Jaguar Junction - November 2023
Jardine Middle School
A note from your Principal - Mr. Haire
As we head into the next month before winter vacation, we will be completing our round 2 of academic testing. In December, our students will be taking the MAP assessment in math and reading which will measure their progress from the beginning of the year MAP assessment. This data will give parents great feedback on progress as well as teachers important data as we track students to provide whole group and small group instruction. In addition, some of our students will be participating in the Fastbridge assessments in reading for those who did not pass the beginning of the year Fastbridge. Although these assessments are not for grades, the student's job is to do their absolute best on these assessments to give a true picture of their strengths and weaknesses. Like going to the doctor, we have to have the true symptoms of what's happening to diagnose the right medicine for our students and that starts with a student's "best".
A note from your Assistant Principal - Mr. Haag
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 10:30 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 begins 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 to gain some volunteer hours.
AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM –
We offer an After school program of some sort most days of the week. There are different enrichment clubs happening 2 nd quarter such as Robotics (closed club), Drones (closed club), Art club, Fitness Club, and Cooking Club. We also offer tutoring on most Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 3:00 pm until 4:30 pm. To participate in tutoring, students MUST have missing assignments to work on or need help with certain standards in their core classrooms that they need assistance with. They MUST stay in
the tutoring session the entire time unless we hear from a parent. Students will sign in after school and receive an after school snack before their club or tutoring begins. Check your Synergy email regularly for updates about the program. If you have questions, please contact Mr. Haag, Assistant Principal, at thaag@tps501.org or 785-730-8100.
Counselor Corner - Mr. Falk & Mr. Barber
Naviance News
During the 1st Quarter, students have completed Naviance Lessons/Tasks that are mandated by the State of Kansas during their Advisor Base time. If you received a note at Parent/Teacher Conferences, your student(s) still have Lessons/tasks to complete. Please email Mr. Falk if your student does not know how to complete them. Weekly emails will be sent to parents and students until these are completed. Please help us in getting these done.
6th grade:
*Lessons-
What Do You Know Lessons
My Foundation
Self-Confidence
Using My Strengths
My Study Plan
Goal Setting
My Study Skills
7th grade:
*Lessons-
What Makes Me Unique
Overcoming Obstacles
Understanding My Interests
How I Learn
Habits for Success
Getting Involved
*Task-
Personal/Social SMART Goal
8th grade:
*Lessons-
Connecting Interests and Careers
What's Your Road
May Career Path
Tasks-
Take Career Key Assessment
Add 3 Careers to your list
Create a Career SMART Goal
High School Pre-Enrollment
Mr. Falk and Mr. Barber have started to go into 8th grade science classes to work with students on the pre-enrollment process for high school. This process includes learning what classes are required to graduate, selecting course requests for 9th grade and completing a four-year course plan in Naviance. Please have conversations about this process with your student. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Falk for 8th graders last name A-M or Mr. Barber for 8th graders last name N-Z.
Nurse News - Ms. Bailey
Activities - Mr. Snyder
Vince Lombardi once said, "We didn't lose the game; we just ran out of time. "
Our fall season has ended. The football team ended up as City Champions with a victory over French 40-00. Our Volleyball team finished third in the city after a tough match against Chase. The girl's tennis team had four city champions and several that placed. Cross Country had a great turn out, our team took second, missing the championship by 5 pints this season.
Up-coming events for our sports program are Girls Basketball and Boys Soccer. Our first Boys Soccer match was October 24th and Girls Basketball was October 31st.
Our Drama department has been working hard on school musical “Fee Fi Fo Fum ” 'You may buy advance tickets to attend or pay at the door November 09 and 10 at 6:30pm. Doors will open at 6:00pm. Tickets will cost $5.00 for adults, $3.00 for students and children 5 and under free.
A note from our Social Worker - Ms. Sparks
Hello Jaguars! It is that time of the year again, where the weather starts to change, the leaves on the trees turn colors, and we turn our clocks back .
If you happen to notice your student or any member of your family starting to feel the “blues”--you’re not alone. Believe it or not, the seasonal change affects your feelings.
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine.org, Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, is a type of depression. It happens during certain seasons of the year—most often fall or winter. It is thought that shorter days and less daylight may trigger a chemical change in the brain leading to symptoms of depression.
If you have questions or notice any changes in how you feel during the fall and winter, contact your doctor for more information. Of course, I am always here to help.
Ronda Sparks, LMSW
School social worker
Chromebook Information & Library News - Ms. Gilliland
The students will be learning and discussing Cyberbullying in the Library this month. They will also be learning about the wonderful free resources our State Library has to offer.
Recently we took a virtual airplane ride and a virtual tour of the White House. We then played White House clue with some knowledge about the different presidents and first ladies associated with different rooms.
Some students were able to enjoy playing a FALL themed Kahoot consisting of reading, grammar, math, and science topics.
