Rolling in the Know

Thank you for choosing the Jackson Local School District to enroll your child! We are excited to work with you to make sure your child succeeds. Our goal at Jackson Local is to nurture and challenge our students so they become lifelong learners and confident leaders. We believe education is a partnership, and we know you are an expert when it comes to your child. We hope you will share your expertise with us. We look forward to standing alongside you and sharing your child’s success in the years ahead. Again, thank you for choosing Jackson Local.

The first marking period ends this Friday, Oct. 23. Please encourage your student to check for any missing assignments and turn in outstanding work this week. Families can follow grades anytime through Home Access Center. Reach out to your student's teacher directly, and thank you for partnering with us through a great first nine weeks. Go Polar Bears!

Fresh off a 30–14 win over Canton McKinley, our Polar Bears (7–2) host Hoover this Friday, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. at Robert Fife Stadium — and with a win, Jackson can clinch the outright Federal League championship for the first time since 2001. Let's pack Fife Stadium with purple and cheer them on! Get your tickets here: Hoover game tickets. Go Polar Bears!

Jackson High School students are bringing Grease: School Version to the Jackson Center for Performing Arts! Join us for familiar songs, energetic performances and a chance to support our student cast and crew.

Tickets are on sale now. Last year’s show sold out, so we encourage families to purchase tickets now!

Performances:

• November 12 and 14 at 7 p.m.

• November 15 at 2 p.m.

This year’s poster features original artwork by JSA senior Caitlyn Graham—another way students are contributing their talents to the production.

Thank you for supporting the students and staff who make these performances possible. We look forward to seeing you at the show!

What a start to the school year for Polar Bear athletics! This past weekend, our boys and girls cross country teams both won Federal League titles, joining four other league championship teams this fall (volleyball, girls soccer, girls tennis, boys golf). Football's 30–14 win over Canton McKinley guarantees Jackson at least a share of the league title, with an outright championship — our seventh of nine fall league titles — on the line Friday against Hoover at Fife Stadium.

Congratulations to our athletes and coaches, and thank you to our families and fans whose support makes seasons like this possible. Go Polar Bears!

The SmartSocial Digital Citizen resource has become an essential tool for Jackson Local School District, helping families make safer, smarter decisions in today’s digital world. Jackson Memorial Middle School parents lead the way with the most parents registered to utilize SmartSocial, followed by Jackson High School.

Activating your membership, provided by Jackson Local Schools, is easy. Just visit this link or click the button below.

Popular resources — like the BAND App Guide for Parents, Screen Time Tips for Better Sleep, and YouTube and Tweens: Tips for Families to Use YouTube Safely — give families easy-to-follow tools to guide their children through apps, games, and social media platforms safely.

Founded by digital safety expert Josh Ochs, SmartSocial emphasizes positive digital citizenship. Students are taught not just to avoid risk, but to build a thoughtful and respectful online presence that reflects well on their futures.

In short, SmartSocial helps our students and parents feel more confident, connected, and in control of their digital lives—an increasingly important skill in today’s tech-driven world.

REGISTER FOR LIVE EVENTS, AND WIN PRIZES

October 28th

When Screens Turn Mean: Combat Online Bullying & Support Positive Student Behavior

Sometimes the first sign of cyberbullying is small: a child stops checking a group chat, seems upset after looking at their phone, or pulls back from friends.

Join this impactful workshop to learn how to spot the signs of cyberbullying, tips to protect your child, and build a safer digital future together.

The Jackson Local School District has added an Emergency Information webpage that will serve as a landing page to update our parents, guardians, and stakeholders of emergent situations in our buildings. The page is populated with helpful resources to parents and instructions. Please take time to visit the page using the button below.

We invite our students, families, and staff to check out Ask Jax, a new AI chatbot on the Jackson Local website that is designed to make finding information quicker and easier. Powered by Finalsite, our website provider, Ask Jax uses information already available on our district website to help guide users to the resources they need.

As with any new technology, there may be a learning curve as people begin using it and as the tool continues to improve. We encourage you to give Ask Jax a try and see how it works for you. Users also have the opportunity to share feedback, which will help us continue to improve the experience for everyone.

Please see the photos below for additional guidance on how to use Ask Jax.

The chatbot is found in the lower right-hand corner of the screen. Click on the message bubble.

Ask your question and wait for "Ask Jax" to find your answer.

There are plenty of new opportunities to find enrichment opportunities for your children. Be sure to check out the postings on our Student Enrichment Page, located here or click the button below.

The materials provided herein are solely for informational purposes and do not constitute an endorsement by the Jackson Local School District of any individuals or organizations involved nor of the messages conveyed within these materials. Absent a specific and express statement to the contrary, please be advised that the activities promoted by these materials do not have an affiliation with, nor are they sponsored or endorsed by, the Jackson Local School District.

We’d like to clarify that youth sports programs and non-profit youth organizations for students in grades K–6 are not part of the extracurricular programs offered by the Jackson Local School District. These activities are organized and run independently by volunteers within our community.

In some cases, youth sports leagues receive support from high school athletic booster clubs, but it’s important to note that these booster organizations collaborate with, rather than operate under, the Jackson Local School District.

We’re grateful to our community volunteers and booster organizations for providing these opportunities that help young athletes learn, grow, and build #PolarBearPride from an early age.

We know families are looking for opportunities to get kids involved in new activities. To make things easier, here are answers to some common questions about our Community Flyer and Student Enrichment page.

Q: Does the district endorse or recommend organizations that appear on the community flyer page?

A: No. The page includes a disclaimer stating that the information provided is for reference only and does not represent an endorsement or sponsorship by the Jackson Local School District. Unless noted otherwise, activities listed are not affiliated with or sponsored by the district.

Q: Does the district background check individuals associated with those posting flyers.

