Good afternoon Parents and Community Partners,
Welcome to another great week at Fort Valley Middle School! We are continuing to focus on strong instruction, positive student behavior, and preparing our students for upcoming assessments. Thank you for your continued partnership and support.
⏳ 35 Days Until Milestones
We are officially 35 instructional days away from beginning the Georgia Milestones Assessment System.
That means every single school day from this point forward matters.
Thirty-five days may seem like a lot of time, but in instructional terms, it moves quickly. The consistency of attendance, nightly practice, classroom focus, and positive behavior during these next several weeks will directly impact student performance.
Now is the time for:
Strong academic focus
Reduced distractions
Consistent routines at home
Daily review and practice
We are in the final stretch of preparation.
🎉 March Behavior Celebration Update
Our new behavior celebration cycle has officially begun.
To qualify for our March Behavior Celebration, students must meet the following requirements:
No ISS (In-School Suspension)
No OSS (Out-of-School Suspension)
No bus suspensions
No more than 2 minor classroom behavior strikes
As of today, EVERY student is currently eligible to attend. Our goal is to keep it that way.
Our plan is to take students off campus to a movie for this celebration. However, this will heavily depend on what movies are playing at that time. If there are no appropriate or high-interest options available, we will update you with an alternate celebration plan.
Please continue reinforcing positive behavior expectations at home so our students can enjoy this opportunity.
📝 Progress Reports
Progress reports will be sent home on tomorrow, Tuesday, February 24. Sign and return your child's progress report on Wednesday; a copy will be given to them for you to keep.
Please review your child’s academic progress and discuss goals for continued growth as we move closer to testing season. Addressing concerns now gives students time to improve before final grades and state testing.
✍️ WriteScore Assessment
Students will be administered the WriteScore assessment on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.
Make-up testing will take place on Thursday and Friday.
We encourage all students to do their very best. This assessment provides valuable feedback on writing progress and helps us refine instruction before Milestones.
🌾 FFA Week at a Glance
We are excited to celebrate FFA Week! Please see the flyer below for daily themes and activities.
We appreciate your support in encouraging students to participate.
🔔 Attendance & Punctuality Reminder
School starts promptly at 7:45 AM.
Students should be in the building, seated, and ready to learn at that time.
It is extremely important that your child:
Arrives on time each day
Avoids unnecessary absences
Avoids early check-outs whenever possible
When students arrive late, they miss critical instruction, warm-ups, and test-prep activities that cannot always be recreated.
As we gear up for testing, we need students present, on time, focused, and ready to engage in learning every single day. Attendance and punctuality over the next 35 days will make a measurable difference in outcomes.
📱 Cell Phone Policy Reminder
We need to revisit our cell phone expectations.
Under Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-1183), personal electronic devices, including cell phones, are prohibited during the school day unless authorized for instructional purposes. The law requires school systems to implement policies restricting student use of personal electronic devices to maintain an effective learning environment.
While we understand that many families allow students to bring cell phones to school, please be advised:
Cell phones must remain in purses or bookbags.
Phones should not be on the student’s person at any time during the school day.
We did an excellent job with this during the first semester. However, students are beginning to test boundaries. We will be enforcing the policy more strictly this semester. Please reiterate these expectations at home.
📊 Georgia School Climate Survey – Parent Input Needed
This is the last week to complete the survey.
All Peach County schools are administering the Georgia School Climate Survey through the Georgia Department of Education. This feedback helps us identify strengths and areas for growth within our school community.
Parents, please take a few minutes to complete the family survey for Fort Valley Middle School using the link below:
https://survey.gadoe.org/FM?sid=6D7FE006
Your voice matters, and we truly value your input.
Be on the lookout for our Trojan Testing Tips email tomorrow. Please ensure your student is practicing nightly leading up to testing. Consistent preparation builds confidence and success.
Thank you for your continued partnership and support of Fort Valley Middle School. Together, we will finish this semester strong. #oneteamonedream #growingtogether
Sincerely,
Kizzy S. Johnson
Principal
Fort Valley Middle School
"Where Learning is Required!"