JCIB Middle Parent Newsletter

We had a great January at JCIB Middle School! Please encourage your student to make positive choices, not just in the classroom, but on the bus, cafeteria, hallways, etc. As a reminder, we have an E-Learning Day on February 14 and are also out the following Monday for President's Day.

Feb. 5 - Black History program

Feb. 8 - Robotics competition

Feb. 13 - Clubs

Feb. 13 - Snowball Dance

Feb. 14 - E-Learning Day (school closed)

Feb. 17 - Presidents' Day (school closed)

Feb. 20 - Scholar's Bowl

Feb. 27 - Clubs

March 10 /14 - Book fair

March 11 - end of 3rd nine weeks

March 14 - NJHS Induction Ceremony

March 24/28 - Spring Break (school closed)

JCIB Middle School students are invited to attend the annual Snowball Dance on Thursday, February 13, 2025 from 3:00-6:00pm. As a reminder, this event is for JCIB Middle School students only. Students must be picked up by 6:00pm. Dance pickup will work similar to carline pickup. Students will be asked to report to the covered awning to be picked up. The parking lot will be crowded, so please be cautious of pedestrians and other vehicles as you enter and leave the parking lot.

The Junior United Nations Assembly of Alabama (JUNA), represented as delegates from the countries of Moldova and Yemen this past week at the annual JUNA Conference in Oxford, Alabama. Both teams performed well, being two of only five countries out of the forty-two represented to receive a perfect score on their resolutions. In addition, Yemen's resolution was passed at the General Assembly, and they received an award for "Outstanding Native Dress".

We are so proud of them!

​As we begin the second semester, I want to make sure everyone understands the importance of communicating with the school regarding student absences.

In addition to typical excused absences (see list below), parents can write their own excuses for 7 excused absences each year. Excuses must be submitted within 3 days of returning to be posted as an excused. After 7 parent excuses have been submitted, further parent excuses are considered unexcused.

If an absence does not fall into the excused categories listed below, the absence will be an unexcused absence. When a student has 7 or more unexcused absences in one school year, the student can be referred to the Early Warning program. If the student continues to have additional absences, a petition can be filed with the Family Court. If a petition is filed, the parent/student will have to answer to the Family Court Judge.

MAKEUP WORK IS ONLY ALLOWED FOR EXCUSED ABSENCES.

Take a moment to read through the general list of excused absences from the district handbook below:

Absences fall into two categories: excused absences and unexcused absences.

Excused Absences: Absences from school for good reasons may be considered excused if a proper excuse is provided and the absence meets one of the Alabama State Department of Education definitions for excused absences. A general list of absences that may be considered excused are below:

1. Student illness;

2. Inclement weather which makes it dangerous to attend school;

3. Quarantine;

4. Death in the immediate family;

5. Emergency conditions as determined by the superintendent;

6. Legal: Required appearance as ordered by government agency (provide documentation from court);

7. Passport or DMV (driver license);

8. Religious Instruction:

9. Military deployments of a family member

All excuses should be emailed or brought in to Mrs. McCrary, office secretary. She can be reached at marcymccrary@jefcoed.com.

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JCIB Middle School is currently taking donations for the Grace Klein Community. Please see the pictures below for more details!

Please ensure that your student has proper shoes for PE. As a reminder, students must wear closed-toe shoes with a back on them. Thank you!

At JCIB Middle School, we believe in promoting respect, kindness, open-mindedness, and other positive behaviors. Our school will incentivize making positive choices through PBIS/House activities. Students who demonstrate exemplary behavior will be rewarded throughout the year by participating in these exciting opportunities! Student who accumulate multiple behavior infractions (i.e., defiance, cheating, tardies, etc.) or have a grade of a "D" or "F" in their classes may utilize this time to reflect on their choices and/or habits and work to develop a plan to meet expectations moving forward. It is our hope that these experiences will motivate students to make positive choices, resulting in a more fulfilling school experience.

Select members of the JCIB choir were invited to perform during the AMEA (Alabama Music Educators Association) 2025 Conference. The group performed a high range of repertoire in two and three parts and received high praises for their performance from the audience in attendance.

Yearbooks & student recognition ads are for sale! Visit our online yearbook store to purchase a yearbook and design a student recognition page to celebrate your student! Have photos from a school event? Upload them to Yearbook Snap with access code "jcib" to send them to the yearbook staff. Please contact Mrs. McCauley at hmccauley@jefcoed.com with questions.

Click HERE for more information!

Talk to your student about making positive choices regarding behavior at school and the impact that making positive choices may have on their own success. It is our belief that rewarding positive choices will negate negative choices!

The Grove for Parents is available for parent use! The Grove for Parents is designed to be a one-stop-shop for frequently referenced documents. Please consider bookmarking this resource page.

Teachers make efforts to update gradebooks in PowerSchool regularly. The best way to better understand your student's performance in a class is to check grades through the PowerSchool Parent Portal. Please access the Parent Portal by clicking the link below and setting up your account.

Parent Schoology codes have been sent out as well to parents via email. Schoology is a great resource that allows parents to be more aware of assignments, due dates, resources, etc.

Parents should receive a grade-level newsletter on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month. Please take time to review grade level expectations, upcoming assignments, highlights, and other announcements.

WIN stands for What I Need. This is a time for students to make up assessments, get a head start on homework, study, do research, read, or complete service entries in Managebac.

