6141 S. Franklin Rd. Indianapolis, IN 46259 317.862.

2411

Touching Tomorrow Today

Fall 2013

Making the Grade

News from FTCSC

2013-2014:

What to look for

One of our challenges this year is the fact that three buildings are at their functional capacity. This is due in part to the addition of full time kindergarten and the fact that our three largest elementary schools feed into FTMS East. Our administrative team has been very intentional in communicating the process to our community and encourages your ongoing participation. A Town Hall meeting was held in October, a special Task Force has been formed to develop strategies to rebalance the enrollment and another town hall meeting will be held in January to share ideas and collect further input from our community. Please follow our special Rebalancing blog at: ftrebalancing.blogspot.com. Increased communication is one of our goals. We have a newly designed website, a district Facebook page and Twitter account, and this e-newsletter to share our good news and the work that we do. I encourage you to stay connected to the news in our district and in each school. This year, the layout and design of the newsletter are being completed through our high schools publications staff. Looking forward to the remainder of a great school yearDr. Flora Reichanadter

Every year seems to go by very quickly. This year is no different. Although the first day of school was in July, there were many smiling faces October 11th as we prepared for our first two week fall break. Our students and staff work very hard focusing on their continued improvement and celebrating their success! I am extremely proud of our school community. We have again displayed progress in many areas. Most notably is our continued success at Franklin Central High School. During the 2012-2013 school year, our high school was recognized by three national publications. There are not many high schools in this state that are recognized by Newsweek, US News and World Report and the Washington Post. Additionally, the Indiana Department of Education has named Franklin Central as a Four Star School, the only Four Star high school in Marion County. This success is no accident. It is due to the hard work of our administrative team, our students, and the staff members at every level. Our School Board and Administrative Team use the Strategic Plan to guide their decisions. This plan allows us to identify our needs, focus our priorities and use our resources wisely. The elementary schools are now wireless. As the cost of making a building wireless has decreased and our need for data collection using portable devices continues, we were able to set aside capital project funds to place wireless hubs in our elementary buildings. The middle schools and high school are next along with improving the infrastructure in our classrooms for technology. Our goal is to create a classroom technology standard with minimum equipment requirements for each classroom. The first step is updating the infrastructure so that as we implement equipment in the future we have the resources available. Our parent organizations have been very supportive in assisting this process by purchasing some of the equipment needed for the classrooms.

Our mission is to instill in all students a passion for lifelong learning and to inspire each one to contribute as a responsible citizen to the future of our interconnected world.

- The FTCSC mission 1

Welcome,
new building principals!
From left to right- Chase Huotari, Jeff Murphy, Melissa Morris

Jeff Murphy comes to FTCSC with nine years of teaching experience and 7 years of administrative experience, all at the elementary Thompson Crossing Elementary level. He spent 9 years teaching in Bloomington, IL before moving into administration as a K-4 elementary school assistant principal in Buffalo Grove, IL. He has spent the past 4 years as a principal at Franzen Intermediate School in Itasca, IL before joining the staff at Thompson Crossing as their new principal. Mr. Murphy has three daughters and enjoys traveling and any outdoor activities.

Mr. Jeff Murphy

Mrs. Melissa Morris

Franklin Township Community School Corporation has been Melissas school family for more than seven years. During that time Arlington Elementary she has been a paraprofessional, teacher, instructional coach, substitute, and now principal. Melissa received her Bachelor Degree with Highest Distinction from IUPUI and my Master Degree from Ball State University. Franklin Township has been her home for 16 years and is where she feels very fortunate to raise and educate her children. She has served as an active member in Girl Scouts of America, Franklin Township Middle School East PTO, Spokesperson with Horace and Mann for Donors Choose, and a Coach in Franklin Township Girls Softball League. This is Chases ninth year in Franklin Township. He started as a Physical Education and Health teacher at Franklin Central and also Franklin Township Middle School East spent time as the varsity baseball coach. In 2009 he moved into administration and since then has spent time as an Assistant Principal at both Middle School East and Franklin Central High School. Chase resides in Franklin Township with his wife, Barb, and their two daughters.

