Falcon Focus - FHMS Weekly Newsletter

Home of the Falcons!

"Fountain Hills Middle School empowers students to learn, to care, and to succeed."

Principal's Message May 18, 2018

Thank you to our 8th grade students for planning our final Power Hour last Friday; it was truly a reflection of student voice! We are very proud of those students who achieved Honor Roll or Principal's list in the third quarter. Check out these impressive numbers:

Honor Roll
4th - 28
5th - 35
6th - 27
7th - 45
8th - 40

Principal's List
4th - 34
5th - 23
6th - 25
7th - 12
8th - 28

In addition, our goal of bringing together our 4/5 and 6-8 students and parents has begun to take its footing at Fountain Hills Middle School. Our PTO facilitated a very successful Color Battle this month with fantastic 4-8 grade participation as a fundraiser. Thanks to the teachers who participated as well!

As the school year winds down, Mr. Carrick and I have worked on next year's schedule with student interest in mind with Culinary Arts, a return to an elective "wheel," Dance, and moving towards Honors Science for the upcoming year (more information to come). Another change will be yearbook moving back to a club format, rather than a class.

Lastly, be sure to read Mr. Carrick's welcome letter in the "Special Announcements" section below. As an educator with 20+ years of experience, I am confident that he will serve students and parents well, and take FHMS to the next level as your next principal.

Special Announcements

See what is happening at our schools

Welcome Letter from James Carrick

May 18, 2018

FHMS Parents and Guardians,

It is with great pride and excitement that I write this letter of introduction to you as the newly appointed Principal of Fountain Hills Middle School. I am honored to have the opportunity to lead a school with such a rich tradition of educational excellence! Over the course of the past 20+ years, I have served as a 6th grade English, Science, and P.E. teacher; a 7th grade Social Studies and P.E. teacher; an 8th grade English, Science, Social Studies, and P.E. teacher; a 9th grade English teacher; an 11th grade U.S. History teacher; and 12th grade AM/AZ Government, AM/AZ Government - Dual Enrolment, and 9th - 12th grade Online credit recovery teacher. I coached boys' volleyball, wrestling, baseball, football, and girls' basketball. I have served as an athletic director, Dean of Students, and most recently an assistant principal. I am excited and eager to bring my skills as an educational leader to Fountain Hills Middle School and work with you as a partner in education to ensure your child's success.

Along with the teachers and staff, I will work hard to continue the legacy of success established at FHMS by building strong relationships with parents, students and community partners. We will focus on implementing systems designed to reduce distractions in the classroom, the use of data to drive instruction & assessment, and providing consistent implementation of the curriculum in a rigorous manner so that we can continue to increase the achievement of all students.

All of us at Fountain Hills Middle School are eager and excited to begin what promises to be the best year ever. The 2018/2019 school year is going to be amazing as we continue to provide academic experiences for our students that are rigorous, relevant, and help them build relationships while making real-world connections. As your Principal, it is important to me that everyone who steps through our doors--teachers, students, parents, and community members--are excited to be here! This attitude enables us to meet the challenges of academic excellence in a positive, fun, and nurturing environment. My door is always open and I welcome your input. Please feel free to call or email me to discuss any concerns you might have throughout the school year.

I look forward to meeting and working with you as a team to help each student at FHMS meet their goals and have a successful school year!
Respectfully,

James Carrick
FHMS Principal (2018/2019)

Kiwanis Terrific Kids

Congratulations to our most recent Kiwanis Terrific Kids, 4th grader Ryan Miller and 5th grader Elayna Adams. Way to go!

PTO Gala Winners

Brendan Davies and Connor Davies were the lucky winners of the very popular "Principal's Basket" that was an auction item at this year's PTO Gala. Thanks to their parents, the Davies brothers enjoyed some priceless prizes and benefits courtesy of our principal, Mrs. McKeever, such as: front of the line cafeteria pass, one free homework pass, lunch pizza party with friends in the office conference room, wearing a hat for the day, reading morning announcements, having Mrs. McKeever deliver snacks to your homeroom, and much more!

Brendan is a 6th grade honor roll student whose favorite class is Band. Brendan says that the best part of 6th grade is seeing his friends every day and joking around with them. His brother Connor is a 4th grader in Ms. Reichler's class. Connor is also on the honor roll and says that his favorite memory of 4th grade was having the pizza party with his friends in the office conference room! Thank you to Brendan and Connor for participating in these fun events and for exemplifying what it means to be a FHMS Falcon!

The Davies brothers doing morning announcements.

Connor and five friends at their pizza party.

Connor and friends take over the FHMS conference room!

Reigning Grace Ranch

As one of the Falcon Leader projects this year, students have been fundraising since February for Reigning Grace Ranch, a unique non-profit organization that uses therapeutic horses to help children and families. Home to some 40 rehabilitated and rescued horses, goats, chickens, donkeys and a cow named Norman, the ranch strives to achieve their mission of "Redemption, Strength, and Discovery" by creating a healing sanctuary for those who need it most - Arizona at-risk youth, Arizona Foster kids, and at-risk families.

Under the leadership of Ms. Phillips and Mrs. Goodell, the Fountain Hills High School and Fountain Hills Middle School Falcon Leaders raised a total of $1,600, which they recently presented to the ranch. FHHS and FHMS students have been attending activities at Reigning Grace Ranch every Thursday for the past two years.

Fountain Hills Advantage Basketball

Skills and Drills Basketball Camp

Who: Boys and Girls ages 9-14

What: Youth Basketball Camp

Where: FHMS Gym

When: May 29, 30 & 31; 9:00 a.m. - noon

Why: Three days of basketball fundamentals and fun! See the attached Flyer and Registration form for all the details.

Middle School Madness

Teen Summer Programs

Looking Ahead

View upcoming events of the week ahead


05/22/2018	AR Millionaire Reward Party Golfland Sunsplash
05/23/2018	8th Grade Promotion Dance FHMS Courtyard 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
05/24/2018	This is a full day of school. 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony FHMS Gym 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
05/25/2018	Last day of school. This is a half day of school with a release time of 12:15 p.m.