Roadrunner Revue

Dear JDA Families,

It’s hard to believe we are already nearing the end of our first nine weeks! This week marks the close of the first quarter—a huge milestone for students, staff, and families. Thank you for partnering with us to make these first months such a strong start to the year.

For many parents new to middle school, this grading checkpoint can be confusing. Here’s a quick breakdown to help clarify:

• In middle school, the 1st and 2nd quarter report cards are averaged together to form the Semester 1 grade.

• Each new quarter begins with a clean slate—no grades carry over.

• The 3rd and 4th quarters form Semester 2, and the final yearly average is the average of both semesters.

• UIL eligibility is impacted by these report cards. Students can lose eligibility at report cards and regain it at each progress report (IPR).
  The only “extra” lose opportunity is at the first 6-week IPR.

Because teachers turn in grades before Fall Break, we encourage families to check Home Access Center weekly (probably daily this week) to stay up to date—by the time the paper IPR or report card comes home, those grades have likely already been updated online.

This week is packed with learning and celebration!

• 📚 Benchmark Exams: Monday–Thursday — Please make sure your student gets a good night’s sleep and arrives on time.

• 💯 100% Attendance Day: Friday — Let’s aim for every student present!

• 🎉 Pep Rally Friday: We’ll celebrate our namesake, Dr. Jimmie Don Aycock, whose birthday is October 4th, and honor students who’ve shown integrity, effort, and school spirit.

• 🎶 Fall Concert Series: Band on Monday, Choir on Wednesday

Encourage your student to end the quarter strong by turning in any missing work, completing mastery opportunities, and showing what they’ve learned on their benchmarks. Please also review our tutorial expectations later in this newsletter so that tutorials remain focused and productive.

As we close out this first quarter, let’s remind our students that integrity means doing the right thing even when no one is watching. Each day is a new opportunity to live with honesty and excellence. Thank you for walking alongside us in this journey—your partnership truly makes the difference.

❤️💙

With gratitude,

Savannah Jimenez

Principal, JDA Middle School

Monday, October 6

• Benchmark Bell Schedule - Click here for Schedule
• RLA Benchmark Testing
• 7th(Home)/8th(Away) Grade Volleyball vs. Union Grove Middle School, 5:30, use link to purchase tickets. https://www.killeenisd.org/o/kisd/page/tickets
• JDA Fall Band Concert @ CHS 5:30pm
• Cheer Practice
• Yearbook Club

Tuesday, October 7

• Benchmark Bell Schedule
• Math Benchmark Testing
• 7th(Away)/8th(Home)Football Game vs Charles Patterson MS 5:30, use link to purchase tickets. https://www.killeenisd.org/o/kisd/page/tickets

Wednesday, October 8

• Benchmark Bell Schedule
• Science Benchmark Testing
• 7th(Home)/ 8th(Away) Football B Team vs Union Grove MS 5:30
• JDA Fall Choir Concert @ CHS 5:30pm
• Open Tutorials- 3:45-5pm
• Future Ready Wednesday - Wear College, Career, or Military shirt & Jeans

Thursday, October 9

• Benchmark Bell Schedule
• Social Studies Benchmark Testing
• Locker Clean Out
• Open Tutorials- 3:45-5pm
• Cheer Practice, 3:45

Friday, October 10

• Pep Rally Bell Schedule
• Makeup Benchmark Testing
• JDA Pep Rally
• Free Food Day - School Concessions during lunch. JDA Bucks or Cash Only
• Last day for any assignments to be submitted for 1st 9 weeks (UIL gain/loss)

We’d love to have you on our team!

Are you looking for a way to get more involved in your child’s school experience? We’re currently looking for parent and guardian volunteers for the 2025–2026 school year!

There are so many ways to help — from assisting in the classroom or chaperoning field trips, to helping with school events and behind-the-scenes support. Whether you have a little time or a lot, your involvement makes a BIG difference.

💬 Interested in Volunteering?

Please contact Ms. Amber Morales for more information:

📞 254-336-3300
📧 amber.morales@killeenisd.org

Are you passionate about creating a welcoming, supportive campus for all students?

Join JDA’s Youth Sponsorship Youth (YSP), a student-led initiative bridging military and civilian communities through mentorship, service, and belonging.

Requirement:

A kind heart and an open Mind

Stop by Student Services Today!

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO!

At JDA, we believe that every student can grow when provided with structure, support, and purpose. Our Homework Centers and Open Tutorials are designed to give students a consistent space for learning, connection, and progress — before and after school.

Please take a few moments to review the expectations and reasoning behind them so we can work together to ensure every student makes the most of these opportunities.

Morning Homework Center

• Available Monday–Friday from 7:30–7:50 a.m. in the ISS Room

• Students can complete homework, study, or read quietly before school begins. Capped at 20 students.
  ✅ Why: Morning Homework Center gives students a calm, structured start to the day and helps them get caught up or stay ahead academically.

Afternoon Open Tutorials

• Start with supper: Students attending tutorials begin in the cafeteria to eat before reporting to their assigned tutorial room.
  ✅ Why: Ensuring students are fed allows them to focus better during their learning time.

