Eagle Eye JMS Parent Newsletter #19

Hello, Jefferson Middle School families and parents!

Is Winter Break and the end of Term 2 really in two weeks? We certainly see signs everywhere at JMS! We are preparing for our Winter Benchmark in all core classes, gearing up for our 7th/8th grader Chorus Holiday Concert and 5th grade Orchestra Concert, and celebrating the season's cheer as we go! As we think about a small finish line of sorts, we want to remind students to push, press, and persevere in their academics. Often, it is tempting to "let up" or "relax", but we want all of our students to reach the CROWN of education as they continue learning and growing. Thank you so much for helping us to encourage our students to continue to persevere.

This newsletter is packed with a calendar of events once again. Please come support all of our Eagles in their activities and endeavors. Concerts, games, competitions!

We appreciate and encourage all of our families to reach out with any needs, questions, or concerns.

Have a wonderful week!

Phil Cox, Principal, pcox@ortn.edu

Ben Fowler, Vice Principal, bjfowler@ortn.edu

Brian Tinker, Dean of Students, bjtinker@ortn.edu

Elizabeth Leavitt, Instructional Technology Coach, ealeavitt@ortn.edu

5th Grade: Listening Practice

6th Grade: Understanding Stress

7th Grade: Making Habits, Part 1

8th Grade: Capstone, Narrowing my Topic

Week of: December 5-9 , 2022

Monday, December 5, A Day

• Chess Club Library 2:45-3:45
• Atomic Eagles Meeting Science Wing 2:45-4:30
• RadioActive Brix Meeting Rm 223 2:45-4:30
• Master Builders Meeting Rm 102 2:45-4:30
• Basketball Game vs. Jacksboro at Jacksboro BJV – 5:00, GV – 6:00, BV – 7:00
• 7th/8th Grade Chorus Holiday Concert JPAC 7:00

Tuesday, December 6, B Day

• Atomic Eagles Meeting Science Wing 2:45-4:30
• RadioActive Brix Meeting Rm 223 2:45-4:30
• Master Builders Meeting Rm 102 2:45-4:30
• Boys Basketball Practice Gym 3:00-5:00
• Girls Basketball Practice Gym 5:00-7:00
  

Wednesday, December 7, A Day

• Cheer Practice 1:00-2:00
• Garden Club 1:00-2:00 Ski Club Meeting 1:00
• Boys Basketball Practice Gym 1:00-3:00
• Girls Basketball Practice Gym 3:00-5:00

Thursday, December 8, B Day

• 7th/8th Grade Chorus, Advanced Ensemble Performance The Island, Pigeon Forge 8:15AM-2:30PM
• Winter Benchmark ELA/Science
• 5th Grade Orchestra Winter Concert JPAC 7:00
• Basketball Game vs. Hardin Valley at JMS GJV – 5:00, GV – 6:00, BV – 7:00 ORHS Jr ROTC will provide Color Guard

Friday, December 9, A Day

• Youth for Christ Band Room 7:10 AM
• Winter Benchmark ELA/Science
• Ms. Kala’s class to Doubletree
• Student Council Winter Party Cafeteria 6th period
• Boys Basketball Practice Gym 3:00-5:00
• Girls Basketball Practice Gym 5:00-7:00
  

Saturday, December 10

• First Lego League State Qualifier Cafeteria 8:00AM-4:00PM
• Basketball Game vs. Robertsville at ORHS GJV 1:00, GV, 2:00, BV 3:00
  

Athletic Update:

The Eagles have a very busy week ahead as the first City Championship basketball game is Saturday!

• On Monday, the Eagles will travel to Jacksboro for a boys JV game at 5pm, followed by a girls varsity game at 6pm and a boys varsity game at 7pm.
• On Thursday, Jefferson will host Hardin Valley for a girls JV game at 5pm, followed by a girls varsity game at 6pm and a boys varsity game at 7pm.
• On Saturday, Jefferson will take on Robertsville at the ORHS Wildcat Arena. The girls JV game will begin at 1pm, followed by girls varsity at 2:15pm and boys varsity at 3:30pm.

Go Eagles!

Coach Katie Bolling

December Focus: All the 4 Cs working together!!

As we peer into classrooms all across the building, we see, hands on, the reward of our 4 Cs rubric elements working all together! Students critically think, communicate, collaborate, and create!

This week, we wanted to share this happening in Ms. Easterday's 6th Grade Science.

Students rose to the challenge as "teachers"! They are teaching their peers about weather. Students were presenting, explaining, directing, questioning, and allowing their "classmate students" to learn from them. Students even provided checks for understanding, objectives, and formative assessment!

We want to congratulate our Student of the Week winners, nominated by their teachers. We are so proud!

• 5th grade: Aurora Morris
• 6th grade: Patrick Henley
• 7th grade:Johnathan Tanaka, Isabella Brook, Daniel Miller
• 8th grade:Duncan Rowden, Kaylynn Albright, Brianna Robinson

A poem by Rudyard Kipling, perhaps best known for The Jungle Book.

“If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!”

New Student Luncheon

The JMS Counseling Office is excited to offer a new program to JMS Students. If your child is new to Jefferson, please encourage him/her to attend this event.

