Echo Trail Middle School Weekly Newsletter

Welcome!

Hello Wolf Pack Families!

We had a fun filled week celebrating Red Ribbon Week last week. Congratulations to the following classes who won the Door Decorating Contest: Ms. Bohn, Mrs. Sharp, Mrs. Brewer, Mrs. Taylor, and Ms. Russell!

Thank you to everyone who was able to make it out to our first Wolf Pack Madness to kick of our Winter Season Athletes! All of our athletes showed off their skills during our games and their performances. The champion of the night goes to our Girls Basketball Team with a close second place finish by our Cheerleading Team.

Friendly reminder, there is no school for students Monday, November 2nd or Tuesday, November 3rd. We look forward to welcoming our students back on Wednesday, November 4th.

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 Policy 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
- Dressdown Guidelines

If your student rides a JCPS Bus, please follow the directions linked here to download the JCPS My Ride K-12 App for up to date information about Bus Transportation

#ExpectgreaTness

Dr. Ammerman, Principal

Twitter: @KaraJo_Ammerman

Important Information
& Upcoming Events

Know a Future Echo Trail Student? Spread the Word!

Our 5th Grade Welcome Night and Daytime Tours are coming up! Help us spread the word by sharing these opportunities with families of rising 6th graders. We can't wait to show our future families why we EXPECT grEaTness at Echo Trail!

Thanksgiving Food Drive Results

A HUGE thank you to everyone who donated to our Thanksgiving Food Drive! Your generosity and support will help provide Thanksgiving baskets to Echo Trail families this holiday season. We truly appreciate our community coming together to make a difference!

Congratulations to Team Strength for collecting the most items and winning the PIZZA PARTY on Tuesday, November 24th!

6th Grade KONA Ice HERO Incentive Rescheduled – November 5th

6th Grade Families,

We are excited to share that our 6th Grade KONA Ice HERO Incentive has been rescheduled for Thursday, November 5th!

As a reminder, KONA Ice is one of our HERO incentives for students! Please remind your student to bring money if they would like to purchase KONA Ice and to have their HERO ID and lanyard with them.

KONA Ice Prices:

$3 Kiddie Kona
$5 Klassic Kona
$7 Color-Changing Cup
- $4 refills with a returned color-changing cup

Thank you!

PTSA Reflections Competition

National PTA has a long-standing commitment to arts education. For over 50 years, Reflections has helped students explore their own thoughts, feelings and ideas, develop artistic literacy, increase confidence and find a love for learning. The Reflections program provides opportunities for recognition and access to the arts which boosts student confidence and success in the arts and in life. Use the flyer to the right and link below to find out more information and learn how to apply.

ETMS Slideshow

Deadline to apply November 6

Calling All Veteran's

🇺🇸 Echo Trail Veterans Day Program 🇺🇸

Our annual Veterans Day Program will be held on Wednesday, November 11th, and we are honored to celebrate the Veterans who are part of our Echo Trail community!

We welcome all Echo Trail veterans to be recognized during this special event. Veterans may choose to attend our program as a Guest of Honor or be featured in our Veterans Day slideshow presentation.

We look forward to honoring the men and women who have served our country and making this a meaningful celebration for our entire Echo Trail community!

🇺🇸 We are grateful for your service! 🇺🇸

Fall Spirit Wear Store

Store will close November 8

Items should be delivered to school the week after Thanksgiving

Link: https://2026echofall.itemorder.com/shop/sale/

Community Partner: Class Act

Partner with Class Act FCU.pdf

Class Act Information Flyer.pdf

Counselor Corner

Academics Family Update

Check out this slideshow each month to see what your child is learning and how you can support them at home in ELA, Math, Science, and Social Studies.

Academics Family Update: How to Help Your Student 26-27

HERO Student and Teacher Leaders

Check out our HERO point leaders for last week!

HERO Roll-Out

We are excited to officially roll out HERO at Echo Trail! HERO is our schoolwide positive behavior recognition program designed to recognize and reward students for the positive choices they make each day.

When we see greatness, we will RECOGNIZE and REWARD it!

How Do Students Earn HERO Points?

Students can earn HERO points from any staff member in the building by demonstrating our GREAT Pillars.

G – Growth Mindset
R – Ready and Responsible
E – Enthusiastic Attitude
A – Actively Participate
T – Treat Yourself and Others with Kindness

Students can also earn bonus points for accomplishments such as having no referrals for the month and making the Honor Roll.

ID + Lanyard = HERO Points!

Students must wear their school ID and lanyard each day to earn and redeem HERO points. Families can help by encouraging students to make their ID and lanyard part of their daily school routine.

No Lanyard = No Points!

What Can Students Earn?

Students will have opportunities for weekly recognition and monthly and quarterly incentives throughout the year. Rewards may include:

HERO Store items
Dress Down and PJ Days
Snack & a Movie
Gym and outside time
Pizza Socials
Silent Disco Dance
Kona Ice
Student vs. Staff games
And more!

The HERO Store will officially open after Fall Break, giving students another opportunity to use the points they have earned.

