Lake Oswego Junior High Newsletter
Important Messages and Events for the Community
Principal Message
We are excited to welcome our families and students this Thursday and Friday for our student-led conferences. This is an opportunity for your student(s) to share with your some of the great work that they have done throughout the year. As a reminder, students do not have school on Thursday and Friday this week.
Please listen below to the next Sailor Soundbites episode as Rylan G. shares his transition from elementary school to middle school.
Picture Re-Take Day
October 25th, 8:30 to 11:30. This is a perfect opportunity for any student who still wants to have school pictures this year. No purchase is required for a student ID or your picture in the yearbook, but you need your picture taken.
RETAKES: Please bring your picture packet with you if you are doing retakes.
To purchase or reorder more photos: https://www.dorianstudio.com/search/account/f4349547-58bd-4cdb-9d25-4bcdab50be2d/
If you have any questions, contact Dorian Studios using the link above or call 1.800.826.3535
Next Week is Spirit Week
Spirit week is next week, and here is the schedule that is being announced for students:
Monday - Costume Day, Tuesday - Twin Day, Wednesday - Comfy Cozy Day, Thursday - Prom Day (Dress to Impress), Friday - Anything But a Backpack Day.
Expectations are being shared with students today. If students choose to participate these days, we are asking that their style of dress does not interfere with the educational process.
Costumes will be in good taste for an academic setting and not interfere with the educational process. All classes will take place normally on these days, and costumes must allow students to take part in ALL classes, including P.E. Students whose costumes do not follow these guidelines will be sent home to change and expected to return in normal school dress.
Face-masks will not be allowed. Unusual or bizarre make-up does not constitute a costume, and if asked to remove it, students will be expected to do so promptly.
Dressing like current rock stars or celebrities could be inappropriate in a school setting. Any such costumes will be judged very carefully for their suitability at school. Dressing in gang attire is not allowed. Any reference to alcohol, drugs, sex, or violence is inappropriate.
Colored hair spray and glitter have caused problems with the eyes. Use of such materials must be done at home before coming to school. Do not bring these products to school.
Remember that toy weapons of any sort (replicas of knives, guns, or any other type of weapon) may not be brought on campus, even as a part of a costume. Violation of this guideline will be regarded as a violation of the District’s weapons policy and will result in disciplinary action per district policy.
LOMS Boys Basketball 2022
Lake Oswego Middle School Boys Basketball is a 6-week-long recreational athletic program available for 6th, 7th and 8th-grade students attending LOMS. Participating students will learn all types of basketball and team skills. All students are put on a team, and there is no previous experience required. The focus is on acquiring basketball skills while having fun and meeting and working with other LOJ students. The season will run from 10/31-12/16
You must be completely registered by October 31st by doing ALL of the following:
Submit a LOMS Athletic Clearance to the front office. In most cases, this requires a physician’s signature. Please refer to the form, which can be found under the Athletics tab on the LOMS website. Clearance forms are good for two years. Completed forms need to be turned in to the LOJ main office.
Register through the Community Schools website and pay the $150 participation fee. Here is a link to the Community Schools website: Link
Registration will close on 11/11.
*Late registrants will be placed on a waitlist and added to the team if space is available.
Practices and Meets:
Starting Monday, October 31st, students will spend the first week as a large group demonstrating skills. The purpose of this is to evaluate the students and create teams of evenly skilled students. Following this week, there will be a week of practices, and the rest of the season will have two games per week and two practices per week. Basketball activities will occur on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday.
On October 31st, registered participants will meet in the LOJ main gym at 4:15.
Participants should wear gym shoes and comfortable/athletic clothing.
Lake Oswego School District middle schools will create teams within their schools.
There may be an activity bus to take students home after participation.
By participating in the LOMS Basketball program, you are expected to attend all practices unless you are excused due to illness or an emergency. If you are absent from school, you may not attend practice.
Staff Contact: Kendra Gish- gishk@loswego.k12.or.us
Homework Help
Need more time to finish your homework?
Come to Homework Help and Work time
EVERY Tuesday and Friday
from 8:15-8:50 AM
We will meet in Room 3
Starting Tues. Sept. 20
Check-In at the Main Office
Hosted by Mrs. Espinosa and Mrs. Cheng
Diagnostic Assessment Results
Three times per year, middle school students complete diagnostic assessments in Reading and Math. The results help us determine each student’s strengths and areas for growth, personalize their learning, and monitor their progress throughout the school year.
