Tiger Talk vol.9

Dear Parents, Guardians, and Students:

Welcome back to another exciting school year at Jackson Middle School! As I begin my second year as principal, I want to thank you for the trust, partnership, and support you showed throughout my first year. Together, we laid a strong foundation, learned from one another, celebrated many accomplishments, and made meaningful progress. While we are proud of how far we've come, we also recognize that there is still important work ahead.

This year, our focus is simple: continue raising the bar while ensuring every student has the opportunity to succeed. We will continue challenging students academically, fostering positive relationships, and building a culture where responsibility, perseverance, and respect are evident every day. But this work cannot be accomplished within the walls of our school alone. Student success is strongest when we work together as one team. We need everyone on board; parents and guardians, grandparents, aunts and uncles, coaches, mentors, neighbors, and every adult who plays a role in the lives of our Jackson students. Together, we can create a community that encourages our students to work hard, make positive choices, and push boundaries. Together, we will strive for excellence.

Over the summer, Jackson MS experienced a few administrative transitions that we would like to share with our school community. First, we want to congratulate Mr. Major-Winston on his appointment as the new Principal of Dickinson Fine Arts Academy. During his time at Jackson, he made a meaningful impact on our students, staff, and families, and we are grateful for his leadership and dedication. We also want to extend our sincere gratitude to Ms. Pugh for her years of service and commitment to Jackson Middle School. As she begins her well-earned retirement, we thank her for the care and dedication she showed our students and school community. We wish her happiness and fulfillment in this next chapter of life. Finally, we are excited to welcome Ms. Edoarda Perez as Jackson Middle School's new Assistant Principal. Ms. Perez joins us after serving as an Assistant Principal at John Adams High School for the past three years. Her collaborative leadership style, passion for education, and dedication to helping every student succeed make her an outstanding addition to the Jackson family. We are thrilled to have her on our team and know our students and families will quickly come to appreciate the positive impact she will have on our school community.

As you prepare for the first day of school, please take time to review the important information included in this newsletter regarding school policies and procedures, Open House, Athletics, Dress Code, Cell Phone Policy, School Supplies, and other important updates. I also encourage you to follow our Facebook page (linked below) to stay connected with the many celebrations, achievements, and exciting events happening throughout the school year.

We hope everyone enjoys the remainder of their summer, and we look forward to seeing many of you at our Open House scheduled for Monday, August 17 from 5:00 - 7:00 PM.

Go Tigers!

Ivan Castillo

Principal
Jackson Middle School

Jackson Middle School operates from 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Please see below.

School Hours:

7:30 am: The school office opens for business

8:00 am: The school opens for car riders/walkers

8:10 am: The school opens for bus riders

8:30 am: School begins

3:30 pm: Scholars are dismissed from school

4:00 pm: School office closes for business

August 1: La Casa Back to School Bash August 5th from 12:00-3:00 pm

August 6: HealthLinc Free Physicals (1:00 - 3:00 PM)

August 15: SBCSC Back to School Bash @ Clay HS - 10am - 2pm.

August 17: Jackson MS Open House 5:00-7:00 pm.

August 19: First Day of School for Students

September 7: Labor Day

October 22: Teacher Record Day

October 23 -26: Fall Break

October 29: Parent/Teacher Conferences/eLearning (synchronous)

November 3: Election Day/eLearning/synchronous

November 25-27: Thanksgiving Holiday

December 21: Winter Break

Jackson Middle School will continue to have a dress code for the 2026-2027 academic year. Please work with your students to ensure they are dressed appropriately for school. Habitual disregard for the dress code will be considered substantial disobedience. If you have any questions about the dress code or need assistance with school-appropriate clothing, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here to help.

✅ DO (Yes, you can do this)

Tops

• Wear a collared polo or oxford shirt (short or long sleeve).
• Make sure shirts are free of large graphics or images.
• Ensure tops fully cover the stomach.
• Wear Jackson athletic or club spirit wear (only Jackson MS spirit wear is allowed)

Bottoms

• Wear pants, shorts, skirts, or dresses in Khaki/Tan, Navy, or Black.
• Shorts are only allowed during 1st and 4th quarter only.
• Wear leggings only underneath a skirt or dress.
• Wear clothing that fits appropriately.

