The Panther Paw

We are heading into the final quarter of the school year, and this is an important time to stay focused and finish what we started. Our 4th Quarter Celebration is coming up, and we want as many students as possible to be able to take part.

To be eligible, students should continue to focus on a few key expectations:

• Be a responsible, active listener by staying focused, giving your best effort, and working to pass all classes.
• Be respectful and safe by making positive choices and keeping discipline referrals to a minimum (3 or fewer).
• Be present and ready to learn by arriving to class on time (fewer than 4 tardies) and maintaining consistent attendance (no more than 3 unexcused absences).
  
  

These expectations are nothing new—they are simply what we ask of our students every day. The 4th quarter is a great opportunity to stay consistent and finish the year on a positive note.

Students who meet these expectations will be able to participate in our 4th Quarter Celebration, which will include:

• A school dance
• Open gym with basketball
• Time on the football field
• A game room
• Time in the library
  
  

We are looking forward to celebrating our students who continue to show responsibility, respect, and effort each day. Let’s make it a strong finish to the school year and continue to represent The Panther Way. 🐾

📣 ILEARN Testing Begins This Month – Let’s Show What We Know!

This month, Jennings County Middle School will begin ILEARN testing for Math and English-Language Arts. This important assessment gives our students the opportunity to show just how much they’ve learned and grown this school year. From daily lessons and assignments to group projects, classroom discussions, quizzes, tests, and our three Checkpoint assessments—our students and staff have been working hard and putting in the effort every step of the way.

As we enter testing season, it’s more important than ever for students to be present and on time for school each day. Attendance plays a big role in student success, especially during testing. When making appointments or other plans, please do your best to avoid scheduling during our testing dates so that students can complete their ILEARN tests on their scheduled days, with as little disruption as possible.

We will begin testing on Tuesday, April 22nd and finish on May 1st. Below is our testing schedule:

• Tuesday, April 21st, 2026 and Wednesday, April 22nd, 2026, Thursday, April 23rd, 2026:
• CAT Testing: Math
• Tuesday, April 28th, 2026, Wednesday, April 29th, 2026, and Thursday, April 30th, 2026
• CAT Testing: English-Language Arts
• Tuesday, May 5th, 2026 and Wednesday, May 6th, 2026
• PT Testing: English-Language Arts

💪 A Message to Our Students:

You’ve got this! All of your hard work is about to pay off. This is your chance to show what you know and how much you’ve grown—not just as students, but as problem-solvers, critical thinkers, and resilient learners. Believe in yourself, take your time, and do your best.

The staff of JCMS are rooting for you to do your best!

Let’s finish strong, Panthers! 🐾✨

JCMS Athletics will hold an after school dance on Thursday, April 2nd from 3:15 - 4:45 PM. Cost to attend is $5.00. Students will be able to dance, visit with friends, play basketball, and concessions will be available for purchase. Students should already have arrangements made prior to dance day! Students will not be allowed to call on dance day to request permission to attend.

We hope to see you there!

JCMS Builders Club will be hosting Ripples of Change on Friday, April 17. This will be an afterschool pool party at JCMS. Tickets will be $5 each and will be presale only. All money raised from ticket sales will go to Advocates for Children in recognition of Child Abuse Prevention Month. Advocates for Children serves children who have experienced abuse and neglect and focuses on giving those children the opportunity to thrive. Come join us in going poolside for prevention!

Spring Picture Day is coming! Spring pictures and Club pictures will be taken on this day. For ordering Spring pictures, please, follow the information below.

What to expect on picture day

1. When an order is placed online, the parent/guardian will receive a camera pass via email. This can either be printed or texted to the student and brought to picture day. The photographer will photograph the printed camera pass along with the student.
2. If a student is not able to print their camera pass, that is not a problem. We will match up the student to their order manually in the production process.
3. A parent may order from the flyer up until 24 hours after picture day. After 24 hours, the online ordering access may close. This will allow our imaging team to "Pull" all orders submitted and match them with the students photographed.
4. When pictures are returned to school, all students that purchased pictures will receive their prepaid package. Any student that was photographed but did not order a package, will receive a "Proof" (PX) of their picture that was taken on picture day.

All proof packages offer parents a second opportunity to order prints. All orders are subject to shipping and handling costs of up to $8.50 and will be shipped directly to home.

Access School Picture Day Flyer and Web Banner

Access our secure site by clicking here: www.pictureportal.org or copy and paste this into your Chrome browser. Google Chrome is the required browser to run this site.

If you do not have your login information, on the login screen you can click Forgot Password to have your password reset and emailed to you.

• Click on Photo Events on the left menu

• Find the event for your upcoming picture day (school pictures, class groups, etc.)

• Click the View (first icon) to download the Flyer or to resend the email for your web banner link

Feel free to contact your Sales Representative with any questions that you may have about picture day.

On Friday, May 1st, JCMS will be celebrating the 8th grade class with an event called 8th Grade Glow Night! This will be a casual, memorable event for our 8th graders!

The event will take place this Friday, May 1st starting at 6:00 PM until 8:00 PM. Students should be picked up promptly at 8:00 PM. There will be pizza, desserts, and the concession stand will also be open for purchases. There will be games, dancing, a photo booth, and lots of other memory-building experiences with classmates. Students are encouraged to wear neon colors or something that will glow under a blacklight. Just remember that the school dress code still applies!

Come and enjoy the fun!

A couple of reminders:

• Students must be in attendance for the school day to be able to attend.
• Discipline issues can affect a student being able to attend.

Parents/Guardians:

If you would like to volunteer to assist that evening, please reach out to Mrs. Garrett, Mr. Rigby, or Ms. VanLandeghem!

Monday

• Game Club - Room 26 - 3:15 - 4:30 PM

Tuesday

• Golf against North Decatur Jr-Sr High - HOME (St. Anne's) - 5:00 - 7:00 PM
• Track and Field against Batesville Middle School - HOME - 5:30 - 7:30 PM

• Girls Tennis against Columbus Central Middle School - HOME - 5:30 - 7:30 PM
• Science Club - Room 27 - 3:15 - 4:30 PM

Thursday

• Golf against Seymour Middle School and Brownstown Central - HOME (St. Anne's) - 5:00 - 7:00 PM
• Track and Field against Greensburg Community JR High School - AWAY - 5:00 - 7:00 PM
• Girls Tennis against Silver Creek Middle School - AWAY - 5:00 - 7:00 PM