Register for the 2012-2013 now and assure your student(s) a place on a class roster! Space is limited – call 939-4642.

First come, first serve!  (make sure you have Adobe Reader installed on your computer to access and print forms)

Information downloads:

letter for 12-13 packets – new registration familes

Are you ready for preschool checklist

School information Q&A

Parent Information and aftercare

Registration and Tuition information (Financial aide information below) : Financial Agreement 2012-2013

Forms to be filled out for registration: (click on the link to open)

new family registration packet1213 (our office staff can notarize for you)

Financial Aid Application 12-13 (if needed)

The 1987 FMCS yearbook was dedicated to the memory of David M. Benton. David passed away during the summer, before his junior year in high school. This is an excerpt from that yearbook: “He was a treasured gift to us and our school. He was a member of the National Honor Society, starter for the varsity basketball team, had a love for baseball, and  scored very high in his academics. But of the many things for which he is remembered, his love for Jesus is the one thing he would want us to look back on the most. David was a very special person with an overwhelming love for God – and it showed! He will always be a precious memory in our hearts and will constantly be thought of for who he was – ‘a priceless child of God’. “David was a student who tried to set a positive example in his life spiritually, academically and athletically. This is the type of student we are looking for at FMCS!

Timothy 4:12: Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.

STEP #1: Click here, david benton brochure 12-13 to find ways that you can afford to bring your child to FMCS!

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- Once you have read the brochure, for those of you choosing the FAST option, this will help you:

- Click the “FAST” button apply for financial aid through FAST.  This is the link for the Parent’s Application.

- Please contact FAST Client Services at 1-877-326-3278 if you have any questions.

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Step Up For Students (http://www.stepupforstudents.org/)

The application season for the 2011-12 school year is upon us! Below please find some critical dates regarding this year’s application season and instructions on how to work with families looking to apply for the Step Up For Students scholarship for 2011-12.

As you know, in the past two years, we’ve experienced an incredibly high demand for scholarships and, unfortunately, we have had to close the application season early. We expect the demand for scholarships for the 2011-12 school year to be no different.  Because of this, we highly encourage renewal families to submit their applications early. Below you’ll find a few key highlights for this application season:

• Applications for NEW families will be available in early May.
• For the 2011-12 application, the online application fee is $30.

Why are we making these changes?

1) Demand for the scholarship program continues to grow.  Over 9,000 students expressed interest in the scholarship program AFTER we closed the 2010-2011 season due to reaching our funding limit.
2) Thousands of new and renewal parents waited until the end of July (or later) to apply for the 2010-2011 scholarship, and consequently began the school year uncertain of the status of their child(ren)’s scholarship application.  This caused anxiety for parents, students and school administrators.  Some were found to be ineligible, and then had to face a tuition balance at their private school and the dilemma of where to place their child for the school year.

We recognize that the dates for the 2011-12 application season are different from past years, and therefore we are letting you know in advance. We would hate for eligible families to miss out because they waited too long to apply. As in years past, parents (new or renewal) should call our contact center with any questions regarding the 2011-12 application season at 877-735-SUFS.

Thanks!

Elizabeth Watson
Step Up For Students (not with FMCS)

PTF (Parent-teacher Fellowship) is now PARENT UNIVERSITY at FMCS! (Yes, the initials are “PU,” as in “that smells” – sometimes it “stinks” to be a parent, but the blessings are more than worth it.) Parent University will provide the chance for you to:

1. Become involved in your child’s education by volunteering! Research shows that such involvement causes children to behave better, earn higher grades, score better on tests and graduate at higher rates. (www.familyfun.com) Every responsibility is just as important as the next – no job is too small! We all work together to help this “body” become a strong Christian School. (I Corinthians 12:12)Our parents are instrumental in providing supplies and equipment for our students and teachers through fundraisers: Move A Thon, Christmas Store, Coin Drive, Box Tops, Used Uniform Store, and the annual golf tournament.
2. Have access to receive resources and information to help you stay in touch with your child’s education – grades and homework online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (At Parent University we call that “24-7”) that will help you stay in touch with your child’s progress; a website with resources on parenting (coming to www.fmcs-fl.com) – ways to help support your children and their teachers academically and spiritually. NEW FOR 2011-12 – Partnership with Biblical Parenting University . New online classes that parents can watch at home to help you raise your children:  flyer.   We are all in this together! Proverbs 22:6 “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”  
3. Attend special family nights _ Chuck E Cheese, Chick Fil-A , Coldstone and more. You can also build relationships with other parents – Parent University works because volunteering, fundraising, educating and supporting parents helps us “academically train and spiritually nurture students to become productive citizens in society and impact others for Jesus Christ.”

Introducing our Parent University Chairpersons for this year (events that parents can complete their volunteer hours) : FMCS VOLUNTEER HOURS PROGRAM 11-12

First meeting is Thursday, September 8th in the middle school cafeteria at 7:00 pm

Parent University’s Top Parent Resources:
National Center for Biblical Parenting – http://www.biblicalparenting.org
All Pro Dad – great advice from Tony Dungy, NFL players, and other Christian role models  | Allprodad.com
Book: “Rock-Solid Kids: Giving Children a Biblical Foundation For Life” | Christianbook.com
Book: “Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions” by George Barna | Christianbook.com
Fun Stuff for kids and parents | Familyfun.com
Website for families | Myfamilyminute.com
Website for moms | imom.com
Sheridan House Family Ministries | shfm.org
Twelve Precepts of a Father’s Calling | shfm.org
Tips for school and home | Schoolfamily.com
Tips for parents regarding Facebook and kids

- 2011-12 Calendar as of 9/19/2011 – school calendar 11-12

InfoDirect™ helps parents connect our school to the home by means of a secure Internet connection. With a user ID and password, parents are able to check lunch menus, upcoming events, get directions to a sporting event, download homework assignments, even check their financial account information. All of this can be done from their home computer, for a very affordable annual fee.

