Take Care, JMS!
Last week we held our annual team assemblies where we reviewed our rules and expectations with the students. New to the presentation this year, was the introduction of our Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Framework - Take Care, JMS. During this presentation, we also recognized our JMS Take Care Crew - a group of 7th and 8th graders who were instrumental in helping with the planning of our PBIS Framework last year!
The purpose of the JMS PBIS Framework is to provide a set of consistent, school-wide expectations to create a caring, confident community of learners who demonstrate empathy, kindness, and respect. At JMS, our community will embrace three core values:
- Take Care of Yourself
- Take Care of Others
- Take Care of Our School
PBIS is a system that involves our whole school, including our teachers, students, administrators, non-teaching staff, families, and community. Last week, students also had the opportunity to discuss what it looks like to Take Care of Themselves, Others, and Our School in the Cafeteria, the Hallways and the Stairwells. They also learned about our acknowledgement system.
Ask your child what it means to Take Care at JMS!
You can read more about Take Care, JMS! In our PBIS Handbook.
Driving and Parking
Thank you for your patience during drop off and pick up last week. Remember that we all share the common goal of getting the children to and from school safely. When driving around the complex, please be sure to drive slowly and stay alert.
We would like to share two reminders:
- Please use the whole Go Zone. Pull all the way up to the elementary steps. This helps us unload more children at a time, which helps you get to where you are going faster.
- Please do not park in the elementary parking lot. These parking spots are reserved for the elementary teachers. When our families park in these spots, it prevents the elementary teachers from being able to start their day on time.
JMS Picture Day - 9/20
Our photographer is Wayne Bratten from Wayne’s World of Photography. All students will get their picture taken. If you do not want your child’s picture to be taken, please contact the office. Pictures will be taken outside, weather permitting.
Information about ordering pictures online will be shared with you in the coming weeks. You do not need to fill out any paperwork prior to picture day.
We are in need of a few volunteers to assist the children on picture day. If you are interested in volunteering please contact jmsptamtl@gmail.com.
Writing Lab Information
The heart of the Lab is conferencing: student-with-student and student-with-adult. Mrs. Melissa Kelly, the Writing Clinician, coordinates a program involving volunteers (parents, grandparents, and community friends) who conference with sixth, seventh, and eighth graders during the school day. Volunteering in the Writing Lab offers a flexible schedule and a priceless chance to help a child with their writing. There is absolutely no requirement for a volunteer to be a grammar expert! The teacher provides a streamlined conference sheet with a few targeted questions in regard to the content and organization of the student’s paper. The volunteer listens to the student read the paper aloud and then offers feedback in the areas designated by the teacher.
Both new and returning volunteers need to use the following link to sign up to help in the Writing Lab this year. 2023-24 JMS Writing Lab Volunteer Program Contact Mrs. Kelly via email at mkelly@mtlsd.net if you have questions. The first training session for both new and veteran volunteers will be held on Wednesday, September 20, from 9:30—11:00 a.m. in the JMS Writing Lab, Room 102. We will review and discuss the basic strategies used to conference with our students, and we will explain the operational aspects of our program.
Our Piece of Mind, Jefferson’s Literary Magazine
Please encourage your student to be a part of Our Piece of Mind, Jefferson’s award-winning literary magazine. Students can submit their original writing to be considered for publication, illustrate accepted pieces, type / edit accepted selections, or be a member of the magazine’s selection staff. Poems, essays, stories, articles, etc. are all welcome. The selection staff meets weekly on Tuesdays to read, discuss, and determine which anonymous pieces will be accepted for publication. Student artists and typists then work to design the literary magazine which will be published in June. Submission forms for writing are available in the Writing Lab or from the English and literature teachers.
An informational meeting will be held after school on Tuesday, September 12, in the Writing Lab. Students interested in signing up to be a typist, artist, or member of the selection staff should attend.
Writing Lab Assistants
Mrs. Kelly is looking for students who are interested in being lab assistants this year. Lab assistants give up their team time one day each week to help in the Writing Lab. Helpers take care of whatever is needed that day.
Students interested in helping as lab assistants this year, should stop by Room 102, the Writing Lab by Friday, September 15, to sign up with Mrs. Kelly. Committed, responsible helpers are needed!
Enrichment
A bulletin board advertising all current writing enrichment opportunities can be found in the Writing Lab, Room 102. Opportunities range from contests to publications and from essays to poetry. Please encourage your talented young writer to take a risk and to explore writing enrichment. Mrs. Kelly will gladly conference with any student concerning his enrichment submissions.
Schoology, the Mt. Lebanon School District's official Learning Management System (LMS) provides families with a deeper look into their student's classwork and learning progress. All online assignments are collected through Schoology. The Schoology calendar is the primary calendar for classroom activity. Classroom assignments, due dates, reminders and other events will be posted by teachers in the Schoology calendar. Calendars in Schoology have school events listed as well.
Students in grades 6-8 are required to bring a non-cell phone device with them to school every day. If you would like to borrow a device for your student in grades 6-8, you can submit a request to borrow one from the District on this page.
This page is also where you can report a problem/damage to your student's District-owned device using our form. This page also explains and provides a link to enroll in the District's annual Equipment Protection Plan (EPP) to limit any charges that might come from accidental damage to your student's District-owned device. This plan is optional and is not required.
You can learn everything you need to know about Middle School Athletics, including starting dates, by visiting the MS Athletics Webpage.
Safe2Say Something is a youth violence prevention program run by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. The program teaches youth and adults how to recognize warning signs and signals, especially within social media, from individuals who may be a threat to themselves or others and to “say something” BEFORE it is too late. With Safe2Say Something, it’s easy and confidential to report safety concerns to help prevent violence and tragedies.
Here’s how it works:
- Submit a report through the Safe2SaySomething system
- Crisis center reviews, assesses and processes all submissions
- Crisis center sends all submissions to school administration and/or law enforcement for intervention
- If needed, crisis center may contact tipster anonymously through the app
Children need healthy meals to learn, so the Mt. Lebanon School District is committed to offer healthy meals every school day for our students. For the 2023-2024 school year, breakfast is free for all students; lunch costs $2.65 for elementary students and $2.80 for middle school and high school students. Your children may qualify for free meals or for reduced price meals. Reduced price is $.30 for breakfast and $.40 for lunch. Click the link below for free or reduced price meal benefits, and a set of detailed instructions to help you apply.
You can also apply for free and reduced meals online via the state's COMPASS portal.
The MTLSD School Counselors in partnership with The Allegheny Children's Initiative Inc., have compiled a list of social services resources that may be helpful to you and your family. Please take a look and reach out to these organizations. They are here to help with any of the following:
- Food
- Rent/Mortgage
- Utilities
- Pets
- Abuse
- Mental Health
- General Assistance
Jefferson Middle School
The Jefferson Middle School learning community has an exceptional reputation for its dedicated teachers, staff and parents working together to provide learning experiences for our children that include high expectations, a challenging curriculum and a shared commitment to provide the best education possible for each and every student.
Website: https://jms.mtlsd.org/
Location: 21 Moffett Street, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
Phone: (412) 344-2167
Facebook: facebook.com/jmslebo
Twitter: @JMSMTLSD