Olivia Johnson
Principal
We are excited to welcome several new faces to our school staff. They come from a wide range of backgrounds, but they are all eager to contribute to the success of our students academically, emotionally, and socially. They have done a great job in their new positions during this first week and are already important members of our school community. We can’t imagine our school without each of them. We hope that you will join us in welcoming them to our school and our community.
Paige Ramirez is our new instructional assistant working with students with disabilities in our Special Education programs. Paige will also be helping to supervise students at lunch and during passing times. Paige is energetic and filled with enthuisasm for her new position.
Katelyn Barry is our new school counselor. Ms. Barry is a dynamic and creative person who is already putting her own spin on her new position. She is here to help students who are struggling with problems in or out of the classroom.
Kori Jones is our new Resource Room teacher. Mrs. Jones and her staff will be working hard to provide our students struggling in math and reading the extra support they need to succeed in the classroom.
Former FRMS student and EHS graduate Owen Lounsbury is our new custodian. He and, our other custodian, Joe Anderson spent the summer working on projects to help make our school shine. This year Owen and Joe will be teaming up to ensure that our school is a clean and safe space for our students.
V Marcel joined us last January as our Student Support Specialist. This year she will be running our Bridges program. V’s deep commitment and caring towards all students shows in everything she does.
Pete Frazee is our new 6th grade Social Studies teacher. He comes to us after teaching middle school and high school in Cincinnati. Mr. Frazee grew up in Junction City so he is excited to return to Lane County for the next stage of his teaching career. Mr. Frazee loves learning and hopes to share his love of social studies with his students.
Josh Metzger is our new 7th grade Social Studies teacher. Mr. Metzger has had a long and varied career as an educator in Oregon. He has been a teacher and a school administrator. He is excited to be in the classroom again and looking forward to exploring world history with his seventh grade students.
- FRMS starts at 8:30. The warning bell rings at 8:25. Our doors open at 8:00 AM. Breakfast is served to all students who want it from 8:00 AM to 8:25. Dismissal is at 3:10 on regular days and 1:22 on Early Release Wednesdays.
- Please use the drop-off lane in the morning. Students can get out at the drop-off point, use the crosswalk to cross to the school, and come in through the main student entrance.
- By pulling all the way forward and using the drop-off point, it will help prevent cars from backing up onto Territorial. When cars back up on Territorial, buses get backed up too.
- Please keep the line moving by making sure your student exits your car quickly so that you can move forward and let the next car drop off.
- When picking up your student, if there is an open parking space, please park and wait for your student to come out of the building. This keeps the line to pick up students from getting overly long and blocking buses.
- Students can wait at the drop off point to be picked up. If they are being picked up, please remind your student that they need to go to the pick up point when dismissed, so they are there when you get there. When families have to wait for their student, it can create a log jam.
- Please do not use the bus lane to pick up or drop off students.
- Students always need to use the crosswalk.
The beginning of a new school year is just a few weeks away and we are very excited to see our returning students and get to know our new students. All students, new and returning, must register before the first day of school (September 3rd).
Registration for students who are new to the district as well as incoming 6th graders will be August 14th from 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM. If your child is new to the district, please bring with you proof of residency, birth certificate, and immunization information.
Registration for all returning students will be August 20th from 7 AM to 7 PM, August 21st from 8:00 to 3:00, and August 22nd from 8:00 to Noon. All returning students must register before the first day of school.
New students or 6th grade students who miss registration on the 14th are welcome to come in August 20th, 21st, or 22nd.
All students must be registered for the new school year before the first day of school. If you won’t be able to make it during registration, please drop by before August 29th.
There are no required registration fees this year. Students have the OPTION to buy P.E. shirts ($7), Spirit Shirts ($10), or yearbooks ($18) during registration. These items are not required purchases.
You will be able to complete some of the registration process online. Information on registering online is on our school website. However, you will still need to register in person to complete the process and pick up locker assignments.
The FRMS office will open for the new school year on August 12th. It will be closed the afternoons of August 16th and August 23rd. It will also be closed August 26th and 27th for meetings and trainings.
April 1st thru April 4th FRMS students will be participating in a series of sexual abuse prevention classes during their Social Studies class. Required by Senate Bill 856 otherwise known as Erin’s Law, these classes focus on helping students recognize their own power in preventing child sexual abuse, the red flags to look for, and what to do if they or someone they know is in an abusive situation. We will be using “Personal Power” which is part of the Safer Smarter Teens curriculum put out by Lauren’s Kids. Here is the link to their website: https://safersmarterteens.org/
Attached to this post is a summary of each lesson and the objectives for that lesson for parents and families to review. Families are also welcome to review the entire curriculum in the school office. We encourage families with questions to review the information provided and/or stop by to review the full curriculum.
Families can opt their child out of these important lessons by contacting their child’s Social Studies Teacher in writing and asking for an alternative assignment.
