JMS Parent Newsletter

We are heading into the last week of the first nine weeks. We appreciate our students and parents for an amazing start to this unique school year!

As we enter our last week, please be sure to check Skyward to see what assignments your child may be missing. If they are missing assignments, tests or quizzes, please have them reach out to the teacher to find out how to make them up.

Included in this newsletter, you will find:

• The Eagle Eye - A Look at the Week Ahead
  
• Covid 19 Update
• Term 1 Ends Friday - How Can I Ensure My Child Finishes Strong?
• ITC Corner - Tips from Mr. Fowler - Final Grades?
• TE 21 Benchmark Assessment Make Ups
• School Pictures - Save the Date
• BOE Visit to JMS
• JMS PTO News
• Adopt a Street Program
• Attendance Awareness - Unexcused Absences
• Counselors Corner & Student of the Week
  
• Athletic Update
• IT Assistance Information

We will take a break from our Parent Newsletter and will resume communication Sunday, October 11th, 2020. If you have any questions during Fall Break, please contact our admin team using the information below.

Thank you for your support and please reach out if we can assist in any way!

Phil Cox, Principal, pcox@ortn.edu

Jenifer Laurendine, Vice Principal, jllaurendine@ortn.edu

Nick Corrigan, Dean of Students, njcorrigan@ortn.edu

Ben Fowler, Instructional Technology Coach, bjfowler@ortn.edu

Monday, September 21

A Day

A – K on campus

L – Z Remote PTO Meeting (Zoom)

Football Practice 3-5pm

Cheer Practice 3-4:30pm

Cross Country 3-4:30pm

Board of Education Meeting-SAB 6:00

Tuesday, September 22

A Day

L – Z on campus

A – K Remote

Principal’s Meeting - Cox & Laurendine out of the building - 8am - 11am

Studer Education Zoom w/ Dr. Sternke - Cox & Laurendine - 1:15 - 2:15pm

School Counseling PLC 3:30pm

Cheer Practice 3-4:30pm

Football Practice 3-5pm

Cross Country 3-4:30 pm

Basketball Interest Meeting-Girls 5pm, Boys 6pm - Picnic tables in front of the school

Wednesday, September 23

All students Remote learning

Admin Team Meeting - Eagle Innovation Ctr - 6:30AM

RTI Grade Level Meetings - Library

EL Tech Family Support - Library 9:30-11am

SLT Meeting - 1pm via Zoom

Staff Meeting - 2pm via Zoom

Faculty Food Truck-SWATaco 11-1pm

Football Practice-Varsity 3-4:30pm, JV 4:30-5:30pm

Thursday, September 24

B Day

A – K on campus

L – Z Remote

Student Focus Meeting-Eagle’s Nest (2nd, 3rd, 6th, 7th)

Cross Country 3-4:30pm

Football Game vs. CAK @ Blankenship Field - 6pm

Friday, September 25

B Day

L – Z on campus

A – K Remote

Football Practice 3-5pm

Cross Country 3-4:30pm

Grade Posting Closes 11:59pm

We wanted to provide a brief update regarding our Covid-19 Response Plan. Our students continue to do a great job of socially distancing and wearing their masks.

Please see below for a list of precautions we are continuing to implement at this time:

• We are utilizing two Clinics - one for well students and one for sick students.
• All students & staff wear masks at all times (except during lunch where they are 6 feet apart).
• Students are socially distanced in all classes.
• All hallways and restrooms are marked to ensure social distancing.
• Lunches are split and both the cafeteria and JPAC are being utilized to accommodate for social distancing.
• Cafeteria tables and JPAC seating are sanitized in between each lunch period.
• Hand sanitizer dispensers are throughout the building.
• Teachers are equipped with cleaning supplies to use if needed during the day.
• Custodial staff cleans communal areas throughout the day.

We thank you for your support of our response plan. Please let us know if you have any questions at any time.

This is the final week of the first 9 weeks. Report Cards will be processed over Fall Break and sent home when we return from break on Monday, October 12th and Tuesday, October 13th. Please see tips below to ensure your child finishes successfully!

Check Skyward

• Check your child's grades in Skyward. You will be able to tell what their current grade is and what assignments are missing.

