Jaguar Junction - November 2020
Jardine Middle School
A note from your Principal - Mr. Haire
First and foremost, I want to commend you all again on your students. Our JMS students have shown such amazing maturity with all of our Covid Procedures and Protocols. They continue to follow procedures and are doing an amazing job with compliance. For this, we thank you so much for your support and for instilling in your students the importance of following the expectations. Because of this, it has helped ensure our students continue to stay safe and continue to keep others safe during the Pandemic.
We look forward to seeing each of you for parent teacher conferences this year. With our new Zoom set up, this will continue to allow you to have important access to your student's teachers and progress in their own learning. If you are having trouble connecting to the set up and setting up your teams, please do not hesitate to reach out. Just a reminder, that we have started some afterschool tutoring both in person and via zoom for student support. If this is something that you might be interested in for your student, please email Tammy Hazelton at thazelton@tps501.org
I also want to remind our families that we have a clothing/school supply closet at school. If your student is in need of anything, please let us know and we will see if we can help supply your students with some basic needs. I also want to remind all of our families that we have a Harvesters Drive Thru Food giveaway the 2nd Saturday of every month from 9-10.
Stay safe and stay warm!
A note from your Assistant Principal - Mr. Haag
Weighted Grades and What that means for your student -
Students should be aware by now that their grades have been “weighted” by their teacher. What does the concept of “weighted grades” mean? In simplest terms: some assignments are worth “more” or mean “more” than others. For example: a unit assessment is designed to be a measure of if the student has learned the material that was taught to them over a period of time. Since this is a big part of the class, the assessment should be worth “more” or “weighted” more heavily than say a bell ringer activity, which is only a quick review or practice in nature. Unit assessments should also be “worth” more than the average daily homework or classwork assignment. To reflect this in their gradebooks, teachers assign different weights to different types of assignments in their class. Most of our core subjects have assessments worth 50% or the overall grade as it shows what a student has learned. Projects, labs, etc. may be worth 30% of the overall grade and then daily assignments, etc., 20%, totaling 100% of the grade. Each of our subject areas worked diligently last school year to come up with a reasonable weighting system for their subject areas.
Harvesters Mobile Food Pantry -
Did you know that Jardine Middle School hosts a Harvester’s Mobile Food Pantry on the second Saturday of every month? We do!! On the second Saturday of every month, from 9:00 am until supplies run out (normally around 10:00 am) we host a drive through food pantry. Food that is given away varies each month but normally includes lots of fruits and vegetables and then a variety of different items ranging from dairy products to sometimes meat products. If you are a family in need, or know of a family in need, you can come and wait in line to pick up food. Our line starts at the southeast corner of the building (next to our visitor parking) and runs north up the circle drive and down past the elementary school entrance. Most people enter by the elementary school off of 30th street and get in line from there. Unless there is dangerous weather or freezing conditions, the pantry goes on as scheduled. For those who would like to volunteer to help hand out food, please contact Mr. Haag or Mr. Haire for information. We are always looking for people who can help out giving to our community members. This also goes for older students looking for volunteer hours.
A note from your Assistant Principal - Ms. Hazelton
We offer After-School Tutoring from 3-4:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursdays and Remote Tutoring on Wednesdays from 3-4 p.m. Students are expected to spend the entire session at tutoring unless they are excused early with parent permission. The average size of each tutoring group is five students per tutor. Space is limited so sign up needs to be a week in advance. If you would like more information or wish to sign up, please email Ms. Hazelton at thazelton@tps501.org or call me directly at 785-730-8164.
New Snow Day Procedures - Important
Counselor Corner - Mr. Falk & Ms. Lara
Red Ribbon was recognized during the last week of October.
The theme was “Be Happy, Be Brave, Be Drug Free”
Staff and students participated in a spirit week in which they followed daily dress-up themes to show their support against the use of drugs. The students also participated in a Zoom lesson created by Ms. Lara. It focused on the story of Enrique Camarena. This story led to Red Ribbon Week being recognized every year in schools across the nation.
Introducing Naviance
Naviance is our new career exploration program for the district. Throughout the year, Mr. Falk, Ms. Lara, and the teachers will be working with students to help students complete Naviance lessons. The students will complete tasks online that will help them gain a broader perspective on the different careers, colleges, and life readiness. It helps students explore the post-secondary opportunities available to them. It also helps students create goals, understand learning styles for the future. Students take lessons online and depending on how they score, it narrows down their career options. It allows students to explore career descriptions, education, and training. This program is a fun way for students to develop a strong mindset that will help them in the long run.
