November Cyclone Watch

November is here and there is much to be thankful for at JMS. Our students have been doing amazing in the classroom and we are ready for rotation two of STEAM classes. As we move into this season of gratitude I'm asking for a little "parent homework" to spark a conversation with your Cyclone. To start the new month, please take a few minutes to engage your Cyclone in the the below questions:

1. What is something that is going well for you in school?
2. What are YOU doing that is making your school year go well?

Thinking through what each one of us is doing to improve our environment is one of the components of a strong, Jeff Middle School education and is a great practice to focus on this time of year.

Lots of information included in this version of the Cyclone Watch. We hope to see your Cyclone at our All School Party on November 8th!

Jacob Adams

#CycloneNation

The All School Party is just around the corner folks!! Please check out the fliers below for info. A couple specific reminders are below:

• We will not have space or time for students to change between school and the dance AND this is not designed as a formal dance. No special attire is required, please do not plan for outfit changes.
• Please make plans to attend our Fall into Reading at Barnes and Noble following the all school party. Students have an opportunity to win a tablet
• Tickets will be sold at student lunches 11/6-11/8. Students should not buy more than $20 in tickets (won't have enough time to spend that many tickets)

Starting November 6th, middle school students will no longer be able to use their student emails to send email to other students. This change was made at the district level and is consistent across all middle schools. Students will still be able to use their emails to communicate with teachers and are also able to collaborate in classes using Google tools and Schoology.

JMS will hold our Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences from 3-6:30 on November 12 and 14. The below link will send you to the collection of signups for each grade level and elective area. Please pay close attention to the instructions included with each signup as they may be slightly different from grade level to grade level to accommodate the planning that we have done as a team.

JMS Parent-Teacher Conference Signup LINK

Please let me know if you have any questions,

Jacob Adams

When we say we are the place to be, we aren't kidding! Before going to their first hour, many students are choosing the media center to hang out with their friends. We have a large group. We have kids talking to one another (really!), playing games, drawing, practicing their instruments, and a variety of other things. The kids are also doing a great deal of smiling in our space. We are a great place to start the school day.

Each month the media center is placing book orders. These are almost all student generated. If your student wants a book that we don't have or one new to a series, please send them our way to make their request. We love seeing our students smile when their requested book has been added to our media center collection.

Our students all have access to a great number of electronic magazines on their iPads. These can be accessed through the SORA app on the iPads.

We will be having our candy count at the end of October. This is always a JMS favorite. The winner takes all the candy. We are also wrapping up our Banned/Challenged Book display. This has been fun to watch the kids as they see titles and the reasons for those titles being challenged or banned.

Starting October 31- January 6, JMS will be having our first building-wide reading challenge. This will be set up like Bingo and all students have access to this through their Bookstack accounts in the portal. Info will be in the media center Schoology course, posted around the building as well as in the daily announcements. Send your student to see Mrs. Kiley in the media center with questions.

In November, during parent/teacher conferences, we will be having our book fair. Parents will be able to shop while attending the book fair. Students will also have the opportunity in their English classes to come down and shop. We invite one and all to come and take a look at our fair which will be held in the media center.

iPads

Please remind students that iPads should be charged and at school. We will be locking iPads that are not coming to school. If your student has misplaced the iPad, please have them come to the media center to start the process to have it placed in lost mode. If iPads are not found, there is a $50 fine. Once this is paid, students will receive a replacement. If the iPad is found during the school year, the money will be refunded. The iPads should have a sticker with the name of the student it has been checked out to, and it is best practice to also have the students face on the lockscreen. This helps us get iPads back quickly.

Join the Club, Maggie Diaz by Nina Moreno

Maggie Diaz of Miami is excited to start seventh-grade with her best friends, Zoey and Julian, and finally gets a cellphone of her own. But after school her friends are wrapped up in their various clubs, her mother is attending college, and her older sister Caro has her sports and tutoring. So Maggie decides that she will find a club to join as well--but trying out ALL the different clubs while still juggling school work is exhausting and confusing. If your student thinks this sounds like their next great read, send them down to the JMS media center to check out this book.

The Cyclone Book Club meets the last Thursday of each month in the media center. This is a time to gather, discuss books, read and just hang out. If your student is a reader or even might be thinking of being a reader, we welcome new students to the mix each month. Our club holds lively discussions and we make great recommendations. Mrs. Kiley is the sponsor and will answer any questions your student might have. We met on October 31 and will meet on November 21 as well.

The JMS Builders Club is an affiliate of the Kiwanis Club. We are a service organization. At our October 10 meeting we worked on putting up new Potty Talks in the student bathrooms as well as taking down the old ones. These are flyers from the media center that highlight books from the media center. We also took down expired posters from walls around the building. We will meet again on November 7 to do another service project for JMS. See Mrs. Kiley in the media center with questions. We welcome one and all at any time.

December 16th – 19th: 7th Grade Boys Basketball Tournament

IN FEBRUARY, WE WILL BEGIN A WINTER SESSION FOR 6TH GRADE INTRAMURALS – STAY TUNED FOR DATES AND TIMES!!

MARCH 3RD – TRACK SEASON BEGINS! 🏃 MUST HAVE A SPORTS PHYSICAL ON FILE AND PASSING GRADES!

You can still sign up and be a part of our Booster Club!!! See the flyer for all the information. All money raised stays here and goes towards ALL students, not just athletes. The Booster Club supports many activities throughout the year. We are raising money to purchase new track uniforms and new bench seating for the new gym. Our district does not fund these things, we must raise the money ourselves to support our student and athletes. Any help is appreciated.

BIG SHOUT OUT TO OUR 7TH GRADE VOLLEYBALL TEAM! THEY WENT UNDEFEAFTED AND TOOK 1ST PLACE IN OUR BIG TOURNAMENT WITHOUT LOSING A SET! THAT IS A HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT!! CONGRATULATION 7TH GRADE VOLLEYBALL!!

8TH GRADE VOLLEYBALL ENDED UP WITH A 9-1 RECORD AND TAKING 2ND IN THE DIANE SMITH INVITATIONAL AND 1ST IN THE HANNIBAL TOURNAMENT!! WAY TO GO 8TH GRADE!!!

Here is the Winter Sports Schedule. There is a printable pdf, also.

Student artwork will be on display from Art and STEAM at Aslin (1818 W Worley St, Columbia, MO 65203) Nov. 1- Dec. 20.

All School Party on Nov 8: Art Club will have a booth for face painting. Parent volunteers needed. Contact Ms. Howell at showell@cpsk12.org

AVID has 2 components at JMS: our AVID elective and AVID schoolwide. Applications for our AVID elective cohorts open each January. Consider exploring more about AVID with your student by visiting https://explore.avid.org/what-avid-is/. Each month we will share an AVID family tip to help all our Cyclone families access the learning power of AVID.

AVID Family Tip: It is never too early to start college and career talk. Begin the conversation by asking: What careers have you considered? Where might you like to attend college? Revisit these questions often to make it a part of routine family conversation.