JMMS Weekly Update
September 19, 2020
Principal's Message
Principal’s Message
This is Joan MacQueen's Proud Principal, Casey Currigan.
The countdown has begun. We are now a little over 40 hours away from the first physical day of school for the 2020 -2021 school year. The teachers and I are excited to see our students and are eager to return to school for face-to-face learning. I am certain that you may have questions about how this or that will work at school. I shared with the JMMS staff that we need to breathe, and since we are the first public secondary school to open there are going to be hiccups, and we will address those as they come.
For parents, what I want you to know is we will take great care of your child, and because we are starting with the hybrid facilitation schedule, they will stay with their Learning Strategy's teacher for the day. They will be outside for PE, Snack, and Lunch. Students will not be dressing out for PE anytime in the foreseeable future so please send students with appropriate footwear to play (no open-toed shoes). As a reminder, masks are required for all students.
If you received a message that your child's schedule has changed, StudentVUE and ParentVUE should be updated with any changes when it is turned back on Sunday. Please know that we will spend the weekend looking at every individual schedule to ensure that every student has what they need. A huge thanks to our counselor, Mrs. Smith, who has been hard at work making all of those changes.
If you are interested in having your child ride the bus this year there are some changes to the previous year's procedures. More information on transportation can be found below.
I hope you all have a safe weekend and we are so excited about this first step in our transition back to normalcy.
6th Grade Online Only Schedule
7th Grade Online Only Schedule
8th Grade Online Only Schedule
Transportation
If you want to purchase a bus pass please use this link.
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.
Entering a Classroom
Upon arrival at the classroom students will:
Practice Social Distancing (2m or 6ft).
Wear their face covering (mask or face shield).
Have their temperature checked by the teacher.
Use hand sanitizer.
Take their seat in the class.
Read or work until the entire class arrives.
Face Masks
Math Anxiety Is Real. Here's How To Help Your Child Avoid It
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.
For many people, math fears can be traced back to elementary school, and specifically, to timed tests and forced memorization, says Stanford University professor Jo Boaler. "Neuroscientists have shown recently that for people with math anxiety, a fear center lights up in their brain — the same as when they see snakes and spiders — and the problem- solving center of the brain shuts down," Boaler says.
But what can we do as parents to improve our kids' attitudes towards math? (Read More)
Water Bottles
Yearly Student Forms - Digital
Note: These are for JMMS students only. Other schools in the district will be sending their own forms.
JMMS Distance Learning Agreement
JMMS Technology/Network Agreement Form
The link below is for School Site Council Nominations. Please complete this form if you would like to nominate someone for our school site council.
JMMS School Site Council Nomination Form
Grade Level Color Spirit Days
This year we will have Grade Level Color Spirit Days!
We will let you know when our first one is coming up.
Make sure that you have a shirt that represents your grade level color so you can participate in these fun days.
Stay tuned for information about purchasing spirit wear.
Kindness Week Schedule 2020-2021
September 21-25 is our first Kindness Week for this year.
On Friday 25th wear your favorite sports jersey to school!
Sora
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