The JagWire
Jackson Middle School Newsletter - December 13, 2024
Hello Jackson Families,
As I prepare for Mr. Ferraro’s return, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to everyone who made the past two months run smoothly.
First, to our incredible guest administrators—Ms. Lewin, Ms. Wilson, and Ms. Bailey—some of whom were former SW Elementary School principals for your students. They stepped into our building, quickly built meaningful relationships with students and staff, and generously shared their wisdom with me during this time.
To the staff, thank you for coming together to ensure classes and positions were covered, students were supervised, and learning continued seamlessly. While our students certainly missed Mr. Ferraro; they handled the leadership transition with ease.
To our JMS parents, I deeply appreciate your kind words, warm welcome, and willingness to include me in this community. Our conversations and your commitment to improving our schools have been truly inspiring.
This experience reinforced a key lesson: leadership isn’t a solo journey. It’s about collaboration, listening to diverse perspectives, and trusting one another. With a community like Jackson, we are capable of achieving incredible things together. Thank you all for your support and partnership!
Nicole Ayala
Assistant Principal
SafeOregon Reporting
Earlier this week, we received an anonymous report through SafeOregon that was not only false but also highly offensive. SafeOregon is a valuable tool designed to allow students, parents, and schools to confidentially or anonymously report safety concerns or potential acts of violence via phone, text, email, web form, or mobile app. Unfortunately, this tool was misused in this instance.
We follow the PPS policy on harassment and bullying. As a school, we will be reviewing protocols to ensure students understand the appropriate use of this resource. We also encourage parents to engage in open conversations with their students and monitor their online behavior to foster responsible use of such tools.
Below are resources to support these important conversations.
Please remind your students about this resource and how to use it responsibly. Link to SafeOregon .
Students Not Eating Lunch
We have observed a trend of students not eating during their designated lunch time.
Research shows that students who eat school-provided meals are more likely to demonstrate improved attendance, behavior, academic performance, and overall achievement. Proper nutrition, including whole grains, dairy, fruits, and vegetables, plays a critical role in keeping students focused and engaged throughout the school day.
We encourage you to discuss the importance of eating lunch with your child. Please note that teachers do not have snacks available to provide later in the day, and many classrooms have a no-food policy. Thank you for your support in helping ensure students have the energy they need to succeed.
Every day, our teachers at Jackson show up for our kids, and make a difference for every single child at school. Unfortunately, there is not enough funding from the state to bring our educator's visions for the kids to life!
The PTA is committed to filling in the gaps in teacher funding, with programs like our TEACHER GRANT PROGRAM. Twice annually, we award grants of between $200 and $500 to Jackson teachers for a wide assortment of educational items like eye protection, sewing machines, games, museum tickets and more...
YOUR support – by way of a donation of any size – gives the PTA the power to provide Jackson teachers with equipment, supplies, books, and experiences that will impact our kids for a lifetime.
Let's break it down. The PTA spends around $65,000 to cover crucial items like…
● School supplies
● Library books (!)
● Technology equipment
● Cultural assemblies
● Expert speakers
● Funds for experiences that kids can’t get anywhere else
● Equitable access to special events (like school dances and trips to Oaks Park)
● Regular teacher appreciation, to power them through the tough days
● So much more…
That’s about $80 per child currently enrolled at Jackson Middle School!
If you can, a donation of $80 would go a LONG way to getting us to our goal of $15,000 to provide supplies and experiences to the teachers who support our kids.
Giving more expands your impact beyond your own child to support the broader JMS community.
Please give what you can to help the PTA continue to provide much-needed supplies and resources to the teachers in 2025.
ALL donors will get a hand-written thank-you card and a special shout-out in the Jackson Parents Facebook Group (if you want).
THANK YOU for your generous support!
The JMS PTA Board
It goes without saying that middle school students can be really rough on some things. Our shop vacuums in "the Shop" really get that rough treatment, so much so that a few of the vacuums donated to the shop last year have bit the dust this year. The motors are shot.
If anyone out there happened to pick up a new shop vacuum on a holiday sale, perhaps you have an old shop vac sitting around that you would like to get rid of. Our Jackson Shop is more than happy to take that shop vac off your hands.
What are we looking for? Any shop vacs that are around 5 horse power and 10-12 gallons. That is the size best suited for the Shop needs. (picture not to scale : )
Teams are forming now!
An Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB) information session was recently held during lunch. If your student is interested in participating, they can sign up using this link: OBOB Sign-Up Form.
Teams consist of 2-5 students. Participants can either join with a pre-formed team or we can help organize them into one.
Students can start reading the OBOB books now! Each team member doesn’t need to read every book; teams can divide the reading list to make it easier. Books are available at the Jackson Middle School Library.
The 2024-2025 book list is available here: OBOB Book List.
Practices will begin after winter break, but students are encouraged to start reading now. Practice battles are a fun way for students to prepare and engage with each other.
OBOB’s mission is to encourage and recognize students who enjoy reading, broaden reading interests, increase reading comprehension, promote academic excellence, and foster cooperative learning and teamwork.
If you have any questions, please email us at obob@jacksonpta.org
Bullying Concerns
At the start of the school year, we understand that bullying is a major concern for both students and families. Rest assured, we are proactively addressing this issue through several initiatives. These include:
- daily advisory lessons,
- school counselor-led sessions
- collaboration with our student leadership team to foster a more inclusive environment.
If students or families need to report an incident, they can do so in the office using a student incident report or anonymously through SafeOregon.
Nicole Ayala
Assistant Principal
