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Preparing for Success

The Thrive Program at FMCS is a supplemental academic support program for enrolled students with identified learning needs. Students within this program will pay a $200 program fee per school year to receive support services. Once enrolled in the program, students may receive supplemental instruction in the academic areas of language arts and math. Materials are chosen to address the ability level of the student, with the goal of instruction to strengthen academic success in the general classroom environment. Interventions may include building upon visual and auditory processing skills and memory strategies, as well as review of learned material in smaller group settings. Not all students with an IEP/504 Plan will benefit from Thrive; however, any student with a mild learning need will be considered on a case-by-case basis for the program based on the school’s available support resources.

Incoming students who have an IEP/504 plan, evidence of current psycho-educational testing, or students previously identified with a mild learning need or ADD/ADHD will be considered for the program. Prospective Thrive candidates will be required to provide evidence of current learning needs or IEP/504 Plan to determine school’s ability to provide necessary accommodations.

Current enrolled students who are struggling in the classroom, but have not been previously identified shall be referred to the Thrive Coordinator by the classroom teacher. An accommodation plan may be developed and implemented for the student according to student needs and school resources. In these cases, if ongoing interventions are required for a student, parents will be requested to obtain additional psychoeducational evaluations from a third party provider.

Once enrolled in Thrive, program interventions are documented and evaluated periodically to determine student progress by the Thrive Coordinator. If there is not adequate educational progress, the school will discuss and recommend additional steps to evaluate and meet student needs. In some instances, with the motivation to best serve and support the child, the school may recommend withdrawal and placement at another institution of learning to better serve the child’s individual needs.

Testimonials

“I would like to thank Mr. Mitchell and all of the teachers and staff at FMCS for all the love and care you’ve shown to my daughter. This is something she will remember forever. Only God knows how grateful I am for FMCS and the blessing it has been for our family. We cannot stop thanking God for the amazing change we have seen in our daughter’s life and the progress she has made after 4 years at FMCS. It’s been an amazing experience to get to know everyone. I thank you for the opportunity to volunteer and for the care FMCS has shown to our family. Thank you and we will miss everyone so much!”

Jamille Bernardes

We wanted to say another huge THANK YOU to you and your staff!! The 2020-2021 school year is almost over and has been a success. The extra efforts put forth by all of the FMCS staff have been exceptional!! We have been thrilled to attend Feed The Need, the Christmas program, Grandparent’s Day, soccer games, the Sports Banquet and we look forward to next week’s end-of-year Award Ceremony. It saddens us knowing so many students and families in the area or around the country have not had the same opportunities. FMCS HAS DONE IT RIGHT AND WITH EXCELLENCE!!! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Steve & Barb Tinklepaugh

“My name is Christine Swiersz. My husband, Tom, and I have had the great blessing of having all four of our daughters graduate from Fort Myers Christian School. The sixteen consecutive years our four daughters have attended FMCS have impacted our family and each of our lives in ways that words can never describe. All six of us have been changed for a lifetime. We have grown in our relationships, in our academic strengths, and, most of all, in our faith. Our children have grown exponentially in their faith in amazing ways, and so have my husband Tom and I!”

Christine Swiersz

“I’m a proud alumni of FMCS. I loved everything about my time as an Eagle! When it came time to choose a school for our son, there was no place else we would rather send him. We look forward to seeing him grow during his time at FMCS!”

Anna (Hansen) Price
FMCS Class of 2006

“We chose to send Elizabeth to FMCS because we wanted our daughter to be surrounded by teachers and staff that would help her to grow academically and spiritually. As an alumni, one thing that always stuck out in my mind was how the school always felt like home. The teachers and staff were so devoted to their students and made us feel like family. FMCS became our number one choice because of the caring teachers and staff.”

Angela (Roser) Olsen
FMCS Class of 1993 with Elizabeth Olsen

“I decided to send Emma to FMCS because, I wanted her to grow up with a solid Christian foundation. I knew that at FMCS she would not only receive a great academic education, but also a great faith-based education as well. I loved my time at FMCS and know a lot of the staff from when I attended. Starting school this year is unlike any year before and I knew that I could trust FMCS to keep her safe and allow her to learn and grow while still having fun. I had no doubts that Emma would be in good hands and would be loved by all of the school personnel.”

Chelsey (Cline) Zuniga
FMCS class of 2006 with Emma Zuniga

“I didn’t just want a private school education for my sons, I wanted it to be a biblical, Christ centered one. Having had Mel Mitchell as my principal and friend when I was a student, I know first hand his sincere love for Christ and his Word. FMCS is a reflection of that love and leadership.”

Matt Anderson
FMCS Class of 2000 with son, Grant Anderson

“It was a joy to watch Johnathon grow in his faith and his academic ability while at Fort Myers Christian school from 1st – 8th grade. We knew when we first visited FMCS, that there was such a presence of faith in the school – even our family that visited Johnathon there felt the same way. I’ll never forget the night a first grade teacher at FMCS called to tell me that she had heard of our interest in the school, that they were ready with open arms to take Johnathon in, to “love” him, and to work with him and his learning challenges. Through the years, she remained true to her word, as did the many other wonderful teachers at FMCS. A couple of years ago, during his finals week in high school, the exams were quite comprehensive. When I picked him up after school I asked him how it was all going. He said, “If I hadn’t learned everything that I learned at Fort Myers Christian School, these tests would be a lot harder. I learned so much there, mom.” How’s that for affirmation? We are so grateful to Fort Myers Christian School for laying a solid foundation for our son.”

Jill Sherman
Mother of FMCS Alumni, Johnathon Sherman (FMCS Class of 2017)
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Winter News

New Positions

HR Director: The focus of this HR generalist-style position is to manage the day-to-day activities of the human resources department, including employee recruitment and onboarding; training, employee relations; benefits and insurance; legal compliance. This is a full time position. Interested applicants should send a cover letter and resume to mhoeth@famfm.com. No phone calls please.

Librarian: Can be a full time or a part time position. A teaching degree would be preferred. This staff member would meet with all elementary classes for a time to read a book and to allow the students to check out their books. A love for literature is a must! Please download and fill out the staff application and return it to Fort Myers Christian School, 1550 Colonial Blvd., Fort Myers, Florida, 33907. You can also email it to Mrs. Diane Winningham, Head of School, at dwinningham@fmcs-fl.com. Thank you.

A Little Change Can Make a Big Difference

For the month of December, we are raising money for the Tarantino Family, who are serving in Israel. This money will go towards the many needs in Israel at this time. Containers are set up in the Elementary front receptionist area and with the Middle School Receptionist as well. The Tarantino children attended FMCS and our desire is to support their ministry.