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Mr. Clark's Bengal Message for the week of 08/27/2023

 

Good Evening Bengal Family, this is Mr. Clark, Principal at Fuquay-Varina Middle School, with your weekly Bengal Message. 

 

 

 

New Announcements

 

We are excited for the first day of school on Monday, August 28th.  Here are a few announcements as we prepare to welcome our students on Monday.

 

Dress Code

We have modified our Dress Code for this school year.  Students will not be permitted to wear or bring the following items to school;

    1. Hoods (Students are still permitted to wear hats)
    2. Pajamas
    3. Blankets/pillows

If students wear or bring the following items to school, they will be asked to remove them or change into something else. 

 

Cell Phone Policy

Our cell phone policy will remain the same this year.  Teachers will ensure cell phones are secured in the classroom once students turn them in.  Students will be permitted to use their cell phones during lunch and dismissal. 

 

Door Dash/Uber Eats

Students are not permitted to receive mobile food orders from Door Dash, Uber Eats, and etc.

 

SB 49

Senate Bill 49 requires school staff to notify parents if their child would like to be called by a different name other than their legal name listed in PowerSchool.  This also pertains to students that go by a shorter version of their name. For example, if a student's name is William and they would like to be called Will or if a child's name is Rebecca and they would like to be called Becky, school staff will need to notify parents.  In an effort to eliminate teachers having to notify several families throughout the first week and parents receiving several emails from teachers, if your child would like to go by a different name other than their legal name listed in PowerSchool, please complete this Google Form.

 

Bengal Swag

You may order Bengal Swag at the following LINK.  1st Place Spirit Wear is running a 30% sale, so hurry and order before the sale ends.

 

Career Conversations

We will be hosting Career Conversations for our students to learn about careers within our area.  If you would like to share your work experience with our students, please volunteer using this link.  Please contact Ms. Elkins, pelkins@wcpss.net, if you have any questions.  

 

 

HBCU - You Know Club

Are you a graduate of an HBCU?  If so, we would love for you to come and share your experience with our club.  You can sign up for a date using this link.  Please contact club sponsors, Teketa Wynn, twynn@wcpss.net, or Angela Bean, abean@wcpss.net, if you have any questions or concerns.  

 

Arrival/Dismissal

 

Bus Riders

Students that ride a bus must be registered.  If your child does not have a route, please complete the bus rider registration form at this LINK.  If your child has a registered bus route but will not be taking the bus, please decline transportation services at this LINK.

 

At the conclusion of the school day, students that ride a bus will transition to a designated room on our 8th grade hallway with everyone that rides on their route.  Students will be informed of this room during homeroom and again during their 6th period class on Monday.  Students will wait in that room until their route is called at which point they will board the bus and depart the school.

 

Walkers

If a student will be walking home, students will need to have a pass to leave campus.  If you have not completed this Walker Pass Google Form, please do so now.  Students will receive their pass on Monday during homeroom.  Only students with passes will be permitted to leave campus.  Staff members will be stationed at access points around our school checking passes and ensuring only students with passes leave campus.  Students walking home, will be shown on Monday where they will exit campus in the afternoon.  

 

Carpool

If your child will be carpool, please read this DOCUMENT carefully, as our procedure has changed for our 8th grade students and parents picking them up. On the first page of the document you will find instructions for students that are in the 6th and 7th grade and do not ride carpool with a 8th grade student.  On the 2nd page of the document, you will find the instructions for our 8th students and 6th and 7th grade students riding with a 8th grade student. 

 

If your child is in the 8th grade and will be carpool, please complete this Google Form.  Please complete this form even if you completed my last form as I am asking for additional information if your child has a sibling at our school or will be carpooling with other students.  Students will receive their Falcon Park Pass on Monday, permitting them to cross the street at the designated cross walk where our SRO will be allowing students to cross.   

 

As stated in the document, parents that will be picking their students up at Falcon Park must not arrive prior to 2:50 pm.  We must do our best from backing up traffic on Academy St.  If this begins to happen, we may lose our privilege of using Falcon park for our 8th grade students. 

 

Lastly, since we have signed a joint use agreement with the town to use Falcon Park for dismissal, only students with a Falcon Park Pass will be permitted to go to the park during the hours of 2:50 pm and 3:30 pm.  

