JMS Weekly Update
January 3, 2021
Happy New Year JMS!
Welcome back! We hope that you and your family were able to find some time to relax and recharge during this break.
We are back to full remote school tomorrow, January 4th. With the semester nearing an end, we are working to schedule a 3rd Quarter material distribution. We will have more information for you next week.
Please continue to let our nurse, Mrs. Suess, know if anyone in your family is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. With a planned return to school on January 21st, this information is critical to the safety of the students and staff at JMS.
Continue to do your best to stay home, wear a mask, physically distance (6ft or more), avoid congregating in groups, and wash your hands.
Stay Safe,
Dr. Sarah Shaw, Principal
Ms. Katelyn Deet, Assistant Principal
Weekly Schedule
Monday (1/4) - Day 3
Tuesday - Day 4
Wednesday - Day 5
Thursday - Day 1
Friday - Day 2
Monday (1/11) - Day 3
New Information
8th Grade Transition Meeting - 1/8 @ 9:15AM
It is hard to believe, but it is time to start the process of sending our 8th graders off to the high school to do amazing things!
On Friday, January 8th at 9:15AM, we will be hosting a Zoom meeting to discuss the 8th grade transition to the High School. Two of the HS guidance counselors will be presenting to parents about the transition from middle school to high school, and the upcoming course selection process. The Zoom link will be shared with all 8th grade parents, via email, prior to the 8th.
We will be sending a Zoom link to all 8th grade families on Wednesday, January 6th. This presentation will be recorded and will be able to be viewed at any time.
Additionally, all 8th grade families will be receiving a communication from the high school in the near future, inviting you to attend the High School Curriculum Night, date still TBD. Please know that your questions can be answered at the High School Curriculum Night if you are unable to attend our meeting on 1/8.
Our 8th grade students will also receive a presentation about the transition from high school guidance counselors during their math class in the coming weeks. JMS students that are currently taking a math course at the high school will receive this information in their high school math class.
Please contact the guidance office if you have questions regarding the transition to high school.
Other Information
A Message from Dr. Steinhauer
Hybrid Resumes
Elementary (Grades K-5) - January 11, 2021
Secondary (Grades 6-12) - January 21, 2021
Athletics
In the recent order issued by Governor Wolf, athletics paused until January 4, 2021. Last evening the School Board voted to resume athletics on January 4, 2021, pending no further action from the Governor.
Updated Plans
The School Board also approved the Health and Safety Plan 3.0, the Revised Reopening Education Plan, and the Revised Athletics & Activities Health and Safety Plan 4.0. All of these documents can be found at www.mtlsd.org.
New Dashboard
In addition, we have launched a revised Dashboard. This revised Dashboard is designed to provide more data to create a fuller view of COVID-19 cases in our schools. It aligns with the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s new guidelines regarding the identification of Covid-19 cases in school.
The Dashboard consists of three elements:
- The first chart is aligned with the Pennsylvania Department of Education's Recommendations for Pre-K to 12 Schools Following Identification of a Cases of COVID-19.
- The second chart provides a snapshot of the total number of employee and student positive cases of COVID-19 in the District.
- The third chart displays the total COVID -19 cases by month.
Out of State Travel Restrictions
If you plan to travel out of state, please know that your child will need to quarantine or produce a negative COVID-19 test prior to entering PA, before returning to school. During this time of quarantine you child will be able to log into class remotely, but will not be permitted to physically enter the building.
Contact Ms. Deet or Mrs. Suess with any questions regarding your travel plans.
Resources For Families
The Mt. Lebanon School District will continue serving free Grab-and-Go Meals to any student in the community under the age of 18, with no eligibility requirements, until further notice. The meals will be distributed at the elementary schools.
Meals will be available from 10:45 until 1:15 every day to accommodate all students during their lunch periods.
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
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
Athletics
7th & 8th Grade Girls Basketball Tryouts
Basketball tryouts for any interested 7th and 8th grade girls will be on Tuesday, Jan. 5th and Wednesday, Jan. 6th from 3:30 until 5:00 in the JMS gymnasium.
Registration must be completed through FamilyID which can be accessed through the Athletic Department's website. A physical that is dated after June 1, 2020 is required.
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.
JMS PTA Information
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