Good afternoon, Trojan Families!
🍂 WELCOME BACK! WE MISSED OUR STUDENTS! 🖤💛
Well, Fall Break is officially OVER! 😩😂 I hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful week of rest, relaxation, family time, and maybe even a little fun at the Georgia National Fair!
But now it's time to get back to business! We were so excited to welcome our students back to FVMS this morning. I hope they returned refreshed, recharged, and ready to finish this semester STRONG! We have a busy and exciting couple of weeks ahead of us, so please take a few minutes to review these important announcements.
THE YEAR OF MOMENTUM CONTINUES!🚀
✏️📊 WriteScore Assessments — October 21 & 22
Tomorrow, Wednesday, October 21, and Thursday, October 22, our students will participate in the WriteScore assessment.
What is WriteScore, and why is it important?
WriteScore is an assessment tool that helps us evaluate students' writing skills and identify areas where they may need additional support. It provides valuable information about students' ability to organize their thoughts, develop ideas, use appropriate grammar and conventions, and communicate effectively through writing. Our teachers use this information to guide instruction, identify strengths and weaknesses, and help students become stronger, more confident writers.
Parents, here's how you can help:
Make sure your child gets a good night's rest.
Have them at school ON TIME and ready to work.
Encourage them to take their time, read the prompt carefully, organize their thoughts, and give their BEST effort.
Remind them that their writing matters!
We don't want students simply rushing through the assessment to get finished. We want them to SHOW US WHAT THEY KNOW! Writing is an essential skill in EVERY subject, and we want our Trojans to continue growing as readers, thinkers, and writers!
🏈🎀 IT'S GAME DAY! PINK OUT THE STANDS TONIGHT!
ROUND TWO OF THE PLAYOFFS IS HERE!🔥🏈
After an incredible46–0 victory over Byron Middle School, our Trojans are ready to take on the Appling Middle School Raidersin the second round of the playoffs! And tonight, we're turning the stands PINK in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month! Our football players and cheerleaders will be wearing pink, and we're asking our Trojan families and community to do the same!
GAME DETAILS:
🏈FVMS Trojans vs. Appling Middle School Raiders
📅TONIGHT — Tuesday, October 20
⏰5:30 PM
📍Harry B. Thompson Stadium — Macon, GA
🎟️Tickets: $10 through GoFan
WEAR YOUR PINK! BRING YOUR ENERGY! AND LET'S FILL THOSE STANDS!🩷🖤💛 We're playing for more than a victory tonight. We're playing in honor of survivors, those still fighting, and the loved ones we carry in our hearts.ONE TEAM. ONE DREAM. ONE FIGHT!
LET'S GO, TROJANS! 🏈🔥
🚌❤️ Bus Driver Appreciation — Let's Show Some LOVE!
This week isBus Driver Appreciation Week, and I want to take a moment to recognize the amazing individuals who transport our students to and from school each day. Our bus drivers do so much more than drive a bus. They greet our children early in the morning, help ensure they arrive safely, manage a bus full of personalities (and we KNOW middle schoolers have some personalities! 😂), and get our babies home safely each afternoon. Their job is not easy, and their dedication deserves recognition!Parents, I'm asking you to help us show our drivers some LOVE! Encourage your child to say THANK YOUto their bus driver. A handwritten note, a kind word, or a small gesture of appreciation can mean so much. To all of our bus drivers:
WE SEE YOU. WE APPRECIATE YOU. AND WE THANK YOU FOR TAKING CARE OF OUR BABIES!🚌❤️
🎀🩷 FVMS SCHOOLWIDE PINK OUT — FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23!
We're keeping the PINK going this week! This Friday, October 23, is our FVMS Schoolwide PINK OUT! We're encouraging ALL students, teachers, and staff to wear PINK as we continue recognizing Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Pink shirts, pink socks, pink bows, pink shoes—whatever you've got!
LET'S TURN THE VALLEY PINK!🩷
🎬🍿 NEW BEGINNINGS! DECEMBER BEHAVIOR CELEBRATION!
NEW NINE WEEKS! NEW OPPORTUNITIES! FRESH START!🖤💛
Parents, beginning TODAY, Tuesday, October 20, all classroom behavior strikes reset! That means every student has a fresh opportunity to make positive choices and work toward our next BIG behavior celebration in December! And y'all, this one is going to be FUN! 🎉
We're planning a MOVIE DAY IN THE GYM!🎬🍿
Students who meet our behavior expectations will have an opportunity to enjoy a movie withFREE snacks! And yes, we're even planning to let them wear their pajamas and bring their blankets! 😂Parents, we need your help!Please encourage your child to make good decisions, follow school and classroom expectations, demonstrate respect, and work toward earning this celebration. We want as many students as possible to participate, but remember, participation is EARNED through positive behavior! We'll share additional details, including eligibility requirements, as we get closer to December.
NEW START. NEW GOALS. NEW OPPORTUNITIES!
Let's make great choices, Trojans! 🖤💛
📸 Fall Picture Makeup Day — Monday, October 26
Did your child miss our original Fall Picture Day? No worries!Picture Makeup Day is Monday, October 26. This is an opportunity for students who were absent or unable to take their school pictures the first time to have their photos taken. Parents, please remind your child if they need to participate! And don't forget, our 2026–2027 FVMS Yearbooksare available for presale!
