Wolf Pack Weekly
Echo Trail Middle School Weekly Newsletter
Echo Trail Middle School Weekly Newsletter
December 16, 2024
Hello Wolf Pack Families!
I cannot believe we are already halfway through the school year! We have so many accomplishments we should be proud of and I am ExciTed to see what the second half of the year has in store for us. Leading up to this week I have been communicating the importance of finishing strong. We will continue to hold high expectations while embedding some fun. We have a fun Winter Spirit Week planned, but students must follow the guidelines or they may not participate for the remainder of the week (details are included below). We have seen an overall increase in students not following uniform guidelines recently. We are reviewing the policy with our students. The specific guidelines not being followed are wearing sweatpants/joggers on Monday-Thursday, and wearing black jeans. Thank you in advance for your partnership in correcting this.
Check out the Commissioner Visit to Echo Trail that was highlighted in JCPS’s communication. It was truly an honor to show the Commissioner all the grEaT things going on each and every day at Echo Trail. He provided wonderful feedback about our students, teachers, and facilities. To say I am proud is an understatement!
Students are continuing to earn HERO points and also can receive points each month for:
Zero behavior referrals each month = 10 points
Making the A/B Honor Roll = 10 points!
We have recently opened our HERO store during lunch for students to cash in points for prizes.
The PTSA would like to start the new year of 2025 with stocking the pantry for our amazing teachers! Click here if you can help.
Thank YOU for all your support going into this break. We could not be the school we are without our family support.
December 16th-20th: Student and Staff Spirit Week!
December 19th: Winter Arts Fest and Science Fair
December 19th-20th: Winter Midterms
Thursday, December 19th = 1st/ 3rd/ 5th periods Midterms
Friday, December 20th = 2nd/ 4th/ 6th periods Midterms
Save the Date(s) and Other Important Information:
Echo Trail Family Calendar : This is a living document that will be updated as needed. We wanted to give you a snapshot of what to expect each month.
Uniform Written Guidance and Uniform Slide Deck (visuals) :
Please be mindful of skirt length
Full-zip jackets are to be removed for the day
Uniform Approved hoodies can only be worn on Friday
#ExpectgreaTness
Dr. Ammerman, Principal
Twitter: @KaraJo_Ammerman
What is HERO?
HERO is our platform to recognize and reward students for positive actions and behaviors. Students are able to earn points throughout the week for demonstrating the G.R.E.A.T. Pillars of Success.
G - Growth Mindset
R - Ready and Responsible
E - Enthusiastic Attitude
A - Actively Participate
T - Treat yourself and others with kindness
Lanyards: Each student received an Echo Trail Lanyard with their school ID. Expectation is students MUST have their school ID and lanyard with them each day in order to earn points. IDs are used to award points and scan for lunch numbers. In the event, students will need to replace their lanyard, ID and/or plastic ID holder, they can redeem points to do so.
Celebrations: HERO recognitions will take place weekly, monthly and quarterly to celebrate our top HERO earners and staff members who reward points.
Check out our HERO point leaders for last week!
We are seeing an uptick in peer conflict that is stemming from social media and group chats (text messages) communication. We are working to educate our students at school on how to resolve conflict and how to form healthy peer relationships. This work cannot be done alone and we are asking parents and guardians to partner with us in order to navigate healthy friendships while living in a tech world. Remind your child to always “Treat yourself and others with kindness” no matter if they are speaking face to face or online. Below are a few suggestions on how you can speak to your child about their social media use:
Help them set boundaries and limits on tech. Make sure using social media doesn't get in the way of adequate sleep.
Have regular conversations with your child about their mental health and well-being. Talk about the platforms they're on, app features, and how they make your child feel.
Make sure they know to go to a trusted adult if they feel uncomfortable about something online.
If your student has an academic question or social-emotional need, you can reach our counselors or Mental Health Practitioner by filling out the Counselor Google Form.
6th Grade - Ms. Thomas/Ms. Wales
7th Grade - Mr. Rul-lan/Ms. Wales
Mental Health Practitioner (MHP) - Mrs. Sanders
The book fair is here! If you haven't already done so, set up an eWallet for a smooth shopping experience!
You can set up the eWallet here or by clicking the image below.
Hola wolfpack!
Starting on December 2nd, our Student Y Club and 7th Grade Consumer Science classes will host a “pulsera” sale to raise funds for Central American artisans. The Pulsera Project is a nonprofit organization that works with over 200 artisans in Guatemala and Nicaragua to sell beautiful, handwoven bracelets (“pulseras” in Spanish) as well as small “bolsitas” (purses).
Pulsera sales will be held in the gym and cafeteria from 7:00-7:30 am. You can pre-purchase any number of pulseras or bolsitas via this cashless payment portal. You can pay via card, Venmo, Google, Apple Pay, Paypal, or with cash during the sale. If using the cashless payment, students will need to bring the receipt you’ll receive after purchase to redeem. Please note that there is a $0.50 transaction fee for all online transactions to cover service fees. Our sale will end on December 16th.
Link to cashless payment: https://www.pulseraproject.org/cashless
Each $5 pulsera and $15 bolsita sold will help create fair trade jobs, support communities in Nicaragua and Guatemala, and fund a number of programs that help improve the lives of hundreds of Central Americans.