Counseling Request Form

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
7th Grade - Mr. Rul-lan
8th Grade - Ms. Wales
Mental Health Practitioner (MHP) - Mrs. Sanders

8th Grade High School Resources

Attention 8th Grade Families- We now have a space in the 8th grade den that has all sorts of information about High School. Have your student check here for information about what events are happening at JCPS High Schools.

Student Spotlight

Clubs

Click here to view our Club page to see our current club sponsors and day/time meeting locations

Echoes of the Arts

Click here to read our October Newsletter!

Congratulations to our Echo Trail Band students for earning a chair in the 2026 Morehead State University Tri-State Honor Band Clinic!

2026 KMEA District 12

Middle School Honor Band

Congratulations to the following students (see images to the left) on earning a chair in the 2026 KMEA District 12 Honor Band!

This was a record breaking year for our 7th/8th grade students as we had a total of 29 students earn a chair.

Altogether, our district had 492 students audition last week for this honor.

Congratulations again to these students as you represent Echo Trail!

EXPLORE

👀 Check out what's Happening in Explore this week...

Engagement, Empowerment, & Connection

Our 7th-grade Explore student fundraiser is off to a great start! Echo Trail students now have the opportunity to donate $5 and receive an ID badge cover created by our Consumer Science classes. These badges will also be offered in our HERO store for students to use HERO points to receive as well. Thank you to our PTSA for supporting us with the badge covers, all proceeds will be donated to the 7th-grade WaterStep fundraiser.

If you decided to have your student donate please send the money with your student to turn into their Explore Classroom.

If you haven’t had a chance to watch the video highlighting last year’s success, we’ve included the link to the right!

With your support, their fundraising efforts can help change the lives of children halfway around the globe!

Thank you for your support!

The Explore Team

Waterstep Information

Athletics

This Week in Wolfpack Athletics...

Wolfpack Look Back... Last Week In Athletics

Cheer Finishes 1st at the Eastern HS Boo Classic
Swim improves in Week 2 of JCPS Swim continuing to show their competitiveness for the season
Girls Basketball sets started at the Dubois Kingdom Jamboree Shootout

Upcoming Tryouts

Winter Team Tryouts & Practices Coming Soon...

Archery
Coach - Brandon Lewis (Echo Trail Teacher)
- brandon.lewis4@jefferson.kyschools.us
- Finalizing a Parent Meeting in the next coming week

Indoor Track and Field
Coaches - Lauren Muir, Charlene Fishback, Beth Burbridge
Practices and Parent Meeting coming soon and will be communicated from school

Parent Meetings and Tryout/Start Dates will be communicated in the near future when these dates have been finalized with our new coaches and their staff.

Thank You for your patience and excitement to get started this winter!

Winter Sports Sign Ups

2026/27 Echo Trail Winter Sports Tryouts: This form will indicate the Winter sports you intend on trying out for this coming 2026/27 Winter season. Please note that commitment to an Echo Trail team requires showing up to required practices and games.

Winter Sports Options:

Boys/Girls Basketball
Archery
Swim
Indoor Track and Field

*Click on the "Winter Sports Sign Ups" link above to get signed up, or the copied link below:

https://forms.gle/zmWsdAVy9jNzupbZ6

PTSA

Any questions about PTSA, feel free to email echotrailptsa@gmail.com

Repeat Information

Please Fill out the EBF

We are required to have an Eligibility Benefits Form (EBF) filled out for every family at Echo Trail Middle School to maintain our FREE breakfast and lunch status. The link to complete online is below. IT IS IMPERATIVE that we receive a completed form from every family. Only one form per household needs to be completed if you include all family member's names. All students should be listed in the student section.

If you prefer to not list your income, check the box that says, "Not eligible". If you are eligible to have your school fees waived, you will be notified by JCPS.

Thank you for your attention to this matter, we appreciate your assistance.

Complete online at jcps.me/ebf

Car Rider Morning Drop-Off & Bus reminders

If you are the first car with a student to unload, pull all the way around to the white line before unloading. Once the line has stopped, students can exit out the passenger side anywhere from the white line to the main entrance and enter through the gym.
All students MUST come through the car rider line and exit in the unloading zone. They cannot be let out in the parking lot, on Echo Trail, or in the bus parking lot.

School Fees

If you still need to pay your school fees, please do so now online at My School Bucks! Click the link below to review the School Fee Sheet. Price does include a 3.95% credit card processing fee.

26-27 School Fees

You may also send fees by cash and checks with your student starting Monday 8/10.

If we can offer any assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out to us 485-8398.

Volunteer This School Year!

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.

WEAPON DETENTION REMINDERS

All BLUE items must be removed and passed around prior to walking through the weapons detection system. Staff will be at the pass around table to assist students.

Tables will be available for students and staff to use
Be patient while waiting
Walk through the system one person at a time, continue walking unless you are directed by a staff member to go to secondary screening.

There will be tables for students to place BLUE items back in their bags.

Link your Kroger Card to Help Echo Trail

Whenever you shop at Kroger and use your Kroger Card, you use can help Echo Trail!

Kroger Community Rewards

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!

Equal Opportunity Policy - Revised 06-26 (1) - Donna Pappe.pdf

Weekly Newsletter

Errors? Omissions? If something is missing or needs to be corrected, please email Courtney DeKeuster courtney.dekeuster@jefferson.kyschools.us.

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