Parent Newsletter
May 6th - May 10th
Save The Date: Spring Open House is May 23rd
It's Teacher Appreciation Week
- A look at the Week Ahead
- Mr. Kai Fu Lee visits JMS
- Meet Our Team
- Device Sign Up for 2019 - 2020
- The Impact of a Teacher
- Avoiding the Summer Slide
- Thank You TN Bank for all of your support
- Counselors Corner
Thanks for all of your support of JMS,
Phil Cox, Principal
Chris Layton, Vice Principal
Jenifer Laurendine, Dean Of Students
A Look at the Week Ahead
Monday-6
A day
Kai Fu Lee speaks to 8th grade-1st period
Cheer Clinic 3:00-5:00-Gym
Football Practice 2:45-5:30
Environmental Club 2:45-4:00
Track Practice 2:45-4:30
SECME Banquet 6:00-Cafeteria
Tuesday-7
B day
Homework help for 5th/6th graders 7:00-7:30-Room 219 (Corrigan)
PTO Meeting 7:45-Eagle’s Nest
Cheer Clinic 3:00-5:00-Gym
Football Practice 2:45-5:30
Interact Club Meeting 2:45-4:00-Room 311 (Painter)
Track Practice 2:45-4:30
Homework help for 5th/6th graders 2:45-3:30-Room 319 (Martin)
Homework help for 7th/8th graders 2:45-3:30-Room 301 (Hondorf)
Oak Ridge Schools Dream it, Do it Awards Night
At New Hope Center-6:30
Wednesday-8
A day
Track Practice 12:45-2:30
Football Practice 12:45-3:30
Thursday-9
B day
Homework help for 5th/6th graders 7:00-7:30-Room 219 (Corrigan)
Cheer Tryouts 3:00-5:00-Gym
Math Club 2:45-4:00-Room 203 (Tracey)
Homework help for 5th/6th graders 2:45-3:30-Room 319 (Martin)
Football Practice 2:45-5:30
Track Practice 2:45-4:30
Friday-10
A day
Youth for Christ 7:00-JPAC
Track Practice 2:45-4:30
Saturday-11
North East Tennessee Track Sectional- Time TBD-Walker Valley HS
7/8 Grade Orchestras to Music in the Parks Competition
6:30 AM-11:30 PM-Six Flags
Mr. Kai Fu Lee visits JMS Monday May 6th
Ms. Story - Bookkeeper
Mr. Randolph - Head Custodian
Ms. Kerley - Teaching Assistant
Meet Our Team
In the late 70’s Felicia was a student at Jefferson and played volleyball, basketball and track.
Felicia started working at Jefferson Junior High in 1989 after being employed by the City of Oak Ridge and Bank of Oak Ridge.
She has seen many changes in the staff and students over the years and the transition from junior high to middle school.
The best advice she can give students is to pay attention to teachers and parents. One of her mentors was her 5th grade teacher, Mary Lou Murphy, with whom she still has a great relationship with from over 40 years ago. Get involved in extra-curricular activities and sports.
In her spare time she spends it with family, gardening, antiquing, flipping furniture, traveling and decorating for others.
Mike Randolph
In high school Mike worked for Eddie Hair Firestone. Soon after he graduated he worked for Anderson County Schools for 7 years before becoming a custodian at Willow Brook and then on to maintenance where he then came to JMS as the head custodian. He has been with ORS for 19 years.
The best advice he can give to students is to always go for what you want in life and work hard because nothing gets handed to you. Mike believes each thing you learn in life helps with your journey through this lifetime because you can never learn enough.
A challenge for Mike was that going to a larger middle school with more students and teachers but as time went on, he adjusted quickly. In his spare time he enjoys deer and turkey hunting and watching dirt track racing.
Samantha Kerley
The last career I entertained was education. I didn’t always enjoy school, nor did I feel I was competent enough in a subject to teach it to students, so I dismissed teaching as a career option. Over the years, I danced around education in the jobs I worked. Working at a summer camp facilitating a climbing tower, a low-ropes course, and team building was one example. That job, and several others, made me realize that being in education was my true calling. So, in April 2018, I started my career in education at Jefferson.
Before deciding on becoming an educator, I attended Roane State Community College and Middle Tennessee State University graduating with an associate’s degree in Business and a bachelor’s degree in Music Business. I wanted to discover musical acts and sign them to a record label. Then YouTube launched, effectively eliminating that position from most record labels. I instead took a position with the Boys and Girls Clubs for several years, eventually moving back to Knoxville and working at the Museum of Appalachia before coming to Jefferson.
