Wolf Pack Weekly
Echo Trail Middle School Weekly Newsletter
Echo Trail Middle School Weekly Newsletter
February 3, 2025
Hello Wolf Pack Families!
What an exciting way to end January with our first ever Pep Rally! Students all received t-shirts and pom-poms courtesy of Best in Show. Our students had a wonderful time cheering on their peers and participating in our knock-out game.
We are officially kicking off February with the 100th day of school today, dressed in our NEON (tops, sweatshirts, and/or hoodies - regular uniform bottoms) to show off how bright we are as a Wolf Pack. Our BSU Club also kicked off Black History Month by highlighting people of their choice, and providing information and facts during our morning meetings. I continue to be overwhelmingly proud of our students taking the opportunity to show their leadership skills.
This week, Friendship Grams will be sold during lunch, February 3-7th. Cost is $1 per gram or $25 for an entire class. They will be delivered during 1st period, February 12th.
Save the date for our Winter Dance, February 21st, after school until 4pm. More information coming soon!
Shout Outs:
This week, we recognize our Counseling Team: Ms. Thomas, Mr. Rullan, Ms. Wales, and Mrs. Sanders! Thank you for all you do to support our Wolf Pack!
Congratulations to our students who took the AMC8 Test!
Our highest score was a 17 made by Neha Chakkaran
Other top scores: Chakkaran, Neha, Agrawal, Ananya, Thenappan, Srivi
Congratulations to Madelynn Kline, Karsen Taylor, Ashrita Snigdha Vaddicharla, Kristen Warner, Anna Winfrey who represented ETMS in the All County Choir.
Our Vex Robotics teams competed this weekend and one team took the 2nd place spot!
Well Done - Math Counts Club also traveled to Lexington and competed!
Come out Thursday and support our basketball teams competing in playoff games at ETMS!
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
We are excited to welcome WOLFPACK families back to Spring Family Conferences! Family Conference Day is Monday, February 17th from 8am - 3PM.
To ensure we meet the needs of all our families, teachers have intentionally set aside time within the day to schedule appointments with families who may need more flexibility or extra support. If the scheduled conference day doesn’t work for your family or scheduled times are full, please feel free to reach out to your child's teacher via email to schedule a separate appointment. We are committed to making sure every family has the opportunity to connect and support their child’s growth.
Click here for the steps to schedule a conference with your student's teacher. In-person and Virtual conferences are both available.
Check out our HERO point leaders for last week!
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.
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
Business & Communication - Personal Finance
Consumer Science - "My Hierarchy according to Maslow"
Engineering & Design - Building LEGO Robotics, Creating websites using HTML Coding Language
Business & Communication - Stock Market Game
Consumer Science - Tiny Houses and Stitching
Engineering & Design - Design Challenge Rocket Catcher
We are so thankful to have so many students engaged with after school activities! With that, we have a lot of students who need to get picked up all at the same time, creating congestion in the parking lot.
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 for all waiting cars.
Additionally, we highly recommend that you park in a parking space to wait for your student. If you choose to park, you may slowly and carefully drive around cars that are waiting in line to get to a parking spot.
Because some clubs are released later than others, parking will allow more cars into the waiting area.
Thanks for your help in this matter!
Starting next week, Yearbook Club students will be coming around during WINN time to get student portraits for the Yearbook. These are only for the Yearbook. Professional portraits will be done March 25th and more information will go out before then.
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
If the device assigned to your student is in need of repair for any reason, please tell your teacher as soon as possible or bring it directly to Ms. Ward in the Library.
After trouble shooting, if the device cannot be repaired, Ms. Ward will submit a heat ticket for District IT support and the device will be sent off for repair.
Please be aware, the repair process may take anywhere from 8-12 weeks. Ms.Ward will email teachers and parents/guardians whenever possible to notify them of updates and/or progress towards completion.
Whenever possible, an NTI loaner device will be given to students for use until their device has been returned for repair.
Please remind your student to return their library books by placing them in the book drop or returning them to Ms. Ward.
Please take a moment to complete this important survey and let your voices be heard. It’s completely anonymous, and results are used to improve our schools—everything from school climate and curriculum to safety and more.
Hey Wolf Pack Family!
Are you ready for an exciting and rewarding challenge? Start your 2025 off with a growth mindset and sign up for the Kentucky Derby miniMarathon or Marathon!
Use the code Echo2025 and save 10% on race registration.
Contact Ms. Boone, kristen.boone@jefferson.kyschools.us, with any questions you may have.
Register here: derbyfestivalmarathon.com
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
Congratulations on demonstrating what it means to be G.R.E.A.T. at Echo Trail!
Follow Echo Trail Middle on Facebook for updates and celebrations!
Follow Echo Trail Middle on X for updates and celebrations!
Friendship Grams will be sold during lunch February 3-7th.
Cost is $1 per gram or $25 for an entire class.
They will be delivered during 1st period February 12th.
Save the date for our Winter Dance!
February 21st, after school until 4pm. More information coming soon!
PTSA needs some help for the winter dance! Thank you for your consideration.
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
Do you love to read and share ideas? Project Lit might be for you! Check out the interest form for more information.
