PTA Updates

Our next PTA meeting is Wednesday, September 6, 2023.  The meeting will start promptly at 6:00 PM and end at 6:30.  We would love for you to join us for the meeting and join PTA.  Thank you for all that contributed to the Legacy Day Fundraiser.  Because of your generosity, our students will have learning opportunities in aviation, aerospace, and advanced manufacturing later this semester!

PTA is the only advocacy organization that supports ALL students.  The mission of the PTA is 'to make every child's potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children.'  To articulate the mission and vision of PTA, we have outlined programming and advocacy efforts in which you can get involved. Please support the mission by joining the work. Please scan the QR Code below to join the KJTMA PTA.  Membership is $10.   If you want to join the PTA Parent Event Committee, please scan the code to join the committee!

Photo release form

We have several events and field trips coming up in the next couple of months.  We like to post pictures to our Newsletters and to Social Media the district also likes to receive pictures that they can post.  We want to make sure before we post any pictures that we have a release form for all students.   Please fill out the Photo Release Form if you have more than one child, you can add all the children to the one form. 

Thank you in advance!

Parent and Student Oath of Agreement for 2023-2024

This is the last week to turn in your Parent and Student Oathes. Please ensure you have read the parent and student oaths of agreement; you will be asked to sign your oath when you visit the campus over the next month.  All parents must have an Oath of Agreement on file by September 8, 2023. Students will bring parent oaths of agreement during the first week of school.  Every parent submitting their child's oath and oath this week will earn their house ten house points.  

The oath of agreement outlines the parameters of KJTMA's magnet program.  Most importantly, expectations are listed to ensure a successful school year. I will uphold the expectations outlined in the oaths to the highest degree. Soon, Mrs. Hanspard and I will host grade-level meetings to discuss the KJTMA academic and disciplinary visions for the 2023-2024 school year.  We will review the student code of conduct during the meeting. Could you please review the oath of agreement with your students before the end of the first week of school?

All members of the KJTMA school community will be held to the standards outlined in the oath of agreement.  This includes administrators, teachers, students, and parents. Any individual who violates the oath will be asked to correct his or her behavior.  Individuals who cannot take corrective action will be subject to more serious actions.

DeSoto ISD Standardized Dress

Message for 7th and 8th grade Parents and students from GEAR UP

A Message from the College DRIVEN GEAR UP Team (CDGU Team)!

Good afternoon parents, and welcome to the start of another amazing school year! 

The CDGU team would like to thank all who stopped by our table during Meet the Teacher Night, it was great to connect and chat about your scholar’s future.

If you still need to stop by our table, attached is a QR code with more information about our grant-funded program that will service ALL 7th & 8th graders in DeSoto ISD. Students in the cohort class of 2028 & 2029 are automatically added to the program and have equal access to resources, field trips, tutorials, and anything else our program provides to ensure they are college, career or military-ready! 

Attached is a parent survey we need every family to complete for their scholars. Our CDGU team needs 100% participation from your middle school to ensure we have accurate information to better service you and your scholar. Some incentives are in store for those families who complete the information during the first week of school! 

If you want to become a CDGU Parent Ambassador and help brainstorm and create great opportunities for our community, please email Mr. Michael Green Jr. @ Michael.green@desotoisd.org. 

College Drive GEAR UP August Newsletter

Parent Survey

Attendance Matters

PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES

Cold and Flu Season Precautionary Measures

Posted on 10/27/2022

Health officials are reporting concerns related to the spread of RSV, cold and flu, and coronavirus as the winter months approach. Help reduce the potential spread of these health concerns as we work closely with the Dallas County Department of Health and Human Services to monitor trends related to such illnesses in the community. 

RSV, cold and flu, and coronavirus can spread easily from person to person, and we need the assistance of staff and parents to help reduce this possible spread. It is important to take the following precautions to help ensure the health of our community:

• Check for signs of illness every morning. (i.e., Fatigue, fever, sweating, cough, sore throat, headache.)

• Do not come to school or work if sick. Symptoms usually include fever, cough or sore throat, and sometimes runny nose, body aches, headache, vomiting, or diarrhea.  Those with symptoms should not return to school or work until they no longer have a fever for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications or in the case of coronavirus, have tested negative.

• Wash hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and water or regular use of hand sanitizer is one of the most important steps you can take to stay healthy. Continue to teach children to cover their cough with their elbow or sleeve, and to wash their hands before and after touching their face.

• Utilize appropriate cough and sneeze etiquette by coughing into the upper sleeve or using tissue and disposing of it properly.

• Consider the use of masks. While DeSoto ISD no longer enforces a mask mandate, health officials encourage continued use of masks during the heightened cold and flu season.

• Practice social distancing when possible in high-capacity indoor spaces and gatherings.

