Eagle Eye -JMS Parent Newsletter#26
February 7 - 11, 2022 - Week 26
Happy Friday!!
Good evening Jefferson Parents & Families:
It has been another great week at Jefferson Middle! This week our 8th grade students had the opportunity to learn more about College, Career, and Technical Education programs at ORHS during the CCTE Fair in the JMS gym, the JMS Eagles represented our school well in the state-sectional basketball tournament, Lego League was back in action, and students were engaged in classrooms and extracurricular activities. As always, there is a lot happening at JMS this week so please check out the schedule below for more details!
Additionally, we thank you again for your understanding and responsiveness as we continue to work to mitigate issues related to COVID. We are happy to report a continued downward trend regarding student absences and positive COVID cases; however, we will continue to monitor the data and maintain contact tracing per protocol. The health and well-being of our students and staff remains our highest priority.
Thank you for the privilege of serving your students and our community. We sincerely appreciate your support and hope you have a great weekend!
Phil Cox, Principal, pcox@ortn.edu
Dr. Josh Tipton, Vice Principal, jctipton@ortn.edu
Nick Corrigan, Dean of Students, njcorrigan@ortn.edu
What Should I do if My Child is Sick?
In an effort to ensure all of our students and staff stay as healthy as possible, we recommend that you keep your child home if they are sick, if they have been tested or have been exposed to a positive case of Covid 19. Further, the use of voluntary face coverings by members of the school community is still encouraged for the health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff.
Please see all scenarios listed below and please reach out to Mr. Corrigan at njcorrigan@ortn.edu if you have any questions!
In an effort to mitigate transmission, please keep your child(ren) home if:
- They have been tested for Covid-19
- They have been exposed to a positive case of Covid-19
- If someone in your household has tested positive for Covid-19. Additionally, notify JMS Administration as soon as possible, as Nurse Cousins is able to test (with parent permission) with results within 24 hours.
- If your child(ren) are displaying any of the following symptoms:
- Fever or Chills Temperature > 100.4 F
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Diarrhea
- Fatigue
- New loss of taste or smell
- Muscle or Body Aches
- Headache
- Sore Throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea or vomiting
Week at a Glance - February 7 - 11, 2022
Monday 7
A day
PTO Meeting TEAMS 1st period
PTO Luncheon
RTI Grade Level Meetings
Mental Health 101 and Human Sexuality Presentation
- 2nd Period (7th Grade)—Mental Health 101 in JPAC
- 3rd Period (8th Grade)— Human Sexuality Presentation—all students in JPAC
- 6th Period (5th Grade)—Mental Health 101 in JPAC
- 7th Period (6th Grade)—Human Sexuality Presentation—boys in JPAC; girls in GYM
Atomic Eagles Meeting Science Wing 2:45-4:30
Master Builders Meeting Room 102 2:45-4:30
RadioActive Brix Meeting Room 223 2:45-4:30
Environmental Club 2:45-5:00
Chess Club Library 2:45-3:45
Tuesday 8
B day
Mental Health 101 and Human Sexuality Presentation
- 2nd Period (7th Grade)—Mental Health 101 in JPAC
- 3rd Period (8th Grade)— Human Sexuality Presentation—all students in JPAC
- 6th Period (5th Grade)—Mental Health 101 in JPAC
- 7th Period (6th Grade)—Human Sexuality Presentation—boys in JPAC; girls in GYM
Atomic Eagles Meeting Science Wing 2:45-4:30
Master Builders Meeting Room 102 2:45-4:30
RadioActive Brix Meeting Room 223 2:45-4:30
Girl Scouts Meeting Room 208
Wednesday 9
A day
Parent conferences
Crazy Cubans Food Truck for Faculty
Master Builders Meeting Room 102 12:45-2:30
Safety Team Meeting 1:00-2:00
Grade Posting Window Closed 11:59 PM
Atomic Eagles Practice Innovation Center 5:00-8:00 PM
Thursday 10
B day
Special Areas Meeting
Mental Health 101 during PE in JPAC
Master Builders Meeting Room 102 2:45-4:30
RadioActive Brix Meeting Room 223 2:45-4:30
Friday 11
A Day
Youth for Christ Band Room 7:00 AM
Mental Health 101 during PE in JPAC
Grade Reports distributed to students during 7th period
Ms. Kala’s class Home Depot to 11:45
Fire Drill 1:00
PLC Academy 1:30-3:30
RadioActive Brix Meeting Room 223 2:45-4:30
Saturday 12
First Lego League State Competition Tennessee Tech 7:30-5:00
Drop off/Pick Up Reminders
- Please avoid entering the bus loop when buses are present!
