Eagle Eye JMS Parent Newsletter #31

Hello, Jefferson Middle School families and parents!

Welcome back on Tuesday! Finally, Spring has arrived, and we are all back in action, busy as bees! Spring always seems to be invigorating, motivating all of us to new heights and new adventures.

While students will not return to school on Monday, JMS staff will gather with great anticipation for professional learning and preparation. We will be analyzing data, setting goals, and planning for our last leg of the 2023 school year! We wish for you to know that we meet during these "no student" times with our entire focus on students, holding meaningful discussions and strategizing to ensure all of our students master essential standards and continue to grow socially and emotionally. We love our EAGLES and they are our "why", our purpose, always. Thank you to all of our families for your ongoing support.

Please do not ever hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns.

Have a wonderful week!

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

Monday 27: NO STUDENTS

• Board of Education Meeting, SAB 4:00

Tuesday, 28, A Day

• Track Practice 3:00-4:00

Wednesday, March 29, B Day

• Well Child Check, Eagles Nest
• Track Practice 1:00-2:30

Thursday, March 30, A Day

• Track Practice 3:00-4:30

Friday, March 31, B Day

• Youth for Christ Band Room 7:10 AM
• First Lego League Fild Trip 8:30-2:30
• Student Council Meeting 7th and 8th grade ONLY, Innovation Center, 7th period
• Ms. Kala's class to Sexton Automotive
• Track Practice 3:00-4:30

As we return from Spring Break, we wanted to remind parents when our TNReady testing was. We will be testing every morning listed below, and should be done before lunch each day. If you must schedule an appointment, we ask that you schedule in the afternoon when possible. We will make every effort for make up testing, but that will take students out of their normal classes on other days.

Also, for the first time 6th through 8th grades will be testing on computer in all 4 core areas. 5th grade wills till be testing on paper in Math, Science, and English. Future newsletters will talk specifically

We are so excited to announce that sales for the yearbook are open now through April 28th. Order your Eagle yearbook as soon as possible for only $20!

Go to yearbookordercenter.com and enter our school code: 1575 to order your copy.

Please be sure students are coming to school in dress code and dressed for success! JMS Administration has noticed an increase in the areas listed below and would like to remind students and families of ORS Code of Conduct.

Students are prohibited from wearing:

• Clothing that resembles sleepwear such as lounging pants, or other lounging items. This also includes house shoes.
• Students are not permitted to wear pants or shorts with holes above the knee. This includes wearing any type of shorts or leggings underneath ripped attire.

Athletic Interest Meetings for the 2023-2024 JMS Athletic Teams are coming up shortly after Spring Break.

If you are a rising 6th, 7th or 8th grader and are interested in trying out for one of the JMS athletic teams for next school year, please make plans to attend these meetings. Interest meeting dates and times are as follows:

Cheerleading: Tuesday, April 4th @ 7am in Erin Brewster’s classroom—room 315.

Girls Basketball: Monday, April 17th @ 7:10am in Ms. Taylor’s classroom—room 218.

Girls Volleyball: Tuesday, April 18th @ 7:10am in Ms. Taylor’s classroom—room 218.

Football: Thursday, April 20th @ 7:10am in Coach Ellison’s classroom—room 311.

Boys Basketball: Friday, April 21st @ 7:10am in Coach Nicely’s classroom—304.

Cross Country: Tuesday, May 9th @ 7:10am in Coach Smith’s classroom--313

2023-2024 Sports Physical Forms will be shared in early April and all sports physicals for the 2023-2024 school year must be dated on or after April 16th, 2023.

As always, GO EAGLES!

Thank you,

Coach Bolling

All 8th graders interested in trying out, please access the document below. An interest meeting will be held April 10 at ORHS Amphitheater.

Healthy Breakfast at Home

Getting out the door in the mornings can be a challenge, to put it mildly. Between parent schedules, sleepy kids and all the moving parts in the morning, it can be quite a feat to get all family members to eat breakfast, let alone a healthy one. If a leisurely hearty breakfast at home is not an option, be sure to give your kids an easy grab-and-go option they can eat on the bus or at school when they do feel hungry.

And don’t forget how important your good example is. Let your kids see you making time to enjoy breakfast and refuel your brain and body with a healthy morning meal.