Our 7th and 8th grade classes will start the My Future, My Choice curriculum immediately after the break. Information about these classes, including a link to the curriculum and an opt out page for families who did not want their students to participate, was sent home earlier this month via Parent Square. We are posting those links on this website in case you missed them. Oregon Department of Education requires that we teach human sexuality to students and the My Future, My Choice is the recommended curriculum. There are ten lessons in the curriculum and we divide them among the three grade levels:
Lesson 1: Changes – Learn and identify the physical, emotional and social changes that happen during puberty. (Sixth Grade)
Lesson 2: Who I am– Understand gender and the range of ways people identify and express themselves. Learn the basics of sexual orientation. (Sixth Grade)
Lesson 3: Everybody Deserves Respect and Support – Understand that all people at school need to be treated with respect. (Sixth Grade)
Lesson 4: Advantages of Postponing Sexual Involvement – Learn how to define consensual sexual involvement. Know the benefits of waiting to have sex, including reaching personal goals. (Sixth Grade)
Lesson 5: Media and Other Influences – Identify pressures that could affect the dec to have sex, including media influence. (Seventh Grade)
Lesson 6: Handling Peer Pressure and Setting Boundaries – Identify positive and negative peer pressure. Learn to communicate assertively and understand why setting and respecting personal boundaries is important. (Seventh Grade)
Lesson 7: Healthy and Unhealthy Relationships – Understand what makes relationships healthy and unhealthy. Learn that trusted adults can provide support to an adolescent’s relationships. (Seventh Grade)
Lesson 8: Making SMART Decisions – Learn about the SMART Decisions Model that helps students make thoughtful, healthy decisions. Practice how to avoid negative consequences. (Eighth Grade)
Lesson 9: Recognizing and Reducing the Risks – Practice identifying risky sexual behavior. Learn how to reduce risk. (Eighth Grade)
Lesson 10: Consent – Learn how to ensure you have consent in a relationship and discuss how to handle rejection. (Eighth Grade)
Here is the link to the curriculum so you can review it: My Future, My Choice
Here is the link to the Opt Out Form. You can opt out through the posts sent via Parent Square or you can print this form and return it to Opt Out. The teachers have also had Opt Out forms available in their classrooms for students to pick up. Students who opt out of these lessons will have alternative work given to them.
My Future, My Choice lessons for our sixth grade students will happen later in January. Mr. James will be sending home additional information after winter break.
Thank you to our new and sixth grade families who came to our New/Sixth Grade Student Registration yesterday. We registered 82 students throughout the day. It was exciting to meet so many new students and incoming sixth graders. We want to thank Cassie Babcock and Sam Yliz for their help during the day and night event. We especially want to thank 9th grader Naomi Pew and 8th grader Annabelle Purkey for their help. Naomi and Annabelle gave up their summer day and volunteered to lead school tours for new students, sixth grade students, and their families. They did a great job showing off our school and making students and their families feel comfortable and welcomed. Thank you again Annabelle and Naomi. And we can’t forget a thank as always to our amazing secretary Shelby Humphrey for organizing and running our registration event.If you have a new student or a sixth grade student and missed yesterday’s registration, you can register next week during returning student/7th/8th grade registration. That will be happening on Tuesday the 22nd from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM, Wednesday the 23rd from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM, and Thursday the 24th from 8:00 to Noon.
And don’t forget that in order to accommodate our evening hours during registration, the FRMS office will close early (noon) on Friday, August 18th and Friday, August 25th.
Just a reminder to all sixth grade families that 6th grade registration and new student registration at FRMS will be Wednesday, August 16th from noon to 8 PM at Fern Ridge Middle School. If your child attended Veneta Elementary or Elmira Elementary last year, they will still need to be registered for FRMS. While some of the registration paperwork can be completed online (check our school website for more information) registration does need to be completed in person. Families that cannot make registration on the 16th are welcome to come to 7th/8th grade registration on August 22nd from 7 AM to 7 PM, August 23rd from 8 AM to 3 PM, and August 24th 8 AM to Noon.
At registration you will also have the OPTION or to purchase the following items by cash or check:
FRMS 23-24 Yearbook ($18)
FRMS Spirit Shirt ($10)
FRMS P.E. Shirt ($7)
Please note that while purchasing a P.E. shirt is optional, students are required to have athletic style clothing for their P.E. class. They cannot wear crop tops, tank tops, blouses, or button up shirts to play P.E. They also must wear pants or leggings or sweats that they can move in and athletic shoes, no heels or sandals or flip flops or dress shoes. Students can choose to keep clothes/shoes for P.E. in their gym locker and change or they can wear athletic style, P.E. appropriate clothing to school.
All proceeds from the sale of our Spirit Shirts go to support student body activities.
If your child will not be attending FRMS this year, please let us know. It helps us to have accurate numbers for our planning and getting ready for the start of school.
On behalf of Mrs. Hohnstein and Mr. Franklin, we wanted to share with you the dress code for FRMS P.E. classes. As was announced last Spring, students are not required to wear a FRMS P.E. T-Shirt. However they are required to dress appropriately in clothes that promote active participation in P.E.
P.E. Dress Code
Students are not required to wear FRMS P.E. shirts. However, they are required to dress appropriately for their P.E. classes in athletic style clothing. Appropriate dress for P.E. includes
- T-shirts or sweatshirts
- No crop tops, blouses, button down shirts, or tank tops
- Sweats, leggings, or pants that they can comfortably move around in
- Athletic shoes. (No sandals, high heels, flip flops, or dress shoes, no “Hey Dudes” or “Crocs”)
Students may either keep clothes/shoes in their gym locker and change for P.E. class or wear P.E. appropriate/athletical style clothing/shoes to school.
Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you in advance for helping your child to be successful in P.E.
Families wanting to register their new or returning Fern Ridge Middle Student online, should click on the link below and follow the directions provided. They can also click on the tab on the right side of this page that says “Online Registration 23-24 School Year”.
Families should be aware that even if they register online, they still need to come into the building during our on-site registration times to complete the process.
In person registration for new students and sixth grade students is August 16th from Noon to 8 PM. In person registration for returning students is August 22nd from 7 AM to 7 PM, August 23rd 8 AM to 3 PM, and August 24th from 8 AM to Noon.
Eric Carman
Asst. Principal