Student Attendance Notes

 If your child is absent, please email jmsabsences@mckinneyisd.net or fax a parent or doctors note to 469-302-4901 within 3 days of the absence.Please include:
· Your child’s first and last name
· Student ID# and grade level
· Date(s) of the absence and reason for the absence

For specific questions about attendance please contact: Ms. Perez at sperez@mckinneyisd.net or Ms. Gonzalez at sgonzalez@mckinneyisd.net

A message from the principal...


Hello SJMS Tiger Parents!We want to thank you for your continued partnership in your child's education during an unprecedented time. We are so proud of the work our students, staff, and parents have accomplished so far this school year. Your involvement in your child’s education has made all the difference to our success, and we greatly appreciate your efforts.

We understand some families may want to change their child(ren)’s learning preference for the 2nd Quarter (October 19 - December 19). If you are choosing a different learning preference for your child(ren), please click on the link below to complete a short commitment form. We ask that you complete your form by 4:00PM on Friday, October 9th. If you do not submit a form, your child(ren)’s learning preference will remain the same.

McKinney ISD has prepared a Coronavirus (COVID-19) information page with links to important resources relating to the district's response to the pandemic. This page will be updated as new information is made available. Visit http://www.mckinneyisd.net/covid to learn more.

This letter and commitment form are only for 6th-8th grade children who are changing their learning preference. If you are the parent of an elementary school or high school student and would like to change the learning preference for your student, please contact the registrar at your elementary or high school.

Click here to access the commitment form to make changes in the learning preference for 6th-8th grade children: Commitment Form Link. As a reminder, a commitment form is only needed if you are making changes to your child(ren)’s learning preference for the 2nd Quarter.

Please contact our campus, if you have any further questions. Thank you for your continued support!

Queremos darle las gracias por su continua participación en la educación de sus hijos durante estos tiempos sin precedentes. Estamos muy orgullosos del trabajo que los estudiantes, maestros y padres han realizado hasta el momento en este año escolar. Su participación en la educación de sus hijos han hecho toda la diferencia para lograr nuestro éxito y le agradecemos grandemente por todo el esfuerzo.

Entendemos que algunas familias les gustaría cambiar la preferencia de aprendizaje de sus hijos para el segundo cuarto escolar ( 19 de Octubre - 19 de Diciembre). Si desean cambiar el método de aprendizaje de su estudiante, favor de hacer clic en el enlace a continuación para completar un corto formulario. Les pedimos que completen el formulario antes del Viernes, 9 de Octubre a las 4:00pm. De no someter el formulario, el método de aprendizaje de su estudiante seguirá igual.

Mckinney ISD ha preparado una página informativa sobre el Coronavirus (COVID-19) con enlaces importantes de cómo el distrito está respondiendo a la pandemia. Esta página será actualizada cada vez que nueva información esté disponible. Para más información, pueden visitar http://mckinneyisd.net/covid.

Esta carta y formulario de compromiso es solo para estudiantes de 6to a 8vo grado que deseen cambiar su preferencia de aprendizaje. Si es el padre de un estudiante en elemental o escuela superior y desea cambiar su preferencia de aprendizaje, favor de comunicarse con el registrador de su escuela.

Favor de hacer clic para acceder al formulario de compromiso y cambiar la preferencia de aprendizaje para su estudiante de 6to a 8vo grado: Enlace de formulario.
Le recordamos que el formulario de compromiso es solo necesario si desean hacer un cambio en el aprendizaje de su estudiante para el segundo cuarto escolar.

De tener alguna duda, favor de llamar a la oficina. ¡Gracias por su apoyo!
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Good Day Tiger parents, I trust this newsletter finds each of you and yours doing well.

Years ago I heard a PTO program giving parents advice on how to make the most of their child’s middle school years. The presentation was titled: “The Days are Long but the Years are Short!” The title says it all, as a parent we constantly say (about our children) “Where has the time gone?” The presentation got me to think differently, even about my personal children (I have 2 sons, one 42 and the other 38 years old!) Yes, time has flown by, but it isn’t the SHORT years that I remember it is the LONG days that have had the greatest impact on me, those days that we spent together creating memories, learning a new skill, helping them make tough choices and on an on.

