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FAMS Communications 22-23
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Principal's Welcome
It is an honor and privilege to serve as Fort Atkinson Middle School’s principal. I am a middle-school educator through and through. I have fifteen years of experience teaching at the middle school level, four years of experience serving as the associate principal at our middle school, and am now starting my fourth year as the principal of FAMS. What an amazing start to the year it has been! I am truly honored to be part of such a caring, compassionate, and hard-working school community.
Our middle school staff were very excited about returning to school this year! They have been spending time over the summer working on their own professional development in order to make the learning experience the very best it can be for all of our students.
In July, a team of teachers, coupled with our building and district administration, closely examined our academic data along with the data from our student and staff culture and climate surveys in order to develop a plan with detailed goals for the year ahead.
FAMS has earned a reputation for academic excellence through the hard work of our students, teachers, parents, and staff, and we were recognized as a school that "Exceeds Expectations" on the last DPI school report card. FAMS is a place where exceptional teaching and learning are the norm. We are proud of these accomplishments, but we also know that we have room to grow.
This year we set an achievement goal with an academic focus in the areas of literacy and math and a growth goal that we will have more students feeling connected to our school and feeling like a valued member of our learning community. We have a schoolwide focus on building relationships, and promoting positivity and kindness, as we feel this, along with handwork, are the important foundation blocks that we will need to build upon to achieve our goals.
We strive to have our students attending school each day. Our hope is that, as parents and families, you will join us in working to regain the sense of routine that comes from attending school every day and being in school all day. Of course, we do not want students to come to school when they are ill, but we recognize that some absences may be due to students feeling somewhat anxious about school. If that is thecase, our staff can help find strategies to address those concerns, and we understand that some anxiousness at the beginning of the year is normal and anticipated. We know the benefits of regular attendance include strong academic learning, improved social interactions with peers, and a sense of belonging and accomplishment for students.
As your principal, I promise to keep students at the forefront of every decision we make as a school. We will strive to teach and provide students with the knowledge, skills, and mindset necessary to have a successful future.
I look forward to another amazing year!
Matt Wolf, FAMS Principal
FAMS Communications
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Q2 Progress Reports - email 12.14.22
FAMS Q2 Progress Reports are Complete. Please see info here - https://www.smore.com/u4pgyh
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SBIRT at FAMS - email 12.7.22
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Our pupil services team has been learning a new, evidence based approach called SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment) to help students navigate personal challenges. The process includes a self report screener and one-to-one meetings with a member of the pupil services staff to help students identify areas of concern and create goals for change.
Not all students will participate in SBIRT, but rather it will be implemented on a case by case basis with student agreement. If a student, through the SBIRT process, presents a concern that impacts their immediate safety, parents and guardians would be contacted for further follow up and plan development.
If you have questions, would like more information, or would like to opt your student out of the screening process, please reach out directly to your student’s school counselor by phone (920-563-7833) or email.
Opting your student out of the SBIRT screening process will not affect their ability to connect with pupil services staff at school.
Thank you for your continued support of our pupil services program here at FAMS.
Sincerely,
Jessica Pletcher (School Counselor A-L)
Sarah Traut (School Counselor M-Z)
Aaron Geiger (School Psychologist)
Mike Czerwonka (School Social Worker)
Estimados padres/tutores,
Nuestro equipo de servicios para alumnos ha estado aprendiendo un nuevo enfoque basado en evidencia llamado SBIRT (Evaluación, Intervención Breve y Referencia a Tratamiento) para ayudar a los estudiantes a superar los desafíos personales. El proceso incluye una evaluación de autoinforme y reuniones individuales con un miembro del personal de servicios estudiantiles para ayudar a los estudiantes a identificar áreas de preocupación y crear metas para el cambio.
No todos los estudiantes participarán en SBIRT, sino que se implementará caso por caso con el acuerdo de los estudiantes. Si un estudiante, a través del proceso SBIRT, presenta una inquietud que afecta su seguridad inmediata, se contactará a los padres y tutores para un mayor seguimiento y desarrollo del plan.
Si tiene preguntas, desea obtener más información o desea excluir a su estudiante del proceso de evaluación, comuníquese directamente con el consejero escolar de su estudiante por teléfono (920-563-7833) o correo electrónico.