Order Your FVMS Yearbook Here
❤️🎗️ RED RIBBON WEEK IS COMING! October 26–30
Next week, FVMS will celebrate Red Ribbon Week, and we're excited to have our students participate! Red Ribbon Week is a national drug prevention awareness campaign that encourages students to make healthy choices, resist negative peer pressure, and commit to living drug-free lives. This year's national theme is:
“MAKE A DIFFERENCE. BE A HERO. STAY DRUG FREE.”🦸🏾♀️🦸🏾♂️
I LOVE this message because it reminds our students that they don't have to wear a cape to be somebody's hero! Sometimes being a hero means making the right decision when others aren't, encouraging a friend to do better, or having the courage to say NO. And as I always remind our students,the choices they make TODAY help determine the opportunities they'll have TOMORROW. We're celebrating with aRED RIBBON SPIRIT WEEK!🎉 Each day will feature a different dress-up theme to help students celebrate positive choices and healthy lifestyles. Please check the attached Spirit Week flyer for our daily themes! Parents, we encourage you to participate by having conversations with your children about peer pressure, friendships, decision-making, and the importance of protecting their futures.
Let's have some FUN while reinforcing a message that truly matters!
📚👻 BOOKS & BOOS! FVMS LITERACY NIGHT — OCTOBER 29!
BOOOOOOO!👻😂
Don't be scared! We're not talking about ghosts and goblins. We're talking about something even MORE exciting...
READING!📚
Trojan Families, mark your calendars for our upcomingFVMS Literacy Night: BOOKS & BOOS!
📅Thursday, October 29
⏰5:00 PM
📍Fort Valley Middle School
We're planning an evening filled withFUN, FAMILY, and LITERACY! But here's what I really want you to know: This isn't just another school event. We want to give YOU tools to help your child become a stronger reader! During the evening, families will have opportunities to learn practical strategies for supporting reading comprehension, vocabulary development, and literacy skills at home.
And don't worry—we're going to make learning FUN! Because here's the thing: Reading doesn't stop being important when students leave elementary school!In middle school, students are expected to read more complex texts in EVERY subject, including math, science, and social studies. We want to help you help them! So bring the family, come ready to learn, and prepare for a little spooky-season FUN!
BOOKS & BOOS — WHERE READING IS A TREAT!👻📚🖤💛
We can't wait to see you!
📚✏️ Academic Focus & After-School Tutoring Begin October 27!
BeginningTuesday, October 27, our students will start new Academic Focus rotations based on their most recent academic data. These rotations allow us to provide targeted remediation and enrichment based on individual student needs. We're also excited to announce that AFTER-SCHOOL TUTORING BEGINS OCTOBER 27!🎉
Tutoring will be offered weekly throughMarch 2027.
Our tutoring schedule is:
📅Tuesdays — Math
📅Thursdays — English Language Arts (ELA) and Algebra I
⏰Time: 3:00–4:00 PM
How can your child participate?
Parents, you may request tutoring for your child by contacting your child's teacher.Teachers will also reach out directly to families to invite students who would benefit from additional academic support.
Whether your child needs help strengthening foundational skills, mastering difficult concepts, or building confidence, we want to provide opportunities for continued academic growth!
We have the data. We have the teachers. We have the plan. Now let's get to WORK!🖤💛
⏰ Attendance & Punctuality — Every Minute Matters!
Parents, we're beginning a new stretch of the school year, and I need your help making sure our students are here, on time, and ready to learn.School begins at 7:45 AM.That means students should already be in their classrooms, prepared to begin instruction—not just arriving at the building. If your child arrives late, a parent or guardian must accompany them inside. We have a lot of important learning taking place between now and Thanksgiving Break, and we want every Trojan to benefit from every instructional minute!mLet's make attendance a priority!
💡 PARENT TIP OF THE WEEK: Don't Ask, “Did You Read?” Ask, “What Did You Read?”
With Literacy Night coming up, I want to give you a simple strategy that can make a BIG difference at home. Instead of asking your child, “Did you read today?”try asking:
“Tell me something interesting you read today.”
“What was the main idea?”
“What was something you didn't understand?”
“What would you have done differently if you were the character?”
“Can you explain what you learned in your own words?”
Here's why this matters:Reading is more than saying the words on a page. It's about understanding, thinking, questioning, and making connections. And parents, you don't have to be an English teacher to help your child become a better reader! You don't even have to know the answers! Sometimes simply asking questions and listening to your child explain their thinking is one of the most powerful things you can do. Ten minutes of meaningful conversation can go a long way!❤️
🖤💛 LET'S KEEP THE MOMENTUM GOING!
Trojan Families, I hope you enjoyed your Fall Break, but now it's time for us to get back to the work of growing, learning, and achieving! We have assessments to complete, football championshipsto win, literacy to celebrate, healthy choices to promote, and academic goals to accomplish.And through it all, we have ONE mission:Helping every Trojan become the very best version of themselves.
Thank you for your continued support, encouragement, and partnership. We cannot do this work without you!
Remember:
Great days become great weeks.
Great weeks become great months.
Great months become great semesters.
And great semesters become an EXCEPTIONAL YEAR!
Let's make this next stretch a GREAT one!
One Team. One Dream. Growing Together.🖤💛
Kizzy S. Johnson
Principal, Fort Valley Middle School
Where Learning Is Required!