Hello Jefferson Middle School families and parents!

Wow! So much is happening as we near Fall, benchmark testing, and Intersession! Families, we cannot thank you enough for all you do to ensure success for our students. Your continued investment and involvement is so loud and proud for us!

Monumental Moments this past week:

• JMS Eagle Football victory over Clinton Hawks!
• Cross country Boys AND Girls: City Champions!
• Our SEL Zero Period continues to be a place and space for students to build community and connections!! JMS Soaring Eagles are immersed in becoming Character Strong alongside of high academic expectations and endeavors.

Be sure to check out our Portrait of a Graduate September focus: 4 Cs: Collaboration.

We believe that our students are clearly becoming the best Portrait of Graduates as they practice critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity in each of their classrooms.

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

Have a wonderful evening!

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

The Tennessee Department of Education announced today the 2022 Reward and Priority schools, which are two key designations under Tennessee’s school accountability system. The Oak Ridge School district is proud to share that four schools have been named Reward Schools: Linden Elementary, Glenwood Elementary, Willow Brook Elementary, and Jefferson Middle School. Reward status is the top distinction a school can earn in Tennessee. Reward schools are those that are improving overall student academic achievement and student growth for all students and for student groups, and they are identified annually.

Dr. Borchers states, “The Oak Ridge School District focuses on growth and improvement, even in times of instability, and because our students are much more than the sum of their test scores, we will continue to focus on the Oak Ridge Schools’ Portrait of a Graduate which can be found on our district website at www.ortn.edu/pog. The Portrait of a Graduate was developed collaboratively with the community and focuses on achieving college and career readiness for every student by developing a shared vision among all key stakeholders regarding the key competencies that students need to be successful in work, citizenship, and life.”

Our fourth session on Wednesday was incredibly meaningful and productive! All grades were immersed in for session 3 as teachers facilitated discussion, journaling, and games. We continue to build strong communities, even creating community agreements!

What is it? Please scroll to the bottom of the newsletter to access our informational videos and explanation of scheduling for our Zero Period SEL Character Strong and Capstone.

Monday, September 19, 2022

• Neon Day-wear your neon
• 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
• Chess Club Library 2:45-3:45
• Football Practice 3:00-4:30
• Cross Country Practice 3:00-4:30
• Volleyball Game vs. Clinton @ Robertsville MS (Varsity only) 6:30
• JV Football Game vs. Jacksboro @ Jacksboro 6:00

Tuesday, September 20, 2022

• Teacher Day-dress as your favorite teacher - Mr. Fowler will have a limited number of bow ties available for borrowing.
• 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
• Girl Scouts Meeting Rm 208 3:00-5:00
• Cross Country Practice 3:00-4:30
• Football Practice 3:00-5:15
• Volleyball Pictures Gym 3:00
• Volleyball Game vs. Norris @ JMS 8th Grade Night JV-4:30, V-5:30
  

Wednesday, September 21, 2022

• Wacky Wednesday-mismatch, get wacky
• Football Practice 1:00-3:15
  

Thursday, September 22, 2022

• Blue and Gold Day-show your school spirit
• Cross Country Practice 3:00-4:30
• Football Game vs. Robertsville @ Blankenship Field 6:00

Friday, September 23, 2022

• Youth for Christ-Band Room 7:10
• Fall Benchmark-Math/Social Studies
• Ms. Kala’s class to ORPD 1:45-2:00
• Cross Country Sectional Meet @ Woodland Park Baptist Church, Chattanooga-Girls 6:00, Boys 6:30
  

We have had many parents calling regarding the negative charges on their child’s lunch account. I checked with AraMark and the problem is that the students are getting more food items than are allowed for the ala carte meal. Please see the paragraph below from Aramark, our food service provider:

“Students are charged for an extra entrée when they select items that are not a part of the main meal options. The extra item will charge them for that item and if it is one of the options of a main meal, they could be charged for a another meal.”

Please be sure to speak to your student about lunch if you are seeing additional charges.

Mrs. Mayes is organizing a trip to France in June 2024. The trip is open to current 7th and 8th grade French students, and to 6th grade students who plan to take French next year. An informational meeting will be held on Monday, September 12th at 6:00 p.m. in room 209 at RMS. If you plan to attend the meeting, or if you would like more information about the trip, please complete this form.