If your student is having chromebook issues, please tell them to visit the library during AB time to talk to Ms. Gilliland
Each student at Jardine is allowed to check out up to 3 library books at a time. The students are allowed to checkout anytime they have permission from their teachers.
Chromebook chargers: You can purchase one from A office for $25 or follow these links at Walmart.com or Amazon. Please do not continue to charge your chromebook with a phone charger as this will destroy the chromebook battery due to the different watts.
This month we are featuring the genres of Fantasy and Realistic Fiction, The authors, Derek Jeter and Raina Telgemeier; The nonfiction section of cooking and poetry, and the Series’s of Track and Wings of Fire.
Band Notes - Ms. Rowe
The JMS Orchestras will perform their Winter Concert on Monday, December 4th at 6:30 pm in the commons.
The Winter Chorus Concert will take place on Tuesday, December 5th at 6:30 pm in the Jardine Commons. All 6th Grade Chorus classes and 7th and 8th Grade Choir will perform.
Please join us for the Winter Band Concert on Monday night, December 11th at 7:00 pm in the Gym. The 6th Grade Band and the 7th and 8th Grade Band will perform. The concert is free.
The 7th and 8th Grade Band will perform for the Girls Basketball Classic at Highland Park High School on December 13th. The time will be announced.
“LIKE” the Jardine Middle School Band Facebook page!
Musical - Ms. Rowe
You’ll love this musical version of Jack and the Beanstalk. See Jack as he goes up the beanstalk and into the castle where he not only fights Gogmagog, the giant, but a malicious troll as well.
Join us to learn the exciting outcome in “Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum!”
Performances are November 9-10, 2023, 6:30 pm, Jardine Middle School Commons. Tickets will be sold at the door each evening.
$5/adults, $3/students, children age 5 and under are free.
Check out the Jardine Middle School Drama Facebook page!
Language Arts - The Language Arts Team
6th Grade: Ms. Appelhanz, Ms. Morlock & Mr. Henry: Unit 2 – We’ll be working on Author’s Purpose, Connotation/Denotation, Summarization, Idioms, Vocabulary, New novel studies: Appelhanz: Tuck Everlasting, Morlock: Hoot
7th Grade: Ms. Bisconer, Ms. Morlock, Ms. Carrington: 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. Unit 2 will begin with a focus on context clues, root words, and connotation. Novel Study: The Giver
8th Grade: Ms. Bisconer, 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.
Newcomer Program: Ms. Shelton: Both classes will start November with our Dia de los muertos celebration. For the rest of the month, the Newcomer 1 class will be learning verb phrases for school activities, sports, and the arts. The Newcomer 2 class is finishing our unit on Jobs, and will begin our unit on Large Numbers. This will include reading and writing numbers in the millions and billions.
ESOL Elective: Ms. Scott: Students will be researching the benefits of having a pet. Some of the questions students are welcome to explore include:
What are the benefits of having a pet?
How can having a pet help a person learn responsibility?
What are the costs of owning a pet?
Can a pet improve your health?
They will use one of these guiding questions to practice the writing process, research skills, and citing sources.
Science - Ms. Abellon, Mr. Lobatos, Mr. Jennings & Mr. Morris
Our 6th grade students will be learning about matter and its properties. They will also learn about the periodic table of elements. They will identify the basic properties of matter. Explain the behavior of substances using the properties of matter. Use models to explain the relationship between weight and mass. Compare and contrast atoms and elements. Describe how physical and chemical properties can be used to identify elements. Model the scale of an atom. Explain how the periodic table organizes elements by their properties. Use models to describe molecules and analyze the arrangements of extended structures.
7th grade- It was good to see many of you at our first quarter parent - teacher conferences. We are currently learning all about Waves: how waves are used in everyday day communication(s) and technology. And finishing up Thermal Energy transfer (conduction, convection and radiation) through student project based learning.
History Happenings - Mr. Jennings, Mr. Barrett, Ms. Miner & Ms. Morelli
7th grade Social Studies- We are working on the State Assessment into November. Students will decide if "Globalization is Good or Bad Overall?" and then defend their stance using and citing evidence from many forms of documents, videos, etc. Students will have a choice of activities in order to argue their point.
As we look ahead, we will continue to learn about our country's states and capitals. In addition, the Amazon Rainforest and the environmental impact it has on our world will be studied. Students will also be given an opportunity to work on their writing skills, yes, even in Social Studies! We will practice how to outline key points and thesis statements as it pertains to historical inquiries.
8th grade Us History- It always amazes us how quickly the 8th-grade year flies by. In 8th Grade U.S. History we are finishing up our Early Republic Unit about our country's first 5 Presidents. We will then discuss Andrew Jackson's Presidency and dive right into our Manifest Destiny Unit. The students have also been taking map tests over sections of the United States and will continue until winter break. As always if you have any questions please let us know.