A: The district only conducts BCI/FBI background checks on board-approved employees and volunteers. For outside organizations, parents and caregivers should contact those groups directly to ask about their background check procedures.

Q: How does a flyer get posted on this page?

A: Please visit the JLSD and Community Flyer page here, and complete the form on that page. Flyers must offer opportunities that enrich students’ experiences to be considered for posting.

Q: Who can submit a flyer?
A: Community groups, non-profit organizations, and educational partners may submit flyers. For-profit businesses may be considered if their programs provide direct enrichment opportunities for students.

Q: Is there a cost to post a flyer?

A: No. There is no charge for organizations to submit a flyer for consideration.

Q: How long will my flyer remain posted?
A: Flyers are typically posted until the event date passes or for 30 days, whichever comes first. If you would like your flyer posted for a longer period, please include that request in your submission.

Q: Are electronic versions of the flyers the only way information is shared?
A: Yes. To reduce paper use and streamline communication, all approved flyers are posted digitally on the district’s Community Flyer webpage.

RiverTree Church in Jackson Township organizes the Backpack Food Program and coordinates the distribution with Jackson Local Schools. The program helps more than 200 Jackson Local students. The program aims to send home a variety of easy-to-prepare meals and snacks for students over the weekend. There is no income requirement to participate in the program. The bags are delivered to the schools.

Material and financial donations can be made to RiverTree to support this initiative. The program has immediate needs for:

The safety and security of our students and staff is our top priority, and timely communication with parents and guardians is essential. We want to ensure that families stay informed in a clear, consistent, and efficient manner. Our district uses a mass notification system to send important messages through three primary methods: phone calls, text messages, and emails.

To prioritize urgency, we classify these communications as follows:

- **Phone Calls:** Reserved for the most urgent notifications. This is our highest priority method for critical updates.

- **Text Messages:** Used for important updates that may not require an immediate call, but still require prompt attention.

- **Emails:** Sent for general updates or follow-up information that does not need urgent action.

In many cases, you may receive a communication through all three channels for maximum accessibility. However, if you happen to miss an urgent all-call from the district, or if your voicemail box is full and cannot receive our message, we ask that you avoid calling district offices directly. Instead, you can view the same message on our district’s website, where urgent notifications are posted as alerts.

This process ensures our staff can focus on the safety and security efforts in progress, without the additional burden of managing incoming calls. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding as we work together to keep our schools safe and keep you informed.

Thank you for partnering with us to make sure every student’s safety is supported.

Are you or someone you know looking for information on preschools in the Jackson Local School District area? Check out our preschool information page for more information.

Don't miss out! Local Jackson area preschool programs are accepting registrations now. Help your child develop socially, emotionally, and academically with an enriching program. When your child enrolls, they aren't just kindergarten ready, they're JACKSON KINDERGARTEN READY! Tuition reduction is available for those who qualify. Visit our preschool webpage to learn more and register today:

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The materials provided herein are solely for informational purposes and do not constitute an endorsement by the Jackson Local School District of any individuals or organizations involved nor of the messages conveyed within these materials. Absent a specific and express statement to the contrary, please be advised that the information promoted by these materials do not have an affiliation with, nor are they sponsored or endorsed by, the Jackson Local School District.

The Jackson High School sports season is upon us with student-athletes participating. If you would like to take in a game, please scan the QR code to see our spring sports schedules or click/touch here.

For the second year in a row all six Jackson Local Schools (Amherst, Lake Cable, Sauder and Strausser Elementary Schools, Jackson Memorial Middle School, and Jackson High School) have been recognized as a best school by U.S. News & World Report. This is a an awesome national recognition by our schools. It is a testament to the collaboration between our schools, teachers, students, parents, and families. Thank you for your partnership in educating your child(ren)!

In order to purchase tickets to Jackson High School sporting events or pay athletic-related fees, you can do by visiting this website. The ticketing link remains the same, however, there has been a slight change to the location of that site on JacksonPolarBears.org. Please see the illustration below on how to navigate to this site from our athletic website.

The Home Access Center portal has been activated for all Jackson students. Parents should create their own accounts to access the portal. Please take a look at the video tutorial below for how to create your account.

Technical issues should be directed to your child's school.

The Jackson Local School District started an initiative this school year to share resources and tips with our parents. We are providing more resources from our district mental health partners. We hope you find value in these resources from our mental health experts.

You can use the link below to our anonymous reporting system through Sandy Hook. Simply type in Jackson High School or Jackson Middle School and select the school for which you a reporting a tip.

Within the intent of the federal statutes (Rehabilitation Act of 1973-section 504 and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act IDEA-public law 105-17), the Jackson Local School District continues its effort to locate and identify children with disabilities from birth through age 21. Children with disabilities have physical, emotional, and or mental impairments that may require special education. Public schools provide free and appropriate education regardless of a child’s disability. However, before these children can be served, they must be found. Many of these children are not visible because they may not function in the community’s mainstream, and many are preschoolers. Parents may not realize that programs and services are available through their school district or from agencies in their community. If you are aware of a child who may need a special education program or services, contact Kathy Brand, Jackson Local School District’s Special Programs Director with any question you may have regarding the above notice at 330-830-8006.

Striving for Excellence

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Superintendent: Christopher DiLoreto

Board of Education:

Lia Jones, Esq., president

Scott Gindlesberger, vice president

Christopher V. Goff, Esq.,

Robert Hite

Thomas W. Winkhart, Esq.

Email: contactus@jackson.sparcc.org

Website: https://www.jackson.stark.k12.oh.us/
Location: 7602 Fulton Drive Northwest, Massillon, OH, USA
Phone: (330) 830-8000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JacksonLocalSchools
Twitter: @JacksonLocal_SD