The Johnson Voice

Dear Lyman T. Johnson Traditional Middle School Families,

As the leaves turn and paint our surroundings with beautiful shades of fall, the energy and enthusiasm throughout LJTMS continue to uplift and energize our school community.

We are thrilled to share several recent highlights that brought our families and staff together. Red Ribbon Week was a joyful success, filled with spirit and fun for both students and staff. One of the most memorable moments was Friday’s Book Character day—check out the photo of a student, our librarian, and me dressed like "Where's Waldo"! Our 5th Grade Open House was another fantastic opportunity to engage with families. The building was beautifully decorated, and we had meaningful conversations about all the great things happening at Johnson. And we’re looking forward to our upcoming Fall Festival, a wonderful family engagement event where we hope to see every Jaguar family involved in the celebration.

At Johnson, our traditional program continues to be the foundation of our academic and character development. We are proud to uphold high standards in academics, citizenship, and leadership, while fostering a culture of excellence that prepares students for success in middle school and beyond.

I’m also excited about the continued growth of our LEGACY program, which is embedded in our related arts curriculum and designed to spark student interest in future careers. This year, we’ve added a Career Choices class to further expand hands-on learning and exploration, especially in engineering and health care.

In November, students who are early defenders will begin presenting their learning through Journey to Success defenses. These experiences help build confidence, critical thinking, and communication skills—key components of student growth.

As always, our success depends on strong partnerships. I encourage every family to join our PTSA and be an active part of our school community. Your involvement makes a lasting impact, and together, we can ensure that every Jaguar thrives.

Thank you for your continued support and trust. Let’s embrace this season of growth, reflection, and achievement—together.

Warm regards,

Dr. Branch
Principal, Lyman T. Johnson Traditional Middle School

We will be making changes to our dismissal procedures after fall break. We will start on October 6th. Over the course of this school year, as we factor in the coming seasonal changes, we have decided to return to our dismissal procedure from last year. Below are the details of the dismissal plan, along with a linked YouTube video.

Dismissal from School:

• 2:10 PM - Bus Riders will be dismissed

  • Buses will be parked on Jaguar Drive, which is in front of the school's main entrance. Car riders WILL NOT be allowed to park on Jaguar Drive BEFORE dismissal.

• 2:15 PM - Buses exit, Car Riders and Walkers Dismissed

• Buses exit the school onto Wilson Ave.

• After buses exit, car riders will be allowed to enter Jaguar Drive at Wilson Ave and pick up their student at the main school entrance. Car riders will exit onto Ormsby Ave.

• Walkers will exit the walker gate that faces Wilson Ave. This gate will be locked at 2:20 PM

This year, our curriculum includes High-Quality Instructional Resources (HQIR) to support strong teaching and learning across all subjects. In addition, we are transitioning to Standards-Based Grade Reporting.

Student performance will be reported on the following scale:

• 4 – Meeting Mastery

• 3 – Approaching

• 2 – Developing

• 1 – Beginning

Each team will communicate with families through a newsletter outlining how students can earn their desired rating. This approach allows families to see how students are progressing toward mastery of grade-level standards and provides more detailed feedback on learning.

Journey to Success is a developmental framework that defines Jefferson County Public Schools’ (JCPS) shift to transformational, student-driven learning. Created to empower students to explore their interests, showcase their learning, and develop the skills they need to thrive, Journey to Success builds upon the JCPS Backpack of Success Skills, which launched in 2018.

Click for more information.

Student-led conferences are now complete! Our 8th-grade students are beginning their defense preparations, a meaningful process that encourages them to reflect on their middle school experience, showcase their growth, and prepare to present their achievements later this year.

Here are the Journey to Success Skills:

• Prepared and Resilient Learner - Acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to adapt and thrive in life.

• Productive Collaborator - Promoting teamwork and collaboration to achieve common goals.

• Emerging Innovator - Encouraging creativity and problem-solving to drive innovation.

• Effective Communicator - Building strong communication skills that are vital to success.

• Globally & Culturally Competent Citizen - Fostering an understanding and appreciation of different cultures and perspectives.

Our Legacy Pathways continue to provide students with hands-on learning experiences that prepare them for future success. This year, we are proud to offer engaging opportunities in:

• Design and Modeling – Students explore the world of engineering and innovation by applying problem-solving skills, creating prototypes, and learning the foundations of design.

• Health Sciences – Students are introduced to the medical field, gaining knowledge of healthcare practices, teamwork, and career pathways in the health industry.

• Career choices – Students explore their interests, strengths, and future goals while learning about different career paths and the skills needed to succeed in them.

These pathways allow students to connect their classroom learning to real-world applications while building skills that will benefit them in high school, college, and beyond.

We are proud to offer a wide variety of opportunities for students to explore and showcase their creativity through the arts.

• Musical Arts – Students may choose to participate in Band, Orchestra, or Choir, building their skills in performance, collaboration, and musical expression.

• Visual Arts – Students develop their artistic talents through drawing, painting, and other creative mediums while learning to think critically and express ideas visually.

We are proud of our young Jags for follwoing our schoolwide expectations while we uphold the tenets of the traditional program: Character, Integrity, Dignity, and High Achievement. To that end, we want to ensure that families and the community know our that our students are Respectful, Orangized, Accountable, Resilient. These are our ROAR expectations that we follow in all areas of the school building. Connected below are several policies that support our tenets and positively impact our students.

Our school uses a school-wide incentive program where students can earn points and redeem them for preferred items or activities.

We ask for your support in reminding students to wear their badges each day as part of our dress code and for safety purposes. If a badge is lost or damaged, the replacement cost is $5.00, and a lanyard costs $2.00.

• High School Application Window: November 3rd – December 19th
  Students and families can now begin applying for high school! If you need assistance with the application process, please contact Ms. Knox at emily.knox@jefferson.kyschools.us.

• Central High School “Future Yellowjacket Night” – Wednesday, November 6th | 6:00–8:00 PM
  Don’t miss this opportunity to learn more about Central’s programs and student life!

• Honor Roll Celebration – Wednesday, November 5th
  Congratulations to all students who made the Grading Period 1 Honor Roll! We’re proud of your hard work and success.

• Grading Period 2 Progress Reports – Friday, November 21st
  Progress reports will be sent home to keep families informed about student performance.

• Extended School Services (ESS) – Begins Thursday, November 6th
  ESS is a great opportunity for students to receive extra academic support. Encourage your student to take advantage of this resource!

• Fall Festival – Saturday, November 15th
  Join us for an evening of fun and community at our annual Fall Festival! Families are invited to enjoy games, activities, and entertainment as we celebrate the season together.

• Additionally, MAP testing begins November 17th, 2025—please ensure your students are well rested and ready to do their best!

We have spirit wear for sale and there is more to come. Please reach out to Mr. Founder, if interested at che.founder@jefferson.kyschools.us.

You can also order spirit wear during from our flash store: https://www.four15store.com/johnson.html