The JagWire
Jackson Middle School Newsletter - January 17, 2025
Dear Parents and Guardians,
This week, I would like to take a little time to discuss student safety. First, please remember to talk to your students about being aware of their surroundings when walking in the neighborhood. I have read reports about strangers approaching students in other areas of the city and I would hate for something to happen to one of our students. Situational awareness is important while out and about.
Second, several families are reporting concerns about their students on social media. These concerns range from bullying to being approached by strangers on certain platforms. I encourage parents to check their children's social media accounts to be aware of what they are doing and who they are interacting with. Most of what children do is innocuous, but every once in a while things get out of hand.
Finally, there are rumors about a "fight club" meeting up at Gabriel Park. The exact location is undisclosed until just before it starts, and then a message is sent to participants. Please be sure you're checking and rechecking where your child is spending their time so they don't get involved in an event that could be very harmful to them.
I realize that these three topics are heavy conversations to have with your child, but it's important that we keep lines of communication open with our children, monitor their screen time, and be aware of where they are and who they are hanging out with.
Inclement Weather ⛄
Finally, on a lighter note, I would like to remind everyone about the process for inclement weather. If we have a snow day, late start or early release because of weather, parents will be notified by the district via the Remind system. If we have a late start or early release because of weather, it is likely that our buses will be on snow routes for that day. If a bus is on a snow route, it will not be stopping at all of its normal stops. Please check the transportation website where they have the regular bus routes as well as the snow routes for each bus. There could also be days where buses are on snow routes but we have a normal school day. So again, check out those bus routes so that you are not surprised when it happens.
That is it for this week. Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
John Ferraro
Donation Drop Off
Monday, February 3
Time: 3:30-4:15pm
RAIN OR SHINE : Drive-thru style!
Location: on Maricara Street across from JMS!
ACCEPTING DONATIONS OF:
*750ml bottles or red/white/rosé/sparkling (valued $15-$100) for our Wine Pull
*Any Gift Cards you want to donate (Restaurants, Retail, Grocery Stores/Costco, etc)
*Any tickets/admission passes (to local museums, sporting events, etc)
The Bernstein Bash Committee appreciates your contributions!
Email jmsbernsteinbash@gmail.com with any questions or to arrange pick-up.
THANK YOU!
**More info: https://linktr.ee/jmsbernsteinbash**
Ida B. Wells Forecasting for High School
IBW School Counselors presented school information and forecasting details to Jackson 8th graders on Wednesday. Kudos to our students who received many compliments from the IBW counselors for being attentive and respectful!
Please see below links to their presentation and IBW Forecasting resources. Please reach out to Ms. Pam or Ms. Meredith if you have any questions. Thank you!
Forecasting Slidedeck Presentation
Directions on how to forecast: https://www.pps.net/Page/17045
9th Grade Forecasting Worksheet
Submit Google Form by 1/30/15
IBW Counselors will be back on 1/31 to review Forecasting Google Forms 1:1 with 8th graders. At this time students can still make changes to their Google Form.
February 19th
Immunizations are due by February 19th. If your student:
- still requires immunizations
- does not have any records by Feb. 19th
- doesn't have approved exemptions from immunizations,
they cannot continue to attend school. You will be called and asked to retrieve your student from school on Feb. 19th. You should have received a letter from MESD in November 2024 detailing which immunizations are needed for your student, as well as a contact from the school nurse via email, phone call, and/or text message.
If we have no records of immunizations, please provide them as soon as possible, as they still may be incomplete and we want to give you time to get the required immunizations. If you know which immunization(s) are needed for your student, please get them soon, and provide paperwork to the Jackson front office, or email them to the school nurse.
Please remember that PPS Student Health Centers at High Schools offer free immunizations. The closest is at Cleveland HS, 503-988-3350. There is also a free clinic in downtown Portland, 503-988-4724. Please make appointments as soon as possible, as they will book up fast. If you have any questions, or want exemption from vaccination, please contact me, the school nurse, Chris Khodadadian, via email at ckhodadad@mesd.k12.or.us
Thank you,
Nurse Chris
⚾⚾New year, new season!
Registration for the 2025 Little League Spring season is now open on the NEW Southwest Portland Little League (SWPLL) website: https://www.swpll.org. Registration closes in February for upper divisions, and March 1 for Tee Ball, A, and AA.
Grants and scholarships are available.** Registration questions or concerns? Please contact registrar@swpll.org.
Spring registration fees for 2025 are as follows:
- Tee Ball: $132
- A/AA: $184
- AAA and Majors: $255
- Juniors (softball only): $255
Tee Ball (ages 5-7), Baseball (ages 6-12), and Softball (ages 6-14). Registration fee covers Little League fees, community equipment, field permitting, portable restrooms, and insurance. Uniforms are not included in cost. Division VPs and coaches will have available loaner gear. In addition, Play it Again Sports offers resale sporting goods at a discounted cost. Dick's Sporting Goods will also offer league participants promotional 20% off discount codes leading up to the season start.
SWPLL is run 100% by volunteers. We ask that all families volunteer or pay a $60 per family opt out fee. If volunteering, please complete the volunteer registration prior to registering a player for the season. Certificates earned during volunteer registration will be required to be uploaded in season registration in order to forgo the $60 fee. All league volunteers are currently required to complete the same process as Coaches and Managers:
**The cost of playing baseball or softball this year should not be a barrier to any families in SW Portland and beyond. The T-Mobile Call Up Grant, Every Kid Sports, and SWPLL scholarships are all available for players who require financial assistance. These programs cover up to 100% of registration and uniform fees. Visit the Financial Assistance page of the Registration section for more information: https://www.swpll.org/Default.aspx?tabid=1950724.
Bullying Concerns
At the start of the school year, we understand that bullying is a major concern for both students and families. Rest assured, we are proactively addressing this issue through several initiatives. These include:
- daily advisory lessons,
- school counselor-led sessions
- collaboration with our student leadership team to foster a more inclusive environment.
If students or families need to report an incident, they can do so in the office using a student incident report or anonymously through SafeOregon.
Nicole Ayala
Assistant Principal