 

 

Arrival

Students will be permitted to enter the school at 7:45 am. 

 

Buses that arrive prior to 7:45 am will unload their students in our bus loop.  The students will wait in our auditorium until 7:45 am, at which point they will proceed to their 1st period class.   

 

Please utilize the carpool loop to drop students off in the morning.  You may refer to the first page of this document for morning carpool procedures. We are not able to utilize Falcon Park in the morning for arrival due to staff coverage.  However, if students are dropped off at Falcon Park, our SRO will be at the same crosswalk directing traffic.

 

Please do not stop on Ennis St. to drop students off.

 

Wait times may be extended the first week of school for carpool as we work through our procedure and parents become familiar with our process.  Please be patient as we ensure our arrival and dismissal procedures are efficient and safe.

 

 

Medical Drop Off

Parents may drop off medication in the front office between the hours of 8:00 am - 4:00 pm.  Parents must bring the doctor completed 1702 along with the medication.  You may click on this LINK to access the form.    

 

 

Ongoing Announcements

 

Student Chromebook Updates

Over the summer, several Chromebook OS updates were released. To ensure your student is ready for the start of school, power the Chromebook on before the first day of classes. 

 

If an update is needed, the screen will show Immediate Update Required. In the bottom-right portion of the screen, click Update Now. The updates will install and the device will restart. If multiple updates are required, repeat this process until the login screen appears. Once the login screen appears, all updates have been installed and the device is ready for use.

 

Important: If you do not have internet access at your location, bring the student device to “meet the teacher” and turn it on at school.

 

6th Grade students will receive their new Chromebooks during the first week of school.

 

Volunteer Registration

Volunteers no longer need to register to be a volunteer at a WCPSS school.  You may now register at this LINK to become a volunteer at our school.  If you plan to serve as a volunteer during the school year, please complete the registration form. 

 

Bengal Pride Wednesday

Wednesday's will be dedicated to Bengal Pride time this coming school year in which our students will be given 30 minutes after 1st period to participate in a club, their houses, and get extra help with school work.  The first and third Wednesdays are dedicated to House activities. These will include building rapport with their peers and enhancing the climate and culture of the school. The second Wednesday of the month is dedicated to clubs. Students will have over 30 clubs to choose from, some for the year and others for the semester. The last Wednesday of the month is dedicated to Career Conversations where students will have the opportunity to meet area businessmen and women and learn about the various career opportunities in the area.

 

Mark your Calendars

Below you will find dates and times to our upcoming events that take place at the beginning of the school year. More information may be found below for 6th grade summer camp and Walk your schedule.  

    • August 28th - First day of School
    • September 20th - School Wide Fundraiser Kick-off
    • September 25th - Parent/Teacher Conference Day
    • September 29th - Deadline to submit documentation for Tdap and Meningococcal vaccine (7th Grade students only) 

 

7th Grade Immunizations  

All 7th grade students must provide documentation that they have received the Tdap and Meningococcal vaccine.  We must receive this documentation by September 29th.  Failure to do so will result in your child being excluded from school.  You may bring your child’s updated shot records to the school between 9:00 am and 3:00 pm, email them to Ms. Donna Lanham at dlanham@wcpss.net or fax them to 919-670-4397.   

 

Only Medical and Religious exemptions are accepted in NC. For more information about exclusions, please visit http://www.immunize.nc.gov/schools/ncexemptions.htm 

 

Athletics

7th and 8th grade students wishing to participate on a athletic team in the fall must set up/update their account in Dragonfly.  You will upload your child's physical form, acknowledge parent/student contracts, and etc. on this site.  Please follow this LINK for instructions on how to set up your account.  Please email Coach Umphrey at vumphrey@wcpss.net if you have any questions. 

 

School Supply List

Here is a general supply list for the 2023-2024 school year.  A more detailed list for each grade level will be provided at "Walk-Your-Schedule" on Thursday, August 24, 2023 (and online sometime that same week).  However, teacher-created lists are not expected to be much more extensive than the general list. 

 

2023-2024 School Calendar

You may view the 2023-2024 school calendar at this LINK.

 

 

Upcoming Holidays/Teacher Workdays (No School)  

  • September 4: Holiday - No school for students
  • September 25: Teacher Workday - No school for students

 

 

 

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