Footwear

• Wear shoes with closed toes
• Keep shoelaces tied at all times.

Bags and Purses

• Store backpacks and purses in your locker before going to class.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

❌ DON'T (No, you cannot do this)

• Don't wear shirts with large logos, graphics, or images.
• Don't wear hoodies.
• Don't wear tops that expose your midriff or stomach.
• Don't wear blue jeans or pants with holes or rips.
• Don't wear leggings as pants.
• Don't wear Crocs, flip-flops, or slides.
• Don't wear large winter coats in the classroom (every student is given a locker)
• Don't wear bandanas, hats, sunglasses durags, or bonnets during the school day.
• Don't carry backpacks or large bags from class to class.

Indiana’s "bell-to-bell" law, Senate Enrolled Act 78, took effect on July 1, 2026. It requires K-12 public and charter schools to ban student use of personal electronic devices for the entire school day, including lunch and passing periods.

Covered Devices and Rules

• Devices included: Cellphones, tablets, laptops, smartwatches, headphones/earbuds, and gaming units.
• Students will be able to use their cell phones if they need to manage their health care, as for blood sugar monitoring, for example. All health needs are to be documented with the school nurse.
• Students will be able to use the device if it is included in their Individualized Education Program (IEP) LEP, or 504 plan.
• Devices must be completely powered off before the student enters the instructional portion of the school day and must be stored in the student’s assigned locker.
• Devices may not be carried in pockets, clothing, binders, Chromebook cases, or other locations accessible to the student.
• Devices may not be used during class, passing periods, lunch, restroom breaks, assemblies, or other school-day activities.
• ____________________________________________________________________________________________

Repeated or defiant violations will be discussed with admin, guardians and student, followed by discipline that aligns with the SBCSC student code of conduct.

We ask for your support in reinforcing this policy with your child. If you need to reach your child during the school day, please contact the front office at (574)393-4500, and we will make sure your message is delivered.

Attendance is critical to scholar success. Parents/students have two days to bring in an excuse note before it becomes unexcused. Chronic absences will lead to parent contact. Unexcused and excessive absences (10 ore more unexcused days) are considered truancy and are in violation of Indiana attendance laws.

As stated in Board Policy 5200 Attendance, the Indiana Department of Education requires accurate and consistent reporting of student attendance by SBCSC. The School Board, as an agency of the State, is required to enforce regular attendance of students. The Board recognizes that the presence in the classroom enables the student to participate in instruction, class discussions, and other related activities. As such, regular attendance and classroom participation are integral to instilling incentives for the student to excel.

Compulsory Attendance

Attendance shall mean to be physically present in a school or at another location where the school’s educational program is being conducted during regular school hours on a day in which the educational program in which the student is enrolled is being offered. Attendance shall be required of all Corporation students, except those exempted under other provisions of State law, during the days and hours that the school is in session or during the attendance sessions to which s/he has been assigned.

Excused Absences

An unexcused absence is any absence not covered under the definition of excused absence or an exception to compulsory attendance. An out-of-school suspension shall not be considered an unexcused absence. Repeated instances of unexcused absences may result in disciplinary action but not the suspension or expulsion of a student.

The Board considers the following absences as excused:

-Illness verified by a note from the guardia

-Recovery from accident verified by a note from the guardian

-Required court attendance

-Professional appointments with a signed statement from the professional (doctor, dentist, counselor, lawyer, etc.)

-Death in the immediate family

-Observation or celebration of a bona fide religious holiday in accordance with Policy 5223

-Maternity

-Military connected families’ absences related to deployment and return

-College visits

-Other such good cause as may be acceptable to the Superintendent or permitted by law

Unexcused Absences and Truancy

With the exception of absences resulting from suspension, all absences other than those listed above generally shall be classified as unexcused unless extenuating circumstances, as determined by the principal, warrant that the absence be classified as excused.

A student is "truant" each day or part of the day the student’s absence is unexcused. "Absence" means not present at the assigned location any time beyond the tardiness limit. A student will be "tardy" rather than absent if the student is in the assigned location within five (5) minutes after the official start of the school day, class, or assignment. All students who are tardy to school must report to the attendance office to sign in.

Truancy is a serious barrier to student achievement and represents a waste of scarce resources by failing to utilize instruction and curricular resources reserved for the truant student.

