JAGWIRE March 13th, 2025

Dear JMS Families,

I would like to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunity to support your amazing children. Your commitment to fostering both academic and behavioral excellence is what makes our school GREAT!

It brings me joy to see our students thrive, demonstrating dedication and enthusiasm in their learning. Thank you for your partnership and for instilling the values that empower our students to achieve their best!

As the warmer weather approaches, we kindly ask for your assistance in ensuring that students are dressed appropriately for school. All clothing should provide sufficient coverage; for example, midriffs and undergarments should be covered. Additionally, please note that slippers should not be worn due to health and safety regulations. Thank you in advance for your support.

The Circle mentees had a great experience helping Ms. Saye & Ms. Haire's class for JonesDash Deliveries! Jones Dash is a snack delivery service provided to faculty and staff daily. Ms. Haire did an excellent job training the Circle Boys the JonesDash packing and delivery process. They were stand-up role models who helped our students through modeling. This experience gave our students a sense of pride not only to learn from other boys their age, but also an opportunity to socialize and blend with them. Circle mentees Larry and DB thoroughly enjoyed giving of themselves genuinely and purposefully.

Support the Jones Step Team at the Saturday, March 29th competition at Summerour Middle School. Scan the QR code to purchase tickets or donate to the prize for the show!

As the weather gets warmer, please be reminded of our school's dress code highlighted below. A student's appearance should not be a distraction/disruption to the learning environment of any other student. Instruction is interrupted when a student had to be seen by an administrator because of inappropriate clothing. The guidelines for student dress are not intended to be punitive, but to promote academic success. The administration may have to address students whose clothing is disruptive to the learning environment.

Clothing:

ALL clothing should provide sufficient coverage.

Hats and Hoods:

Headgear is prohibited in the building. This includes, but is not limited to, caps, hats, hoods, bandanas, wave caps, sweatbands, or any other head covering. *Exceptions for religious or medical reasons.

Shoes

Health & safety regulations require that footwear be worn at all times at school. No slippers.

Undergarments

Undergarments should not be visible. Bathing suits of any kind are not allowed.

Outerwear

Students may not wear trench coats or other long coats resembling the style of a trench coat to school. Students may not wear blankets, capes, or costumes to school.

Words and Images

No student clothing shall display words or symbols that advocate or depict violence, drugs, alcohol, sex, illegal gang affiliation or other illegal activity expressed or implied. No student clothing or accessories shall be disruptive or have caused past disruption to the school environment.

Jewelry and Accessories

Jewelry and accessories that may be used as weapons are not allowed to be at school. This includes, but is not limited to, wallet chains, jewelry such as spiked rings, spiked bracelets, two or three finger rings that are joined and bulky chains worn around the neck or waist. Sharp objects that could pose a danger, such as spikes or safety pins, are not allowed on clothing or book bags.

Gang Affiliated Attire

Students are not allowed to display clothing or symbols that have been identified by the Gwinnett County Police Gang Task Force as being commonly identified with gangs. Garments, jewelry, body art and tattoos that communicate gang allegiance are not allowed to be worn at school, and no item may be worn in a manner that communicates gang affiliation.

In Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS), interims are a type of district assessment that take place once every quarter. They are given at the classroom level and measure student learning in language arts, math, science, and social studies.

Purpose

• To help teachers determine if students are meeting expectations.
• To help students identify areas for improvement.
• To help teachers plan and refine instruction.

How they are administered

• Interims are given at the 9-, 18-, 27-, and 36-week marks of the school year.
• They take place during a maximum of one class period.

How the data is used

• Teachers use the data to identify students who need additional support.
• District leaders use the data to support teachers.
• Students use the data to improve their learning.

Tickets include entry to the game, one slice of pizza, and a drink of choice. There are only 100 tickets available for each grade level!!!

Students are encouraged to attend school every day. Daily attendance positively impacts a student’s academic achievement. Parents are encouraged to contact the school each day a student is absent. If a child is absent, parents are required to submit a note stating the reason for the absence. Parent notes for excused absences must be submitted within 2 weeks of the absence. Doctor's notes will be accepted at any time. Attendance will be monitored by the administration. *Parents of students surpassing 5 unexcused absences will be contacted by the school.

Extended Absence

If a student is absent for an extended amount of time (more than two days), a parent should email each teacher prior to the extended absence. Parents may refer to teacher eCLASS pages for missing assignments/information.

Make-Up Work

It is the responsibility of the student to communicate with his/her teachers after an absence to secure any missed assignments and due dates.

Dear Jones MS Families!

We need you!

We are seeking 1 President or 2 individual co- presidents, 2 Vice Presidents, 2 Secretaries & 1 Treasurer who are committed to advancing the PTSA Mission and upholding the PTSA Values.

We're looking for passionate parents like you to help make our school even more incredible.

By joining our 2025-2026 PTSA Board, you'll be at the heart of creating unforgettable experiences for and with our students, teachers and families.

Think about all the fantastic events that make Jones MS special: Spirit nights, Family movie night, Boo grams, Teacher Appreciation Week, etc. These moments happen because of dedicated parents stepping up to make a difference. Would you like to be part of this amazing team?

https://tinyurl.com/JonesPTSABoardNomination

All interested candidates must be current members of Jones PTSA. Jones PTSA membership is open throughout the year.

