Parent Newsletter

There are two weeks left in the 2nd nine weeks. We want to share some ideas, resources and strategies this week to help students finish strong.

- A look at the week ahead

- Helping students finish strong

- Teacher Feature

- Homework Help to share with students

- Tools for student success: 21st century skills including soft skills

- Learning over the break

- Understanding Social Media: How today can impact tomorrow

- Counselors Corner

Thanks for all that you do,

Phil Cox, Principal

Chris Layton, Vice Principal

Jenifer Laurendine, Dean of Students

Monday-10

A day

Make-up picture orders due

Environmental Club 2:45-4:00

Chess Club 2:45-3:45 Library

First Lego League, Atomic Eagles, Meeting 2:45-4:45

Franco Lego League Team Meeting 2:45-4:30

Basketball vs. LaFollette Middle School at JMS

Boys JV 5:00, Girls V 6:00, Boys V 7:00

Tuesday-11

B day

STAR Reading in all ELA classes

Homework help for 5th/6th graders 7:00-7:30-Room 219 (Corrigan)

First Lego League Atomic Eagles to RMS 9:00-10:30

Library Club 2:45-3:45

First Lego League, Atomic Eagles, Meeting 2:45-4:45

Lego League Team, Master Builders, Meeting 2:45-4:30

Interact Club

Science Bowl 2:45-4:00-Room 317 (Little)

Homework help for 5th/6th graders 2:45-3:30-Room 319 (Martin)

Homework help for 7th/8th graders 2:45-3:30-Room 301 (Hondorf)

7th/8th grade Chorus Holiday Concert 7:00-JPAC

Wednesday-12

A day

SECME meeting 7:00-Room 105 (Jaeger)

Written Expression Screener in all ELA classes

Chorus School Assembly Concerts

· 2nd period – 7th gr.

· 3rd period – 8th gr. 7/8 gr. combined choir will perform for these groups

· 6th period – 5th gr.

· 7th period – 6th gr. 5/6 gr. combined choir will perform for these group

National History Day Club Field Trip 1:00-7:00

Cheer Practice 1:00-3:00

Youth for Christ, Bowling Team Building 1:00-3:00, OR Bowling Center

Girls Basketball Practice 1:00-2:30

Thursday-13

B day

STAR Math in all Math classes

Grade Level Meetings-Eagles Nest

Homework help for 5th/6th graders 7:00-7:30-Room 219 (Corrigan)

Math Club Practice 2:45-4:00-Room 203 (Tracey)

Homework help for 5th/6th graders 2:45-3:30-Room 319 (Martin)

Franco Lego League Team Meeting 2:45-4:30

Lego League Team, Master Builders, Meeting 2:45-4:30

Basketball vs. Webb Middle School at Webb MS

Girls V 4:00, Boys V 5:00

Friday-14

A day

Youth for Christ 7:00-JPAC

Fire Drill 2:00

Student Council Meeting 7th period-Cafeteria

Basketball Teams and Cheerleaders Recognition at ORHS

Girls at halftime of ORHS girls game 6:00

Boys at halftime of ORHS boys game 7:30

Parents,

We are pleased to announce that you now have access to the Versatrans My Stop App. The My Stop App provides parents 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 the late or on-time arrival, and prevent missed pick-ups or being left outside in inclement weather.

Check out the picture below to learn more about how to access and use this app.

We've been sharing updates from time to time about the drone program that is beginning to take off in Mr. Mitchell's class. This week, our students were visited by local news channel WVLT to learn more about the program and where we are looking to grow from here. Check out the latest about the news story here at this LINK

Jennifer Little

I lived in Kimberly, British Columbia, the westernmost province of Canada, until I was eight years old. In order to be closer to my grandparents, my family moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, when I was beginning third grade. For this reason, I consider East Tennessee my home. After graduating from Central High School, I attended Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, Illinois, on a swimming scholarship. I earned a B.A. in Elementary Education and Spanish from Lake Forest College and an M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Upon graduating from Lake Forest College, I returned home to begin my teaching career with the Oak Ridge school district. I feel blessed and honored to have had the privilege of working for Oak Ridge Schools for the last twenty-six years. During my first six years in the district, I taught third grade in the Spanish Immersion program at Woodland Elementary School. Afterwards, I spent many years as a self-contained third grade teacher and then proceeded to loop between third and fourth grades for a number of years. Last year, I joined the amazing fifth grade team at Jefferson Middle School where I presently teach science and reading.