Here are some ways to make your morning easier:

At home :Prep ingredients the night before. Lay out your bowls/plates/silverware to make for quicker serving. Make breakfast items on the weekend that can be reheated easily, like hearty whole grain muffins, a frittata or egg and cheese muffin cups. Make extra whole grain pancakes on Sunday for the fridge or freezer.

Eating cereal can take, literally, five minutes. If possible, try to sit down as a family a couple times a week for a whole-grain bowl of cereal topped with fruit.

On the go:

Borrow a page from schools and consider the grab-and-go alternative. Keep fruits and whole grain breakfast bars in a bowl on the counter for easy access.

Keep frozen fruits on hand to blend with milk or yogurt and peanut butter for a healthy smoothie.

Stash hard-boiled eggs in plastic baggies in the fridge

Adults only: Mix eggs, cheese and chopped spinach in a microwaveable container and microwave an omelet at work!

Other ideas:

Whole-grain waffles topped with nut butter or ricotta cheese and fruit

Oatmeal topped with nuts, dried fruit and shredded coconut, sprinkled with cinnamon and nutmeg

Half a whole-grain bagel or slice of toast topped with peanut butter and bananas, drizzled with honey

Sliced cucumbers and hummus in a whole-wheat pita

Deviled eggs made with mayo and avocado

Egg and veggie scramble

Heated leftover rice or quinoa mixed with apples and cinnamon or eggs and cheese

Whole-wheat tortilla topped with shredded cheese, folded in half and microwaved for 20 seconds, topped with salsa

Source: https://www.actionforhealthykids.org/healthy-breakfast-at-home/

This past week, we spent time Wednesday morning with the following topics in each classroom.

• 8th Grade: 9th grade Registration Survey and Capstone Research, Notetaking
• 7th Grade:
• 6th Grade:
• 5th Grade:

We are especially still in need of Ziploc bags! We so much appreciate all of our parents. Feel free to continue sending in any donations for our clinic.

Congratulations We are so proud of our Character Trait winners each week!

5th Grade:

Desmond Murray

6th Grade:

Tra my Tran

Preston Fedders

7th Grade:

Norah Price

Lukas Hanousek

Isabella Dotson (Luz)

8th Grade:

Rances Almendarez Aguilar

Caylen Moore

We also want to note that our Character Trait program is tied directly to our ORS district POG, as represented in "LIFE READY" above: Students exhibit traits of citizens ready for life with age-appropriate measures of self-awareness, self-discipline, and empathy.

MARCH CHARACTER STRONG TRAIT – Courage

This month’s focus is Courage. One way to think about Courage is “choosing what is helpful, right, and kind even when it is hard or scary.” Courage 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.

What is Courage?

https://youtu.be/psn3xzdVt-I

Family Fun Activity: Courage Activities

Have some fun connecting as a family this month while practicing Courage. Here are some ideas for activities you can do as a family.

• Reflect, think & discuss with your student things you both would like to do, but find intimidating or scary. Maybe it’s a new hobby, trying a new game, sharing your art or invention with others, or going on an adventure somewhere. Try one of these things together and take a selfie to capture the memory!
• Review Courage as a family! Remember that Courage is choosing what is helpful, right and kind – even when it’s hard or scary. What’s something that you’ve been afraid to discuss with your child? Something that might be difficult to explain about our community or the world. Chances are they will hear about it eventually and it may come from someone who is less informed or less supportive than you. Have a courageous conversation with your child. It could be about bullying, the environment, uncertainty, etc. Remind them love and support are two tools that we can use to practice Courage. Discuss as a family the ways they can practice Courage around the issue you discuss.

Registration Information for Rising 6th,7th, & 8th

In case your child did not share this information, we began the Registration Process for the 2023-2024 school year this week. At this time, students are simply choosing ELECTIVE options. Core teachers will be submitting recommendations for core classes after Spring Break.

If you have not already done so, please take a moment to review the Grade level Specific PowerPoint, Grade Level Curriculum Guides and the Curricula Video links with your child. Registration documents are located on JMS School Counseling Canvas page under "Modules" then "23-24 Registration Information" or on the JMS Website at https://www.ortn.edu/jefferson/academics/curriculum/

Students will need to choose an Elective option(s), an Alternate Elective Option, and return the signed form. If your child missed the March 3rd deadline, please complete the form and return to the School Counseling office no later than Wednesday, March 8th.