Contact Teacher

• If your child has missing assignments, reach out to their teacher to see what steps can be taken to possibly make them up. Many teachers provide opportunities to resubmit or make up assignments.

After School/Super Wednesday Assistance

• If your child has multiple missing assignments, please reach out to his/her school counselor to schedule time after school or during Wednesdays to make them up. Ms. Castle (5th & 7th grade) can be reached at mccastle@ortn.edu and Ms. Sullivan (6th & 8th grade) can be reached at fcsullivan@ortn.edu. You can also reach After School Coordinator Corey Huddleston at cdhuddleston@ortn.edu.
• Super Wednesdays are from 1pm - 3:45pm. Parent will need to provide transportation to and from the help session.
• After School Help is from 2:45pm - 3:45pm. Parent will need to arrange for student pick up.

Attendance

• Be sure your child clicks on the attendance link for every class, every day to ensure they are counted present. If your child is absent for in-person learning days, please be sure to submit a parent or doctor note within 3 days.

Technology Issues

• If your child is having technology issues or trouble accessing something on Canvas, please contact Ben Fowler, Instructional Technology Coach at bjfowler@ortn.edu, for assistance.

Please feel free to reach out to Vice Principal Jen Laurendine at jllaurendine@ortn.edu (865-425-9257) or Dean of Students Nick Corrigan at njcorrigan@ortn.edu (865-425-9271) if we can assist in any way.

Hello parents! Below are two very important messages for both In-Building and ConnectOR students. Please see the videos below!

If you need help accessing Skyward or Canvas, please let me know bjfowler@ortn.edu or 425-9290.

This past week, all in building JMS students took the ELA, Social Studies, Math & Science TE21 benchmark assessment. These Benchmarks allow us to check on students understanding of the standards throughout the first nine weeks of the year. This allows teachers to assess the standards taught over the current nine weeks and devise plans to build upon, reteach, and revise going into the second nine weeks.

Any student that was absent last week, will take these assessments at various times throughout the school day this week. Please speak to your child about getting a good night's sleep this week. Also, be sure they eat a good breakfast at home or at school. We want our students to give their best effort so that we have the most accurate information regarding our areas of improvement and our areas of strength.

This past Wednesday, our Board of Education and District Administration visited our building! We had wonderful discussions about how we are serving our students via the staggered schedule. Our teachers were able to speak with our Board Members and share with them the amazing things they are doing with their students each day!

We can't thank the Oak Ridge Board of Education and our District Administration for their support of the mission and vision of Jefferson Middle School!

Special thanks to our local Jimmy John's for donating free sandwich coupons we can hand out to students as a reward!

The cards are used to reward students for doing the right thing, achieving academically, showing great efforts to improve, displaying grit and a growth mindset! Thanks, Jimmy John's!

PTO Annual Fundraiser:

• The PTO’s annual direct drive fundraiser is in full swing! This is the PTO’s only fundraiser of the year so please consider donating. Direct Drive donations are used to help address needs of the school which are not included in the school’s budget such as dissection animals, art clay, supplies for the nurse’s office, new materials for the library and so much more!
• Donation forms and envelopes can be returned through September 25th to one of two lock boxes located either in the downstairs lobby or the second floor administration office. They can also be mailed to JMS PTO 200 Fairbanks Rd. Oak Ridge, TN 37830. This year the PTO is also accepting donations via PayPal (jeffersonmspto@gmail.com). Thank you for supporting the JMS PTO!

Next PTO Meeting:

• The next PTO meeting will be Monday, September 21 at 7:50am via Zoom. Meetings are kept short and are conveniently scheduled immediately after drop-off so anyone can attend. If you would like to receive a Zoom invite, please email sandy@issi.net.

Fundraiser Spotlight:

• Are you curious about how your fundraiser dollars are being used? Each week, the PTO section of this newsletter will feature a different department or classroom from JMS that was helped with money from our annual direct drive fundraiser! This week the spotlight is on Mr. Smith’s 7th Grade Social Studies class. Students are learning history through literature and google mapping by using “Marco Polo: History's Great Adventurer” books purchased with money from the PTO. These historical notebooks tell the story of the Silk Road, the importance of merchants, the achievements of China during the Yuan Dynasty, and interactions between Christians and Muslims during the Crusades. Thank you, JMS families!