I bring this up because as you know the start of this year has been like no other, but here we are in a blink of an eye we are almost a 1/4 of the way through our school year. And every teacher on this campus will tell you that the days have been LONG. Teaching during “a time such as this” has forced our teachers to think outside the box and work like never before. However if you were to ask them, they would all say..:”I love my Students and I want the make the greatest impact on them in the SHORT time I have with them.”

That being said, please continue to encourage your child to come to school as prepared as possible, you as parents, your child and our SJMS staff are in a partnership that has lifelong implications and it starts everyday at 8:40am here at SJMS. Let’s make the MOST out of this year.

Please read this newsletter carefully, it has very important information and outlines opportunities that help enhance your child’s school experience. Being informed about what is happening at SJMS helps strengthen our partnership. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions, comments or concerns.

We are here to help, we are here to serve, and remember:“Today is the Day and YOU are the one!” Make it a great week.

Thank you

Harvey Oaxaca,
foaxaca@mckinneyisd.net

From September 15th to October 15th, we use this time to recognize the contributions & influence of Hispanic Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States. This time is celebrated as Hispanic heritage month. Last year we were able to culminate our school-wide study of Spanish speaking countries with a Hispanic Heritage festival with food, music, and fun activities. Due to social distancing we are unable to have this fun event, but didn't want to miss the opportunity to share that your students learned a little bit about why we celebrate this month during our PRIDE time lesson on Friday.

“It is important for all of us to appreciate where we come from and how that history has really shaped us in ways that we might not understand."

First Hispanic/Latina member of the Supreme Court
― Sonia Sotomayor (Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States)

Health and Safety
Our campus has strict health and safety protocols in place to keep all students and staff members safe and healthy during these unprecedented times. Please know that high touch points and classrooms are frequently disinfected, and any reported COVID cases result in an even deeper cleaning in addition to our current cleaning protocols. We understand your concerns and are doing our best to keep our precious students safe.

1:The World Laptop Fees
Each student will have a fee associated with their HAC account according to their lunch status (30.00 or 15.00 for free/reduced lunch). Parents can pay these fees through HAC using a credit/debit card or they can pay in person with check/cash/money order. This annual fee will cover the first incident of damage to the laptop 100% with all other incidents of damage being covered at 125.00 each. All of this information is detailed in the 1:The World handbook and includes a sample price list of the cost to replace frequently damaged parts should the fee not be paid. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Spi6tX50oSRq7CTY6mPfIUuc3JZJJLM4/view
Morning and Afternoon Front Carpool line
It is not a “stretch” to say that for many of our students being dropped off or picked up in the front carpool line sets the tone of the day for these students. Of course we want this first experience to be as positive as we can.

We had a good week during both morning and afternoon carpool drop-off and pick-up, next week we will be even better. Thank you for your cooperation. It truly does make a difference.

Please remember, when entering the carpool lane please make an effort to pull up to the sign at the end of the carpool lane. This allows the maximum number of car to unload at one time. If your vehicle is in the inside lane, remind your student to walk back to the marked cross walk and wait there until they are waved across.

If things get backed up, please be patient and wait just a few extra seconds before letting your student leave your car. These few extra seconds will open up the lane again and allow you to go to the end of the lane and even more cars can unload.

Please do NOT pick up your child in the back of the building. This is for buses.
Tardies
Tardies will be counted starting September 28th. Please help insure that your child gets to school on time in the morning. We have too many students arriving late, so please make sure those alarms are set and students are showing up on their Zooms or in person. Our first bell is at 8:40 and all students should be in the doors by then.

Dress code
Please remember the dress code is in full effect. The two main things we are having issues with are holes not below the fingertips (fabric needs to be covering skin) and hoodies on kiddos noggins. Hoodies & jackets can be worn, but hoods cannot be on their head. ALL students are doing amazing with masks. We really appreciate your help with this!!

What do I do if my student has been absent from virtual or face to face learning?
All absences are unexcused unless you provide a parent note or doctors note within 3 days of the missed day. Please send absent notices to our attendance clerk at jmsabsences@mckinneyisd.net. Missing work will need to be made up when your child returns to prevent poor grades.

