Please enjoy the latest Griffin Gazette!
Vol. 31: 5.10.24
Hello Beloved FCCS Community, A HUGE thank you to our amazing community members. You showered our staff with love and appreciation this week. I have been at several schools in my career, and I don’t think any other community makes their staff feel as loved as you all do. From the thoughtfully decorated doors, to lunch, to so many treats, and of course the special thank yous. Our hearts are full. I (Mr. Kenny) shared a picture of my door on my social media account, and everyone just assumed I had won some sort of award. I (Mr. Kenny) didn’t have the heart to explain that the “award” I had won was that of being fortunate enough to work at this fantastic school with such a fabulous community. We are looking forward to the upcoming Spring Chorus & Band Concert on Thursday and the End of Year Picnic on Friday. We hope to see you at the concert as we all enjoy the opportunity to see our scholars shine. The picnic should be a lot of fun! Bring a dinner for your family to eat at the park (as well as plenty of water) then enjoy the provided cake. There will be games available at the pavilion and playgrounds accessible by a walking trail. Stay and cheer for your favorites in the Staff vs 8th Grade Volleyball Game. Thank you, again, to all who lavished the staff with so much goodness for Teacher Appreciation Week. We wish a very Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers and grandmothers in our community. With Thankfulness, Mr. Conroy and Mr. Kenny
5/12-5/18 - National Charter Schools Week 5/13 - BOT Public Meeting 7:00 p.m. 5/14 - No School (Primary Elections) 5/15 - BOE Meeting 5/16 - Spring Ensembles Concert 6:00 p.m. 5/17 - End of Year Picnic 5/18 - 8th Grade Semi-Formal 5/23 - STEAM Night 5:00 - 6:30 p.m.
This flyer was designed by 6th grader Karen Eigbokhan!
Attention all young innovators! Dive into a night of hands-on experiments, thrilling challenges, and mind- expanding discoveries. It's an evening of learning and fun for the whole family! Join us for an unforgettable STEAM adventure and ignite your curiosity! We are looking for volunteers to run stations and help make this evening a success for our scholars. Please use the link below and sign up for a slot! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084BADAB2BA1F4CE9-49532086-steam For more information, contact Mrs. Weber at amanda.weber@fcps.org
Medication Pick-up: A Parent/Guardian must pick up all medications in the health room by the end of the day on June 7, 2024. To Arrange for pick-up please contact the health room staff. To read the letter from the health room please click here.
The Board of Trustees will hold its May monthly meeting virtually on Monday, May 13, at 7 p.m.
Meeting link: https://meet.google.com/enb-izdk-pmc Call-in: 347-450-6966? PIN: ?855 627 952?#
Budget:
At the May 1 Board of Education Meeting (watch the recorded meeting online), FCCS community members, including two 2nd grade scholars, shared public comments about the impact of the Blueprint funding proposal on our long-term budget. We shared our concerns that the current PPA funding level of 75% is not sustainable for our school, or any of the other charter schools. During the budget presentation, BOE members asked many questions to understand how charter schools will be impacted. Several BOE members mentioned that they have heard from many charter school community members this week. So, our outreach is working!
Here is how you can continue to advocate for FCCS:
Write to the BOE members at boe@fcps.org. We need our BOE members to understand that charter schools are disproportionately impacted by the 25% withholding from the PPA. We need our BOE members to understand that we pay for facilities' expenses that will be covered by the 25% withholding in other FCPS schools.
Attend the May 6 Community Listening Session at Linganore High School. Plan to ask questions about how charter schools can be sustainably funded. Express that the current $500,000/year reduction in our funds will lead to our school closing in 5 years.
Sign up to give public comment at the May 15 BOE meeting. The sign-up opens up five days before the meeting. Additional speakers can sign-up 30 minutes before the in-person meeting. Or, submit written public comment to BoardPublicComment@fcps.org (attach your comments as a PDF or Word Doc) The BOE members were particularly proud and impacted by the scholars' comments.
Invite BOE members to visit our school. There is no better way to get to know our incredible community than to walk our halls.
