JMS Parent Newsletter

We hope you are enjoying the long weekend with family and friends!

We will continue to communicate how your child can be successful in the building and while at home participating in remote learning.

It is important to keep in mind the following:

1. Students must check canvas ANNOUNCEMENT pages for all classes daily!
2. Students must participate/complete assignments on Canvas on days they are at home.
3. All virtual assignments will be graded!
4. Virtual day attendance will be taken each day for each class!
5. Students must check email and Canvas messages daily!

Please see below for what is included in this newsletter:

• The Eagle Eye - A Look at the Week Ahead
• Staff Leadership in Action Award Recipients
• Attendance - How is my child marked "present" for remote learning days?
• How can I teach my child about Grit?
• ITC Corner - Tips from Mr. Fowler
• The Reading Eagle
• JMS PTO Update
• Skyward for Grades
• ConnectOR Update
• Tech Support Information
• Counselors Corner
• Free Meals, September Breakfast & Lunch Menus and Lunch Applications
• Athletic Update

Thank you for your support of our teachers, staff and admin team! Have a wonderful week!

Phil Cox, Principal, pcox@ortn.edu

Jenifer Laurendine, Vice Principal, jllaurendine@ortn.edu

Nick Corrigan, Dean of Students, njcorrigan@ortn.edu

Ben Fowler, Instructional Technology Coach, bjfowler@ortn.edu

Monday, September 7

No school - students & staff

Football Practice - 10-12pm

Tuesday, September 8

A Day

L – Z on campus

A – K remote learning

Football Practice 3-5pm

Cross Country 3-4:30pm

Volleyball Practice 3-5pm

Wednesday, September 9

All students remote learning

Administrative Team Meeting- Eagle Innovation Center - 6:30am

STEM Review Meeting- Eagle Innovation Center - 11-11:30am

Faculty Food Truck -The Crave 11-1pm

Safety Team Meeting - Zoom - 1:00pm

Departmental Meetings - 2pm

Volleyball Practice - Gym 3-5pm

Football Practice Varsity 3-4:30pm, JV 4:30-5:30pm

Cheer Practice 3-4:30pm

Cross Country Meet @ JMS - Girls – 6:15pm, Boys – 6:45pm

Thursday, September 10

B Day

A – K on campus

L – Z remote learning

Special Areas Meeting - Zoom - 7:45am

Fire Drill - 2pm

Cross Country 3-4:30pm

Volleyball/Cheer-Individual & Team Pictures - Check with coach regarding time/place

Volleyball Match vs. Jacksboro - 8th Grade Night - JV – 4:30pm, Varsity – 5:30 & 6:30pm

Football Game @ Loudon Middle School - 6:30pm

Friday, September 11

B Day

L – Z on campus

A – K remote learning

Football Practice 3-5pm

Cross Country 3-4:30pm

Volleyball Practice Gym 3- 5pm

Ms. Liz Davis - Main Office

This leadership in action award recipient is constantly working to provide a high level of support to students, staff, parents and community members each day. She can be seen assisting stakeholders, while putting the safety of our students and staff first at all times. She stepped up tremendously when we returned to school by wearing multiple hats. She is always willing to do whatever is necessary to benefit the students and staff of Jefferson Middle School. Her hard work and attention to detail is evident in her work each day and she can be seen getting her steps in with frequent trips between the office and the secured lobby entrance. We are proud to announce Ms. Liz Davis as our August Staff Leadership in Action award recipient.

Mr. Mike Randolph - Head Custodian

This leadership in action award recipient has been a pillar in the success of our reopening plan for the 2020-21 school year. He plays a crucial role in the health and safety of our students and staff every day. He works quickly when given a task and provide updates in a timely fashion. He stays late after clocking out to assist where needed in order to get the job done. From preparing our building with walking lanes & arrows, to submitting work orders, to moving furniture and scrubbing floors, Mike is always willing to lend a helping hand and volunteer as needed. We are proud to announce Mr. Mike Randolph as our August Staff Leadership in Action award recipient.

This year, attendance looks a bit different with the staggered schedule and students working at home 3 days per week. When your child is in the building, attendance is marked as normal. However, it is very important that students mark their attendance through Canvas the days they are working from home.

Each grade level has their own method of taking their remote learning attendance. Teachers are either using a "Question of the Day" or a Microsoft Form to collect student attendance when they are working from home.

Teachers then take that data and submit it to the office. If your child does not log into Canvas and mark their attendance for each class, they will be counted absent. If your child is unable to log into Canvas when they are at home participating in remote learning due to sickness, you can use your parent notes or doctors note. These notes must be submitted within 3 days from the absences, just like for attendance when child is in the building.

If you have any questions about remote learning attendance, please reach out to Jenifer Laurendine at 865-425-9257.

Don’t let tech troubles get you down. Take a look at the infographic below for some basic steps for students to address remote learning troubles.

