Dear JMS Families,

The foundation of a successful school year is built upon collaboration between parents, students, and educators. Together, we can create an environment that fosters growth, curiosity, and achievement. With that, we are looking forward go seeing you a Curriculum Night this evening at 6pm. We look forward to sharing with you what you can expect from us this school year.

The first few weeks of school are a critical time for setting the tone for the rest of the year. We have been working to ensure a positive start by laying the groundwork for a year filled with meaningful learning experiences and personal development.

If you have not already, I encourage you to review the GCPS Student/Parent Handbook. We have exciting plans and events for the upcoming months, including Dine In movie night on Saturday, September 23rd. Our calendar of events is included in this edition of JagWire and on the main page of our website.

Thank you for entrusting us with the privilege of nurturing your child's growth and development. Let's embark on this new school year with enthusiasm, positivity, and a shared commitment to excellence.

Warm Regards,

Mrs. Thornton

Use the link below to purchase. We do not sell any books at school. The deadline to purchase a yearbook and create custom pages is April 12th. JMS is not purchasing any extra yearbooks, so make sure you purchase yours by the deadline. You will be able to purchase a yearbook after the April 12th deadline, but the yearbook will be delivered to your house after school is out for the summer. To check if you already purchased a yearbook, search your email/spam folder for “Treering Order Confirmation”.

https://www.treering.com/purchase?PassCode=1016588713904328

Please contact Heather.Coffey@gcpsk12.org with any questions.

Please join us for parent night. We have a special guest coming to talk about how to keep our students safe and healthy in a world where they are constantly being bombarded with drug and alcohol trends. The event will be held in the Jones Middle school cafeteria on September 12 at at 6pm. We will hold a raffle after the presentation. See you there!

We are happy to announce that this school year, we have adopted the CharacterStrong resources built around character development and social-emotional learning to ensure a focus on the whole child! This curriculum includes the “Eight Essential” character traits and the social-emotional skills that have been proven to help us be productive, empathetic, and successful people.

The Eight Essentials: Patience, Kindness, Humility, Respect, Selflessness, Forgiveness, Honesty, and Commitment

The Five Social-Emotional Learning Competencies: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, and Responsible Decision-Making

Helping our students grow into kind and compassionate adults can be challenging in the current social media climate and other distractions. While academics are an essential aspect of education, we must also focus on investing in the whole child by helping them develop habits and traits that make them successful in all areas of life.

Each month, we will include “CharacterDares” that you can do as a family. If you complete the dares by the end of the school year, you will have engaged in almost 40 weeks of thoughtful conversations, relationship-building activities, and character development at home.

Attention Parent: Friday, August 25th there will be no tutoring or before school meetings/activities due to professional learning for all staff.

Medical drop off procedures: Please be aware that students are not allowed to bring and/ or carry ANY medications at school. A parent/guardian must bring in any medications to Ms. Santoro to be kept in the clinic and fill out the proper paperwork.

Jones Middle School and Seckinger High School would like to invite all parents of students in grades 6-12 to delve into the life of a teenager and the temptations and trends they are faced with in today's society. The event will be held Thursday, October 12th at 6:00pm in the Seckinger High School Theater.

Gwinnett County Public Schools Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council (SSAC) is a unique opportunity for middle and high school students to share their feedback, school experiences, and perspectives on various issues affecting students, schools, and communities with Superintendent Dr. Calvin J. Watts.

Through the council, students are able to voice their ideas, share suggestions for improving our schools and our district, act as thought partners as they connect with fellow students, and build their leadership capacity alongside students with whom they may not otherwise work alongside.

Interested in Applying for the 2023-24 SSAC? The application for the 2023-24 SSAC will be available in the Student Portal from August 9-27, 2023.

Questions? Please email: Melissa.Laramie@gcpsk12.org

Please do not drop off any cupcakes or balloons for students. We want to keep our classrooms clean and minimize interruptions to students learning. Thank you for your cooperation!

