Jaguar Junction
April & May 2021
A Note from the Principal - Mr. Haire
As we move forward as well, we continue to ask you to keep those coming onsite for learning to be in attendance daily in the schools. This routine will be important for both students and teachers to be able to meet the needs of all the onsite learners and the remote learners.
We will be completing the state assessment in April with 6-8 students participating in math and reading and 8th grade only completing the state science assessments. If you are remote and would like to opt into the state assessment, please fill out the form in your TylerSis. If you would like your students who are onsite to opt out, the same form in your Tyler Parent Account can be accessed. If you have questions or need assistance on this, please contact the front office.
Thank you as always for your partnership this school year. This has been a learning experience for all and through your support and partnership, I feel that we have together knocked this out of the park for our students.
A Note from the Assistant Principal - Mr. Haag
Parents, Guardians, and Students -
With the Kansas Reading, Math, and Science state assessments coming up I thought it would be a good idea to remind everyone on some strategies you can use to do your very best job on these assessments. Outside of their regular studies, here are a few things students can do to make sure they are best prepared:
GET PLENTY OF SLEEP!!! - Studies show that teens do their best work when they get more that 7 hours of sleep each night. They have more energy and are better able to focus during the day.
EAT A GOOD BREAKFAST/LUNCH - a good meal, before your student comes to school, with all of the food groups represented, help students to maintain energy throughout the day.
BE ON TIME - Coming in late could affect the amount of time students have to work on the assessments. This may create undue stress and thinking they have to rush to finish. When we rush through things, we tend to make careless mistakes.
HAVE YOUR CHROMEBOOK FULLY CHARGED AND READY BEFORE COMING TO SCHOOL!!!!
These are just a few strategies to help your students be successful.
Counselor Corner - Mr. Falk
We are getting closer to the end of the school year. Parent Night for incoming 6th graders will be held virtually on Tuesday, May 4, 5:30-6:30. This provides students and parents the opportunity to hear from our administration and support staff. We are looking forward to a great turnout!
During April and May, Mr. Falk will be making 6th and 7th grade students aware of the class offerings for next year and will start working to create student schedules.
8th Graders are completing a 4-Year High School Course Plan in Naviance. Mr. Falk went into math classes and has produced a video to help the students complete this plan. The video has been made available in their math Google Classroom and has been emailed out to parents. This is a requirement by the State of Kansas. Therefore, Mr. Falk has encouraged students to reach out to him for assistance. If their plan is not completed by the beginning of April, Mr. Falk will be reaching out to the students and parents to arrange a time to get it completed.
Activities - Mr. Snyder
Winston Churchill said “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts”
On behalf of the coaching staff of Jardine Middle School, we would like to say thank you to those who participated in our intramural program this school year. We all were looking forward to seeing our student/athletes compete on the field and the courts. We ask that you continue to work during the summer and be ready to bring home the championships.
KSHSAA at this point is planning on sports beginning like normal next school year. KSHSAA guidelines do require students to pass 5 or the 6 classes. 6th and 7th grade eligibility will come from the 4th quarter and 8th grade will come from the 2nd semester to be eligible 1st quarter school year 2021.
Physicals set by Kansas Health System St. Francis has not yet been set, information will be sent out as soon it becomes available. Please start scheduling your physical for after May 1, 2021 for next school year.
8th grade students planning to go out for sports at Topeka High, Topeka West and Highland Park the Athletic Directors will send out information soon:
Topeka High- Ty Baumgardner- please email him for any questions at tbaumgardner@tps501.org
Topeka West- Richard Mariani - please email him for any questions at rmariani@tps501.org.
Highland Park- Boshner Whitaker, please email him for any questions at bwhitaker@tps501.org
Please feel free to email me with any concerns for next school year. My email address is bsnyder@tps501.org.
Tutoring News - Ms. Hazelton
Social Work - Ms. Sparks
As the last few months of this school year are coming to a close, remind your students to “Stay The Course!!!” It has been a very long and interesting year at Jardine to say the least. We will begin to attend five days a week for a regular school day 7:50 to 2:45. While this is yet another change, we hope our students and staff will end this school year on a positive note.
With change, we do realize many students may experience increased anxiety. Encourage your students to talk to the support staff who are at Jardine every day. The Principal’s, Social Worker, and Counselor are here to support our students so we can finish the year strong. Parents--Please call the school if you believe your child needs assistance with anything. We are happy to help!!!
Library News - Ms. Gilliland
OVERDUE LIBRARY BOOKS-Please return now!!
If you are experiencing chromebook issues, please come see me or email me at agilliland@tps501.org and we can troubleshoot.
Please return all library materials that you may have. We have over 700 books still checked out from last March when COVID hit. We would really appreciate those materials being returned.
We complete our after school book club with 10 students attending regularly. Thank you to Beth Toland, Alba Blocker, Mr. Tiemens, and Ms. Schoenfeldt for helping to make it successful.