After twenty-six years in the profession, I still absolutely love teaching! Ever since I was a young child, I dreamed of one day being a school teacher because it combined my love of working with kids and my desire to make a difference in people’s lives. Over the years, I have learned that teaching students is often very difficult and challenging due to the diverse learning styles represented in a typical classroom; visual, kinesthetic, and auditory. As a teacher, I work extremely hard to provide a variety of teaching styles to meet the needs of my diverse learners. I try to adapt my teaching style to the needs of my students by singing songs and using bodily kinesthetic movements to learn and retain concepts. I am also a huge proponent of students engaging in hands-on activities and collaborative projects. I feel that these types of activities allow students to apply and demonstrate mastery of the concepts they are learning in creative ways. Furthermore, collaborative group work teaches students how to work together as a team. Students must learn how to compromise, value each other’s opinions, and assume responsibility for their role in the group.

Another important thing I try to do as a teacher is set high expectations for ALL students. Students must know that you are holding them accountable for their learning no matter their ability. I have learned that students will work hard for you and try if they know that you care about them and believe in them. It is essential that I motivate my students to work hard, improve their weaknesses, and succeed. My goal each year is to meet my students where they are and help them grow to be life-long learners who will desire to seek and obtain knowledge throughout their lives.

The best advice I can give my students is to persevere and never quit striving to reach their goals. I daily try to teach my students that you only fail when you stop trying. A quote that inspires me to persevere comes from Kevin Durant. He says, “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” I try to instill this work ethic in my students and in my own children. Ultimately, I want my students to know that they can achieve any goal that they set for themselves if they work hard, never stop trying when the road is difficult, and believe in their abilities!

When I am not teaching, I enjoy spending time with my three daughters and attending their many different sporting events and activities. You will often find me at Karns High School watching my daughter, Madelynn, cheer on the Beavers. In addition, I spend many weekends in the winter and spring traveling to gymnastics competitions with my daughter, Hannah. I also enjoy hanging out and scrapbooking with my oldest daughter, Lauren. Lastly, any time I just get to stay home, I thoroughly enjoy baking and cooking. I can make a delicious pecan pie!

Chris Jaeger

Ask Chris Jaeger, technology teacher at JMS, what brought him to teaching, and he will probably point back to his parents, both longtime teachers/missionaries. Chris was born in Iran a few months after his parents moved there with his older brother. His family lived there until the fall of the Shah of Iran in the 1970s. By then, Chris himself had left after high school to attend college in Minnesota, at Bemidji State University in Bemidji, notable for being located in an area of the U.S. where Sears used to test the effectiveness of their batteries. He quickly acclimated to the far north climate, learning to ice fish and to keep a particularly old car running in the winter time. As it turned out, Minnesota suited him because of the year round opportunities for a sports minded person to hike, canoe, hunt, and play a variety of sports.

After graduation, Chris stayed in Minnesota for three years, teaching and coaching. But because he wanted another overseas opportunity, he left in 1984 to teach at a small, private school in Nicosia, Cyprus. There he met a fellow teacher, soon his wife-to-be, and now his wife of 33 years, Anne, who was born in Oak Ridge and grew up in Knox County. After they returned to America and married, they lived for a while in Texas, where Anne taught at Texas A&M, and Chris worked at a variety of jobs before deciding to pursue an advanced degree in International Studies at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. That decision led to their move to a particularly beautiful part of the South. After receiving his degree, Chris returned to teaching and coaching in a small public high school in rural South Carolina. During that time his wife was also teaching, but in Columbia at a large public high school. This phase of their lives ended when their son was born. At that time, Anne stopped teaching, and they decided to move back to Tennessee to live on the farm Anne grew up on.

Chris left teaching for a time to work at selling insurance, but he found himself on Friday nights noticing local school buses taking high school football teams to games around the Knox and Anderson county area. He realized that he missed his earlier jobs. He returned to high school teaching and coaching at Karns High School, and after a few years there, he made the move to teaching in Oak Ridge at Jefferson Middle School.

