JMS Weekly Update
October 18, 2020
Dear JMS Families,
This week's Update contains new information about:
- School Picture Days (10/20, 10/21, 10/22)
- Quarter 2 Material Pick-Up (10/27-10/28)
Please reach out to myself or Ms. Deet if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Dr. Sarah Shaw, Principal
Ms. Katelyn Deet, Assistant Principal
Weekly Schedule
Monday - Day 3
Tuesday - Day 4
Wednesday - Day 5
Thursday - Day 1
Friday - Day 2
Monday (10/26) - Day 3
New Information
Quarter 2 Hybrid/Cyber Selection Survey
This message is for any secondary family/student (grades 6-12) who would like to change their mode of instruction for the beginning of the 2nd marking period (November 2, 2020). Either:
- To change FROM the Hybrid model of instruction TO full Remote via the Cyber Learning Academy; or
- To change FROM full Remote via the Cyber Learning Academy TO the Hybrid model.
We are asking ONLY THOSE FAMILIES WHO WANT TO MAKE A CHANGE IN THE INSTRUCTIONAL MODE for the 2nd marking period to complete this form for each impacted secondary student by 4 pm on October 20. If you do not wish to change the mode of instruction for your secondary student(s) commencing with the 2nd marking period, you do not need to complete and submit the form.
School Picture Day - 10/20, 10/21, 10/22
Picture days have been scheduled for Jefferson Middle School next week. The schedule for picture day is the following:
- Tuesday, October 20th: Cohort A (Monday/Tuesday Hybrid Group)
- Wednesday, October 21st: Cyber Academy Students
- Thursday, October 22nd: Cohort B (Thursday/Friday Hybrid Group)
Our photographer is Wayne Bratten from Wayne’s World of Photography. All students will get their picture taken. If you do not want your child’s picture to be taken, please contact the office. Pictures will be taken outside, weather permitting. Information about ordering pictures online will be shared with you in the coming weeks.
Hybrid A/B Cohort Students
JMS Students participating in Hybrid will get their pictures taken during Team Time (6th, 7th, or 8th) or Physical Education (8th) while they are in the building.
Cyber Cohort Students
JMS Students participating in Cyber Learning Academy can arrive at the school anytime between 10:00am-1:00pm and 3:15pm-4:15pm to have pictures taken on Wednesday, October 21st.
- It is recommended that Cyber Learning Academy students come during a break in their schedule.
- If students do not have a suitable break between 10am and 1pm, they will be permitted to miss a class during that time to come to JMS to get a picture taken. In this case, the teacher should be informed via email and students will be expected to make up the work that they missed.
- Students should meet the photographer in the back of the building, near the cafeteria entrance (C-23).
- Students will wait outside, weather permitting, to get their picture taken.
- Team time and 8th grade Physical Education classes will be asynchronous on Tuesday, October 20th, and Thursday, October 22nd.
Material Pick Up - Quarter 2 - Cyber Cohort
Quarter 2 of the 2020-2021 academic year begins during the week of November 2, 2020.
In order to provide all students with a dynamic learning experience, we are asking students that are participating in the cyber cohort to pick up materials at JMS for the second quarter on the following days:
- Wednesday, October 27th
- Thursday, October 28th
More information will be provided in next week’s Update about pick up location and times. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Deet.
JMS Yearbooks are on sale now through January 1, 2021.
Prices:
- Now- Thursday, October 31 at 11:59 PM: $40
- Friday, November 1 at 12:00 AM- Wednesday, January 1 at 11:59 PM: $45
Limited extras will be sold on the last day of school for $50. 8th Grade Advertisements are also for sale from now until January 1 for $30. Order your yearbook and take out an 8th grade ad TODAY! yearbookforever.com
We have a few new attendance codes and have updated the attendance FAQ for you. In this document you will find information about the attendance codes, what to do about early dismissals/late arrivals, pre-approved absences and absence excuses.
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.
Resources For Families
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
Athletics
Click the link above for a few important items that you need to take care of in order to try-out for the team.
We are excited to announce that we are now offering the convenience of online registration for our athletic programs through partner company, FamilyID (www.familyid.com). FamilyID is a secure registration platform that provides you with an easy, user-friendly way to register for our programs, and helps us to be more administratively efficient and environmentally responsible. When you register through FamilyID, you enter your information once for multiple uses, multiple kids and multiple programs.
Technology
Families In Need of Technology
As we prepare to start the 2020-2021 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
JMS PTA Information
JMS PTA membership drive is open. In a typical year, your membership fee to the JMS PTA helps to meet our budget commitments to various PTA-sponsored school programs. This year we have reduced the membership cost to $15, to cover primarily the national and state dues and fees associated with the organization, and we have included an option to make a donation, 100% of which goes to JMS PTA-supported activities. Membership includes one vote per household at PTA meetings, inclusion in the Membership Directory, and PTA Newsletters. Families can link a second parent's email to their first at no additional cost or decide to purchase memberships for two parents. Membership Toolkit has a mobile app for your convenience.
You will be prompted to update your family's information, opt in or out of the directory, and update your child's team, optional phone contact info, and the elementary school from which they came.
Please join us!
Help JMS Earn Money While You Shop!
AmazonSmile
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
Clipping Box Tops is an easy way to earn money for our school. Each Box Top is worth 10 cents, so don't forget to physically and electronically clip the for us! The clipped Box Tops can be turned into the office.
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.
Giant Eagle
Giant Eagle Support our students! Enroll your Giant Eagle Advantage Card and earn points for FREE educational rewards with every shopping trip.
Click here to register your card. Our school code is 3369. The Giant Eagle card program is also easy to use - just register your card and shop away as usual!
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.
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