Welcome!

February 19, 2024 

Hello Wolf Pack Families!

Reminder: students do NOT report to school Monday 2/19 or 2/20. We look forward to welcoming students back on 2/21.

We had a blast with our spirit week last week and continue to give our students opportunities to lead during the morning meetings. This week, we are hosting our Parent Teacher Conferences on 2/21-2/22 from 3-6 pm. Please reach out to your student’s Team Leader or Counselor for any questions. 

Ticket sales will begin during lunch on Wednesday 2/21 and conclude on Thursday 2/22 for our Friendship Dance on Friday 2/23. All students will need to have a permission slip on file and to purchase a ticket to attend.

Do not miss out on the FIRST EVER yearbook at Echo Trail. Ordering details are included in the newsletter but the deadline to order is 2/27. Details and link to order in our Important Info section below.

We have a few shout-outs: One of our very own students, Avery, was featured in the Explore Newsletter! Check it out HERE!

Congratulations to the following students, who were selected to participate in the 23-24 JCPS All County 5th/6th Grade Honor Choir! 

Taylor A., Amelia A., Miles B., Adamy B., Haylie F., Emory G., Hadley H., Megan H., Katie K., Maddie K., Chase M., Destiny M., Rylee M., Shyanne R., Raylee R., Isla S., Jet S., Karsen T., Ashrita V., Avery W.

Save the Date(s):

3/15/24 End of Third Grading Term

3/22/24 Greatie’s First Birthday!

3/26/24 Spring Pictures if purchasing

4/12/24 PTSA Spring Fling Festival 

4/12-4/18/24 Spring Book Fair 

5/22/24 Explore Selection Ceremony

5/24/24 End of Fourth Grading Term/Last Student Day

#ExpectgreaTness 

Dr. Ammerman, Principal

Twitter: @KaraJo_Ammerman 

Upcoming School Wide HERO Incentives

Our primary objective is to acknowledge students for their exemplary behavior, and we are very  proud of their progress. To achieve this, we use HERO to record positive behavior and students receive points for exemplifying the GREAT pillars. Here are some exciting incentives we have in store to celebrate our students for the rest of the year. All incentives and dates are subject to change.

• March 29th - KONA Ice Truck/Movies/Games - 175 TOTAL points by March 22nd

• May 8th - Louisville BATS Game - 225 TOTAL points by May 2nd

Bullying Prevention Parent Night!

Thank you to the families who joined us for an awesome parent! Click the link below to view the information that was presented.

Bullying Prevention Presentation

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.

Yearbook for Sale - Deadline to Order is Feb 27!

Hey Echo Trail Families and Staff

We just wanted to give everyone a friendly reminder that the final day to purchase your FIRST EVER Echo Trail yearbook is Tuesday, February 27.  Due to guidelines with the printer (Josten's) to ensure that we receive them in May before school is out, this is a hard deadline.  There will be no reprints at a later time.

It is going to be a terrific keepsake to commemorate the first year at our tremendous school! PLEASE DON'T MISS OUT!

If you are unsure if you have ordered a book yet, please don't hesitate to email the PTSA at echotrailptsa@gmail.com 

Click here to order your yearbook!

Comprehensive School Survey

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.

https://www.jefferson.kyschools.us/annual-school-survey-now-open-jcps-families-employees

Camp Wallace Information

The Department of Fish and Wildlife came out to talk with our students about their summer camp, Camp Wallace. 

See this flyer for more information! 

KDE Parent Involvement Survey

If you are the parent/guardian of a student currently receiving Special Education Services, please fill out the KDE 2024 Parent Involvement Survey: www.kypso.org/parent/  

Check for Overdue Library Books

Greetings Parents and Guardians! 

Please check with your student and remind them to return any library books to the library. We have quite a few overdue books; notices will be sent out via student email as well as through ELA teachers.

Donuts for FCA

Our Echo Trail FCA is back for all students and meets every Wednesday from 7:00-7:30AM in the Band Room (132).  As we anticipate large groups again, we are in need of families to help by signing up to bring in donuts.

Please click here to see our sign up genius which has all the information needed.

Thanks in advance for your generosity!

Black History Month

Echo Trail students and staff will celebrate Black History Month with the following activites:

• Daily presentation of prominent African - American figures during Morning Meeting by student leaders. 

• Trivia during lunch to earn HERO points! Starting February 1st, we will have trivia questions for students to answer for black history month. Questions will be shared at Morning Meeting and students can turn in answers during lunch and place them in answer box in the cafeteria. Winners will be drawn at the end of the day and receive Hero Points.

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!

Student Council

Our schedule for this semester includes: 3/7, 4/18, and 5/9.  Student Council members, please check Google classroom for any updates.   

