Jaguar Junction

We are off and running on a fabulous school year. If you are wondering how to connect more frequently with school, there are a variety of options. First and foremost, checking your TylerSis for grades and assignments will be important for the school year. Sit down with your student and have them show you their google classrooms. Checking your email for important information and reminders from the school routinely. If you have social media, "like" the JMS school page or the twitter account. In addition, zoom in to our monthly PTO meetings as well as "like" the Jardine PTO facebook page.

Here in the next few weeks, we will be starting to send out information to parents about our afterschool programs which may include clubs periodically this school year. We will also have after school tutoring and interventions in place to provide students with academic support. For questions about this, please send inquiries to Mr. Todd Haag at thaag@tps501.org

As always, we are continuing our safety protocols for students during the school day with social distancing, masks, hand sanitizing and more. Please be sure to continue to have conversations with your students about the importance of following the protocols and ensure students come with masks each day worn correctly.

Thanks for your support, your partnership, and this amazing community we get to serve each and every day.

All students, staff, and visitors will be required to wear a face mask while in the building. We appreciate your cooperation in helping your student understand the importance of keeping the mask in place while at school.

All parents need to have a plan in place should your child need to be picked up due to suspected illness. School personnel will not transport students that are ill, nor will students be allowed to remain at school indefinitely. Please have a plan in place with a variety of friends or family members that can be available to pick up your ill child. This is extremely important and will help our learning environment remain healthy.

Parents, it's that time of year when we need to receive copies of your students immunization records. Any student that is entering the 7th grade should be getting a t-dap booster and a meningitis vaccine. Also if your student has received their covid vaccine it would be helpful in getting a copy of that also. If you have any questions please let me know.

We would like to welcome all students and parents to a new year at Jardine Middle School. Mr. Falk is the counselor for the 6th and 8th grade (last name A-M). Ms. Waldy is the counselor for the 7th grade and 8th Grade (last name N-Z). Jardine Guidance Counselors provide services for students regarding academics, career planning, and personal/social needs.

As parents, guardians, and students eagerly return to school, there can be anxiety about everything from meeting academic targets to students’ health. Considering the unpredictability of our world right now and the unprecedented events of last school year, these concerns are valid and to be expected. So, how can you help your child settle into the routine of the 2021-22 school year?

First, parents and guardians should not be afraid to have conversations addressing their child’s feelings about returning to school, especially if the student engaged in remote learning for much of the last school year. When children perceive an open, honest environment, they are more likely to feel safe expressing concerns to their family. These conversations can include safe practices at school such as masking, social distancing, and hand washing. They can also include ways for the child to seek help, both academically and with social emotional matters. Here, at Jardine Middle School, we have a “Request to See Form” on our website under the “Student Resources” tab. Students can request to see the nurse, social worker, counselors, etc. with ease.

Within these open conversations, parents and guardians can remind their children that everyone was in the same boat last year. We are all starting off feeling, perhaps, a bit wary and uncertain, but academic and social challenges can provide opportunities for growth.

Parents and guardians are encouraged to re-establish routines that may have been difficult to maintain last school year. These can include regular bedtime routines, including “no-screen time”. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry recommends removing screens 30-60 minutes before bedtime to help children avoid sleep disruptions. Back-to-school routines may be helpful in returning to everything from regular family meal times to social interactions that may have been halted last year. These routines give parents, guardians, and students a sense of normalcy and predictability.

Remember, our staff love and care about your children, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if there is any way we can aid in the success of your child, here at Jardine Middle School.

Jardine Safe School Policy Statements

• All students and staff have the right to be safe at school.

• Behaviors that compromise student safety will not be tolerated.

• All known safety issues are to be reported to a counselor, administrator, school resource officer, or trusted Jardine staff member.

• Parents are encouraged to report any safety concerns to school officials.

Jardine students and staff:

• Will not spread rumors, bully others, use physical violence, racial or sexual harassment.

• When safe, will help others who are victims of these behaviors.

