The Jefferson Middle School Paw Print
M rs. K a ra H ei nr ic h, Pr inc i pa l
M rs. L i sa J o n e s, A s si st a nt P ri nci pa l
January 25, 2016
Paw Print Newsletter
Contents:
College & Career Week
JMS Staff Highlight
College and Career
Awareness Week
1
Upcoming Events
2
Reflections –Student Highlight
Construction Update
Yearbook Pre Orders
Mid Yr. Million Word Campaign
Flyers:
Yearbook Order Form
Torrance Council PTA College Fair
JMS Staff
Highlight!
Congratulations
Mr. Cheney!
Mr. Cheney was recently honored
for his outstanding work as a
Middle School English teacher
with the ‘Award for Classroom
Excellence’ by the California
Association of Teachers in
English (CATE). CATE
(California Association of
Teachers of English) is a nonprofit organization promoting
communication, collaboration,
and educational knowledge
among all responsible for
teaching English and the language
arts. CATE is proud of the
exciting work being done by
language arts teachers all over the
state, and are delighted to
recognize outstanding teachers,
such as Mr. Cheney.
-- Way to Go Mr. Cheney!
JMS highlights College & Career readiness this week. Thanks to the work
of our iLead and Student Council groups, we have developed meaningful
lessons for SSR periods, data to be shared during Daily Bulletin
announcements, and lunch period and class competition activities to further
engage our students and have them thinking more deeply about their goals
and future plans. Each day there is a different activity and event to
highlight positive student characteristics, A-G requirements, admissions
requirements, and goal setting.
As a fun aside and engagement activity we are additionally hosting daily
spirit days. Join the focus and fun by gearing up for the following:
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Monday - College gear (any college gear)
Tuesday - Family College Day (wear college gear from a school that a
family member attended)
Wednesday - College Sports Gear Day
Thursday - College Rival Schools Day
Friday - Students dress like teachers, teachers dress like students day
Currently JMS is in transition of bringing the College and Career program
Naviance to our students and families. Once Naviance has been
implemented at JMS we will have a family night on College and Career
readiness and usage of this platform. Preparing students for post-secondary
success is a multi-dimensional process. Students begin by learning about
themselves and exploring careers, then create plans and develop the skills
and knowledge to accomplish their goals. The school site also needs the
tools necessary to support students at each step. Naviance brings these
dimensions of readiness into one comprehensive platform.
More on specifics on Naviance and JMS will come out in the near future.
For now, to provide some insight, Naviance is a college and career
readiness platform which connects academic achievement to postsecondary goals. The comprehensive college and career readiness
component empowers students and families to connect learning and life and
provides the school with information needed to help students prepare for
life after middle school. It also allows students to create a plan for their
futures by helping them discover their individual strengths and learning
styles and explore college and career options based on their results.
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Upcoming Events

01/25 – College Awareness

01/26 –5:30pm Incoming 6th
Week
Grade Parent Night
- 6pm College Night

01/29 - JMS Spirit Day
- End of Q2 & Semester 2

02/01 – 6th Gd Dental Day
- 7:30pm TUSD
Recognition School
Board Mtg.

JMS Student
Highlight!
02/02 - 9:00-11am iLead
tours WHS
Congratulations to JMS's Ethan Cheng who received an Award of
Excellence (1st) at the Reflections VPA Torrance Council Level for his
film production entry. His entry will move on to compete at the 33rd
PTA district level. His family has also been invited to attend the
February TCPTA luncheon to receive his award.
JMS Construction Update
Jefferson’s Phase III is now completed and Phase IV has
begun. Please note that as phases are being completed,
the rooms are being renumbered to coincide with a new
classroom numbering system due to the new modules
coming this summer and collapse of one classroom.
Phase IV involves our ‘E’ building (Classrooms 18, 19, 20, 21). Moves for both
phases occurred this weekend. Below is a listing of the room changes to include
both interim housing and Phase III moves back:
Phase III Final Housing:
 Salfity - Room 06
 Aragon - Room 07
 Decker - Room 08
 Lindeman - Room 09
Phase IV Interim Housing:
Merlos
Hanniff
Daley
Room 13
Room 11
Room 23
2015 – 2016 MILLION WORD
CAMPAIGN READING OLYMPICS
Pre-Order Your
15-16 Yearbook
2015-2016 School Year
Yearbook Pre-Orders are available
for limited time. Order forms can
be obtained from the school office
or you can complete the form
attached to this newsletter. All
orders are due to the school office
with your payment.
Pre ordering a yearbook guarantees
your student will receive a copy at
the end of the school year. Preorders run from September 1,
2015-January 31, 2016 for a cost of
$40. Yearbook prices increase after
January 31st to $45 per yearbook.
1–
Book
5–
Books
15 –
Books
20 –
Books
25 –
Books
5 Jaguar Paws
10 Jaguar Paws
Bronze Medal – Ice cream party
Silver Medal – Pizza Party
Gold Medal – JMS Reading
Champion Pin & Jamba Juice!
We are now mid-year into our Million Word Campaign and are checking goals to
see where each student is at in the English Language Arts content standards
requirement of a million words read annually on their own. This equates to
approximately 25 grade level books a school year. All students are encouraged to
participate and are recognized and rewarded for their efforts. Our first recognition
will take place at our February Awards ceremony. Again at the end of the school
year, the top male and the top female reader for both 6th and 7th grades receive a
book from our Librarian Mrs. Judt, and the top male and female reader for 8th grade
are presented with The John Steinbeck Award and The Pearl S. Buck Award
respectively. All participating 8th grade Gold Medalists are given a competition
gift of a book as to transition them into their 9th grade year as a gift from our
librarian. All participating students can earn and receive the incentives you see in
the above table.