Math - The Mighty Math Team
In 7th grade math, we are starting our third Module “Expressions and Equations.” This module consolidates and expands students’ previous work with generating equivalent expressions and solving equations. Students solve real-life and mathematical problems using numerical and algebraic expressions and equations. Their work with expressions and equations is applied to finding unknown angles and problems involving area, volume, and surface area. Your child will be successful if they can: ▪ Determine whether a given value is the solution to an equation. ▪ Write, solve, and interpret equations and inequalities given various contexts. ▪ Use angle relationships, write an equation to solve for the value of a variable and/or determine the measure of an unknown angle. ▪ Use the properties of inequalities to write a true inequality statement. ▪ Determine when an inequality statement will be true and when the same statement will be false.
If your child needs additional support in math, please consider after school tutoring.
8th grade- Students are introduced to the Pythagorean theorem, a² + b² = c², in Unit 3 which is a rule about right triangles.
The Pythagorean theorem will be used to determine the length of the hypotenuse of a right triangle, or the missing leg of a right triangle, or to verify if a triangle is a right triangle or not. It will also be used to determine the distance of a non-vertical or non-horizontal line on a coordinate plane.
Pythagorean triples will also be discussed; these are a set of 3 positive integers that form a right triangle, such as 3, 4, and 5. If the Pythagorean theorem results in a number that is not a perfect square, then students will be asked to approximate the value of the number. Students will also be asked to approximate the value of non-perfect squares and place them on a number line.
Things to work on with your student: They should automatically know
The perfect squares and corresponding square roots, 1-15.
The perfect cubes and corresponding cube roots, 1-10.
These will be non-calculator items on assessments.
Greetings Algebra Families,
During October and November, we will be investigating and using the Pythagorean Theorem. We started this out today with an investigation using Cheez-its and the sharing of a children’s book with both looking at the Pythagorean Theorem.
Things to know about a right triangle….
It has a right angle, two acute angles which will be complementary (sum of 90°), two legs that will be opposite the two acute angles, and a hypotenuse that will be opposite the right angle.
Since the right angle is the biggest angle in a right triangle, the side opposite it will be the longest side in the right triangle. This will always be the hypotenuse.
A right triangle can be Isosceles, which means the two legs of the right triangle will be equal and the two acute angles in the triangle will be complementary (sum of 90°) and congruent (both 45°).
A right triangle can also be scalene, which means all three sides (the legs and the hypotenuse) will be different lengths. The two acute angles will be complementary (sum of 90°) but not congruent.
Given any two lengths of the right triangle, you can solve for the third using the Pythagorean Theorem, a² + b² = c², where a and b are the legs and c is the hypotenuse.
Pythagorean triples are a group of three integers that form a right triangle. An example is 3, 4, and 5. Sometimes when solving the Pythagorean Theorem, answers will be square roots of non-perfect squares, and thus irrational numbers. We will be learning how to estimate the square root of non-perfect squares, as well as place them on a number line. This is referred to as rational approximation. In addition to perfect squares and their square roots, wil will also explore and work with perfect cubes and cube roots.
Students will alsol be computing decimal expansion using the long division algorithm and NOT a calculator. We will be looking for patterns so that we can determine the nth digit of a decimal expansion. In the case of decimal expansions that repeat, we will be converting them back in fractions using a system of equations. If students are able to identify patterns in this, they will also be able to develop some time saving alternate methods to use instead of a system of equations.
Next Algebra students will be using Scientific Notation. Scientific notation is used to write large numbers or tiny numbers, such as the distance from Earth to the Sun or the width of a capillary. Students will be learning properties of scientific notation and the parent form of scientific notation, which is an integer between 1 and 9, inclusive, times 10 to some power (exponent). The integer may or may not be followed by decimal places. Operations with scientific notation will also be investigated.
Please let me know if there is anything I can help with. I hope all families are able to enjoy time together during our three day break, as there will not be any school November 24th through November 26th.
Kind regards,
Mrs. Keithline
PE - Ms. Remer & Mr. Mitchell
Prompt Prepared Participate Pleasant
DAILY PHYSICAL EDUCATION GOALS, LEARNING TARGETS AND OBJECTIVES
The 4 “P”s
PROMPT
● I will show up to class on time ready to learn.
PLEASANT
● I am pleasant towards staff and students.
● I am positive towards the activity.
● I can follow directions.
PREPARED
● I am wearing the correct clothes & shoes.
PARTICIPATE
● I WILL DO MY BEST!
What to look forward to - October/November
Oct. 2-6 - 4 way Frisbee/Ball Tag
Oct. 11-13 - Physical Fitness Testing/Doctor Doctor
Oct. 23-25 - Finish Fitness Testing/Scooter Cageball
Oct. 30-Nov 3 - Basketball Skills/Basketball Tournament
Contacts
Mr. Mitchell Mrs.
Remer
P.E. Teacher/Coach P.E.
Teacher
Art - Ms. Latham
Jardine Middle School
Website: www.topekapublicschools.net/jardine
Location: 2600 SW 33rd St, Topeka, KS, USA
Phone: (785) 730-8100
Facebook: facebook.com/JardineMiddleSchool