JMMS Weekly Update
October 9, 2020
Principal's Message
Good afternoon Alpine, this is Joan MacQueen's Proud Principal, Casey Currigan.
It was a phenomenal week at JMMS, the weather cooled off significantly, and students played dodgeball, frisbee, and soccer at lunch and in PE. It was the first time since March we have heard students laughing and having a good time. However, the weather is supposed to turn hot again next week, so do not forget to send students with their water bottles and sunscreen.
The first quarter of the school year comes to a close on the 23rd of October. If you haven't checked in on your child's progress using ParentVUE, please do it this weekend. We recognize that we are trying to educate in the time of COVID. However, some students still believe these grades will not count. This misconception has resulted in more failing grades than we would like. Teachers are accepting late work up until the end of the quarter, so please support your child, check on those grades, and encourage them to get their work turned in to the teacher. If you don't know how to access your ParentVUE account, instructions are below.
If your child is adamant that they have turned everything in and the grade is still a zero, Google does allow students to turn in blank work. It will show that the work as turned in, but students will not receive credit for an empty assignment. Please encourage your child to email the teacher to make sure there receive credit for their assignments.
Lastly, we need three parents to participate in our Site Council. There is only one meeting a month, and they will not ever be longer than forty-five minutes, and all of the sessions will take place on Zoom. Please click on the link below to sign up. Your role on the committee is to provide parent input on the future of Joan MacQueen.
How about a game of...
dodgeball
soccer
or frisbee
Free Desktop Computer
ParentVUE
Math Anxiety is Real
Does math make you a little nervous? You're in the majority.
The phrase "number anxiety" was first coined by researchers back in the 1950s. By some estimates, as high as 93 percent of Americans feel some degree of math anxiety.
In 2012, about 30 percent of high school students reported that they felt "helpless" when doing mathematics problems. (Read more)
ASB October Calendar
- 10-16 ASB Election Applications DUE today
- 10-26 Kick Off - Wear Red - Red Ribbon Week begins
- 10-27 Say "Boo" to Drugs - Wear Your Halloween Costume
- 10-28 Say "NO" to Drugs - Wear JMMS Spirit Shirts
School Site Council
We Want You To Join Our Team!
Click on the link below to submit your Nomination Form to be part of our SSC Team! The time commitment is minimal. Meetings are typically held once a month from 5:00-5:45pm. All meetings will take place on Zoom for convenience. Click here to apply.
Sora
We are so happy to share that we have 2000 new titles in SORA for students to check out. Please help your child get online and start reading! Click on this link for instructions:
We will be highlighting some of the new novels that we have in both English and Spanish. Here are just a few for Grades 6-8....
What Happens if...
Student, Staff Member, or Visitor has:
- Tested positive for COVID-19, OR
- Been advised by their doctor (licensed MD, DO, NP, or PA) or public health official that they are presumed to have COVID-19 (regardless of test results).
Action Steps
- Ask a parent or staff member to provide information on C-19 status to the school.
- If the individual is presumed C-19+, ask the medical provider to provide a note indicating C-19 is probable.
- Identify and notify students and staff who had close contact.
- Keep close contacts home to quarantine and instructed to contact a healthcare provider for further instructions
- Notify students and staff who had close contact by phone and with close contact with C-19+ letter
- Provide quarantine instructions.
- Notify same group (class, bus, sports team) or the entire school community with a letter about positive case of C-19.
Next Steps
- If the person has tested C-19+ and has not developed symptoms they may return 10 days after the date on which they first tested positive.
- If symptoms develop, delay return until the person is 10 days past the onset of the symptom(s) and has not had a fever (without fever-reducing meds) during the 24 hours prior to return.
Free Tutors
Most of these students are high school upperclassmen or college students who are not returning to their physical classrooms. Fill out this interest form to learn more.
Entering Campus and Staggered Start
To provide social distancing upon entering and leaving campus, we are asking that families adhere to the schedule above (click on to enlarge). We are also requiring different grade levels to enter campus, by last name, in different locations. Those locations are:
6th Grade - Main Gate by JMMS Office
7th Grade - Gate at the top of the stairs by the gym
8th Grade - Enter through the blacktop
Once on-campus, students are expected to move directly to their Learning Strategies Classroom.
Safe School Ambassador Training
Safe School Ambassador training started this past Wednesday. Thank you to the JMMS staff and students who participated in the training.
The Safe School Ambassadors® Program relies on the “inside-out” approach to improving school climate. Student bystanders see, hear, and know things adults don’t, can intervene in ways adults can’t, and are often on the scene of an incident before an adult. They are a critical and necessary resource for positively impacting the crisis of bullying in our schools.
Face Masks
Joan MacQueen Middle School
Email: ccurrigan@alpineschools.net
Website: https://www.alpineschools.net/o/jmms
Location: 2001 Tavern Road, Alpine, CA, USA
Phone: (619) 445-3245
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Joan.MacQueen