Mr. Chase Huotari

Mr. Jon Eckerle and Mr. Lucas Zartman

Jon Eckerle is starting his eighteenth year in education, Franklin Central High School and is proud to be part of the Franklin Township Community School Corporation. Jon is a graduate of Loogootee High School in Loogootee, IN. He attended DePauw University for his undergraduate degrees in Mathematics and US History and Butler University for his graduate degree in Educational Administration. Jon taught mathematics at Butler High School in Augusta, GA, Decatur Central High School and Franklin Central High School. Jon spent a year as a Master Teacher in Perry Township. Jon has also coached basketball and tennis at the high school and middle school levels. He enjoys spending time with friends and golfing. Lucas Zartman comes to Franklin Central from Monroe Central Jr./Sr. High School, where he was the assistant principal and varsity boys basketball coach. Before becoming an administrator, he ran an Alternative Education Program and taught science at Maconaquah Middle School. Early in his career he also taught business at Portage High School and PE and Health at Rochester High School. Lucas completed his bachelors degree at Manchester College, his masters degree at Olivet Nazarene University, and his principal licensure preparation at Oakland City University. He and his wife, Krista, have a 3 year old son named Atticus.

The Indiana Department of Education has awarded Franklin Central High School Four Star School status! In a congratulatory letter from Glenda Ritz, Superintendent of Public Instruction she states; The IDOE establishes the 25th percentile cut score for combined passing percentages of English/Language Arts and Mathematics as well as the percent of students passing both for all grades tested. In addition to meeting these criteria, all Four Star Schools must meet the 95 percent student participation rate. The fact that your school met these high expectations is evidence of the hard work demonstrated by your staff and students. For the second year in a row, Franklin Central High School has been recognized by the Washington Post for being in the top 9% of all public and private high schools in preparing their students for the rigors of college. FC has earned a spot on their lists of Americas Challenge Award winners due to the dedication of having the most sought after graduates by colleges, universities and the world of work.

State of Indiana honored, nationally recognized and respected

Teachers and parents have worked together to help students achieve at the highest level possible. Franklin Central was also named by US News and World Report as one of the top high schools in the United States! The following link shares the story:

Franklin Central High School:

http://www.usnews.com/education/highschools/articles/2013/04/23/us-news-releases2013-best-high-schools-rankings Newsweek magazine placed Franklin Central on its list of the Best High Schools in the United States! Making this list in Newsweek is an honor given to only the best high schools. Franklin Central is the only Marion County High School to earn Four Star School status from the State of Indiana and national recognition from The Washington Post, US News and World Report and Newsweek!

One million wishes...

Just prior to school starting in 2012, FTCSC was devastated to learn that two students died as a result of a car accident. In order to honor the lives of Erin and John Longpre, Mrs. Cathy Burton, President of the Acton Community Council, invited all Franklin Township schools and community members to join her in collecting pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald House. In the first year our community pulled together exceeding the goal of one million tabs for the One Million Wishes campaign. This year a record number of tabs were collected. The 5,378,400 tabs were delivered in eleven cars! Of that impressive total, 2,212,100 tabs came from the schools.
FTMS East students help load their 752,000 tabs for the One Million Wishes Campaign.

FTMS West milks it!

Twelve FTMS West students boarded an activity bus to spend a day on a working farm in Fair Oaks, IN which is about an hour north of Lafayette on I-65. These students were selected based on an essay, as reviewed by a committee, as to why they would enjoy spending a day on the farm at a working dairy. Upon arrival, the students were shuttled to their first adventure, pigs! In this very upscale farming environment, the students were able to view a farrowing barn (sows birthing piglets) and the gestation barn (gilts growing). They saw the employees tend to the baby piglets as they clipped teeth, provided shots, and cleaned the piglets. The farm has about 200-250 piglets born daily!! After the Pig Adventure, they had lunch which included many cheese based options and ice cream! Students visited the gift shop area and took a few minutes to jump on the bounce pit prior to heading to the Dairy Adventure. On the Dairy Adventure we visited the dairy barns and learned about the massive operation at Fair Oaks Farms. Some of the statistics include: -The entire operation covers 19,000 acres. -They produce 250,000 gallons of milk per day and predominantly sell it to Kroger stores in our area. -Each cow eats 100 pounds of food and drinks 30 gallons of water daily. -The farm operates 24 hours a day. -72 cows are milked at the Dairy Adventure simultaneously in the milking parlor. -The health of the cows and the protection of the environment is top priority. -They use the manure to generate renewable energy to run much of the operations. It was interesting and lots of fun! I never thought Id see a newborn, baby pig, said 8th grader Ashtyn Gosnell. Upon returning from the Dairy Adventure they hustled to the Dairy Birthing Barn just in time to see a calf birthed. This was an amazing experience and an incredible way to end the visit. Students returned home after a long day at the farm where everyone had a great time learning about how math, science, and technology are major concepts present in a working farm.