• Will include students who feel left out

• Will tell an adult at home and school when we know a student is a victim of these action or any unsafe behavior.

Welcome back Jaguars! We are back to school and we are so excited to work with your students again in person! While every district may have different re-opening procedures, rest assured that decisions will be made in the best interest of our students and staff. National, state, and local mandates are made with the intention of providing best practice to everyone.

The Hun School Of Princeton posted an article regarding what to expect and tips for returning to school in person for the 21/22 school year.

Your students may have difficulties upon returning to school. The environment may feel awkward to them and feelings of general anxiety and the struggle to stay focused in class will be some of what your student’s experience. Encourage them to be patient with themselves and reassure them they will get back into the habit of “doing school”. Also, encourage them to seek out help from Jardine’s social worker or counselors who can provide direct support during the school day.

Students will also experience a “new normal” for what in person school looks like. Social distancing, face masks, and sneeze guards are still currently employed in the building to help keep students and staff safe. Students may become frustrated with reminders to keep distance from others and pull masks up over their mouth and noses. Again, encourage patience and remind them that a habit of these behaviors will soon become natural and automatic with time.

Tips for survival

1. Get back into a routine---bed times, study times, etc. will help to make the newness feel “more normal”.

1. Share your concerns for your student with a teacher, social worker, counselor or administrator. Bringing your concerns to our attention helps us to better support your students during the day.

1. Stay flexible---It seems procedures change frequently during this time.

1. Encourage your students to connect with friends. While they will be distancing during interactions, human connection is necessary for a positive learning experience.

1. Practice good hygiene habits. Encourage students to practice hand washing and avoid touching their faces. This habit practiced at school will only add to the safety precautions put in place to keep students and staff safe.

In closing, this year is off to a running start and we all are in the same boat. Staying flexible and doing our best to practice safety measures will hopefully keep your students in attendance at Jardine. We do care about their physical and mental health. We welcome connecting with your students and please remind them to look for their Jardine Social Worker, Ronda Sparks, LMSW, and their counselors, Kevin Falk and Hannah Waldy.

Mike Singletary of the Chicago Bears once said, “Do you know what my favorite part about the game is? The opportunity to play.” We at Jardine Middle School want you to know that every student has an opportunity to participate in after school activities.

To begin the school year our fall activities are: Volleyball, coached by Mrs. Gilliland, Mr. Falk, and Ms. Scott. Girls Tennis, coached Mrs. Abellon and Mr. Morris. Football, coached by Mr. Daniels, Mr. Brown, Mr Bell. All students participating must have a physical on file and have maintained grades set by KSHSAA and USD 501 regulations.

We will check grades each week prior to an event; if a student-athlete has an F in any class they will have an opportunity to get the grade to passing before they will be allowed to compete during the week. Our coaches and I will go over concussion protocols with our student-athletes. Jardine will have a certified trainer for our athletes; parents will need to sign a release form in order to be seen.

I want to remind all spectators about KSHSAA rule 52 on sportsmanship. We want everyone to be courteous to all participants, coaches, and officials. Jardine will win with character and lose with dignity, let us be positive role models for our student-athletes.

Spectators for our sporting events:

• For the 2021-2022 athletic season we need to follow the guidelines of:

• 50% capacity for all indoor athletic events.

• No student fans will be allowed, unless accompanied by their family unit.

• Mask must be worn at all times.

• Outdoor events will follow the same guidelines as in doors.

• Concessions will be sold only before, at half time of all indoor events.

This year our drama department is presenting the play “The Enchanted Bookshop,” directed by Mrs. Rowe and Mrs. Shelton. We encourage all students from 6th, 7th and 8th grade to participate. Play try-outs begin Sept. 13th and performance will be in November.

**The following is information for your student to log into their chromebook-

Student usernames follow the format of flastname###, where f is the student's first letter of their first name, lastname is the student's last name, and ### is the last three digits of the Student ID number. Their email address is that username followed by @tps501.org.

