Parent Newsletter

We want to take a moment to thank students and parents for such a great week for the first week of Remote Learning. We had great participation across all grade levels and among most classes. We know this time is not normal for our students, families and staff, but we appreciate you and the support you have provided. Our teachers are working hard to develop learning opportunities and it means so much to them to see our amazing students participate. Check out more information below about week 2 of the Remote Learning Extended Learning Opportunities:

- Thank You for your Efforts

- Remote Learning Notes and Information

- Remote Learning Guidelines

- IT Remote Services to help with laptop issues

- Accessing and Understanding how to Check Canvas

- Continuing Success during Remote Learning - Mapping out a Learning Plan

- Food Services Information

- PTO

- Counselors Corner

Thank You for your patience and understanding. We hope you and your family are healthy and remain safe at this time.

Phil Cox, Principal

Chris Layton, Vice Principal

Jenifer Laurendine, Dean of Students

Students and Parents,

We wanted to say Thank You for a great start to the Remote Learning Opportunities kickoff from last week. It was amazing to see so many of our students and teachers working so hard in the Remote Learning phase. We miss our students and we wish were back in school, but it has been amazing to see how quickly our teachers and students have taken off in this world or Remote Learning. There were so many amazing opportunities provided to our students throughout the week by our incredible staff. Check out some of the highlights and statistics from last week's first week of Remote Learning:

• As of Thursday 4/9 at 4 pm, we have had 5,971 participations (discussions, file uploads, submissions of assignment, etc.) and 231,546 page views in Canvas!
• An email received by a 5th grade teacher from a student: “I'm very glad that you are sending videos! I personally think it is so much easier to learn when I can see it. Thank you for all you do for me and all the other students at JMS. Have a wonderful, extended break! Much, Much, Much love"
• An email received by admin and teachers from a 6th grade parent: “I wanted to say thanks so much for your hard work on remote school. Our first day is off to a good start. Ian misses his friends, seeing you his teachers and others at the school, and that routine, but we are doing our best. Having a routine again and accomplishing tasks will be good for Ian. From a family of educators, I truly appreciate all of you!”
• Teachers are “getting out of their comfort zones to try new things in regards to Remote Learning!”
• The feedback we have received indicates between 60-85% of our students have been engaged this first week!
• Our Special Education staff has hosted and scheduled over 15 remote meetings and Zoom discussions to serve the needs of ALL students!
• Over 75% of our JMS Band students have made SmartMusic accounts and they have logged 5 hours and 42 minutes of practice time this week!
• The School Counseling Department created a Canvas Page that appears on all 709 student Canvas accounts to ensure ALL students have access to resources.
• Our CDC Comprehensive teachers are delivering packets to students at their homes!
• Our staff has delivered and served an average of 12,000 “Grab & Go” meals per week to our students in need.

If you are on Twitter, please consider following the Jefferson Middle School account @JMS_Eagles. The account is constantly being updated with information, pictures and resources to help provide information. During this unprecedented time we encourage you to follow us for updates. We are always working to share with our school community. Also, you should consider following the Oak Ridge Schools twitter account, @ORSchools.

Parents you can check your child's 3rd Nine Weeks grade via Skyward. The grade cards are available in Family Access as a PDF file, if you would like to print a copy. We will not be sending out physically report cards.

Teacher Virtual Office Hours:

https://www.ortn.edu/jefferson/2020/04/09/jms-teacher-office-hours-2/

- We are working to collect information from our families about their access to internet during this Remote Learning time. Please complete this short survey in order for us to best collect information. If you do not have access and are looking potentially to get access check out the information below about some area companies offering special access during the Covid-19 crisis.

Overdue Library Book Notices -

Our library management system, Destiny, generates and sends out scheduled email notices of late books. Mrs. Haverkamp is working on getting this turned off. She apologizes for any extra emails. Books returns will be an area we will address later.

We want to make sure that our students and families understand that we are here to support during this unprecedented time in our history. The Oak Ridge Schools system has made a link for information and resources that you can access here for more information: https://www.ortn.edu/information-regarding-coronavirus/

A few reminders:

- Oak Ridge Schools are closed during this time through April 24th. If there is an update to that status and date it will be communicated through multiple channels by the Oak Ridge Schools system

- Related Special Services - Related service providers (i.e., speech, OT, PT, vision) will be reaching out to discuss the most appropriate way to serve your child during the closure. ORS will be providing all services remotely during the COVID-19 closure.

