TJMS Weekly Family Newsletter

Jaguar Families,

It feels like Fall is finally here! We have lots of great things going on this week, including the Book Fair at the Library and the Kids Can Food Drive (help us beat Pinkerton!). AND our 7 French exchange students and their chaperone arrived last night about 9:00 PM at TJMS to meet their very excited host families. They had a very long travel ordeal with 24 hours of lay overs in Dublin and then Amsterdam, ending with a 2.5 hour shuttle ride from SFO. I think they were vey excited to finally be here. They'll be shadowing their Jaguar host 'sibling' for the next two weeks. We're hoping they have a fabulous Jaguar experience.

GO JAGS!!! 💜

Jenny Keyport

TJMS Principal

10/21-10/25: Students and families are welcome to come to the Book Fair before and after school, however the library floor will be closed due to not having anyone available to supervise students. Students are welcome to come to the library for assistance with textbook related needs.

• TJMS Website
• TJMS 24-25 Bell Schedules
  
• Reporting Student Absences
• My School Bucks
• TJMS Calendar
• TJMS Student Handbook
• TJMS Activities
• EGUSD Synergy, ParentVue and StudentVue help
  
• EGUSD Calendars
  
• 2024-2025 EGUSD Parent and Student Handbook
  

LOOKING AHEAD:

• 10/21 - 10/25, Fall Book Fair in the Library
• 10/21, 22, 24, 8th grade Basketball Tryouts (Boys & Girls)
• 10/23, Back to School Night Quarter 2, 5:30 PM
• 10/28-11/1, Red Ribbon Week
• 10/28, Multilingual Family Fall Gathering, 6:00 PM
• 11/5, Toby Tuesday @ Panda Express
• 11/8, "Tags and Treats" for 3.0 and up
• 11/8, Movie Night

To see all events and activities, go to the TJMS Website and click on “VIEW ALL DATES” to see our up to date activities and events calendar.

Students in Mrs. Martin’s 8th grade Advanced Academic Writing Class were given the challenge to identify a need in the school or broader community. They interviewed stakeholders and experts and designed a response to the need they selected. Many of the projects are intended to help families and students in the Toby Johnson community. Check out their products of their heartfelt work in THIS FOLDER.

Topics include:

• Hijab Education
• Kids Can Food Drive
• Newcomer Families
• Sports Equipment Drive
• TJMS Clubs

KIDS CAN

TJMS students will be partnering up with other students across the district this fall to help fill our local food banks and ensure that all local families are fed by participating in the Kids Can Food Drive! Starting on Monday 10/14 until Friday 11/3 KIDS CAN help by bringing canned and non-perishable food items to school. Items can be turned in before school or at lunch to the window outside of MC6. Each item donated will earn you a gray point in 5-Star. The 10 seventh grade students and 10 eight grade students with the most gray points will win a ticket to a special pizza party for themselves and a friend.

This year we are competing against Pinkerton to see which school can bring in the most cans. We believe TOBY KIDS CAN!

Leadership has set a goal of bringing in 7000 cans this year. If each student brings just 5 cans we will surpass our goal of 7000 cans and hopefully beat Pinkerton!

WEAR IT WEDNESDAY

Show your school spirit by wearing any Toby shirt or by wearing purple every Wednesday.

Staff and students with 3 or more pieces of Toby or Purple Flair (shirt, lanyard, another accessory) can spin the wheel to win prizes outside MC6 at lunch on Wednesdays.

RED RIBBON SPIRIT WEEK

Monday 10/28 to Friday 11/1 is Red Ribbon Week, show your school spirit and commitment to living a healthy drug free lifestyle by dressing up each day! If you dress up remember to stop by MC6 each day at lunch for a chance to scan & win.

• Monday 10/28 Celebrate Red Ribbon Week by wearing red
• Tuesday 10/29 Without drugs you are free to be who you want to be, dress as your future career
• Wednesday 10/30 Drugs and I don’t mix, wear mix-match clothing
• Thursday 10/31 Scare away drugs by wearing costumes or Halloween themed clothes (no masks)
• Friday 11/1 Tune out drugs by dressing as your favorite music artist or wearing artist merch

TOBY TUESDAY 11/5

Save the date, The first Tuesday of every month is Toby Tuesday (our dine-out day)! Help support Toby by dining at Panda Express on 11/5. Do not forget to tell them you are with Toby and we will get a portion of the profits. Bring your receipt to MC6 the next day at lunch for a prize!

TAGS & TREATS

Tuesday 11/8, leadership will be handing out Tags & Treats to all students who earned a 3.0 or higher GPA in Term 1. Please encourage your students to check their GPA in Synergy to know if they qualify. Students will bring their ID to the tables outside MC6 at lunch on 11/8 to receive their Term 1 - Dog Tag & Treat.

MOVIE NIGHT
Leadership will be hosting our annual movie night on Friday, November 8th.. The movie night will be from 7:00-9:00 PM. This event is for Toby Johnson students only. The movie night cost will be $5 or $3 with an ASB sticker. The ticket price includes admission, a bag of popcorn, a bottle of water, and a glow bracelet. Additional snacks and drinks will be available for purchase at the event. Students may bring lawn chairs or blankets to sit on. Outside food and drink will not be allowed. Tickets will be on sale 11/4 to 11/7 at the student store windows at lunch. You must have a student ID to purchase a ticket and to enter the event. Students will be sent an email through Synergy with a link to vote for the movie we will show at movie night.

PBIS FOCUS:

Our theme for October is Respect. Advocacy will have short lessons on how to show respect to adults and peers on campus and how to show respect for our school by taking care of our campus.