Math
Sixth graders will soon finish learning about absolute values, integers and ordering rational numbers. They will be taking state assessments in April. We are excited students will have the opportunity to show their successes and gains this school year. We will be exploring and learning new concepts such as inequalities and how to graph them, and solving one and two step equations. Students will also expand their understanding of area and volume with different figures and solids such as compound and irregular figures, trapezoids, triangles and triangular prisms. Finally, we will have fun exploring theoretical and experimental probabilities!
7th Grade Math!
We are now in our 4th Module, “Percent and Proportional Relationships”. Module 4 parallels Module 1’s coverage of ratios and proportions, but this time with a concentration on percent.
Problems in this module include:
-simple interest
-tax
-markups and markdowns
-gratuities and commissions
-fees
-percent increase and decrease
-percent error
Please encourage your child to complete any incomplete work that is in the gradebook (Tyler SIS). As we look to the 4th quarter, we will be working hard to cover our last two modules. Module 5 is “Statistics and Probability” and Module 6 is “Geometry”
8th Grade Math!
Since we are returning to in person learning for many kids, please make sure all students come to school with charged chromebooks, pencils and any other necessary school supplies. We look forward to seeing everyone and getting into a new routine. As we move forward, we are wrapping up Unit 4 that involved Pythagorean Theorem, rational and irrational numbers. In the next unit, students will be learning about functions and they will begin to prepare for State Assessments.
PE - Ms. Remer & Mr. Coffman
The 3rd quarter is drawing to a close soon and grades will be wrapping up! Let’s finish this quarter off strong and move into the final part of the year with our grades moving in the right direction! Boys basketball is also coming to an end soon and that means that Track and Tennis are also coming up! If you are interested in these two sports be on the lookout for the team meetings held by Mr. Daniels (tennis), and Mr. Taylor (Track).
We are also going to 5 day classes soon so remote students will have every class every day just like the in person learners. We are going to continue the same process for both as we have done all year. There will be no suiting out and we encourage the students to wear proper shoes. We are pushing into the 4th quarter and are excited to see things somewhat returning to normal!!!!
Have a great end of the year!
Band News- Ms. Rowe
We have spring concerts on the calendar!
The 6th Grade Band Concert Monday, May 10 at 6:30 pm on the JMS football field. If the weather is bad, we will have the concert on Tuesday, May 11.
The 7th & 8th Grade Band Concert is Monday, May 17 also at 6:30 pm on the JMS football field. If the weather is bad, we will have the concert on Tuesday, May 18.
Did your student participate in band or strings in elementary school but did not continue in middle school? If you answered yes, please be sure to return the district-owned instrument. We have collected a good number of instruments, but there are still many sitting at home that need to be returned.
Please contact Mrs. Rowe at trowe@tps501.org if you have questions or concerns.
“LIKE” our Jardine Middle School Band Facebook page!
Spring Musical Review - May 2021 - A Song & Dance Extravaganza !!
The Spring Musical Revue rehearsals are underway! It is not too late to join the fun! Please contact Mrs. Rowe if your student is interested in singing and dancing. We will perform a collection of Motown oldies called “Forever Motown” as well as songs from Disney movies called “Disney Dazzle”. The performance will take place on Tuesday, May 25 at 6:30 pm in the JMS gym. In case of bad weather, we will move the performance to Thursday, May 27.
“LIKE” our Jardine Middle School Drama Facebook page!
Language Arts
The State Assessment for reading will be given during the week of April 12 th . It will be given over two days and a modified schedule will apply during that week to ensure students have enough class time to take the test. More information will arrive soon to explain how that week will be different. If your student is remote only you will need to contact Mr. Haire to make arrangements to have your student come in or to have them opt out. All grades will also be taking the District Writing Assessment towards the end of April.
6th grade: Ms. du Bois/Ms. Wooten – Unit 4:
Focus on Figurative Language (simile/metaphor, personification, Idioms, hyperbole,
onomatopoeia) du Bois – reading the novel “The Watsons go to Birmingham”, Wooten – short Tall Tale Unit with some poetry (if time in May)
7th grade: Ms. Bisconer/Ms. Martin –
We are reading the novel, “The Outsiders”, figurative language (alliteration, personification,
onomatopoeia). The 7th grade writing assessment focus is information writing.
8th grade: Ms. Pumford/Ms. Watson -
In April we will be working on a short poetry unit. We will also be ramping up our test taking skills and focusing on any key standards that may pop up in our State Assessment.
May will bring with it a new Unit of Study, Collection 5, which will be a somber look at the
life and Diary of Anne Frank.
Reading Intervention: Ms. Appelhanz –
We will continue reading skills with nonfiction texts and if there is time, we’ll read the novel “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.”
History Happenings
In Ancient World History we will be finishing the ancient Greek Civilization. We will look at how the legacy of the Greeks live on today. We will then start our unit on Ancient China. We will look at the geography and the development of the early civilizations that develop along the Yangtze and Yellow River valleys. We will most likely be finishing the year with Ancient Rome looking at the early Republic and the following rise of emperors of the great Roman Empire.
7th Grade Kansas History-
We will be delving into Bleeding Kansas, Pioneers, and The Dust Bowl. Exciting history was made in Kansas! Students will learning the causes and effects of the hardships. struggles, and more importantly, the successes accomplished by the earlier people of Kansas!