- Please pull your vehicle all the way up so we can keep as many cars as possible off of Fairbanks.
- Make sure your child is ready to exit the vehicle and doesn't have to access the trunk for items, as this holds up the line.
ORS Attendance Policy Reminder
We wanted to share a reminder about the attendance policy in ORS as well as the expectations held at Jefferson Middle School. The policies are outlined below. Please reach out to Mr. Nick Corrigan, Dean of Students, with any questions or concerns regarding attendance or tardies. He can be reached via email at njcorrigan@ortn.edu or by calling the school at (865) 425-9301.
ORS Attendance Policy
Attendance is a key factor in student achievement and therefore, students are expected to be present each day school is in session.
Students are expected to:
- Be present and on time for all assigned classes (skipping classes will count as unexcused absences).
- Present documentation of parental permission before checking out of school. Class absences as a result of early checkout are considered the same as any other absence and are subject to all attendance policy rules.
- Provide a written excuse for each absence from his/her parent or custodial parent giving the date and reason for the absence(s).
- Make up assigned work missed during excused absences
Excused Absences
Students must be in school unless the absence has been excused for one of the reasons listed below. It is the responsibility of each student’s parent/guardian to explain the student’s absence to the school in a manner satisfactory to the principal. Absences may be classified as either excused or unexcused as determined by the principal or his/her designee. Absences will only be excused for the following reasons:
- Personal illness
- Only seven days, whether consecutive or not can be excused by a parent note;
- After a child has had (7) days, not necessarily consecutive, of illness related absences excused by a parent note, any future illness related absence must have a doctor’s note stating that the absence is medically necessary.
- All parent and doctor notes must be turned into the school within three school days of the child returning to school.
- Death in the family
- Religious observations
- Extreme weather conditions
- Court appearance or legal mandates
- Verifiable family emergency
- School sponsored events
- Principal has discretion to excuse absences based on the following:
- The absence must be prearranged
- The absence must not have an adverse effect on the child’s academic standing
- The child must have a good attendance history
- The child must have a good behavior record
- The Director of Schools must agree
JMS Tardy Policy Update & Reminder
JMS Tardy to School Policy – UPDATED FOR TERMS 3 and 4
Students arriving to school after 7:40am must check in through the Main Office. Student tardies will be marked unexcused unless a note is received within three days from a parent or physician stating an acceptable excuse for being tardy. Students are allotted 7 unexcused tardies per 9 weeks. On a student’s fifth unexcused tardy to school each 9 weeks, students will receive a written warning documented in Skyward requiring a parent signature. After the 7th tardy to school each 9 weeks, students will receive an after-school detention for every tardy to school received (starting with the 8th). The tardies to school will start over for students each nine week term.
Please remember that student drop off begins at 7am each morning. The school day begins at 7:40am. We encourage students to be on campus 5-10 minutes early to ensure they are in class on time.
JMS Tardy to Individual Class Policy
Teacher will contact parent and submits Student Support Document on 3rd tardy to class. After 3rd tardy to class, teacher will submit a Skyward referral.
TN Department of Education School Climate Survey!
Dear Oak Ridge Families,
Parents from all of our schools have the opportunity to participate in a School Climate Survey that has been created by the Tennessee Department Of Education (TDOE). This short survey is designed to assess the current culture of each of your children’s schools.
The Parent School Climate Surveys can be found at the following link:
https://www.ortn.edu/school-climate-parent-surveys/
Please note: Students will be able to access the Student School Climate Survey via Canvas and Skyward.
Surveys will open on Monday, February 7, and be available until Friday, February 11
TDOE mandates that schools conduct an annual culture survey and allow students, staff, and parents the opportunity to provide feedback. Your input is valued, and it is important that each family take advantage of this opportunity. You can be confident that all survey responses will remain confidential, as they are conducted for the sole purpose of continued improvement. We appreciate your willingness to participate in this survey.
Health Screening Results!
Hello JMS families! This is to inform you that Coordinated School Health and the ORS Nursing Department have completed health screenings in 6th and 8th grades. This consisted of 3 screenings: Vision Screening, Blood pressure screening, and Body Mass Index screening which was calculated using your child’s height and weight. These screenings are effective in revealing common vision, health and/or blood pressure issues, but does NOT substitute for a professional examination.
If your child was screened, you can view these results online via your Skyward Parent Portal. Just log in and on your main screen you will see that is says there is an online form available to fill out. Just click the link to fill out the form and you will see directions on how to view your child’s results. If you see that your child did not fall within normal ranges on one of the screenings, please fill out the short online form in skyward. If not, no further action is needed on your part.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our school nurse or Marcia Wade with Coordinated School Health at mkwade@ortn.edu. Thank you.