1. Secure access with a username and password.
2. Information is updated daily.
3. Accessible available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
4. 12 months for the price of 10.

“I just wanted to let you know how much we appreciate InfoDirect. My son has always wanted to get straight A´s and he was so close, usually. He had determined that this year he would get all A´s. Having the ability to check his grades whenever he wants to (and us too) has given him that “extra” tool to achieve his goal! He is right on track and we are so proud of him! We wanted you to know how this has helped him to be successful. I know there have been a few little tweaks required, but whenever we had a discrepancy, the teachers have responded by e-mail very quickly. Keep up the great work!”

- Parent Comment

VERY important things that you need to know:

1) If you did not get your password and username, it may be due to several reasons:
a. You don’t have email
b. You have blocked the address and we can’t get in
(set your computer to allow info@fmcs-fl.org)
c. The email address you gave us is incorrect and we need an updated address. Please call the front office anytime you have a change in email addresses!!
2) Most of our information thru the school will come by:
a. Web Page, www.fmcs-fl.org
b. InfoDirect
We will be trying to cut back on sending papers home, including Newsbriefs. When you log into Infodirect, ALWAYS CHECK the first page for news updates and announcements! There will be no need to send home lunch menus, since that information can be accessed on InfoDirect. If you do not have access, please contact the office and we can get you a paper copy.
3) With parents having access to grades, we will NOT be sending home mid-term notices, unless you are a parent that does not have access to InfoDirect. The intention of mid-term notices was to keep you updated on grades, but now you can check them anytime.
4) REPORT CARDS, which were usually sent at the end of the quarter, will be sent electronically at the end of quarters 1, 2, and 3. The final report card, which is the official report card, will be mailed home at the end of the year.
5) Many of you have already received an email message from a teacher about a grade praise or concern. When you get those emails, DO NOT HIT REPLY. That only sends the email back to a general message box at the school. USE THE EMAIL ADDRESS given by the teacher at the end of their message.
6) Financial Information will be posted on Infodirect soon. We are waiting on a technical update in order to provide this service.
7) Grades – teachers have up to three days to record a grade in their Infodirect gradebook. Please be patient with them as they learn the system. And be patient with us because, with a new system, there are bound to be a few problems.

If you are a parent to a student at Fort Myers Christian School (FMCS) and you need help accessing InfoDirect, please contact us at email address: info@fmcs-fl.org. If you already have received the username and password for InfoDirect™, please click here.

Would you like to find out what is taught in each grade level at FMCS? do you want to see how we are working on aligning with our state’s standards? Welcome to our new “curriculum map” website provided by Rubicon Atlas.

BEFORE YOU GO THE SITE: FMCS teachers have been working very hard for many years uploading and updating information for each subject and each grade level. Not every subject and level is complete…yet. (Overall as a school, Bible will appear in 2011; teachers are still working on other subject areas) This will never be a finished product – it is ALWAYS updating every year if we want to provide the best for your children.

Please be sure to read the directions so that you understand these are not lessons plans, they are maps that will help you see the road to learning at FMCS – the content, skills, and the very important, faith integration,  that takes place. FMCS would like to thank former Principal, Shelton Gwaltney and Assistant Principal, Denise Encarnacion – they helped us get this process started in 2004.

Benefits of Mapping (From the Rubicon Atlas Site)

Atlas allows educators to look through the macro lens at a student’s learning experience and build on what students have learned in previous years to prepare them for future classes and achievement.

Using Atlas, curricular information can be assembled and used by curriculum decision makers to:

• Determine what is taught, as it actually occurs in the classroom.
• Understand how students are being taught.
• Make appropriate, immediate modifications to the curriculum.
• Determine “why” certain performance results have been achieved.

Atlas can also allow parents a larger view of what their children are experiencing in the classroom and the requirements needed to excel. It has the capability to enable community leaders and board members to see how schools are planning students’ educational careers and what support is needed to ensure success.

TO GO TO THE FMCS PUBLIC SITE, CLICK HERE

The Principal’s “90 Club”

Those who scored in the 90th percentile or above on the complete battery of the 2010 SATs, national percentile ranks for students in grades K through 8th grade). This is the fourth year of our club – 28 members! These students scored in the top 90% NATIONALLY compared to students who took the SAT at their grade level:

Kindergarten
Kaydi Baxter 95
Robert Benstine 95
Reilly Mulligan 95
Chase Neville 96
Jackson Miller 96
Kaatja VanZanten 97

First Grade:

Michael Carter – 91
Elyse Ranck - 90

2^nd

Eva Xioutas 93

3^rd

Rilie Furdell 93
Laura Gequelin  95
Erin Reeves 91
Lizzie Swiersz  93

4th

Aiden Bennett - 94
Alex Bryant - 95
Meghan Kline 91
Courteny Simmons 92
Hannah Upton 90

5^th
Lauren Hearn 92
Nicholas Norys 93
Patrick Pereira 93

7th

Elijah Benzon - 91
Sarah Sweirsz  - 94
Victoria Weller - 94

^8th

Taylor Lowry - 93
Ariana Bergmann – 92
Zach Liebetreu – 92
Robin Mitchell – 92

*Stanine Score: Standard score with a mean of 5 and a standard deviation of 2. Stanines of 1,2,3 are below average; 4.5.6. are average; and 7, 8, and 9 are above average.