Student passwords follow the format of ######fl, where ###### is the student number, f is the initial of their first name, and l is the initial of their last name, both lowercase. Student numbers can be found in the Parent Portal under Student Details in the left side menu.

**The following is your student's TylerSIS login information-

Login is their student ID number and the password is their birth date with two digit month, two digit day, and two digit year

Library News-Chromebooks

The following information are tips about your chromebooks.

• If your chromebook is broken or not working correctly, please follow these steps:

• 1. Restart your device-power off with the button on the side or go to the clock bubble in the bottom right corner and power off

• 2. Sign out of your device-go to the clock bubble in the bottom right corner and click, in the pop up menu in the top left you will see your name-click sign out

• 3. Make contact with your school Librarian-Ms. Gilliland at agilliland@tps501.org

• 4. If Ms. Gilliland can’t be reached please contact techsupport@tps501.org the district Information Technology department

• TYLER SIS logins are different from the chromebook login. Please use the following format user name: ###### (student Id) password: birthdate: mmddyy

• All students will still be responsible for any damages to their device during this time, so please keep your device in a secure location out of the way of liquids, dropping from heights, and small toddlers.

• School based sites and programs that content areas have in common are, but are not limited to are: NoRedInk, Newsela, MobyMax, Google Classroom, Zoom, HMH, and Clever

Reading Resources HIGHLIGHT!!

As our continuous learning evolves please use the following resources to help with additional reading while away from the physical school library.

http://destiny.topeka501.org/-Our Online School Card catalog located under the TPS 501 Bookmarks-you can access ebooks or put books on hold for circulation

https://www.worldbookonline.com/-World Book is an online encyclopedia subscription the district pays for. They have opened up many additional resources since this online learning was taking place. All students will need the username: tps501 and password:library to access the MANY resources for all grade levels

https://kslib.info/221/Online-Databases-The State Library of Kansas has many additional resources available. Many databases along with many elearning audio books and platforms. If you need a State Library ID or card, please email me and I will get you one. agilliland@tps501.org

https://tscpl.org/-Topeka Shawnee County Library is always a good source. You can sign up to get a free digital library card. Your username is: 501###### (student id) Password is: year of graduation-6th grade-2027, 7th grade-2026, 8th grade-2025

6th Grade: (Ms. Appelhanz, Ms. du Bois, Ms. Wooten) Unit 1: “Facing Fears” Skills: Inference, Main Idea, Vocabulary, Context Clues; Novel - “Among the Hidden”

7th Grade: (Ms. Bisconer, Ms. Morlock, Ms. Wooten) Unit 1: “Bold Actions” 7th Grade will be diving into their Collection 1: Bold Actions. This unit focuses on the standards of plot, theme, main idea, and inference. Our class novel is Fire from the Rock by Sharon Draper. This unit will be taking us all the way up until the last week of the first quarter.

8th Grade: (Ms. Watson, Ms. Pumford) Unit 1: “What Culture Means to Us”

This Unit we are centered on exploring texts that involve the role that culture plays in our lives as well as the lives of others. Our goal is to understand how critical our cultural identities are in tying our lives to the lives of others. We will also be doing some project based learning in the library. Ms. Gililland will introduce us to online resources that will help us to find information about new and unexplored cultures and customs.

ELL: Ms. Scott: ESOL Elective: We are starting a Project Based Learning Unit for Quarter 1. The driving question is "How do people plan for, deal with, and recover from the forces of nature?" Students will explore this driving question through a variety of reading, writing, and listening activities. They will then present their culminating project at the end of the quarter.

Ms. Shelton: Newcomer 1: We will be learning greetings, numbers, family members, polite words, and colors. Newcomer 2: We will be learning personal pronouns, the verbs: is, am, and are, spelling words with the short a and short o sounds, sequence words, and how to write an email.

