Dear PJMS Families,

We are off to a great start this school year! We are focusing on getting to know the students and establishing routines. The i-Ready data we collected this week, will definitely be valuable in supporting students in their Language Arts and Math classes.

As we move into September, emphasizing the importance of completing and turning in schoolwork is crucial. The fun activities we have planned, like assemblies and free time during the WIN class, are excellent incentives for good grades and behavior. Parents checking in weekly with their children via StudentVue/ParentVue is a great way to keep everyone on track.

Thank you for your dedication to the students at PJMS! If you have any questions, reaching out to teachers or the school office is always a good idea. Keep up the great work!

September 2: Labor Day- NO SCHOOL

September 3: 8th grade computer swap

September 3: Study Hall begins Room#120 w/ Mr. Anderson

September 4: X-Country @ Redington

September 4: Study Hall begins T-W-TH

September 9: Saroma Potluck all is invited to join, bring a dish 6-8 PM Cafeteria

September 11: X-Country @ Palmer High

September 13: Schoolwide Fundraiser begins

September 18: X-Country @ Redington

September 19: Basketball tryouts-boys and girls- 7th and 8th grades

September 20: Basketball tryouts-boys and girls- 7th and 8th grades

September 25: Title 1 Annual Parent meeting 6PM-7PM - Cafeteria

You may have noticed that Miss Catherine is no longer at the front desk. She retired last spring and hopefully is enjoying retirement somewhere tropical! Please give a warm welcome to our new Front Office Secretary, Miss Lara! She has 9 years of experience welcoming in students and adults to school and answering every question under the sun! She is a life-long Palmer resident and attended all our local schools growing up. We are super excited to have her on our PJMS team! Also, on our office team and new last year is, Miss Jill, who takes care of all our student records and helps investigate locker issues, among other tasks. Mrs. Shelton is our energetic Sports Secretary and Can-Do Girl extraordinaire! We are all here and ready to serve you and your students!

The results from the Spring 2024 AK STAR and Alaska Science administration are now available for you to view in ParentVUE if your child tested in Mat-Su in spring 2024. Directions on how to view these reports are attached as well as the Family Guide to Assessment Reports. If your child tested in another district in Alaska in spring 2024, you will need to contact the previous district for results.

• How to view AK STAR & Alaska Science Individual Student Reports in ParentVUE
• Family Guide: AK STAR Assessment Reports, Spring 2024
• Family Guide: Alaska Science Assessment Reports, Spring 2024

8th Grade students will have their Chromebooks swapped out with new ones on September 3rd. Please make sure your student comes to school with their Chromebook and charger so that they may receive the new one.

Students have their Chromebooks assigned, and these Chromebooks are issued to your student for multiple years. It is important for your student to take care of their device. If there are issues with your student's Chromebook, please have them see Mrs. Roberts in the library for assistance.

On the front of each Chromebook is a QR Code that can be scanned for resources relating to the device.

Students may decorate their Chromebook CASE ONLY! The cases should remain on the Chromebook AT ALL TIMES.

More information will be forthcoming regarding lost or damaged Chromebook charges.

X-Country is going strong! Our boys took 3rd place overall and the girls took 4th place overall at our first meet! The next meet is at Redington on Wed. Sept. 4th.

Boys and Girls 7th and 8th grade Basketball has tryouts Sept. 19th and 20th afterschool. More detailed information will be coming closer to those dates. Athletes MUST have a physical that was done in the last 18mos to participate in all sports. You MUST have your sports registration in at Big Teams and fees paid prior to practice. If you have questions, contact Mrs. Shelton, Sabrina.shelton@matsuk12.us

!!!COACHES WANTED!!! We need coaches for both boys and girls Basketball!

Interested adults can reach out to Mr. Miller at christopher.miller@matsuk12.us.

Study Hall starts September 3rd and is on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday with Mr. Anderson in Room #120. There is a salmon-colored permission slip at the front office that needs to be signed by a parent/guardian before your student can attend.

District Parent and Family Engagement Handbook

What is Title 1?

Spring 2024 AK STAR and Alaska Science Reports

The results from the Spring 2024 AK STAR and Alaska Science administration are now available for you to view in ParentVUE if your child tested in Mat-Su in spring 2024. Directions on how to view these reports are attached as well as the Family Guide to Assessment Reports. If your child tested in another district in Alaska in spring 2024, you will need to contact the previous district for results.

• How to view AK STAR & Alaska Science Individual Student Reports in ParentVUE
• Family Guide: AK STAR Assessment Reports, Spring 2024
• Family Guide: Alaska Science Assessment Reports, Spring 2024

Students who received Free/Reduced lunch need to re-apply, their benefits expired on September 29th. This includes all students from previous schools who were getting lunches for all their students. (i.e. Sherrod). Students will be charged for breakfasts and lunches.

Families who qualify for Migrant Education benefits and receive free lunch and breakfast should still fill out the Free or Reduced Lunch application. Having everyone fill out the application helps PJMS receive funding that supports our after school programming, regular family events, and various other programs that enhance opportunities for students.

If you are interested in finding out more information about Migrant Education benefits, click here.

MILITARY AND FAMILY LIFE COUNSELING PROGRAM

The Military and Family Life Counselor (MFLC) Program is designed to support service members, their families, and school communities in managing the unique challenges of military life. Here are some key points about the program:

Services Offered

• Non-Medical Support: MFLCs provide short-term, non-medical counseling to help with issues like adjusting to new schools, deployments, parent-child communication, and bullying1.
• Confidentiality: Services are private and confidential, with no records maintained. However, MFLCs are mandated reporters for situations involving harm, domestic violence, child abuse, neglect, or illegal activities2.
• Specialized Support: MFLCs are licensed clinicians who specialize in issues related to the highly mobile and stressful nature of military life2.

