Back to School

Dear Fletcher Families,

We are so excited to kick off another fantastic year at Fletcher! Our staff takes great pride in our enriching school community, our outstanding programs, and the meaningful learning experiences we strive to create for each and every student.

At Fletcher, we believe deeply in the power of high expectations, both for ourselves and for our students, your children. Our mission is to nurture and empower all students in an inclusive, supportive environment where they can explore their interests, develop their strengths, and grow into confident, capable learners.

A strong partnership between school, home, and students is essential to making this a successful year. Together, through open communication and shared goals, we can build the foundation for lifelong learning, meaningful collaboration, and positive, productive and caring relationships.

As we embark on this journey together, please know that our doors are always open. Whether you need resources, support, or simply want to connect, we’re here for you and your student every step of the way.

Here’s to a joyful, rewarding, and memorable school year ahead. We’re so grateful to have you as part of the Fletcher family!

Warmly,

Melissa Howell
Principal, Fletcher Middle School

 

Continuing our district focus goal areas within the PAUSD Promise, which encompasses these five key areas:

1. Mental Health and Wellness: Prioritizing our students' mental health and well-being. In conjunction with a licensed mental health and wellness coordinator, school psychologists, school counselors, and a robust wellness center open to students before, during, and after school.
2. Early Literacy: Building a strong foundation for academic success, we employ annual universal literacy screeners for all district students. 
3. Equity and Excellence: Creating an inclusive environment where every student can excel.
4. Innovation: Fostering creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving in and out of the classroom.
5. Serving and Celebrating Others: Promoting empathy, compassion, cultural awareness, and gratitude in our community.

 

Administration and Counseling  

Our Administrators and Counselors look forward to partnering with you:

• Sixth Grade:
  • Melissa Howell, Principal, 6th grade Administrator, mhowell@pausd.org  
  • Jovi Johnston, 6th-grade Counselor, jojohnston@pausd.org 
  • Catharine Ryan, 6th-grade Counselor, cryan@pausd.org 
• Seventh Grade:
  • Jacob Havey, Assistant Principal, 7th-grade Administrator, jhavey@pausd.org
  • Jovi Johnston, 7th-grade Counselor, jojohnston@pausd.org
• Eighth Grade:
  • Kevin Rouse, Assistant Principal, 8th-grade Administrator, krouse@pausd.org 
  • Catharine Ryan, 6th-grade Counselor, cryan@pausd.org 

 

Forms to Complete (ASAP)

1. Complete the Annual Data Update* (ADU) in Infinite Campus. Having your family’s current contact information is critical to accurate and timely communication.

   • Log in to https://login.pausd.org

   • Launch Infinite Campus

   • On the left side menu in Infinite Campus, click "More"

   • Click "Online Registration"

   • Click "Start" next to 24-25 Annual Data Update

   • *ADU must be complete for students to start school, in accordance with district policy.

2. Make school purchases/donations  - specifically, PE uniform purchases, club/activities donations, 6th-grade Tiger Camp/curriculum donations, and/or library and music donations. The form is at the bottom of this message. 

• Print your receipt for your PE purchase and bring it with you to collect your new PE clothes. PE clothes may be purchased and picked up at our Welcome Back Day, August 13, from 12:30 pm - 3:30pm 

• Donate to Partners in Education (PiE). PiE funds important electives, music programs, counselors, and classroom support. Learn more on PiE’s website. Donate here: https://papie.org/donate/

• Connect with the Fletcher PTA at Fletchermiddleschoolpta@gmail.com for more information on how to get involved in your child’s school experience! 

 

ALL INCOMING STUDENTS

• Check out the Fletcher FAQ for more detailed information

6th-Grade ONLY

• Attend WEB (Where Everybody Belongs) Orientation, Tuesday, August 13, 2024 (8:30-12:30p) - all 6th grade students are invited to attend. WEB is a middle school orientation and transition program that welcomes 6th grade students and makes them feel comfortable through the first year of their middle school experience.  It is built on the belief that students can help students succeed, the program trains mentors from our 8th grade class as WEB Leaders (over 40 new and excited leaders). As positive role models, WEB leaders are mentors and student leaders who guide and support 6th graders to discover what it takes to be successful during this transition. This is a year-long mentoring program. Hope to see you all there! WEB Reminder & WEB Information

• Prepare for Tiger Camp by reading about Fletcher Tiger Camp, our special orientation program for 6th graders to help become familiar with our new school, our staff, and each other. Students will attend all of their classes on the first day of school.  Tiger Camp will begin Thursday morning. More information will be sent via ParentSquare. Building our 6th grade student and staff community.

• Learn more about our unique 6th-Grade elective Wheel Program. This is where you can find a brief description of 6th-grade exploratory wheel classes.

