Dust Devil Weekly

The week opened with major storms and concluded with another wonderful Lunch on the Lawn. For me personally, this week was a loss as I came down with the nasty flu bug that has been going around.

Our teachers were treated with some extra planning and collaboration time this week, and they use this time to prepare for upcoming lessons and assessments.

Looking ahead to the week to come, we are expecting some more rain later in the week. Fingers crossed the weather won’t be too bad. This Tuesday we will hold our next School Site Council at 2:45. All are welcome to attend.

This week will close out (hopefully dry) with our next school dance, which will have a neon theme. It should be an awesome way to end the week!

Please enjoy this latest edition of the Dust Devil weekly. Have a great evening.

As we continue to focus on attendance at JMMS and districtwide, here are our percentages from the past week:

Monday 1/22: 90.72%

Tuesday 1/23: 90.49%

Wednesday 1/24: 97.68%

Thursday 1/25: 92.36%

Friday 1/26:

Did you know that by 6th grade chronic absenteeism is a leading indicator that a student will drop out of high school? A student who misses 10 days is 25% less likely to enroll in college. Students who attend school regularly are more likely to graduate and find good jobs.

As we continue to focus on attendance districtwide, Mrs. McIntyre rolled out the JMMS Attendance Incentive Program at our last Leadership Assembly for our Dust Devils! For each 2 week period we will be looking at attendance numbers by grade level at JMMS. The grade level with the highest attendance percentage for that period will be rewarded with an extra "lunch" period! Students were very excited to hear this incentive as time with friends and outside playing is always a sought after reward in middle school. Additionally, all students that had perfect attendance during the two week cycle will be entered into a drawing for five Jersey Mike sub gift certificates! Thanks to the district office and Jersey Mike's for supporting this reward for our Incentive Program!

We are thrilled to announce that Maressa Conover will be joining the JMMS Office Staff. As many of you know, Lindsay MacDowell our former Office Clerk has moved down to a position at Shadow Hills. While we will all miss Lindsay we are excited for her new opportunity! This week our new Office Clerk, Maressa Conover joined our staff and we couldn't be happier to have her on board! Maressa will be working closely with Laura and Julia as she learns the ins and outs of JMMS. So, when you call or come into the front office and hear a new voice or see a new smiling face...that is Maressa! Please give her a warm Dust Devil welcome and introduce yourself! Again, welcome Maressa!!

- Students playing a giant Coin Toss Game at our Leadership Assembly!

- Miss Conway's Science classes working on a lab activity!

- Miss Zarick's Science classes testing sensory input of touch without the sense of vision!

- Day 1 of the annual Chick Hatching in Miss Zarick's class. Students look forward to this every year!

- Mrs. Galvez's Pathways class making posters about the power of words during the No Place for Hate lesson!

ASB is sponsoring a Spirit Week this coming week ending with our NEON Dance on Friday! Each day students are encouraged to participate in the Spirit Day Theme to show their #dustdevilpride! ASB works hard to put together these Spirit Weeks and they are a great way to build our school community! Thanks JMMS ASB and Mrs. Tompkins for getting our Spirit Week together and putting on our NEON DANCE this coming Friday!!

Welcome to another episode of Around Alpine Union! Today we’re diving into one of the attributes of our ‘Portrait of a Learner’ framework - Responsibility. Discover the many ways our students showcase responsibility and uncover valuable insights on how we can collectively embrace a more responsible way of life. #InspiringChange #PersonalResponsibility #TakeResponsibility

All AUSD families are invited to our upcoming 7th Annual American Indian Cultural Gathering on February 4th from 11:00am - 3:00pm. Join us for an afternoon filled with cultural performances and presentations. It's an excellent opportunity for our school community to come together and learn more about the contributions of American Indian communities. We look forward to seeing you there!

This year JMMS students have an awesome opportunity to be Student Vendors at the AEF sponsored STEAM FAIR on March 9. Students can present their idea for a vendor booth (a la Shark Tank) to be chosen as a recipient of a JMMS micro-loan. Their booth can be a product or a service that the student can offer. Packets with all of the details are available in the office and more information will be coming home to all Dust Devil Families in an email so that you can encourage any budding entrepreneurs that you might have at home to participate!

Attention all 6th Grade Families!! We are excited to announce that it is time to get ready for 6th Grade Camp 2024! The paperwork for camp will be coming home with your child soon. The required paperwork will be DUE no later than Monday, March 18th. The payment of $#40 will be DUE no later than May 1.This year 6th Grade Camp will be the week of May 20 through May 24. It is an amazing time that our 6th graders look forward to every year! So, keep an eye out for the "pink" packet that will be coming home in the next couple of weeks!

Freshman Showcase - February 7th, 5:00pm to 7:30pm at Granite Hills HS

Freshman showcase is an opportunity for families to come visit our campus and see what our school has to offer. Families will be able to get information on curriculum, athletics, clubs, information about our PTSA and much more. Please refer to the attached flyer for the event.

Register Your Student(s) at Granite Hills

Enrollment to Granite Hills High School is now open. Follow the instructions below to begin that process. (Registration is not required to attend our showcase).