Students should choose electives carefully, as we are unable to guarantee schedule changes. If a student fails to turn in an Elective Course Selection Sheet, he/she will have Elective courses chosen for them.

Should you have questions concerning Registration for the 23-24 School Year, please reach out to your child’s school counselor.

Cupcakes with Counselors

The JMS Counseling Office is excited to Welcome our new student. If your child is new to Jefferson this semester, please encourage him/her to attend this event.

We Need Your Help!

After School Program

Our After School Homework Help Program is in need of nutritious, prepackaged snacks. All donations can be dropped off in the School Counseling Office. Thank you for your willingness to support this wonderful program.

Clothing Closet Accepting Donations

JMS is pleased to offer support for students in need through our “Clothing Closet”. We are now accepting clean, gently used clothing items for the Spring & Summer months. Please make sure all donated items meet the JMS dress code policy. Donated items can be dropped off in the Counseling office. Thank you for your support!

Mental Health Resources

For mental health support, please feel free to reach out to the Jefferson Middle School Counseling Department at (865) 425-9301.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please refer to the information below:

Mobile Crisis/Youth Villages: 866-779-9225

Ridgeview Behavioral Health in Oak Ridge: 482-1076

Statewide Crisis Hotline: 1-855-Crisis-1 or 1-855-274-7471

Statewide Crisis Text line: Text TN to 741741

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-TALK or 1-800-273-8255

School Counseling Support Team

Ms. Price – Counselor (5th & 7th Grade) - clprice@ortn.edu

Mr. Sudderth – Counselor (6th & 8th Grade) - pwsudderth@orth.edu

Ms. Myers - Registrar - amyers@ortn.edu or 865-425-9302

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 first term, 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 Road.
• 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.

Oak Ridge Schools will be providing resources for families as we collectively tackle this growing vaping problem in our schools and families. For the complete schedule, please follow this link:

Vaping Prevention Week - Jefferson Middle (ortn.edu)

Parents,

We are sad to report that student vaping has increased significantly at the secondary level this school year. School Administration and staff are committed to addressing this concern, but effectively controlling this trend will be challenging. Student access, the ability to hide vapes and the odorless nature of vapes increases the difficulty of monitoring and reducing this dangerous trend.

This trend is resulting in lost instructional time for many students. Students using or possessing vapes that contain nicotine products are being assigned multiple days of out of school suspension. Students identified as using vapes or being in possession of vapes containing THC, are being expelled for a full calendar year. Approximately 50% of the students currently assigned to the Secret City Academy are there due to using a vape that contained THC.

Due to the increase in vapes containing THC, we are informing parents that the Secret City Academy is currently at capacity. The Oak Ridge Schools Code of Conduct clearly communicates our expectations regarding the unauthorized use or possession of drugs. Students confirmed of using or being in possession of drugs at school, or at a school activity, will be expelled in accordance with the Oak Ridge Schools Code of Conduct.

If your child is expelled, it is likely that they will only have the option to participate in on-line learning. Expelled students will be placed on a waiting list and granted access to the Secret City Academy when a student complete their time at the SCA. Choosing to use a vape containing THC or participating in other zero tolerance events while at school or at a school event will remove your child's ability to participate in face-to-face instruction.

Oak Ridge Schools clearly recognizes the value of attending school in person, but we also understand the importance and are committed to providing students a drug free learning environment.

Please continue speaking with your child or children regarding the harm of vaping and drugs. We are in the process of scheduling a Vaping Education Week which will focus on providing students an educational assembly to communicate the harms of vaping. We are also looking to provide a similar evening opportunity for parents to attend.

Respectfully,

Oak Ridge Schools

Youth Vaping Prevention - Additional Resources & Information

2022-2023 ORS Student Code of Conduct Handbook (see pgs 22-24)

National Institute of Health (NIH) - Smoke Free Teen

Alcohol & Substance Abuse Prevention of Anderson County - Parent & Teen Resources

CATCH My Breath - Vaping Epidemic - Parent Toolkit