Jaguar Journal

Principal: Cheree Morrison 2012-2013 Editor: Keith Klasing

Important Dates March 29-April 9th-Spring Break; April 9th- Classes resume for students; April 30th - Fine Arts Night 5-7pm;

April 30th-CCPA Preview Night 5:30-7:00pm

April News from Mrs. Morrison:

Hello Jefferson Parents,

My how time flies when you are having fun! It is hard to believe that the year is almost over. We have less than 40 days to get students ready to be promoted to the next grade or to high school! Please encourage your child(ren) to continue to put forth their best efforts even though it may be tempted to slack off during the last quarter. However, we still have so much information to share with them in order to help them better prepare. We have lots of fun activities planned during these last two months. While we want students to be able to participate, their learning and grades will be priority.

With this being said, we have the end of the year field trips. Hopefully you have seen the field trip forms if your child is planning to attend. The guidelines are as follows:

signed permission slip with WORKING phone numbers turned in by May 9

return signed forms with payment in to L/A teachers

contract signed by both student & guardian

pay the fees for the trip

8th-Six Flags@$30,

7th - Skateland@$10

6th-Chuck E. Cheeses@$10)

be eligible according to contract requirements

CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS:

• ATTENDANCE: 92% attendance for the school year

• BEHAVIOR: no bus, school and/or in-house suspensions during fourth quarter Please note: *excessive buddy room, office visits and tardies may also disqualify a student from attending

• GRADES: passing all classes fourth quarter

Also, we will be reviewing our Focused Instructional Practices (FIP) strategies to help students solidify their knowledge about literacy skills that will assist them with reading comprehension for there rest of their lives. The FIP calendar is as follows:

April 9-12~Vocabulary: Word Parts

April 15-19~Vocabulary: Words in ContextApril 22-26~Main IdeaApril 29-May 3~Supporting DetailsMay 6-10~Inferences/Drawing Conclusions/GeneralizationsMay 13-17~Cause and EffectMay 20-May 28~Review

Remember, these are to touch every child, every day in every classroom. Please ask your child about what they are doing in their classes around these practices.

And finally, Ms. Karen Crump will be transitioning to Jefferson from now and until the end of the school year. We are hoping that she will be able to join us as we welcome incoming students from CCPA for special preview night and during our Fine Arts Fair on April 30th. She will be stopping by over the course of these last weeks to get to know staff and students. As always, thanks for your continue support!

Families Actively Engaged!

Our next FACE meeting is on 4/25 5:30-6:30, All parents are encouraged to attend. We will discuss changes that need to be made to the Home/School Compact and Parent Engagement Policy. We hope to see you there! There is also a FACE to FACE meeting at Lanphier High School in the commons area 6:00-7:30. This is a district wide FACE meeting and involves all the FACE teams in the district.

The Outlet Inc.

There is a mentoring program that is available to JMS students through a local organization called The Outlet Inc. The contact people are Michael Phelon and Michael May. They work directly with the mentors in matching them with the appropriate students. If you would like a referral packet to be sent home, contact Mr. Klasing at 525-3176.

Book Swap!!

Don't forget the book swap is held the first and third Wednesday of every month! Bring in a gently used book to trade for a newer one! Please see Mrs. Kulavic for more information. Whalen’s Words

February was a very busy month here at JMS Library We then had the Rebecca Caudill Vote and Award Party On February 7th. This year we had over 80 students take part in the Rebecca Caudill Reading Award Program. While every student who took part in the program read at least 1 book and they all received a free book of their choice, the top 15 prize winners read 5 to 12 books. The top fifteen winners were Alexis Woodside, Kaylyn Prasun, Skylar Prichard, Kallie Matthews, Hannah Medley, Emily Smith, Amanda Zucksworth, Mackenzie Estes, Breanna Grave, Dylan Pwerkinton, Jade Kittrell, Katlin Risen, Dalton Wyse, Nikki Martinez-

Powell, and Diamond Winters- Taylor We had twenty-two students read 3 or 4 books and won JMS shirts.

We hope that the students will continue reading and prepare to read the 2014 Rebecca Caudill Books. The JMS winner of the Rebecca Caudill Reading Award was Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur. The Illinois winner of the Rebecca Caudill Reading Award will be announced in March. The Library is currently purchasing and processing the new 20 books for the 2014 Rebecca Caudill nominated books.

March 1 is the beginning of the monthly drawings for the Jaguar Reading Award. The student can read any fiction book from the library, fill out a slip and put it in the bucket. Prizes and books will be given monthly from the drawing.

Family Guidance Center

Family Guidance center, formerly Triangle Center, offers mentoring services for girls. Mentors will come once a week during school. This will serve as an excellent resource for our students who are in need of someone to talk to regarding issues that are effecting them. Ask Mr. Klasing for a referral packet.

Students in the Spotlight

Congratulations to the following students who were selected for Student of the Month for March:

Drayton Brewer; Giselle Cruz; Destinee Everett; Wyatt Dressendorfer-Forman; Baylee Geist; Robert Glenn; Lauren Hankton; Angelica Hayes; Alexis Houston; Daevon Jackson; Luke Klauzer; Katy Lightbody; Ananise Mackey; Brent Scheib; Kelsey Singh; Emily Smith; Krystin Stmiska; Baylee Whitnall; and Shylexis Wright

They were honored on March 22nd. There was a ceremony where the students were given buttons. The families were also given the opportunity to eat breakfast with their students.

Check Mate!

A free chess tournament is being held at Trinity Lutheran School on April 12 5:30pm-9:30pm. This tournament is for children in grades K-8. Online pre-registration is required. Contact Mr. Klasing for more information.

