Jaguar Journal

Vision: Empowering every learner through excellence, belonging, and growth to become active community members who will thrive in high school and beyond.

Mission: In partnership with our parents and community, Jefferson Middle School is committed to preparing learners to achieve academic excellence and success in life through high expectations, appropriate support, and continuous growth. By cultivating an environment where every individual belongs, we will empower all learners to expand their capacity and become active participants in their communities.

Drop Off/Pick Up: You can drop off your students in the circle drive in the morning. Please make sure that your student is ready to get out and that you keep the flow of traffic moving. You should not be dropping your student off in any parking lot in the morning. For pick up you cannot park in the circle drive. You must pickup on Crescent or Sangamon.

Visitors: When you are visiting the school please make sure you have your ID. Once you are buzzed in the school, please report to the main office with your ID and one of our secretaries will provide you with a visitors badge. The safety of our staff and students is our top priority and this process helps ensure that. If you are simply just checking your student in or out, you can go to the Attendance Office.

Student IDs: If a student loses their ID, they will need to get a new one at a cost of $2. New IDs can be purchased in the main office during their lunch time. IDs will not be sold during or after dismissal time.

Community Events: Here is the link on the Unit 4 website of different events happening in our community. This will be updated each month so please be sure to check it out.

• November 4, Picture Re-take

• November 13, Fall Dance

• November 25-27, Thanksgiving Break

JMS Families, our Fall Student Tropical Party (Social/Dance) is coming up on Friday, November 13th, 6-8pm (note the date change). See the details on the flyer here for your student to attend and click on the sign-up genius link if you'd like to donate supplies, help set-up, or chaperone! Also, we're on the hunt for a DJ for this event! If you know of a local DJ or student DJ-in-training who might want to volunteer their time to hone their skills or advertise their services, please reach out to the PTSA. We have some equipment they could use if needed.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084AA4AB2EA4F5C07-66995529-jmsfall

Here is the link to the 6th grade homework sheet. This is a great tool to help support your 6th grader with work they might need to do at home!

Calling the attendance office procedures:

Attendance Office Secretary: Lisa Madden

Phone number: 217-351-3786

Email: maddenli@u4sd.org

Enter absence in ParentVue.

Other option: call or email Mrs. Madden and leave a message. Please include the following information:

1. Student name- If a voice message, please spell out the student’s last name.

2. Reason for absence

3. Guardian name

4. Call back number

*In middle school, students are required to complete any work missed due to excused or unexcused absences, or their grade will be negatively affected.

Lunch time at the Middle School is a time where students can eat (lunch is free for all K-8 Unit 4 students), socialize appropriately, and take a "brain break" from their school day.

Please note: Students are not allowed to order from food delivery services during their lunch times because they cannot exit building doors to retrieve the items. IF food is ordered (by either the student OR family) and delivered in the Main Office, your students will not receive their food order. Thank you for understanding. Food deliveries cause multiple challenges for our staff, so we appreciate your adherence to this request.

Keep up to date with Jefferson Athletics on Facebook! Follow for try-outs announcements and schedules/game updates!

If you would like to purchase some Jefferson Apparel take a look at our school store!! The store has a large variety and you can order ANYTIME. Just click on the picture below to start your shopping!

• When dropping your student off in the morning you may drop off in the circle drive or anywhere around Jefferson. Please me mindful to not block traffic in the morning. All students will enter through the main entrance of Jefferson.

• During pick up DO NOT park in the circle drive. MTD and district buses park in the circle drive starting at 2:20. We dismiss at 2:35 and students can exit using their nearest exit of the building.

• Parking in the staff parking lots to drop off and/or pick up your student before or after school is NOT ALLOWED. If you are dropping off your student before school for practice or rehearsal, you must drop them off in the circle drive, and they have to enter through the main entrance Do not pull through the service drive.

• Do NOT BLOCK TRAFFIC FLOW IN AND OUT of the circle drive at any time
  

Governor Pritzker has signed into law a cell phone ban in Illinois schools.

Jefferson Middle School will be following our Unit 4 School Board Policy regarding Cell Phone usage. Please review the Cell Phone & Electronic Device Guidelines with your student(s).

We encourage you to speak with your student(s) about cell phones. Cell phones will not be aloud at any point throughout the day at Jefferson, this includes lunch. Cell Phones will required to be placed in the student locker.

Is your student concerned about their safety or the safety of others? Securly is a program the district uses for students to report issues around safety. Students can access this program through email, phone, website or app. See below for access information.

• Download the Securly Tipline app from the App Store or Google Play

• Call or text 1-833-300-STOP

• Email tipline@securly.com

• Follow this link: securly.com/tip

Champaign Unit 4 uses Synergy as our Student Information System.

Synergy will serve as the central platform for grades, attendance, scheduling, and more for families, students, and staff. To access this information families and students will use ParentVUE and StudentVUE, Synergy’s modern, user-friendly web and app-based portals.

Visit the Unit 4 Synergy Webpage for more information.

The following are the names and contact information for the administrators and counselors who will be working with each grade level. They will be your first point of contact for any student concerns, questions, etc. that should arise.

• Principal: Kyle Freeman (freemaky@u4sd.org)

• Associate Principal: Jeremy Wills (willsje@u4sd.org)

• 6th Grade:

• Bruce Wachowski, Assistant Principal (wachowbr@u4sd.org)

• Todd Griffith, Counselor (griffito@u4sd.org)

• 7th Grade:

• Dr. Mark Butler, Dean of Students (butlerma@u4sd.org)

• Jessica Joyner, Counselor (joynerje@u4sd.org)

• 8th Grade:

• Taylor Foltz, Athletic Director/Dean (foltzta@u4sd.org
• Abby Fadelle, Counselor (fadellab@u4sd.org)
• MTSS Counselor: Jake Carlisle, Counselor (carlisja@u4sd.org)