 

7th-Grade ONLY

• *Seventh Grade Only – Verify up-to-date Tdap vaccination.*

**The TDAP vaccination must be completed for students to start school in accordance with district policy

 

School & Home Community Communication and Staying Connected

In addition to email, phone calls, or in-person meetings with Fletcher staff, other channels of information that help families stay informed and engaged:

• Principal-Parent Coffee / Conversation 

• ParentSquare messages (all Fletcher staff/admin and PTA messages will come from ParentSquare)

• All parents who are registered with PAUSD are automatically enrolled in ParentSquare On the app or website, it’s a good idea to check your email preferences. Messages can be delivered instantaneously or batched to the end of the day. Parents can change their preferences to ensure they receive messages at their preferred pace.

• Fletcher Social Media

  • Twitter (X): @PAUSD_Fletcher  

  • Instagram: www.instagram.com/ellenfletchermiddlePAUSD

  • Facebook: www.facebook.com/fletchermiddleschoolPAUSD

 

Web Filtering Information and Instructions

Chromebook / Web Filtering: PAUSD is moving to a new web filtering service for students. Parents are now able to create a Parental Monitoring Account via this new service. This account will be able to filter web access and many other aspects of internet usage. This info is available on the PAUSD website.

 

Key Dates

• August 4th, Monday – Fletcher Office opens. Regular Hours are 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM Monday-Friday. 

• August 7th & 8th, Thursday & Friday – 8th Grade WEB Leader Training (WEB Leaders Only)

• August 13th, Wednesday – 6th Grade WEB Orientation. All 6th grade students! 8:30-12:30p - GYM - Check Infinite Campus and ParentSquare for more information (Rising 6th grade and new to PAUSD only)

• August 13th, Wednesday – Welcome Back Day Back to School Parent Volunteers Sign-up Thank you in advance for all your support in preparing us to start school!! PE Clothes, Temp ID Cards, New to PAUSD Student Tours, etc

• August 13th, Wednesday – STUDENT SCHEDULES available at 12pm.  To view your student’s schedule, log in to Infinite Campus.  If you have questions, please contact your child’s counselor. 

• August 14th, Thursday – FIRST DAY of SCHOOL - School starts at 8:30 AM and ends at 2:30 PM. The bell schedule for our first week can be found here.

• August 14th & 15th, Thursday and Friday – Tiger Camp (orientation program) for 6th graders -  On these two days, the 6th graders will participate in a variety of activities to help them transition into middle school and on a new campus.

• August 15th, Friday - Middle School Athletics registration. The City of Palo Alto runs the after school sports programs at all 3 Palo Alto middle schools.  Please note that there is a NEW Registration process for middle school athletics.  For registration, parents need to create an "Enjoy!" account here. 

• August 21st & 22nd, Thursday and Friday – School picture days! More information will come through ParentSquare.

• August 27th, Wednesday – Back to School Night (5:30 - 8pm) - Gym/Classrooms - Mark your calendars. More information will come through ParentSquare.

• August 29th, Friday - Districtwide Minimum day, 12:40 PM dismissal.

 

Fletcher Purchases and Donations for 2025-2026

PURCHASES

• PE Uniform.  A Fletcher logo uniform is not mandatory, but clothes worn in PE classes must be solid black shorts & a solid gray shirt.  
  • PE Uniform Shirt $15
  • PE Uniform Shorts $15

***Please PRINT your receipt for your PE purchase and bring it with you to collect your new PE clothes. 

DONATIONS

• Associated Student Body (ASB)– This important $70 donation helps pay for student activities such as clubs, dances, spirit weeks, and lunch time activities.  
• Student School Supplies - $25 (locks, Binder Reminder Student Planners, 2-inch binders, binder organization tabs, ID cards, etc.). This donation helps us support an equitable system of providing all students with some necessary organization tools to be successful.  
• Adopt a Library Book Donation - $25 donation goes to the continuation of expanding our library collection.
• Adopt a Musical Instrument Donation - $75 donation helps maintain the many instruments used by our students throughout the school year. 
• CTE Program Support - $25 donation helps to support ancillary equipment for our broadcast journalism, computer science, food science, introduction to stage tech and industrial tech programs
• VAPA (Visual and Performing Arts) - $25 donation helps to support ancillary/consumable equipment and material for our art, multi-media art, band, ceramics, choir, drama, and orchestra programs.
• 6th Grade Donation - $100 donation helps enrich the 6th-grade programs, including supporting for the following:
  • Tiger Camp - an orientation and community building program for 6th graders.
  • Exploratory Wheel - contributes to the consumable supplies used by the Wheel classes.
  • Enrichment - helps with school supplies (all students), Scholastic magazines, and classroom ancillary or bonus materials.
• Scholarships/Discretionary Donation -  additional and generous donations help support equality within our Fletcher community. (Thank you!)

How To Pay

• For credit card payment, access the online payment form through ParentSquare.
• To pay by cash or check, please request a purchase form at the Fletcher main office.

 

Thank you very much for supporting our school community.  We – the Fletcher team – look forward to a positive and productive year, and we hope your family is too!  For questions, visit the Fletcher website, or call us at (650)856-9810.