Outside of work I enjoy camping, being outdoors, listening to music, and reading. I also have a large extended family that I enjoy spending time with. Some of my favorite things that I have accomplished this year include hiking Mt. LeConte for the first time and reading half of the books in my “to read” pile.
If I could give students some advice, it would be to just be yourself! We’re all different, so why try and be just like everyone else? Just be you. Take the time to find out who you are, and what makes you happy, and the rest will fall into place.
JMS Band has great success in Cincinati
Free Sports Physical May 19th
The 2019 - 2020 JMS sports physical forms are available in the JMS office or on the JMS website. All students MUST have a sports physical on file to try-out for sports. The free sports physical day is set for Sunday May 19th. Middle School athletes are scheduled to attend the free sports physical from 2:30 pm - 4:00 pm
PTO News
Next PTO Meeting: Plan to attend the next PTO meeting on Tuesday, May 7 at 7:40am. Meetings are kept short and are conveniently scheduled immediately after drop-off so anyone can attend. Come and learn about what the JMS PTO is planning for the rest of the year!
Thank You for Supporting Our Final Teacher Luncheon: Thank you to all the JMS families that donated food for our final teacher luncheon of the year. The Cinco de Mayo luncheon was a success! A special thank you to Julie Dallas, Becky Hughes and Shaynne Thompson for organizing these lunches all year!
PTO Elections: PTO elections will be held at the May 28 meeting. We have openings for President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. The PTO organizes events throughout the school year including an annual fundraiser drive, teacher luncheons and end of the year luncheon for 8th graders. We could not do all of this without parent support and involvement. If you are interested in running for one of these positions or for more information as to what they entail, please contact Sandy Pelletier sandy@issi.net.
Committee Co-Chair Positions Available: If a full board position is not the right fit for you, but you would still like to get involved, why not consider being a PTO committee co-chair next school year? Several of our committee chairs will be moving up to the high school after next school year so they would like to start training someone new to take over as committee chair. We will have many co-chair positions available: Fall Fundraiser, Teacher Luncheons and 8th Grade Party.
Fundraiser Spotlight: Are you curious about how your fundraiser dollars are being used? Each week, the PTO section of this newsletter will feature a different department or classroom from JMS that was helped with money from our annual direct drive fundraiser! This week the spotlight is on the teacher luncheon committee. PTO organizes teacher luncheons throughout the school year for JMS staff. Our most recent luncheon this week was a Cinco de Mayo theme. In addition to a wonderful lunch made possible through parent food donations, PTO was able to present each staff member with a small gift card in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week. Thank you JMS families!
If you have questions about how you can get involved with PTO at JMS, please contact Sandy Pelletier sandy@issi.net
The Impact of a Teacher
Signing Up For Devices For 2019 - 2020
User Agreements for 2019 - 2020 school year are now on Skyward
It's hard to believe, but it's that time of year again to start the 2019 - 2020 Technology User Agreement forms for the Access OR program. Each year parents are required to fill out the forms online through the Skyward portal. Below you will see a step by step video that helps guide you through the online process.
Rising 9th grade students (Current 8th grade students) Stylus sign up for ORHS
We are very excited to welcome the Class of 2023 to Oak Ridge High School next year!! As your family prepares for this transition, the high school invites everyone to fill out their online computer distribution form via the parent Skyward account. Moving to the high school, you will find an additional item regarding the stylus on your Technology User Agreement. We felt the importance of sharing how heavily this instrument is used at ORHS, particularly in the math and sciences. There will be an opportunity to check the permission box for your rising freshman to obtain a stylus when the computer is issued prior to the beginning of school. Our friends coming from Jefferson Middle School are largely accustomed to classroom sets being provided. Should you have any questions regarding this process, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs. Harvey charvey@ortn.edu Mrs. Witick nwitick@ortn.edu or Mrs. Thompson sathompson@ortn.edu
We look forward to welcoming our RISING FRESHMAN TO ORHS - EQUIPPED AND READY TO LEARN!
Special Thanks to TN Bank for all you do!
Avoid The Summer Slide
1. Read and find books you enjoy
One critical element to the summer slide can be seen through reading loss. Taking time each and every day to read for 20 minutes can make a dramatic difference for students. Challenge your child to read 20 minutes, but give them the option to choose books they enjoy. Often a major struggle for students when it comes to reading is they feel confined to academic focused books. To help with the Summer Slide, give it a chance by encouraging students to read books about topics or characters they enjoy.
