JMS Weekly Update
August 30, 2020
Dear JMS Families,
Tomorrow is the official start of the 2020-2021 school year. We are excited to welcome the children back to school!
Although this year looks different than usual, our goals are the same:
- To provide the best possible education for each and every student.
- To build relationships and connections with our students and families.
- To provide the children with opportunities to explore new things.
We are working as hard as we can to make this a great year for the children. The teachers have been planning dynamic synchronous learning experiences. They have been developing activities to connect with the children and now they are ready to meet them!
As we embark upon this new learning environment, there are bound to be a few bumps along the way. Please be patient and kind as the children and teachers adjust to full remote instruction. We have thought of a lot of things, and we have planned for many scenarios, but it is likely that something will pop up that we have not thought of or planned for.
We greatly appreciate your support. We welcome your feedback and we are looking forward to working with you this year.
Please reach out to your child's teacher, Ms. Deet or myself if you have any questions.
Happy 1st Day of School!
Take care and stay safe,
Dr. Sarah Shaw, Principal
Ms. Katelyn Deet, Assistant Principal
First Days of School
Students should begin logging into their Homeroom class between 7:55AM-8:00AM.
- Students will log in to each virtual class meeting using Clever.
You can find directions about how to log in to Clever here.
Students are expected to log in to their classes at the beginning of each period.
We will be following the 1st Day Full Remote Schedule on Monday (8/31).
Monday = Day 1
The links below contain information about our full remote bell schedules. We will be running alternate bell schedules with an extended homeroom for the first week of school. We will move to our regular full remote bell schedule beginning on Tuesday, September 8th.
- August 31st - First Day of School Full Remote Bell Schedule
- September 1st - 4th - Full Remote Bell Schedule
- September 8th - Regular Full Remote Bell Schedule
New News
It was so nice to see everyone last week at Material Pick-Up!
If your child was unable to pick up Q1 materials you may pick them up throughout the day on Monday (8/31). If you are planning to pick up from 8am-3pm, please ring the doorbell to the main entrance and Mrs. Swatko or Mrs. Harris will assist you. From 4pm-6pm please walk to the A2 entrance (the gym entrance) and Ms. Deet will be there to assist you.
Please be sure to bring a backpack, wear a mask and do not come to the building if you are feeling sick.
During the first 9 weeks of the school year, Mt. Lebanon School District will be operating via remote instruction of our students. The Food Service Department will be distributing meals daily outside of each elementary school during remote instruction! For more information, click on the link above.
Meals will be available from 10:45 until 1:15 every day to accommodate all students during their lunch periods.
A menu can be found on our district website and the menu will consist of: a daily hot entrée, deli sandwich, bagel bag or garden salad. Breakfast will also be available if you desire a breakfast for the next day! Breakfasts will consist of a milk, juice cup and cereal w/ a muffin or pop tarts!
Prices for the meals are as follows:
- Paid - $1.60
- Reduced - $0.30
- Paid - $2.50
- Reduced - $0.40
We will be distributing a survey via email each week. It is important, for production purposes, that this survey is completed ONCE for EACH student in your family that intends to purchases meals during the week. We ask that this survey is completed by Sunday evening so we can compile numbers on Monday morning.
Looking for information about the 2020-2021 school year? Visit the JMS 2020-2021 Orientation Webpage. This webpage is full of helpful information about JMS and Full Remote Learning:
- Welcome to 6th Grade & New Students
- How to Log in to Class
- About JMS
- Attendance
- Communication
- Dashboard
- Expectations
- Health Office
- Lunch
- Remote Learning Guidelines
- Schedules
- Technology
- Writing Lab
Transform for Tomorrow - Parent and Caregiver Series - September 2020
The AIU is partnering with Remake Learning and a variety of other regional and national organizations to offer a new, six-part back-to-school virtual series for parents and caregivers. The So Now What? virtual series brings the country’s leading experts in education and childhood development together with parents and caregivers to share and learn from one another. The sessions will cover a range of topics specific to this moment in time, including social emotional wellness, mental health, learning resources, communication, tech safety and much more. Each session is only 30-minutes long and will occur every Wednesday evening during the month of September.
Technology
Families In Need of Technology
As we prepare to start the 2020-2021 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
Girls Volleyball Tryouts - 9/9 @ 3:30
Volleyball tryouts for all interested 7th and 8th grade girls will be on Tuesday, September 8 and Wednesday, Sept 9 in the JMS gymnasium from 3:30 until 5:00. All participants must be registered through FamilyID and they also must be cleared to play by the Athletic Department.
Please contact Coach Wingen at kwingen@mtlsd.net with any questions or concerns.
JMS PTA Information
PTA Membership and Directory Access
We are in the process of preparing the JMS Membership Toolkit Database for the coming 2020-2021 school year. Our membership store will reopen for the 2020-20221 school year once team assignments come out in August. Directory access is available to JMS PTA members only.
Remember, no matter which school path you are on, all roads lead back to JMS. Please email jmsptamtl@gmail.com if you have any questions.
SHOPPER & SCHOOL REWARD PROGRAM/ BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION
Amazon
Please bookmark our Amazon link and save it to your browser favorites or add it to your home screen for easy shopping. JMS does not earn any rewards when the Amazon app is used.
Android devices - click on this Amazon link. Hit the 3 dots in the top corner of the Chrome browser and select "Add to Home Screen."
Apple devices - click on this Amazon link. In Safari, tap the Share button [box with arrow]. On the bottom row of icons, scroll over and tap Add to Home Screen. On the next screen, choose a name for the link on your home screen and tap Add. The link will now look like its own "app" icon.
The school earns up to 10% on eligible purchases.
Box Tops
Clipping Box Tops is an easy way to earn money for our school. Each Box Top is worth 10 cents, so don't forget to physically and electronically clip the for us! The clipped Box Tops can be turned into the office.
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.
Giant Eagle
Giant Eagle Support our students! Enroll your Giant Eagle Advantage Card and earn points for FREE educational rewards with every shopping trip.
Click here to register your card. Our school code is 3369. The Giant Eagle card program is also easy to use - just register your card and shop away as usual!
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
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