Announcements and rule reminders

• Spring band begins Tuesday, Mar. 16. Rehearsals are Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5:30-7 p.m.

• Mr. Halloran reminds all students:

  • Students are not to have energy drinks in their possession at any time on school grounds.

  • Student Agenda – Any student caught using the agenda of another student will receive a detention.

  • The Middle School is off limits to high school students. If you find that you have to go into the MS area, you must obtain a pass from the HS Office. This is the same procedure for going to the Nurse’s office. Anyone in the MS or Elem buildings without permission is subject to disciplinary action.

  • Student may not have deliveries of food made to the school during the school day.

Do you have an overdue library book?

You know who you are! Mrs. Hathaway has sent three notices reminding students to return their overdue library books. The next step is a letter home to parents. Please, save everyone the trouble and return your books.

FFCS rolls up it sleeves for Red Cross drive

Students, teachers, staff, and administrators turned out in support of the High School Student Government's second Red Cross blood drive on Monday, Mar. 8.

Student Government advisor Laura Egelston reported that Red Cross staff collected 31 units of whole blood and 12 units of Double Red Cells for a total of 43 productive units. First time donors accounted for 12 of the units. (full story and more photos)

ViE bakery news

Get your cookie card and earn free cookies. Buy three cookies and get an "X" on your card. Collect 10 "Xs" and earn three free cookies! The card stays at the cookie cart, so you don't have to worry about losing or forgetting it.

Congrats to our Valentine’s Day contest winners Omijah Piening, Danielle Gargulio, Josh Scrima, and Ryan Hayner and to our Dunkin Donuts gift card winner Trooper Wittner.

And remember, no cookies on Tuesday, Mar. 16—we will sell on Wednesday, Mar. 17 (St. Patrick's Day) instead!

Breakfast with the Easter Bunny

Grab your little brother or sister or neighbor or just come yourself to the Class of 2013's Breakfast with the Easter Bunny on Sunday, Mar. 21 at the Moose Lodge in Johnstown 9 a.m. until noon. Tickets are just $6 and get you pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, ham, homefries, juice and coffee. Contact any freshman for tickets or Delilah Purcell @ 518-922-5646 or via email at ffcs2013@gmail.com.

Battle of the Belts set for Apr. 14

Are you fast? Are you clever? Do you want a chance to share the message that seatbelts save lives? Then set aside Wednesday, Apr. 14 for Student Government's annual Battle of the Belts competition. Teams of four will compete to see who can rotate through the four seats of Trooper Witner's car buckling and unbuckling their seatbelts. The fastest team earns the right to compete at the World Championships in Chatham, NY on Sunday, Apr. 25. Additional prizes will be awarded for best t-shirt design and the best team name. Watch for details.

February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month

Did you know:

• Teen dating violence is a pattern of controlling behaviors by one teenager over another teenager with whom they are in a dating relationship.

• Teen dating violence can include physical violence but can also include emotional and/or verbal abuse.

• Twenty-four percent of 14 to 17-year-olds know at least one student who has been the victim of dating violence

• 81% of parents either believe teen dating violence is not an issue or admit they don't know if it is an issue.

• The violence can happen over time and one may not even realize the behavior is abusive.

For the first time ever, Congress and New York State are proclaiming the entire month of February to be Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month. Learn more about the problem and what you can do to stop it by visiting the state Teen Dating Violence web site.

Is your emergency contact information up-to-date?

If your child became seriously ill at school, could we reach you? If there were an emergency school closing, how would we let you know?

Whether for a snow day or some school emergency, school officials occasionally need to contact parents/guardians with important information. We rely on the emergency contact information that you provide at the beginning of each year. But, people move; phone numbers and e-mail addresses change. In the event of an emergency, could we reach you? Don't leave things to chance; please contact your school with any changes to your emergency contact information.

Six athletic squads earn Scholar-Athlete awards

The York State Public High School Athletic Association has recognized six Fonda-Fultonville fall sports teams for their successes in the classroom. The following FFCS varsity teams qualified for the NYSPHSAA Fall Scholar-Athlete Team Award:

• Boys Soccer - 95.960

• Girls Soccer - 95.779

• Girls X-Country - 93.971

• Boys X-Country - 93.312

• Football - 92.991

• Volleyball - 92.440

To qualify, a specific number of athletes on each roster (the number varies by sport) must have a class average of 90 or above.

Texting—it’s no big deal?

Trooper Wittner shares the following:

New studies show that drivers overestimate their ability to multitask behind the wheel. Do you wonder how distracting texting can be? Check out this game designed to demonstrate the potential consequences of distractions—like texting—on your driving ability. The game measures how your reaction time is affected by external distractions. Regardless of your results, experts say, you should not attempt to text when driving. (As with all games, intense levels of concentration or repetition can lead to more successful outcomes.)

Stop into the media center for some great new books

Mrs. Hathaway added some new books to her shelves. Just ask her to point them out! (see what else is new on the shelves)