We want to give thanks to the families that support our learning at WJMS by inviting you to attend a Thanksgiving Holiday Lunch. 6th grade families will be on 11/19, followed by 7th and 8th grade families on 11/20. More details will be sent closer to these dates. 

In an effort to continuously grow and improve as a school system, the Jackson County School System is requesting your feedback through a survey which will be instrumental in helping us continue on our path of growth and improvement.  We appreciate your partnership as we strive for academic and extracurricular excellence. Please Click Here to access the survey. 

Rising 9th graders, save the date for a night at Empower to get a glimpse of what's to come! Plan for October 21st from 5PM-7PM to learn about pathways, view the center, and learn about dual enrollment. 

We are looking for the future of creation with students that are skilled in 3D Modeling, Animation, Digital Game Design, Video Production, Graphic Design, and much more!  We want you to take a change on your creation and enter it into the Technology Competition. Click here for details and submit your interest! Email Mr. Shoe with any questions at adam.shoe@jcss.us.

Exciting News! The Spelling Bee is Coming Soon! 

Is your child ready to show off their spelling skills? Simply register online using the link provided below. Please note, only registered students will be pulled to take the test, which will be held during ELT on October 30th.

 Important Dates:

• Online Test: October 30th (during ELT)

• School Level Oral Spelling Bee: November 5th at 9AM

To help your child prepare, they can download the Word Club App or pick up a study list (available by grade level) from the entrance table outside the front office.

 Registration Link: https://forms.gle/PjjBsYpBK7SRnWqD7

For any questions, please reach out to Jade Paustian at mpaustian@jcss.us. Let’s make this year’s spelling bee a great one! 

This week's feature for our Panther Parent Pro Tip is ParentSquare: Navigation and Communication. This app is our constant source of school wide updates and communication. Within this app, teachers have access to message (via text or email preferences) with the families of students. If your student is involved in extra curricular activities, coaches and sponsors also use this app to give real time updates, as well. In addition, JCSS updates and alerts are communicated via ParentSquare. 

It's important to remember, in order to access your ParentSquare account, you must have an active Infinite Campus Parent Portal account. 

Click here to watch a brief overview of how to navigate communication within ParentSquare. Click here to scroll through more features of ParentSquare and other frequently asked questions. 

If you are unable to access this app, please reach out to Mrs. Hawk at rhawk@jcss.us. 

Functional skills, sometimes called life skills, are all of the skills we need to function in our daily lives. This can be everything from social skills to hygiene and personal care. It can also include skills they we use daily for the entirety of our lives, such as putting away groceries, sorting silverware, packing snacks, recycling, and more!  We are fortunate enough to have space to house a vocation & life skills lab that we can use, not only for our adaptive classes, but for the entire middle school. It’ll be like a library but with adapted resources!

To make this an AWESOME lab, we are enlisting the help of our community. The following list is loaded with items that would be beneficial for our students to achieve goals that will help them live productive lives at home and within our community. 

• Aldi or Trader Joe type bags 

• Clothing Rack

• Peg Board

• Recycle Bins

• Toddler Bed

• Toddler Sheets

• Used Gift Cards

You may drop items at the front office and Mrs. Cotton or Mrs. Parker and we will come pick them up. If you have questions, you can email either of us  at pparker@jcss.us or mcotton@jcss.us 

Families, please remember that 1st period instruction begins promptly at 8:45 AM each day. To ensure students are in class and ready to learn on time, they need to be in the building no later than 8:40 AM. This allows them time to get to their classrooms and prepare for the day ahead.

Thank you for your help in supporting a smooth start to the school day!

 The student dress code policy at WJMS is based on the Jackson County School System Code of Conduct document issued to all students. Click here to revisit this document. We strive to make each day successful and encourage our students to be their best. 

Students, please remember, 

1. No hats, caps, head coverings (to include hoodies), bandanas, or stocking caps inside the building.

2. Clothing should not interfere with learning.

3. Clothing should not contain the following: gang symbols, racial or sexual connotations, drugs, alcohol, tobacco, double meanings, inappropriate slogans, profanity or obscene language.

4. Any clothing or accessories that have spikes or bullets.

5. No blankets worn around the body.

Your best school supply is a library card! JCSS has partnered with the Piedmont Regional Library System, and conveniently, your student ID number acts as a library card for your public library! The public library provides free access to books and online resources to help you succeed, as well as fun resources that help develop a lifelong love of reading. 

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