The JagWire
Jackson Middle School Newsletter - August 30, 2024
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Good afternoon and happy Friday! Well, we made it through the first few days of school and while I would like to say it was uneventful, that would not be accurate. On the positive side, by today a majority of the students were able to make their way to their classes with very little assistance. And having Markham on site has been going extremely well. It is fun to see the littles as they are moving to specials and lunch.
Portable Update
I wanted to take a moment to share with you information about the restroom issue in the portable area. There is a company that is in charge of cleaning them and having them up and running. That company came on Monday and got everything charged up and ready to go. On Tuesday and Wednesday the systems began to degrade and by yesterday the pumps in both units quit working altogether. I have been in contact with facilities throughout this entire week and the latest update is that the company is working to replace the pump systems. In the meantime, they have installed six port-a-potties with hand wash stations for students to use. Not an ideal situation but it is a solution. Hopefully they can get it all fixed over the weekend.
I know that some of you are curious about the passing time and bell issues for the students going to and from the portables. As a staff we had many discussions about how to resolve this issue because we have students who are in the building all day and only need a four minute passing time, and we have students in the portables who need a six minute passing time. Our solution was to keep the bells at a four minute passing time but any student traveling to and from the portables will have a two minute grace period. We have asked all students to keep a copy of their schedule in the front of their binder so that we can double check their stories when they say where they are traveling from. We will re-evaluate at the end of September to see if we need to make any adjustments.
I am still tweaking the lunch schedule to get students through the lines more efficiently. I am making one more adjustment today that should solve a majority of the issues.
Coffee Talk
As part of our school/parent communication, I like to host "Coffee Talks" for parents where we can address any concerns or questions you may have. Our first Coffee Talk is next Friday, September 6 at 9:30 a.m. This Coffee Talk is for 6th grade families and we will schedule them once a month throughout the school year. I will schedule additional Coffee Talks for 7th and 8th grade families later in the year.
Schedule Changes
Finally, we have had many parents and students requesting schedule changes. Unfortunately, we just do not have the capacity to make those changes. We appreciate students advocating for themselves and we will continue having conversations.
That's it for this week. Have a great long weekend!
Sincerely,
John Ferraro
Welcome back!
Hello everyone! We at the SUN team hope you had an incredible summer! We wanted to give a recap of what SUN does for our school community and clue you in on a few things coming up. SUN stands for schools uniting neighborhoods. The purpose of SUN is to support all parts of the school community, including students, parents, and teachers. SUN is most well known for our after school and summer programming for students, but also hosts lunchtime affinity groups, field trips, family events, adult education, and more!
Announcements
Things to be on the lookout for in upcoming SUN newsletters:
Registration for SUN fall classes (see below for what classes will be offered)
A list of lunchtime affinity groups that will be starting in mid-October
School play info (our school play will start rehearsals around Halloween)
A family event coming in late fall
An adult education event in early spring
School Supply List 2024-25
School supply lists are separated by grade. Please click on the appropriate grade below:
Electives - Band, Choir, Shop (Environmental Design)
Reminder: Please attach your student's name to lunch boxes, backpacks, sweatshirts and coats.
Portland Public Schools Nutrition Services is happy to announce all students will be able to enjoy breakfast and lunch at no charge for the 2024-25 school year. This opportunity is made possible in part by the expansion of federal eligibility and additional funds allocated by the state’s Student Success Act.
Breakfast includes an entrée, choice of fruit, and milk. Lunch includes a choice of entrée, milk, and unlimited fruits and vegetables. Students must choose at least three foods, with one food being at least a 1/2 cup of fruit and/or a vegetable.
Due to this change in services, our kitchen teams will no longer be able to take cash or check payments. If students bring their lunch from home and want milk, they must may choose two other foods – such as a fruit and vegetable – at no charge. Milk can no longer be purchased separately.
A few more clarifications:
Families do not need to submit a free and reduced-price meal application. All PPS students are automatically enrolled in this program.
If you have questions about your student’s meal account, please visit our webpage for more information or contact our department for further support.
This change has no impact on Title I funding.
Access to nutritious meals is a crucial component of student success and well-being, and we are thrilled to be able to take advantage of this opportunity on behalf of our students.
Sincerely,
Whitney Ellersick, MS, RDN
Senior Director of Nutrition Services
All sports for Jackson students are through PIL Youth Athletics (Wells cluster). Their website has changed. For more information about teams and registration, please go to:
Go Wells Youth Athletics (and GO JAGS!)
Our amazing counseling team has their own website!
Please click here JMS Counseling Team for all the information!
