EJMS Jaguar Weekly Dec. 15 - 19

EJMS Families,

We have made it to the final week of school for the first semester. It has been a great first half of the school year and we hope everyone enjoys some rest and time away from school during the holiday season.

iReady Growth

We are incredibly proud of the hard work and dedication our students showed during this past week's iReady diagnostics! We've already witnessed tremendous growth in their performance! Please take a moment to discuss these results and celebrate their achievements with your child. As a reward for their improvement, every student who demonstrated growth earned tickets for our exciting prize drawings! Keep up the great work, everyone!

Thank You for the 12 Days of Christmas!

Thanks to the incredible efforts of the PTO in organizing the "12 Days of Christmas," the staff here at EJMS have been wonderfully spoiled throughout December!

We want to extend our deepest gratitude to all the booster organizations, parents, and families who contributed—whether financially or with your valuable time. Every act of kindness has made a difference.

On behalf of the entire East Middle staff, thank you for making us feel so loved and appreciated! We wish you and your families a truly wonderful and peaceful holiday season!

Upcoming Dates (SBDM Meetings at 4:30 PM in the EJMS library):

Monday, December 15th - SBDM meeting
Wednesday, December 17th - iReady Reading winter diagnostic
Thursday, December 18th - 7th grade field trip to Champs, 8th grade guitar students to Bridgepoint
Friday, December 19th - Dodgeball tournament fundraiser during arts, Club Day
Winter break - December 20 - January 5
Monday, January 5th - Staff Development Day (no school)
Tuesday, January 6th - First day of second semester

I'm starting to plan for our annual Culture Fair, where students present various cultures to our students for the day. Last year we added an afterschool event for parents and had food and dances and lot of fun. This will be in March, with the exact date tbd. We will be doing this again, and I would love your help! I need some parents who would like to help plan with our students the event after school. If you are interested, please contact me at Lynn.Byers@jessamine.kyschools.us or on ParentSquare.

I am also involved in the GAP (Grandparents As Parents) conference that is taking place in Lexington on Thursday, March 5th . Mark your calendars for this event, it has lots of information and help available. This is not just for grandparents but anyone who is raising a child that is related to them. I'm including a link for information about fictive kin below if you are interested in learning more about what is available for these families.

https://ceu.uky.edu/kinship-fictive-kin-caregivers/

Thank you for entrusting your children to us, they are precious and we appreciate all you do to partner with us.

The 7th Grade Charleston Trip has added some exciting fundraising opportunities to help off-set the cost of the trip. If you and your student are still interested in attending this exciting class trip, please reach out to Mrs. Areaux- michelle.areaux@jessamine.kyschools.us

Get ready to spread some serious holiday cheer! Our school is launching a School-Wide Holiday Toy Drive starting NOW through December 18th!

We're collecting new, unwrapped toys for children at Kentucky Children's Hospital and local underprivileged families, in partnership with The Toy Chest nonprofit.

Let's make this season brighter for kids in Lexington and Nicholasville! More details to come!

Mon. Dec. 15 - NTI Day #4

All other Monday events subject to change due to weather and NTI

🎶 4:00 High School Musical auditions (rescheduled to Jan. 8)

🏫 4:30 SBDM

🏀 5:45 Boys Basketball vs. King Middle (home game)

Tues. Dec. 16 - 🎄Family Photo Day🎄

🎶 4:00 High School Musical auditions (rescheduled to Jan. 9)

🎄🎶 Jingle with the Jaguars EJMS Staff Caroling in the Community

Wed. Dec. 17 - iReady Reading testing 🎄Holiday Head to Toe🎄

Alternate Schedule for iReady

🌟 4:15 Beta Club Holiday Party

Thurs. Dec. 18 - 🎄Game Day Spirit🎄

🛼 7th grade field trip to Champs

🎸 8th grade Guitar students to Bridgepoint

🏀 5:45 Boys Basketball vs. Bate (home game)

Fri. Dec. 19 - 🎄Pajama Day🎄

📚 7th grade Outsiders Day

🤾 Dodgeball Tournament During Arts (rescheduled from Wed.)

😊 Club Day

Students interested in auditioning for High School Musical should sign up and collect an audition packet from the board outside of Mr. And Mrs. G’s rooms! Auditions have been rescheduled to Jan. 8 - 9 from 4:00 - 6:00.

Swim Team News

December 10, 2025 The Jessamine County Swim Team travelled to Falling Springs in Versailles to take on Woodford County and Montgomery County. The East Middle School swimmers did fantastic yet again!

Blake Goldy

4th Place in the Mens 200 Yard Individual Medley

7th Place in the Mens 100 Yard FreeStyle (1st place in his heat)

Drew Drury

3rd Place in the Mens 200 Yard FreeStyle

9th Place in the Mens 100 Yard FreeStyle (2nd place in his heat)

Saydie Coleman

Had a great swim in the Womens 50 yard FreeStyle

12th Place in the Womens 100 Yard Back

Congratulations to all of these swimmers! Their next meet is Thursday, January 15th at the George E. Luce Center on the Campus of Asbury University.

SAVE THE DATE! 🗓️ Ready for a fun night out that doesn't involve screens?

Join us for a Family Game Night at EJMS Cafe on Monday, January 29th from 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM!

We're providing the games, the space, and the snacks. It's the perfect way to connect, laugh, and enjoy some quality family time. Plus, enter to WIN a board game in our special giveaway!

When: January 29th, 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
Where: EJMS Cafe
Why: Family fun & free snacks!