As we continue to promote school attendance, please see below to ensure your child is counted present every day, even while working virtually from home. Please see below for some tips regarding unexcused absences and what to do when your child is absent.

1. When your child is absent from in building days, they must turn in a parent note or doctor notes within 3 days of returning to school. If a note is not turned in, the absences becomes an unexcused absent. Students get 7 parent notes from a sickness that does not require a doctor note.

2. When your child is working virtually, they must log into Canvas and visit every class and click on the attendance link by 11:59pm daily. Teachers turn in attendance twice a week to our attendance secretary and she uploads any virtual day absences.

3. Once a student accrues 5 unexcused absences, you will receive a letter from our attendance office as well as a phone call from Jenifer Laurendine to schedule a meeting to discuss how we can assist in increasing your child's attendance.

4. Once a student accrues over 7 unexcused absences, per our School Board Policy you will receive a letter from the Anderson County District Attorney’s Office requiring you to attend a Truancy Review and Support Meeting.

If you have any questions about your child's attendance, please contact Jenifer Laurendine at 865-425-9257 or at jllaurendine@ortn.edu.

Good evening from the Counseling Office!

This week we began our Super Wednesday Homework Help/Tutoring program at Jefferson Middle School. These Wednesdays are in place to serve our students who need additional academic support outside of the classroom. This week we were able to serve over 23 students, spanning seven different classes, in close to three hours.

We love to serve our students and continue to look for new and innovative ways to meet the educational, social, and emotional needs of our students and families. If your student needs additional academic, social, or emotional support during this time, please reach out to the School Counseling office to get additional information or connection points at (865) 425-9302. You can also contact 5th & 7th grade counselor Maria Castle (mccastle@ortn.edu) or 6th & 8th grade counselor Falon Sullivan (jllaurendine@ortn.edu).

September 14 - 18 Students of the Week!

Colin McVay

Jenna Brewster

Cooper Williams

Riley Cureton

Leah McVay

Audrey Leach

J’Zyion Slater

Natalie Reynolds

Sydney Brooke Blanchard

Kylie Daniels

Emma Roberts

Parker Grubb

Lynsee Pennington

Ana Fuentes

Maddie Erwin

Caitlin Schmitt

Robert Rankin

Tony Sachitano

Lukas Hanousek

Stantial Toe

Kaollaidhe Lewellyn

Emilie Segerberg

Important Dates for Your Calendar:

Fall Break September 28th –October 9th

Fall Parent Conferences with Teachers- October 21st

8th Graders ONLY - ACT Aspire Testing Window October 19th -23rd

Election Day- No School - November 3rd

Thanksgiving Break - November 25th-27th

Winter Break Early Dismissal - December 18th

Winter Break - December 21st- January 4th

Our Fall Sports are having a wonderful year! Please see below for updates!

Volleyball:

The Jefferson Lady Eagles Volleyball Team won the District on Tuesday night, defeating Norris to finish with an overall season record of 11-1. The Lady Eagles are both 2020 City and District Championships. The 8th grade volleyball players finished their JMS volleyball career with an overall varsity record of 37-6. Congratulations to the entire 2020 Jefferson Volleyball Team!

Cross Country:

The Boys & Girls Jefferson Cross Country teams won the City Championship on Wednesday night at their last regular season meet. The team will travel to the Sectional Meet on Saturday, September 26th in Chattanooga. Congratulations to Coach Smith, Coach Wilson, and all of the cross country runners for winning the City Championship!

Football:

The Fighting Eagles Football Team will host CAK on Thursday evening at 6pm at Blankenship Field. All spectators must wear masks and maintain social distance. Temperature checks will be required at the gate. Admission is $4 for adults and $3 for students—correct change is appreciated. Limited concessions will be available.

Cheer:

The JMS Cheer Squad is doing a great job and working hard to cheer the football team on Thursday night against CAK!

Basketball:

There will be an interest meeting this Tuesday, September 22nd in front of the school near the picnic tables. The girls meeting will be at 5pm and the boys will be at 6pm. All parents and attendees must wear masks and have temperature taken upon arrival.

Please come out and support all Jefferson Athletics this week! All spectators will be required to wear a mask, have their temperature taken upon arrival, and maintain social distance at all events.