Olivia Johnson
Principal
Fern Ridge Middle School is participating in the Student Health Survey (SHS), a survey sponsored by the Oregon Health Authority Public Health Division and the Oregon Department of Education. The survey asks about health risk behaviors of students in grades 6, 8 and 11. The survey will be conducted online in the classroom and includes questions about student health and safety, mental and behavioral health, school climate and culture, and risk and protective factors.
Taking the Student Health Survey poses minimal risk to your child, who may feel embarrassed or uncomfortable answering some of the questions. Survey procedures have been designed to protect your child’s privacy and allow for anonymous participation. If your child is not comfortable answering a question, he or she can leave it blank. While we encourage all students to participate, the decision to participate is voluntary. You may opt to send a refusal for your child’s participation. Your child will have the chance to refuse at the time of the survey. There will be no action against you or your child if your child does not participate.
If you do not wish your child to take this survey, return this form to the principal’s office before the survey date of November 9th. You only need to return this form if you do not wish your child to participate.
Continue readingOctober 25th through October 30th, FRMS students will be participating in a series of sexual abuse prevention classes during their School Success 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.
Continue reading
Parent confereces are next week, Thursday the 17th and Friday the 18th. Middle School conferences operate differently than elementary conferences so please read this information carefully.
FRMS holds parent conferences on Thursday evening (4 PM to 8 PM) and Friday morning (8 AM to Noon). Each day operates differently.
On Thursday evening, conferences will take place “arena” style in the gym. Parents do not need to sign up or make an appointment for the Thursday evening conferences. All of the teachers will be in the gym and parents are welcome to meet with as few or as many teachers as they want to. There will be a table where parents can pick up their child’s progress report as well as last year’s state assessment results. Families can look over progress reports and then determine which teachers they want to meet with. Depending on the line a teacher has, it may be a short wait until they are available or a longer wait. No appointment is needed, so just stop by to meet with teachers.
If you want your conference to be a little longer or a little more private, than Friday morning conferences might be more appealling. Friday morning teachers are available in their classrooms for 20 minute conferences from 8:00 AM to Noon. Families wanting a Friday morning conference need to call the office at 541-935-8230 to schedule a time. There are a limited number of time slots available for the Friday morning conferences, so please contact the office sooner rather than later. There is no school Friday, October 18th because of parent conferences.
Whether you come to the evening conferences on the 17th or make an appointment for the 18th, we encourage all of our families to come to parent conferences to find out how their child is doing and how they can work with teachers to help their child be even more successful at FRMS.
Fern Ridge Middle School will be holding our Open House on Thursday, October 3rd from 6:30 to 8:00 PM. We are excited at the opportunity to welcome families into our building. We want to give all of our families a chance to meet all of their child’s teachers by following their child’s schedule going from class to class.. To allow more time in the classes that are core academic subjects (Social Studies, Math, Language Arts, P.E., Science) we are starting with second period and skipping the first period exploratory classes.
6:15 Doors open for parents who need to pick up a copy of their child’s schedule. Classrooms are closed to families until 6:30.
6:30 Classroom doors open.
6:35 Second Period Classroom Presentations Start
6:47 Third Period Classroom Presentations Start
6:59 Fourth Period Classroom Presentations Start
7:11 Fifth Period Classroom Presentations Start
7:23 Sixth Period Classroom Presentations Start
7:35 Seventh Period Classroom Presentations Start
7:45 to 8:00 Open Classroom Visitation- All teachers are available for any follow up questions about curriculum or classroom practices.
Just a reminder to families that Open House is a great opportunity to meet teachers, learn about the curriculum, and hear about what is happening in the classroom. It is not a time for conversations about individual students. Parent Conferences will be October 17th and 18th, but if you need to talk to a teacher or teachers about your child before then, please feel free to contact teachers by email or phone to set up a meeting.
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.
Eric Carman
Asst. Principal