The Franklin Township Education Foundation has organized an Alumni Club which represents all Franklin Township graduates. It is the goal of the club to reunite for the good of the community and the schools. Every graduate and former student of FTCSC has a lifelong connection to Franklin Township, and the Foundation will strive to keep alumni connected and engaged in local happenings. If you are a graduate of the Franklin To w n s h i p schools, FTEF would love to hear from you. Please send your current contact information, along with your graduation year, to: FTEF@ftcsc.k12.in.us If you would like more information on how to be involved with the Foundation, please contact Marikay Raters at 803-5037 or Marikay.raters@ftcsc.k12.in.us.

Attention, ALUMNI:

Girls night out

Middle School West counselors Danielle Etter and Calvalyn Day sponsored a Girls Night Out event for 6th grade girls and a significant women role model in their lives. The evening consisted of viewing the movie "The Clique" and discussing types of bullying, explaining to them how "relational aggression" is a type of bullying. After the movie, small groups met to discuss the movie and ways to counteract bullying.

Project SPARC: FTCSC students learning, working, serving

Located just south of FCHS is the SPARC (Students Providing Access to Resources in the Community) Center. Project SPARC is a special program for FTCSC students who are in their final two years of school. SPARC students are typically 18 to 22 years old and benefit from a school program that focuses on gaining independent living skills as well as preparation for and entrance into the world of work. Students spend their day gaining vocational and life skills at SPARC and in the community. You might see our students working at Very Special Arts, EarthTone Tanning, the Baxter YMCA and Kitley Elementary. FTCSC is also very proud of the work our students do to serve the community. For the past several years, the students in our special needs programs have partnered with community volunteers to offer a clothing and food pantry at SPARC. This outreach to the FT community has been extremely successful. Every Thursday morning from Greetings from SPARC is another exciting adventure students are engaged in. Greetings from SPARC is a student led on-going fundraiser where students make unique greeting cards. The card business, as the students call it, affords an opportunity for gaining vocational skills in the areas of production, filling orders, and general business operations. If you are interested in purchasing handmade greeting cards from SPARC students, please contact Allison Yarbrough at Allison.yarbrough@ftcsc.k12.in.us. All occasion cards are sold in packs of 6 for $5. Cards can also be purchased at the Back Porch Garden in Wanamaker. All proceeds from card sales are used to support student activities and materials. FTCSC is proud of the gains students are making through the expanding use of the SPARC building. Students from the FCHS as well as the students housed full time at Project SPARC are benefitting from the unique opportunities this program offers.

From left to right: Allison Yarbrough, Alec Donnelly, Neil Hall

10:00-12:00 FT community members are welcomed to the food and clothing pantry. Project SPARC students serve these community members while gaining valuable retail, clerical and interpersonal vocational skills.

GET CONNECTED!
Twitter: @DrFloraIndy @FTCSC Facebook: Franklin Township Community School Corporation Web: ftcsc.k12.in.us

FTCSC rises above state average in all areas!

Both ELA/Math ISTEP+ English/LA Math IREAD Grade 3 Graduation Rate 2011-12 State Average 73.50% 79.50% 82.70% 91.40% 88.60% FTCSC 2012-13 81.60% 84.50% 90.50% 95.30% 91.50%

Franklin Townships First Lego League

FIRST LEGO League (FLL) is a robotics program for 9 to 16 year olds designed to get children excited about science and technology -- and teach them valuable employment and life skills. Twentyone fourth, fifth, and sixth grade REACH students from Thompson Crossing and Franklin Township Middle School East comprise two teams, the Flashes and the Flashlights, collaborating in this years First Lego League Challenge. There are three elements to the Challenge: the Robot Game, Project, and FLL Core Values. The teams are developing innovative solutions to problems created by natures fury with the two teams focusing on flooding in Marion County and flooding caused by hurricanes. Mentors from the fire department, Red Cross, and engineers from local firms provide technical expertise and support for the students. Clayton Moore is the coach for the teams with Mary Nine serving as team manager. At their recent run in the First Robotics Competition (FRC), The Flashlights advanced to State. The Flashes won rookie of the year.
Cooper Niemeier

