Dear Franklin families,

Friday morning I had the opportunity to be the substitute music teacher, when the amazing Mrs. Wilson was stuck behind an accident on her way to school. I survived the dejected faces from students who showed up before school to hang out with Mrs. Wilson when they saw me there instead.  Then I made it through 50 minutes without looking at the clock once, and the last 5 minutes only looking at the clock 5,000 times or so. Although I grew up with music and even served as the drum major for our marching band, I have absolutely no idea how music teachers start with chaos and end with beauty. My hat is off to all our teachers who are working toward beauty this year. It's not magic. It's hard work, passion, and commitment, and I am grateful to work in a school surrounded by so many people showing up every day to give a little more. This Wednesday afternoon during our regular professional learning time, we're taking time to work on community building. We will close the office to allow our administrative staff to participate.  Plan ahead for the phones to be unanswered after 1:30 on Wednesday. Thanks to all who are contributing sweet treats to fuel us through our work!

A quick note about our student lunch program. We're kind of proud that our lunches are competing with the food trucks - but that isn't the goal of our program. We provide free lunch and cold breakfast to all students who qualify for free/reduced lunch. We're happy to share lunch now and then with students who just forget their lunch, but not on a daily basis. We do not receive any funding for our meal program, so we appreciate your assistance in helping us keep the program for those who need it. 

We've got some fun events coming up in the next month! It's a mix of just plain fun, fundraisers to support our school, and some really great student-led events!  If you've been feeling a little tired or hopeless - I recommend attending these events to support the terrific work students (and teachers!) are doing. Their hard work deserves our attention. 

This Friday, Feb 18, 7 - 9 pm: Adult Spelling Bee
Calling all super spellers! This Friday evening, Hi-Wire Brewing Biltmore Village is hosting an Adult Spelling Bee. Sign up to participate here, or in-person between 5:30 - 6:30 Friday evening. Partial proceeds will support FSI and we will use the funds to support some staff appreciation. 

March 4 & 5: High School Comedy Murdery Mystery Production
What do a gerbil and an eccentric millionaire have in common? To find out, plan to attend FSI High School Theatre's comedy murder mystery production of 'Death of a Doornail' on March 3rd or 4th! Thursday's performance will be a dinner theatre event in partnership with SGA beginning at 6:00 PM. Friday's performance will be just the performance and will begin at 7:00 PM. Put it on your calendar! More info coming soon...Dun, dun, dun. 

March 8: Student Led TEDx Conference
Next up is an officially licensed TEDx Conference organized and run by FSI students!  The title of the conference is TEDxYouthFranklinSchoolOfInnovation. It will be held March 8th at the North Carolina Stage Company. Tickets will be sold on the NC Stage website as well as at www.tedxyouthfsi.com. 

March 18 and 19, 5:30 pm, Spring Theatre Productions
A Night of One Acts Live Theatre: "The Fairy Tale Network" and "Complaint Department and Lemonade". $5 tickets, bring a chair or blanket and enjoy two one-act plays by our Middle School  Theatre program! 

March 26: Glows & Grows Gala & Silent Auction
Are you ready for a night out? I think I am! We're excited to host our 2022 Glows & Grows Gala and Silent Auction, Saturday, March 26, from 7 - 10 pm at The Cloud Room, Wedge Foundation, 6 Foundy Street (River Arts district). The event will be catered by FSI family-owned business, 67 Biltmore, with decorations provided by another FSI family-owned business, Blossoms. The event is sponsored by yet more FSI-family owned businesses - Pinnacle Animal Hospital and BrightStar Care. We have so many wonderful auction items coming - from vacation rentals, outdoor adventures (ziplining, biking, climbing), a stand-up paddleboard, fantastic Asheville restaurant packages, local art and jewelry - there is something for everyone to enjoy. 

Buy your tickets & register to bid here: Glows & Grows Gala & Auction  Auction item previews begin Feb 14 with new items added weekly. Bidding begins at noon Feb 18 and ends at 9:30 pm March 26. You do not need to attend to bid - so invite your family and friends to participate.  You can also go to our website and click the tab at the top to learn more and register: https://www.franklinschoolofinnovation.org/parents/support-franklin-school/auction/

Funds will help us outfit our new gymasium (coming next year) and classrooms with a special focus on arts and athletics. These growing programs need supplies and equipment to fill their new spaces! 