Pulsera sales create sustainable jobs in vulnerable communities with few other options to achieve the dream of creating a better life for themselves and their families. By supporting our pulsera sale, you help keep families and communities together and in control of their own futures.
If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Ms. Johnston, Ms. Bonomo, or Ms. Boone. You may also contact the Pulsera Project directly at pulseraproject@gmail.com. Thank you so much for your consideration, and we hope you’ll consider supporting the Pulsera Project, our Student Y members, and Consumer Science students.
If you have updated immunization forms, please send those to the nurse's office. You may email them to the school at echotrailmiddle_reginfo@jefferson.kyschools.us, text or fax them to 502-485-8398.
Please check at home for any library books that may be overdue and remind your students to check their lockers as well!
Order your yearbook today before they sell out!
You can purchase them at the Walsworth website now.
Do you have some grEaT photos from Echo Trail events? Submit them for consideration to be included in the 2024-25 Yearbook!
Click the photo or this link. Access Code: wolves24
Is your student really good at making digital art? Or always creating videos using technology? Do you make music on the computer using Garage Band OR record your original compositions on your laptop?
We know we have amazing talented artists at Echo Trail and we want to show them off!
This could be a grEaT project to work on over the Winter Break!
The more information and the list of categories can be found at Echo Trail's STLP Page.
For questions, reach out to Mr. Etter, michael.etter@jefferson.kyschools.us.
Submissions are due by Friday, January 10, 2025, 11:59pm
Below is the snapshot of this week's menu. You can always see the menu for any school and any day of the school year on the JCPS Nutrislice website. Below is the Echo Trail menu.
--> Echo Trail Menus | Nutrislice
Each team of teachers will select only one student per week. These students have demonstrated what it means to be G.R.E.A.T. at Echo Trail based upon our school-wide expectations.
Congratulations!
Our Echo Trail Music Department conducted their annual Holiday Cheer Tour this week! The 6th Grade students visited JTown High School to listen to the Band, Choir, and Orchestra programs with a pizza party to follow. The 7th Grade students visited Eastern High School to listen to the Jazz Band, E-Major, and Guitar Ensemble with a pit stop to Ten Pin Lanes for Bowling and pizza. Our students had a blast visiting our feeder schools and represented Echo Trail with pride. Go Wolf Pack!
Follow Echo Trail Middle on Facebook for updates and celebrations!
Follow Echo Trail Middle on X for updates and celebrations!
The PTSA would like to start the new year of 2025 with stocking the pantry for our amazing teachers! Click here if you can help.
Whenever you shop at Kroger and use your Kroger Card, you use can help Echo Trail!
Link Echo Trail Middle School PTSA to your Kroger Card and every time you scan your card, Kroger will give back 1% of all your purchases ETMS!
Click here to get started and search for “Echo Trail” in the organization search!
Please vote for Echo Trail Middle School on the Class Act link! Last year we earned $3500 and this year we are already up to $2000!!
Visit heroesofeducation.org/schools/echo-trail-middle-school and make an impact on our school!
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to the Club sponsor for your students club. You can visit our Club Page here to view current sponsors.
Sponsors will be communicating through Google Classrooms and/or announcements on any club related updates. We also will display our Club calendar weekly to students on our scrolling TV's.
-Mr. Stivers, Clubs Coordinator, joseph.stivers@jefferson.kyschools.us
If you are picking up a student after their club, please pull all the way forward through the circle, just like our normal after school dismissal, to provide as much space as possible. Additionally, you may park in a parking space to wait for your student.
Thanks for your help in this matter!
There will be no STLP after school this Thursday, December 19. Hope you enjoy your Winter Break!
Meetings occur every Wednesday from 7:00-7:20am outside the Library on the social stairs. Although this is a before school club, parents are to drop off their student as normal by the gym entrance beginning at 7am. This means if your student is carpool, please drive through the single lane as normal and do not divide into two lanes or drop off early. Please be mindful of our morning staff as they are making sure all students are dropped off safely.
If you have questions, you can email Mr. Stivers at joseph.stivers@jefferson.kyschools.us
Modern Music's website keeps you updated with the latest information and celebrations!
Check in with the Drama Club website for updates on the rehearsal schedule and more.
Your student athlete will not be able to participate in any activity (including practices) until they have completed the Echo Trail Athletics Physical Packet (ignore the school year -- it's still the same packet as last year). This includes the WHOLE packet. Use the cover sheet as a checklist to complete all required forms in order for your student athlete to be eligible to start their desired activity.
Thanks for your attention to this! We Expect greaT things from this Wolf Pack!
Kyle Carden, Athletic Director | kyle.carden@jefferson.kyschools.us
Twitter: @ETMS_WolfPack
Tuesday 12/17
BB vs Barret @ ECHO TRAIL (*Not A Student Incentive Game - $5)
5:00 PM JV Boys
6:00 PM JV Girls
7:00 PM 6th Grade Boys
Saturday 12/21
Cheer Competition - KAPOS State Compitition (@ Central Hardin HS)
Performance Time - TBA
*During Break*
1/3-1/5
6th Grade State Boys Basketball Tournament - Lexington, KY
Weekly Wrap Up
The boys and girls battled Kammerer at home on Wednesday. At the end of the night, all three teams came away with wins, keeping them at the top of the JCPS standings in their divisions.
