Longhorn Ledger

Mid-Quarter Progress Reports: A Valuable Opportunity to Support Student Success!

Quarter 1 Progress Reports will be posted on Friday, September 18th.

Mid-quarter progress reports provide an important opportunity for parents and students to review academic performance together and identify areas of strength as well as opportunities for improvement. Taking time now to discuss grades, missing assignments, and classroom expectations can help students stay on track before the end of the grading period.

If you have questions about your child’s performance or would like guidance on how to help improve a grade, please contact the classroom teacher directly. Teachers are the best resource for information about assignments, assessments, and strategies for student success. Counselors and administrators can provide support when needed, but questions regarding academic progress should begin with the teacher.

Quarter 1 report cards will be released on October 16, which means students still have approximately four weeks remaining to improve their grades. By reviewing progress reports now and working closely with teachers, families can take advantage of this valuable opportunity to support student achievement before final Quarter 1 grades are issued.

Important Reminders:

• Florida Heat: Remind student to dress comfortably and bring a water bottle to stay hydrated.
• Car Loop Tips: Arrive early, avoid using phones, and follow staff directions for safety. Use the interior lane only for drop-off/pick-up, and remember parents are prohibited from using the school road between JLMS and WRES to drop-off/pick-up their children.
• State Mandated Testing: We will continue on with our FAST PM1 Testing, please refer to the updated information that Mrs. Coker has been sending out.
• Student Phone Usage: In accordance with an update in Florida state legislative policy, grades Pre-K through 8 students who bring WCDs to school must ensure that they remain on silent mode and completely out of view for the entire school day. These expectations also apply to extracurricular and co-curricular activities that occur before or after the school day.
• Student Dress Code: Students’ shirts must have straps and extend to the waist (no halter tops, crop tops, sports bras as tops). Tops should have straps that completely cover undergarments; top or bottom undergarments should not be visible. Tops should have material that extends from armpit to armpit. Some v-neck shirts are inappropriate to wear to school. Bottoms should be long enough to cover the buttocks. Students found in violation of the dress code policy will not be permitted to return to class until they change their clothes. Students understand the rules and should make good choices.

• Horseplay: Please talk to your students about avoiding horseplay. It can lead to accidents or injuries, and we want to keep everyone safe.
  

With Appreciation,
JLMS Administration

P.S. Watch for weekly editions of our newsletter via MyStudent, social media, and our JLMS website

Do you know a staff member at Dr. John Long Middle School who goes above and beyond? Whether it's a teacher, coach, counselor, or support staff, we want to hear about it! Submit your shout out and help us celebrate the amazing people who make our school special—your message might even be featured on the school website!

Calling all JLMS student artists! Reflections is a fun opportunity to take a theme, make it your own, and express yourself through dance, music, film, literature, photography, or visual art.

This year’s theme is “What My Culture Means to Me.”

There’s no “right” way to create—just your ideas, your creativity, and your unique perspective! Reflections is all about having fun, exploring the arts, building confidence, and sharing what inspires you. And who knows? Your artwork could even move on for recognition at the state or national level! 🏆

Ready to create? Get inspired, make something YOU love, and enter your work by October 30!

Email submissions: JLMSPTSA1@gmail.com
Or submit physical entries to Mrs. Biamonte

You don’t have to be an artist to participate—you just have to have something to say! 🎭🎶📸✍️

Every reflections participate will receive a medal and an invitation to our awards dinner.

More info and entry forms here:
https://jlms.givebacks.com/w/reflections

For the safety and supervision of all students, please remember that students are not permitted on campus before 8:40 AM. The front gates will not open until 8:50 AM, and there will be no staff available to supervise students prior to that time.

We kindly ask families to plan accordingly to ensure students arrive no earlier than 8:40 AM. Thank you for helping us maintain a safe and secure environment for everyone.

Did you know you can help show a JLMS faculty or staff member just how much they’re appreciated by gifting them a PTSA membership?

For just $7, your donation will provide a JLMS PTSA membership to a deserving faculty or staff member for the 2026–2027 school year.

