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Dust Devil Weekly Update

August 6, 2021

Dust DevilWeekly UpdateAugust 6, 2021
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Principal's Message

Greetings and Salutations Dust Devils!


The countdown has begun, T-minus 12 days to the start of school. Let me begin with a quick correction from last week's welcome letter. We will actually start at our regular time of 8:00 the first day of school. All of the calendars online have been updated to eliminate any confusion. This link will take you to a year-long calendar that you can post on the refrigerator to keep track of all of the JMMS events.


The Weekly Update is a fantastic place to find upcoming information. You can also find the answers to a lot of your questions on our website. We do our best to make sure that all of the information on the website is current, and if you can't find the answer to your question, please email or call the school.


We are planning a return to “normal” this school year, and we will move forward as safely as possible. Our goal is to once again keep our school open with students in their seats learning. We will still ask students to follow many of the protocols in place at the end of last year. If those protocols provide a safe space for staff and students, we will gradually return to a typical school year. When school starts, students will still eat with their grade-level peers, they will not be dressing out for PE, and we will continue to keep grade levels in cohorts. We will relax those rules as soon as we can meet our safety goals and make sure the school stays open five days a week. Individuals who develop COVID symptoms will still follow the guidelines set forth by the San Diego County Office of Education. For example, an individual exhibiting symptoms who has been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID will still be required to quarantine at home for a minimum of 14 days. Please remember that vaccinations are available for children 12 and up (COVID19 vaccination sites).


On Tuesday, August 24th, we will be hosting our 2021-22 Virtual Back to School Night. The event will start at 5:45 pm with a short message from the principal, and at 6:00 pm, you can join the JMMS staff for Virtual Classroom Visits and an overview of your child's classes.


If your child does not have a learning device (Chromebook, computer, etc.) and needs one, email the Joan MacQueen Dean of Students, Stephanie Bautista.


Thank you for all you do to support our Dust Devils :)

Sincerely,

Casey Currigan, Principal


Joan MacQueen Middle School

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Meet Ms. Frallicciardi


I am locally grown, hailing from just over the hill in Jamul. Following high school, I headed off to northern California where I earned my bachelor’s and master’s degrees and had the good fortune to meet my husband. We went on to serve in The United States Peace Corps teaching for two years in a local village school in Madagascar and thereafter served an additional two years in rural South Africa. Upon the close of service, we returned to The Bay Area where we had met. It was then that I was offered my first Middle School Math teaching position and found my niche. Not long after that, we had the opportunity to move to Vietnam where I continued to work as a math teacher at an international school in Ho Chi Minh City. We were then offered contracts with an international school in the Democratic Republic of Congo where I have spent the past four years doing what I love—teaching mathematics to middle school students. It is a wonderful age group to work with as the time is optimal to eliminate any fears about math, nurture curiosity, and explore just how incredibly relevant it is to our lives. It is great to be back home, and I look forward to becoming part of the Joan MacQueen Middle School community.

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Transportation

Bus registration for the 2021-22 school year began on July 15, 2021. Students registering to ride starting today are subject to availability and may be delayed up to 7 working days. Click Here to get the process started.
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Student Schedules

We are still enrolling new students at Joan MacQueen. While this is taking place students' classes are still fluctuating. Returning students will have access to their schedules starting on Aug. 16th. New students can pick up a hard copy of their schedule on the 17th between 7:30 am - 3:30 pm. Hard copy schedules will also be available when students start school on Wednesday, August 18th.
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CLEVER

AUSD is currently updating student access to all of the digital programs. Once school begins students will sign in using once using Clever and have access to every program available through AUSD.
Family Handbook
All of the information you need to navigate a year in middle school.
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Associated Student Body

Applications are now being accepted for students who are interested in participating in Student Government. Join Mrs. Tompkins in planning school events and providing the school and district feedback on plans and initiatives. If you are interested please fill out this online form. Enrollment in this class will not interfere with the elective that you selected. For example, if you signed up for Engineering you can be enrolled in Engineering and ASB at the same time. The class will replace your period 5/6 Learning Strategies Class.
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7th and 8th Grade Elective Changes and New Options

If you are registered in an elective that you did not sign up for as either a first or second choice use this form to place a request for a new elective. If you did not receive your first choice for a semester elective (i.e. Art, Outdoor Rec., Culinary Arts) it is likely that you will be enrolled in that class second semester.


8th Grade - Teacher Assistant, Coding, Introduction to HS Spanish (Counts for HS Sequencing), and Engineering.


7th Grade - Teacher Assistant, Intro to Spanish (Semester), and Engineering.


Some courses are full and considered closed. We will do our best to make sure that students are enrolled in their first choice elective second semester.

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Yearbook Staff Wanted

Applications are now being accepted for yearbook editors. If you are interested in joining Mrs. Skovmand in creating the Joan MacQueen Yearbook for the 2021/22 school year please submit this online form. Enrollment in this class will not interfere with the elective that you selected. For example, if you signed up for Engineering you can be enrolled in Engineering and Yearbook at the same time. The class will replace your period 5/6 Learning Strategies Class.

Schedule Information for Week 1

School Calendar
Download this calendar for important dates for the school year.
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i-Ready Replacing MAPs

The district will be implementing i-ready to replace MAPs starting this year. i‑Ready is a comprehensive assessment and instruction program that empowers educators with the resources they need to help all students succeed. By connecting Diagnostic data and Personalized Instruction,
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New English Language Arts Curriculum

Joan MacQueen will begin the year with our new ELA curriculum Mirrors and Windows from Carnegie Learning. Mirrors & Windows helps students make connections to the literature through their own knowledge and experience, making learning meaningful and purposeful. A diverse selection of literary, informational, and primary-source texts challenge students to make comparisons and extend critical thinking beyond themselves.
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Fast Forward Reading Intervention

JMMS will be implementing a reading intervention and acceleration program during students' Learning Strategies class. Fast ForWord, a 2-in-1 reading and brain training program, helps build the deeper cognitive foundation upon which basic reading skills are built, leading to efficient readers and lifelong learners.

It simultaneously develops the cognitive skills of working memory, attention, processing speed, and sequencing, alongside reading skills including phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.