Nomination Process Timeline:

March 26, 2025: Deadline to submit Jones PTSA Candidate nomination

March 30, 2025: Presentation of the candidate slate to the general body.
April 30, 2025: Election during the final general meeting of the school year.

We value everyone's time and appreciate that even small contributions make a meaningful difference. Whether you're considering a leadership position on the board: https://tinyurl.com/JonesPTSABoardNomination or a volunteer role on a particular committee/event : https://tinyurl.com/JonesMSPTSAVolunteers your involvement makes a real difference in our school community.

Join us in shaping the future of Jones MS!!!

Jones MS PTSA

Dear Parents and Guardians,

To ensure the safety and efficiency of our car rider lane, we ask for your cooperation with the following procedures:

1. Stay in the Car Rider Lane: Please remain in the designated car rider lane at all times when dropping off or picking up your child. This helps keep the flow of traffic moving smoothly and ensures the safety of all students. Reminder: Student drop off and pick up is only in the front of the school.

2. Be Patient: We understand that mornings and afternoons can be busy. We appreciate your patience as we work to get all students to and from school safely. The lane can become congested, but your understanding and patience are essential.

3. No Parking or Walking: For safety reasons, parents are not permitted to park in the parking lot and walk to the front to pick up their child. This policy is in place to avoid any disruption in the car rider lane and to ensure all students are picked up efficiently.

Your cooperation with these procedures is crucial for the smooth operation of our car rider lane and the safety of our students. Thank you for your understanding and support.

Sincerely,

Administration

Study hall is available for students who need a quiet place to read, study, or work independently starting at 7:50am each day. If students are attending a club, tutoring, or another activity, they are dismissed with a pass or picked up by their teacher at 8:15am. Students who are not dismissed at 8:15am, may remain in study hall until 8:50am when the transition to homeroom begins.

Below are the expectations for study hall:

• Study hall is a time for quiet reading, studying, or independent work.
• Study hall is not a time for socializing.
• Students should show respect for the space and allow others to focus.
• Students must be seated and not roaming around the cafeteria.
• Students should follow directions from staff members at all times.
• Students should be engaged in productive activities (e.g., studying or reading).
• Students not following these guidelines may be redirected.

Parents, please note that students are not allowed to have any medications on them while at school, even over the counter medications. If you would like for your student to be able to carry their epi-pen or inhaler on them while at school, you must fill out a health management plan and it must be signed off by a physician and turned back into the clinic. If you would like to keep any medication in the clinic for your student, please make sure it is brought in by a parent and all proper forms are filled out. If you have any questions, please feel free to email Ms. Santoro in the clinic at Jen.Santoro@gcpsk12.org.

The Scholastic Book Fair will be at Jones March 21-March 28. Your students will be able to visit the book fair with their Language Arts or during the day with a pass.

Encourage your student to take part in the Great Middle School Reading Race! Jones is competing against other GCPS middle schools to see who can read the most minutes by Friday, March 21st. To participate, you student needs to log the minutes they read every day in Beanstack. If they have any questions, they can see Ms. Hogan in the Media Center!

AI is rapidly changing industries and how we interact. To be prepared for the college and career opportunities of today and the future, students must be AI-Ready. AI-Readiness ensures that students can thrive, and learn to be ethical and responsible users, developers, and decision-makers of AI.

We know that AI is rapidly impacting the workforce, society, and even education. GCPS students and staff must be future-ready by understanding this technology, and using it responsibly and ethically. The GCPS Guidance for Human Centered AI Use is meant to communicate the principles we honor when making decisions around AI use and provide practical guidance and expectations as a system. As AI evolves, the guidance around its use will as well. This guidance was crafted collaboratively with a variety of partners and stakeholders, including students, teachers, school and district leaders, and trusted partners like Digital Promise and EdSAFE AI Alliance.

Please visit the GCPS Guidance for Human Centered AI Use to learn more about the use of AI tools in GCPS.

If you arrive after 3:30pm, we'd be happy to get your student a message to meet you in the car rider line when dismissed at 4pm.

Friendly Reminder: Only packed lunches from home are permitted on campus. Unfortunately, we cannot allow food deliveries from parents or delivery services. Thank you for your understanding!

1. We park in the back to access the gymnasium.

2. No guests will be allowed to exit the gym to the front of the building.

3. Only teams are allowed to go to the locker room areas.

4. Clear bag policy will be enforced.

• Only Seckinger HS students and opposing HS students will be permitted in games without a parent. High School IDs will be checked.
• Students must leave school on game day and can return thirty minutes before the start.
• All games are available for purchase online. Visit the GoFan website here: https://gofan.co/
• All elementary and middle school students must be accompanied by an adult at all sporting events.
• Please click here to access the head coach's directory and email the coach for more information.

This school year, our district is transitioning to ParentSquare to communicate with families. We encourage all families to download the app and create an account. With its user-friendly interface, ParentSquare offers seamless two-way communication through text, newsletters, posts, emergency alerts, and direct messaging. One of our favorite features is the integrated translation feature, enabling automatic translations for multilingual families. Stay effortlessly connected with your child's teachers, schools, and the district. To get started, and learn about all the cool features, check out our website!

If you received our notification about ParentSquare and you have questions about confirming your account access, please send an email to PSQHelp@gcpsk12.org.

We offer multiple ways to connect with our staff and administrators to address your questions regarding your child's needs and interests.