Please note: When a student has had ten (10) unexcused absences in a school year, the student is identified as a Habitual Truant and the student's attendance records will be flagged (HT). If a student is enrolled in a middle school or a high school and is under the age of eighteen (18), the district will refer the student to truancy court for a violation of I.C. 20-33-2 (compulsory school attendance). Students who are determined to be in violation of I.C. 20-33-2 may be placed on probation by court and will be monitored more closely by the social worker. If a student violates the terms of probation, the student will be referred back to court for additional action. During every stage, the social worker and/or guidance counselor are encouraged to work with families to remove barriers that prevent regular school attendance.

Please carefully review transportation information. Any changes must be filled out or called in to the Jackson Middle School office. It takes a minimum of 48 hours for changes to go into effect. Transportation will notify you once the change(s) have been approved.

If you need to submit a new transportation request form due to a change of address, please come in person to the Jackson main office.

If you are interested in fall athletics (soccer, football, cross country, volleyball) please use Eventlink to sign up: https://home.eventlink.com/. Please contact our Athletic Director, Mr. Irving Brown, at ibrown@sbcsc.k12.in.us for all questions regarding Athletics.

As we begin our athletic season, we want to remind all families of the eligibility requirements for student-athletes at our middle school.

To be eligible to participate in sports, all students must meet the following criteria:

1. Academic Requirements: Students must maintain a good academic standing. Regular grade checks will be conducted, and students who are failing one or more classes may be placed on probation or become ineligible to participate until grades improve.

2. Attendance: Students must attend school regularly. Excessive unexcused absences or tardiness may affect eligibility.

3. Behavior and Conduct: Students are expected to follow school rules and demonstrate respectful behavior both in and out of the classroom. Serious or repeated disciplinary issues may result in suspension from athletic participation.

4. Physical Exam and Forms: All student-athletes must have a current physical on file and submit the required athletic participation forms before attending practices or games.

Please look at the images below that will highlight your students supply list by content area. Things to note:

• Scholars will not have an individual Chromebook to take home.

• Every scholar will need his/her own materials.

This year, we are introducing Jackson Speak Up, a confidential reporting system that gives students a safe way to report concerns they see, hear, or experience at school. Whether it's bullying, threats, harassment, fighting, vaping, unsafe behavior, or anything that makes a student feel uncomfortable or unsafe, we want our students to know that their voice matters.

More information be communicated to students during our 1st week Back to School Town Hall meetings.We encourage every student to remember: See Something. Hear Something. Say Something.

Parents and guardians play an important role as well. We encourage you to talk with your child about the importance of speaking up and advocating for the well being of all students.

Arrival:

Doors open for car riders and walkers at 8:00am. Bus riders will arrive at approximately 8:10am and will also enter through door 18. All students will be entering through door 18 and will go to one of the two options: (a) the cafeteria if they are eating breakfast or (b) the gymnasium if they are not eating breakfast where they will sit by their advisory/1st hour teacher. All teachers will pick up students at these locations and will walk together to their first hour class. If your student is arriving late, please park in the front lot and walk your child to Door 1A and buzz in. Additionally, if they are late due to a doctor’s appointment or another appointment, please provide the note so that it can be noted in PowerSchool. All tardies and absences must be documented for attendance purposes.

Dismissal:

All students will be dismissed at 3:30 PM, the end time for school. All students exit through door 18 when the bus monitor communicates to staff that their bus has arrived. Students are not allowed to exit through any other door that is not supervised by an adult.

Early Pick-Up:

Please call the main office for any transportation changes throughout the day with enough time given to communicate with your students teachers. Non-emergency changes to transportation must be called in by a parent/guardian no later than 3:00 pm. After this time, we cannot guarantee that students/teachers will receive a message prior to dismissal. The main office can be reached at (574) 393-4500.

Website: https://jackson.sb.school

Location: 5001 Miami Rd, South Bend, IN 46614
Phone: (574) 393-4500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578936033190

Principal: Ivan Castillo, icastillo@sbcsc.k12.in.us

Assistant Principal: Mrs. Perez, eperez@sbcsc.k12.in.us

Assistant Principal: Dr. Wilson, libbywilson@sbcsc.k12.in.us