2022 Fall Intersession is right around the corner and will be held the first four days of Fall Break, October 3-6, from 8:30am-11:30am each day! We will be offering a lot of fun courses during intersession, but space is limited, so sign up today! Students received a copy of this flyer in homeroom this week. Forms are due by Monday, September 19th. Transportation can be provided upon request, but transportation requests cannot be accommodated after September 19th. Breakfast and lunch will NOT be provided. Please reach out to Coach Bolling at ksbolling@ortn.edu if you have any questions.

Impact Aid is a federal education program that reimburses school districts for the lost revenue and additional costs associated with the presence of nontaxable federal property. Most public-school districts are funded largely through local taxes and fees, and because federal land is exempt from taxation, districts containing federal property are at a financial disadvantage in funding their schools. We need your help in completing the Impact Aid online form to receive additional funding. We ask that every parent log into your parent portal account within Skyward and complete the form for each child in your household. The dates of completing the form are between Monday, September 19 and Friday, September 30. Thank you for your assistance.

FOCUS: Collaboration

CHALLENGE: One aspect of collaboration from our 4 Cs rubric: "I am a productive team member who effectively works with others." Ask your child to share a moment from last week when they were working with others and being productive to create something or to solve a problem.

September's Character trait focus is RESPONSIBILITY. We want to congratulate our Student of the Week winners, nominated by their teachers. We are so proud!

• 5th Grade: Colton Curtis , Wyllow Maclaren, and Zaiden Carroll

• 6th grade: Jackson Hensonk, Wyatt Barna, and Rachel Hamblen

• 7th grade: Avery Duffle, Jaden Boyle, and Kyndall St. Hill
• 8th Grade: Jason Mohr

Click on each picture to enlarge!

With only two weeks remaining until the end of Term 1, please check in with your students about the state of their grades. Have them reach out to their teachers early this week about any missing work. Remember you as a parent have access to both Canvas and Skyward to help monitor your students and help them advocate with their teachers.

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 last three weeks, 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.
• 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.

We at Jefferson are very excited to bring these two new initiatives to your students. We have spent lots of time examining how best to implement these two new projects. As the school year started, we realized we needed a bit more time to refine our expectations and structures before we launched. As with all new programs, there will be some changes after implementation as we see what obstacles appear. We appreciate your support.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Mr. Fowler bjfowler@ortn.edu

Through our Portrait of a Graduate, Oak Ridge Schools is helping our students achieve the heights of academic and personal growth as they go out in the world as strong, capable adults. Part of our mission is to build capacity in our students to engage the diverse world socially and emotionally in addition to academically. To that end, we are implementing Character Strong.

Because we are a 5th through 8th grade school, our 5th graders will be doing the Grade 6 lessons, our 6th graders will be doing Grade 7, and our 7th and 8th graders will be splitting the Grade 8 curriculum, as we have some more plans for the 8th grade students. See below to find out what those are!

Every Wednesday for the rest of the year, students will start their day with small groups to talk about social and emotional skills with caring teachers using engaging curriculum. 5th, 6th, and 7th grades will be focusing primarily on the SEL curriculum, but 8th grade will be engaging in the SEL curriculum AND our Portrait of a Graduate Capstone project. See below for an explanation!

Ms. Katie Cormack (Left- 6th and 8th Grade)

Ms. Candie Price (Right- 5th and 7th Grade)

Please contact our school counseling department with any other questions at 865-425-9302. Ms. Amy Myers, school registrar, is happy to assist with enrollment, withdrawal paperwork, transportation, Skyward, school updates, etc.

Benchmark Testing Update

JMS students will complete their TE 21 Benchmarks on Friday, September 23 (Math and Social Studies) and Monday, September 26 (ELA and Science). The tests will take place during their regular class time. Please encourage your child to try their best and remember the following test taking tips (link below)!

24 Test Anxiety Busters (According to Science) | GoZen!

Character Strong Update: September is Responsibility Month!

This month we are talking about Responsibility. Our district wide Social emotional learning (SEL) curriculum, Character Strong, defines responsibility as “taking action and understanding the impact of our choices.” Taking action can mean doing the right thing or completing the tasks you have been assigned. Understanding the impact of our choices means that our actions matter. Positive and responsible actions can help people and irresponsible actions can hurt others. Responsibility is 1 of 3 traits we will focus on throughout the year that helps students Be Strong. Throughout the school, students will be developing skills like focusing, organizing, and goal-setting.

