Weekly Warrior for Families

KCS students will not attend school on:

• Friday 2/7/25 (Parent-Teacher Conferences)
• Monday 2/10/25 (KCS In-Service Day)

Enjoy your four day weekend, relax and have fun, get caught up on any missing work so you can return and finish this 9-weeks off strong! Students will return to school on Tuesday 2/11/25

We will be holding Parent Teacher Conferences on Thursday, February 6 (3:00 PM - 6:00 PM) and Friday, February 7 (8:00 AM - 12:00 PM). Teachers will reach out to parents to schedule conferences for those students that they need to conference about at this time. If you do not hear from a teacher but would still like to schedule a conference, please do so by calling the counseling office at 378-2435.

PTO will be sponsoring a dance on Thursday, February 13th, 6-8pm. The theme is 'Diamonds or Denim' and students have the option of dressing up (semi-formal optional) or coming casual.

PTO has spirit wear available for purchase. These may be ordered online or through PTO directly. By ordering directly through PTO, there will be additional print options available (students can check with PTO during Fri-Yay to see these special additions).

To order online, click this link: https://sevierspiritwear.itemorder.com/shop/home/

Strength & Conditioning for middle school students will start back up on February 4th.

• This will occur from 3:15-4:15pm at the Field House at DB on Tuesdays/Thursdays
• There will be bus transportation from Sevier to DB for anyone interested (come to the JSMS office to get bus information).
• Parents are responsible to pick-up at 4:15pm from the DB field house.
• Any questions contact: Coach Fleming zfleming@k12k.com or Coach Luethke dluethke@k12k.com

* this is highly recommended for all student athletes, and non-athletes are welcome as well

* students attending MUST have a current sports physical on file (dated after April 15th, 2024). If you need to check about the status of a sports physical, you can email ewilliams@k12k.com or call Sevier front office and ask for Erika Williams.

The dates/times are set for the end of year awards programs...

May 21 @ 9:00 6th grade awards program

May 21@ 1:00 7th grade awards program

May 22 @ 9:00 8th grade awards program (this is the 8th grade promotion ceremony, some people refer to it as 8th grade graduation)

Have you been seeking on going counseling for your child? Is transportation or scheduling a concern? Sevier has 2 exciting opportunities to support the mental health of students. We have a Camelot therapist on site at Sevier and will also have access to Ballad therapists through telehealth. If you are interested in seeking counseling for your student, please reach out to school counselors for more information.

Kelli Ferguson - kferguson@k12k.com

Christian Collins - ccollins@k12k.com

Homework Help will be offered on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 7:00-7:35am. Please have your students fill out the google form if they plan on attending (at least the first time).

Homework Help Q3

Please see the below information for the 2025 Kids Business Expo. See Mr. Markl, Mr. Potts, Mr. Weaver if you have questions. JSMS is always well represented at this event and we look forward to many Warriors participating this year!

Talk with your child about the CELEBRATION that will be happening at the end of this quarter (9 weeks). We would love if all of our students qualified to attend! See below criteria to attend.

• Outside establishment food deliveries for students are not allowed and will be sent back with the delivery driver.
• Blankets are not to be brought to school.

• Outside drinks are not allowed to enter with students (Pal's, Starbucks, etc).

• Hats, beanies/toboggans, hoods, head coverings of any kind are not to be worn during school.
• If your child misplaces an item please have them check the lost and found. We have these located outside of the cafeteria, as well as in the office. We currently have jackets/hoodies, backpacks, lunchboxes, shoes, water bottles, headphones. We do not have the space to hold on to these items for a length of time. Once a month we will be clearing these locations and donating the unclaimed items.
  
• Have your child write their name inside of jackets/hoodies, backpacks, lunchboxes. This is a great way to ensure these items return to them if misplaced.

Great news! The YMCA is back at Sevier this year offering an after school program. Come have fun, meet friends, and receive homework assistance. No application fee and program is grant funded.

• Hours: Monday-Friday, 2:45-6pm
• Program has started at Sevier for this year, come join the FUN!

• Students will report to the cafeteria after school, and parents will pick up from there.
• Snack/meal is provided daily directly after school.

• Students or guardians can pickup an application from the Sevier office, or click on the link below to view/print. The completed application can be returned to the Sevier office.
• The application and more information can be found here. Any part of the application that refers to cost/fees can be disregarded since this is grant funded this year.

Please consider donating to our clothes/hygiene closet. For clothing/shoes, we will happily accept new or gently used items. Thank you SO MUCH to the individuals that have dropped off or sent in items! We very much appreciate your generosity!