Together, we can make sure our amazing JLMS faculty and staff feel supported, valued, and part of our PTSA family! 🤍

Purchase here:

https://jlms.givebacks.com/shop

Hello,

Pasco County Schools is committed to reducing absenteeism and increasing student achievement outcomes. That’s why this year we will be increasing awareness around the importance of attendance—with the goal of strengthening our collective responsibility to make sure students are learning every day. We’re implementing new procedures with tracking, interventions, and supports to meet this goal.

For parents, absences will need to be reported via your PascoOne Parent Portal.

To submit an absence:

1. Log in to your PascoOne Parent Portal.

2. Navigate to the Forms section.

3. Complete and submit the Absence Reporting Form for approval.

For step-by-step instructions and helpful resources, please visit: www.pasco.k12.fl.us/attendance/absence

In addition, we’ll be sharing attendance facts and tips on our new Attend and Achieve webpage all year long!

Attendance is foundational to student success. If you have any questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact your school’s office.

Thank you.

There are two ways to drop off/pick up your student in the AM & PM: pulling up in the interior lane of car loop or parking in a space where students cross in the crosswalk.

*The school road between JLMS & WRES and the street corners at the Ridge may NOT be used to drop off or pick up students. This is a major safety issue.*

IMPORTANT: Parents/Guardians should stay in the interior lane of the car loop closest to the sidewalk and pull all the way forward to the front of the car loop which is located right across from the band room. Students may only exit from the passenger side of the vehicle. Parents may not allow students to exit vehicles in the exterior lane closest to the lot spaces. This is a major safety issue. Parents may also park in the parking lot and walk their child to the crosswalk. A staff member will safely cross your child to the sidewalk. Student drop off begins at 8:50 am.

As we prepare to start the new school year, I want to remind everyone of the importance of

pedestrian safety at the start of the school day and at dismissal. This is especially important this school year, as we expect to have more students walking and riding bikes to school with the elimination of courtesy busing.

If you drive your student to school, please be extra careful in the school zone near our campus.

Students are often in a rush to get to school and they are often distracted, so drivers should

exercise a heightened sense of awareness.

Please join us in reminding your student of some basic rules of pedestrian safety.

•We will not have a crossing guard assigned to our school this year, so our students

should always use the marked crosswalks in front of our school.

• Do not cut between cars that are stopped in front of school.

• Phones should not be used in the car line. Eliminate distractions while crossing the street. Earbuds or earphones should be taken

off. Avoid reading or sending texts while crossing.

• Make eye contact with drivers to ensure that they see you before you cross the street.

With patience and with a commitment to following some simple safety rules drivers, cyclists,

and walkers can get where they need to go safely and on time.

• ONE WALLET Powered by Rycor

  Interested in paying for things such as students fees, yearbooks, and field trips online in the comfort of your own home with a credit card?

  Then follow the steps below to get started. Your Pasco ONE Parent Portal is also necessary to view your child’s attendance, progress reports, and report cards.

  
  

  ONE WALLET Powered by Rycor is a secure, streamlined system (replacing Acorn) and enables parents to add school purchases to their shopping cart for multiple children at different schools, and complete transactions through the use of a credit card.

  Step 1: Set up a Pasco ONE Parent Portal Account
  *In order to use ONE WALLET (see Step 2) you need to give the system 24 hours to link your Parent Portal account to the Rycor system*

  
  

  Step 2: Student Fees/Rycor (24 hours after initial set up in Pasco ONE Parent Portal)

  • Go to https://www.studentquickpay.com/pasco/
  • In the blue Parent Account Activation box, select “Continue”
  • Enter the email address associated with your Parent Portal account and select “send email”
  • This will generate an email that prompts you to activate your account
  • Open your email and click the link
  • Continue by creating your password and activating your account
  • Once this is completed, you can view fees and items that can be purchased

  
  

  Step 3: Ready to Use

  • Sign into your Pasco ONE Parent Portal and look for ONE Wallet

  
  

Website: https://jlms.pasco.k12.fl.us/
Location: 2025 Mansfield Boulevard, Wesley Chapel, FL 33543, USA
Phone: (813) 346-6200
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJohnLongMiddleSchool
Twitter: @JLMSlonghorns