This week families were asking how to get enrolled in the OHSU screening test program. It isn't hard, but families need to enroll students in order to participate. For more information, check out the OHSU K-12 COVId Screening website.  To enroll, complete and return the OHSU COVID-19 Screening Test Authorization and the Oregon Health Authority General Testing Authorization. Test are distributed once a month, and collected once a week. 

Check out our new podcast highlighting the interests, accomplishments and personalities of our amazing Jackson students! 

Listen to Episodes 1 and 2: JagsWired

Want to tell your story? Sign Up here

Students continue to be exposed to tragedy, with additional violence in Georgia and Colorado over the last few weeks. Students may have questions and worries. The links below are designed for difficult and emotionally laden conversations, and they are easily translated to parent-child discussions.

Curiosity and Questions: A presentation (and great dictionary of terms) from the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education

Helping Children Cope with Frightening News, a website from Child Mind Institute

When Bad Things are Happening, an article from Teaching Tolerance

Parent and Caregiver Resources, a toolkit from the ADL

9 Healthy Ways to Communicate, 9 strategies for sustaining and deepening conversation from educator and film maker, Lee Mun Wah

Curated lists of books and movies, and conversation prompts!

Greetings Families and Students!

We are so pleased to welcome you to Jackson for the 2021-22 school year, and there is much to think about as the new year approaches.  Similar to last year, there are plans and protocols to put in place to support student and staff health and wellness, and we don’t have all the answers yet. To stay informed, check email, social media (instagram@jacksonpps),or the web (jacksonpps@pps.net). Live meetings on instagram start Friday August 6 at 9:00 AM.

It is the mission of Jackson Middle School to provide a challenging, college-ready academic program attentive to the unique characteristics of adolescents ages 11 to 14. We strive for an accepting and safe environment that encourages personal expression and growth through Artful Learning. And, we are committed to inspiring every student to become a passionate lifelong learner and a responsible global citizen.

We know many of you have not been to Jackson, and still others haven’t been to Jackson during a “regular” school year. To help with some of the basics we put together a Family Handbook of basic school policies, school and district information, and building procedures, to supplement the information spread across our site. 

The first day of school this year is September 1, 2021. Some years we have held Jump Start for incoming new students prior to the start of school. That didn’t work out this year, so we are holding Jump Start for all 6th graders, 7th graders and “new-to-Jackson” 8th graders on September 1st. Most importantly, your 6th and 7th graders will start and end the day as a normal school day. Our veteran 8th graders will have a 2 hour late start.

 As an intentional part of giving students tools for independence, at Jackson we encourage students to take responsibility for dates and deadlines that impact their learning and/or participation in school activities and programs. Our intentions are to give your student room to grow as they take on these new responsibilities, but this also means you may hear less from classroom teachers than you are used to. You are always welcomed an encouraged to reach out to teachers and ask questions, and we also strongly encourage you to support this effort through utilizing the school website (www.jacksonpps@pps.net)  and making a routine at home to review your students’ assignments, attendance and academic progress through Canvas and on ParentVue, https://parent-portland.cascadetech.org/portland/PXP2_Login.aspx. But, here are some important dates to remember at the start of the school year.

August 20            Anticipated date that Studentvue/Parentvue will be activated

September 1       1st Day of School

September 6       Labor Day (and Rosh Hashanah)

September 22     Picture Day

September 29     Back to School Night 

As mentioned earlier, lots of start of the year information will be released over the next four weeks, and we will continue to share new items in as many formats as possible. I hope you are having a safe, active and relaxing summer and we look forward to seeing each of you in September.

Susan Kosmala, Principal                     

Jackson Middle School

Dear PPS Community,

On Monday, January 31, Portland Public Schools teachers and staff will have a day to collaborate and plan for the start of the second semester, with no classes held for students on that day. This comes after the PPS Board of Education, at a special meeting on Tuesday, unanimously voted to turn January 31 into a staff collaboration and planning day for school-based staff, creating an opportunity for school staff to work on campus-specific school climate plans and instructional practices to support the diverse needs of our students. 

The recent surge in cases due to the Omicron variant, compounded by the unrelenting and continued stress from this pandemic, has impacted all of us as individuals and as a collective society. Every sector continues to face challenges, and Portland Public Schools (PPS) is no exception. We know firsthand that navigating this pandemic is taxing, especially for our students who desperately need and deserve consistency, stability and access to in-person learning experiences. 

Dear Jefferson Community,

We are so pleased to inform you that Jefferson will return to in-person classes on Monday, January 24. We realize that closing the campus and moving to temporary distance learning created challenges for families, but the dramatic rise in absences of staff and students fueled by the omicron variant of COVID-19 made it too difficult to keep the campus open safely.

Dear PPS Community,

The PPS Board of Education will consider a resolution at an upcoming meeting to make Monday, January 31 into a school climate work day for school staff, with no classes held for students.