Franzen Intermediate > Principal >

Dear Franzen Community,

What a wonderful 2012 and we look forward to a terrific 2013!  Returning to school after break is a fantastic time of year. The students and teachers have already learned routines and doing fantastic things as a team, working together to reach each child’s full potential. It is during the winter months that so many students make incredible gains!  It’s truly rewarding for those of us in education!

This is also the time when expectations in the classrooms rise, workloads increase and important goals are met. If your son or daughter notices that things are getting “harder”, it is probably because they are! Support them by letting them know they can meet the challenge! If you see a serious problem, always let teachers know. We will be expending a lot of energy in the coming weeks to meet the goals of our curriculum and to prepare students for the upcoming state tests (ISAT).

Snowy and Cold Weather:

As a reminder, although we have been spoiled so far, during the snowy and cold weather, students will still be going outside for recess. Please remind your children to dress properly for this type of weather. If students wish to play in the snow, they MUST have on: boots, snow-pants, gloves/mittens, and obviously winter coats.  As stated in the handbook, if the temperature or wind-chill is at 10 degrees or lower, we will NOT go outside for recess.

Drop-Off and Pick-Up:

I want to thank all of the parents that have continued to keep safety a priority in dropping of their children for school during these snowy and slippery days.

Please remember to pull all the way up to the car in front of you when dropping off or picking up your child(ren). This will help in preventing a backup on Catalpa into our parking lot….which causes students to be late for school. Please, only let your children out on the right side of the car. Cars pass on the left side, so this is definitely safety issue.

Help Prevent Tardiness:

Because of the inclement weather, it will take longer to get ready (boots, coats, snow-pants) and take longer (slow-moving traffic) to get to school. So, please be mindful of our starting time. We start classes promptly each morning at 8:25 AM; so if you are dropping your child off, please leave with some additional time so that your child is here on time. When students are late it disrupts the class and interferes with your child’s academics as well as the academics of others.

I am truly thankful to work with each Franzen family and student.  Itasca is a special place and we cherish each one of your students while under our care and guidance.

Thank you for sharing your children with us,

Mr. Jeffrey J. Murphy