Principal’s Message 1/10/16 | Frelinghuysen Home & School Association

Greetings Frelinghuysen Community,

I hope everyone enjoyed a joyous, healthy, and relaxing Winter Vacation. I am excited to report that the FMSstudents and staff had a successful first week back, and that some new and exciting opportunities are available to all of our students this new year.

First, the FMS Chess Club will be meeting every Tuesday and Thursday after school from 2:30-4:00 with Mr. Rosso in the Media Center. The club is open to students of all ability levels, and interested students simply need to let Mr. Rosso know that they would like to join.

The FMS Art Club with Mr. Narciso begins this coming Friday and is open to all students. The club meetsweekly and is limited to the first 25-30 students. Students who are interested need to stop by Mr. Narciso’s room to pick up a permission slip, get it signed by you, and return it as soon as possible. Past students who have participated in the club have created some incredible art work, much of which decorates our school today.

Finally, this is the inaugural year of the FMS Robotics Club with Ms. Perez. Students who join this FMS Robotics Club will learn to build and program VEX Robots using state-of-the-art technology and computer programs. An informational meeting about the club is being held Thursday, January 21st at 2:30 in room 102. Interested students can see Ms. Perez for more information. We are proud of these co-curricular activities that FMS is able to provide its students. We hope you encourage your child to participate in one or more of them!

I am also excited to announce an opportunity for you to have a voice in discussing the future of Frelinghuysen Middle School. On Thursday, January 28th, we will be hosting a session for parents entitled Envisioning the School Our Children Deserve. The purpose of this interactive session is to engage school stakeholders in collaboratively developing a clear vision for the future of our ideal school that builds on existing strengths, addresses existing concerns, and acknowledges the demands of the world we are preparing our children for. During the session, table groups will be challenged to generate responses to the following questions, and prioritize the ideas that emerge:

What range of subjects should be taught at FMS in 3-5 years?
What knowledge, skills, and habits of mind should all students have when they leave FMS?
What does teaching and learning look like in our ideal school? How are students learning?
How does our ideal school handle/respond to your child’s academic, social, and emotional needs?
How are parents involved in this school?
What does the physical building look like?

We will be running a day session from 9:00-11:00 am and a night session from 7:00-9:00 pm. Both will be held in the FMS Media Center. We hope you take the time to join us in this important conversation. More information about the event will be shared in the coming weeks. We hope you save the date!

Wishing you a great week! Don’t forget to review the word of the week with your child.

In partnership,

Mr. Uglialoro

FMS Word of the Week: Analyze

Definition: 1) To break something down into its component parts or essential features.

Pillar of Character for December: Citizenship

This week we will focus on how cooperating with others in our community and with the rules of our community is an essential feature of positive citizenship.

Quote of the Week on Trustworthiness:

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”
– Helen Keller