News and events - Dec. 19, 2024

Dec. 20 - No School - Staff Development Day

Dec. 23 - Jan. 1 - No School Winter Break

2024-2025 Middle School Calendar

Dear Jackson Middle School Families:

We want to remind families that the school building does not open for students, except those attending a scheduled activity or appointment with a teacher, before 8:10 AM. However, students may enter through Door 4 starting at 8:00 AM if they are going directly to the cafeteria to eat breakfast.

For the safety and well-being of all students, we kindly ask that parents/guardians avoid dropping off students earlier than a few minutes before 8:10 AM, as we are unable to provide supervision before this time. Staff are typically engaged in morning meetings or planning until the building opens.

Additionally, please consider cold or wet weather conditions when planning your drop-off times to ensure your student is not left waiting outside in unfavorable conditions.

Your understanding and cooperation in following these guidelines are greatly appreciated. Thank you for helping us maintain a safe and organized start to the school day.

Joel Young, Principal

JMS Talent Show tryouts will take place after school on Tuesday, January 21, in room P706. Individual and group acts are welcome. If your student is interested in trying out for the talent show, have them complete this interest form prior to Monday, January 20.

Other Key Dates:
𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀: Wednesday, January 29 - from 3:25 to 5:00 pm
𝗗𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗮𝗹: Thursday, February 6 - from 3:25 to 5:00 pm
𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲: Friday, February 7 - starting at 7:00 pm

All JMS students will have the opportunity to register for their 2025-2026 classes in January. 8th grade students will be working with CPHS School Counselors for Registration.

Registration schedule for current 8th grade students
December 19 - CPHS counselors will meet with JMS students via Google Meet. All 8th grade students will receive their registration documents.
January 3 - CPHS counselors will be available to answer questions via Google Meet.
January 6 - StudentVUE will officially open for course selections to be made.
January 7 - Registration Night Open House at CPHS from 5 - 7:30pm.
January 9 - CPHS counselors will join JMS math classes to help students with class choices.
January 13 - CPHS registration window closes.

Registration schedule for current 6th and 7th grade students
January 6 - Registration documents will be handed out to students in Advisory.
January 7 - Advisory teachers will review elective options with all students.
January 10 - Registration documents are due.

If you or your student have any questions regarding registration, please reach out to your school counselor.
6th Grade- Jason Ferkinhoff - jason.ferkinhoff@ahschools.us
7th grade A - L - Anna Grundhauser - anna.grundhauser@ahschools.us

7th Grade M - Z - Karen Ibarra - karen.ibarra@ahschools.us
8th Grade A - L - Shoua Moua - shoua.moua@ahschools.us
8th Grade M - Z - Kaylee Mace - kaylee.mace@ahschools.us

New policy regarding overdue books

Due to the high number of overdue books, the JMS Library checkout policy is changing after winter break. We have Holds waiting for books that have just not been returned. After break, students may not check out a new Library book if they have an Overdue book. We will hold a book that they want for a week so they have a chance to return their book. We also have a cart of free books (think Little Free Library) for students who need a book for class. Please help your student to check at home for Overdue books this break.

Thank you for helping JMS to have a strong Library program.

Never run out of reading materials

If your JMS student runs out of reading material over winter break, there are many eBooks and Audiobooks available to read! These should be able to be read on any device.

Students can find ebooks in two places: Destiny Discover and MackinVIA. They can find links to both programs in their Lock & Key. If the link doesn't auto-magically log them in, they should use their username (the part before the @ in their email) and school password.

In Destiny Discover, toggle the word "Any" to eBook or Audiobook. Put in a search term or choose the magnifying glass to see all available options. Find a book. For eBooks, choose Open. For Audiobooks, choose Play.

For MackinVIA, the students may be prompted for their school. If they type Champlin, Jackson Middle School comes up as an option. Then they should enter their username and password. They can explore the eBooks and Audiobooks from the side menus. They can also narrow by Advanced Search on the left. Find a book. For eBooks, choose Open Now. For Audiobooks, choose Listen Now.

We are so happy to keep our students reading all break!

Click here to View current volunteer opportunities at JMS!

Do you want to stay updated on volunteer opportunities at JMS? Complete the volunteer form: Jackson MS Volunteer Application

All volunteers and chaperones for field trips must complete a Jackson MS Volunteer Application

Questions? Contact Tiffany Sanders at tiffany.sanders@ahschools.us

Yearbooks for the 2024-2025 school year are now on sale.

Books were in high demand last year and sold out quickly, so make sure you reserve yours now!

You can order your yearbook online here.

Minnesota weather is shifting gears, and the Anoka-Hennepin School District has plans in place for when extreme winter weather arrives.

The safety of all students is the first priority when determining if schools should stay open in adverse weather. If a determination is made to close school due to extreme winter weather, the district will alert families in a variety of ways, including:

• Phone, text or email message from AHlert system (for Anoka-Hennepin parents/guardians only).

• District and school websites.

• District and school social media pages (e.g. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter).

• Media outlets including WCCO, KSTP, FOX 9, KARE 11, CCX Media, WCCO radio and Star Tribune newspaper.

Those responsible for activities scheduled in schools over the weekend will determine if adverse weather conditions necessitate a cancellation.

Read more about the district’s policies on extreme winter weather at ahschools.us/weather.