The JagWire
Jackson Middle School Newsletter - November 22, 2024
Hello Jackson Families,
Stepping into Principal Ferraro’s role has been both a challenging and rewarding experience, giving me the opportunity to connect with many parents and students. These conversations have offered valuable insights into their experiences and expectations for Jackson. Feedback like this is essential—it allows us to reflect, grow, and refine our practices. As a system, we can only improve when we actively listen to the voices of our students and families.
Successful School Survey
In the coming month, we will be reaching out to all our stakeholders to gather their input through our Successful Schools Survey.
The Successful Schools Survey is an opportunity for students, staff, and families to provide important feedback on their school environments, learning experiences, and sense of well-being and safety at school.
The survey is conducted once every school year to provide timely information to schools, district leadership, and the community, allowing us to make informed decisions about school climate and culture. This year, the survey window is open until December 6th.
Portland Public Schools highly values the input and opinions of its families, and we welcome all PPS parents and guardians to complete this year’s survey. We use the data to help improve our schools, providing targeted feedback and training on how to create healthy school environments that are welcoming for all.
You can complete the Successful Schools Survey online using the link provided below. Please complete one survey per household. If you have more than one student at PPS, we ask that you complete the survey considering the experiences of your eldest child.
The survey will take approximately 15-30 minutes to complete and is available in English, Spanish, Russian, Somali, Vietnamese and Chinese.
https://surveys.panoramaed.com/portlandor/fall24family
For more information about the Successful Schools Survey, please go to pps.net/sss2024.
Your voice is important and we look forward to hearing from you,
Nicole Ayala
Ps. If you haven't signed up for parent-teacher conferences, please do so as spots are running out!
Click here: sign-up sheet to schedule a meeting with your student’s teachers. The deadline to sign up is Monday at 8:00 am. Conferences are an opportunity to discuss your child’s academic progress, social development, and any additional enrichment or resources they may need. It’s also a great chance to talk about the best ways to maintain open communication with teachers moving forward.
Toiletries and Period Products!
Sun School/Impact NW is teaming up with JMS Girl Scout Troop 20155 to collect period products and toiletries for students in our school. Please deposit contributions in the box located in the main office. If you would like a "Venmo another parent and have them get stuff" option, please email suzi.highet@gmail.com. We are collecting products through the first week of December.
Suggested items:
- Sanitary pads
- Tampons, teen + adult
- Personal wipes, unscented
- Deodorant
- Lotion, body wash
- Shampoo + conditioner
Thank you!
Teams are forming now!
An Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB) information session was recently held during lunch. If your student is interested in participating, they can sign up using this link: OBOB Sign-Up Form.
Teams consist of 2-5 students. Participants can either join with a pre-formed team or we can help organize them into one.
Students can start reading the OBOB books now! Each team member doesn’t need to read every book; teams can divide the reading list to make it easier. Books are available at the Jackson Middle School Library.
The 2024-2025 book list is available here: OBOB Book List.
Practices will begin after winter break, but students are encouraged to start reading now. Practice battles are a fun way for students to prepare and engage with each other.
OBOB’s mission is to encourage and recognize students who enjoy reading, broaden reading interests, increase reading comprehension, promote academic excellence, and foster cooperative learning and teamwork.
If you have any questions, please email us at obob@jacksonpta.org
Bullying Concerns
At the start of the school year, we understand that bullying is a major concern for both students and families. Rest assured, we are proactively addressing this issue through several initiatives. These include:
- daily advisory lessons,
- school counselor-led sessions
- collaboration with our student leadership team to foster a more inclusive environment.
If students or families need to report an incident, they can do so in the office using a student incident report or anonymously through SafeOregon.
Nicole Ayala
Assistant Principal
