Principal's News

Week of August 17th

Julius West Middle School

Email: craig_staton@mcpsmd.org
Website: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/westms/
Location: 651 Great Falls Road, Rockville, MD, USA
Phone: 301-337-3400

JWMS community,

I hope this week finds everyone healthy and safe! Just two more weeks until the start of the school year. Below are important dates and updates for this week.

***Newsletter Archives

Important Dates to Remember

Thursday, August 20th - Produce Donations at JWMS
Wednesday, August 26th thru Friday, August 28th - JWMS Distribution of Materials
Thursday, August 27th - Virtual Student Orientation (All Grades)
Monday, August 31st - First Day of School
Thursday, September 3rd - Virtual Back-to-School Night

JWMS Distribution of School Materials

Class schedules for students will be available the week of August 24th on myMCPS Canvas. More details to come in the next newsletter.

On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (August 26th thru August 28th), students will have an opportunity to pickup the following materials from JW:

Student Agenda Books
Math Workbooks
Music Instruments
Chromebooks (Only if necessary or if an upgrade is needed)
General School Supplies (Limited Items)

***More details about the drive-by pickup schedule will be shared in next week's newsletter.

Back-to-School Supplies

School Supply List

School Spirit Clothing (Optional)

Flyer
Store (updated link)

MCPS Fall Recovery Plan

Thank you for your feedback last week on the virtual learning schedule and your general thoughts on the upcoming school year. Your feedback will be shared with staff during preservice week so that we can meet the needs of all of our students. We will be seeking your feedback at other times throughout the year. Our goal is to work alongside our community as we seek to navigate these challenging times. It is our belief at JW that we accomplish the best outcomes when we include all stakeholders in the education process.

If you have not done so already, please review the latest information below regarding the MCPS Fall Recovery Plan. We are anticipating some tweaks to the weekly schedule in the coming days, so stay tuned.

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MCPS Fall Recovery Guide

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Weekly Schedule - Semester 1

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Sample Daily Lesson

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Fall Parent Community Workshops

Thank you to those who attended our community dialogue meetings this summer. Both topics, "How to have a Conversation about Race?" and "When a New Normal is Not Normal: Understanding Your Family's Stress Response in Uncertain Times", will be returning this fall.

We are planning to hold some fall parent workshops in September and October. These will be designed to help parents receive tips, strategies and the general information needed to stay engaged this year. The session topics and dates will be available to register for within the next week or so. Topics will include: Understanding the JWMS Virtual Schedule, Navigating myMCPS Canvas, etc. All sessions will be presented on Zoom.

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PTSA Grocery Gift Drive

For those who may be in a position to help others, there are still JWMS families who are struggling to feed their families. The JWMS PTSA is soliciting donations again to provide families with grocery cards. We recognize this is a difficult time for many to contribute, but also know that we have a generous community. So many have helped over the past few months, and it is great to know that many keep asking how they can continue to help. Please click here to make a contribution. Lindsay Hennessey, JWMS PTSA President

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Produce Donations

Every Thursday throughout the summer, we will be having boxed produce donations at Julius West MS. The time will be from 10am to 11:00am in the main parking area of the school. If you have difficulty getting to the school during the time listed above, please call or email us at JWMS.

The produce will be available on a first-come-first-serve basis. This service is being provided by MCPS to help support families during COVID-19. We are primarily serving the JWMS community and our surrounding cluster schools during this drive. The delivery will be able to serve approximately 200+ families, one box per family.

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Independent Summer Assignments

Whether your child attended summer school or not, it is expected that students also complete other traditional enrichment activities, such as:

MYP Summer Exploration (see below)
Math Summer Packets (hard copies are available at JWMS in the main lobby)

Optional Enrichment Opportunities

JWMS Summer Reading Challenge
Khan Academy for Math (Click on COURSES in top left corner of website)
IXL Math (Free)
Math Planet (Free)
World Language

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Virtual Summer Orientation for Rising 6th Grade

6th Grade Summer Orientation for Julius West MS will be held virtually for the final week this Tuesday 8/11 - Friday 8/14. Your child can attend ONE session via Zoom on a date of their choosing. Orientation will run in sessions (likely 55-65 minutes).

Summer Orientation Website

Zoom links and other 6th grade resources can be found at the website below.

https://jworientation.wixsite.com/summer2020/orientation-sessions

If your child will be attending summer school, please pick a time/date that does not conflict with those hours.

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MYP Summer Exploration and SSL

MYP Summer Exploration:

Julius West is a proud International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IB MYP) school! All students attending Julius West next school year will participate in an MYP Summer Exploration, a series of activities designed to encourage lifelong learning, critical thinking, and responsible global citizenship. This year's Summer Exploration theme is Journeys! Visit here to learn more about the purpose and the structure of the MYP Summer Exploration. To access the activities, please join the Google Classroom for your rising (next year) grade level.

Rising 6th/Current 5th grade code: jeugvkc

Rising 7th/Current 6th grade code: 6xnnrhv

Rising 8th/Current 7th grade code:2bwma7m

For questions about the Summer Exploration, please contact Mrs. Krista Fiabane at Krista_R_Fiabane@mcpsmd.org

Student Service Learning (SSL)

Students are encouraged to continue Service Learning virtually during the summer. Virtual/remote MCPS SSL opportunities will be posted on the Montgomery County Volunteer Center website (www.montgomeryserves.org) and tagged with the blue MCPS SSL banner and graduation cap icon.

Student Service Learning verification forms for service performed during the 2019-2020 school year and during the summer will be accepted on an ongoing basis. SSL hours submitted after the date of June 5 will reflect on students' first quarter report card in the fall of 2020. Forms can be emailed to the Julius West SSL Coordinator, Ms. Fiabane at Krista_R_Fiabane@mcpsmd.org or can be turned in to the Julius West Counseling Office once schools reopen.

Please click here to view of presentation about SSL hours for the summer of 2020: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Zi8WWdJ8d7iBXMYcbiQZdQOsYghk5qQj3TdDXodS0_Y/edit?usp=sharing

Community Resources

Click here to view community resources available for students and families. Support is available for victims of domestic violence, members of the LGBTQ community, and more.