What do I do if there are technical issues?
​Teachers are working really hard to have back-up plans when needed. Also, if your child gets knocked out of a Zoom, please have them try to get back in. If Canvas is not working, try again after 5-10 minutes because it could be a surge issue, meaning everyone is trying to access at the same exact time which slows everything down. MISD is working on solutions to these problems. We appreciate your patience and grace!!


Picture Re-takes/Virtual Students
Retakes and those who are virtual students, will take their pictures on November 13th. We will send out information for you to schedule your time on a later day. For virtual students that don't feel like they can come to the school, we will have a way for you to email a picture to the school. There will be a no-contact method of having pictures taken. We want to see ALL of our beautiful Tiger faces in our yearbook!! Also, we have some yearbooks that were not picked up last year and we have some extra ones for sale! email dgriffen@mckinneyisd.net if you think that your book is here with us or you would like to purchase a 19-20 yearbook.

Grades
Grades are posted in HAC. Please review those each week with your child. They have a login and you have a login. If you have any questions about your child's grade or progress, please email their teacher(s) directly. Progress reports will be updated next week. This will affect eligibility for athletics and UIL activities.

Virtual Students
Remember, virtual students will be eligible to return to in-person learning on October 19th. I will send more information a week before that date.

Virtual Class Reminders
  • All students should have their video turned on and the student should be visible (not their ceiling fan, etc.).
  • Teachers have the ability to stop student video if misconduct is occurring.
  • Be on time for your classes! Students need to login to their classes at the designated bell schedule time.
  • Please send absent notices to our attendance clerk at jmsabsences@mckinneyisd.net
  • If we have another widespread technology issue, absences will not be given. Your child needs to continue to try and login to each class period because the issue will more than likely be resolved in a timely fashion.

From Nurse Kerr
Vision and Hearing screenings will begin soon. More information to come.

Announcements

Tiger Clawfee

TIGER CLAWFEE is a student run coffee business that we are extremely proud of.  We have been in business for almost two years.  We have accomplished so much, and we are looking forward to accomplishing so much more.  We want you to be part of this amazing opportunity.  We are looking for hardworking, committed interns.  Let's give back to our school by continuing the success of Tiger Clawfee!!  

Please READ and ANSWER each question thoroughly and accurately. If you have any questions, contact Mrs. L. Johnson (ljohnson@mckinneyisd.net) or Mrs. C. White (cywhite@mckinneyisd.net) 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1v9-rlsQRAV-hqhC8I0PT-mU7j6HQCdnz4KDHiBVav8k/edit
​

New HAC APP

Home Access Center or HAC is now available on your mobile device using the eSchoolPLUS Family app. McKinney ISD parents and students can use the app to view attendance, classwork, class and activity calendar events, student grade information, and alerts and notifications.

After you download the app from Google Play or the Apple App Store, simply choose your school district name and state and log in with the student’s Home Access Center credentials
If you do not have a Home Access Center account and password, please contact your child's enrolled campus for more information.
Click here to download:
https://www.mckinneyisd.net/app/

Click here for more information:
https://www.mckinneyisd.net/communications/mobile-app/

Spirit Wear

Spirit Wear is now available to purchase!
Order forms are located in the front office, or click HERE. 
Please attach cash or check (SJMS PTO) with order form. 
Support SJMS and show your TIGER PRIDE by purchasing some of our spirit wear.
Thank you - PTO
Is there a book you wish you could read, but can't find it in the library?  Fill out the form below!
​Scott Johnson Middle School
3400 Community Blvd.
McKinney, TX 75071
Phone - 469-302-4900
Support our school and get some great coffee at the link below.
Useful Links:
​McKinney Vento Homeless Education Assistance
​This guide is intended to aid the community in connecting homeless teens and their families with agencies and services that can help them.

Where are they now?

Welcome to Naviance!
Naviance is a comprehensive college and career readiness solution for middle and high schools that helps align student strengths and interests to post-secondary goals, and improve student outcomes.
Below is the link to log on. Your user name and password are:...
"s" and your student ID # (no spaces).
If you have questions please contact the counseling office.
http://connection.naviance.com/sjms