Eagle Eye JMS Parent Newsletter #20

And with that, we have reached the end of Term 2! We have had a busy Term 2, filled with educational opportunities. Teachers have their own deadlines for missing work, but most of them are Monday or Tuesday, to give them time to grade before their gradebooks are due on Friday. We will send out report cards on Friday AFTER the break.

Math and Social Studies Benchmarks are Monday and Tuesday, with Makeups happening for the remainder of the week. Remember, benchmarks are FORMATIVE assessments. We use them to guide instruction, plan for intervention, and monitor student progress.

Your next newsletter will go out on January 1st. We hope all of our Jefferson families have a fantastic break filled with fun and fellowship.

As always, we thank our parents and our staff for what they do to help our students be the best they can be.

Phil Cox, Principal, pcox@ortn.edu

Ben Fowler, Vice Principal, bjfowler@ortn.edu

Jacob Quilliams, Dean of Students jrquilliams@ortn.edu

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

• Math/SocStu Benchmarks
• Ski Club Meeting Library 2:45-3:45
• Cheer Practice 3:00-5:00
• Atomic Eagles Meeting Science Wing 2:45-4:30
• Master Builders Meeting Rm 102 2:45-4:30
• RadioActive Brix Meeting Rm 223 2:45-4:30
• Secret Innovation Meeting Rm 219 2:45-4:15
• Basketball Practice Gym Girls 3:00-5:00; Boys 5:00-7:00
• Band Winter Concert ORHS 7:00
  

Wednesday, December 13 B Day

• Benchmark Make-ups
• Basketball Practice Gym Girls 1:00-3:00; Boys 3:00-5:00
• Orchestra Concert ORHS 7:00

Thursday, December 14 A Day

• Benchmark Make-ups
• Chorus Field Trip to The Island, Pigeon Forge 8:30-2:30
• Fire Drill 1:00
• Student Council Meeting Cafeteria 7th period
• Basketball vs. Webb @ JMS-(Varsity ONLY) GV 6:00 BV 7:00
  

Friday, December 15 B Day

• Benchmark Make-ups
• Ms. Kala’s class to Nursing home
• Early dismissal 12:45
• Girls Basketball Practice 1:00-3:00

December 18-January 1: NO SCHOOL

January 3: Students Return!

This programming is scheduled to take place February 12th -14th during PE classes in 5th, 6th and 8th grades.

The Jefferson basketball teams and cheerleaders will travel to Lafollette on Monday night for a District matchup. The boys JV game will begin at 5pm followed by girls varsity game at 6pm and the boys varsity game at 7pm. On Thursday, Jefferson will host Webb for varsity games at 6pm and 7pm. The Eagles will compete in a Christmas Tournament at Coalfield. The Tournament will run December 15th through the 19th. Go Eagles!

Please make plans to come out and support the Eagles this winter! Please see the attached schedule below!

Dear JMS Parents,

We open every sporting event at JMS with the same comments about Good Sportsmanship. We believe that student athletes develop life-long personal and interpersonal skill sets by participation in and support of our extracurricular events. We rarely have any issues on this front. For example, the City Basketball Championship this past weekend between RMS and JMS was a rousing demonstration of GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP --fantastic fans, dedicated players, and supportive family and friends. Though we compete and play hard, we (the parents, the staff, the supporters) engaged in the good sportsmanship we want to see in our students. We thank you for that! Even though the Eagles did not come out victorious and the day itself was rainy and chilly, it was a great experience for kids and the many parents and staff members it takes to run this event. The comradery at these events builds into our great ORHS fan base.

However, due to changes in TSSAA rules, JMS Admin wanted to remind all spectators of the policies regarding expectations of spectators at any school athletic event. Whether here at Jefferson or away at another school, we hold our students and our supporters to the same high standards. Some of these policies are state level requirements. Due to recent events at other sporting venues in Tennessee, TSSAA updated their bylaws in July 2023. Article II section 9 of the TSSAA bylaws now states that:

For fans ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct during a contests, the school will be fined a minimum of $250.00. In addition, other non-monetary disciplinary action may occur, including but not limited to probation and/or restricted probation for the entire athletic program.

As such, any JMS parent or supporter that is ejected from a game will be required to pay whatever fine is assessed before they can attend future extracurricular events.