- If you receive a phone call from Oak Ridge Schools, please listen to the message. At this time there are updates often and we are working in the best manner possible to communicate with our students and their families by phone, email, social media and resources like this newsletter.

- The Remote Extended Learning Opportunities and program began for your students on Monday April 6th. This newsletter has information on how to access the learning opportunities and a series of resources to support students and teachers.

- What if my students device has technical issues? There is a section below labeled "IT Remote services for laptops" that will help explain the process if your student experiences issues with their laptop during the closure.

- What if I do not have access to broadband or wifi? Check out the information and resources below:

Internet Access

Do you need internet access for online learning?

Comcast – https://corporate.comcast.com/covid-19

• Open Wifi-hotspots to all users, even non Comcast subscribers.
• No Data Caps – 60 days of Unlimited access
• No Disconnect or Late Fees
• Internet Essentials Free to New Customers – 60 days of Internet access for free – normally $9.99/month

AT&T – https://about.att.com/pages/COVID-19.html

• No Disconnections or Late Fees for customers
• Free open wifi hotspots
• Unlimited Data
• Limited/Fixed income residents and sign up as a New customer for $10/month.

Charter/Spectrum – https://corporate.charter.com/newsroom/charter-to-offer-free-access-to-spectrum-broadband-and-wifi-for-60-days-for-new-K12-and-college-student-households-and-more

• Free broadband/Wifi for 60 days to home with K-12 and/or college students that do not already have a Spectrum Account (Call 1-844-488-8395)
• Spectrum will open it’s wifi hotspots for all public use.
• No Data caps

TDS Internet (large portions of East TN) – https://tdstelecom.com/about/news/categories/tds/CoronavirusStatement.html

- I need help knowing where to start to help my student in Remote Extended Learning Opportunities - There is a section below listed as "Mapping out a Learning Plan: Where to Begin on April 6th" and also look into "Accessing Canvas and Understanding how to Check Canvas"

In addition, please continue to read the parent newsletters that will be sent to you. This will be a place where we will work to promote communication and information to support students and families. If you are on social media, please follow us on our Twitter Account @JMS_Eagles. We will be working through all of our communication tools as we receive information to be shared with our students and families. As always, we want to make sure to support you and your student(s) and in abundance of caution our schools will remain closed. Please check all of our communication tools and the website listed above for more details.

Below you will learn more information about how Remote Learning will work and how our teachers will utilize Canvas to give students learning opportunities. We want to continue to provide engaging lessons, skills, and supports for all of our students. In an effort to help support our students and families, we will continue to provide information, resources and tools like this newsletter.

During this time of remote learning our teachers will post daily lessons to their Canvas pages in the Announcement section. Students will be able to see their daily assignments in this section along with any helpful resources for the lessons. Please check Canvas Announcements daily for the lessons in your students classes.

As we transition to the remote learning model, our teachers will work to keep Canvas announcements updated daily. In their announcements they will explain the lesson for the day and/or provide information about assignments and projects etc. In addition, Canvas allows for teachers to embed and include any resources, videos, links etc. that can be used to help provide instruction for students.

Our students are very familiar with using Canvas and know how to go about checking announcements for information. This will be the starting point for students and where to access information for the lessons being designed by teachers. Below is a video on how to use Canvas for parents. Please take a moment to watch and get a better feel for how Canvas is used by our teachers. Information about extended learning opportunities will be found in the Announcements section in Canvas.

Step # 1 - Get a routine in place

It can be very helpful to map out your day and create a routine. When we are in school you have a routine and a schedule. You know when you need to wake up and you understand that third period is from 9:35 - 10:25 etc. It's important to create a routine. You need to make sure to have a routine that mirrors school hours because those will be the office hours your teachers will be available to help.

Step # 2 - Check Canvas Announcements Daily

During this time of remote learning our teachers will post daily lessons to their Canvas pages in the Announcement section. Students will be able to see their daily assignments in this section along with any helpful resources for the lessons. Please check Canvas Announcements daily for the lessons in your students classes.

