JMS Weekly Update
December 19, 2021
Dear JMS Families,
We would like to wish you and your family a wonderful Winter Break and a Healty, Happy and Safe New Year!
This week's Update contains information about:
- Congratulations to our Promising Young Writers!
- JMS Winter Break Spirit Week
- Your SIDE Guest Speaker
- 12:00 Dismissal on 12/23
Please continue to let our nurse, Mrs. Suess, know if anyone in your family is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. We want to keep the children here and we want to keep them safe. This information is critical to the safety of the students and staff at JMS.
Take Care,
Dr. Sarah Shaw, Principal
Ms. Katelyn Deet, Assistant Principal
Weekly Schedule
Tuesday - Day 1
Wednesday - Day 2
Thursday - Day 3 - 12:00 Dismissal for ALL students
12/24 - 1/2 - No School - Winter Break
Monday (1/3) - Day 4
New News
Congratulations to Our Promising Young Writers!
On November 11, 46 eighth graders began the writing for the NCTE Promising Young Writers Program in response to the theme they were given. Of those, 36 students put forth the necessary effort and time, completed the writing sample, and turned in a copy for evaluation. We are especially proud of them for their motivation and effort in seeing this opportunity to completion.
Of the 36 participants, three finalists from JMS have been chosen. Their papers, along with a sample of their best writing, will be sent for evaluation in the state competition. This year’s finalists should be very proud of themselves. With a challenging prompt, they composed insightful, original pieces that showed authentic voice. This year’s JMS Promising Young Writers Finalists are Emi Neuer, Ava Schmidt, and Sam Wetzel
Congratulations, Emi, Ava and Sam!
JMS Student Council is hosting a Winter Break Spirit Week!
- Monday - Crazy Holiday Day
- Tuesday - Dress Like a Celebrity Day
- Wednesday - Winter Sports Day
- Thursday - Pajama Day
JMS YourSIDE Guest Speaker - 12/21 @ 3:00
On Tuesday, December 21st, Your SIDE is hosting a guest speaker who is coming to talk about their experience as a part of the LGBTQ+ community and their current advocacy work. The speaker is a former Mount Lebanon student and recent college graduate. Students who want to join in the talk and discussion after school on Tuesday, should report to room 104.
12:00 Dismissal - Thursday - 12/23
We will have a 12:00 dismissal for all students on Thursday. We will be following a modified bell schedule.
Other Information
Universal Masking
At this time the District will follow the recommendations of the Center for Disease Control and the Allegheny County Health Department to continue requiring universal masking for all individuals in our schools and facilities regardless of vaccination status. Universal indoor masking remains a critical component of our layered mitigation strategies, which also include physical distancing, pool testing, and contact tracing.
Holiday Travel - Pre-Approved Absences
If you are planning to travel for the holidays and will be missing school, please complete a Pre-Approved Absence Form.
JMS Yearbooks are on sale now through January 14, 2022. 8th Grade Advertisements are also for sale from now until January 14 for $35.
Prices:
- Wednesday, December 1 at 12:00 AM- Friday, December 31 at 11:59 PM: $55
- Saturday, January 1 at 12:00 AM- Friday, January 14 at 11:59 PM: $60
Limited extras will be sold on the last day of school for $60
Order your yearbook and take out an 8th grade ad TODAY! yearbookforever.com
If you are having trouble ordering your yearbook or ordering your 8th Grade Advertisement, please see the below video to walk you through the ordering process:
How to Order a JMS Yearbook or Order a Grade 8 Advertisement
If you are unsure if you've already ordered a yearbook, please watch this video to see how you can check your order status:
Did I Order a 2021-2022 Yearbook?
The Walsworth website may be down from time to time as many families work to make their last minute purchases across the country. If you experience technical difficulties, please be patient and refresh the website and go back if needed. If after refreshing and trying an additional time, please contact Walsworth Customer Support at 877-723-6344.
Technology
Families In Need of Technology
As we prepare to start the 2021-2022 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
Athletics
Middle School Athletics
You can learn everything you need to know about Middle School Athletics, including starting dates, by visiting the MS Athletics Webpage.
JMS PTA Information
Committee Updates
Nominating Committee
The purpose of the nominating committee is to prepare the slate of candidates for the annual unit officer elections in March. Any PTA member interested in serving on the Nominating Committee please email jmsptamtl@gmail.com.
SHOPPER & SCHOOL REWARD PROGRAMS
Amazon
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
Scanning Box Tops is an easy way to earn money for our school. 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.
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.
Resources For Families
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
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