Write Letters to the Editor of The Frederick News Post or other local media outlets.
Advocate at the county, state and federal levels for funding equity, and consideration for how the disproportionate impact of funding on charter schools is an unintended but devastating impact of the Maryland Blueprint Funding law.
Send your questions and ideas to bot@frederickclassicalcharterschool.org
The BOT is working hard to share our story and advocate for sustainable funding. Our strength in this fight is the Griffin Triangle-- we need ALL our parents, scholars and teachers to join us.
BOE Meeting:
Pre-registration for public comment at the May 15 BOE meeting is now open.
https://pubforms.fcps.org/view.php?id=121813
The BOE meeting is in-person at the Central Office Board Room, so if you cannot make it in person, consider submitting written public comment (BoardPublicComment@fcps.org— attach as a Word Doc of PDF). Additionally, the Board of Trustees will present FCCS’ annual report during the work session, starting at 3pm. Scholars can also give public comment.
Did you know next week is National Charter School week? We would love for the BOE members to hear why our scholars and community members LOVE FCCS!
Academic Committee:
Summer Institute Committee: SAVE THE DATE - Saturday June 1st!! The Summer Institute Committee is excited to offer an opportunity for all rising 5th-8th scholars, current high school FCCS alumni, and guardians to attend our first college prep session! This session will be offered by Hillsdale College in our school building on Saturday June 1st from 12pm-2pm with refreshments provided. This is an in-person only event and childcare (for those younger than 5th grade) will NOT be provided.
More details to follow. If interested in attending, please sign up via the link below:
https://forms.gle/SZnqEKigXTMosU9MA [forms.gle]
Have questions about Summer Institute Committee activities? Please email:
summerinstitute@frederickclassicalcharterschool.org
Volunteers provide the support needed to achieve the FCCS mission!
The Griffin Triangle is an integral part of our mission and success at Frederick Classical Charter School. We are always in need of more hands to help our school reach its full potential. Together we are FCCS Strong!
FCCS Committee & Subcommittee Descriptions
Please scan and fill in your contact information and take a moment to indicate at least 1 area you would be interested in helping with next year.
Communications Sub-Committee:
The communications committee is seeking volunteers to migrate content from the current website to the updated website. Many hands make light work, as they say, so the more volunteers the better. Need not be tech savvy. If interested please email communications@frederickclassicalcharterschool.org.
Library Sub-Committee:
Thank you to all who purchased the Discounted Hershey Park Tickets. The tickets can be collected at the front office. Please make sure you sign the sheet when you collect them.
Currently, we still have Overdue books. Please have your scholar check if they have any library books, and have them return it as soon as possible. The Library will close on May 10th for Inventory.
This is a reminder to the scholars that the Sora Reading App is available to them through FCPS. They can access this app through this link https://soraapp.com/library/fcpsmd
Social Sub-Committee:
End of the Year Picnic: Join us as we wind down the school year, from 4.00pm-6.00pm, on May 17th at Utica Park. We will have cake, some games, crafts, limited water, and music.
We are looking for volunteers to help with decorating ideas, setting up, serving cake, face paint, oversee some games, and clean up. Feel free to bring games, a picnic basket for your family, and don't forget to bring your water bottles.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0E44A9AD28ABFF2-48526437-endofthe
If you have additional ideas, please email me at social@frederickclassicalcharterschool.org
Yearbook Sub-Committee:
Frederick Classical Charter Order Before It’s Too Late!
Click Here to Order
Reminders:
Oakdale High School will be holding their Move-Up Day on Wednesday May 29th from 9:15am to 11:00am. This is a STUDENT ONLY event.
Next week is Mental Health Awareness Week. To educate our scholars about mental health and how to keep our minds healthy we will be putting some information in our morning announcements each day. In addition, we will be giving teachers some ideas to use with their classes throughout the week. Check out these great parent resources as well!
JED
Sound It Out – Conversation Starters (pdf)
Mental Health Matters (pdf)
Worry and Anxiety (pdf)
Frederick Classical Charter School 8445 Spires Way, Suite CC Frederick, MD 21701 USA
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