6141 S. Franklin Rd.Indianapolis, IN 46259

317.862.2411

TouchingTomorrow

TodayFall 2013

Making the GradeNews from FTCSC

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 improve-ment and celebrating their success!

I am extremely proud of our school community. We have again dis-played 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 suc-cess 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 technolo-gy. 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 equip-ment needed for the classrooms.

One of our challenges this year is the fact that three buildings are at their func-tional capacity. This is due in part to the ad-dition 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 spe-cial 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 de-signed website, a district Facebook page and Twitter account, and this e-newsletter to share our good news and the work that we do. I encour-age 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 school’s publications staff.

Looking forward to the remainder of a great school year-

Dr. Flora Reichanadter

2013-2014:

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

What to look for

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Mr. Jeff MurphyThompson Crossing Elementary

Mr. Chase HuotariFranklin Township Middle School East

This is Chase’s ninth year in Franklin Township. He started as a Physical Education and Health teacher at Franklin Central and also 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.

Jeff Murphy comes to FTCSC with nine years of teaching experi-ence and 7 years of administrative experience, all at the 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.

Mrs. Melissa MorrisArlington Elementary

Franklin Township Community School Corporation has been Melissa’s school family for more than seven years. During that time she has been a paraprofessional, teacher, instructional coach, substi-

tute, 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.

From left to right- Chase Huotari, Jeff Murphy, Melissa Morris

Welcome, n e w

b u i l d i n g p r i n c i p a l s !

Jon Eckerle is starting his eighteenth year in education, 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 princi-pal 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 bachelor’s degree at Manchester College, his master’s 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.

Mr. Jon Eckerle and Mr. Lucas ZartmanFranklin Central High School

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 percen-tile 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 par-ticipation rate. The fact that your school met these high expectations is evidence of the hard work dem-onstrated by your staff and students.”

For the second year in a row, Franklin Central High School has been recognized by the Washing-ton Post for being in the top 9% of all public and pri-vate high schools in preparing their students for the rigors of college. FC has earned a spot on their lists of America’s Challenge Award winners due to the dedication of having the most sought after gradu-ates by colleges, universities and the world of work.

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:

http://www.usnews.com/education/high-schools/articles/2013/04/23/us-news-releases-2013-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!

Franklin Central High School:State of Indiana honored, nationally

recognized and respected

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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, Presi-dent of the Acton Community Council, invited all Franklin Township schools and community members to join her in collecting pop tabs for the Ronald Mc-Donald House. In the first year our com-munity pulled together exceeding the goal of one million tabs for the One Mil-lion Wishes campaign.

This year a record number of tabs were collected. The 5,378,400 tabs were delivered in eleven cars! Of that impres-sive total, 2,212,100 tabs came from the schools.

FTMS East students help load their 752,000 tabs for the One Million Wishes Campaign.

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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 "re-lational aggression" is a type of bullying. After the movie, small groups met to discuss the movie and ways to counteract bullying.

Girls’ night out

Twelve FTMS West stu-dents 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 ad-venture, pigs! In this very up-scale farming environment, the students were able to view a far-

rowing 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 pre-

dominantly sell it to Kroger stores in our area.-Each cow eats 100 pounds of food and drinks 30 gal-

lons of water daily.-The farm operates 24 hours a day. -72 cows are milked at the Dairy Adventure simultane-

ously in the milking parlor. -The health of the cows and the protection of the envi-

ronment 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 I’d 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.

FTMS West milks it!

The Franklin Township Education Foundation has or-ganized 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 Founda-tion will strive to keep alumni connected and engaged in local happenings.

If you are a gradu-ate of the F r a n k l i n To w n s h i p s c h o o l s , FTEF would love to hear from you. Please send your cur-rent contact information, along with your gradu-

ation year, to: FTEF@ftcsc.k12.in.us If you would like more information on how to be in-

volved with the Foundation, please contact Marikay Rat-ers at 803-5037 or Marikay.raters@ftcsc.k12.in.us.

Attention, ALUMNI:

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Located just south of FCHS is the SPARC (Students Providing Ac-cess 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 gain-ing 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 stu-dents in our special needs programs have partnered with community vol-unteers to offer a clothing and food pantry at SPARC.

