Good evening, Trojan Families!
🖤💛 ANOTHER GREAT WEEK IN THE VALLEY!
First, let me sayTHANK YOUfor helping us have a wonderful first week back from Fall Break! I hope our students enjoyed their time away, but I was certainly happy to see those smiling faces back in our hallways! I shared with our staff recently that this has truly been a GREAT school year. We're beginning to see the results of the hard work we've been putting into our students, and I couldn't be prouder. Our teachers are working hard, our students are growing, and we're continuing to build a school where learning is not just encouraged—IT IS REQUIRED! But don't get too comfortable, because we have a BUSY week ahead! 😂 We've got academic support, Red Ribbon Week, Literacy Night, and a few other important reminders.
Let's get into it!
❤️🎗️ RED RIBBON WEEK IS HERE!
This week, October 26–30, FVMS will celebrate Red Ribbon Week! Red Ribbon Week is a national campaign encouraging students to make healthy decisions, resist negative peer pressure, and live drug-free lives. This year's theme is:
MAKE A DIFFERENCE. BE A HERO. STAY DRUG FREE!🦸🏾♀️🦸🏾♂️ And we're celebrating with a SPIRIT WEEK!
Our Daily Themes:
❤️ Monday, October 26 — Rally in Red! Wear red to show your commitment to being drug-free.
🧢 Tuesday, October 27 — Hats Off to Drugs!Wear your favorite hat.
👯 Wednesday, October 28 — Twin Day! Match with a friend and team up against drugs.
🪩 Thursday, October 29 — Decades Day! Dress in your favorite decade's style.
🦸 Friday, October 30 — Superhero Day! Wear your superhero costumes!
NOW, LET'S TALK ABOUT THOSE COSTUMES!👀😂
I spoke with our students about this during Zoom today, but I want to make sure our parents are aware of the expectations as well. We absolutely want students to have FUN and participate in our Spirit Week! However, costumes must be appropriate for school andmust not interfere with teaching and learning.
A few important reminders:
NO inflatable or blow-up costumes. As entertaining as they may be, we still have to fit through classroom doors, sit at desks, and actually LEARN! 😂
NO masks that cover the face. We must be able to identify students at all times.
NO weapons of ANY kind, including plastic, toy, or costume weapons. If it looks like a weapon, please leave it at home.
Costumes should be school-appropriate and should not create distractions or disruptions throughout the school day.
Parents, PLEASE help us with this before your child leaves home Friday morning! We want our students to enjoy themselves, but we are still going to have a regular instructional day.FUN? ABSOLUTELY! CHAOS? ABSOLUTELY NOT!😂 If you have any questions about whether a particular costume is appropriate, please reach out to me. And while we're having fun, please use this week as an opportunity to have conversations with your children about making good choices, choosing positive friendships, and having the courage to say NO when something isn't right. You don't need a cape to be a HERO!Sometimes being a hero simply means making the right choice.
📚👻 BOOKS & BOOS! WE'RE ABOUT TO GET LIT!
And by LIT, I meanLITERACY!😂📚 Trojan Families, we are excited to invite you to our upcomingFVMS Literacy Night: BOOKS & BOOS!
📅Thursday, October 29
⏰5:00–6:30 PM
📍Fort Valley Middle School
Our ELA Department and support staff are preparing an exciting evening filled with FUN, FAMILY, and LEARNING! And let me tell you, knowing that team, I have no doubt they're going to make it a GREAT time! But here's the most important part: We're not just inviting you to come play games. We want to give YOU practical tools to help your child become a stronger reader! You'll have opportunities to learn ways to support reading comprehension, vocabulary development, and literacy skills at home. Parents, reading doesn't stop being important when students leave elementary school. In fact, the reading becomes MORE complex in middle school! Our students must read, analyze, and understand information in English, science, social studies, and even MATH.Literacy is EVERYBODY'S business! So bring the family, come ready to learn, and enjoy a little spooky-season FUN! BOOKS & BOOS — WHERE READING IS A TREAT!👻📚
We can't wait to see you!
✏️📊 AFTER-SCHOOL TUTORING BEGINS THIS WEEK!
Parents, our new after-school tutoring program officially beginsTuesday, October 27!
Here's the schedule:
📅Tuesdays — Math
📅Thursdays — ELA and Algebra I
⏰3:00–4:00 PM
This program is designed to provide additional academic support to students who may need help strengthening foundational skills, mastering challenging concepts, or building confidence.
