Weekly Warrior Update
#worldchangingwarriors
Word for the Warrior...
Hello Warrior Families!
We MISS you! Please give your children big hugs from us and let them know we are thinking of them!
Teachers have been working very hard to create ongoing instruction for students that will begin after Spring Break! You will be receiving communication soon from your child's teachers that will provide more information regarding this online work. Yesterday our teachers worked tirelessly and creatively, thoughtfully and meticulously to create meaningful and ongoing instruction for our children to continue instruction for the time we are not at school. Parents, please know the work teachers are providing for your children is FAR from busy work. Teachers are working even HARDER to create lessons that are relevant and engaging for our kids based on what we know they need to know! I am humbled and amazed (though not surprised) at the heroes and difference-makers who lead our kids. Also, be looking for these same teachers on school buses delivering food! Many are also volunteering their time to ride buses to feed our KCS families across our city. We are proud to be Warriors and we are devoted to our Warrior and KCS extended family! Please call the school if your child does not have their computer at home and we can arrange to deliver it to your home 423-378-2450.
I will work to continue to send Weekly Warrior Updates as we receive new information. I will also include online resources and ideas that your child can access at home in case they need something to do!
Please feel free to reach out by email or phone if we can do anything to help you during this time!
Proud to be a Warrior,
Holly Flora
JSMS Jam
FREE Breakfast and Lunch for KCS Students!
DB High School Planning
Sevier: For the appointments, DB had scheduled for March 16th; each counselor has those cards and we will go ahead and enter those schedules into the system. We will then reach out to the parents via email and let them know what classes their students have requested.
For IEP meetings that were going to be held at Sevier, at this time we are waiting to see when we will be resuming school. Once we know when we will be returning, we will coordinate new days that we can come for transitional IEP meetings/course requests.
DC Trip Refunds
Dear Families,
We are currently working to get our money back for checks we had written for the DC Trips (buses, hotels, etc.). It will take several weeks for that to happen.
I want to thank our JSMS PTA, because thanks to them, we will be able to provide full refunds for the DC Trip. We were unable to get our deposits back from our hotel, the Holocaust Museum and Spirit Cruises, so they will be donating money to replace what we cannot get back so that full refunds will be given.
We will reach out to all of you as soon as we have the money to provide refunds.
Thank you!
Free WI-FI Access for 60 Days
ICYMI🤯 ... Charter Communication announced Friday morning it will offer free Spectrum broadband and Wi-Fi access for 60 days to households with K-12 and/or college students who do not already have a subscription.
The news comes on the heels of the arrival of coronavirus in communities throughout the country, and concerns over transmission of the virus.
A service of up to 100 megabytes per second will be provided.
The offer begins Monday, March 16. Those interested in enrolling are asked to call 844.488.8395. Installation fees will be waived for new student households.
Charter will also open Wi-Fi hot spots across its footprint for public use.
Ideas for What to do at Home...
Physical Activity Resources!
Below islist of at-home or online physical activity/PE resources to share with students and families during the school closure period. In addition to these resources, most parks like Bays Mountain are still open for activities like hiking and biking. As we all know, physical activity not only promotes better overall health and wellness, but it also helps to alleviate stress and promote positive mental health. Feel free to share these resources with families.
All the resources copied below are free, though some are only for a trial period at this time. Let me know if you have any questions, and stay well!
a. Action for Healthy Kids – Parents and caregivers can use these activities and resources to keep their kids moving, learning, and eating when kids are out of school for any reason.
b. Fitbound - Being safe and practicing social distancing doesn’t mean you have to stop exercising. Fitbound brings exercise right into your home by allowing you to access HIIT, Yoga, Dance, and more anytime, anywhere.
c. GoNoodle – Families only need an email address to get access to all the activity videos GoNoodle has to offer.
d. Hip-Hop Public Health: H.Y.P.E. at Home – Hip Hop Public Health has put together a collection of free, fun, standards-based dance breaks that encourage physical activity at home. You can also download these resources and save them on your computer. Sort by content level, academic standard, grade level, and more.
e. OPEN Active Home – The Online Physical Education Network provides free, rigorous, outcomes-based curriculum tools to every physical education teacher and physically active school community. The Active Home Module includes videos, PDF, and Word files all with detailed instructions of the “how” and “why” for each activity. Resources are provided to support active homes for students and families K-12.
f. Sworkit Kid Workouts – Kid workouts are always free regardless of having access to a membership. Categories for kids include strength, agility, flexibility, warm-up, cool-down, or stand up and move.
g. Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE America) – Examples include mind & body calendars, online PE guidance and content from educators for supporting health and physical education from home.
h. SPARKhome - Create a FREE account to access 3 weeks of materials (15 per program: K-2, 3-6, Middle School, High School) to keep students active & healthy. We also encourage parents to create a free account so they can directly access the materials. To access the SPARKhome programs:
a. Create a FREE account or log in to an existing account.
b. Click the "Course Catalog" dropdown and select SPARKhome (Free).