Remember, practice makes PERMANENT! Having your student read 20 minutes every night is an excellent practice to start now. Generally, the more time you are exposed to something and the more time you spend practicing it, the better you’ll become at performing it. This is absolutely true for reading. Research shows that children who have repeatedly been exposed to books from birth generally exhibit strong reading abilities. Readers are leaders!

Hello! I’m Mr. Esau and I teach 7th and 8th grade computer courses here at Jardine. I previously taught 5th grade at Jardine Elementary and Avondale West. For September, I will be working on Digital Citizenship and Microsoft Word/Google Docs. The goal for 7th grade is to prepare them for the 8th grade ICA (Integrated Computer Applications) course which can be taken for a high school credit in fine arts. I will be preparing the students to use Google Apps along with Microsoft Office. Please don’t hesitate to email me at besau@tps501.org if you have any questions

6th Grade

Hello and welcome back from the Jardine 6th grade science. We will be starting this year out with a Module on Engineering and Science. We will be looking at the processes involved with using mathematics and science to solve problems. Make sure you help your child as we may be asking that they do some of the work for their egg drop project at home. Also, please check in with your child to see if they are keeping up with their assignments in Google Classroom and also on Tyler SIS. We are looking forward to a great year. -Ms. Abellon & Mr. Jennings

7th Grade

HMH Science Dimensions™ is our new online program this year for science. This will be our resource for readings, various assignments, and labs. Just because we are moving towards being more digital does not mean the hands-on stuff is gone. Part of science will always be about learning through experiences.

The 7th graders are off to a great start! We are learning Scientific Method and lab equipment we will be using during our investigations and experiments this year. In our first quarter this year we will be learning all about the different types of Energies through labs and investigations. This will be our Physics section this quarter.

8th Grade

It's nice to have the 8th graders back in the class and get to do some hands-on learning we missed out on last year. In 8th grade science, we start with the history and diversity of life on Earth. We will cover the how and why Earth has changed and try to explain some of the theories that help explain it. We then dive into the diversity of life that exists and how it is different from what we find in the fossil record. This will lead us into topics like: changes in climates, common species during different time periods, and how natural selection plays a major role.

6th Grade

Welcome 6th Graders and your families to Jardine Middle School from the Ancient World History teachers, Mr Jennings and Mr. Schawo! This year we will be learning about a number of Ancient Civilizations including Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, Greece, India, Rome, African Civilizations and The Mesoamerican Maya, Incan, and Aztecs. We actually begin with prehistory and the hominids during the Stone Age. During the month we will show how hunter-gatherers learned to farm, which led to the first civilization of Sumer in Mesopotamia. We are also learning about the tools historians use to learn about the past and historical thinking skills students can use to help determine the validity and reliability of sources. This year students will also be learning how to write an essay that uses appropriate evidence to prove their thesis about historical events. We look forward to working with the students and their families and we expect this year to be amazing! Please contact us anytime if you have any questions or concerns.

7th Grade

Seventh grade Social Studies is gearing up for an exciting year. We begin learning about maps, what they can tell us, and how to use them. In addition, students should be practicing their states/capitals. Throughout the year, maps will play an important role in our learning. We will be able to determine population trends, resources available that encourage groups of people to move; climate, and physical attributes of our earth. Human Geography will be examined as well, and how we affect our earth, and ways to protect it.

8th Grade

We are so happy to be back in school! Though things are not completely back to normal we are excited to be with our students once again. Our 8th graders are going to be reviewing how the 13 colonies were founded and what caused the American Revolution. We will then be diving into the American Revolutionary War. Our students will be using their critical thinking skills, practice analyzing primary sources, and creating their own conclusions about historical situations. Please ask your students about what they are learning in all of their classes.

Jardine Music Department

Jardine students are already making wonderful music! 7th and 8th Grade Band students are planning to perform at the Middle School Football Classic October 13 at Hummer Sports Park.

Check out the Jardine Middle School BAND Facebook page!