Leadership is how we influence others. It’s a powerful way to positively impact the world around us. This month we will help students build their leadership skills while practicing Perseverance. One way to think about Perseverance is “pushing yourself through challenges and obstacles.” We all experience challenges in our lives. We all have moments when we feel like we can’t do it or that we want to give up on a big task. It is important to develop tools that help us work through those challenges in order to grow in those moments instead of giving up. How might you practice Perseverance as a family this month?

Family Fun Activity:

Here are some fun was to connect as a family while practicing Perseverance.

• Consistency is hard. Have each person in the family commit to ONE thing they will do each day this week. Maybe it is flossing, drinking a certain amount of water, getting to bed at a certain time, limiting screen time, or exercising. Create a place where each person can tally their progress and see who can keep their streak going the longest!
• Review Perseverance as a family! Remember that Perseverance is pushing yourself to work through challenges and obstacles. Here’s a fun challenge: Can you fit your whole body through an index card? While it sounds impossible, with the correct folding and cutting technique, you can make it happen! Give each family member a 4x6 index card and a pair of scissors.
• We have all demonstrated Perseverance in our lives. Many of us have seen people practice Perseverance in ways that have inspired us. Stories are powerful tools for connecting as a family. Protect time this week to share stories about Perseverance with each other. At the end of the conversation, think of ONE way you can practice Perseverance this week.

Emotional Support through the Winter Months

Although the holidays are a wonderful time of year, the winter months can also bring more frequent emotions like depression and anxiety. If you have seen an increase in these emotions in your child and need further support, please visit the website below from Kids Health. There are many helpful parenting tips of how to support your child during this season!

Please know the JMS School Counselors are always happy to help as well.

https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/sad.html

We Need Your Help!

Our After School Homework Help Program is in need of nutritious, prepackaged snacks. All donations can be dropped off in the School Counseling Office. Thank you for your willingness to support this wonderful program.

Mental Health Resources

For mental health support, please feel free to reach out to the Jefferson Middle School Counseling Department at (865) 425-9301.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please refer to the information below:

Mobile Crisis/Youth Villages: 866-779-9225

Ridgeview Behavioral Health in Oak Ridge: 482-1076

Statewide Crisis Hotline: 1-855-Crisis-1 or 1-855-274-7471

Statewide Crisis Text line: Text TN to 741741

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-TALK or 1-800-273-8255

School Counseling Support Team!

Ms. Price - 5th and 7th Grade Counselor - clprice@ortn.edu

Mr. Sudderth - 6th and 8th Grade Counselor - pwsudderth@orth.edu

Ms. Myers - Registrar - amyers@ortn.edu

Click on each picture to enlarge!

Wednesday Homework Help is in FULL SWING. If students have questions about an assignment, need guidance about their homework, or are looking for a quiet place to work, Mrs. Huddleston and Mrs. Ozcan will be available in the Innovation Center on Wednesdays after dismissal. Students will need to be picked up by 3:00 pm. All grade levels are welcome to attend. Please e-mail Mrs. Huddleston (cdhuddleston@ortn.edu) or Mrs. Ozcan (mozcan@ortn.edu) with any questions.

Remember when dropping off/picking up your student:

• JMS's weather policy is to load busses and release car riders during most weather events EXCEPT lightning or severe rain/wind. When lightning is present we will push our students back to the building and delay releasing students. We have had three major lightning issues and a major wind/rain events during our releases over the first term, and we wanted to reiterate what our hold policy is. We thank our parents for their patience as we do our best to keep our students safe.
• DO NOT enter the bus loop when buses are present!
• Please pull your vehicle all the way up so we can keep as many cars as possible off of Fairbanks Road.
• When dropping off AFTER 7:30am, students will be directed towards the main entrance. Go ahead and pull all the way up.
• Make sure your child is ready to exit the vehicle and doesn't have to access the trunk for items, as this holds up the line.
• DO NOT park or leave your vehicles in the neighborhoods across the street from Jefferson. Traffic is heavy during pickup and drop off and parking on those streets only increases the danger to our students and parents attempting to navigate the traffic.

Hello, Jefferson Middle School families and parents!

Is Winter Break and the end of Term 2 really in two weeks? We certainly see signs everywhere at JMS! We are preparing for our Winter Benchmark in all core classes, gearing up for our 7th/8th grader Chorus Holiday Concert and 5th grade Orchestra Concert, and celebrating the season's cheer as we go! As we think about a small finish line of sorts, we want to remind students to push, press, and persevere in their academics. Often, it is tempting to "let up" or "relax", but we want all of our students to reach the CROWN of education as they continue learning and growing. Thank you so much for helping us to encourage our students to continue to persevere.

This newsletter is packed with a calendar of events once again. Please come support all of our Eagles in their activities and endeavors. Concerts, games, competitions!

We appreciate and encourage all of our families to reach out with any needs, questions, or concerns.

Have a wonderful week!

Phil Cox, Principal, pcox@ortn.edu

Ben Fowler, Vice Principal, bjfowler@ortn.edu

Brian Tinker, Dean of Students, bjtinker@ortn.edu

Elizabeth Leavitt, Instructional Technology Coach, ealeavitt@ortn.edu