JMS Weekly Update
February 13, 2022
Dear JMS Families,
This week Representative Dan Miller, the PA Attorney General's Office and the Mt. Lebanon School District, the Mt. Lebanon City Council of PTAs is proud to present a Social Media Safety program on Wednesday. If you have a Middle School child, you should attend this event. You need to be aware of how your child is engaging on social media platforms.
This week's Update contains information about the following:
- Student Chromebook Upgrade
- Social Media Safety Meeting
- Dr. Ali Michael Community Event
- 8th Grade Parkway West Career and Technology Center Field Trip
- Lost and Found
- Friday (2/18) 12:00 Dismissal Bell Schedule
Please complete this FORM if anyone in your family has tested positive for COVID-19 or has been experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. We want to keep the children here and we want to keep them safe. This information is critical to the safety of the students and staff at JMS.
Take Care,
Dr. Sarah Shaw, Principal
Ms. Katelyn Deet, Assistant Principal
Weekly Schedule
Tuesday - Day 3
Wednesday - Day 4
Thursday - Day 5
Friday - Day 1 - 12:00 Dismissal - Bell Schedule
Monday (2/21) - No School
Tuesday 2/22 - Day 2
New News
The district's technology department is in the process of upgrading all district issued chromebooks. Next week, any student who has a district issued chromebook will exchange their current chromebook and charger for an updated device. This exchange will happen during the school day. Students will need to bring their current chromebook AND charger with them on the day of their exchange. If they do not have both the chromebook and the charger, they will not be able to complete their exchange.
Chromebook and Charger Exchange Dates
- 6th Grade Exchange - 2/16
- 7th Grade Exchange - 2/18
- 8th Grade Exchange - 2/16
Social Media Safety - 2/16 @ 7:00PM - HS Auditorium
Hosted in partnership with Representative Dan Miller, the PA Attorney General's Office and the Mt. Lebanon School District, the Mt. Lebanon City Council of PTAs is proud to present a Social Media Safety program on Wednesday, February 16th at 7pm in the Mt. Lebanon High School Auditorium.
Learn how to keep children safe while using mobile apps, streaming services, gaming, social media and more. This event will be livestreamed for those who are unable to attend in person.
“Racial competence is a skills-based competence; it can be learned,” says Michael. In this community-wide event, Dr. Michael shares stories from her life as a parent, researcher, and anti-racism educator.
Click on the LINK above for more information.
The field trip to Parkway West Career and Technology Center is rescheduled for Friday, February 18, 2022. A bus will be leaving Mt. Lebanon High School at 7:30 AM and returning between 10:45-11:00. Parents of middle school students are required to drop their child off at the C20 entrance by 7:30 AM. Middle school students will be dropped off at their respective schools upon return. In the event of a school delay, the field trip will be rescheduled. This information is on the permission form.
All students who are interested in attending the field trip MUST complete the Permission form and Interest Survey again, as they have been revised. Both forms are due to me by Monday, February 14th.
Families should print out the permission form and either scan it to Mrs. Schneider (eschneider@mtlsd.net).
The Lost and Found is full and it is time to reclaim your belongings before it is cleaned out and donated on February 17. If you are missing anything, please check the Lost and Found box by the attendance office prior to February 17.
Other Information
Mt. Lebanon High School's Black Student Union (BSU) 1st Annual Book Drive
Beginning January 3 through January 31, the BSU will be hosting a book drive in an effort to increase the representation of Black characters in our classrooms and libraries to provide students with a better understanding of their and other cultures.
These and similar books can be found at www.mahoganybooks.com
Drop boxes will be available at each school in the Mt Lebanon School District from January 3rd, 2022 through January 31st, 2022.
Technology
Families In Need of Technology
As we prepare to start the 2021-2022 school year, we are asking families who need to borrow student technology to please complete the form linked below:
Be sure to list every student for whom you need to borrow a device on this form. Once you have submitted your form, you will receive status emails including device pickup details from an @mtlsd.net email address. Please also be sure to whitelist @mtlsd.net email addresses with your email provider to ensure that you receive these communications from us.
Please direct any and all questions regarding loaned equipment to our support address: RemoteSupport@mtlsd.net
Athletics
Middle School Athletics
You can learn everything you need to know about Middle School Athletics, including starting dates, by visiting the MS Athletics Webpage.
JMS PTA Information
SHOPPER & SCHOOL REWARD PROGRAMS
Amazon
If you haven’t used AmazonSmile Before:
- Go to smile.amazon.com and sign in with your regular Amazon username and password.
- You will be prompted to choose a charity. You should enter "Jefferson Middle School PTA Inc” into the search box that appears. It will say "Pittsburgh, PA" as the location for the charity.
- Make sure whenever you check out, you always go to smile.amazon.com on your browser.
If you already use AmazonSmile:
- Go to smile.amazon.com and sign in with your username and password
- Make sure the charity you’ve selected is "Jefferson Middle School PTA Inc." This information is located under the search bar where it says “supporting”.
- If it isn’t, you can change it by clicking on the charity and selecting “change”
- This will bring you to a page where you can search for “Jefferson Middle School PTA Inc” and allow you to switch charities.
Make sure whenever you check out, you always go to smile.amazon.com to checkout.
If you shop on the Amazon app. Please activate Amazon Smile on your mobile app by opening the app and finding ’Settings’ in the main menu (☰). Tap on ‘AmazonSmile’ and follow the on-screen instructions to turn on AmazonSmile on your phone.
Box Tops
Scanning Box Tops is an easy way to earn money for our school. See Box Tops for more information on how to scan Box Tops and to download the app. Receipts must be scanned within 14 days for the Box Tops to be scanned electronically.
Office Depot/Office Max
Office Depot/Office Max has a school rewards program. When shopping, remember to ask the cashier to tag Jefferson Middle School. For online orders, enter our school ID (Thomas Jefferson Middle School ID:70088453 Pittsburgh, PA) on the Thank You Confirmation page.
Resources For Families
The following resources provide information to help Mt. Lebanon School District families and staff navigate the complexities of COVID-19 and the impact the pandemic it is having on our daily lives. These resources will be updated as more information becomes available.
The MTLSD School Counselors in partnership with The Allegheny Children's Initiative Inc., have compiled a list of social services resources that may be helpful to you and your family. Please take a look and reach out to these organizations. They are here to help with any of the following:
- Food
- Rent/Mortgage
- Utilities
- Pets
- Abuse
- Mental Health
- General Assistance
Safe2Say Something is a youth violence prevention program run by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. The program teaches youth and adults how to recognize warning signs and signals, especially within social media, from individuals who may be a threat to themselves or others and to “say something” BEFORE it is too late. With Safe2Say Something, it’s easy and confidential to report safety concerns to help prevent violence and tragedies.
Here’s how it works:
- Submit a report through the Safe2SaySomething system
- Crisis center reviews, assesses and processes all submissions
- Crisis center sends all submissions to school administration and/or law enforcement for intervention
- If needed, crisis center may contact tipster anonymously through the app
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