• Bring something to work on: Tutorials are for active learning. Students must bring assignments, study materials, or specific questions.
  ✅ Why: We want to protect instructional time and make sure every minute benefits student growth.

• Homework Center available: Students who just need a quiet space to read or complete work can choose the Homework Center instead. Located in the ISS Room.
  ✅ Why: Not every student needs direct help from a teacher, but all students can benefit from a structured place to focus. This also open slots up for students that do need direct teacher help.

• Limited movement: Students may move between teachers only if they have an academic reason.
  ✅ Why: Reducing movement keeps sessions productive and ensures teacher time is spent helping students, not managing transitions.

• Behavior expectations: Tutorials are a privilege, not a right. If a student disrupts the learning environment or is off-task, parents will be called to pick them up. Continued concerns may result in the student losing this privilege.
  ✅ Why: Maintaining a focused, safe learning environment allows all students to succeed and teachers to provide meaningful support.

Tutorial Sign-Up Process (Ongoing)

To help with safety, organization, and accountability, all students will sign up for tutorials during supper until we find it no longer necessary.

• Each teacher will have 25 available slots per day.

• Teachers may reserve up to 10 slots for specific students who need targeted support (must communicate prior to the day of).

• At least 15 slots per teacher will remain open for same-day sign-ups.

• Students must write what they plan to work on when signing up. If they do not have a reason to attend, they do not need to sign up for that teacher.

• Teachers may redirect students if another teacher is handling a specific focus area (e.g., test makeups).
  ✅ Why: The sign-up process ensures each student gets the right help, prevents overcrowding, and protects some slots for students that MUST be in that tutorial.

Devices & Yondr Pouches

• Yondr pouches will be unlocked during supper.

• Phones must remain put away in the cafeteria and hallways.

• Students must ask their tutorial teacher for permission before using a device to contact a parent.

• Unauthorized phone use may result in the device being held until the following day.
  ✅ Why: We want to teach responsible device use while keeping tutorials a distraction-free learning time.

Dismissal

• Tutorials end promptly at 5:00 p.m.

• No movement between classrooms after 4:45 p.m.

• Students must be picked up promptly from the front of the school.

• Students not picked up on time and not enrolled in Boys & Girls Club may lose the privilege to attend tutorials.
  ✅ Why: Consistent routines and prompt pickups help ensure student safety and respect staff time. Our staff will stay with the students until they are picked up. Please be mindful and sign them up for Boys and Girls Club if you cannot pick them up by 5:05 pm.

Thank you for helping us keep JDA’s learning environment structured, supportive, and focused. By reinforcing these expectations at home, you’re helping us teach students that responsibility and readiness lead to success — both in and out of the classroom.

We’ve received reports of students riding bikes unsafely in nearby neighborhoods and around the high school parking lot. Please take a moment to remind your student to follow basic safety rules when walking or biking to and from school—look both ways before crossing, stay on sidewalks or bike paths, and avoid riding into traffic or between cars.

We love seeing our students showing independence, but their safety comes first. Thank you for helping us keep all Roadrunners safe on their way to and from JDA!

1. Log in using the email address you provided when purchasing the Family Pass.
2. Click on Tickets Icon at the bottom of the screen.
3. Select ‘My Passes’ tab at the top of the screen.
4. Select Pass you would like to use.
5. Select ‘Today’s Eligible Events’. (No events available will appear if there are not any games scheduled today)
6. Press and Hold Check-In Icon to admit each attendee.
7. Select Check-In again and repeat step 6 for up to three more attendees.

All students are expected to:

• Be in dress code
• Wear their ID
• Represent JDA well (positive behavior, good sportsmanship, etc)
• Abide by the Student Code of Conduct
• Leave by 15 minutes after the end of the event
• Keep your area tidy

Do you know a Killeen ISD staff member who exemplifies our core leadership principles?

The Heart of Gold Award honors those who prioritize people, cultivate relationships, lead with honor, embrace diversity, and inspire innovation. This award also recognizes staff who lead change, live the vision, utilize data, engineer excellence, create effective teams, invest in themselves and others, and commit to excellence. Help us celebrate those who truly embody our values and beliefs through their actions. Nominate someone today!

Heart of Gold Award Nomination Form Link (Click Here)

After 4 pm, any student that is not actively engaged in an approved after school activity will be taken to Boys and Girls Club. Students must be signed up. We suggest that everyone sign up, just in case, as life happens!

Students can be picked up from Boys and Girls Club at Door 4 (after the buses depart) by calling 254-922-1139. Save this number!

Any students that are not able to get into dress code will be asked to call their parents to bring them clothing that will get them back into dress code. Students will wait in ISS until their parents are able to bring them a change of clothes.

*Please help us keep your student in instruction and review their clothing choices before they come to school.

We are accepting donations for our clothing closet! If we are able to find something in the closet that will get your student back into class, that is our first choice, before calling parents and asking them to bring additional clothing.

CLICK HERE for a video on how to translate Smore