Jaguar Journal

Jefferson Dance: TONIGHT, Friday, November 15 is our Fall Dance. The Dance will be from 6-8! We hope to see you there!

MTD IDs: Students MUST HAVE their ID in order to ride the MTD bus. If a student loses their ID, they will need to get a new one at a cost of $2. New IDs can be purchased in the main office. IDs will not be sold during or after dismissal time.

Community Events: Here is the link on the Unit 4 website of different events happening in our community. This will be updated each month so please be sure to check it out.

Picture Day Retakes: Picture day retakes will be on Wednesday, December 4.

Club/Event Reminder: If your student is attending a club or a sporting event please make sure you are picking them up on time. Our staff works long hours and when students are not picked up on time, they have to stay and wait for students to be picked up.

MAP Testing: Save the Date-MAP testing will be December 9th and 10th.

Focused Learning Statement

Jefferson Middle School students will expand their content area vocabulary knowledge in order to increase reading comprehension of informational and literary texts.

Words have power; use them wisely.

• Thanksgiving break, November 27-29

• Early Out 12:35, Monday, December 2

• Picture Day Retakes, Wednesday, December 4

• MAP Testing, December 9th & 10th

Please know that the offices can no longer pass messages to students past 2:00pm. We risk students not getting the message.

If you need to get a message to your student through the offices, please call us before 2:00pm.

Thank you!

Please use the following phone number when calling in your student for an absence: 217-351-3786 or email Mrs. Madden at maddenli@u4sd.org.

Will the real Principal Freeman please stand up?

Twins!

GSA: In November, GSA meets November 14th and 21st. All LGBTQIA+ students and allies are welcome to drop in.

Tuesday, Nov. 12th 6:30pm - 8:30pm

Wednesday, Nov. 13th 6:30pm - 8:30pm

Thursday, Nov. 21st 4:30pm - 6:30pm

Monday, Nov. 25th 4:30pm - 6:30pm

Keep up to date with Jefferson Athletics on Facebook! Follow for try-outs announcements and schedules/game updates!

The JMS library will host a Scholastic Book Fair from December 9 to 13! Please visit this link for more information and to preview some of the titles Scholastic will have available for purchase! If you have any questions or would like to help with the fair, don't hesitate to contact our Library Media Specialist, Ms. Tee, at teeca@u4sd.org.

The following are the names and contact information for the administrators and counselors who will be working with each grade level. They will be your first point of contact for any student concerns, questions, etc. that should arise.

• Principal: Kyle Freeman (freemaky@u4sd.org)

• Associate Principal: Megan Kirby (kirbyme@u4sd.org)

• 6th Grade:

• Mark Butler, Dean of Students (butlerma@u4sd.org)

• Abby Fadelle, Counselor (fadellab@u4sd.org)

• 7th Grade:

• Jeremy Wills, Assistant Principal (willsje@u4sd.org)

• Todd Griffith, Counselor (griffito@u4sd.org)

• 8th Grade:

• Taylor Foltz, AD/Dean (foltzta@u4sd.org)
  

• Jessica Joyner, Counselor (joynerje@u4sd.org)
  

• MTSS Counselor: Whitley Tate, Counselor (tatewh@u4sd.org)

• When dropping your student off in the morning you may drop off in the circle drive or anywhere around Jefferson. Please me mindful to not block traffic in the morning. All students will enter through the main entrance of Jefferson.

• During pick up DO NOT park in the circle drive. MTD and district buses park in the circle drive starting at 2:20. We dismiss at 2:35 and students can exit using their nearest exit of the building.

• Parking in the staff parking lots in order to drop off and/or pick up your student before or after school is NOT ALLOWED. If you are dropping off your student before school for practice or rehearsal, you must drop them off in the circle drive, and they have to enter through the main entrance Do not pull through the service drive.

• Do NOT BLOCK TRAFFIC FLOW IN AND OUT of the circle drive at any time
  

Lunch time at the Middle School is a time where students can eat (lunch is free for all Unit 4 students), socialize appropriately, and take a "brain break" from their school day.

Please note: Students are not allowed to order from food delivery services during their lunch times because they cannot exit building doors to retrieve the items. IF food is ordered (by either the student OR family) and delivered in the Main Office, your students will not receive their food order. Thank you for understanding. Food deliveries cause multiple challenges for our staff, so we appreciate your adherence to this request.

Cell Phone usage in schools has been a nationwide "hot topic." Everyone from the federal government to the surgeon general is weighing in.

The fact of the matter is this: Cell Phone usage in classrooms/schools can be distracting from the learning environment, and can also be harmful to mental/social health.

Jefferson Middle School will be following our Unit 4 School Board Policy regarding Cell Phone usage. Please review the Cell Phone & Electronic Device Guidelines with your student(s).

We encourage you to speak with your student(s) about cell phones. Cell phones will not be aloud at any point throughout the day at Jefferson, this includes lunch. Cell Phones should ideally be put in a student's locker or in a binder. They should not be sitting out on a desk/table.

Is your student concerned about their safety or the safety of others? Securly is a program the district uses for students to report issues around safety. Students can access this program through email, phone, website or app. See below for access information.

• Download the Securly Tipline app from the App Store or Google Play

• Call or text 1-833-300-STOP

• Email tipline@securly.com

• Follow this link: securly.com/tip

Home Access Center (HAC) is a great way to get information about your students' grades, attendance, class assignments, etc.!

Please read the one-pager below and feel free to watch the short videos about Home Access Center.

HAC One-Pager for Families

HAC Introduction Video
Checking Schedules and Grades Video
Checking Attendance Video