WIN is a great time to practice self-management & organization skills! Here are a few of our favorite tips:
1. Set goals that are challenging and realistic

2. Plan short and long-term assignments - break big tasks into smaller chunks

3. Use a planner to help make sure you meet deadlines

4. Make a plan to prepare for summative assessments and end of unit tasks - don’t wait until the last minute!

All classrooms are equipped with a class set of Chromebooks. All students will have access to a Chromebook during the school day when determined by the teacher. If you have specific questions about Chromebooks, please contact our media specialist at hmccauley@jefcoed.com.

Please encourage your student to get to class on time. In middle school, tardies are often a result of disorganization and socialization. It can be helpful to look at their binder and backpack together to ensure they are organized and knowledgeable of where their materials for each class are located. Students who accumulate 9 or more tardies per semester may be withheld from participating in PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports)/House activities, such as our annual Turkey Bowl and March Madness competition. We want our students to develop healthy habits that will set them up for long-term academic and personal success. Tardies will also be addressed according to Jefcoed Student and Parent Handbook.

Breakfast and lunch is provided free of charge for all Jefcoed students during the 24/25 school year! Students will only have to pay if they purchase extra items. If you will purchasing extra items, please send a check or make a deposit in your students account because charging lunch (negative balance) is not allowed. Here is the link to the online payment platform. You can contact our cafeteria manager by emailing tscoggins@jefcoed.com.

Students are expected to keep backpacks, purses, and other bags (i.e., messenger bags) in their locker. The policy, developed through teacher feedback and collaboration, serves multiple purposes. Removing backpacks and purses from the classroom learning environment increases the level of safety for all students; while also increasing engagement throughout the classroom setting. Historically, students use backpacks and purses to conceal their cell phones in class, thus, creating unnecessary distractions and potentially unsafe situations.

Please read this section carefully, as student safety is our highest priority.

An adult will be directing traffic during morning arrival and afternoon dismissal.

Morning procedures:

Both cars and buses will utilize one line in the morning for student drop-off. A teacher will be present in the morning to direct traffic starting at 7:20. Students may not be dropped off until that time. Please do not drive around buses after you drop your student off, as this poses a safety threat to students and drivers. Lastly, please only drop off your student in the arrival line, not the parking lot.

Dismissal procedures:

Buses will begin lining up in a single-file line for dismissal at approximately 2:30. If you arrive prior to the buses, please allow space at the front of the school for the buses to get around you. Behind the buses cars will form two lines. Once bus riders are dismissed, teachers will direct traffic. They are trained to get students in their vehicles safely, so please pay close attention to their directions when going through the car line. We kindly ask that all parents picking up students by car come through the car line, and not park in the parking lot. Your help during dismissal is greatly appreciated and helps us ensure that students are dismissed safely to their vehicles. Car riders must be picked up at 3:20.

Electronic devices should be powered off and placed in their locker until school is dismissed. Cell phones, smart watches, earbuds, etc., are not allowed in classrooms unless the student is given direct permission from the teacher. Students with a cell phone or other electronic device in their possession will have their device taken to the front office, and a parent will be contacted. Students with emergencies may make a phone call from the front office. Some students may not have lockers for the first few days of school. In that case, students should have their cell phone powered off and placed in their backpack.

The following practice is utilized by JCIB administrators when addressing cell phones:

1st offense - The cell phone is held in the front office until the end of the day, and the parent is contacted.

2nd offense - The cell phone is held in the front office, and a parent/guardian must pick the device up from the school.

At this time, all students should have a district-issued Chromebook.

Bus Transportation and Behavior Requirements

Buses are scheduled to arrive and depart at the scheduled times. If bus arrival or departure times change, communication will take place via district communication platforms. Buses may not stop to pick up students once they begin moving from the pickup location. Parents, under no circumstance should a vehicle be used to prevent a bus from pulling off. Also, the bus should never be followed with the expectation that it will stop to pick a student up anywhere other than the designated bus stop. It may take several days for bus route times to become more exact, as back-to-school traffic often impacts our commute times.

All students are expected to follow bus rules. A failure to follow bus rules may result in a bus suspension. Please encourage your student to follow bus rules and expectations so all students have a safe and supportive ride to and from school. There are many things that students can do on the bus to create a positive and safe environment, including:

• homework
• read a book
• listen to music (with headphone)
• talk calmly to seatmates
• etc.

Students may not scream, throw objects, put hands on one another, change seats while the bus is in motion, turn around in their seats, use profanity, leave messes, etc. Please access the Jefferson County Code of Conduct for specific behavior requirements on the bus.

Turning in work on time is an essential habit of a successful student. All teachers will utilize the same late work policy, regardless of grade level or subject.

If making a payment to the school with a check, please review the following guidelines:

• We have bus stops at various locations throughout the county that parents transport their students to each morning and pick them up from each afternoon. Our current bus schedule is shared above so you can see the stops. Locations and times are subject to change.
• If your student will be transported to school by car, drop-off begins at 7:20 am and pickup concludes by 3:20 pm each day.

• Email is by far the easiest way to reach an administrator or coordinator if you have questions. You'll find all of our contact information at the bottom of this newsletter.
• Email is also the easiest way for us to share information with you, so please check the email you shared with us regularly.
• Next year's school calendar is shared below for your convenience.

Lori Lightsey, Principal

Michael Cloninger, Asst Principal

Lauren Brown, MYP Coordinator

April Miller, DP Coordinator

Pleasant Grove Campus - 379-5280

Shades Valley Campus - 379-5356