March 17th

9:30 am

Jackson LIbrary

Special guest:  Filip Hristic, Principal of Ida B. Well High School 

Join us in the Jackson library for a special informational session.  This is the perfect opportunity for parents of current 8th graders to ask questions about high school!  See you there!

SUN School News

Winter registration is open!  

After school classes being offered:

• AKA Science: Cool Chemistry
• Dungeons and Dragons and Magic the Gathering Club
• Parkour
• Lego Relief Printing
• Homework Club
• Lightsaber Arts

All SUN classes will run from 3:45pm-5:15pm. Class sizes will be strictly limited and will be on a first come first serve basis. Waitlists will be started after class sizes are at capacity. The 2023 JMS SUN Winter session will begin January 23rd, 2023 and go through March 16th, 2023.

Click HERE to sign up!

Jackson is participating in OBOB!  If your student is interested in reading and loves to compete, please encourage them to attend the first meeting on January 4th at 4 pm in the library.  If your student isn't able to meet on Wednesdays after school, they can still participate.

Email parent volunteer David Forero at forero@gmail.com.

For more information and the official book list for middle school go here: https://www.oregonbattleofthebooks.org/

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Over the last few days we have been hearing a lot of information regarding possible weather-related events that could impact our school.  At this time there is no information that factually states that it is going to happen this week, but it is always good to be prepared.  Since it has been awhile since we have had to deal with anything like this, I wanted to provide you with the protocol and processes that will be followed if there is a change to our daily schedule.

• During weeks like this, district office staff monitor the road conditions very carefully, starting very early in the morning.  They will even have folks go out and drive the roads so they have eyes on the situation for more accurate decision making.
• The district office team determines if there needs to be a closure, late start or buses on snow routes.  (To be clear, this is not a decision that is made at the building level.)
• A message will be sent out district wide with the information you will need for the day.
• A follow-up message will come out from me with specific information for Jackson Middle School.  I do this because sometimes the district messaging can be a bit confusing.  For example, there have been times in the past when only the west side schools run two hours late and the rest of the district is on time.

Some questions that will come up are:

How do we find out if our bus is on a snow route?

Click this link Snow Routes for specific buses.

What will the schedule look like if we have a late opening?

We will run a shortened version of our daily schedule so that the students will see each teacher for about 35 minutes each.

What if it starts snowing in the middle of the day?

We have only had two or three early releases due to weather over the course of my career.  (And that is a long time!). If that does happen, we will send out notification as to what that will look like and how dismissal will work.  

What if there is a snow event during the day and I cannot get to school to pick up my child on time?

Someone will be at the school with your child until they can be picked up.  We will not turn them out into the cold and we will not leave them alone at school.

Will the teachers just switch to virtual instruction if there is a snow day?

I have not heard plans regarding virtual instruction, but I would assume this would not be an option because we have no way of knowing if students all have their devices at home to access classes.  But more information will be provided as I receive it.

I am sure you will have more questions so I encourage you to send them via the survey link below and I will respond in the JagWire on Friday.  

https://forms.gle/Ysehv5JbwpRrwq3BA

Go Jags!

John Ferraro

Dear PPS Community,

Saturday night, gunshots were fired outside of a district-wide basketball tournament held at Franklin High School. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured and the suspect is now in custody, but if you have any information about the incident please call 503-823-3333 or utilize the SafeOregon tipline.

Dear PPS Families, 

As we prepare for the winter sports season, we want to share a few reminders for our spectators.  

Dear families, students, and colleagues,

It has been a joy to visit learning spaces over the past four months and see our students reengaged in their classroom learning and school activities. I am pleased to observe our students interacting with peers and diving into new curriculum materials. 

This has been a very productive time for Portland Public Schools. My appreciation to all the dedicated Team PPS members who work everyday to make our school system better and stronger.

Dear PPS Community,

Every single person in Portland Public Schools believes that our learning spaces must be safe, stable, and secure, and that we have a shared responsibility to ensure the safety and well-being of the students under our care. We recognize that recent events, both locally and nationally, have rattled our community.

Superintendent Guerrero issued a broader statement about gun violence and its impacts on our schools, but we also want to explain how we both keep schools safe, and keep you informed.