JAG SWAG PULL

This week we will have a Jag Swag Pull on Friday morning during TJTV. Students who are pulled will get to choose a prize. Prizes include a popcorn party, Jaguar pride merch, a VIP event ticket, a Front of the Line Pass, or a snack bag.

I am excited to invite you to learn more about our upcoming educational travel opportunities in 2025! We are headed to Japan with EF Tours and Ireland, Scotland, & England with Explorica, and you and your family can join us! Come learn about our itineraries, activities, scholarships, and the cost of the trips (and discounts!) at our meeting. Please register for the informational meeting that will be held after Back to School Night this Wednesday at 6:45 PM in room MC-9! https://rsvp.eftours.com/xx3jvfx

I hope to see you there!

Best,

Amanda Fiddyment

afiddyme@egusd.net

Note: These opportunities are not sponsored by the school or EGUSD.

2024-25 EGUSD School Year Calendar
The EGUSD 2024-2025 School Year Calendar – English | Spanish .

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

Elk Grove Upcoming Events and Key Dates

Approved Fliers:

• EG Lacrosse
  

• BSA Troop Event
  

• Golden Harvest Parade

• Valley Winter Basketball Camp
  

• Elk Grove Lacrosse

• Next Level Flag Football

• VHS Sports
  

• 2024 Dreams in Motion Color Run

• SacBreathe Flyers

• CSD Winter Events

• Young Champions Cheerleading
  

• CSD Giant Pumpkin Festival
• CSD Fall Formal Dance

Now until May 2025: Parent Education at Elk Grove Adult and Community Education
Join our eight-week free course designed for all parents, offering practical strategies and insights to enhance parenting skills. Court-approved, it covers communication, discipline, child development, and family dynamics. Experience a supportive environment to exchange experiences and gain essential tools.
Parent Education Registration Information

Measure N Community Information Nights
You are invited to learn more about Measure N, a $542M bond that will provide critical funding for facility improvements at elementary, middle and high schools. The bond will appear on the November 2024 ballot. The community information nights will be held on Tuesday, October 22 at Elizabeth Pinkerton Middle School (EPMS) and Wednesday, October 23 at Edward Harris Jr. Middle School (EHMS). Both info nights will take place from 6 - 7 p.m. and be held in the schools’ multipurpose rooms.
Community Information Nights Flyer | Register for October 22 at EPMS | Register for October 23 at EHMS

Mandarins Music Academy
Attention 4th, 5th & 6th grade parents! The Mandarins Music Academy is a FREE beginning band program that is fun and educational at the same time. Your child will learn to read and perform music, while learning other valuable life skills at the same time! Band classes will be held twice a week before or after school and will take place on-site at your elementary school. Apply at mandarins.org/mma24.

• This program is brought to you by EGUSD and the Sacramento Mandarins. For more info, please visit mandarins.org or email DirectorMMA@mandarins.org.

Varsity Tutors for Schools
Elk Grove Unified is pleased to announce an exciting partnership with Varsity Tutors for Schools, a leading platform for live online tutoring at no cost to EGUSD students and families. When students need help with homework or are struggling to solve a problem, they can immediately chat with a tutor, 24/7, to get the help they need. Students can take practice tests and follow personal lesson plans for guided self-study. They can also sign up for expert-led live classes, and learn subjects like geometry, middle school math, elementary school reading and more, alongside their peers. The Varsity Tutors for School platform is now visible in the EGUSD student portal.

• Varsity Tutors Announcement

Student Score Reports for 2024 State Assessments

Student score reports are now available from the Spring 2024 administration of these state assessments:

• California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP)
• English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC)

If your child(ren) participated in one or both of these state assessments, you may download their official score report via ParentVUE under “State Tests.” Please visit Accessing State Score Reports on ParentVUE for instructions and information. If you do not yet have a ParentVUE account, we encourage you to contact your child’s school office in order to activate your account.

Now Until December 19, 2024: Free Food Distribution
EGUSD will continue to host bi-monthly food distribution events through the summer and fall of 2024. Please note in July and August there will be one event. These events are held at Calvine High School (8333 Vintage Park Dr.) from 3:45 to 5:15 pm.
Free Food Distribution Flyer (translated flyers included)

July to October Student Immunization Clinics
Clinics will be held at both the Newcomer Welcome Center (8661 Power Inn Rd, Elk Grove) and Trigg Education Center (9510 Elk Grove Florin Rd, Elk Grove). All immunizations required for school entry will be provided for students in Preschool through 12th grade wanting to enter into Elk Grove Unified School District. Clinic is by appointment only.
Student Immunization Clinic Location/Schedule (translated flyers included)

Sacramento County Immunization Assistance Program
Free for those who do not have commercial insurance. Serving children ages 0-18. Clinic is by appointment only. Call (916) 875-7468 to schedule an appointment.
Immunization Assistance Program Flyer (translated flyers included)

The Dangers of Smoking & Vaping Resources
As we start a new school year, talking to your children about the dangers of smoking and vaping can be daunting. EGUSD’s Youth Development’s Tobacco Use Prevention Education program has some tips and resources for having those talks.
View The Dangers of Smoking & Vaping Resources

FREE Mental Health App
Explore your mental health journey with us. Soluna offers confidential support for California residents aged 13 to 25, completely free of charge. Engage in one-on-one chats with a professional coach, utilize interactive tools to manage stress, or dive into a variety of quizzes, videos, forums, and more. The choice is yours! No cost. No pressure.
Learn More About Soluna