Welcome!

December 18, 2023 

Hello Wolf Pack Families!

This is our last week of school before our winter break, December 25 - January 7. Students will return to school on Monday, January 8th. We are looking forward to having a great week of learning and fun as we go into winter break. 

Thank you to our PTSA for the wonderful staff luncheon provided on Friday, December 15th. We truly appreciate the special treat and support! 

It has been amazing to hear our students step up in our morning meetings to share their holiday traditions and celebrations. I want to continue to give our students spaces to use their voices to lead.  

Congratulations to our Dance and Archery Teams who had great showings in their competitions this weekend! 

We have an exciting week ahead with plenty of activities for our students to engage in:

• Spirit Week - details here 

• Kindness Week - led by our Student Council and Random Acts of Kindness clubs

• December 20th, the Science Center is coming to give all of our students hands-on experiences with what they are currently learning in their Science Classes. 

• Arts Night on 12/21, we welcome all our families to come to check out the wonderful things our students are doing in our Elevate classes. You will not be disappointed.

Save the Date(s):

12/25-1/5/24 NO SCHOOL 

1/8/24 School Day for Students 

1/12/24 End of Second Grading Term

1/15/24 NO SCHOOL

2/19-2/20/24 NO SCHOOL 

3/15/24 End of Third Grading Term

4/12/24 PTSA Spring Fling Festival 

5/24/24 End of Fourth Grading Term 

#ExpectgreaTness 

Dr. Ammerman, Principal

Twitter: @KaraJo_Ammerman 

We need your help! Cellphones and Peer Conflict 

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.

Counseling Request Form

If your student has an academic question or social-emotional need, you can reach our counselors (Mr. Rul-lan and/or Ms. Thomas) or our Mental Health Practioner (MHP) Mrs. Sanders by filling out the Counselor Google Form.

Need Volunteers for Science Center Visit, Dec 20

The Kentucky Science Center will be coming to Echo Trail on December 20 for a fun filled science experience for all students. They will start with an all-school assembly followed by 3 sessions where students will experience hands on science activities. 

We need YOUR help to assist in the hands on activities. NO experience required! 

If you are available on that day, please consider spending the day with us. It will be a fun experience for all! I will send you more information once you sign up.

Click here to Sign Up with the SignUpGenius

For questions, reach out to Ms. Jacoby, amanda.jacoby@jefferson.kyschools.us

Media Center Snapshot

Click here for a snapshot of our library stats from November. We're doing grEaT things at Echo Trail! 

Yearbook Photo Submissions

Remember, you can submit photos from ETMS events! These photos will be considered for use in our first ever yearbook.

Please use the form linked here and contact kari.ward@jefferson.kyschools.us if you have any questions or feedback. The form will remain open throughout the school year (until the yearbook has to be finalized).

1st Holiday Cheer Tour for Echo Trail Music Department

Friday, December 15th, over 100 of our Echo Trail Music students traveled to JTown High School & Eastern High School to hear festive performances from their music departments!  We were so proud of our students and how they represented Echo Trail.  At the conclusion of the performances, the students enjoyed a time of bowling and pizza at Ten Pin Lanes.

Click here to watch our highlights video!

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!

Kindness Week (December 18-22)

Echo Trail Student Council and Kindness Club have partnered up to bring a week of kindness to Echo Trail. Every morning, students will hear a message about kindness from our student council members, and they will participate in a week long bingo challenge to spread kindness throughout our school and community. Kindness radiates throughout our building on a daily basis, but it will be great seeing everyone going above and beyond during kindness week.

Click here to watch a Public Service Announcement from our Student Council and RAK Club!

Fellowship of Christian Athletes

We will continue to meet every Wednesday in the Band Room (132) from 7:00-7:30am.  All students are welcome to attend.  We will be having a light Holiday Party on Wednesday, December 20th with student leaders running games and a short lesson.  

If you have any questions, please email sponsors joseph.stivers@jefferson.kyschools.us or jordan.stout@jefferson.kyschools.us.

Sign Up for Spring Sports!

We're all geared up for our Spring Athletic schedule: Baseball, Softball, Boys Soccer, Girls Soccer, Boys Lacrosse, Girls Lacrosse, Track & Field, and Flag Football.

If your athlete is interested in playing any of our upcoming sports, make sure to fill out the form

Athlete Interest Form

STUDENTS!  If you are interested in playing a spring sport, please fill out the form with your information and select the sport you are interested in participating in this spring.
→ Student Athlete Interest Form

Coaching Interest Form

PARENTS & ET COMMUNITY!  If you are interested in coaching a spring sport, please fill out the form with your information and select the sport you are interested in coaching. Give a brief description of your coaching background in "Experience" box below. Thank you!
→ Coaching Interest Form

Volunteers Needed - Calling All Wolf Pack Members...