The following items are currently needed:

• leggings/sweatpants/joggers (female - all sizes)
• tennis shoes (all sizes)

If you have any of the following items, STEM would love to take them off your hands. You can drop off items at the office or send in with your child.

6th grade teachers are requesting that parents make sure students have supplies in their backpack. They need: pencils, coloring pencils, working earbuds, glue

• Washington DC trip in May

The third and final payment for the DC Trip is due February 6. The final payment is $200. Any questions email mmoore@k12k.com or lbingham@k12k.com

• Class Registration for Athletes

Information was shared by Coach Fleming with student athletes. They are to request the following classes during registration:

Female Athletes: SINGLETON 7 - Wellness 1 (AT)

Male Athletes: SINGLETON 8 - Wellness 1 (AT)

• Freshman Summer Orientation

See the flyer below for information (dates/times) and how to sign-up. This is a GREAT way for your future high-schooler to get prepared for DB!

Do you know what lacrosse is? It is currently the most rapidly growing sport in the U.S.! DB has a Varsity and JV team, that had 5 seniors last year receive college scholarships. There is a local middle school team for both boys and girls.

Any student interested in learning more information about lacrosse, there will be an informational meeting Thursday, February 6th @ 7:45am. Interested students will report to the auditorium after the announcements.

Any 6th, 7th or 8th grade girl or boy interested in participating in Track/Field, please pick up an permission form/informational packet from Coach Potts or Coach Price.

• Forms are due by February 14.
• First Official Practice is February 24th for the girls and February 25th for the boys.
• You CANNOT participate without turning in a completed packet and sports physical.

Cheer tryout information is below.

Students interested in auditioning for the JSMS Dance Team should pick up a flyer in the office. The flyer contains a QR code to scan to sign up. Tryouts are February 26-28 from 5:30-7:30 PM at Sevier. Students MUST have a physical on file in order to participate! Questions? See Mrs. McMurray or Coach Luethke for information!

If any middle schooler is interested in joining the swim team email nlove@k12k.com

Do not be left out and unable to tryout by not having a sports physical on file. Get your fully completed forms turned in as soon as possible. All students trying out for any of these sports must have a physical on file to tryout or participate. No exceptions.

• If students are involved in a current sport, that coach will decide how those practice times are communicated. Some utilize a team app, or communicate through players, etc.
• All practice/game info is subject to change, players are responsible for communicating updated information as they receive it from their coach.
• Season game schedules for current sports are at the bottom of this newsletter.

Looking for something fun to do after school? Love games? Join the Sevier Middle School Gaming Club. Whether you’re into board games, card games, video games, puzzles, Dungeons and Dragons, or just want to hang out and try something new, the Sevier Middle School Gaming Club has something for everyone!

Come play, laugh, and make new friends in a fun, laid-back environment. All skill levels welcome—whether you’re a gaming pro or just curious, we want YOU in the club! Don’t miss out! Game on!

ROTC will be meeting every other week after school in the library, come join us! Students will need to be picked up at 4pm at the front of the school. Students must have a permission form turned in prior to the meeting. Forms can be picked up from the front office.

• What is ROTC? ROTC provides citizenship training and an Aerospace Science program for high school students. The program explores the historic and scientific aspects of aerospace technology and teaches high school students self-reliance, self-discipline and other leadership characteristics.
• ROTC will meet on the following dates: Feb 11th , Feb 24th , March 10th, April 14th

• Prayer Warriors and Wyldlife will meet @ 7:15am in the library on alternate Wednesdays (see Prayer Warrior dates on the below flyer).
• Students must have a permission form turned in prior to the meeting. Forms can be picked up at Ms. Abrams room 234 or at the front office.
• See below for this semester meeting dates.

Friendly reminder: All visitors going beyond the lobby doors—including to counseling or the front office—must have a visitor badge printed through the Raptor system. While this may take additional time, safety is our top priority, and it must take precedence over convenience. This policy applies to all visitors, including familiar faces.

• If you have attendance questions, please email Erika Williams at ewilliams@k12k.com or call 423-378-2450 and ask for her.
• If your child has a doctor's excuse, please email to ewilliams@k12k.com or fax to 423-378-2430. If you have a hard copy of the excuse, please send your child to school with the hard copy (to turn into the office) or you can take a picture of it and email the picture to ewilliams@k12k.com. Student will be marked unexcused until the doctors note has been received.
• If your child is going to be absent (without a doctors excuse), you are not required to contact the school (but if you are choosing to use a parent day and your child has those remaining, you can call to request that their absence is recorded as a 'parent day').
• If you are wanting to use a 'parent day' (max of 3 per semester), the guardian will need to notify the school requesting this (we are not allowed to code the absence this way without the guardian requesting it). You can make this request one of the following ways: call the office, or email ewilliams@k12k.com, or send a note to the office requesting a parent day for the absence on _____ (add the date). Student will be marked as 'unexcused' until this communication has been received.