Kitley Elementary is proud to announce Kitleys Year of Sharing: Take a Stand, Lend a Hand. The PTC, All Pro Dads Club students and staff are working together to instill service oriented projects into our classrooms and school. Kitley wants to give back to the community and families who have given so much to Kitley. Each grade level is planning a service project for the year. Also, the PTC is sponsoring initiatives toward ICAN, SPAARC Center, Kitley Kids, and more. The school is collecting pop tabs for Riley Childrens Hospital. In the month of September, Kitley students and raised $834.15 to give to the ICAN organization. ICAN service dogs are trained and matched specifically to people with specific needs. Service dogs serve clients with various developmental and physical disabilities by assisting them with full range of day-to-day activities. They also provide the emotional connection and unconditional love. Kitley has an ICAN dog named Bixby. Bixby works with Kitley students daily to find success, independence and confidence. Grade level service projects include making cards for nursing homes, Operation Christmas Child, Veterans Day, Bears on Patrol, ICAN, the SPARC Center, Riley Hospital,

Kitleys year of sharing

and Kitley Kids. Kitley has also been working with Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts of America and All Pro Dad to better serve Kitleys community.

Kerry McCafferty- Counselor, Jaylen Inman, Connor Stevens, Ella Magyar, and Madyson George, Tammy Beechler4th grade teacher and owner of Mr. Bixby, and Mr. Bixby

Photos

Bunker Hill Elementary and The Southeast Project joined efforts to support the WaterStep Organization. Bunker Hill students collected 2, 175 pairs of shoes. WaterStep uses funds from selling the shoes to place clean water systems in developing nations. When Bunker Hill counselor, Alison Picket, announced the number of shoes collected, WaterStep representative Coralyn Turentine broke down in tears because as she stated, Nobody in Indianapolis has ever collected that many shoes.

South Creek Dads Club helped provide picnic tables for their courtyard.

A current and former FC student performed in this years Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade. The present FC student is senior Hailey Enos and the former student is 2012 graduate Jessica Evinger. The other Air Bears included Mallory Burnett, junior from Center Grove High School and Hannah Nuthak, senior from Shelbyville High School.

The 2013 Franklin Central Boys Tennis team completed a "dream season" the Saturday prior to Fall Vacation. The Flashes, coached by Bruce Torgersen, played in the IHSAA Semi-State for the first time in school history. Although the season ended with a 2-3 loss to Northeastern, the Franklin Township School Corporation community should be proud of the efforts of the young men representing FCHS.

Cassandra Timmons, Adams Elementary art teacher, hosts an Art Club on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Lydia Frost, Madeline Burton, and Cassie Childs have used "junk" to create a piece of artwork!

Special thanks to our 2nd graders who posed for our new banner photo. FTCSC wanted to highlight students from each elementary school. Elijah Shankle Adams Joshua Walter Arlington Zoe Gilliland Bunker Hill Mariagabriela Tapia-Galeno - Kitley Nandini Sachdeva South Creek Kaden Elkins Thompson Crossing

The Arlington Patriots show their school spirit!

The South Creek Child Nutrition Staff.

Thompson Crossing took the first Spirit Award during Franklin Central High Schools annual homecoming parade featuring entries from each elementary and middle school. This year the first Homecoming Spirit Award was presented to Thompson Crossing Elementary for their Willy Wonka themed entry. FC students Avarie Bowman and NaTazah ONeil traveled to Boston with Pilot Flashes Adviser Amanda Allen to attend the Journalism Education Association Convention, held Nov. 14-17. ONeil and Bowman received an excellent rating for editorials and an honorable mention for feature, respectively. They were recognized for their writing skills in a timed write-off contest. Out of 2,032 students, only 859 were acknowledged for their talent. 141 students received a superior rating, 259 received excellent ratings, and 459 received honorable mentions.

This issue of Franklin Townships digital newsletter was designed by senior Eman Mozaffar, co-editor-in-chief of the Pilot Flashes, Franklin Centrals student publication.