How does your child participate? You may request tutoring for your child by contacting their teacher. Teachers will also reach out to families to invite students who would benefit from additional support. Our goal is simple:Identify what students need and provide the support necessary to help them succeed! We are excited about this opportunity to give our Trojans a little extra academic BOOST! 🚀
📚📝 12-WEEK PROGRESS REPORTS ARE COMING!
Parents, it's almost time for another academic check-in! Our12-week progress reports will be distributed on Friday, November 6. Teachers will finalize and post grades byWednesday, November 4.
That means NOW is the time to make sure your child is caught up! Please take a few minutes this week to:
Check your child's grades and missing assignments in Infinite Campus.
Talk with your child about any assignments that may be incomplete.
Encourage your child to submit all outstanding work before teachers finalize grades.
Reach out to your child's teachers if you have questions or concerns about academic performance.
And parents, please don't wait until that progress report comes home to find out how your child is doing! NO SURPRISES ON NOVEMBER 6!😂 We want students to take ownership of their academic performance, and we need your help reinforcing that responsibility at home. Remember, a progress report is not just a collection of grades. It's an opportunity to celebrate growth, identify areas of concern, and make adjustments BEFORE the end of the semester. LET'S FINISH THESE NEXT FEW WEEKS STRONG!
🛡️ SCHOOL SAFETY: IMPORTANT UPDATES
Keeping our students and staff safe continues to be one of our highest priorities. Last week, students participated in training for the Sandy Hook Promise Anonymous Reporting System, which will be implemented districtwide. This system is designed to give students a way to report safety concerns, threats, or other situations that may put themselves or others at risk. Parents, please reinforce the importance of speaking up when something doesn't seem right. We want students to understand that reporting a concern is not about getting someone in trouble; it's about helping keep people safe.
If you see something, say something!
We're also preparing for the arrival ofOpen Gate, our new weapons detection systemfor Peach County Schools. I recently met with district leadership and representatives from the company to discuss the system's placement and implementation. While this may require adjustments to some of our morning arrival procedures, I am confident that our students, staff, and families will work together to make the transition as smooth as possible. No changes to morning arrival procedures have been announced at this time. As soon as we have finalized information about when the system will begin operating and what families need to know, I will share those details. Thank you for your continued support as we work to keep our Trojan family safe!
⏰ ATTENDANCE & PUNCTUALITY — LET'S STAY CONSISTENT!
Parents, we are now in the second nine weeks, and every instructional day matters! School begins at 7:45 AM. Students should be in their classrooms and ready to learn when the school day begins.
If your child arrives late, a parent or guardian must accompany them into the building. Please continue making daily attendance and punctuality a priority. We have important instruction taking place every day, and we don't want students missing opportunities to learn! SHOW UP. SHOW OUT. LEARN SOMETHING!🖤💛
💡 PARENT TIP OF THE WEEK: LET THEM TEACH YOU SOMETHING!
Here's a simple activity I want you to try with your child this week. Instead of asking, “What did you do at school today?”ask:
“Teach me something you learned today.”
Then let them explain it! Maybe it's a math strategy, a science concept, something from history, or a new vocabulary word.
And here's the trick:ASK QUESTIONS!
“Why does that work?”
“Can you give me an example?”
“How would you explain that to someone younger than you?”
“What part was difficult?”
When students explain what they've learned, they have to organize their thoughts, recall information, and demonstrate understanding. And parents, don't worry if you don't know the content! You don't have to know the answer to help your child THINK! Sometimes the best thing you can do is listen, ask questions, and encourage them to explain their reasoning. Ten minutes of conversation can make a BIG difference!❤️
🖤💛 LET'S KEEP BUILDING SOMETHING GREAT!
Trojan Families, I am genuinely excited about the direction we're moving. We're seeing our students grow academically, we're continuing to strengthen instruction, and we're creating opportunities for students to succeed both inside and outside the classroom. And NONE of this happens without our families! Thank you for trusting us with your children, supporting our expectations, encouraging academic achievement, and showing up for our school. We're not perfect, and we still have work to do, butWE ARE MOVING FORWARD! And speaking of moving forward...
Thanksgiving Break is getting closer, y'all!🦃😂 But until then, we have learning to do, goals to meet, and memories to make!
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 it another GREAT week in the Valley!
ONE TEAM. ONE DREAM. GROWING TOGETHER.🖤💛
Kizzy S. Johnson
Principal, Fort Valley Middle School
Where Learning Is Required!