Positive Character Program
The goal of Jardine’s “Positive Character Program” is to recognize students for exhibiting positive character qualities at school on a regular and consistent basis. It is also our goal that this program will encourage positive behaviors in others and students will be more aware of their actions. Therefore, Jardine will be a safe and welcoming learning environment. The Program will recognize the following character traits: Self-Awareness, Compassion, Responsibility, and Respect. As teacher’s see students consistently exhibiting one or more of these traits, they may submit a Character Paw to Mr. Falk or Ms. Lara. The student will receive the Paw to take home along with the choice of JAG Store items.
Nurse News - Ms. Bailey
A note from our Social Worker - Ms. Sparks
Happy November everyone! It has been so exciting for staff to see your students' faces again. If your student receives social work services they will continue to see me at school. All students may talk to me if they would like. “Request To See” slips are no longer in paper form but rather can be found on our website. They can be completed at any time by students who want to meet with me.
We have also just received the flyers for the Christmas Bureau! Applications are by the front door in our building. You may also call if you have any questions.
I look forward to continuing to work with your students during the month of November.
Chromebook Information & Library News - Ms. Gilliland
The following information are tips about your chromebooks.
Use clean hands..
No food or drink near Chromebooks.
Remember proper Digital Citizen etiquette: Think before posting or searching.
Keep your chromebook charged daily.
Please logout/shutdown on a WEEKLY basis in order to restore updates.
Chargers are available for $20 at A office at Jardine Middle School, please make sure you are using the same amp charger to charge your chromebook. Using a different charger with a different power amp will potentially cause the school chromebook to malfunction..
Amazon link to purchase your own charger. https://www.amazon.com/Chromebook-GX20M33579-ADLX45YCC2A-SA10E75811-5A10K34713/dp/B07PPPYFPY/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=lenovo+chromebook+c330+charger&qid=1585075931&sr=8-7
You may use a damp cloth or a antibacterial wipe to clean/wipe your chromebook down including the top cover, bottom cover, screen, and keyboard
If your chromebook is broken or not working correctly, please follow these steps:
1. Restart your device-power off with the button on the side or go to the clock bubble in the bottom right corner and power off
2. Sign out of your device-go to the clock bubble in the bottom right corner and click, in the pop up menu in the top left you will see your name-click sign out
3. Make contact with your school Librarian-Ms. Gilliland at agilliland@tps501.org
4. If Ms. Gilliland can’t be reached please contact techsupport@tps501.org the district Information Technology department
Passwords for most all students is a pattern of student id with initials. So example: 123456ab
TYLER SIS logins are different from the chromebook login. Please use the following format user name: ###### (student Id) password: birthdate: mmddyy
All students will still be responsible for any damages to their device during this time, so please keep your device in a secure location out of the way of liquids, dropping from heights, and small toddlers.
School based sites and programs that content areas have in common are, but are not limited to are: NoRedInk, Newsela, MobyMax, Google Classroom, Zoom, HMH, and Clever
Reading Resources HIGHLIGHT!!
As our continuous learning evolves please use the following resources to help with additional reading while away from the physical school library.
http://destiny.topeka501.org/-Our Online School Card catalog located under the TPS 501 Bookmarks-you can access ebooks or put books on hold for circulation
https://www.worldbookonline.com/-World Book is an online encyclopedia subscription the district pays for. They have opened up many additional resources since this online learning was taking place. All students will need the username: tps501 and password:library to access the MANY resources for all grade levels
https://kslib.info/221/Online-Databases-The State Library of Kansas has many additional resources available. Many databases along with many elearning audio books and platforms. If you need a State Library ID or card, please email me and I will get you one. agilliland@tps501.org
https://tscpl.org/-Topeka Shawnee County Library is always a good source. You can sign up to get a free digital library card. Your username is: 501###### (student id) Password is: year of graduation-6th grade-2027, 7th grade-2026, 8th grade-2025
Band Notes - Ms. Rowe
It has been so exciting to hear the progress each band student has made in just a few weeks! Chorus students are also participating in music activities. You should hear your student practicing during our Zoom meetings and breakout rooms.
Please contact Mrs. Rowe if you have questions or concerns. trowe@tps501.org
“LIKE” the Jardine Middle School Band Facebook page!