Step # 3 - Build a Schedule with your Teachers Remote Office Hours

Your teachers will post information about their "remote office hours" in Canvas Announcements. A great strategy would be to build your time on Canvas around those remote office hours. Think about a schedule like this:

If your ELA teacher has office hours from 9 am - 12 pm, Math has hours from 11 am - 2 pm, SS has hours from 8 am - 11 am , and Science has hours from 10 am - 1 pm. This allows you to work to set up time to work on those classes during those office hours. You may not have questions for ELA, but you may have a question for SS so it would be important to work on SS during that window 8 am - 11 am. Think about the hours your teachers are offering in order to set up a schedule that gives you the best opportunity to complete your work.

Step # 4 - Reach out to your teachers if you have questions

Your teachers will have office hours where they will be available to assist and answer questions etc. If you don't understand an assignment reach out to your teachers. You can message them in Canvas or send them an email in outlook. Keep in mind, that you may not be the only student messaging a teacher, so do not expect an instant answer. This is new for you as students and this is new for us as teachers. Once you send them a question, just wait. They will respond to you and work to help you. If you contact a teacher outside of office hours, they may not see it until later in the day or until the next day.

Step # 5 - Give it your best! Learning Opportunities are critical for you

You have seen the guidelines, assignments can't be required or graded and this is going to be much different than school as you know it. However, keep this in mind. Education is about you taking advantage of opportunities to learn. So if you choose not to an assignment, to not even give your best effort, then you are choosing not to provide yourself with a chance to better you.

Your teachers are going to provide you with opportunities to learn and grow. To F.A.I.L. should be to have a First Attempt In Learning. Look at the assignments and resources your teachers provide you, give it your best effort and wait for your teacher to provide you with feedback.

Have you ever feared to submit an assignment because you feared a bad grade? Guess what? That fear should be gone now. Use this as an opportunity to give your best efforts to improve your skills in order to improve you. These Remote Extended Learning Opportunities are a great chance for you to work to improve.

Did you miss out on a skill earlier in the year? If you teacher reviews that skill, give it a second shot. Remember the focus during this time is for you to challenge yourself. Find these extending learning opportunities as a chance for you to improve yourself with no thought about grades. Can you learn, understand and show mastery of these skills? We tell you all of this because as you grow older and you move away from school, having skills will be important to your future. Use this time to reflect and improve your skills.

The district will continue to provide “Grab & Go” meals to any student each day through the Stay at Home Order. The sites will continue at Robertsville Middle School, Oak Ridge High School, Glenwood Elementary School and the Preschool each day from 11am – 1pm. The sites at Teller Village Apartments, Mackenzie Apartments, Manhattan Apartments and the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge will by daily from 12pm – 12:30pm. There will be extra food distributed with meals provided on April 17th.

Due to School Closure through April 24th, the following district guidelines will be in place for remote learning opportunities for our students:

1. Teachers in grades 5-12 will share daily alternative, online-based learning and review opportunities through Canvas should the district be closed for an extended period. The Office of Teaching and Learning, in collaboration with the Technology Department will provide guidance, support and resources for teachers.

Assignments must be posted daily in Canvas Announcements

The goal is to provide review or extended learning opportunities, not replace missed face-to-face class time. Use the following criteria for planning:

• Accessibility: No assignments can be required or used for student grades. The materials in home lessons should be prepared so that students of all levels of ability will be able to complete the work. Plans should contain translated materials for English Language Learners if there is a need. For additional guidance on ensuring students’ civil rights with online learning follow this link.
• Type of learning: lesson plans can include small amounts of new learning, but should focus primarily on concepts or principles that students have already been exposed to in your subject area.
• Timelessness: Course content should be posted daily.
• Length: Extended learning lessons should include an instructional component to accompany an assignment. Examples of instructional components include, but are not limited to, video lessons, self-recorded videos, readings, etc. Students should be able to complete the assignment in approximately 30 minutes.
• Resources: All materials for the home lesson plans should be uploaded to Canvas for grades 5-12.
• Feedback: Take advantage of this opportunity to teach with quality, comprehensive feedback. Give clear directions about items that should be returned/submitted for feedback with the understanding that some students may not have reliable internet access or equitable support needed to complete an assignment.
• Teachers in all subject areas should post daily content.
• All teachers must post daily office hours and contact information for students. Teachers may use Zoom, email, phone, Canvas or other online tools for office hours. A minimum of three office hours should be offered daily and can be offered at multiple times or in a single block.
• ITCs will be available by email and phone for technical support.

