Jaguar Junction - October 2020
Jardine Middle School
A note from your Principal - Mr. Haire
Bringing students back into the building has been simply amazing. I commend the students who have been in school so far on their overall maturity and responsibility when it comes to our new Covid Protocols. Having small groups of 6th grades in the first week has allowed our staff to get to know each of our new students in 6th grade and develop a much needed positive relationship while helping out the scary transition that some of our middle schoolers feel coming into the building the first time.
I do want to encourage parents to stay up to date on school emails that may be coming in. I understand that you receive a lot of communication and it can feel overwhelming at times. The best way to stay connected for information is to make sure your email and cell phone numbers are "updated" on TylerSis as well as connecting to Jardine Middle School on Facebook. It is our goal to ensure you stay up to date on information to ensure a success for both our students and families.
A note from your Assistant Principal - Mr. Haag
Parents and Students -
Riding on the school bus is a privilege and not a “right.” School bus safety is one thing we take very seriously. The main goal of a bus driver is to transport your students from point A to point B safely. Every time a student does something out of line it takes the driver’s eyes off of the road. This could be a student being too loud, not sitting properly, showing bullying behavior, inappropriate language, etc. Depending on the severity of the action, if a student receives a bus misconduct notice, the following consequences will occur:
· First write up - Verbal warning or a 3 day suspension from the bus.
· Second write up - 3 - 5 school day suspension from the bus.
· Third write up –5 - 10 school day suspension from the bus.
· Fourth write up - 1 month suspension from the bus.
· Fifth write up - your student will be suspended from the bus for the remainder of the school year.
We do reserve the write to issue a higher consequence depending on the action of the students involved.
Please help us help your students to be safe on the bus and help the bus drivers instead of work against them.
Counselor Corner - Mr. Falk & Ms. Lara
We would like to welcome all students and parents to a new year at Jardine Middle School. Mr. Falk is the counselor for the 6th and 8th grade. Ms. Lara is the counselor for the 7th grade. Jardine Guidance Counselors provide services for students regarding academics, career planning, and personal/social needs. Students may request to meet with a counselor by completing a “Request to See” form which can be found on the Jardine Website under the “Student Resources” tab.
Jardine Safe School Policy Statements
All students and staff have the right to be safe at school.
Behaviors that compromise student safety will not be tolerated.
All known safety issues are to be reported to a counselor, administrator, school resource officer, or trusted Jardine staff member.
Parents are encouraged to report any safety concerns to school officials.
Jardine students and staff:
Will not spread rumors, bully others, use physical violence, racial or sexual harassment.
When safe, will help others who are victims of these behaviors.
Will include students who feel left out
Will tell an adult at home and school when we know a student is a victim of these action or any unsafe behavior.
Spreading rumors is defined as passing unwanted, untrue or hurtful information about another student verbally, in writing, e-mail, or by repeating and/or encouraging rumors by receiving rumors (verbally or in writing). Frequently, extreme conflicts, threats of violence, or violence are a result of rumors.
Bullying is identified as any ongoing physical or verbal mistreatment that involves an imbalance of power and the victim is exposed repeatedly to negative actions on the part of one or more students.
Emotional & Physical Violence occurs when anyone inflicts or threatens to inflict physical or emotional injury upon another student’s body or feelings.
Racial Harassment
(Board Policy #8110) “The Board of Education is committed to providing a positive and productive learning and working environment, free from discrimination, including harassment, on the basis of race, color, or national origin. Discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, or national origin (‘racial harassment’) shall not be tolerated in the school district. Racial harassment of employees or students of the district by Board members, administrators, certificated or support personnel, students, vendors, or any other person having business or other contact with the school district is strictly prohibited.” Jardine supports and follows the district guidelines.
Sexual Harassment is defined as unwanted and unwelcome behavior of a sexual nature. Sexual Harassment can be in verbal, written, physical, or nonverbal form. Sexual harassment will not be tolerated at Jardine Middle School.
Students and Parents are encouraged to report these behaviors by completing a Safety Report which can be found on the Jardine website under the “Student Resources” tab.
Red Ribbon Week
Red Ribbon Week is October 23-31 every year. The theme this year is “Be Happy. Be Brave. Be Drug Free”. School wide activities will be set up to recognize Red Ribbon Week.A note from our Social Worker - Ms. Sparks
Welcome back to this crazy school year!!!! Currently as all students are on remote learning, families are dealing with unprecedented challenges in their student’s education. We are all in this together and share the same frustrations in our own families and trying to figure out this thing called zoom.
Please remember we have support staff available to work with you helping your family to get through this time. If you have a special education student and have questions please contact me to process and work through any learning difficulties your student may have. I do get to come to my office every day so I look forward to your call. 235-7189
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
Band students are making music already! 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!
Get Moving! PE Notes - Mr. Coffman & Ms. Remer
Weekly Jardine Middle School P.E./Health Lesson Plans
REMOTE
PE ZOOM CODE IS ALWAYS- 993 7299 8742
PASSWORD IS ALWAYS- jaguars
*Weekly Activity Logs are due EVERY Friday before 5:00 p.m.