Language Arts - The Language Arts Team
6th Grade: Ms. du Bois & Ms. Wooten: Unit 2 – Animal Intelligence –starting The Best Christmas Pageant Ever novel; working on elements of plot
7th Grade: Ms. Bisconer & Ms. Martin: Unit 1 will wrap up in the first week of November and we eagerly await to see the progress our students have made on inference, theme, and plot. Both 7th grade teachers will be having students complete a book study on a book of their choosing with a reward party for those students who complete their books on time! Unit 2 will begin with a focus on context clues, root words, and connotation. MobyMax continues to be a valuable resource, so keep encouraging your students to practice their skills and complete their assignments.
8th Grade: Ms. Watson & Ms. Pumford: We are moving into our second unit! It's a spooky Halloween themed unit where we'll explore horror legends like Edgar Allen Poe and H.P. Lovecraft. We're going to evaluate the theme of a story and discuss the impact of figurative language techniques and literary devices such as foreshadowing and suspense.
Reading Intervention – Ms. Appelhanz – We will be wrapping up plot elements and types of conflict and then jumping back into our Action magazine to work on nonfiction elements as well as Context Clues, Inferencing, and some word work with homophones and synonyms and antonyms.
ELL/Ms. Shelton:
Newcomer 1: We are learning how to tell time, days of the week, school subjects, places, and workers.
Newcomer 2: We are reading about Civil Rights Activists, working on spelling, and irregular past tense verbs.
Gifted Language Arts - Dr. Spero
6th grade gifted students finished reading Animal Farm by George Orwell; 7th and eighth grade gifted students finished Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Students finished the first of six units in their grade-level text, Collections. Students honed their writing skills by completing MobyMax’s Writing Workshop and Newsela writing assignments. 6th grade gifted students have started reading Night by Elie Wiesel. 7th and 8th grade gifted students are exploring the horror genre by reading such short stories as Edgar Allen Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart.
Science - Ms. Abellon, Mr. Lobatos, Mr. Jennings & Mr. Morris
6th Grade Science. We just finished our Engineering and Science Module. Sixth graders are now ready for their Chemistry, Forces, Motion and Field Module. This is where students analyze the different types of push and pull forces in our natural system. We will also learn Newton's Law of motions and how it is applied to the real world situations.
7th Grade Science. We are looking forward to the parent-teacher conferences on zoom. Ask your student to help you sign up for a time. The 7th grade science team is working and learning all about “Matter and its Interactions”- chemistry units. We will be learning about The Periodic Table of Elements, states of matter and their physical and chemical properties. We will also be doing some experiments to observe and learn about chemical reactions.
8th Grade Science. Our 8th graders are finishing our space unit and going from big to small for the next section of science. Chemistry is always a popular unit due to the increase in labs we do in class. However, since group work is difficult to do this year, and limited resources for students who are remote, we might have to simplify these labs. I still want to try and give the 8th graders a lab experience, but some of the labs requiring specific chemicals people may not have at home will just turn into lab demonstrations. This is not quite as fun for the students, but will still allow them to see and experience the principles being taught in class.
History Happenings - Mr. Jennings, Mr. Schawo, Ms. Miner & Ms. Morelli
6th Grade, Ancient World History. We will be continuing to learn about the World’s first civilization of Sumer in Mesopotamia. We will then learn what characteristics actually make a civilization. This will be followed by an exploration of 4 of the early empires that develop in and end up controlling all of Mesopotamia; the Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians, and Neo-Babylonians. Once we review accomplishments of these empires and Mesopotamai as a whole we will set our sights on Egypt.
7th Grade Social Studies classes are exploring The Great Lakes, water shortages, pollution and ecosystems. We will be examining the role invasive species play on ecosystems as they compete with native species for food in an area or habitat. Dr. Suess and "The Lorax" will be examined for the references to Lake Erie and the effects of loss of habitats on ecosystems. This unit is always interesting and fun and the students will learn many things about our water supply and how we can preserve it for future generations.
8th Grade US History. This semester seems to be flying by. It is hard to believe the 1st quarter is almost done. If you have any questions or concerns about your child's grades or progress in U.S. History please make sure you schedule a conference time. In class, we are discussing the Constitution and how the government functions. We will then dive into the Early Years of the Republic and discuss the first 5 Presidents' foreign policy plans and actions. Keep on the lookout for projects about either the Bill of Rights or the Early Republic.
Math - The Mighty Math Team
6th Grade Math. During the month of November, 6th graders will develop an understanding of concept of a ratio. They will use ratio language between two quantities. Students will also understand the concept of a unit rate and use rate language in the context of a ratio relationship. For example, "we paid $75 for 15 hamburgers, which is a rate of five dollars per hamburger." Also, students will use ratio and rate reasoning to solve real-world mathematical problems. They will use equivalent ratios, tape diagrams, double number line diagrams, or equations.