TNReady Testing Calendar & Informational Update
JMS Athletic Updates from Coach Bolling
JMS Track & Field: If you didn’t attend the JMS Track & Field interest meeting this week and are still interested in joining the team, please see Coach Byas, Coach Wilson or Coach Bolling. Jefferson Track & Field practice will begin on February 14th and the first meet is on March 8th. Please see the schedule below for more information!
Basketball: The Eagles fell to Unicoi County on Wednesday evening, 31-55, which unfortunately ended the 2021-2022 JMS Basketball season. Congratulations to all of the JMS basketball players and cheerleaders on an outstanding season!
Human Sexuality: Human Sexuality presentations will take place next week on February 7th and February 8th, for all 6th and 8th grade students, during PE classes. All 6th and 8th grade students received passive permission slips during PE a couple weeks ago. If you do not want your child to participate in the program, please return the passive permission slip to your child’s PE teacher prior to Monday, February 7th.
Go Eagles!
Jefferson Middle School Counseling Connection: February Newsletter
Counseling Corner
If your child would like to visit with their school counselor, please have them click the following link:
If you have a School Counseling need, please reach out to:
- Ms. Cormack - 5th & 7th Grade Counselor - khcormack@ortn.edu
- Ms. Price - 6th & 8th Grade Counselor - clprice@ortn.edu
- Ms. Myers - Registrar - amyers@ortn.edu
Students of the Week!!
The following students will be recognized as students of the week for displaying Kindness this week!
5th:
Alexis Aaron
Coralee Adcox-Boswell
Keveonna Weston
6th:
Yyoni Badran
Deontae Benton
7th:
Jose "Alex" Almendares Pavon
8th:
Bree Wood
Tony Sachitano
Olivia Tafao
Students may pick up their certificates in the front office on Monday morning.
Congratulations!!
University of Tennessee Tomorrow's Engineers Today!
The Reading Eagle!
An Author Visit in Ms. Webb's Class!
Community Visits with Ms. Kala's Class
7th Grade Service Project for Diversicare!
We are thankful for the donations made by our 7th graders here at JMS!
Spring Break Learning Loss Bridge Camp!
The COVID-19 pandemic caused school closures throughout Tennessee that resulted in lost classroom time for students. The Tennessee state legislature took action to create and fund new summer, fall, and spring learning opportunities for students to help make up for disrupted classroom time. These programs provide an important opportunity for additional instruction for students. Over spring break, Jefferson will offer in-person learning loss remediation programming in the form of learning loss Bridge Camp.
The learning loss spring Bridge Camp for students will be held Monday, March 14th through Thursday, March 17th from 7:45am-1:45pm each day. Students will receive instruction and intervention in both reading and math, along with a block for both STEM and physical activity. Breakfast and lunch will be provided to all students in attendance. Transportation will also be provided, upon request.
Students will be informed next week if they have been selected to participate. If you have interest in your child attending, or if you have any questions, please contact Bridge Camp Administrator, Katie Bolling at ksbolling@ortn.edu.
TNVoices Free Virtual Parenting Class
Are you interesting in having a happy family? Well behaved kids? Strong bonds of love and respect? Kids kept safe from alcohol and drugs? Register today for the virtual parenting class offered by TNVoices.
WHEN: Every Thursday for 5 weeks (Jan. 27- Feb. 24)
TIME: 3:00-4:00 Central Time
LOCATION: Virtually via Zoom
CONTACT: Brittany Ballard @ bballard@tnvoices.org
REGISTRATION Link: Meeting Registration - Zoom
PROVEN BENEFITS
For Parents:
• improves parenting skills
• increases family unity
• improves family organization
• increases good communication
• decreases family conflict
• decreases stress and depression
For Children:
• increases social skills &
cooperation
• improves school performance
• reduces misconduct & aggression
• reduces depression & anxiety
• reduces alcohol & drug use
GenCyber Summer Camp!
The Cybersecurity Education Research and Outreach Center (CEROC) at Tennessee Tech will be hosting a GenCyber Residential Student Camp on the Tennessee Tech campus from Sunday, June 19, 2022 concluding Friday, June 24, 2022. The NSA sponsored GenCyber camp will provide an exciting week for high school students and current 8th graders in middle schools (rising freshman for the 2022-2023 school year) to experience the world of cybersecurity through hands-on activities and games. As part of the week, guest speakers from academia, government, and industry will visit the camp sharing their personal and professional experiences in cyber.
Student participants will get a Raspberry Pi computer of their own, which can go home with them at the end of the camp. During their time a camp, participants will also earn GenCyber Coins (camp cryptocurrency) with which they can purchase prizes from the online store at the end of the camp.
