Good afternoon, JMS Parents and Families!\u00a0 We hope this message finds you and your family healthy, well and safe during this continued time of uncertainty.\u00a0 We wanted to provide you an update, as we are at the end of Spring Break and our schools continue to be closed through April 24, 2020, per Governor Lee\u2019s directive.<\/p>\n
We would like to start by letting you know how much we miss our students! Although most of us have not experienced a pandemic before, the Jefferson Middle School family of teachers, staff and stakeholders have quickly risen to the occasion and are working to provide support for our students and families. We would like to thank everyone for your patience, kindness and support.\u00a0 As we continue to navigate through this time, our utmost priority will always be the well-being of our students, families and staff!<\/p>\n
We are excited to be moving forward to provide remote learning opportunities for all students beginning April 6, 2020.\u00a0 You will receive further, more in depth information in this Sunday\u2019s (March 29) Parent Newsletter about our plan for remote learning for your child.\u00a0 Our teachers will be posting daily lessons to their Canvas pages in the Announcement section beginning April 6th<\/sup>.<\/strong>\u00a0 Students will be able to see their daily assignments along with any resources available for the lesson. Please check Canvas Announcements daily for these remote learning opportunities in all of your child\u2019s classes. \u00a0Please keep in mind that these lessons\/assignments are not required and no grades will be issued during this time.\u00a0 If you have questions or concerns about a particular class, please do not hesitate to email the teacher as we are all here to patiently support our students and you throughout this challenging time.\u00a0 We understand there may be some issues with your students device and\/or with accessing Canvas.\u00a0 Please reach out to Mr. Ben Fowler (Instructional Technology Coach) at bjfowler@ortn.edu<\/a> and\/or Mr. Chris Layton (Vice Principal) at calayton@ortn.edu<\/a> for support.<\/p>\n We will continue to communicate to you via our amazing weekly Parent Newsletter.\u00a0 This newsletter, which will be sent out weekly on Sunday evenings, will provide you with updated information regarding resources, Canvas Access, family resources, and updated information from ORS about Covid-19 and extended school closures.\u00a0 In addition, please follow us at @JMS_Eagles<\/em> for up to date information.\u00a0 You may also visit the district website at https:\/\/www.ortn.edu\/information-regarding-coronavirus\/<\/a>.\u00a0 The website allows you to view the information in any language, just click on the \u201cTranslate to My Language<\/em>\u201d tab that will be on the bottom center of the main page.<\/p>\n Aramark will continue to provide free \u201cGrab & Go<\/em>\u201d meals to all students to ensure all students have access to healthy meals throughout this period of closures. \u00a0Meals will be available at the following locations:\u00a0 Glenwood Elementary, Oak Ridge High School, Robertsville Middle School and the new Oak Ridge Pre School daily from 10am \u2013 1pm.\u00a0In addition, beginning Monday, March 30th<\/sup>, there will be food distribution sites at Teller Village Apartments, Children\u2019s Museum of Oak Ridge, McKenzie Apartments and Manhattan Apartments daily from 12-12:30pm. \u00a0If you are unable to find transportation to any of the sites above, please reach out to Ms. Jenifer Laurendine \u00a0at jllaurendine@ortn.edu<\/a>.\u00a0 We will \u00a0set up a delivery time, as we have a team of amazing JMS staff members that are volunteering to deliver \u201cGrab & Go<\/em>\u201d meals to your home, if needed.<\/p>\n We also want to ensure we are supporting our students socially and emotionally during this time.\u00a0 Please feel free to reach out to our School Counselors if you need assistance or are looking for a particular local resource. In addition, you and your child can continue to utilize the JMS Online Counseling Form<\/em> by clicking on this link:\u00a0 \u00a0https:\/\/www.ortn.edu\/jefferson\/academics\/counseling-center\/<\/a>.\u00a0 Once you click on this link, please click on I need to see a counselor online form.<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0 Our School Counselors are monitoring these submissions as they are received.\u00a0 You can also reach out to our counselors for support directly:\u00a0 Mr. Magee at ajmagee@ortn.edu<\/a> and Mrs. Castle at mccastle@ortn.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n If your child receives Special Services and\/or EL services, our Case Managers will be reaching out on an individual basis to discuss meetings, services and support moving forward in this remote capacity.\u00a0 Again, please feel free to reach out to your child\u2019s Case Manager at any time, via email, with any questions you may have.<\/p>\n We encourage you to reach out if you have any concerns or if we can assist you, your child or family at any time.\u00a0 \u00a0Please see contact information for our admin team below:<\/p>\n Mr. Phil Cox \u2013 pcox@ortn.edu<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mr. Chris Layton \u2013 calayton@ortn.edu<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ms. Jenifer Laurendine \u2013 jllaurendine@ortn.edu<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n