This outreach to the FT com-munity has been extremely success-ful. Every Thursday morning from

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

Greetings from SPARC is an-other 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 stu-dents 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 purchas-ing handmade greeting cards from SPARC students, please contact Allison Yarbrough at Allison.yar-brough@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 ex-panding use of the SPARC building. Students from the FCHS as well as the students housed full time at Proj-ect SPARC are benefitting from the unique opportunities this program offers.

FTCSC rises above state average in all areas!

State Average FTCSC 2012-13Both ELA/Math ISTEP+English/LA

IREAD Grade 3Graduation Rate 2011-12

82.70%79.50%73.50%

91.40%88.60%

81.60%84.50%90.50%

91.50%95.30%

Math

Project SPARC: FTCSC students learning, working, serving

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

GET CONNECTED!

Facebook: Franklin Township Community School Corporation

Web: ftcsc.k12.in.us

@FTCSC@DrFloraIndyTwitter:

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FIRST LEGO League (FLL) is a robotics program for 9 to 16 year olds designed to get children excited about science and technol-ogy -- and teach them valuable employment and life skills. Twenty-one 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 year’s First Lego League Challenge. There are three elements to the Chal-lenge: the Robot Game, Project, and FLL Core Values.

The teams are developing innovative solutions to problems cre-ated by nature’s 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 pro-vide technical expertise and support for the students.

Clayton Moore is the coach for the teams with Mary Nine serv-ing as team manager. At their recent run in the First Robotics Com-petition (FRC), The Flashlights advanced to State. The Flashes won rookie of the year.

Franklin Township’sFirst Lego League

Cooper Niemeier

Kitley Elementary is proud to announce Kitley’s Year of Sharing: Take a Stand, Lend a Hand. The PTC, All Pro Dad’s 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, Kit-ley Kids, and more. The school is collecting pop tabs for Riley Children’s 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 de-velopmental and physical disabilities by assisting them with full range of day-to-day activities.

They also provide the emotional connection and un-conditional love. Kitley has an ICAN dog named Bixby. Bixby works with Kitley students daily to find success, in-dependence and confidence.

Grade level service projects include making cards for nursing homes, Operation Christmas Child, Veteran’s Day, Bears on Patrol, ICAN, the SPARC Center, Riley Hospital,

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

Kerry McCafferty- Counselor, Jaylen Inman, Connor Ste-vens, Ella Magyar, and Madyson George, Tammy Beechler-4th grade teacher and owner of Mr. Bixby, and Mr. Bixby

Kitley’s year of sharing

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, Wa-

terStep representative Coralyn Turentine broke down in tears because as she stated, “Nobody in

Indianapolis has ever collected that many shoes.”

South Creek Dad’s Club helped provide picnic tables for their courtyard.

A current and former FC student

performed in this year’s Macy’s 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 Han- nah 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 Thurs- day afternoons. Lydia Frost, Madeline Burton, and Cassie Childs have used "junk" to create a piece of artwork!

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Special thanks to our 2nd graders who posed for our new banner photo. FTCSC wanted to highlight students from each elementary school. Elijah Shankle – AdamsJoshua Walter – ArlingtonZoe Gilliland – Bunker HillMariagabriela Tapia-Galeno - KitleyNandini Sachdeva – South CreekKaden Elkins – Thompson Crossing

Thompson Crossing took the first Spirit Award during Franklin Central High School’s annual homecoming pa-rade featuring entries from each elementary and middle school. This year the first Homecoming Spirit Award was presented to Thompson Crossing Elementary for their Wil-ly Wonka themed entry.

The Arlington Patriots show their school spirit!

The South Creek Child Nutrition Staff.

FC students Avarie Bowman and NaTazah O’Neil traveled to Boston with Pilot Flashes Adviser Amanda Allen to at-tend the Journalism Education Association Convention, held Nov. 14-17. O’Neil and Bowman received an excellent rating for edito-rials 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 Township’s digital newsletter was designed by senior Eman

Mozaffar, co-editor-in-chief of the Pilot Flashes, Franklin Central’s student

publication.