7th Grade Math. We recently finished Module 1: Ratios and Proportional Relationships. Our classes will now begin Module 2: Rational Numbers. This module uses the Integer Game: a card game that creates a conceptual understanding of integer operations and serves as a powerful mental model students can rely on during the module. Students build on their understanding of rational numbers to add, subtract, multiply, and divide signed numbers. Previous work in computing the sums, differences, products, and quotients of fractions and decimals serves as a significant foundation as well. If your student needs extra help in math, or simply needs to complete assignments, please consider after school tutoring.
Computer Applications - Mr. Esau
Art - Ms. Latham
Career & Life Planning - Ms. Wentz
The Career and Life Planning class has been exploring what it takes to be a productive employee and focus on work ethics. We are using the curriculum “The A Game”. We cover attitude, attendance, appearance, ambition, accountability, acceptance and appreciation. We spent one entire week on the foundations of work ethics which starts with attitude. There was a focus on 10% of life is out of our control but 90% is how we deal with those issues.
Many things are happening in the Career and Life Planning class that I know will impact the students of Jardine for the rest of their lives. Each student brings so much to this class and I appreciate each of them. It is my hope that your student comes home on a regular basis and shares some of the concepts we are learning.
Para Spotlight
Ms. Banzet is new to Jardine Middle School this year. She graduated from Washburn University with a Bachelor’s degree in History and also from Emporia State University with a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science. She has worked in different jobs here in Topeka and works with some of our 6th and 8th grade students in Language Arts, Social Studies, and Science. She started a new hobby this year: Gardening - where she has seen some success with carrots, peppers, and tomatoes. She enjoys spending time with friends and family watching tv/movies and playing games, especially solving puzzles. Ms. Banzet has been a wonderful addition to our Jardine family.
Fall Sports - Mr. Snyder
George Halas once said, “Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it.”
We will be having the fall sports/intramurals for football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country and girls tennis. Winter sports for girls basketball and boys soccer will also be this semester. Due to COVID Pandemic there will be no competitions or games. Practice will focus on skill development only.
Practice specifics:
- Starting in phase 2, tentative date of Sept. 28th
- Fall sports of football, volleyball, girls tennis and cross country will run Sept-28- Nov 6th
- Girls basketball and Boys soccer will run Nov. 9th -Dec. 18
- There will be no practice on Wednesdays.
- This is only for 7th and 8th grade students.
- Students will still need a physical signed by a doctor, concussion form, and COVID questionnaire to start practice.
- Practice will be 3:15 - 4:45 to start. When we go to phase 3 practice will be 2:50 - 4:30
- Parents are responsible for providing transportation to and from practice.
Students need to come dressed for practice. Lockers will not be issued and locker rooms will not be accessible.
- All athletes need to bring their own water bottle or jug.
- Students must wear masks
- The focus of practice will be on skills/fundamentals for each sport.
- Students will still need to meet all academic requirements of passing 5 classes to be eligible.
- Students displaying symptoms or not feeling well, will be required to stay home.
- Coaching this year: Football- Robert Daniels, Chad Brown, John Bell and Ryan Roe. Volleyball- Amy Gilliland, Kevin Falk, Chastity Latham, Emily Scott. Girls Tennis- Deb Martin, Esther Abellon. Cross Country- Yale Taylor
- Any questions please email Brad Snyder at bsnyder@tps501.org
PTO - Come join us!
SUPPORT OUR SCHOOL AND FAMILIES…JOIN PTO!
Your Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) works behind the scenes to help parents and guardians get involved in supporting our students and school.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, PTO officer elections for the 2020-2021 school year just took place at the September 17, 2020 meeting. Elected officers are Joan Hicks, President; Alba Blocker, Vice President; Beth Toland, Secretary; and Rachel Peck, Treasurer. In order to make sure PTO doesn't miss a beat as well as come up with some new & fresh ideas for this school year given the peculiar circumstances, all parents are encouraged to attend upcoming meetings! The remaining meetings for the 2020-2021 school year:
November 12, 2020
January 14, 2021
February 11, 2021
March 18, 2021
April 8, 2021 (election of 2021-2022 PTO officers)
May 6, 2021
Shop at the PTO Online Store: https://jardine-middle-school-pto.square.site
Jardine Middle School
Website: www.topekapublicschools.net/jardine
Location: 2600 SW 33rd St, Topeka, KS, USA
Phone: (785) 730-8100