After teaching in Minnesota, Nicosia, Cyprus, South Carolina, and now Tennessee, Chris has learned that we do best and are happiest in picking a career that reflects our interests. He loves working with his hands and learning about engineering and mechanical breakthroughs. He also loves to read and highly recommends that hobby as a way to become a life long learner. We live in a fascinating world, Chris says, and everyone should learn as much as possible starting during our formative years. The happiest middle school students, then, are the ones who take their work seriously and who enjoy the sometimes hard effort learning requires.

Michael Martin

My name is Michael Martin and this is my 11th year teaching and my first at Jefferson Middle School. Over those 11 years I have taught 1st – 5th grades. I got interested in teaching during my Junior year at Oak Ridge High School when I was a student aide for an Algebra class. This experience planted the seed that led to my career in teaching. After ORHS, I received my Associate’s Degree from Roane State Community College, a Bachelor’s Degree from Union College in Kentucky, and most recently a Masters & EdS degree from Lincoln Memorial University.

Over the years, I have learned many valuable lessons and grown as a person and as an educator. I strive to be more flexible and continue to learn and grow as an educator. In the classroom, my goal is to create opportunities for students to learn each day and to connect their learning with real world experiences. As a former middle school student at JMS, I remember the most challenging task for me was time management. I have always enjoyed sports and I wanted to do well in school, therefore sports became my motivator to do well in school. Through these experiences, I’ve learned to be grateful and appreciative of the support that others gave me to help me reach my goals. I believe that is the most rewarding part of teaching, helping others meet their goals. Outside of school, I enjoy spending time with my wife and two children at our house, on the lake, or anywhere outdoors. I enjoy watching and playing all sports, especially baseball.

Over the past few newsletters we have been highlighting the end of the semester with students and parents. One of our biggest goals is to get ALL students to submit ALL assignments. We have made it a primary focus to inform students of the impact a ZERO on an assignment has on their overall grade. In addition, in keeping with promoting a Growth Mindset, we have encouraged students to make corrections on assignments or take advantage of re-take opportunities from teachers.

Here are a few practices to finish the nine weeks strong, but also prepare for the second semester in January.

- Get organized, either digitally, traditionally, or both

Utilize the tools you have including a planner, the Canvas tools discussed many times in the newsletter, OneNote, and or Microsoft Outlook to set up dates and reminders for you of when projects, tests, quizzes and assignments are due

- Complete ALL assignments with your best effort

When the nine weeks ends, many students want to rush to submit work from the first week of the term. They see their grade may need help, but the reality is you should have considered that in early October when you didn't originally submit the work. Take pride in having ZERO unsubmitted assignments. In the end, the math of including ZEROES only has a negative impact on your overall grade.

- Prepare the first time

You may have a teacher who allows test corrections or allows a re-take, but it is critical to prepare the first time. Don't be surprised if you tell your parents every night, "I don't have any homework or anything to do" and then you fail a test or quiz that you never studied and prepared to take. Even on nights where you don't have an assignment, it is always wise to spend a little time reviewing, reading and organizing. If you prepare the first time, you may not have to spend more time and extra time on a retake.

- Take advantage of the resources you have

If you don't understand something, blurting out in the middle of class, "I don't get this!" or "This is stupid and no one understands this" is not the best strategy to help you. Take advantage of time before class, after class or during lunch etc. to speak with your teacher. Use soft skills to help them understand your dilemma and problem. For example:

"Ms. Johnson, I had a hard time understanding today's lesson, is there a time I can get a little more help or a resource you think could help me?"

Don't forget to say please and thank you. Also keep in mind, if you had a hard time with today's lesson because you were distracted or distracting others you may get that as feedback from the teacher. It is not out of the question if you were off task or distracting for a teacher to comment, "I noticed you had a hard time with what we learned today, but I also noticed you were playing games as we were learning or talking with your buddy etc."

Take ownership over your learning and prepare a plan to help you be successful. Can you be Gritty? Do you want to succeed and if so, are you willing to work at the steps as listed above continuously to improve your grades?

This is a message to Save the Date for STEM Night which will be from 6 pm - 8 pm on Tuesday February 19th at Jefferson Middle School. The goal of STEM night is to invite our families and students in to our school to learn more about STEM, careers in STEM and applications both at JMS and the world in which our students will work, live, and thrive in their futures.

If you have any resources or you work for a group that may want to be a part of the STEM night, please contact either of our STEM coaches Callie Painter at clpainter@ortn.edu or Alex Goldberg at agoldberg@ortn.edu.