Game officials (referees, school administrators, athletic directors, and SROs) have the power to remove a supporter from a venue for unsportsmanlike conduct. Per the TSSAA website, "The most common unsportsmanlike scenarios involve coaches and fans displaying disrespectful behavior towards officials, players, and other coaches. This includes yelling and arguing with officials, making inappropriate comments, refusing to leave the court or gymnasium when asked, and even physically confronting or threatening officials." Ultimately, the definition of unsportsmanlike conduct will be at the general discretion of the game officials, and game officials control access to the playing field.

In the event of an emergency, the JMS administration will work with you to ensure that you have access to your student. Your student safety is paramount to us. It may take us a moment, but we will work with you.

The goal of JMS administration is to uphold the high standards which make JMS a school of excellence. To achieve this goal we ask that all or our fans adhere to the JMS code of conduct and follow the guidelines below:

• Good sportsmanship should always be emphasized by student athletes and spectators.

• Booing has no place at school-sponsored activities.

• Students and parents in attendance at athletic events should remain seated in the stands during the contest and stay off the basketball court, football field, track, and other playing areas.

• JMS campus is smoke free. This includes e-cigarettes, and other types of devices, including all VAPING.

Again, we rarely have these issues, but with changing state policies, we like to keep our parents informed. Thank you so much for being such great supporters of Jefferson sports and other extra curricular activities. If you have any questions, please let us know.

- Mr. Cox, Mr. Fowler, and Dr. Quilliams.

6th grade

Ben Martin

Kennedy Hale

7th grade

Janki Patel

Chloe Orf

Raquel (Rachel) Hamblen

Miles Erwin

8th grade

Kaylen McLendon

Talon Hale

Alyssa Jestes

Taygen Gladden

Isabella Brook

Jonathan Cox

We are so proud each week, of our Eagle Character Winners for Students of the Week! Congratulations!

The links below contain resources for setting up and accessing Skyward and Canvas, an updated calendar, along with a welcome message from our ITC coach and a link to district and school websites.

• Elizabeth Leavitt, ITC: Welcome Message

• School Calendar

• ORS District Website

• Jefferson Middle School Website

• Canvas Parent Account Setup.docx
  
• Skyward Family Access Account SETUP .docx
  

Please reach out to Elizabeth Leavitt at ealeavit@ortn.edu

Oak Valley Baptist Church- Christmas Store:

Oak Valley Baptist Church is holding their fifth annual Christmas Store on December 16, 2023. This is not the same as the ORS Angel Tree. This is for families who can pay a small amount for brand new gifts for their children. If you are interested in this program please complete the attached referral form. Oak Valley looks forward to helping out!

You have received many communications this summer from the district about registering for the Bus through Skyward. If you have, but are not sure what bus your student is riding, here is how you check it.

FIRST! Log into Tyler's Versatrans E-Link https://transportation.ortn.edu/elinkrp/Login.aspx

Username: (use student’s name) firstname.lastname This is case sensitive–example: john.smith
Password: (use student birth date) in this format 03122007 for March 12, 2007

Click on Students, then View My Students. If you see a bus route there, you should be good. If you DO NOT see a bus route, you will need to update bus service! You will not have bus service on the first day of school.

To get bus service, log into Skyward and click on Forms. There is a bus request form. Transportation is working to move quickly to add new students to the bus, but it will take a few days before your student can be added to bus service.

First Student Transportation is working hard to get routes assigned to all students who requested bus service.

Once you are registered for transportation, you will be able to track your child's bus using the app information detailed below. Please see information on how to register for MyStop below.

MyStop - Parent/Student Login (You may click on the MyStop Picture to the left!)

• Username: (use student’s name - case sensitive) firstname.lastname
• Password: (use student birth date) in this format 03122007 for March 12, 2007

MyStop Phone App Available In Your App Store

Go to: Versatrans My Stop™ provides mobile access to bus information. This app displays the location of the user’s assigned school bus, as well as the estimated time of arrival to their stop. Students can plan for late or on-time arrival, and prevent missed pick-ups or being left outside in inclement weather.

Can’t Access the MyStop App?

If you are having difficulty accessing the MyStop App please take the following steps:

1. Please confirm the following:
2. You have downloaded the App from Tyler Technologies.
3. You are using the legal student name as listed in Skyward.
4. You have selected all lower case letters.First Student Transportation is working hard to get routes assigned to all students who requested bus service.

   
   

The local news has reported a small rise in COVID cases over the last couple of weeks. Below is a screenshot of the Isolation Guidance from the TN Department of Health (last updated 11 October 2022). The full document is linked below: https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/health/documents/cedep/novel-coronavirus/Isolation-QuarantineRelease.pdf