8th Grade US History-
Time has sure flown by this crazy year. It is hard to believe that we are in the 4th quarter already. The 8th graders will be learning about the American Civil War Time Period and Reconstruction. We will be analyzing primary source documents, watching video clips, having deep conversations that involve critical thinking, and creating some interesting projects. Please take time to ask your child over the next few months about what they are learning in all of their classes.
Science
6th Grade-
For the month of April, our 6th grade class will focus and learn on these 4 essential questions for LIFE SCIENCE.
1. How do you explain the relationship between the structures and functions of cell organelles?
2. How is a living organism the sum of all of its parts?
3. How do cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems relate to the complexity of living organisms?
4. How does our knowledge of cells influence scientific development in biosciences?
We will also learn human reproduction and parents will be expecting email from the school regarding our schedule and opting out.
Lastly for the month of May, our students will conclude with (HMH) Module E : Earth’s Water and Atmosphere. Students will be given the opportunity to study Weather and climate are influenced by interactions involving sunlight, the ocean, the atmosphere, ice, landforms, and living things. These interactions vary with latitude, altitude, and local and regional geography, all of which can affect oceanic and atmospheric flow patterns.
7th Grade-
We are completing all about Waves, their application and how they are used in communication-technology. We will then move into Geologic Processes and Earth History. We will finish the year with Ecology and Environment. Students will continue to learn through scientific simulations, teacher demonstrations, individual labs and class work.
We are almost done with chemistry for 8th grade science and it will transition very well into our next topic; human impacts on the environment. This will cover a lot of different topics from pollution, to hydraulic fracturing, and renewable energy. The big question for this year has been what are we going to do for health and sexual education. Due to remote students, I have to be careful about content as a younger sibling could be nearby. So anatomy might be reduced, which should be talked about again in high school biology. I will have a more detailed list sent out to parents/guardians several weeks ahead of time so that you are all well informed. Here's to a great final quarter of middle school!
Para Spotlight - Ms. Mojica
Ms. Mojica is brand new to Jardine Middle School as one of our EL Paraprofessionals. She has done a great job getting to know our students and staff. She has been a tremendous help with communications to many of our families. She currently attends online classes at UMKC seeking a degree in child psychology and early childhood development. She has also been a positive influence working at the Boys and Girls Club here in Topeka before joining our Jaguar Family. Thank you, Ms. Mojica, for all you do for our staff and students.
PARA SPOTLIGHT - Ms. Brown
Information from the District Health Committee
7 Healthy habits for weight loss..........
*1* Always think positive
*2* Don't skip breakfast
*3* Drink water when you wake up
*4* Make lunch your biggest meal
*5* Move everyday
*6* Don't eat too close to bedtime
*7* Prioritize good sleep
Gifted - Dr. Spero
Gifted Language Arts students successfully participated in Topeka Model United Nations. Congratulations to Sevin Davis and Caroline Toland for earning the Best Position Paper Award in their World Councils.
7th and 8th grade gifted students finalized and submitted a college-type research paper after spring break. Students searched digital library databases for sources,edited and revised their writing, and wrote in-text citations and a bibliography or works cited page in MLA (Modern Language Association) format. Students learned how to avoid plagiarism by giving credit to their sources. 7th and 8th grade gifted students also finished their Collections Language Arts Textbook. Students are reading various novels, including Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea. 6th grade gifted students have started Collection 6, the final unit of their text, and are in the process of completing their analysis of twenty Shakespeare plays, finishing up with Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Othello.
Some 7th and 8th grade students will be participating in a middle school math competition on Saturday morning, April 24th, hosted by Topeka High.
Art - Ms. Latham
Para Spotlight - Ms. Morales
PARA SPOTLIGHT - Ms. Myers
PTO News
PTO would like to thank everyone for your participation this school year! It has been a challenge given the unusual circumstances, but we made it! Although we have not been able to have our large annual fundraiser (Pizza Bingo Night) the past two years, we have done smaller ones to still be of support to Jardine Middle School!!! We've raised funds through various "JMS nights" at local eateries such as LaRocca's Pizza, Wendy's (on Topeka Boulevard) and Chipotle. We have a few more events scheduled for April & May so please be on the lookout for those flyers so you can get some good food while supporting Jardine Middle School!!!
This year's unusual circumstances caused PTO to think outside of the box. PTO sponsored an Art Activity Night for the first time ever in conjunction with art teacher, Ms. Latham where over 80 students & parents were in attendance. Each participant purchased a kit in advance then Ms. Latham held a Zoom session and walked through the how-to. This activity was such a tremendous success!!!
If you are interested in purchasing a brick in Jardine's courtyard, all orders must be purchased no later than Friday, May 21, 2021. Order forms are available in the front office...stop by to get yours!!
Election of PTO officers for the 2021-2022 school year will take place at the May 13 meeting (last PTO meeting of this school year). Nominations for the offices of President, Vice President, Secretary & Treasurer will be discussed at the April 8 meeting. It is only through the support of parents that PTO can continue to flourish each and every school year! If you are interested in PTO and holding an office next school year, please make sure to attend the next two meetings or e-mail your interest to jardine.middle.pto@gmail.com.