JMS Weekly Update

January 15, 2023

Hello JMS!


This week's Update contains information about the following:


Please notify our nurse, Mrs. Raco, and complete this FORM if your child has tested positive for COVID-19.


Take care,


Dr. Sarah Shaw, Principal

sshaw@mtlsd.net


Mrs. Amanda Jackson, Assistant Principal

amandajackson@mtlsd.net

Weekly Schedule

Monday - No School

Tuesday - Day 5

Wednesday - Day 1

Thursday - Day 2

Friday - Day 3

Monday (1/23) - No School

Tuesday (1/24) - Day 4

New News

Community Town Hall - Superintendent Search

As you may be aware, the Mt. Lebanon School District Board of Directors has initiated a search for a successor Superintendent of Schools. To assist and counsel the Board through this process, we have retained the services of Hazard, Young Attea & Associates (HYA), a consulting firm that specializes in assisting school boards in identifying and recruiting executive-level educational leaders.


There are four phases to the HYA search process. Those phases are engagement, recruitment, selection, and transition. The engagement phase consists of designing and planning a process of engaging the Board and stakeholders through interviews, online surveys, and focus groups. Information from these interactions will assist the Board in developing a leadership profile and selection criterion that match the priorities of our community and that meet the unique needs of the students served through the Mt. Lebanon School District. This disciplined, inclusive, and research-based approach will be designed to ensure all stakeholders have an opportunity to be part of the search process and will provide valuable feedback about the school district that will assist the search firm in better understanding our district in the broader marketplace.


We invite you to be a part of this community engagement process by attending one of the community town hall sessions. The in-person sessions will be held on January 18 at 9:00 a.m., or 7:00 p.m., in the Fine Arts Theatre at the High School. We will host a third community town hall session via zoom on January 19 at 7:00 p.m.


By Computer:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86262292353

By Phone:

(312) 626-6799

(646) 876-9923

(646) 931-3860

(301) 715-8592

(305) 224-1968

(309) 205-3325

(360) 209-5623

Webinar ID: 862 6229 2353


Additionally, your input and participation are encouraged through the community stakeholder survey. We encourage you to share this link with friends, neighbors, and family members in the Mt. Lebanon community.


We look forward to and encourage community involvement in the engagement phase of the search process. It is our intent to keep the process transparent through updates on the district website and the community information avenues that are currently in place.

Schoology Webinar for Parents - Session 4 - Mobile App

(Accessing your child's courses, most important areas of schoology, family guide, etc)


The second recording of a series of four webinars for families is now available. The YouTube link to the video can be found here.


This and all future webinar recordings will be made available as part of the Schoology for Families Webinar Series (22-23) playlist.



Schoology Tips for Students

We're trying to add a new video each week. Check out this PLAYLIST for past tips!

Reminders

8th Grade High School Transition Meeting

Thank you for joining us this week for our 8th Grade to HS Transition Meeting. You can review the presentation and the handout below:



If you have any questions about this presentation or HS scheduling, you can contact Mrs. Schneider or Mrs. Jackson, our High School Counselors.



8th Grade - High School Curriculum Night - 1/26

Another opportunity for additional information on high school programming is High School Curriculum Night held the evening of Thursday, January 26th. You should have received an email from the High School on Friday sharing more information about Curriculum Night.


Questions regarding 9th grade transition should be directed to Beth Schneider, HS Counselor, at eschneider@mtlsd.net or 412-344-2063.

Parkway West Career and Technology Center - 8th Grade Students

Is your child interested in hands on learning? Are they interested in learning a trade. If so, learn more about Parkway West Career and Technology Center! Parkway has some really awesome programs.


It’s time again for our annual visit to Parkway West CTC! 8th grade students will have the opportunity to attend a field trip to Parkway on Friday, January 27th. While there, students will shadow and explore 2 programs of interest to them.


Below is a link to the permission slip and Parkway interest survey. Students must complete both forms to attend the field trip. Forms must be submitted to me by Friday, January 13th.


7th & 8th Grade Families - Rapid Assessment for Adolescent Prevention Screening (RAAPS)

As parents you are well aware that the physical and mental health of young people plays a key role in their ability to succeed in school, have rewarding relationships with family members and friends, and lead productive and happy lives. Jefferson Middle School is committed to work with you, not only to educate your children, but also to ensure that they reach their full potential outside of the classroom. To that end, we are offering families of 7 and 8th grade students the opportunity to have their teens participate in a wellness check-up utilizing the Rapid Assessment for Adolescent Prevention Screening (RAAPS).


Below you will find all the necessary information regarding this program. We hope you will take advantage of this confidential check up.


Webinar Opportunity: Your Child's Safety in Today's World

Jan 19, 2023: 7 P.M. - 8 P.M


Please see below for a virtual event opportunity presented by the Allegheny Intermediate Unit and the Avonworth School District. If you have any questions about this webinar, please contact the event's coordinator, Jeff Hadley, Superintendent of Avonworth School District, at jhadley@avonworth.k12.pa.us.


FBI Agents Felicia Trovato and Stacy Phillips will share information with parents/guardians on sextortion and the current drug landscape. They aim to provide parents/guardians with the knowledge they need to keep their children safe from the traps children can fall into online. The Allegheny Intermediate Unit will host the session and be moderated by Dr. Jeff Hadley, Superintendent of the Avonworth School District. An opportunity for questions and answers will be provided following the presentation.


Register HERE for this event.

Technology

Affordable Connectivity Program for Families

The federal government released an additional program this year for families in need that will subsidize their home broadband Internet access as well as partially reimburse the purchase of personal devices at home.


The FCC's Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is highlighted on our Families=>Technology Resources=>Internet@Home page (LINK).

Families In Need of Technology

As we prepare to start the 2022-2023 school year, we are asking families who need to borrow student technology to please visit www.mtlsd.org/families/technology/one-to-one

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

PTA Membership and Directory Access

Our Membership Store is now open! We hope you will consider joining out PTA to help fund excellent educational opportunities for our children. Directory access is available to JMS PTA members only.


You can join the PTA HERE.


Please email jmsptamtl@gmail.com if you have any questions.

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

Local Resources for Families

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

Safe 2 Say Something

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.