Science Olympiad

Science Club will not meet this week due to Parent Teacher Conferences. Please continue to work on your trifold boards at home. See Mrs. Jacoby during WINN time, if you need help.

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!

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

Volleyball, Spring 6th Grade League

We have some exciting volleyball news to share with you!

Echo Trail will be participating in a 6th Grade Only Spring Girls Volleyball League in JCPS!

Games will run April 9th -May 2nd.
Practices will be on Mondays and Thursdays from 2:30-4:00 PM starting on March 4th.
Games will be on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and there will be a tournament the week of May 6th-10th.

We are allowed to enter only one team into the league so we will be having try outs to determine which 10 players will fill the team. 

Tryouts will be held at Echo Trail on February 28th and 29th from 2:30-4:00 PM.
There will be a $50 League Fee if your child makes the team. 

Fill out this link if your student is interested: ETMS Spring Volleyball Interest Form 

For any questions, you can contact:
Athletic Director: kyle.carden@jefferson.kyschools.us
Coach: rachael.johnson@jefferson.kyschools.us

Thank you so much and Let's go Wolfpack! 

Echo Trail Spring Sports

Hello Echo Trail Families,

Below is the list of Spring Sports we will be having at Echo Trail. Each team will also have the head coach listed with their email at which you can contact them. If you did not fill out the spring sports interest form, or you have not received any information about your desired team, feel free to email me or the coach for more information. 

I would like to reiterate, with this being our first year and only having 6th grade students, we are trying to provide as many opportunities as we can, while also keeping the students' safety in mind. These teams are meant to be competitive in nature, so in some cases with teams there may be tryouts, will not have required equal playing time, and in some instances teams may have to be cut in order to stay within the limits of the JCPS league roster guidelines.

Reminder that all athletes must have an updated Sports Physical and Echo Trail athletics packet turned in and on file to participate in an Echo Trail athletics program. This includes getting your packet notarized, which can be done in our front office.

Baseball:

Head Coach -  Austin Dukes

Email: Linked to name

Information: Practices have begun. For more information, contact Coach Austin Dukes.

Softball:

Head Coach - Elizabeth Conard

Email: Linked to name

Information: Softball will be starting practices soon. Be on the look out for communication from Coach Conard. You can also contact her at the email address listed above.

Boys Soccer:

Head Coach - Cary Hearn

Email: clhbanker@bellsouth.net

Information: Soccer tryouts have concluded at this time. Be on the look out for communication from Coach Hearn.

Boys Lacrosse:

Coach - Phil Brock (Head Coach Eastern HS Lax)

Email: philbrock15@gmail.com

Information: Although we plan to have our own lacrosse programs in the future, due to numbers and the way competition is paired in the JCPS/Metro league, our 6th grade boys will be playing through a club entity this first year to get our program started. Coach Phil Brock will be organizing and building a team to ensure that the boys will have enough players to participate in a King Louie league. Practices will be starting this week. If you would like more information please reach out to Coach Brock.

Girls Lacrosse:

Coach - Cassidy Clark

Email: cassidyyclarkk22@gmail.com

Information: Girls lacrosse will be playing in a Metro league. Coach Clark plans on starting practices this week.  If you have not been contacted or are looking for information, contact Coach Clark at her email above. 

Flag Football:

Coach - Dexter Bowden

Email: Linked to name

Information: After being short players this fall, We have had a lot of interest in flag football for the spring. This is open to both boys and girls, with the hope that JCPS will be able to form both a boys and girls specific league. Practice will be starting this week pending the weather. This is a 7 v 7 style passing league, with focus on offensive and defensive skill positions. For other information about flag football, contact Coach Bowden (Coach D) at the email listed above, or myself.

Volleyball (6th grade Spring League):

Coach - Rachael Johnson (Johnston)

Email: Linked to name

Information: This will be a new opportunity and developmental league for teams in JCPS. With this being a much smaller scale than the fall league, each school may have one team. With that being said, Coach Johnston will be forming her roster with that in mind. If you would like more information, please contact Coach Johnston at her email linked above. More information listed above in previous post.

Track and Field:

Coach -  William Jacoby

Email: Linked to name

Information: Track and Field is still being developed for this season. Stay tuned for more information.

Girls Soccer: Due to low numbers, we will not be forming a girls soccer team this spring. If you have a daughter that is still interested in playing, they can try out for the boys team. Contact Coach Hearn for more information. We will hope to have enough to field our girls team next spring with the addition of another class at Echo Trail.

Go be grEaT this spring!

Mr. Carden

Echo Trail Athletic Director

Archery

2/24 Archery 

  Shawnee 2nd Annual Golden Eagle Shootout

@ Shawnee HS

*Flights begin at 3:00 PM

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.

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

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.

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!

Weekly Newsletter

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