FMS Newsletter: Week of October 18, 2026

Dear Fernwood Families, 

What an incredible and action-packed week we had at Fernwood Middle School!

First, a huge congratulations goes out to Mr. Warner and our brilliant Quiz Bowl team for bringing home the championship title this week! Their hard work, quick thinking, and impressive teamwork truly paid off, and we could not be prouder of their big victory.

Throughout the week, we also observed School Violence Awareness Week. Our students and staff took time to engage in thoughtful discussions and activities centered on kindness, conflict resolution, and keeping Fernwood a safe, welcoming environment for everyone.

Finally, our building was glowing on Wednesday as students and staff wore yellow to celebrate National School Bus Safety Week! It was a fantastic show of appreciation for our dedicated bus drivers and transportation team who work so hard to keep our students safe on the road every single day.

Thank you for everything you do to support our school community. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Sincerely,

Frank Locantora

Principal

The Fernwood Quiz Bowl team had an amazing performance Monday at the 18th annual Quiz Bowl competition at St. Augustine Prep.  For the first time in school history, Fernwood got first place in the Quiz Bowl!  The team correctly answered an incredible 58 out of 60 questions.  They had perfect 15 out of 15 scores in the Literature round, the History Round, and the Pop Culture round.  Awesome job, team!  Your hard work paid off, and we are all very proud of you.

 

The team members were:

Daraniya Dhamodaran

Tashmia Hoque

Anaya Malik

Ethan Minshall

Cassandra Perry

Westley Sturgill

Zeke Tewasiliig

Richard Zhou

Anna Alayan

Landon Desantis

Owen Garrow

James Kelisek

Julian Krykewycz

Jaxon Pack

Tyler Rossi

David Ruiz

Mrs. Mosetti’s math students kicked off their new unit on SLOPE by putting their creativity and engineering skills to the test! Students have been busy designing and building their own roller coasters while exploring how steepness, inclines, and declines connect to the math they’ll be learning. It’s been exciting to see their creativity shine as they bring their designs to life! The students are looking forward to testing out their final creations and seeing their hard work in action! 

Ms. Fil’s Social Studies classes became archaeologists. Students created their own archaeological tools using popsicle sticks, toothpicks, and tape to help uncover and study artifacts from the past. From shovels and pickaxes to trowels and brushes, students put their creativity and problem-solving skills to work while learning how archaeologists explore history!

🏈 Math meets Fantasy Football! Students in Mrs. Mosetti’s classes solved equations while their football teams scored points, bringing some friendly competition to math practice. Congratulations to our top winners... so proud of their hard work and math skills! 🏆

Students in Mr. Hammond’s social studies class completed a Native American choice board project exploring aspects of Native American life and the challenges Native Americans faced during westward expansion. Students could create a video, write a poem or rap, write a short story from a first-person point of view, or design a visual poster. Pictured are students who chose the poster option.

Students in Sr. Riveros’s, Srta. Begueri’s, and Sra. Dilks’s classes celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month through engaging activities exploring the geography of Hispanic countries, learning about influential historical and cultural figures, and discovering fascinating facts about each country. They brought their learning together by collaboratively creating a beautiful and colorful bulletin board for the entire school community to enjoy!

A big shout-out to some of our NJHS students who volunteered at Davenport’s Parent Engagement Night! They were a tremendous help assisting the little ones and keeping the STEM Maker Space organized and fun. Thank you for sharing your time and energy... we appreciate your efforts to support our community!

7th Grade Media classes are working on promoting our sports! Check out this year's cross-country team!

This week, multiple teachers have been “ducked”! 🦆 Little ducks have mysteriously appeared in Mr. Rupp, Ms. Sutley, Mrs. Wenzel, Mrs. Easterling, and Mrs. Costino’s classrooms… but where did all these ducks come from?!

Stay tuned to find out who’s causing all the quack-tastic chaos around Fernwood!

Shrek Jr. is currently under way! Come visit Duloc and all the fairytale creatures! 

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