As always, if you need help, please let me know at 425.9290 or email me at bjfowler@ortn.edu.

Audiobook and eBook Information:

Long weekend and you can’t get to the library? Audio and eBooks to the rescue! The JMS library has 771 digital books available to students. These books are in the from of audiobooks and eBooks. They are available to all students anytime. Students need to be logged in to Destiny Discover to be able to use all the digital book features. Please see picture below for help. Also, don’t hesitate to reach out to Mrs. Haverkamp at ewhaverkamp@ortn.edu.

Holds:

Can’t get to the library?! Don’t forget about holds. Mrs. Haverkamp will bring it to you before school. Connect OR students can also put a book on hold. Mrs. Haverkamp will email you pick up instructions.

PTO Annual Direct Drive Fundraiser - September 17 - 25!

Each year, the PTO does one “no-sale” fundraiser. Instead of asking the students to sell items door to door, we just ask for a monetary donation. The main benefits of this fundraising method are: MUCH less work for students and their families AND we keep 100% of the money raised instead of giving 60% to an outside vendor. That means more money to help JMS! The annual fundraiser has allowed PTO to help JMS with purchasing things like dissection frogs, clay and paint for art classes, CPR training for the staff, furniture for the Eagle Innovation Center and much much more so please keep an eye out for the fundraiser letter and envelope coming home this Thursday or Friday and consider helping out JMS with this once a year monetary donation!

“Like” the New PTO Facebook Page

The PTO now has a Facebook page! To stay informed about PTO meetings and events, be sure to “like” our page. Search for Jefferson Middle School PTO or click here https://www.facebook.com/Jefferson-Middle-School-PTO-107297091103222/

Skyward - (video below)

Parents are able to check student grades in Skyward at any time. Teachers will work to keep the Skyward grade book up to date weekly. This will help to have a better idea of student's progress weekly. Here you are able to see what your child is missing and how it is impacting your child's grade.

If you are unable to access Skyward, please contact Amy Myers at amyers@ortn.edu for log in assistance.

Just a reminder that for assignments, lessons, etc., students are required to check Canvas daily. Students should check the announcements page and check their email to ensure they are up to date with each class on a daily basis.

Dear Middle School ConnectOR Parents,

Based on parent feedback, teachers are posting each week’s agenda, assignments and due dates in the Announcements Tab. This will allow parents to access each week’s work in the same place for each class. Teachers are also posting assignments in modules and calendars and in the assignments tab for APEX classes. We hope that having each week’s agenda in the same place for each course will help. The ConnectOR Middle School Home Room canvas page will also have each week’s assignments and due dates for each grade level.

The Middle School ConnectOR Home Room Canvas page is now published. This page will function as a depository for parent information including the following pages:

• Grade level weekly agenda’s with assignments and due dates
• Zoom times and addresses
• Parent and student support sessions information
• ConnectOR “how to” Videos on
• Canvas
• Skyward
• Clearing Browser Cache
• Uploading a file in canvas
• Taking a quiz in APEX
• Tech Tips: I can’t hear when on zoom
• What is Cabin Fever and How to Manage it
• How to fix your microphone

• Middle School ConnectOR Grading Practices
• ConnectOR MS Code of Conduct
• ConnectOR Calender

We have begun attendance calls this week. We are marking students absent who have not engaged in any canvas learning and have not logged into canvas. Basing our attendance on student engagement throughout the week allows greater parent flexibility on when and where schooling occurs throughout the day or week.

We continue to get several parent concerns about middle school students not having to click a button for attendance, yet high school siblings or high school neighbors are having to click attendance buttons. We regret any confusion this causes and hope these differences will cause less concern over time.

The Middle School ConnectORms email has been a great source of information for parents. Thank you for your questions and comments. They make us better able to serve your students. We respectfully request that when you email ConnectORms@ortn.edu please leave your student’s name and grade level. This really helps us find answers quicker or know what teacher to contact.

Cabin Fever is the popular term to describe a myriad of symptoms related to being isolated for extended periods. Cabin Fever is not a diagnosis but rather a constellation of symptoms that occur under circumstances such as quarantining, virtual commuting or virtual schooling. Not all students will experience the same symptoms if at all; however many students may experience restlessness, frustration or irritability. Things that help with Cabin Fever are getting outside, making a schedule, healthy eating and limiting screen-time. Experiencing cabin fever is a normal experience. However, if you are concerned please see the attachment below or contact Andy Burr, LPC/MHSP at gaburr@ortn.edu or 425-3156.

We hope your family has a restful and joyful Labor Day weekend. We will also be spending time with family and will not offer Zoom sessions on Monday 😊. Parent support sessions began last Monday and occurred every day this week. Generally, our parents have left much more confident and comfortable navigating the ConnectOR software. If you are interested in becoming more knowledgeable with Canvas, FLVS or APEX, please call 425-3151 or email DHatmaker@ortn.edu for an appointment.