• We suggest the student/guardian communicate directly to the teachers via email/Canvas regarding any missed assignments.

• Please keep your contact information updated. This can be done through your Aspen Parent Portal or by contacting LeAnn Franklin 378-2435 in the counseling office. It's vitally important that we have current contact phone numbers and a correct address for each student. If your email changes be sure to let us know that as well since that is how many different types of information is sent to you via email.

• You MUST present an ID when visiting Sevier or checking out your student.

• Please try to have after school arrangements communicated with your child prior to them arriving to school.

• Students attending sporting events need to remain with their guardian. Students that are dropped off without an adult with them will not be allowed to enter the sporting event.

We are blessed to have several water bottle filling stations located throughout the school. It is encouraged for students to bring a water bottle with them to stay hydrated. Also, this helps students from missing class time if they have water with them rather than making trips to the water fountain.

Yearbook orders can now be placed.

Below are ways you can help/volunteer/get involved:

• reach out to our Family & Community Liaison, Robin Kerkhoff, rkerkhoff@k12k.com or call her at 423.378.2406
• we have a variety of volunteer opportunities such as: helping go through clothes donations and organizing them in the clothes closet, assist a student with before or after school homework, mentoring students, and much more! You can choose what interests you most and the amount of time that you would like to volunteer (ex: once a month for an hour).
• You can email the PTO at JohnSevierMSPTO@gmail.com to ask how you can volunteer/assist with a variety of activities.

Food bags are offered every other week. You can call the office 378-2450 or contact Robin Kerkhoff (rkerkhoff@k12k.com) to get on the distribution list. Each bag has a variety of non-perishable items such as: oatmeal, peanut butter, pasta, pasta sauce, fruit cups, mac n chz, rice, soup (not all of these are included each time).

• If your child is in need of gently used clothing/shoes or hygiene products, please tell them to visit Mrs. Kerkhoff in the office. She can assist in gathering items for them.
• KCS has a Family Resource Center (FRC) that will assist families with a variety of needs...Mrs. Kerkhoff can help connect you to their services.

Hello JSMS Warrior Families!

• Our next PTO meeting is Thursday, February 20, 2025 at 9:00 AM, office conference room.
• Fri-yay will continue to be offered by our PTO. Students can purchase a snack during their activity period each Friday (if there is not school on Friday, Fri-yay will be held on Thursday of that week).

• If you are interested in serving on the PTO this year in any capacity, please reach out to our PTO President Jana Woliver at johnseviermspto@gmail.com. We would love to have some extra hands to make a bigger impact on our school.

Families can login into your foodcity.com account, click on account, and then select John Sevier Middle School. This will link your ValuCard to our school! This is a great way to be a part of a wonderful funding source at

This has been a standard JSMS operating procedure, but now applies system-wide (including elementary schools). We wanted to share with our families to keep you in the loop.

For several weeks, school and district administrators have been reviewing a recommendation from the KCS district safety task force regarding the presence of visitors in KCS cafeterias at breakfast and lunch. In response to several incidents in KCS cafeterias and due to school safety protocols and health concerns, the task force is recommending that visitors no longer be allowed inside school cafeterias during meal times. We recognize that for some of you, you have enjoyed the opportunity to eat with your child at school. However, given the desire to maintain the safest possible school environment and after reviewing the situation, the decision has been made to accept the task force's recommendation to no longer allow visitors in KCS cafeterias during breakfast and lunch. Please be aware that this new procedure will begin starting with the 4th 9-weeks on Monday, March 17, 2025.

See flyer for more information.

Please click here for detailed parent information.

Students’ cell phones and other electronic devices are to be turned off and not visible upon a student’s arrival to school (upon entering the building) until the end of the student’s school day. Students must store their cell phones and other electronic devices in their backpacks (exceptions may be granted for medical or other extraordinary circumstances as determined by the building principal or designee). Cell phones may be confiscated if this rule is violated. When confiscated from students, parents will be asked to retrieve the cell phone from the school administration.

• 1st offense - The item will be confiscated and kept at the school for a minimum of five (5) consecutive school days. To retrieve the confiscated item, a parent or guardian must contact the appropriate administrator.

• 2nd offense - When a student has a second offense during the current semester, the item will be confiscated for a minimum of ten (10) school days. A parent or guardian must retrieve the confiscated item from the front office.

• 3rd offense - When a student has a third offense during the current semester, the item may be confiscated for the remainder of the school year. A parent or guardian may retrieve the confiscated item at the end of the school day on the last day of the school year.