School Closure Resources for Parents and Educators
Parents, teachers, and students are adjusting to life at home and learning remotely. The TSIN team has pulled together a list of some of our favorite educational resources. Check them out, and be sure to share your favorite learning tools and programs with us on social media so we can make more educators and parents aware of high-quality options.
Bedtime Math - Bedtime Math is a national nonprofit that ignites kids’ curiosity and learning by unleashing the fun in math. They offer playful, online math problems for parents to engage with their students, as well as lively hands-on games.
BrainPop - To support parents and teachers during school closures, BrainPOP is offering free access to their online resources. Brain Pop's expansive platform offers learning games, animated movies, and activities that cover topics across subjects and grade-levels.
Britannica Online LaunchPacks - In response to COVID-19, Britannica has made their LaunchPacks curriculum for science and social studies available for free. LaunchPacks supports virtual learning, independent study, and remote assessments across topics covered in K-12 science and social studies curricula.
CK-12 Foundation - CK-12 offers free, high-quality, standards-aligned content in the STEM subjects. Students can explore their many learning tools, including digital textbooks, concept-based learning, SAT prep, and interactive Algebra curriculum.
Discovery Education Experience - For U.S. schools or school systems that are experiencing closures, Discovery Education is offering free access to Discovery Education Experience through the remainder of the school year. Discovery Education Experience is an online K-12 service combining curated curriculum resources with on-demand teaching strategies. Its standards-aligned content is assignable and meets the varying needs of diverse student populations in a safe and secure environment.
Everfi - As educators are looking for resources to extend student learning at-home, EVERFI’s Endeavor Resource, sponsored by TSIN, and other academic resources are available at no cost. Everfi's Endeavor course engage students in STEM career awareness through interactive modules and supplemental lesson plans.
Khan Academy - Khan Academy is a free resource for students, teachers, and parents. Khan Academy offers exercises, quizzes, and tests so students can practice and master skills, as well as instructional videos to help students learn or review material. In response to school closures, Khan Academy is hosting daily live-streams on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter with engaging lessons for students to continue learning at home.
Learning Blade - The STEM practices embedded within the Learning Blade platform are changing students' self-image and efficacy towards STEM. The Learning Blade platform includes online mission challenges, hands-on lessons, and parent-student discussion topics. TSIN has made Learning Blade available to all middle school students in TN for free.
Scholastic - Scholastic is offering free online learning experiences in response to school closures. Each day, Scholastic posts four new cross-curricular "journeys". Each journey is filled with exciting articles and stories, videos, and fun learning challenges. The students can even go on virtual field trips or meet best-selling authors.
SciGirls - SciGirls is a show for middle school students, showcasing bright, curious tween girls putting STEM to work in their everyday lives. Each half hour episode will inspire your students to explore the world around them and discover that science and technology are everywhere.
Smithsonian Learning Lab - The Smithsonian Learning Lab puts the treasures of the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex within reach. The Lab is a free, interactive platform for discovering millions of authentic digital resources, creating content with online tools, and sharing in the Smithsonian’s expansive community of knowledge and learning.
Virtual Field Trips - Students can travel around the globe through Virtual Field Trips. Covering key topics, historical events, and standards-aligned content, Virtual Field Trips is now offering engaging supplemental activities, including writing prompts and hands-on lessons, to extend the learning experience.
Walt Disney Imagineering Partners With Khan Academy To Bring You ‘Imagineering in a Box’
JSMS Library
Storyline Online! A Great Literacy Resource!
Sequoyah Scribe Honored AGAIN!
In light of current events, the Tennessee High School Press Association has decided to announce the winners of its annual contest early. The Sequoyah Scribe performed VERY WELL in this competition.
Our publication has been named “Best Overall Newspaper” in the state of Tennessee. Since ours is the only middle school newspaper that competes, this means that our students beat all Tennessee high school publications to win this honor.
For comparison: second place went to Harpeth Hall, a private, all-girls college preparatory school. Third place went to St. George’s Independent School, a parochial school.
In addition, the following individual students also placed in the competition.
Audrey Edwards won third place in the state in the “Best Review” category.
Meredith Mooney won second place in the state in the “Best Editorial” category.
Ella Miller won third place in the state in the “Best Editorial” category for her final editorial of last school year.
Carlee Cradic won first place in the state in the “Best Headline” category.
Katie Little won third place in the state in the “Best Photograph” category.
Meredith Mooney won second place in the state in the “Best Front Page Design” category.
I am incredibly proud of all our student journalists have accomplished this year.
Even now, we are preparing to send our third issue to print and continue to work on our fourth and final issue of the year, all online, of course.
Thanks, as always, for all of your support of our student journalists.