Good Evening Jefferson Middle School parents and families! Thank you all so much again for another wonderful, event filled week. We hope that you will take the opportunity during this three-day weekend to relax, recharge, and refill your tanks as we progress deeper into the fall semester and set our sights on fall break. Maintaining one's mental health is so important in keeping the momentum going throughout the fall semester.

In hope of promoting this, we have included the top nine things that the National Mental Health Association recommends, in order to help encourage healthy mental stability within your families, as the semester continues to pick up.

1. Value yourself

Treat yourself with kindness and respect, and avoid self-criticism. Make time for your hobbies and favorite projects, or broaden your horizons. Do a daily crossword puzzle, plant a garden with your family, take an online cooking class, learn to play an instrument, read a new book or learn about another culture as a family and look towards planning a trip there in the future.

2. Take care of your body

Taking care of yourself physically can improve your mental health. Be sure to:

• Eat nutritious meals
• Avoid tobacco and alcohol use
• Drink plenty of water
• Exercise, which helps decrease depression and anxiety and improve moods
• Get enough sleep. At least eight hours of sleep is recommended for middle school age students.

3. Surround yourself with good people

Make plans with supportive family members and friends, or seek out activities where you can meet new people, such as a club, class or sports team.

4. Give yourself

Volunteer your time and energy to help someone else. You'll feel good about doing something tangible to help someone in need — and it's a great way to meet new people.

5. Learn how to deal with stress

Like it or not, stress is a part of life. Practice good coping skills: Try One Minute Stress strategies available to you all online, do Tai Chi, exercise, take a nature walk, play with your pet or try journal writing as a stress reducer. Also, remember to smile and see the humor in life. Research shows that laughter can boost your immune system, ease pain, relax your body and reduce stress.

6. Quiet your mind

Try meditating, moments of silence, and/or muted journaling. Relaxation exercises and reflection can improve your state of mind and outlook on life. In fact, research shows that meditation may help you feel calm and enhance the effects of the positive progress that you are trying to make in life.

7. Set realistic goals

Decide what you want to achieve academically and personally, and write down the steps you need to realize your goals. Aim high, but be realistic and don't over-schedule. You'll enjoy a tremendous sense of accomplishment and self-worth as you progress toward your goal.

8. Break up the monotony

Although our routines make us more efficient and enhance our feelings of security and safety, a little change of pace can perk up a tedious schedule. Alter your family's jogging route, plan a weekend road-trip, take a walk in a different park, or try a new restaurant.

9. Get help when you need it

Seeking help is a sign of strength — not a weakness. And it is important to remember that treatment is effective. Tune in to your friends and family members around you and encourage them to seek out mental health support, if they are struggling right now as well. Finally, please know that the Jefferson Middle School Counseling Office is always here to support our students and families' mental health needs and is happy to aid in connecting our community to local mental health resources.

We hope that these tips and tricks will encourage new, healthy changes that might provide some additional joy to our Jefferson Families' daily routines. Enjoy your Labor Day Holiday and we look forward to seeing you all back in the building on Tuesday!

If you need to contact the counseling office, please see information below:

Maria Castle - 5th & 6th Grade - mccastle@ortn.edu

Falon Sullivan - 7th & 8th Grade - fcsullivan@ortn.edu

Amy Myers - Registrar - amyers@ortn.edu

Labor Day - No School Monday, September 7th

Fall Break - September 28th –October 9th

T2 Classes begin Monday, October 12th

Fall Parent Conferences with Teachers - Wednesday, October 21st

8th Graders ONLY - ACT Aspire Testing Window - October 19th -23rd

Election Day - No School - Tuesday, November 3rd

Thanksgiving Break - November 25th-27th

Winter Break Early Dismissal - Friday, December 18th

Winter Break - December 21st- January 4th

Please see below for an update of our Fall Sports!

Volleyball

The Lady Eagles will host Jacksboro on Thursday night. JV will play at 4:30pm and Varsity will follow at 5:30pm and 6:30pm. 8th grade night recognition will take place before the first varsity match. Please come out and support the Lady Eagles at their last home volleyball match of the season!

Cross Country

The JMS Cross Country team will host Robertsville, Norris and Clinton on Wednesday night in their second home meet of the season! Girls will run at 6:15pm and boys will follow at 6:45pm. Please come out and see this exceptional team of runners!

Football

The Fighting Eagles Football Team will travel to Loudon on Thursday night to take on the Loudon Braves for their first away game of the season. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30pm.

Cheer

The JMS Cheer Squad is working hard to cheer the football team on Thursday night at Loudon!

Please come out and support all Jefferson Athletic Teams this week! All spectators will be required to wear a mask, have their temperature taken upon arrival, and maintain social distance at all events.