We are looking for volunteers to help fill some of the game day responsibilities (ticket table, score book, concessions, cleanup, etc.) during our upcoming home basketball events. 

All game day volunteers will receive free admission the day of the event they are working. The link below will take you to the sign up sheet to help us ensure that we will host great events at Echo Trail.

Wolf Pack Basketball Game Day Volunteers - Sign Up!

If you have questions about game day help, contact Mr. Carden, kyle.carden@jefferson.kyschools.us, or Coach Fasoldt, peter.fasoldt@jefferson.kyschools.us, for more information.

Bowling League Info Night - Dec 18

Our informational night to complete/submit forms and officially sign up for teams will be Monday, December 18th, 6pm at Echo Trail Middle School 🎳 

For any questions, email Coach Stivers at joseph.stivers@jefferson.kyschools.us. 

Basketball

Come join us for a couple of home games this week! Let's cheer on the Wolf Pack! 

12/18 6th Boys BB vs Highland MS 5:30 PM @ Echo Trail

JV Boys BB vs Highland MS 6:30 PM @ Echo Trail

    JV Girls BB vs Western MS 7:30 PM @ Echo Trail

Archery

1/4 Archery 

  10th Annual Mercy Academy Tournament @ Mercy Academy 3:15 PM - 4:15 PM

*Flights TBA

East End Lacrosse Camp

January 6th @ Buckner YMCA
9:00am - 10:30am
5th-6th Grades

This camp is for beginner and intermediate lacrosse players. Camp will teach passing and catching, cradling, ground ball, and shooting skills.

To register, e-mail PHIL BROCK at PHILBROCK15@GMAIL.COM
Camp fee is $40 – you can Venmo me at @Harry-Brock-1 or pay by check/cash.
Please feel free to call me at 502-387-3644 with questions.

Homework Reminder

As your child continues to settle into middle school, we wanted to take a moment to send out a reminder about the importance of completing homework assignments. 

Homework is used to reinforce the skills and concepts that your child is learning at home. It is important that you are checking in DAILY with your child about the homework that he/she may have to complete. 

We ask that you also check Infinite Campus regularly to stay up-to-date on your child’s progress and any missing assignments that he/she may have. Completing assignments in a timely manner and practicing outside of school will help your child be successful throughout the school year. 

As always, if you have any questions, please contact your child’s teacher directly. We appreciate your continued support!

Agenda Use

Starting this week, we will be helping students consistently use their agendas in each class. All teachers will have their students write down the learning target and any homework they might have.

We want to assist our students with organization skills and also completing homework when assigned. We also want to increase communication with you as you support your student.

Quick Reference & Reminders

• NTI Communication - Families

• Technology Plan - NTI

• Bus App Directions

• Please reference this map for AM arrival and PM dismissal 

• Echo Trail MS School Number 502-485-8398

• Expectations Slide Deck 

• Technology Slide Deck 

• Gum/Candy/Food - we ask that students do not chew gum (it finds its way to new furniture or the floor, etc.) and that any candy/food remains put away unless in the cafeteria.  

• Please review the uniform guidance and slide deck linked below:

Uniform Written Guidance

Uniform Slide Deck (visuals)

Spirit Store Items and Uniform Approved Items

Common Items we are correcting:

• Full zip jackets will need to be removed (once we have assigned lockers students will store them there)

• Hoodies that are non-Echo Trail (Echo Trail hoodies with hoods down can be worn on Fridays) Nike women’s dry tempo short, AC women’s tempo luxe 5 in short, and general athletic shorts are not approved school items to be worn. 

• The only athletic shorts approved on Friday’s are BSN Sports Agility 2 pocket Short and Nike Flex Woven Short.

Wolfpack Weekly in Junk Mail

Teachers and parents both found the Weekly Newsletter in the Junk folder of their email recently.

If you missed a newsletter, you can always find previous weeks listed in the navigation window.

Here are things you can do to make sure you don't miss out next time:

• Periodically look in your Junk Folder to make sure you're not missing email from JCPS Teachers

• Whitelist our email addresses

  • For the Weekly, michael.etter@jefferson.kyschools.us and echotrailmiddle_reginfo@jefferson.kyschools.us

• Bookmark bit.ly/WolfPackWeekly and use the navigation bar for the latest week's newsletter

• Update Infinite Campus Parent Portal to include your phone number to receive SMS Notifications from us

We hope this helps. We never want you to miss out on important information. Please reach out to the school with any questions or assistance!

School Contacts

If you need to reach out to any of our administrators, front office staff, core content teachers or other staff, you can find their names, roles and emails on our school website: bit.ly/echotrailmiddle

Weekly Newsletter

Errors? Omissions? If something is missing or needs to be corrected, please email Michael Etter, michael.etter@jefferson.kyschools.us.