Family Feedback Survey - please complete today! 
We want to hear from you! As part of our continual school improvement efforts, we are asking for your honest, anonymous feedback. This survey specifically is looking at ways that our school is accessible, safe, and welcoming for all students and family members. We appreciate kind, specific, and actionable feedback. The survey should only take a few minutes to complete. We will share results with our Advisory Committee, School Improvement Team, and incorporate the results in our mid-year review of strengths and areas for growth. Please complete the survey by Sunday, February 13, and be entered into a drawing for a $25 gift certificate to SandHill Kitchen. FSI Family Feedback Survey

Spread Some Love! 
The prom committee (yes! We will have prom!) is selling Valentine Grams to raise money. Select one of the 5 Valentine songs on the google form. The prom committee will be delivering a rose to your Valentine's classroom, and will play your selected song for them. All Valentines Grams will be anonymous. A sure way to make sure your favorite person has a special day! Parents/guardians - you can share some love for your student, a well-deserving teacher, or anyone who just deserves a little bit of love and joy in their day.  Just click the link here and order your Valentine Gram! 

Leadership Opportunity! Help us find the BEST candidate
After serving as our founding EC teacher AND EC Director for 8 years, Mr. Stahlke has asked me to allow him to return to his true love - serving students in the classroom. He will transition to an EC teacher with us full-time for the 2022-2023 school year. Our EC team has grown extensively under his leadership and we are thankful he will continue to support our students! We are recruiting now for this position and we would love your help. The ideal candidate could join us this year to work with Mr. Stahlke and provide a smooth transition. Candidates must hold valid NC EC teacher certification; administrator certification is preferred. If you have worked with an amazing EC teacher or administrator - send us their names! We want the very best candidates. Email suggestions to me (mvruwink@thefsi.us) or to Katie Lapinski (klapinski@thefsi.us), and we will invite them to apply. 

Covid Updates
Some good news on this front - as our cases continue to drop, following national and local trends. We had ZERO positives in our weekly pool testing! We had 5 student cases and 2 staff cases reported in the week between Feb 4 - Feb 11. All required contact tracing has been completed. We are seeing that household exposures are the most common source of infection at this time. We know how hard it is to isolate effectively at home! We are continuing to ask that students with household exposures isolate regardless of vaccination status, whenever possible. 

The guidelines for schools are changing again on February 21st. We don't get advance notice of these changes, so please be patient with us as we figure out what this will mean for our school. At this time, masks continue to be required in our school indoors. Our Board of Directors will continue to monitor local conditions and guidelines, and review this policy each month. 

A few important reminders:

• Individuals must stay home if they are not feeling well or have symptoms.
• We can provide rapid tests for students who have had a known unmasked exposure or are symptomatic. Tests must be scheduled in advance. Please contact Jess Peckham to arrange a test. 
• Students must wear masks at school. We strongly recommend upgrading to a medical grade mask. N95 or KN95 masks are the most effective. Surgical masks are also effective, and can be purchased in child sizes. Here's a good overview of the different types of masks and why upgrading is important right now: 

Remember: if your student has symptoms, has tested positive, or has a known exposure to COVID, let us know! Email nurse Jess Peckham . Continue sending notes about absences to attendance@thefsi.us. 

Weather Make Up Days
The following days will now be regular school days for students and staff:

• Monday, April 18
• Wednesday, June 1

Franklin Flurries Dance Postponed
The Franklin Flurries Dance has been rescheduled for Saturday, April 2. Stay tuned for more information! 

COVID Vaccines
Looking for the vaccine for your child? Here is a link to current locations for the pediatric vaccines:https://www.buncombecounty.org/countycenter/news-detail.aspx?id=19642

COVID Screening Program - you can still sign up!
With the holidays and a new variant - the COVID Screening Program is more important than ever! Want to sign up for our weekly COVID screening? It's a great way to help us keep school open safely:

• Parental consent for students under age 18: Click here: https://testcenter.concentricbyginkgo.com/minor-consent
• Student consent - age 18 and up: Click here: https://testcenter.concentricbyginkgo.com/invite-by-code
• Our school access code is FRANKLINSI. You will need this to complete the consent form
• You only need to provide consent once