The Parent Portal is our primary communication tool. Here you can find information about grades, teacher correspondence, assessment data, transportation, attendance, etc in real time. Please be sure you know your username and password before the year starts. Our recommendation is to check the Parent Portal once a week.

If you currently do not have a Parent Portal account, use this link to request one.

Pick up - Drop off Reminders- Please do not drop students off by the cafeteria if they arrive between 7:50am-8:15am. Please note that student checkouts are allowed until 3:30pm.

There are times when your student may have a health concern and does not feel well. Please review this guide for reasons to help your student feel better at home.

Be sure to complete the Free and Reduced Lunch application. Families need to apply every year. The online application for the 23-24 school year will be available Tuesday, July 18, at www.gwinnett.schoollunchapp.com

One application per household - Be sure to list everyone that lives under the same roof. Eligibility is determined by the household size to income ratio. Once approved, eligibility is good for the entire school year. There is no reason to submit more than one application unless there is a change in household size or income.

The application doesn't just cover free or reduced lunch for your student but also may also qualify them to receive free SAT, ACT, and AP testing. As well as potential discounts on college application fees and certain utility bills.

JMS Parents,

You can nurture your child's mental health by building a close relationship with them, proving structure and healthy boundaries, fostering independence, encouraging social connections, teaching healthy habits and modeling positive behavior.

Susan Stiffelman

The author shows you how to awake your child’s natural instincts to cooperate by being the confident parent your child needs, teaching you how to parent from a place of strong, durable connection, and helping your child navigate the challenging moments of growing up. This is an excellent resource for any parent but particularly for those who find themselves in power struggles with their children.

Students who read 4 book during Quarter 1 will qualify for Game Day in the Media Center.

Books can be fiction or nonfiction and should be a minimum of 150 pages.

One book can be a graphic novel (no page limit).

Students should record the books in their Beanstack digital reading log to qualify.

See the Media Center website for more details: https://www.gcpsk12.org/Page/8862

Student picture day is Tuesday, August 29th.

See Ms. Brownlee for a member form before 9/11

Try outs: Tuesday Sept. 12, Wednesday Sept. 13, and Thursday Sept. 14th

Team announced Friday Sept. 15th.

The Circle Mentoring for boys at JMS Mentee applications are due by Wednesday August 30th.

See Ms. Brownlee or Officer McCall to join!

"Fueling Fun and Fundraising – Join us at Chipotle on 9/12 from 5-9 for an unforgettable Spirit Night!"

Grab your lawn chairs and blankets and join us in Jones' backyard Sept 23rd. We will unwind the evening starting at 6pm. You are welcome to bring some outdoor balls/games for a family fun game until the DJ counts us down to our movie starting @8pm. We will have Super Taco, Burger 21, and Kona ice on site if you would like to purchase food.
Please remember this is a family event and parents are REQUIRED to stay with their students at all times.

*PTSA will have water and glow sticks for purchase.

• Only Seckinger HS students and opposing HS students will be permitted in games without a parent. High School IDs will be checked.
• Students must leave school on game day and can return thirty minutes before the start.
• All games are available for purchase online. Visit the GoFan website here: https://gofan.co/
• All elementary and middle school students must be accompanied by an adult at all sporting events.
• Please click here to access the head coach's directory and email the coach for more information.

This school year, our district is transitioning to ParentSquare to communicate with families. We encourage all families to download the app and create an account. With its user-friendly interface, ParentSquare offers seamless two-way communication through text, newsletters, posts, emergency alerts, and direct messaging. One of our favorite features is the integrated translation feature, enabling automatic translations for multilingual families. Stay effortlessly connected with your child's teachers, schools, and the district. To get started, and learn about all the cool features, check out our website!

If you received our notification about ParentSquare and you have questions about confirming your account access, please send an email to PSQHelp@gcpsk12.org.

We offer multiple ways to connect with our staff and administrators to address your questions regarding your child's needs and interests.