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 March 8, 2019

March Madness at Fountain Hills Middle School has more to do with preparation for state assessments than college basketball! AzMERIT (Arizona's Measurement of Educational Readiness to Inform Teaching) is quickly approaching. Please see the schedule below for AIMS Science (grades 4 & 8 only) and AzMERIT (grades 4-8, Math and English language arts). Assessments are scheduled to be administered in the morning when students are starting their day with a focus on performing well. AIMS Science and AzMERIT scores are used as data points for placement in honors classes for the following year and give students, parents, and staff information specific to how students are progressing with full implementation of Arizona College and Career Ready Standards. Make sure your student(s) have a good night's sleep, a healthy breakfast, and your encouragement to do their very best on their assessments. During these testing windows, make every effort to have your student arrive at school on time and arrange for appointments outside the school day. Our goal is to have 100% of our students participating in the assessments and to show great growth at FHMS.

We encourage you to visit the "Students & Families" page of the AzMERIT online portal, which is an excellent resource to become familiar with the AzMERIT Computer-Based Testing format, as well as and the Arizona Academic Standards. The website contains a wealth of information on AzMERIT and how to help your child succeed, including tutorials, guides, and even sample tests.

As always, please do not hesitate to give us a call if you have any questions.

Special Announcements

See what is happening at our schools

Rummage for Rocco!

Falcon Pride

Congratulations to Jake Miller (4th grade) and Noelle Dean (7th grade), who both placed first in the 14 and under age group at the Mountain to Fountain 5k race last weekend. Colby Wright (5th grade) placed 3rd in the boys 14 and under. Katie Hampton (6th grade) placed first in the 19 and under age group for the 15k race! Last but certainly not least, Mrs. McDonald (4th grade teacher) placed first in her age group. Way to go Falcons!

Community Views Survey

The Fountain Hills Coalition wants to hear from you. The Coalition wants to hear what's on your mind when it comes to issues that are impacting our community and kids.

The survey takes about 10 minutes and will greatly help them enhance and expand the work they do to keep Fountain Hills a wonderful place to raise healthy families. You can take the survey on your computer or mobile device. Your responses will be anonymous and confidential. Thank you.

CLICK HERE TO BEGIN THE SURVEY

Youth Wrestling Camp

Coach Salzman is having a Youth Wrestling Camp that's open to all students (boys & girls) in grades K-8. It will be Tuesday and Thursday evenings March 19 - April 25 in the high school gym. Flyers can be downloaded HERE.

8th Grade Camp Surf Trip

We are very excited about our 8th grade trip to Camp Surf at Imperial Beach, CA, which will take place May 20-22, 2019. For those students who have already paid their $100 deposit, the remaining balance will be due on or before April 30, 2019. Installment payments can be made until that date. As a reminder, the total trip cost is $300 per student. If you are not sure of your balance, please call the office at 480.664.5411 for the amount due.

A parent meeting will be held Wednesday, May 1 at 7:00 pm at Fountain Hills Middle School. At that time, parents will be given important forms and additional information in regards to the trip to the San Diego area.

In the meantime, you can always visit the Camp Surf website for additional information about this wonderful experience:

https://www.ymca.org/camps/camp-surf/outdoor-education-and-leadership-surf

FHMS Birthday Club

We are excited to offer FHMS families the opportunity to add to their student's birthday celebrations. For only $5, you can add your student's first name and last initial with a "Happy Birthday" message to our marquee. For all submissions, we must have the student's name, birthday date, and $5 (cash or check payable to FHMS) at least two weeks prior to their actual birthday so we are able to program the system accurately. The birthday message will run from 5:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. on the student's birthday. Request forms are available at the front office, and must be signed by the student's parent/guardian.

Looking Ahead

View upcoming events of the week ahead


03/11/2019 - 03/15/2019	Spring Break NO SCHOOL
03/18/2019	Start of 4th Quarter Grading Term
03/19/2019	Basketball Games @ FHMS Girls A 4:00 p.m. Boys A 5:00 p.m.
03/20/2019	Basketball Games @ Scottsdale Christian Academy Girls B 3:00 p.m. Boys B 4:00 p.m. Girls A 5:00 p.m. Boys A 6:00 p.m.
03/26/2019	Basketball Game @ FHMS Girls B 4:00 p.m.