1. Go to bit.ly/GUHSDRegister to begin the registration process through our district. Complete all sections and click the red “Submit” button when finished. District staff will process your registration within 5-10 business days.
2. After your registration is processed, you will receive an email to create an Infinite Campus Parent Portal Account. This account allows you to check your student’s schedule, attendance, grades, etc. throughout the school year.

Thank you and we look forward to seeing many of you here at Granite Hills High School!

The Alpine Education Foundation FREE STEAM Fair will be open to the public March 9th from 10am-1pm. Come check out the science experiments on display, vendor booths, silent auction items, food, games and more! Interested participants can still register to participate in the event at AEF4KIDS.ORG

In the latest Around Alpine Union video, Dr. Newman and the students of AUSD discuss one of our Portrait of a Learner characteristics: Responsibility. Growth in taking on more responsibility is a hallmark of the middle school years. Students are expected to take on more and more responsibility in these years, both in school and at home.

One important way that our middle schoolers need to demonstrate responsibility is in taking care of their school issued Chromebook. In order for students to be able to access all of their learning, they need to have a fully functioning device. Now while it is true that Chromebooks are far from perfect devices, we do see patterns in how students treat their Chromebooks, and how well the devices function.

When removing the charging cord, or unplugging the device from an outlet, students often rip the cord out without care. This, one could imagine, leads to many complaints about broken computer chargers. Simply taking care to unplug the device can extend the life of all cords.

Slamming a computer closed, either in excitement or anger, which happens quite often can crack the screen rendering the computer useless.

Even if you have purchased the AUSD insurance, simply exercising a little more responsibility for the devices issued by the school will not only prolong the life and viability of the Chromebooks, but it will make them available when the students need them, and will save the school valuable funds it currently uses to refurbish broken computers.

Did you know that Alpine Union School District has a valuable online resource available to all students — the Sora digital library? Sora provides access to a diverse collection of books, including audiobooks, and can be accessed at any time. Here's how your child can make the most of this resource:

1. Accessing Sora:

• Log into their Google account

• Navigate to Clever (lower left side of Chromebook)

• Click on the Sora app

• Once in Sora, log in using your Google credentials. This is a one-time requirement, and subsequent logins will be automatic.

Note: If you're unsure about your student’s Google login information, please reach out to your child’s teacher.

2. Exploring the San Diego County Public Library:

In addition to our library, students can also access books from the San Diego County Public Library through Sora:

• After logging into Sora, click on the down arrow next to Alpine Union School District (under EXPLORE) on the top left-hand side

• Search for San Diego County Library and click on San Diego County Library Digital Media

• Choose your desired book

• Click "borrow"

• Select Alpine Union School District

• Click on the blue bar

• Click on your student's email address again

• Click on borrow again

• Access the book by clicking on “shelf” at the bottom of the screen

We highly encourage students to make the most of this resource.

JMMS is excited to offer Spirit wear for our Dust Devils! You can find offers and options here:

https://macqueenmiddlespiritwear.com/

If you want to wish your Dust Devil a Happy Birthday either on the marquee or in our morning announcements (or both!) you can fill out this form and turn it in to Miss Lindsay in the front office. Please give us 48 hours notice before the day you would like the message to appear. You can get the form from the front office as well, or print one out from this newsletter.

The JMMS Yearbook is available for purchase online for a pre-order price online. Soft cover books will be $35 and hard cover books will be $45. You can purchase books online at http://www.yearbookordercenter.com. You will use the code 8280 to access the JMMS page to place your order. This price is only good while yearbooks are sold online so be sure to order to guarantee that your child has a yearbook in June!

The Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) is a vital educational tool designed to engage parents and guardians in shaping the priorities, goals, and resource allocation within Alpine Union School District. Developed annually, the LCAP reflects the District's commitment to student success and equity. By fostering collaboration between educators, administrators, and families, the LCAP aims to enhance educational outcomes, promote transparency, and ensure that all students have access to a high-quality education that prepares them for future success. AUSD has developed three LCAP goals as described below:

Goal #1: Effective Instruction and Curriculum - Provide equitable access to high-quality classroom curriculum and instruction in an inclusive environment that promotes student success.

Goal #2: Safe and Respectful Environments - Ensure all school sites are safe and have healthy and welcoming climates for staff, students, and their families so that all students feel connected and are motivated to attend and ready to learn.

Goal #3: Equitable and Culturally Responsible Systems - Ensure systems and processes eliminate barriers to student success and are equitable and culturally responsive to the needs of our students and their families

Monday 1/29 - Sports Spirit Day

Tuesday 1/30 - Camo Spirit Day

Wednesday 1/31 - Blue Out Spirit Day

Thursday 2/1 - USA Day

Friday 2/2 - ASB sponsored Dance (during school hours)

Wednesday 2/7 - Late Start Morning

Monday 2/12 - No School (Lincoln's Bday Observed)

Friday 2/16 - Coffee with the Principals

Monday 2/19 - No School (Presidents' Day Observed)

Wednesday 2/21- Late Start Morning

Friday 2/23 - Lunch on the Lawn