“Moving” Monday/Tuesday
Start class with Zoom. Review what students will be doing during their “waiting room” time workout on the google slide show in google classwork. Mondays have an excellent Virtual PE workout. The class comes together at a set time for lesson closure, which includes questions and filling out their Weekly Activity Log.
“Win the Workout” Wednesday
Start class with Zoom. Review what students will be doing for their workout. Wednesdays consist of the Daily Warm Up (found in google classwork) and 2-3 activities (also found in google classwork). Students fill out their Weekly Activity Log.
“Fit & Healthy” Thursday & Friday
Start class with Zoom. Review what students will be doing during their “waiting room” time workout on the google slide show in google classwork. Friday we view a health video or read a health article first. Students then complete the unit teaching cues videos (found in google classwork) and play the workout game(s) assigned. The class comes together at a set time for lesson closure, which includes questions and filling out their Weekly Activity Log.
JMS PE/Health Weekly Activity Log
- Please fill out this activity log for each day of class. This will allow both student and teacher to track your activity, both task based and physical activity.
- Each class period should equal 84 minutes, except Wednesday will be 42 minutes.
- Students submitted this form via google classroom every Friday by 5:00 p.m. for a weekly grade.
- Please check google classroom for a copy of the activity log that needs filled out each week.
Language Arts - The Language Arts Team
Reading is Fundamental. In fact, it is one of the most important ingredients to becoming all that you can be. Reading develops your brain, provides a window into the world around you and helps you do better in all school subjects. Most importantly, reading can not only help you become a better student, but a better person. You can learn from the brightest people whenever and wherever you choose.
As important as reading is did you know that:
· 800 million people around the world cannot read or write.
· Many families (and some schools) have no books for children to read.
There are likely many children and people in our city that fall into this group. If you are already a strong reader, helping others to read is an amazing gift that you can give. Here are some ideas below as to how you can help your student:
1. Let your child select books. When you visit the library, let your child select books. Try both fiction and informational books, and ask the librarian for recommendations based on your child’s interests. The more interest your child has in a book, the more apt they are to read it.
2. Develop family reading routines and rituals. Find a regular time of day when you can dedicate reading into your day. You can read in the morning, after school, or before going to bed. Simply setting aside 20 minutes every day can make a huge improvement in your student’s vocabulary and comprehension.
3. Talk to your child about what they’re reading. When you engage with your child and discuss what they’re reading you can make great connections from the reading and apply it to other subjects or relate it to real life experiences. If you can obtain an extra copy of the book, read it with them so you can see what they are or aren’t getting from the book.
What's happening in Language Arts.....
6th Grade: (Ms. du Bois, Ms. Wooten) Unit 1: Fears, Vocabulary, Similes vs Metaphors, Novel – “Among the Hidden”
7th Grade: (Ms. Martin, Ms. Bisconer) Novel – “The Giver.” Your student should have a copy of the ebook checked out from the JMS online library, but feel free to use a hard copy if you have one available. Students who read are the ones who succeed!
8th Grade: (Ms. Watson, Ms. Pumford) Unit 1: - Culture and Belonging in a Society, Claims & Arguments, Vocabulary
Reading (6-8): (Mrs. Appelhanz): Inference & Elements of Plot, Novel: TBA
ELL: (Ms. Scott)
ESOL 1: Unit 2 - Water for Life Key Focus: Elements of Plot; Main Idea & Details
ESOL 2: Unit 2 - Play to Your Strengths Key Focus: Analyze Character, Plot, Setting & Theme
ESOL 3: Unit 2 - Stand or Fall
Key Focus: Analyze Story Elements: Plot, Character, Setting
(Ms. Shelton) Newcomer 1: Greetings, numbers, family members, and school supplies.
Newcomer 2: Careers, high frequency words, phonics: long i and long u, cause and effect
Gifted Language Arts - Dr. Spero
To start the school year, 6th grade gifted students are reading Animal Farm by George Orwell; 7th and eighth grade gifted students are reading Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Students are working on bettering their language arts skills by beginning their grade-level text, Collections, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing.. Students are also honing their writing skills via MobyMax’s Writing Workshop and Newsela writing assignments.
Gifted students have begun writing a persuasive essay per the VFW Patriot's Pen Essay Contest: What is Patriotism to Me? Students also have begun practicing Scholar Bowl quiz questions in preparation for upcoming virtual meets. Gifted students will be also be participating virtually in the Topeka Model UN and will shortly receive their country assignments in order to write position papers and resolutions.
8th Graders will be performing a Research and Writing Project to learn how to write a term paper.
Science - Ms. Abellon, Mr. Lobatos, Mr. Jennings & Mr. Morris
_____
Seventh grade is off and learning all about “Matter and its Interactions”- chemistry units. We will be learning about The Periodic Table of Elements, states of matter, changes of state and their physical and chemical properties. We will also be doing some experiments to observe and learn about chemical reactions. Thank you for all the continued support you are giving your student(s) and teachers as we find ourselves in unprecedented times!
