Weekly Warrior for Families

Parents, guardians, community members ~

Watch out for all of the AMAZING things that our Warrior students will be accomplishing this year. Please join us as we wish every student great success, much happiness, and a very healthy 2025!

While we're on the topic of success, last week students should have received paper copies of their Benchmark reports. They should have four to share with you (one per academic subject that shows how they did on each benchmark test). If you haven't seen these yet, ask your child to show them to you. If they have misplaced this information, you can email his/her homeroom teacher.

Next Monday, January 20th, KCS will be closed in honor of MLK, Jr.

Students/staff will return on January 21st.

8th grade students/parents, Plan to attend this very informative event about high school registration. You can attend either date....whatever works best for you.

We have four basketball games on Thursday night, January 16, 2025. Our JV girls and boys and Varsity boys and girls will be taking on RNR at Seiver. Games start at 4:00 PM. Please come out and support our student athletes if you are able.

Congratulations to the following students who qualified for the JSMS 2024/2025 Spelling Bee! The JSMS Spelling Bee will take place on Thursday, January 16th at 1:30. These students should go to see Mrs. Donnellan in room 305 either before or after school to confirm that they have a study list.

Spelling Bee Participants 2024-2025

Rhys Bradshaw Bellamy -- 8th Peace

Harley Davidson -- 8th Kilgore

Everett Evans -- Kilgore 8th

Landry France -- 8th KIlgore

Rowan Bradshaw Bellamy -- 7th Mason

Ethan Owen -- 7th Hunt

Juliet Reid -- 7th Hunt

Shasta Stipp -- 7th Anderson

William Hannor-- 6 Davidson

Natalie Patterson -- 6 Davidson

From Mrs. Mullins:

I will NOT be offering Homework Help in the afternoons this semester because I will be coaching an after school sport. However, I will gladly still offer Homework Help 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!

This is the latest band news that was sent to band families.

https://secure.smore.com/n/2091x5

See below for the Quarter 3 Celebration Criteria

As you can imagine, having over 900 bodies (noses) in our building creates a large need for many Kleenex's, especially this time of year. If you would like to donate, please feel free to drop off at the office (or send in with your student), or you can order off of the Amazon wish list by clicking below and they will be delivered directly to the school. Thank you in advance! JSMS Winter Kleenex Drive 2024

Thank you to those of you that have placed an order or dropped off Kleenex!!!!!!!!

• 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. The following items are currently needed:

• sweatpants/joggers (female - size Small/Medium, male - all sizes)
• leggings (size Small/Medium)
• socks (male)
• water bottles (students enjoy having a refillable water bottle)
• No t-shirts are needed at this time

Thank you SO MUCH to the individuals that have dropped off or sent in items! We very much appreciate your generosity!

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.

• Preparation for High School

Be sure to attend 1 of the two offered Parent Information Meetings:

~January 14, 2025 at 6pm JSMS Auditorium

~January 21, 2025 at 6 pm RNR Auditorium

• Washington DC trip in May

The third and final payment for the DC Trip is not due until February 6. However, if at any time between now and then you would like to make your final payment, please bring that to Mr. Moore or Mrs. Bingham. The final payment is $200. There are still a small handful of students who have not made their second payment and this needs to be taken care of immediately.

Any questions email mmoore@k12k.com or lbingham@k12k.com

• Football at DB

Dobyns Bennett football coach, Coach Christian, will be at Sevier on Friday, January 31st at 7:45am to talk to 8th graders that are interested in playing football at DB.

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 will be given out starting January 21. Forms are due by February 14.

You CANNOT participate without turning in a completed packet and sports physical on file.

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.

If any middle schooler is interested in joining the swim team please go to the KCS athletic page under the swimming tab to find all the information you need.

https://athletics.k12k.com/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=864101&type=d&pREC_ID=1224573

Middle school weight lifting at DB will resume sometime in the spring semester. Stay tuned for details.

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 every other week. Next semester dates will be advertised soon. Stay tuned.

• Prayer Warriors and Wyldlife will meet @ 7:15am in the library on alternate Wednesdays (see dates on the below flyers)..
• 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!

• 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

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 January 6th...students are not back to school on this day but students/families can still go.

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, January 13th

• Lady Warriors Basketball game vs. Liberty Bell at Sevier (JV-4:30 V-5:30)
• Boys Basketball game vs. Liberty Bell at Liberty Bell (JV-5 V-6)

Tuesday, January 14th

• Jazz Band 7:15-8
• DB Parent Night for 8th Grade Students in the Sevier Auditorium at 6pm

Wednesday, January 15th

• Orchestra Practice Club 3-4
• Games Club from 3-4 in the Library. It will be the return of Dungeons and Dragons.

Thursday, January 16th

• The JSMS Spelling Bee will take place at 1:30 in the Auditorium.
  
• 6th Grade Math Olympiad will meet at 2:45 in room 222.
  
• Orchestra Practice Club 3-4pm
• Lady Warriors Basketball game vs. RNR at Sevier (JV-4 V-6)
• Boys Basketball game vs. RNR at Sevier (JV-5 V-7)

Friday, January 17th

• Jazz Band 7:15-8

Save the Date:

• No School Monday, January 20 - MLK Day
• February 14th, Track and Field Papers are due to Coach Potts or Coach Price