JMS Hybrid A/B/Cyber Update
January 10, 2021
Dear JMS Families,
As we are preparing to transition to Hybrid Instruction on January 21st, please review this newsletter for more information.
Please continue to let our nurse, Mrs. Suess, know if anyone in your family is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. This information is critical to the safety of the students and staff at JMS.
- Bring a Device to School
- Student Self Screening
- Staffing
- Item Drop Off
- Water Bottles
- Breakfast
- Arrival Time
- Suggested Drop-Off Routes
- Hybrid Bell Schedules
Students who are part of the Cyber Cohort will continue to log in to class as they have been. We will continue to follow the Hybrid Bell Schedule.
We greatly appreciate your continued patience and support. Please reach out to myself or Ms. Deet if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Dr. Sarah Shaw, Principal
Ms. Katelyn Deet, Assistant Principal
Hybrid Information
Bring a Device to School
Students will need to bring a device to school. They will also need to bring a charging cord and headphones. If you are in need of a device, you can request on here.
Students must self screen before reporting to school. Any person with a positive symptom will not be allowed to attend school. If your child is feeling ill, please keep them home.
Staffing
Families will be notified if their child will have a teacher who is teaching remotely while a classroom monitor/substitute teacher assists in the classroom.
Our community values Mt. Lebanon teachers delivering the Mt. Lebanon curriculum, and this approach allows us to best facilitate that while providing needed accommodations to our faculty.
Our priorities are the health and safety of our students and staff while continuing to deliver a quality, teacher-led educational experience. If you have any questions concerning your child’s class as we move forward, please contact his/her/their teacher, school counselor, myself or Ms. Deet.
Item Drop Off
Only in emergency circumstances should forgotten items be brought to the school building by family. Lunch will be available for students who forget their lunch. Students who forget homework, musical instruments, or other things for class can make arrangements with the classroom teacher to submit assignments at a later date.
Water Bottles
Students should bring a water bottle to school. Students will have access to water bottle filling stations, but they will not have access to communal water fountains.
Breakfast
We will be serving breakfast beginning at 7:30. Only students who will be eating breakfast are permitted to arrive at 7:30 due to occupancy limits in the cafeteria. Children eating breakfast should enter JMS through entrance C-23 (in the back of the building). Students who are not eating breakfast will begin to arrive at 7:45.
Arriving to School
Arriving to School - 7:45-8:00AM
Students should arrive to JMS between 7:45-8:00AM. In an effort to physically distance we are asking students to use the following doors for arrival:
- Twisters = D-28
- Wildfire = A-2
- Stars = C-18
- Thunderbolts = A-1
- Emerald = C-27
- Sapphire = C-25
Entering through these doors will allow the students to enter the building nearest to their lockers/homerooms. You can view a map here.
We will have adults at each door to welcome and guide the students to their homerooms.
Suggested Drop-Off Routes - 7:45-8:00AM
In preparation for returning to school, I would like to provide some guidance regarding traffic flow around campus so that we can ensure a safe environment for all students, and also reduce congestion and lengthy delays for drivers. If you are not the person that will be dropping your child off, please this information with the appropriate person.
Please drive slowly around the campus during drop off and dismissal times. If possible, have your children walk or carpool to reduce congestion. Families that are dropping off need to pull ahead along the green painted curb all the way up to the auditorium/gym entrance (A-2), by the steps, before letting your student(s) out of the car. Cars that pull up just to the JMS main doors and let students out cause additional back ups to occur, and cause much of the drop off zone to go unused.
There will be traffic. Please be patient and present when you are driving around the complex.
See the link below for suggested drop off routes for those families that choose to drive their children. Please keep in mind that you cannot turn onto Moffett from Bower Hill during drop off and pick up times. You will need to access the complex from Old Hickory to Pin Oak, or from Ruth Street to Pin Oak.
If you need to turn right onto Bower Hill after drop off, it is recommended that you utilize the yellow route. Right turns are not recommended from Moffett because there is a crossing guard at that intersection and only 1-3 right turning cars can get through because of students crossing.