Students will be provided with shuttle service from three different major cities (Nashville, Chattanooga and Knoxville) to travel to/from Tennessee Tech campus at Cookeville on before and after the week-long residential camp.
As part of our “get the word out” efforts, CEROC will be conducting two introductory Zoom webinars for interested students discussing the camp, expectations regarding the camp, as well as cybersecurity in general. Each of these webinars will be later followed by a two hour camp teaser experience in which students can get hands-on experience with cybersecurity and get a taste of what to expect at the actual camp.
Middle School Webinar Dates (for current 8th graders only):
- Camp Introduction Webinar: January 28, 2022 from 4:00-5:00pm CST
- Camp Teaser Webinar: February 2, 2022 from 6:00-8:00pm CST (group will be selected from those attending the Camp Introduction)
Please register for the introduction webinar at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QC2KGT6. A meeting link will be sent to the out to those registered no later than three (3) days prior to the meeting. Camp information will be posted at https://www.tntech.edu/ceroc/outreach/gen-cyber.php.
The site will be updated as new information becomes available. Other questions can be sent to ceroc@tntech.edu.
Space is limited as only 35 participants will be selected from across the state.
Katerpillar Kids Camp
About Katerpillar Kids Camp
Katerpillar Kids Camp is a special camp for children who are grieving the loss of a loved one. The camp is coordinated by Covenant Hospice and sponsored by Variety, and celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2019. Many campers come to camp because they lost a parent, however, children who have lost any family member or a friend is welcome to participate. Learn more at the Covenant HomeCare and Hospice website.
About Mane Support
Mane Support is a nonprofit organization that provides a ministry through equine-assisted grief counseling to children, youth, teens, and adults who have experienced the death of a loved one or other types of trauma. Horses can play a special role in the healing journey. Therapists and equine specialists of Mane Support are certified through EAGALA (Equine-Assisted Growth and Learning Association). In addition, they have experience, degrees and certifications in the fields of equine training and management, child development, and thanatology. All Mane Support activities are conducted on the ground; there is no horse riding. Mane Support is located in Roane County.
Save the Date!
We are excited to announce that we have partnered with Mane Support to host our next in-person Katerpillar Kids Camp to children 1st- 12th grade grade! Camp will take place on Saturday, April 23 and Sunday, April 24 at Mane Support in Roane County.
Who: Children 1st – 12th grade and their parents or guardians
What: A FREE grief camp that teaches children how to cope with the loss of a loved one through a variety of activities including equine therapy, games, music, etc.
When: Saturday, April 23 and Sunday, April 24, 2022.
Where: Mane Support in Roane County – transportation will be available.
PTO News!
Sign up for the JMS PTO Newsletter!
FREE BREAKFAST & LUNCH FOR ALL STUDENTS! February Menus
The USDA has extended FREE breakfast and lunch for ALL students this school year!
Please find the February Breakfast and Lunch Menus attached below for your convenience!
2021-2022 JMS Student Handbook
First Student Transportation - Bus Information
Thank you for your patience and communication during our first week back! Please be sure to discuss your child's method of transportation each day to ensure they know where they are to go at dismissal.
First Student Transportation has posted 2021-2022 Bus Routes and you can find them here:
https://www.ortn.edu/Transportation/2021_Revised_JMS_Bus_Routes.pdf
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Ms. Laurendine at jllaurendine@ortn.edu or Ms. Myers at amyers@ortn.edu.
SIGN UP FOR MYSTOP - BUS TRACKING APP!
Once you are registered for transportation, you will be able to track your child's bus using the app information detailed below. Please see information on how to register for MyStop below.
MyStop - Parent/Student Login
- Username: (use student’s name - case sensitive) firstname.lastname
- Password: (use student birth date) in this format 03122007 for March 12, 2007
MyStop Phone App Available In Your App Store
Go to: Versatrans My Stop™ provides mobile access to bus information. This app displays the location of the user’s assigned school bus, as well as the estimated time of arrival to their stop. Students can plan for late or on-time arrival, and prevent missed pick-ups or being left outside in inclement weather.
Can’t Access the MyStop App?
If you are having difficulty accessing the MyStop App please take the following steps:
- Please confirm the following:
- You have downloaded the App from Tyler Technologies.
- You are using the legal student name as listed in Skyward.
- You have selected all lower case letters.
- You have placed a period between the first and last name.
- The birthdate is correct and only consist of 8 numbers.
If this information doesn’t allow you to successfully download your child’s MyStop App account, please contact Amy Myers at 865.425.9302 or email amyers@ortn.edu. You can also view more information on the ORS District website at https://www.ortn.edu/district/bus-routes/.