Free Parenting Classes

Parent Help Line at St. John's Children's Hospital will hold a 6-week Parenting with Love and Logic class at Scheels Training Room. The Wednesday evening class starts on April 10, 2013 and runs for the next 5 Wednesdays from 6:30-7:30 p.m. To sign up for this free class, call Parent Help Line - 544-5808 or toll free 1-888-727-5889. Manual included. Funding by the Springfield Tracy Fund of the Community Foundation of the Land of Lincoln. Please see Mr. Klasing for more information.

ACT/SAT TESTING

Any student in grade 6-8 who is interested in taking the ACT or SAT can register starting this month. The deadlines are as follows: test date: May 4th registration deadline: April 2nd; test date: June 1st registration deadline: April 29th; test date: June 8th registration deadline: April 30th. Tests will be administered locally.

Congratulations to Mrs. Harrison, the choir and band director at JMS! She was recognized by our Interim Superintendent Robert Lemming, her colleagues, and her students on April 9th during her third hour class. Mrs. Harrison has been named a 2013 Horace Mann Rising Star. This award is used to recognize teachers who make a positive impact on students’ lives. Way to go!!

Fine Arts Night

The annual JMS Fine Arts Night will be held in the gym on Tuesday, May 30, 2013. The event will feature the band and choir concerts along with make-and-take arts and crafts for students and families, as well as displays of student artwork. The event starts at 5 p.m. and will run until 7 p.m. Band and choir students need to be there no later than 5:00. When the choir and band have finished performing, students may join in the activities or are free to leave. Admission is free and families are welcome and encouraged to attend. Come celebrate the talents and hard work of our students at JMS! Hope to see you there!

End of the Year PRIDE Reward Guidelines

We are very proud of our students that do such a good job of showing their Jaguar PRIDE. We believe this field trip will be a great motivator for them to continue the good work. It is the hope of the staff that ALL students will qualify for the end of the year trips on Friday, May 17th. The following should be turned in to your Language Arts teacher no later than Thursday, May 9th:

! • signed permission slip with WORKING phone numbers ! • signed contract, signed by both student & guardian! • pay the fees for the trip (Six Flags (8) - $30, Skateland (7) & Chuck E. Cheese (6) - $10)! • be eligible according to contract requirements

CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS:• ATTENDANCE: 92% attendance for the school year• BEHAVIOR: no bus, school and/or in-house suspensions during fourth

quarter! *excessive buddy room, office visits, or tardies may also disqualify a student from attending

• GRADES: passing all classes fourth quarter

I have read this contract and agree to follow it in order to attend the end of the year reward.

Student Signature: ______________________________________ Date: _________

I have read the contract and will help my student in anyway I can to help them receive this end of the year reward!

Parent Signature: _______________________________________ Date: _________

! ! ! ! Please note: •Field trips will not be cancelled unless the facility

! ! ! ! ! closes or school is cancelled.•Because of the up-front costs associated with each

! ! ! ! ! student’s RSVP (this form), only a partial refund will ! ! ! ! ! be given. (Six Flags - $20 and Chuck E. Cheese & ! ! ! ! ! Skateland - $5)

•Refunds will not be given until all field trips are completed.

Dear Jaguar Family,

As you all know, the end of the school year is quickly approaching and students will need to prepare for final exams. Please make sure you are communicating with your child’s and his or her teacher to ensure school success. Additionally, please do not plan vacations or Dr. Appointments before or during finals. Make up tests will only be issued after the scheduled test date and on May 29th during the ninety minutes school is in session. Students who miss scheduled finals and do not make up finals will receive a zero. A zero can significantly change a students overall grade. Please check grades on a daily or weekly basis to ensure a smooth and successful transition to the next grade. The teachers, staff, and administrators are committed to partnering with you as we all shower your Jaguar with a “PAWSITIVE” attitude and the necessary tools to be successful!

Most PAWSITIVELY,

Mrs. Miller, DeanMr. Barnes, Dean

______________________________________________________________

JMS Final Exam Schedule 2013

05/22 Language Arts

05/23 Electives

05/24 Math

05/28 Science & History

05/29 Make up tests

More News From The Guidance Department• Both the 8th grade moving up ceremony and Honors Night for all students will be held at Southeast

Auditorium May 22nd for students who are academically eligible to participate. Any student with one or more failing grades by 2:30 on May 17th will not likely be eligible to participate in the moving up ceremony. If you are unsure your Child is eligible to participate in the moving up ceremony, would like intranet access to monitor your child’s grades daily, or misplaced your username and password, please contact the guidance office. Parents will receive a notice in the mail regarding students who will be recognized for Honor’s night. If you have moves, pleased update your Child’s contact information in the guidance department. All notices will be mailed according to the information currently listed on your Child’s cum folder.

• JMS will be hosting a Career Day Fair for 8th grade students on the afternoon of May 3rd. If you have an exciting career and would like to be a guest speaker, please contact Alicia Miller at amiller@sps186.org or call Mrs. Miller at (217) 525-3176.

• Academic success is the most important goal for our JMS students, Families, teachers, and staff. Attending school regularly and abiding by all school rules and expectations supports outstanding achievement. To reward students for taking ownership in their learning, all eligible academic students will attend a field trip on May 17th. Permission slips have already been sent home with students regarding the following criteria: students must have 92% attendance or better for the entire school year, meet behavior, tardy, and dress code criteria for the fourth quarter to attend. Please talk to your child about following school/classroom expectations, completing homework, being prepared for school assessments, and dress code expectations to avoid excessive buddy room placements, excessive tardies, and other consequences that may led to an in-house, bus, or out of school suspension. If you are not sure about the dress code, classroom expectations, tardy policy, or where your child stands academically, please contact your child’s teacher or dean.

Respectfully, Mrs. Miller, Guidance Dean Mrs. Barnes, Guidance Dean