KCS currently has openings available in our no cost Kingsport City Schools Pre-K programs. Any child who turned 4-years-old on or before August 15th is eligible to attend (regardless of socioeconomic status). M-F 8:15 a.m. - 2:15 p.m. with a structured daily schedule. High-quality, state-approved early education curriculum which prepares children academically, socially, and emotionally for Kindergarten. Instruction from highly qualified, experienced educators who focus on building a strong foundation in key academic areas such as literacy and math. Seven locations in Kingsport schools. Available openings are limited; so don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity! Please call the Palmer Center today at (423) 378.2160 for additional information.

See below for Code of Conduct.

If you are interested in additional information on any of the below items, please reach out to Robin Kerkhoff, 378-2406 or rkerkhoff@k12k.com

• KATS is the public transit system in our area. Reach out to us if you need help getting information about routes, times, or ticket/booklet purchase.

• Our community has an outreach that offers FREE haircuts through Halo Haircuts at a local church (First Broad Street Methodist, located at Church Circle in the lower level). These are typically offered every other Monday. They begin at 9am and finish after their last haircut. If you would like for your child to go get his/her haircut please email, call, or send a note to Mrs. Kerkhoff and she will plan to take them in the school van. Parents/guardians, this is for you too. If you're in need of a haircut, go check out this wonderful resource that is available for our community (if transportation is an issue, we can assist you as well. Let us know). The next haircut day is on February 3rd.

Sign up for this opportunity using this link.

The Power of Presence: How Regular School Attendance Drives Academic Success

Consistent school attendance is undeniably essential for academic achievement, and the numbers back this up. The relationship between attending school regularly and excelling academically is well-documented, with studies highlighting the transformative impact of classroom presence on a student’s journey to success.

According to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Education, students with regular attendance are nearly 1.8 times more likely to achieve proficiency in critical subjects like math and reading compared to those who frequently miss school. This underscores how consistent attendance enhances a student’s ability to stay on track with lessons, grasp complex concepts, and excel in assessments.

The connection between attendance and grades is equally compelling. National statistics reveal that students who maintain an attendance rate of 95% or higher are significantly more likely to earn grades of A or B. Conversely, those with lower attendance are at a higher risk of academic struggles and falling behind their peers. This demonstrates that attendance is far more than showing up—it’s a crucial factor in overall academic performance.

The benefits of regular attendance extend beyond grades. Students who consistently attend school are nearly 2.6 times more likely to graduate from high school, setting a strong foundation for future success in college and career paths. These figures highlight how regular attendance fosters essential habits like discipline, responsibility, and time management—skills that carry lifelong value.

Moreover, the ripple effects of good attendance impact the broader school community. Schools with high attendance rates report lower disciplinary issues and a more positive, engaged atmosphere. Students who prioritize attendance contribute to creating a supportive and vibrant learning environment that benefits everyone.

The evidence is clear: regular school attendance is a game-changer for academic success. By emphasizing its importance, educators, parents, and students can work together to unlock brighter futures and maximize every opportunity for learning.

Students are allowed up to three excused absences with a parent note. Parents must submit these notes to the office as soon as possible. For any questions or additional information, parents may also contact Misty Petrovic via email at mpetrovic@k12k.com.

Monday, February 3rd

Tuesday, February 4th

• Jazz Band 7:15-8:00am
• Strength/Conditioning, DB field house 3:15-4:15

Wednesday, February 5th

• Data Conferences During Related arts (ELA-1 Math-2)
• Prayer Warriors Wyldlife in the library at 7:15. We will be taking a group picture, so please try to attend.
• Orchestra Practice Club 3-4

Thursday, February 6th

• Jazz Band 7:15-8:00am
• Lacrosse informational meeting, 7:45 in the auditorium.
• The final payment for the Washington DC Trip is due. That payment should be $200 if you have made the scheduled payments.
• Parent-Teacher Conferences 3-6pm
• Strength/Conditioning, DB field house 3:15-4:15

Friday, February 7th

• Students Do Not Attend
• Parent-Teacher Conferences 8-12

Save the Date:

• No School for Students , Mon. Feb. 10th (In-service Day)
• February 13th School Dance, 6-8pm
• February 14th, Track and Field Papers are due to Coach Potts or Coach Price
• Cheer tryouts February 24-25

• Dance tryouts February 26-28

• VA Beach Trip / local trips (7th grade) May 7-9

• DC Trip / local trips (8th grade) May 12-16

• 5th grade tours May 15th

• May 21 @ 9:00 6th grade awards program

  May 21@ 1:00 7th grade awards program

  May 22 @ 9:00 8th grade awards program