Our third League Day is Friday, February 14th! Reminder that bowlers are to meet in the Band Room (Rm 132) after school for attendance and a brief lesson. The activity bus will transport students from Echo Trail to Ten Pin Lanes. Reminder to pick up students by 4:30pm each League Day from Ten Pin Lanes. For questions/concerns, email Coach Stivers at joseph.stivers@jefferson.kyschools.us
Congratulations to our highest combined (2) game bowlers for Week 2
Highest Male Bowlers: Kaden L. 243 - Alex D. 180 -Jacob M. 172
Highest Female Bowlers: Alexis M. 173 - Mackenzie R. 128 - Rylee P. 123
Highest Staff Bowlers: Barnsfather 344 - Quinn 259 - Chesnut 242
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
Monday 2/3
JCPS MS Indoor-Norton 4:30-7:30
Thursday 2/6
2nd Rd Playoffs @ Echo Trail
5:00 PM 6th grade Boys vs Meyzeek
6:00 PM JV Girls vs Meyzeek
7:00 PM JV Boys vs Newburg
Saturday 2/8
Archery - Wolfpack State Qualifier (Hosted by ET at EHS)
Weekly Wrap Up
The first round of the playoffs began this week with the JV Boys Wolfpack hosting Stuart middle school at home. Our Wolves walked away with the win to move on to the next round.
With the win, Echo Trail basketball will host a triple header in the second round with all three teams ready to face off to earn a spot in the semi final rounds. The 6th grade boys and JV girls will face Meyzeek, and the JV boys will face Newburg. Come out and support our teams as they look to move on to the Semi Finals for the first time.
Echo Trail archery had a busy weekend, shooting in a pair of tournaments that included both bullseye and 3D tournaments. Haylie Ford added to her strong start of the season by finishing first in both events, for the 7th grade girls which included more than 70 shooters in each session.
The team gets ready to host our own Wolfpack Shootout at Eastern high school this weekend.
Announcements
Hello Echo Trail Families,
Spring Sports are just around the corner! The Spring window for activity officially opens February 10th. Communication with coaches about the teams should start coming out soon as we get more information about the upcoming seasons. If you did not fill out the Spring Sport information form and you still have an athlete interested in competing on one of our spring sport teams, please contact the coaches below for information and to have your student listed when practices start. Please remember that some teams will require tryouts and cuts due to roster limitations. If your athlete misses the tryout period the teams list, they will not get an additional tryout period. Please communicate with the coaches if there are conflicts, and our coaches will be sure to do their best to accommodate. Winter sport athletes should NOT participate in spring sport tryouts or practices until their seasons are complete. Those athletes will get their tryout period at the conclusion of their seasons.
Baseball:
Head Coach - Austin Dukes
Email: austin.dukes@jefferson.kyschools.us
Teams/League: 6th grade (Private School League), JV (JCPS League)
Notes:
Important dates and information listed below
Thursday, February 13
Lyndon Recreation field 5
9310 Whipps Mill Rd, Louisville, KY 40242
Saturday, February 15
Eastern High School baseball indoor facility
3:00 mandatory parent meeting and sign-in. Please be prompt.
Tryouts will begin after our meeting and we sign everyone in, around 3:15 or 3:30, and will last for 1.5 to 2 hours. Parents not allowed inside once tryouts begin.
Softball:
Head Coach - Lacey Crawford
Email: laceyncrawford44@gmail.com
Teams/League: 1 team, JCPS League
Notes:
Important dates and information listed below
Tuesday, February 6
Parent Meeting @ Echo Trail (cafeteria)
6:00 PM
BOYS Soccer:
Head Coach - Kyle Fertig
Coaches - Cary Hearn, Jason Shearn
Email: kyle.fertig@jefferson.kyschools.us
Teams/League: JCPS League, will evaluate the team levels we will be providing
Notes: Team will require tryouts and cuts. Team may also be looking to add coaches. If interested please contact Mr. Carden, Coach Fertig, or Coach Hearn
GIRLS Soccer:
Head Coach - Tal Grau
Email: tgrau2809@yahoo.com
Team/League: JCPS League
Notes: Coach Grau is looking for an additional coach for assistance. Please contact Mr. Carden or Coach Grau if interested.
Girls Lacrosse:
Coach - Cassidy Clark
Email: cassidyyclarkk22@gmail.com
Team/League: TBA - We are seeking information about leagues in our area and are looking for the best fit to have an Echo Trail Girls Lacrosse team this season.
Notes: Anyone interested in trying lacrosse this season and you have not yet signed up, please contact Mr. Carden or Coach Clark.
Flag Football: Girls and Boys
Coach - Dexter Bowden
Email: dexter.bowden@jefferson.kyschools.us
Team/League: JCPS League
Notes: The flag football teams could require a tryout if numbers are high. Coach D will provide that information ahead of the tryout/practices beginning.
Volleyball: 6th grade Girls Spring League
Coach - Rachael Johnson (Johnston)
Email: rachael.johnson@jefferson.kyscholls.us
Team/League: 1 Team, JCPS Spring League
Notes: Team will require tryouts and cuts
Volleyball: BOYS
Coach - Aaron Roberson
Email: adrobe33@gmail.com
Team/League: 1 Team, JCPS Spring League
Notes: This is the first time having boys volleyball in JCPS. Further information will be provided by myself and Coach Roberson once we have confirmed exact numbers of boys that are interested in participating in this first time opportunity.
Important Date and Information listed below:
Tuesday, February 11
Parent Meeting @ Echo Trail
6:00 PM
Track and Field:
Coach - William Jacoby
Email: william.jacoby@jefferson.kyschools.us
Team/League: Boys and Girls divisions, JCPS League
Notes: All that are interested in track and field, contact Coach Jacoby if you have not been contacted soon. He is also starting our first indoor track season currently, and you can contact about more information if you are interested.
Boys Lacrosse:
Notes: Boys lacrosse is still very low on sign ups. I will be contacting Eastern High Schools coaching staff for more direction to see if we can provide an opportunity for those that are still interested.
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
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.
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.
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.