• Consider a flu shot and/or COVID vaccine or booster to be proactive in protecting one’s health. Also consider the addition of recommended vitamins like C, D, Zinc, and Elderberry to assist in supporting immune health.

• Re: Students: Please notify the school if your child is absent by 10 am on the day of the absence, and share your child’s symptoms with the school.

• Re: Staff: Please notify your supervisor of the concern and potential absence as soon as possible and enter any necessary time off in the appropriate system. Please note, DeSoto ISD no longer provides COVID leave. Leave for COVID or other health-related concerns will be attributed to employees’ personal time off.

Dallas County Health officials recommend the following additional precautions:

• Recognize whether you or any household member is at high risk for severe illness from RSV. cold and flu, or coronavirus. People at higher risk for complications include children under the age of five years, pregnant women, people of any age who have chronic medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, cancer, or heart disease), and people aged 65 years and older. If any high-risk person or their household members become sick with flu-like symptoms, please contact your doctor as soon as possible to ask for advice about antiviral medications. 

• Get all healthy household members vaccinated.

It is important to note that DeSoto ISD has trained medical staff at each campus with protocols in place to handle communicable illnesses common to school districts like influenza (flu), pertussis (whooping cough), strep throat, head lice, and more. 

Additionally, DeSoto ISD has a standard practice of maintaining a clean school environment. As is customary in school districts during flu season and as has been recommended by the Centers for Disease Control, we make it a point to frequently clean and sanitize our schools and classrooms regularly throughout the school day and each night during routine cleaning practices.

Student and staff safety is our top priority. We will continue to monitor the CDC and DSHS for additional information and guidance and will share information with you regarding any updates.

                                                                Counseling Department

Mission: DeSoto ISD Counseling & SEL Department will foster student achievement that creates a meaningful academic culture that will equip all students with the social-emotional, personal, post-secondary, and career skills to become productive citizens while working closely with all stakeholders in a comprehensive guidance program.

Vision: Collaborate with students, staff, and community stakeholders to provide an environment that is conducive to academic growth, as well as the social and emotional support of the whole learner.

     SAT Vocabulary Word

Help us prep your student for the SAT!  Each week, we will provide an SAT word for you and your students to discuss.  Use the word in a sentence with your student, and encourage your student to use the word in a sentence over the course of the week.  We will revisit the words in classes, during Eagle Academy, and during House challenges.  Have fun helping your student expand their vocabulary and prepare for the PSAT and eventually, the SAT!

Here are the words by the weeks:

Week 1: Symbiosis

Week 2: Augment

Week 3: Lackadaisical

Week 4: Decree, DeDuce

Student, Teacher and Employee of the Month

desoto isd sports schedules

Newsletter Feedback Answers

• I am very confused about 7th grade athletics. My son said he was not able to participate in athletics today because he didn’t have a combination lock for McCowan. This is the type of information that parents need to have so that we can adequately prepare our students to succeed. He will have a lock for Wednesday; however, I feel like this could have been avoided had we had all of the information. He’s missing practice days. Also, we still aren’t clear when football tryouts are. Is it before or after school? Can we get the coaches email so we can direct these questions to him/her? Thank you! 

  • I apologize for this situation. However, thank you for sharing this with us.  We are working closely with McCowan to make sure that we have all information needed for our students to be successful.  I am providing the email address for both football coaches.  Mrs. Robinson, our counselor can also be of assistance regarding information between KJTMA and McCowan. I am providing the McCowan Athletics Website.  There is information posted for each sport on the site:https://desotosports.rankonesport.com/Website/Main/Contacts/367adf3f-2212-497e-9e47-8d76c273120d/3/1 Thank you for sharing this situation so that we can make sure that we help our students stay prepared in the future:

    •  Below are the email address for the football coaches.

    • Joseph.loyd@desotoisd.org 

    • lamontra.frazier@desotoisd.org 

  • I saw that in your parent oath that you have an expectation of students attending all summer programing. We travel a lot in the summer to visit family; sometimes in the states and sometimes out of the states. Are we expected to have our children at the school if the school sends and email like they did last year with 2 weeks notice? Our family was out of state for a month at that time. Isn't summer for family and learning outside of the classroom? 

  • Thank you for this question, as others may have the same wondering!  In short, absolutely not!  Your students are learning so much when they are traveling with you. There is NOTHING more important than traveling and learning with family! This expectation is for students assigned to attend something specific during the summer months, such as summer school. While I began informing parents of the summer project in January of 2023, I was out the last few weeks of school.  The summer project is something that I build personally each year as the lead teacher at KJTMA.  I apologize for getting it to you all during the summer months.  This year, I will try to have it in hand by the last week of school.  However, we will have a summer project in place for KJTMA students each summer.

Upcoming KJTMA Birthdays

Upcoming Events for the week of September 4 - Sept 8, 2023