La exclusión voluntaria de su estudiante del proceso de evaluación SBIRT no afectará su capacidad para conectarse con el personal de servicios para alumnos en la escuela.
Gracias por su continuo apoyo a nuestro programa de servicios estudiantiles aquí en FAMS.
Atentamente,
Jessica Pletcher (Consejera escolar AL)
Sarah Traut (Consejera escolar MZ)
Aaron Geiger (Psicólogo escolar)
Mike Czerwonka (Trabajador social escolar)
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Active Intruder Drill at FAMS - email 12.7.22
Parents and Guardians of F.A.M.S. Students:
As you know students and teachers review our emergency codes, security plans, and severe weather protocols throughout the school year.
As planned for the past several weeks, we held an Active Intruder Drill this morning at FAMS.
F.A.M.S. has three procedures in place:
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"Medical Emergency:" To be used in the event of a medical emergency requiring an emergency response team.
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"Lockdown:" To be used to secure the building in the event of a non-emergency situation.
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"Active Intruder:" To be used to secure the building if there is a violent or dangerous situation.
The idea of today’s drill was not to create fear or concern for students, but to test one way we have of securing our building if we did have an emergency. It is important that each and every one of us feel safe at school. It goes without saying that each of us are saddened and hurt by the stories of when school violence occurs.
The School District of Fort Atkinson continues to work with the Fort Atkinson Police Department (they were on hand for our drill) and other agencies to update our procedures, protocols and actions in the event of an actual emergency. As you can imagine, elaborate and detailed plans have been developed should the need ever arise.
While attention is often paid to what schools do after a tragic event, we have also worked hard to reaffirm with our students what we have in place as a school to prevent such an incident. In addition to discussing and practicing our code procedures, students will learn that:
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Students should report any suspicious people or incidents at school to an adult.
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Students should report concerns to an adult at school regarding people from outside our school community who may have problems or have given a student reason to be concerned about their or their school's safety.
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Ways that our school works hard to get to know students as individuals so there is better recognition of when students are struggling and provide them with the support they need. Some of the ways we do this is:
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Pupil Services staff who support students with peer and other issues.
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Student support groups provide counseling and support to students with specific needs.
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Programming for students with exceptional needs (learning & behavior).
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Curriculum and other planned activities which address a variety of peer relation issues.
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Team teachers meet two times each week- a portion of their time is dedicated to discussing students and observing changes in behaviors, academic concerns, student observations, etc.
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We offer lots of clubs, sports, and other school activities to help students feel a part of their school.
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We periodically use anonymous surveys to identify student safety concerns and address student needs.
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We address each and every student issue that we know about.
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Talking to an adult is not tattling:
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The best thing a student can do is tell an adult as soon as possible if they hear, see, or know of a student or community member who is struggling.
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Helping a friend or schoolmate feel better by sharing information with an adult, is not gossiping or tattling, it’s showing concern for your peers and school.
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Please know that our motive for these drills is to convey a level of comfort among students in knowing that procedures are in place for their safety, rather than raising undue concern.
Given the number of problems we hear about in the media, we felt it was important to remind students of the measures we have in place to keep them safe, and also how our school can help students and community members in need.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions or concerns. We appreciate your efforts to help our school be the best it can be.
Have a great rest of the week,
Matt Wolf
Padres y tutores de estudiantes de FAMS:
Como saben, los estudiantes y maestros revisan nuestros códigos de emergencia, planes de seguridad y protocolos de clima severo durante todo el año escolar.
realizamos un de intruso activo simulacro esta mañana en FAMS.
FAMS cuenta con tres procedimientos:
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"Emergencia médica:" Para ser utilizado en caso de una emergencia médica que requiera un equipo de respuesta de emergencia.
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"Bloqueo:" Para ser utilizado para asegurar el edificio en el caso de una situación que no sea de emergencia.
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"Intruso Activo": Para ser utilizado para asegurar el edificio si hay una situación violenta o peligrosa.