Have you heard your student talk about OneNote? Have you wondered what it is and how it can be used? Think about OneNote as a digital Trapper Keeper (Remember Trapper Keepers?). Many of our teachers work to post assignments, notes and information about class in OneNote. It really is a great place for information, collaboration and resources that can't be lost or misplaced.

Check out the following information about OneNote and how it can help students stay organized, stay informed and have access to class information to be better prepared. The video below gives a great description as to all of the tools that can be utilized in a classroom through OneNote.

Remember the days of taking notes? Did you ever miss some items? What if you had access to them again after class? OneNote allows teachers to post notes to their Canvas page and allows for students to have access to information on their devices as it is being given to them. One goal of this is to allow students to have deep discussions, ask questions, and work to review as they learn content.

Technology Department Remote Support for Extended Closure

Faculty/Staff/Students

· Create a ticket using https://support.ortn.edu or if you don’t have a working device (or cannot login), call 865-425-9039 and follow prompts

· Technician will schedule a support time for call back

· Technician will fix the device starting with voice commands

· If needed, technician will start a Zoom session to gain remote access

· If all remote support fails, technician will schedule student for drop-off of laptop and pickup of spare.

Drop-Off (All at Oak Ridge High School – TD Portable 3):

· Must have a work order so that we can prep a spare machine

· TD Tech will open a Work Order and collect

· Username (and password)

· Contact phone number

· Brief description of issue

· Drop off will be at TD portable 3.

· Drop-off times will be from 9:30a-10:30am on Mondays and Thursdays, and 3:30-4:40, TBD

· Students can pick-up a loaner device at this time (see pick-up section below).

· No drop-offs outside of this time. *Unless a special circumstance requires an alternate drop off time scheduled with technology employee

· Drive-thru lane setup for users to pull up and drop off device as quick as possible.

· Maintain Social Distance of 6ft.

· If you are sick, inform us immediately.

· We will verify appointment info (only those scheduled).

· User will keep their laptop case, adapter, line cord, stylus, or other accessories that are not needed for the repair.

· Users will remain at curb. They will NOT come to the doors or ramp at portables.

· User may leave.

Pick-up:

· After dropping off laptop, user pulls forward to pick-up table.

· Tech at Drop-off table will alert pick-up table.

· User to verify login, apps, and OneDrive setup.

· User may leave.

Cleaning and Repair (TD Staff):

· Wipe down laptop

· Bag laptop

· Write date on bag

· Attach contact info to bag

· Place laptop on cart for delivery to quarantine area

· Device will remain in quarantine for 5 days

· After day 5 those devices will be brought to the Image room.

· Cleaning and repair performed

Next PTO Meeting: The next PTO meeting will be held electronically on Thursday, April 16 7:45am. If you would like to join the meeting, please email or text Sandy Pelletier sandy@issi.net 865.323.8212 and you will be sent instructions to login.

Please join us for a virtual PTO meeting this Thursday at 7:45am. We'll be updating everyone on the status of PTO activities for the rest of the school year as well as the upcoming PTO election:

Sandy Pelletier is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: JMS PTO April Mtg
Time: Apr 16, 2020 07:45 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/77394913096?pwd=bWF6V3A2WmZZbjZEUFE3SWhhYmVZdz09

Meeting ID: 773 9491 3096
Password: 732771

PTO Elections: PTO elections will be held soon. The PTO organizes events throughout the school year including an annual fundraiser drive, teacher luncheons and end of the year luncheon for 8th graders. We could not do all of this without parent support and involvement. If you are interested in running for one of the board positions or for more information as to what they entail, please contact Sandy Pelletier sandy@issi.net.

Hello from the Counseling Office! We hope that you have looked at our canvas page that includes many resources, a daily video and a weekly lesson that can pass the time and help everyone feel better with being at home. We hope that you are doing well and have gotten into the swing of remote learning. If your child has not logged in and began their remote learning and we can help in any way please contact one of the school counselors or administrators so we can assist with your needs.

We are sure that you are feeling bored and are ready to go back to our regular school schedule.

“Human beings are not real great about endless time at home, not really knowing what to do with yourself,” Lauren Murray, a clinical psychologist and associate scientist at Johns Hopkins University, School of Public Health in the Department of Mental Health and International Health, tell CNBC Make It. In other words, we’re not great at having free time.