Jardine Drama Department

An ordinary used book shop by day, A Likely Story becomes a magical place each night. Thanks to a spell from the Book Fairy, the characters inside the books come alive each and every night. Six of those characters — Dorothy Gale, Robin Hood, Pollyanna, Sherlock Holmes, Heidi, and Tom Sawyer — long to help Margie, the scatterbrained owner, save her struggling store. But they’re not allowed to leave the building or be seen by human eyes.

So when a pair of bungling smugglers comes looking for a stolen necklace hidden inside one of the books, the characters are torn. Should they warn Margie and risk disappearing forever? Or can they find a way to defeat the crooks without being seen?

Play tryouts will take place September 13-15 after school in the Music Room. There will be an information meeting for parents and students immediately following the first practice on September 20 at 4:30 pm in the JMS Commons. Performances are November 18-19. Please call Tracy Rowe at 785-730-8125 or email trowe@trowetps501.org if you have questions.

Check out the Jardine Middle School Drama Facebook page!

6th Grade

In 6th grade math we are learning about greatest common factor, least common multiple, and dividing all types of fractions. Later in the month we will be learning about adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing decimals. We will wrap up the month by assessing this first unit of material.

7th Grade

The 7th grade math team has started the year working with ratios and proportional relationships. In Module 1, students will build upon their 6th grade reasoning about ratios, rates, and unit rates to define proportional relationships and the constant of proportionality. Students will learn that the unit rate of a collection of equivalent ratios is called the constant of proportionality and can be used to represent proportional relationships with equations of the form y = kx, where k is the constant of proportionality. The math team is grateful that we have programs like IXL and Khan Academy to help our students achieve success when learning new mathematical concepts. These programs allow our students to work on their assignments anywhere they have internet access. Any encouragement for your student to practice at home would be greatly appreciated. We are looking forward to a great year with this 7th grade class.

8th Grade

Eighth graders at Jardine Middle School have hit the ground with our feet running. Focus for this unit is on angles and triangles.

I. We began by reviewing basic angle types- acute, right, obtuse, straight, reflexive, and revolution. Each one of these can be expressed with an equation or inequality.

Acute x˂90° Right x=90° Obtuse 90°˂x˂180°

Straight x= 180° Reflex 180˂x˂360 Revolution x=360°

II. Next, we moved onto angle relationships. Knowing these relationships is necessary to solve for unknown angles. These relationships include:

Complementary Angles- two angles that have a sum of 90°

Supplementary Angles- two angles that have a sum of 180°

Vertical angles- created when two lines intersect; opposite angles are congruent (equal), while adjacent angles are supplementary.

Revolution- angles around a point that have a sum of 360°

Parallel lines cut by a transversal- this creates several different angle relationships.

a) Corresponding (same relative location) angles are congruent (equal).

b) Same side interior (consecutive interior) angles are supplementary.

c) Alternate exterior (outside parallel lines and opposite sides of the transversal) angles are congruent (equal).

d) Alternate interior (inside parallel lines and opposite sides of the transversal) angles are congruent (equal)

III. The unit will conclude with a study of triangles. Students will be asked to create triangles from given measurements, determine if given measurements can make a triangle, use angle-angle criterion to determine similarity of triangles, and solve for unknown angles using angle sum theorem and exterior angle theorem.

6-8 PHYSICAL EDUCATION EXPECTATIONS

Prompt*Prepared*Participate*Pleasant

ITEMS NEEDED FOR PHYSICAL EDUCATION CLASS:

• Tennis shoes - No Crocs, boots, slides, sandals, etc.

• Clothing you can comfortably participate in. No hoodies, coats, tight pants, shirts that dip down in the front, midriffs, tank tops etc.

• No jewelry. Watches included.

• Deodorant should be kept in bookbags.

• If a student utilizes an inhaler, the necessary paperwork must be on file with the school nurse. Please mark inhalers with names.

*We will meet in the gym and place belongings against the walls. Each grade will have a designated spot to put their belongings every day.

TIMELINESS

• A student is tardy to class if they are not in the gym when the bell rings.

• Points will be deducted if you are not in your assigned squad spot when daily roll is being taken.