Areas of Assistance

MFLCs can help with:

• Communication and conflict resolution
• Self-esteem and self-confidence
• Anger management
• School adjustment
• Deployment and separation
• Reunion adjustment
• Behavioral concerns
• Fear, grief, and loss2

Availability

In the Anchorage and Matanuska-Susitna Borough school districts, MFLCs serve schools based on the number of military-connected students. For example, Tish Arnold is the MFLC for PJMS and several other schools, and she can be called upon by any military family within the district2

To be eligible children need to be of active duty or service member needs to be separated or retired within 180 days and not receiving counseling services elsewhere for the same issue.

Consent forms must be signed.

If you have any specific questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask!

Tish Arnold

Military & Family Life Counselor

907-390-9369

Tish.Arnold@leidos.com

Please see attached information regarding our Updated Dress Code Policy.

Please pay attention to the yellow curb markings on S. Chugach Street and do NOT park there! Also, DO NOT park in front of the flagpole where there are red markings! That is for emergency vehicles only. When dropping off/picking up your student in the drop off lane, please pull all the way forward, toward the second set of doors to keep traffic flowing and running smoothly. Thank you for your help keeping our students safe and helping traffic move more efficiently.

Please make sure that bus passes are completed by 1 PM! If you have any questions please feel free to call PJMS at 761-4300.

When your student is going to miss school, there are several options available to report their absences. You can enter it on ParentVUE yourself, where it is automatically accepted up until 8am. This method only works, if it's before 8am. After that time, please email PJM@matsuk12.us with your students information.

PJMS is locked down during the hours of 8:00-2:30pm. To increase security at PJMS, has a doorbell entry system has been added to help secure the building during school hours. This system will keep the front doors locked during school instructional time so that we can help to keep the campus secure to provide added safety for students and staff.

The doors will be open as normal before school starts and after school is out for the day but once the instructional day begins (at 9 am on Monday and at 8 am on Tuesday - Friday) this new system will be activated, and the front doors will be locked. The door will remain locked until school is over for the day at 2:30 pm. To gain entry to the building, you only need to ring the doorbell and an office staff member will answer the doorbell and let you in. The doorbell is equipped with a video camera so that office staff can see the person(s) requesting entry and unlock the door for those granted access.

Mondays

A Lunch: 10:44 – 11:14 am

B Lunch: 11:33 – 12:03 pm

Tuesdays-Fridays

A Lunch: 10:35 – 11:05 am

B Lunch: 11:28 – 11:58 pm

If you would like to volunteer in our school,

Please contact the school Nurses if you have availability.

907-761-4309

Kathy Voran RN: kathy.voran@matsuk12.us

Robin Waldvogle-Kemp RN: robin.waldvogle-kemp@matsuk12.us

Healthy Futures is offering small scholarships of up to $500 to support recreational activities for some of our more disadvantaged students. This could be perfect for students who don’t qualify for FIT but are struggling to pay their sports fees or purchasing equipment.

There are some changes here at PJMS this year, and we wanted to remind you of some basic housekeeping items that help the year run smoother:

• Students are not allowed any drinks (Aside from Water) in the hallways. Drinks are only allowed in the Cafeteria.
• If students are leaving early, they need to be picked up prior to 2:00 pm.
• Lost and Found (located in the lobby near the cafeteria) is emptied WEEKLY, so please make a plan to check it often for your student's items.
• Chromebooks and chargers need to be sent to school DAILY. We are not issuing spare computers or chargers this year.
• Front doors are locked at 8:00 am, so please ensure your student is dropped off before 8. Dropping students off later disrupts class time.
• Check ParentVue weekly to help your student stay caught up this year.
• Please do not park in the Pull Through. If you need to park, please park in the main lot and enter the building to pick up your student.

Have you ever felt like you needed to help your student with homework but didn't know how? Here is a FREE resource to all Alaska students and families that gives access to live tutors to help in ALL subjects!

To access the Live Homework Help, students need to log into their Student Quick Links Clever account. Then students should open SLED. From there, click on Live Homework Help and get connected to a live tutor!

Contact Mrs. Roberts if you need more help with accessing this FREE resource!

stacy.roberts@matsuk12.us

Help us earn money that will be used to support all of our students.

Signing up is easy!

1. Download the Box Tops for Education App.

2. Choose a log in method.

3. Choose PJMS as the school to support.

4. Fill out some basic info about yourself to create your account.

5. Enter referral code: WZ2K45EL

6. Shop!

7. Scan your receipt!

8. Start earning cash for PJMS!

Palmer Junior Middle School is part of the Fred Meyer Community Rewards Program.

To Use the Fred Meyer Community Rewards Program:
Simply visit https://www.fredmeyer.com. Once logged into your Fred Meyer account you can search for Palmer Junior Middle School either by name or BJ629 and then click Enroll. New users will need to create an account which requires some basic information, a valid email address and a rewards card.

*Customers must have a registered Fred Meyer rewards card account to link to your organization.
*If a member does not yet have a Fred Meyer rewards card, please know they are available at the customer service desk at any Fred Meyers.

Email: pjm@matsuk12.us
Website: https://www.matsuk12.us/pjm
Location: 1159 South Chugach Street, Palmer, AK, USA
Phone: 907-761-4300
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PJMSMOOSE