We will keep reminding everyone of this date as we hope to have a HUGE turnout!

There is an alternate date in case of inclement weather that will be set for Feb. 21st

Web developer--

Web developers are responsible for creating websites. When these artists do their jobs well, everything about the site seems to fit together superbly, from the colors and graphics, to the images and special effects (or "animation," to those in the know), to the navigation.

The job includes meeting with clients and asking broad questions like, "What do you want your site to accomplish?" and more detailed questions like, "What features do you want your site to have?" After ascertaining a client's desires, web designers will start designing. At Big Drop Inc., a web design and development company located in New York City, this involves a multistep process, which includes innovating a new design, writing the code, adding animation (if needed), checking for bugs and fixing them, presenting the client with a test site and moving the site to the client's server. "We don't use any templates," says Garry Kanfer, president of Big Drop Inc. "We start from a blank canvas, and the client has to approve everything page by page."

Although some web developers will design a website's front and back end, many web development companies split these responsibilities. For instance, some web developers will work in Photoshop to create the overall design, while others will be in charge of writing the code in programming languages such as HTML and CSS. Developers must take into account a client’s products or services as well as the target market to create a site that appeals to the client’s customers or intended audience. The job requires a knowledge of software programs, web applications and programming languages, as well as a solid understanding of design principles. Work environments for web developers vary from large corporations or governments to small businesses. Developers may be full-time employees or part-time consultants, or work on a contract basis as freelancers.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects about 13 percent employment growth for web developers by 2026. During that period, about 21,300 new jobs will need to be filled in an industry that already has roughly 162,900 positions. The expansion of e-commerce is expected to be the main driver of web developer job growth in the next decade. As more companies offer or expand their online retail presence, more web developers will be needed to build the websites that consumers visit to purchase their favorite products. Increased reliance on mobile search is another reason the industry’s employment growth should remain strong. "The biggest shift in the industry is mobile technologies," says Andrew Ruditser, lead technology coordinator at Maxburst Inc., a web development company on Long Island. "We have to make sure our sites don't just look good on desktops, but also on Androids and iPhones."

Quick Stats

• $66,130 Median Salary

Source-US News and World report

Homework Help

Students attending afternoon homework help will need to arrange their transportation from school according to the schedules below. Transportation must be pre arranged before staying for homework help after school.

5th/6th grade homework help

Mr. Corrigan and Mr. Martin will offer homework help on Tuesdays and Thursdays

AM session

7 am - 7:30 am for 5th and 6th graders in Mr. Corrigan's room in the 5th grade second floor wing

PM session

2:45 pm - 3:30 pm for 5th and 6th graders in Mr. Martin's room in the 5th grade third floor

7th/8th grade homework help

Mr. Hondorf will host afternoon homework help on Tuesdays

7th and 8th grade homework help will be on Tuesdays with Mr. Hondorf from 2:45 - 3:30

The term 21st Century Learner has almost reached it's expiration date. We talk about it often in our newsletters, on our TVs, with our students, in our assemblies and through our Twitter account. There is a reason for those messages. As educators, we spend time learning through professional development during the school year, summer months and practically year round. In those growth opportunities, one continuous theme is working to help educators blend learning to meet the needs for our current students in order to prepare them for the realities of their future. Ironically, many say a future we cannot fully comprehend or conceive.

Often we envision just a massive abundance of technology, flying cars, virtual reality, augmented reality, advanced travel and communication etc. In many cases, things that were envisioned in "Back to the Future 2" may very well exist, but 21st century skills goes well above and beyond technology. For our teachers, technology is simply a tool and often a tool to help engage learners. Do we believe our students will need to know how to use technology? Absolutely. However, our larger objective is to help teach them the 21st century skills that will help them be ready for their future and become college and career ready.

We have focused on those skills, the 4 C's of Collaboration, Creativity, Critical Thinking, and Communication. For our staff, they are learning more and more ways to incorporate the mission of the 4 C's into their curriculum while working to teach the standards set forth by the state. We are also working to tie in these skills with our students through the newsletter and other resources. For example, many of our staff are working to teach state standards through an instructional strategy known as Problem Based Learning. In a PBL, students identify a problem that exists in the real world and set out to propose solutions. PBLs require a lot of research, design, innovation, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity and often communication to a panel of experts who assess the final product designed by students.