If you need to turn left onto Bower Hill after drop off, it is recommended that you utilize the blue route. The left turn is not affected by the crossing students.
If you do not need to access Bower Hill after drop off, it is recommended that you utilize the red route through the JMS parking lot, which allows you to exit the back of the campus to Pin Oak.
Following these guidelines will help to create the safest environment and best flow of traffic possible. Thank you for your attention to this. The staff at JMS is looking forward to many smiling faces on Monday.
Weekly Schedule Beginning January 21st
Hybrid A/B/Cyber BELL SCHEDULE
All students (A/B/Cyber) will follow the Hybrid Schedule.
Thursday (1/21) & Friday (1/22)
- Cohort B (M-Z) - Report to school by 8:00.
- Cohort A (A-L), Cyber Cohort - Home - log in to homeroom at 8:00.
- Cohort A (A-L) - Report to school by 8:00.
- Cohort B (M-Z), Cyber Cohort - Home - log in to homeroom at 8:00.
- Cohort A, Cohort B, Cyber Cohort - Home - log in to homeroom by 8:00.
Hybrid Information
Hybrid A/B/Cyber Cohorts
After the week of October 5th, the students will be split into three cohorts for the Hybrid Model.
- A-L - Report to JMS on Mondays and Tuesdays
- M-Z - Report to JMS on Thursdays and Fridays
- Cyber Cohort - Home Monday - Friday
Hybrid Rules, Expectations & Procedures
- Students should report to JMS between 7:45-8:00AM.
- Students will enter the building and report directly to homeroom.
Lockers
- Students will be dismissed from homeroom in small groups to use their lockers.
- Lockers will be used to store coats, boots, umbrellas, and sporting equipment.
- Students will use their backpacks to carry their materials. They will not be visiting their lockers throughout the day.
- Lockers will be assigned to maximize physical distance between students.
Hallways
Students will walk in a single file line on the right side of the hallway.
At the end of class, students will be released by a staggered bell schedule to avoid congestion in the hallways.
Restrooms
Students will use an electronic passes.
No more than 3 students at a time (unless there is an emergency). Students will wait their turn using the 6ft. markers on the floor.
Cafeteria/Lunch
We will be using the cafeteria and classrooms for lunch.
The cafeteria and classrooms will be set up with desks for individual students spaced 6 feet apart, all facing the same direction.
Students will wash/sanitize hands before and after lunch.
Lunch will be free and grab and go.
Classrooms
Desks will face the same direction.
Desks will be 6ft apart where feasible.
Ultraboard Barriers will be used when 6ft is not feasible.
Students should wash/sanitize hands at the beginning and the end of each class.
Masking
All staff and students are required to wear a mask when in the building.
Mask breaks can occur for no longer than 10 minutes and students must be 6 feet apart.
Students will have masks off when eating, but must be spaced 6 feet apart.
When not eating, students must wear masks.
Ultraboard Barriers
Are required to be used when 6ft of space is not feasible in a classroom.
Can be used anytime.
Will remain in classrooms (students will not travel with them).
Bring Your Own Technology
Students will bring their own device, charging cord and headphones to school everyday.
Charging stations will be provided in classrooms.
If a student does not have a portable device to use, you can request a device using this link.
Item Drop Off
- Only in emergency circumstances should forgotten items be brought to the school building by family.
- Lunch will be available for students who forget their lunch.
- Students who forget homework, musical instruments, or other things for class can make arrangements with the classroom teacher to submit assignments at a later date.
Physical Education
- Students will not be changing for PE.
- Students should wear appropriate clothing on PE days.
- We will not be using the locker rooms.
- Students will dismiss from JMS through their arrival doors.
Jefferson Middle School
The Jefferson Middle School learning community has an exceptional reputation for its dedicated teachers, staff and parents working together to provide learning experiences for our children that include high expectations, a challenging curriculum and a shared commitment to provide the best education possible for each and every student.
Email: sshaw@mtlsd.net
Website: https://jms.mtlsd.org/
Location: 21 Moffett Street, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Phone: (412) 344-2120
Facebook: facebook.com/jmslebo
Twitter: @JMSMTLSD