According to Cory Stieg, if you are looking for some structure in your day, here are some relaxing activities you can do at home during the COVID-19 quarantine.

Color, doodle and make origamis

Studies have shown that “structured coloring of a reasonably complex geometric pattern,” such as a symmetrical mandala pattern or coloring book, can lead to a meditative state that helps reduce anxiety. Consider breaking out your coloring books, or drawing your own pattern. https://www.crayola.com/featured/free-coloring-pages/ You can look at videos on Youtube how to make some simple origamis and you can challenge yourself to making harder ones. https://origami.me/diagrams/

Go for a walk

Walking not only counts as physical activity, but also provides some mental health benefits. If you can get outside to walk, studies have shown that a brisk walk can make you feel more creative. A 2016 study found that walking can make you happier and reduce feelings of boredom and dread, even if you’re just walking indoors. (Walking outside and staying at least six feet from other people is safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.)

Sleep

Aim to get seven to eight hours of sleep, because when you’re sleep-deprived your body has a harder time fighting infectious diseases, according to the Mayo Clinic. Studies have shown that people are more likely to get infected with other types of viruses if they’re sleep-deprived.

If you’re going to take a nap, stick to 10 to 20 minutes to avoid feeling groggy or messing with your sleep-wake cycle, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Just keep in mind that sleeping too little or too much can be a symptom of depression.

Do yoga

Feeling stiff from sitting at a desk, table or on your bed to complete work? Consider doing some yoga. Not only does it count as physical activity, but studies have shown that yoga can boost your mood, lower stress and anxiety and boost your self-esteem.

There are several online yoga classes to explore from the comfort of your own home. We are sure you are spending time on those Youtube channels. You might as well look at yoga and/or meditation videos. https://youtu.be/7kgZnJqzNaU

Chat with a friend

Call, text, email or video chat with your friends and family. Just because you’re socially distancing doesn’t mean that you can’t connect. Research has shown that social support can make you more resilient to stress.

Listen to (or play) music

You’ve seen the viral videos of people singing while quarantined, and it turns out they may be onto something: Singing has been shown to improve people’s mental health and sense of belonging.

Not much of a musician? Listening to music can help people in the face of a scary and stressful experience; a study on cancer patients found that music reduced anxiety and pain, while bolstering people’s moods.

We hope everyone is well and that you are staying healthy,

Mrs. Castle and Mr. Magee

5th and 6th Grade-

Mr. Magee ajmagee@ortn.edu

Office hours:

9:00am-1:00pm

Google Voice Number:

865-410-8558

7th and 8th Grade-

Mrs. Castle mccastle@ortn.edu

Office hours:

1:00pm-4:00pm

Google Voice Number:

865-309-5997

Principal

Mr. Cox

pcox@ortn.edu

865-425-9301

Assistant Principal

Mr. Layton

calayton@ortn.edu

865-425-9301

Dean of Students

Mrs. Laurendine

jllaurendine@ortn.edu

865-338-2904

Instructional Technology Coach

Mr. Fowler

bjfowler@ortn.edu

865-425-9301

We hope you and your family are staying safe and healthy during this uncertain time. Our staff misses you and can't wait to get everyone back to school. We want to take this opportunity to say thank you for a great week. Please know that the Remote Learning Opportunities that our teachers are working to prepare are designed to help and support our students. It is a great opportunity for students to work to develop their skills. We encourage our students to work to stay engaged and work to improve their skills.

We want you to know, we are here to support you! In an unprecedented time, we are going to work hard to provide your students with opportunities to continue to learn, grow, and regain some sense of normalcy in their lives to the best of our abilities. We are especially thankful for our teachers, many of whom have spent time over spring break becoming students, learning how to design in a remote learning educational world. Also, a huge shout out to so many of our staff members who have volunteered their time to distribute meals to our students.

Please be patient, please be kind, please be collaborative and please let us know how we can help. We are excited and hopeful that this will only be a temporary closure, but we also want to take time to prepare our students and families to the best of our ability. In a time of uncertainty, we wanted to provide as many resources as we can to provide some type of help.

Thank you for all that you do to support our school. We hope you and your family are able to stay safe and healthy during this time. We are here to support you and we look forward to the learning opportunities so we can work to help support our students.

Stay safe and healthy,

Phil Cox, Principal

Chris Layton, Vice Principal

Jenifer Laurendine, Dean of Students