For our students, we want to continue to help them grow and develop the skills for the 21st century. We want them to understand their future career pathways will not only value their content knowledge, but also their abilities to create, design, innovate, solve problems and work with others. In addition to the 4 C's we also spend time talking to students on "soft skills". For many in the workforce today, they relay that for many employees they have skills, content knowledge and tools to get a job, but often struggle to perform, succeed and maintain those careers due to a lack of Soft Skills. Below are a list of Soft Skills we work to help students focus on and understand. We have these skills currently being promoted on our TVs and will continue to promote these skills with our students.

Integrity.

Communication.

Courtesy.

Responsibility.

Professionalism.

Flexibility.

Teamwork.

Learning is a process and often our limitations as to what we can learn are designed by ourselves. In school, we often here students comment, "I'm not good at (fill in the subject)" or "I'm not a (subject here) person" or even "I will never understand that". We work in school to help students see these moments as opportunities to add the word Yet! We want students to have a growth mindset and think about how they can work to say "I'm not a (subject) person, yet!" The world our students will live in, work in and compete to get opportunities in is a world that is filled with a constant need to be a lifelong learner.

As we break for winter break, we want our students to relax, take a break from the stress of a seven hour day of learning and spend time with family and friends. However, over that two week period, it is always beneficial for students to read, find educational opportunities like TenMarks or other apps. Even design and create resources to help show what you know. Take on STEM challenges found online and help your brain think, work, stretch and grow. As we wind down this nine weeks, remember that learning is a process and it is important to work to be a lifelong learner.

We have focused this week's newsletter in helping students and parents find a "big picture" to education and especially hopefully build a connection between understanding the skills needed for success in the 21st century along with the need for class content to help build knowledge for students. As discussed above, "soft skills", are a set of skills that are growing in value and importance for institutions of higher learning and employers.

We have spent time talking about "The Four C's" of STEM learning and 21st century learning. We will continue to focus on those four C's and their importance for students, parents, and teachers as students begin to move into the job market as young adults, but often one aspect and skill that is left out of the discussion is centered around "soft skills". Often millennials and the generations to follow get a bad stigma because their use of technology has lead other generations to believe they are anti-social. We also hear things like "bullying and cyber bullying" have never been this bad. The reality is, those statements may be true or they may also be because we live in an age of information that collects, sorts, and prioritizes data including Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook etc.

We know more about people's comments, ideas etc. than ever before because more than ever before people are sharing and collaborating. While our need to know what you had for dinner last night is probably not a pressing need, we are able in many instances follow friends, family, celebrities, people we like, people we don't like etc. What used to be private thoughts or thoughts conveyed through letters and notes now may have thousands of views because so many people choose to make them public via social media. For young adolescents social media can create quite a challenge

The concern for parents centered around social media is often about the comments made after their child posts, the outcome of future potential ridicule if a student posts something they shouldn't etc. These concerns for a parent should be taken into consideration and seen as great concerns. In addition, there have been many parents comment on the potential for a social media post to impact their child's future including college admissions and/or job employment. While there is a great debate to what extent a person's social media page is scrutinized by admissions officers or HR, it has also been documented that what you post or tweet could impact your future. There are estimates that show admission officers rarely if ever look at social media and mixed reports that state 33% of applicants have their social media searched.

Consider this, often students compete for acceptance to a university or employment after high school or college. When students compete, they often have many similarities (GPA, ACT/SAT score, extracurricular activities etc.) or in the job market (similar experience, resume, education etc.). Given that so many students in the millennial generation along with the future generations see social media as a platform to discuss, post etc. but often they don't realize how public these discussion and posts have become. Is it possible that this could have an impact on their future? Yes, it certainly is possible.

The following articles help to share a little more information about how social media can impact students today and even tomorrow.

CNN article about College Admissions and Social Media

US News and World Report article

New York Times article about social media and college admissions

Good Evening from the counseling office! We are getting into the winter and holiday season and need to continue to think how others are not as fortunate as we may be. We will continue our theme of giving back until we go on Winter break. Here are some recipes and ideas as to how to help others. Enjoy your snowy day!

A lot of people want to volunteer and make a difference in their community but feel overwhelmed finding a place to start. Here is a list of holiday service project ideas that you and your families can do for the holidays!