2. Get outside and explore
In the age of internet, cell phones, social media etc. it can be challenging to get students to spend time outside. Challenge your student to put down the cell phone or video games and be physically active outside. Studies have shown that physical activity and being outside can help students development.
3. Spend time learning, make this a daily goal
Our students have access to information 24/7 and from countless resources. Help students focus by challenging them to learn something productive each and every day.
Counselors Corner
Good Evening from the Counseling Office! We are so proud how hard our students have worked on their TNReady tests. We are so close to the end of the year and we want to make sure that all students put forth all the effort they have to finish strong! Please remind students to reach out and ask for help with academics they are struggling in or are beginning to lose motivation. Give them a sense of encouragement and an extra hand.
This week we will finish our list of movies that can persuade us to give a little extra at the end.
Rated PG
1. Marley & Me (2008) Good Character Traits: Love, Healing
A family adopts a puppy into their family. He quickly becomes a huge part of their life and a wonderful companion. The story has a heart-wrenching ending that portrays the value of life and just how deeply a pet can infiltrate our hearts.
2. Facing the Giants (2006) Good Character Traits: Faith, Hope, Love
A dynamic story depicting the fight between fear and faith. A football coach instructs his kids to use their faith in religion not only on the football field but off the field as well.
3. Nanny McPhee (2005) Good Character Traits: Obedience, Kindness, Honesty
Seven kids have run off several nannies. In fact, they are so sure they can run off any nanny that their Dad hires, that they secretly keep track of the number of nannies they have run off. When Nanny McPhee is hired for the job, she uses a little bit of magic and common sense to get these kids whipped into shape.
4. Shrek (2001) Good Character Traits: Acceptance, Loyalty
Shrek is a story “not to judge a book by its cover”. Fiona looks like a princess during the day, but her outer beauty fades at night. The moral of this story is that it’s what is inside that counts.
5. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) Good Character Traits: Self-Love, Friendship, Honesty
The Grinch felt so lonely and unworthy that he hid himself in a mountain and swore never to come out. That’s how the Grinch lives and he really thinks that he doesn’t need anyone else. That is, until he meets a very special little girl who teaches him about love, friendship, and the true spirit of Christmas.
6. The Sand Lot (1993) Good Character Traits: Friendship, Sportsmanship, Loyalty
This is a fun film about boys. A new kid comes to town and he makes friends with the locals and eventually proves himself as a baseball player. They play every day in their “Sand Lot” until one day, their ball goes under a fence. Then, the adventure really begins.
7. The Goonies (1985) Good Character Traits: Friendship, Compassion, Inner Conviction
This is a wonderful story about a group of friends who go for an adventure searching for a hidden treasure. Along the way, they discover a “creature” who is not being cared for very well because he looks different. The kids choose to operate out of a position of love and not judge him by his appearance.
8. The Karate Kid (1984) Good Character Traits: Resiliency, Grit, Balance, Patience
A kid is being bullied and wants to learn about martial arts in order to defend himself. Life happens and tough things happen sometimes. The lesson behind this movie is that when tough things happen, it’s how a person chooses to deal with those things that determines their destiny.
Rated G
9. The Secret of Nimh (1982) Good Character Traits: Courage, Grit, Tolerance
It’s the story of Mrs. Brigsby, a mild-mannered mother mouse who will move to all ends of the earth to save her family from the Farmer Fitzgibbon’s plow. She faces many obstacles including a ferocious cat and a mysterious rat, and through her sheer grit, conquers them all.
10. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) Good Character Traits: Obedience, Trust, Honesty, Gratitude
There are so many life lessons in this movie. It would seem that each character has something to teach. There are characters ranging from a little girl who is spoiled and has everything, to a boy who runs his mother like a yo-yo. Then, there is Charley who seems to have absolutely nothing as far as material items. However, he is a very grateful child who chooses repeatedly to do the “right thing” even when all the kids around him do not.
11. Mary Poppins (1964) Good Character Traits: Obedience, Kindness, Honesty
“Just a spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down” and “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” are just two of the many fun sayings that our family has brought into our vocabulary after watching this movie. Mary Poppins, the Nanny in this movie teaches her kids all sorts of life lessons, the main one being that every action has a consequence. She is very practical and doesn’t let much slide by.