_____
In 8th grade, we started the year with space science, and after learning about the Moon we will move farther out of our Solar System. Learning about the life cycle of stars will allow for a better understanding of how a solar system forms, and increases the ability to understand scale and size. The 8th graders will see the formation of stars, how that results in things like the planets, where we are within the Milky Way galaxy, and the theory of what happens to the Sun when its fuel finally runs out. Where we go after space science will depend on where we are with virtual learning versus in-person.
History Happenings - Mr. Jennings, Mr. Schawo, Ms. Miner & Ms. Morelli
Welcome 6th Graders and their families to Jardine from the Ancient World History teachers, Mr. Jennings and Mr. Schawo! This year we will be learning about a number of Ancient Civilizations including Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, Greece, and Rome along with a few others. We currently are working with prehistory and the hominids during the Stone Age. Soon we will show how hunter/gatherers learned to farm, which led to the first civilization of Sumer in Mesopotamia. We are also learning about the tools historians use to learn about the past and historical thinking skills students can use to help determine the validity and reliability of sources.
As you know we have been online but are moving to hybrid soon. We look forward to meeting the students in person! Please contact us anytime if you have any questions or concerns.
_____
7th grade World Geography classes just finished our map skills unit. We are moving on to the Push/Pull Factors of Immigration. We will examine the reasons why people leave one place and come to another, the pros and cons of immigration on the places they leave behind and the places they move to. We will take a virtual field trip to Ellis Island, examine stories of immigrants of different time periods in history, and learn about the contributions immigrants have made to our country.
_____
As we gear up with hybrid learning, look for a lot of new materials and activities as we strive to reach and teach each one of our students and meet their individual needs.
8th-grade History is diving into the birth of our country. We have just finished discussing the 13 Colonies and the causes of the American Revolutionary War. We will spend some time on the American Revolutionary War and then we will move onto the Constitution and the Early Years of the Republic.
It is important that parents ask their children what they are learning in class and to keep an eye on their grades through Tyler Sis.
Math - The Mighty Math Team
_____
Welcome to Grade 7 Math! The first topic of Module 1 focuses on ratios and proportional relationships. Students identify equivalent ratios, rates, and unit rates. They formally define a proportional relationship and analyze relationships presented in ratio tables, graphs in the coordinate plane, and word problems.
You can expect to see homework that asks your child to do the following:
■ Write equivalent ratios and determine whether given ratios are equivalent.
■ Compare rates by calculating the unit rate.
■ Construct tables and graphs.
■ Analyze tables and graphs to determine whether or not they represent proportional relationships.
_____
8th grade has been measuring and classifying angles and triangles, graphing equations, and in 8th grade algebra adding, subtracting and multiplying polynomials. We are off to a great start!
Computer Applications - Mr. Esau
A majority of October will be coding on Code.org, robots (if in person), and Google Sheets. Students will also be continuing their typing practice to ensure they are prepared for 8th grade computer lab, which is a high school credit. Please don’t hesitate to email me at besau@tps501.org if you have any questions.
Art - Ms. Latham
This year our young Jardine artists are learning about and exploring art in new ways. Over the past three weeks we have been on virtual field trips, connected with currently trending artists, and have created digital portfolios to showcase student work. Our young artists are stretching and challenging themselves with engaging sketchbook assignments and are currently finishing a design challenge where they create a design for their very own shoe. We have all of our work in a shared virtual gallery space, so please make sure to ask your student to share the link and see all the art that we have made. Lastly, thanks to Dr. Anderson, her amazing team and 501 supporters, I am also happy to share that our district purchased art materials for our students to work with at home. Once all of the supplies have arrived, we will be sending out artist kits with a variety of materials we will be using throughout the semester. It’s always a great day to be a Jardine Jaguar, and I look forward to teaching your students this year. I look forward to getting to know these young artists in the art studio classroom and in virtual space. I tell my students I have the best job at Jardine and working with them is the best part.
Career & Life Planning - Ms. Wentz
Jardine Jaguars have been busy preparing for the future! Everyday students build on prior knowledge covered in the classroom, observed in the school environment, and brought in from home. Many of the career and life planning topics we are focusing on center around goal setting, problem solving, self assessment..
Currently our focus is looking critically at the various career pathways. Students will be evaluating career choices and the “opportunity costs” involved in those choices. Students will be researching different educational degrees and learning that different degrees take less or more time to complete thus affecting the cost. They are also looking critically at the average salary of those who have these various degrees and can then analyze the increases or the opportunity in relation to the higher degrees.
It has been an interesting start of the semester to say the least. The challenges have been many but I feel that the positives far outweigh those difficulties. This has been a time for growth for all and I look forward to the remainder of the semester.
Always feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Para Spotlight
Each month we are going to spotlight one of our amazing paraprofessionals who work hard to help our students everyday. This month’s spotlight is Ms. Escobar. Ms. Escobar has been a paraprofessional 8 years - all of them at Jardine Middle School. Her interests and hobbies include: sewing, embroidery, reading mystery and true crime books. Ms. Escobar LOVES History and always strives to learn more in that subject. She loves school, education, and working with students. She currently is working towards getting her teaching degree to become a full time teacher.
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:
October 8, 2020
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