La idea del simulacro de hoy no fue generar miedo o preocupación en los estudiantes, sino probar una forma que tenemos de asegurar nuestro edificio si tuviéramos una emergencia. Es importante que todos y cada uno de nosotros nos sintamos seguros en la escuela. No hace falta decir que cada uno de nosotros estamos tristes y heridos por las historias de cuando ocurre la violencia escolar.
El Distrito Escolar de Fort Atkinson continúa trabajando con el Departamento de Policía de Fort Atkinson (estuvieron disponibles para nuestro simulacro) y otras agencias para actualizar nuestros procedimientos, protocolos y acciones en caso de una emergencia real. Como puede imaginar, se han desarrollado planes elaborados y detallados en caso de que surja la necesidad.
Si bien a menudo se presta atención a lo que hacen las escuelas después de un evento trágico, también hemos trabajado arduamente para reafirmar con nuestros estudiantes lo que tenemos como escuela para prevenir tal incidente. Además de discutir y practicar los procedimientos de nuestro código, los estudiantes aprenderán que:
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Los estudiantes deben informar a un adulto sobre cualquier persona sospechosa o incidente en la escuela.
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Los estudiantes deben reportar inquietudes a un adulto en la escuela con respecto a personas ajenas a nuestra comunidad escolar que puedan tener problemas o hayan dado a un estudiante motivos para preocuparse por su seguridad o la de su escuela.
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Formas en que nuestra escuela se esfuerza por conocer a los estudiantes como individuos, de modo que se reconozca mejor cuándo los estudiantes tienen dificultades y les brinde el apoyo que necesitan. Algunas de las formas en que hacemos esto son:
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Personal de Servicios para Alumnos que apoya a los estudiantes con sus compañeros y otros problemas.
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Los grupos de apoyo para estudiantes brindan asesoramiento y apoyo a estudiantes con necesidades específicas.
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Programación para estudiantes con necesidades excepcionales (aprendizaje y comportamiento).
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Plan de estudios y otras actividades planificadas que abordan una variedad de problemas de relación con los compañeros.
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Los maestros del equipo se reúnen dos veces por semana: una parte de su tiempo se dedica a hablar sobre los estudiantes y observar cambios en el comportamiento, inquietudes académicas, observaciones de los estudiantes, etc.
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Ofrecemos muchos clubes, deportes y otras actividades escolares para ayudar a los estudiantes a sentirse parte. de su escuela.
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Periódicamente usamos encuestas anónimas para identificar las preocupaciones de seguridad de los estudiantes y abordar las necesidades de los estudiantes.
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Abordamos todos y cada uno de los problemas de los estudiantes que conocemos.
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Hablar con un adulto no es chismear:
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lo mejor que puede hacer un estudiante es decirle a un adulto lo antes posible si escucha, ve o sabe de un estudiante o miembro de la comunidad que está teniendo dificultades.
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Ayudar a un amigo o compañero de escuela a sentirse mejor al compartir información con un adulto, no es chismear ni chismear, es mostrar preocupación por tus compañeros y la escuela.
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Tenga en cuenta que nuestro motivo para estos simulacros es transmitir un nivel de comodidad entre los estudiantes al saber que existen procedimientos para su seguridad, en lugar de generar una preocupación indebida.
Dada la cantidad de problemas que escuchamos en los medios, sentimos que era importante recordarles a los estudiantes las medidas que tenemos implementadas para mantenerlos seguros, y también cómo nuestra escuela puede ayudar a los estudiantes y miembros de la comunidad que lo necesitan.
Como siempre, no dude en ponerse en contacto con nosotros si tiene preguntas o inquietudes. Agradecemos sus esfuerzos para ayudar a que nuestra escuela sea lo mejor posible.
Que tengas un gran resto de la semana,
Matt Wolf
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FAMS Family Connection - email 11.12
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Family/Teacher Conferences - email 11.7
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FAMS Family Connection - email 11.3
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FAMS Family Connection - email 10.20
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Kindness - email 10.17
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FAMS Family Connection - email 10.17
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FAMS Parent Advisory Committee - email 10.10
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Progress Reports - email 10.13
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Measures of Academic Progress - email 9.26
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FAMS Open House - email 9.6.22
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Welcome Back! - email 9.1.22
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First Day of School - 6th Grade email - 8.31.22