Your student’s HMH results (ELA) are in the mail and should arrive this week. Your student’s iReady results (Math) should be available for viewing in ParentVue now. Teachers and specialists utilize these baseline results to help support students and guide instruction. Please contact your student's teacher or Alix Loeber, Assistant Principal, if you have questions.
October is Dyslexia Awareness Month
What is Oregon’s State of Mind on Dyslexia?
Oregon developed its first legislative guidelines for dyslexia in 2015 with the passing of Senate Bill 612 followed by 1003 in 2017. By law each school is required to complete a universal screening on all kindergarten and first grade students to identify those who are at risk for dyslexia. This law also mandates that each K-5 school have an extensively-trained educator who is able to recognize the warning signs of dyslexia and support students, teachers, parents, and the community. LOSD currently uses Dibels as our dyslexia screening tool. If you have more questions please reach out to your school’s literacy specialist.
There also are three major federal laws that directly affect children with dyslexia. They are the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Oregon Department of Education Dyslexia Resources: Oregon Department of Education : Dyslexia : Regional Programs and Best Practices : State of Oregon
Gifted and Dyslexic?
Some kids with learning and attention difficulties have exceptional skills in certain areas. These kids are often called “twice-exceptional” (2E) learners.
LOSD Student Services and TAG (Talented & Gifted) Services are both responsible and should work in cooperation to meet the needs of twice-exceptional students. The student’s abilities will determine appropriate instruction.
To read about twice exceptional students, visit UNDERSTOOD.ORG:
Twice-Exceptional Students | 2E Learners | Gifted and Learning Disabilities
Each week this month, we featured a message about dyslexia in this newsletter. If you have questions or concerns regarding our child’s learning, please call the school principal, TAG coordinator, and/or literacy specialist. You can also contact your school’s representatives for TAG-AC (TAG Advisory Committee) or Special Education Advisory Committee. Please see here to learn how to contact your school representative.
We are here to help you and your child succeed.
Important Dates
Picture Makeup Day: October 25, 8:00 - 12:00
Student Led Conferences: October 27,28 (More info to follow)
LOJ Choir Concert: November 2, 2022, 7:00-8:30 at LOHS Auditorium
LOJ Beginning Band Informance: November 16, 2022, 6:30-8:00 at LOJ
Science / Makerspace Fair 2023: We are looking for a chair or co-chair to work with LOJ science teachers for our Science/Makerspace Faire on Thursday February 16th from 6:00-7:30 p.m. Please email sailorparentclub@gmail.com if you're interested!
Want a chance to volunteer in your child's classroom? Sign up to volunteer for Art Lit! We need you! No experience needed. For 6th grade Art Lit, sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0e4aa8ad2da4fa7-6thgrade1. For 7th grade Art Lit, sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0e4aa8ad2da4fa7-7thgrade1. 8th grade Art Lit will be in the spring.
Interested in volunteering at the LOJ Library? Have you been looking for an opportunity to volunteer at LOJ? Consider helping out the LOJ Library!
We are looking for a few parents to come in for an hour once a week to help us shelve books, and a parent with an artistic bent who would like to help us spruce up our library display boards. Benefits of supporting the library include getting to see all the fun books your kids have access to and making the school look more cheerful and inviting for kids. Contact Library Tech April Younglove with any questions about helping out the library.
Set up Meal Accounts
The universal free meals waiver with USDA expired on June 30, 2022. That means starting this school year LOSD will be serving meals under the free, reduced, and paid categories.
Please be sure to set up your student's meal account or apply for free/reduced meals. Look for Meals under Find it Fast on district and school website homepages for account setup and application information, and more.
Please have students memorize or write down their student id numbers to expedite the lunch line.
SafeOregon/Incident Reporting
Parents-guardians who have concerns about a student’s well-being are encouraged to reach out to their principal and to maintain strong lines of communication and partnership between students, families, staff, and other resources.
SafeOregon is also an effective way to report a tip regarding safety threats or potential acts of violence to our students or schools.
(Students should also be aware that intentionally providing a false report is a serious offense.)
In addition, Our district has additional reporting forms. These are for parents or students to use to report issues related to racism, bias, or harassment incidents. These forms are on the district website and school websites:
Important Links
Lake Oswego Middle School
Email: millsk@loswego.k12.or.us
Website: https://www.losdschools.org/loj
Location: Lake Oswego Junior High School, 2500 Country Club Road, Lake Oswego, OR 97034, USAOur Address
Phone: 503-534-2335
Facebook: facebook.com/ourschool
Twitter: @lojSailors