Up next for all three teams are home games against Barret on Tuesday.
Both boys teams headed down the road to Christian Academy on Friday night to face off against two very good CAL teams.
The 6th grade boys erased an early deficit to pull ahead in the forth quarter. After several ties and lead changes, the Wolfpack 6th graders pulled ahead late and stayed ahead for an impressive win.
After a prior meeting that ended in one of their biggest losses of the season, the JV Wolves looked to bounce back in their rematch. The game saw our JV boys with an early lead in the first half, but eventually ended up falling to CAL's JV boys by 1 point.
Friday, our archers took to their first 3D tournament of the season at St. Martha. The team finished 6th on the day. Top shooters and their scores from Friday included:
6th grade Girls - Alana A. (228)
7th grade Girls - Anna S. (249) and Haylie F. (248)
6th grade Boys - Reed S. (238)
7th grade Boys - Alex D. (235) and Braylen L. (234)
On Saturday our Wolfpack Archers were back in front of the bullseye targets at Atherton HS. The team finished in 9th place, with the following top archers being some of our top shooters:
6th grade Girls - Eleanor Williams (227), Alana A. (212)
7th grade Girls - Anna S. (5th - 261) and Haylie F. (10th - 250)
6th grade Boys - Reed S. (2nd - 268) and Eli Luke (211)
7th grade Boys - Hunter D. (247) and Lachlan J. (239)
Announcements
With the spring sports window nearing, we look to get a jump on sign ups for the up coming seasons. Spring Sports include the following sports:
Baseball
Softball
Flag Football (Boys and Girls)
Soccer (Boys and Girls)
Lacrosse (Boys and Girls)
Track & Field
*Volleyball (Boys and 6th grade Girls)
All team opportunities depend on the amount of interest from our student athletes. If a team does not have enough athletes to fill the team, we will unfortunately not participate in that sport this spring.
From the other perspective, if sign ups include higher numbers of participants than can be rostered by league rules, those teams will require a tryout phase to get to the appropriate roster numbers.
Another note to point out is that for the first time this spring, JCPS is looking to offer Boys Volleyball as a competitive opportunity. Details and interest is still being gathered, but if you have an athlete interested in trying something new, please sign up on the form.
Please also be on the lookout for a follow up announcement for any coaching openings that may need to be filled when we get a better idea of the participants for each sport.
Thank you to all of our families and we look forward to another grEaT Echo Trail Spring Sports season!
Coach Carden
*Click on link below to sign up you student athlete
The 2025 Indoor Track season is almost here! Practices will be held twice a week (tentatively Wednesdays and Fridays) after school at Echo Trail, with meets on Monday nights in January and February at the Norton Indoor Track. You must have a sports physical on file to participate.
The events for this season include:
Run: 60m hurdles, 60m dash, 1600m, 400m, 800m, 200m, 4x400 relay, 4x800 relay (if available)
Jump: Long jump, Triple jump, High jump
Throw: Shot put
Please complete the Indoor Track Interest Form by 12/13 to help us gather essential information about your athlete’s participation. Click the link below to fill out the form:
https://forms.gle/CPeHZL3n3YwfNQUh7
We look forward to a great season!
Any questions, contact Coach Jacoby at:
If you are interested in wrestling, Eastern HS will be hosting youth wrestling clinics. Please see the flyer attached and follow the QR code for more information.
Eastern is also looking for 7th grade participants that have interest in wrestling at the high school level. Please contact Coach Ren Pittman for more information.
Ren Pittman - ren.pittman@jefferson.kyschools.us
6th grade Consumer Science students will be designing/inventing something to enhance safety and prevent accidents/dangerous situations. We are in need of clean, recyclables. All recyclables should be brought to room 230 (Boone) or room 222 (Barnsfather).
Things like... newspaper, magazines, tissue paper, empty paper towel/toilet paper rolls, empty (but clean) food containers...or just anything that you think a student could use to help their imagination come to life. Please no glass, aluminum, or anything sharp.
At this point in the school year, we know the consistent number of students on each bus. If a student needs to ride home with someone else, we will handle this on a case-by-case basis due to the availability of seats on each bus.
The process will be:
Both parents/guardians would send a note to school the morning of
School Administrators will check to see if there is room on the bus
If there is room, student will be able to ride
If there is NOT room, student will NOT be able to ride and will need to go home their normal way
A call will be made to let parents/guardians know if the transportation change is approved or not approved
We'd love to have you participate in field trips and other volunteer opportunities. Head to the JCPS Volunteer page (Get Involved) and click Volunteer Talent Center to fill out a background check form. Background checks are kept on file with the district and are good for 5 years.
Our newsletter is sent out every Monday morning. Previous newsletters can be found on the top left side menu bar.
Errors? Omissions? If something is missing or needs to be corrected, please email Michael Etter, michael.etter@jefferson.kyschools.us.