Dear parents/guardians,
Happy Saturday Patriots! I’m here at JSMAL helping two wonderful ladies set up for the Scholastic Book fair this week. On Monday, we will let our cadets view all the books, posters, school supplies, and much more. If you would like to put some cash online for your cadet so that they can make purchases, you can set up an eWallet account for cash free shopping. Here is the link for the Book Fair homepage: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/jsmal.
We are excited about Literacy Week! See the schedule below and feel free to participate in any and all activities!
Monday, Jan 27 | Book Fair Preview. All ELA classes will take a turn looking at the Book Fair offerings in the Media Center. There will be no purchasing on preview day. Teachers are encouraged to stop by the Media Center during planning on Monday to peruse the Book Fair as well! |
Tuesday, Jan 28 | Purchasing at the Book Fair. Any cadet who wants to purchase items will be given an opportunity to come to the Media Center during their ELA class. |
Wednesday, Jan 29 | Family Night at the Book Fair. All cadets whose families attend the Wednesday night Book Fair between 5:00 and 6:30 will be entered into a prize drawing. |
Thursday, Jan 30 | Character Dress Up. All cadets and teachers are encouraged to dress up like their favorite book character. Free! |
Friday, Jan 31 | Door Decorating Contest. Teachers have all week to decorate their door based on their favorite book or author. On Friday, doors will be judged by cadets and teachers, similar to the Christmas door decorating contest. |
ALL WEEK:
ELA teachers will conduct a daily book talk every afternoon on the announcements.
All cadets will write a short story in their ELA classes. Stories will be judged, and the top 3 stories will be posted on our website, and cadets will receive awards for their stories.
8th GRADERS - School Choice Deadline approaching soon: Do not forget that the school choice application deadline is this Friday, Jan. 31. That means families have one week to apply to magnet or Special Transfer Option (STO) schools for the 2025-26 school year. These applications can be found in FOCUS, which is located in the Family Portal. For assistance, families can contact the school choice office by email at school_choice@duvalschools.org or schedule an appointment to meet with a school choice representative.
Be Safe Be Seen Initiative – Your cadets will be getting some instruction in their leadership class around pedestrian and bicycle safety. This is a districtwide safety effort to eliminate accidents at our bus stops and neighborhoods. I encourage you to share the “Be a ROLL Model” document with your cadets. This resource provides important tips on roadway safety and serves as a great way to extend the safety conversation beyond the classroom and into the home. A special thanks to Heather Albritton and her HEPE team, the City of Jacksonville, and our School Board members. Your leadership in promoting this initiative is vital to ensuring that every cadet receives the important safety instruction they need. Thank you for your support in making our school community a safer place! See attached resource!
Calendar Events this week: Updated A/B calendar attached
Monday, Jan 27 – (A Day) Boys and Girls basketball @ Chaffee Trail Middle
Tuesday, Jan 28 – (B Day) Girls soccer @ home vs Chaffee Trail Middle
Wednesday, Jan 29 – (A Day) Early dismissal, 1:40pm. Book Fair Parent Night, 5:00-6:30pm.
Boys and Girls basketball @ home vs Westview.
Thursday, Jan 30 – (B Day)
Friday, Jan 31 – (A Day) School Choice deadline!
Coming soon:
Tuesday, Feb 4 – JSMAL will be recognized at the School Board meeting (6pm) for earning the Purple Star Designation.
|Monday, Feb 10 – Vision Screening for 6th graders.
Thursday, Feb 13 – Mid Year Stakeholders Meeting with SAC in Media Center at 5:30pm.
Friday, Feb 21 – West Point STEM workshop all day in media center.
2024-2025_JSMAL_AB_Calendar (1) (1).docx
Tamara Roper
Proud Principal
JSMAL Vision: We exist to ensure that all cadets value and demonstrate leadership, character, citizenship, physical development, and academic excellence.