest attendance possible. We want our students here every day and on time to make the most of the learning opportunities available. Please see our handbook for more detailed information.

Monday, November 6, marks the beginning of Quarter 2. We will be adhering to the “Tardy to School” policy as stated in the handbook:

• Students must be in homeroom by 7:50 AM.
• Students who are not in homeroom by 7:50 AM must stop in the front office to receive a tardy slip.
• Tardy students must provide the office with a note from a parent or guardian or be accompanied into the school building by a parent. This allows us to check that you know your child was elsewhere and not here on time.
• Students with more than three unexcused tardies in a quarter are subject to after school detentions for each and every tardy.

If you are dropping your child off at the front of the building, your child is already running behind schedule. Please know that this adds anxiety to the beginning of the day. Students may be dropped off beginning at 7:15AM on the side of the building near the cafeteria and this type of drop off continues until 7:45AM. Also, breakfast is free. Please utilize this side entrance which is open until 7:45AM.

What does this mean for my child? Students need to either take a bus or be dropped off by 7:45AM. They also need to be seated in homeroom by 7:50AM in order to be considered on time. If a student has an appointment, he/she/they should bring in a slip from the provider to excuse the tardy.

Students who are tardy to school miss learning opportunities. Additionally, now is the time to teach accountability and the importance of being on time. We take a full attendance at exactly 7:50AM, and we would like it to be as accurate as possible. If we can help you with getting your child to school on time, please reach out to our guidance department. Along with administration, we can work together to help you and your child.

Our district is always looking for Substitute Teachers, and Furnace Brook is a great place to work. As a substitute teacher, you choose the number of days you would like to work and when. There is great flexibility. The pay rate is $125 per day, and the requirement is that you hold a Bachelor's Degree, love kids, have patience (and a sense of humor), and can manage large groups. We tend to see a lot of retirees, folks looking for part time work, and people interested in teaching and the school environment.

If any of this interests you, please call Central Office at 781-834-5000. The people at Central Office will have you come in to complete an application, which requires a CORI (background) check and fingerprinting.

Come join us!

If you are interested in other specific roles within our district, click here. Jobs are always posted.

The cold and flu season is upon us.

Covid:

At this time, MPSD is deferring to the most recent covid guidelines provided by the Department of Public Health. We are no longer excusing absences surrounding covid without a doctor's note. We are asking that if you have any questions regarding Covid to please contact your child’s primary care physician for further guidance.

Medication:

We are still missing some medications. All meds must be hand delivered by the parent and be given directly to the Nurse. Medications are not permitted to be sent in with students- this is unsafe as medication could get lost or contaminated. Guidelines PRIOR to bringing in medication, please have: A current Physician’s order, the Parent Consent Form Filled out, and the medication in its original container with pharmacy label if applicable.

Annual Physicals:

Students in Grade 7 are required to submit an updated physical with proof of immunizations for their health record at the beginning of the school year. Please send in via scan/email or Fax

Absences / Injuries:

Please provide up to date information and indicate that students are receiving adequate care at and home and by their pediatrician, and clearance for participation in gym class. Please report any changes in health status e.g. health conditions, new medication, illnesses, and injuries.

ABSENCES: Safe-to-School Program is implemented so that all children are known to be safe and accounted for. When your child is marked absent from school, you will receive a connect-ed notification from the school stating that they have been marked absent. Please provide written documentation for any important issues such as attendance, absences due to illness, injury, medical appointments, travel plans that result in missing school. For a student's absence to be medically excused, please provide a doctor's note with date(s) and reason for the absence.

INJURIES: Please notify the school of any injury, major or minor, and provide written documentation from a doctor if gym needs to be restricted. If the injury is MAJOR (stitches/fractures/concussion) and your child has been seen by a MD, please provide medical documentation upon returning and if any specific restrictions are necessary in school. An additional note of medical clearance must be presented for students to return to gym following an injury.

We look forward to assisting families and students in achieving optimal health and wellness during the academic school year. Please feel free to contact us at any time with concerns or questions. Be well.

~FBMS Nurses: Maura Carrol, RN, BSN, Karen Mellen, RN, BSN & Megan Owren, RN, BSN

Clinic Contact Information: Phone: (781)-319-3965 / Fax: (781)-319-17807th Grade Screenings:

FBMS provides two late buses: a North Marshfield bus and a South Marshfield bus. If your child is staying after school for a club or activity, your child can determine what bus to ride by checking out the list of bus stops in the front lobby or see below. Students need to determine if they are a North or South bus before staying after. Additionally, students must have a bus pass to ride the bus. Buses pick up and leave about an hour after dismissal so it gives an hour to participate in after school activities or extra help.