1. Volunteer at the area soup kitchen, but they are always needing help unloading dropped off items in their docks.

2. Make Christmas cards to send to troops overseas. Go to www.operationgratitide.com to get started.

3. Your child wants a pet for Christmas? Adopt a homeless furry friend from a local animal shelter.

4. Have a holiday baking party. Get together with friends and bake holiday treats to take down to a local homeless shelter, fire department, or nursing homes so they can have a holiday party.

5. Go to the dollar store and get items to stuff stockings with. Keep the stockings in your car, and whenever you pass a mom battling a screaming child, someone who looks stressed, a homeless person, your post man, whoever, give them a stocking.

6. Put a little treat or card together for the next Salvation Army bell ringer you see. Those people are out there all day long trying to raise money, I think they should be thanked.

7. If you have children, talk to them about a world cause that they are interested in. Help them find a charity to donate to. Have one of their presents be a donation in their name so they can learn how to give and feel the power behind it.

8. Skip out on buying presents for the family this year and do a nice Christmas for a family who otherwise would not have it. .

9. Perform a Christmas program for a nursing home.

10. Go caroling, and leave cookies with each house www.iheartnaptime.net/best-christmas-cookies/ a great list of 20 of the best Christmas cookie recipes!

11. Have kids and teens offer a gift-wrapping service and donate the money to a charity. They can also raise money by watching neighbors kids while they go holiday shopping.

12. Shovel snow from a neighbor’s sidewalk.

13. Help an elderly person put up Christmas lights.

14. Volunteer at Feed My Starving Children www.fmsc.org They have several locations around the U.S, and you help box food to send to kids around the world.

15. Leave a quarter in a gum-ball machine with a note on it that says, “Merry Christmas”.

16. For your company or family holiday party, have a craft station where journals, friendship bracelets, cards, etc. can be made. Send them to a local foster care group in your area.

17. Decorate a tree in a populated area for people passing to enjoy.

18. Have your Elf on the Shelf do acts of kindness for family members and have him leave a note that tells them to pass it forward.

19. Winter cleaning! Clean out your closet and donate old hats, gloves, coats, and shoes to shelters for the cold months.

20. Make easy tie blankets to donate to shelters.

21. Pass out cups of hot chocolate to people waiting in the cold for the bus.

22. Decorate the halls of a hospital.

23. Find out the needs of a children’s hospital and meet them.

24. Keep off the holiday pounds and support a charity by running in a 5k in December. Choose a run that benefits a specific charity.

25. Have each member of your family commit to helping 4 people throughout the week. This will help get them thinking about serving others. Share what you did and how you felt with each other

26. Volunteer at a local library. They always need help!

27. Make sandwiches and sack lunches for a homeless shelter.

28. Make a meal for families in Ronald McDonald Homes.

29. Donate a decorated tree to a shelter. Or, take a tree to a shelter and help decorate it with them.

30. Make sure the elderly people you know have what they need when there is bad weather.

31. Help carry groceries to your neighbor’s door.

32. Recycle all your wrapping paper.

33. Introduce yourself to new families on your street.

34. Invite someone to dinner who you know is going to be alone on the holidays.

35. Help fix a run-down playground, and use chalk to write, “Santa was here.”

36. Donate gently used books to a children’s hospital.

37. Let your friends and family know how much you love them.

38. Clean your place of worship.

39. Leave 12 days of Christmas for a family in need.

40. Make homemade ornaments for co-workers and thank them for what they do.

41. Go out of your way to meet someone new.

42. Make Nutella Cinnamon rolls http://abeautifulmess.com/2012/11/nutella-cinnamon-rolls.html and give them to the school crossing guard.

Give this holiday season!

Dates to Remember:

Thursday, December 13, 2018 – All 8th grade teachers (Eagle’s Nest) and students (JPAC). Mr. McDonald and Ms. Gass from ORHS will be at JMS to present information on AVID and the selection process this year

AVID is great opportunity for certain students to be challenged in academics, learn to be advocates for themselves, and discover doors that will help them reach collegiate opportunities in the future. This is the 3rd year for AVID, and so far, the high school is seeing great success in the progress and the potential of the program. As a middle school, we play a huge role in the program through the students that we reach out to and the recommendations that we make. Let’s look forward to hearing more about how we can help make this opportunity for our students flourish this year and in the future!

January 31, 2018 Selected 8th grade students will be participating in the NAEP test either in Math or Reading. If you would like to know more: https://nces.ed.gov:443/nationsreportcard