JMS Weekly Update
April 14, 2024
Dear JMS Families,
This week's Update contains information about the following:
- JMS PSSA/Keystone Information
- GoGuardian Parent App
- Take Your Child to Work Day
- Schoology Tip for Students
Take Care,
Dr. Sarah Shaw, Principal
Mrs. Amanda Jackson, Assistant Principal
Weekly Schedule
Monday - Day 1
Tuesday - Day 2
Wednesday - Day 3
Thursday - Day 4
Friday - Day 5
Monday (4/22) - Day 1 - PSSA ELA
Tuesday (4/23) - No School - In-Service
Wednesday (4/24) - Day 2 - PSSA ELA
Thursday (4/25) - Day 3 - Take Your Child to Work Day
Friday (4/26) - Day 4 - PSSA ELA
New News
The District will be administering the PSSAs this year in compliance with the PA Department of Education's direction. The results we achieve on these exams provide us with valuable information that can be used to assess our students' knowledge of grade level standards, our teaching, and our educational programming. Our students have been working hard throughout the year and are prepared for these exams.
The MtLSD testing schedule is as follows:
April 22, 24, 26 - PSSA ELA
April 29-30 - PSSA Math
May 1-2 - PSSA Science (Grade 8 Only)
Pre-approved absences will not be approved on testing days. If you have any questions or are in need of more information, please contact us.
Thank you for your continued support throughout this school year.
For more testing information please see our PSSA/Keystone Information Newsletter.
GoGuardian Parent App
As you may already be aware, the District utilizes GoGuardian to filter student web browsing on District-owned devices. Today, we are pleased to offer Mt. Lebanon families a pilot experience with the "At Home" feature of GoGuardian. This product is called GoGuardian Parent and is now available to all family members with a PowerSchool/Dashboard login.
GoGuardian Parent is a downloadable app for your Smartphone designed to enable the District to share managed user history collected via GoGuardian with verified parents and guardians.
GoGuardian Parent also provides Parents and Guardians with the ability to pause their children's internet, block specific websites, and schedule internet availability on managed devices outside of "school hours." These features have no guaranteed functionality on personally owned, unmanaged student devices.
The established “school hours” for Mt. Lebanon School District are 7:30am - 4:00pm on school days. Using the GoGuardian Parent app to set filters and time limits on your student will only affect your student’s browsing experience outside of these school hours.
If you would like to participate in this pilot program, there is no deadline...we will accept enrollment submissions on a rolling basis. To enroll in GoGuardian Parent, please follow the steps in the following document:
- GoGuardian Parent - Enrollment
- Enrollments in the pilot will begin on April 15, 2024.
- You will receive an email with details to get started on or after that date.
Take Your Child to Work Day - 4/25
Take your child to work day is April 25th. If you plan to have your child participate in this day, you must complete a Pre-Approved Absence Form. If you do not complete this for in advance of April 25th, your child's absence will not be excused. Your child will be responsible for completing any work that they miss while they are absent.
Reminders
Attendance is a crucial component to school success for students. We have noticed an increase in students being tardy to school in the morning. Students are expected to be in homerooms by 8:00. If students are tardy without an excuse 3 times within a semester, they are given a warning letter. For each additional 3 unexcused tardies they accumulate after the warning letter, they will be assigned an after-school detention. Thank you for your assistance in ensuring that students start their day off on the right track.
Please review the attendance flyer for additional information about school attendance.
Technology
Students in grades 6-8 are required to bring a non-cell phone device with them to school every day. If you would like to borrow a device for your student in grades 6-8, you can submit a request to borrow one from the District on this page.
This page is also where you can report a problem/damage to your student's District-owned device using our form. This page also explains and provides a link to enroll in the District's annual Equipment Protection Plan (EPP) to limit any charges that might come from accidental damage to your student's District-owned device. This plan is optional and is not required.
Athletics
You can learn everything you need to know about Middle School Athletics, including starting dates, by visiting the MS Athletics Webpage.
JMS PTA Information
PTA Membership and DIrectory Access
JMS PTA Membership Toolkit is now open for the coming 2023-2024 school year.
A portion of your membership and donations help support these various activities and events...the school musical, Canteen Day, Staff Welcome Back Breakfast, Field Trips and class enrichment, teacher appreciation, writing celebration, supplies for the nurses office, 8th grade end of the year celebration, 8th grade career day, high notes festival, art all day, Veterans Day, international night, assemblies, and much more!
In addition, last school year the PTA was able to purchase a new water bottle filler and picnic table for the courtyard!
Directory access is available to JMS PTA members only.
Resources for Families
Safe2Say Something is a youth violence prevention program run by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. The program teaches youth and adults how to recognize warning signs and signals, especially within social media, from individuals who may be a threat to themselves or others and to “say something” BEFORE it is too late. With Safe2Say Something, it’s easy and confidential to report safety concerns to help prevent violence and tragedies.
Here’s how it works:
- Submit a report through the Safe2SaySomething system
- Crisis center reviews, assesses and processes all submissions
- Crisis center sends all submissions to school administration and/or law enforcement for intervention
- If needed, crisis center may contact tipster anonymously through the app
Children need healthy meals to learn, so the Mt. Lebanon School District is committed to offer healthy meals every school day for our students. For the 2023-2024 school year, breakfast is free for all students; lunch costs $2.65 for elementary students and $2.80 for middle school and high school students. Your children may qualify for free meals or for reduced price meals. Reduced price is $.30 for breakfast and $.40 for lunch. Click the link below for free or reduced price meal benefits, and a set of detailed instructions to help you apply.
You can also apply for free and reduced meals online via the state's COMPASS portal.
The MTLSD School Counselors in partnership with The Allegheny Children's Initiative Inc., have compiled a list of social services resources that may be helpful to you and your family. Please take a look and reach out to these organizations. They are here to help with any of the following:
- Food
- Rent/Mortgage
- Utilities
- Pets
- Abuse
- Mental Health
- General Assistance
Jefferson Middle School
The Jefferson Middle School learning community has an exceptional reputation for its dedicated teachers, staff and parents working together to provide learning experiences for our children that include high expectations, a challenging curriculum and a shared commitment to provide the best education possible for each and every student.
Website: https://jms.mtlsd.org/
Location: 21 Moffett Street, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
Phone: (412) 344-2167
Facebook: facebook.com/jmslebo
Twitter: @JMSMTLSD