Fun Family Challenge #1:

As a family, think of ways in which you might make someone’s life a little easier by helping a neighbor or family friend with 1 of their Responsibilities. Could you bring the garbage to the chute or out to the curb? Could you carry things in from the grocery store? Could you invite someone over for a meal or a show?

Fun Family Challenge #2:

Review Responsibility as a family! Responsibility is taking action and understanding how our choices affect others. Choose 1 household chore (or more!) that requires multiple steps. Then have each member of the family select 1 step to complete to help get the job done! Maybe it is washing the dishes, doing laundry, cleaning the living room, or unloading the groceries - whatever it is, see who can be the quickest or most effective at their task!

Clothing Closet Accepting Donations

JMS is pleased to offer support for students in need through our “clothing closet”. We are accepting clean, gently used clothing items for students in need. All sizes are welcome but our largest need is for junior sized clothing. Please make sure all donated items meet JMS dress code policy. Donated items can be dropped off in the JMS counseling office. Thank you for your support!

The family resource center has two offices located on the west and east side of Oak Ridge. Their offices are located at Willow Brook Elementary and Glenwood Elementary.

For assistance, please contact Jo Bruce, FRC Director at 865-425-3205/jbruce@ortn.edu or Sharon Gleason, FRC Assistant at 865-425-9369/slgleason@ortn.edu

• Ms. Cormack - 6th and 8th Grade Counselor - khcormack@ortn.edu
• Ms. Price - 5th and 7th Grade Counselor - clprice@ortn.edu
• Ms. Myers - Registrar - amyers@ortn.edu

The Men of Tomorrow Foundation Program 2022-2023 Kickoff meeting will be held on Sunday, September 18th at 3:00 pm. The meeting will be held at the American Museum of Science and Energy located at 115 Main Street in Oak Ridge. The Men of Tomorrow Program is open to all students who are currently in 6th through 12th grades.

A member of the ORHS Class of 2005, James began playing football at age 7 for the Boys Club. He continued at Jefferson Middle School and ORHS, where he was named to the All-State and Prep-Extra teams. He still holds ORHS records for career individual tackles and total hits, career and single-season. He continued his football career, lettering all four years at Wofford College.

Athletic Update:

It’s Spirit Week at JMS! The dress up themes are listed below by day. Please encourage your child to show their school spirit by dressing up for each theme Monday through Thursday. Dress code applies and students cannot bring face paint or hair dye to school. (picture with themes is also attached)

Monday: Neon Day

Tuesday: Dress like a Teacher Day

Wednesday: Wacky Wednesday

Thursday: Blue and Gold Day

We have another busy week of JMS Athletics!

On Monday, the Lady Eagles volleyball team travels to Robertsville to take on Clinton in a varsity match at 6:30pm.

On Tuesday, the Lady Eagles volleyball team hosts Norris for a JV match at 4:30pm, followed by a varsity match at 5:30pm. Our 8th grade volleyball players will be recognized prior to the varsity match.

On Thursday, the Jefferson football team and cheerleaders host Robertsville in the City Championship football game. 8th grade night recognition will begin at 5:30pm and kickoff will be at 6pm at Blankenship Field. Admission for adults is $4 and admission for students is $3. No outside basketballs, footballs, soccer balls, toys, etc. will be allowed. On Friday evening, The Jefferson Cross Country Team will travel to Woodland Park Baptist Church in Chattanooga for the Sectional Cross Country Meet. Please come out and support the Jefferson Eagles athletic teams this week. Go Eagles!

The 2022-2023 JMS Basketball Schedule is attached to publicize in the Newsletter. If you don’t have space this week, anytime in the next couple of weeks is fine!

Please make plans to come out and support the JMS athletic teams this week! Go Eagles!

Our new BASKETBALL schedule is below!

Volleyball, Football, and Cross Country Schedules are below!

Coach Katie Bolling

Bus Routes: https://www.ortn.edu/district/bus-routes/.

SIGN UP FOR MYSTOP - BUS TRACKING APP!

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

• 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.
5. You have placed a period between the first and last name.
6. The birthdate is correct and only consist of 8 numbers.

If this information doesn’t allow you to successfully download your child’s MyStop App account, please contact Amy Myers at 865.425.9302 or email amyers@ortn.edu. You can also view more information on the ORS District website at https://www.ortn.edu/district/bus-routes/.