NON-PARTICIPATION

• If a student is to be excused from participation for an extended period of time because of health or physical problems, a note from a medical doctor to the teacher will be necessary.

GRADING

All grading will be done daily and meeting our district P.E. Standards.

Ways to earn daily points:

1. Prompt - be on time to class…………………………... ..(1 point)

2. Prepared - correct clothing/shoes worn for class ……….(1 point)

3. Participate - participate in class activities ……………….(1 point)

4. Pleasant - have a good positive attitude ………………...(1 point)

Each weekly assignment will be worth 20 points (4 points per day)

SAFETY RULES AND MISCELLANEOUS REMINDERS:

• Students are to enter the far east door of the gym at the beginning of class. Girls will exit through the south gym doors. Boys will exit into the hallway from the boys’ locker room.

• All students will go to the locker room at the end of class to use the restroom, put on deodorant, get drinks etc. You will be verbally dismissed from the locker rooms.

• Do not handle any piece of equipment unless under direct supervision of the teacher.

• HORSEPLAY will NOT be tolerated.

• NO food including gum and candy. Water ONLY!

• Last hour and bus riders.

• Noise level in the locker room is 0-1.

• CELLPHONES are to be kept in your bags at all times.

• Teachers need to know immediately if there are ISSUES in class.

• DRILLS: Secure campus, lockdown, fire drill and tornado drill procedures.

• Talk through a day in PE. Roll, warm-ups, universal signal, explanation of activity, 10-minute bell, locker rooms, dismiss form locker rooms and exit out the designated doors.

• Practice universal P.E. signal.

• Daily class leaders.

Seventh grade Social Studies is gearing up for an exciting year. We begin learning about maps, what they can tell us, and how to use them. In addition, students should be practicing their states/capitals. Throughout the year, maps will play an important role in our learning. We will be able to determine population trends, resources available that encourage groups of people to move; climate, and physical attributes of our earth. Human Geography will be examined as well, and how we affect our earth, and ways to protect it.

Jardine Middle School will not tolerate bullying of any kind. Bullying is defined as any ongoing verbal or physical mistreatment where there is an imbalance of power, and the target/victim is exposed repeatedly to negative actions by one or more students. Bullying can be direct (physical or verbal), or indirect (exclusion, cyber-bullying, emotional). In order for everyone to feel safe and secure at school, every Topeka Public School has adopted the following rules against bullying: “I will not bully others. I will try to help students who are bullied. I will do my best to include students who are easily left out. When I know somebody is being bullied, I will tell an adult at school and an adult at home.” Students, staff, and parents should report any bullying that they are aware of to administration through the on-line safety report link on the Jardine website. There is also a "request to see" form online that students can fill out to be seen by someone during the day. Students who bully others will receive consequences. Our counselors will be visiting 6th, 7th and 8th grade classes in September to remind students what bullying is, what we can do to prevent bullying, and what students should do if they or someone else is being bullied.

The Topeka Public Schools, Unified School District No. 501 is committed to affirmative action and equal opportunity. No person shall, on the basis of age, race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, disability, national origin or ancestry be denied lawful access to any appropriate educational service, program or activity provided by the school district. The Title VI and Title IX compliance coordinator is the Assistant Superintendent for Teaching/Learning/Administration. The Section 504/Title II compliance coordinator is the Coordinator of College and Career Ready Services. For employment, the EEO/AA officer is the General Director of Human Resources. All compliance coordinators may be contacted at 624 SW 24th Street, Topeka, KS 66611-1294, (785) 295-3000. The clerk of the Board of Education has been designated to receive and redirect or handle inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies, regulations and procedures. The clerk may be contacted by calling (785) 295-3045 or by writing to 624 SW 24th Street, Topeka, KS 66611-1294.

https://www.topekapublicschools.net/jardine

Website: jardine.topekapublicschools.net
Location: 2600 SW 33rd St, Topeka, KS, USA
Phone: 785-730-8100