REMINDER: Tomorrow, Oct. 20, is a staff development day for Jefferson County Schools. There will be NO SCHOOL for students while our staff take advantage of training opportunities to continue supporting students. Thank you, and have a great weekend!
We are experiencing issues with the phone lines at Shepherdstown Middle School this morning, Oct. 19, 2023. If you need to contact the office, please call (304) 671-7436. We have reported the issue to the phone company and are working with them for a quick resolution.
This is a reminder that Friday, Oct. 20, 2023, is a staff development day for Jefferson County Schools. Students will not be in school to provide our staff with training opportunities to help them continue serving kids. Thank you.
MAJ Short's STEM class spent the week creating robots that could grasp, lift and stack blocks. Students start from a thinking in their engineering notebook, then building the bot and finally test out its capabilities with a controller on the board. Very cool stuff, Cardinals!
Today kicks off National School Bus Safety Week, an opportunity to focus on safe practices around school buses. We want to start by acknowledging the JCS bus operators, aides, mechanics, and transportation administrators responsible for safely transporting our students to and from school each day. These individuals are a direct link between the home and the classroom, and they play a pivotal role in the education and care of our students. Thank you to our Transportation team for keeping our kids safe on the road!
10/13/23: Jefferson County Schools prioritizes safety in all that we do. Thursday afternoon (10/12), we received a notification about a widely shared message calling for violence. We consulted with federal and local law enforcement agencies and found no immediate danger connected to the non-specific threat. The threat level did not change as a result of the message. In an abundance of caution, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department is conducting extra patrols around our schools. We are grateful for their partnership and dedication to protecting our children. If you see something, say something. You can report suspicious activity by calling 866-WVWATCH (866-989-2824).
Proper nutrition plays an important role in learning. That's why JCS staff work to develop daily menus that offer delicious, nutritious options for our students! Plan ahead with regularly updated breakfast and lunch menus, available on your school's website and the JCSWV app (on Google Play and the App Store).
Join us TODAY, October 12, at the JCS Operations Facility, located at 635 McGarry Blvd. Kearneysville, for our next hiring event exclusively for school service personnel! JCS staff will be on hand to conduct onsite applications, screenings, and interviews for all service positions. Plus, a representative from WV Adult Education will be available to answer your questions about their new self-paced preparatory course for the state's Service Personnel Competency Test! Visit www.jcswv.org/careers for a complete list of job openings. JCS offers service positions with the flexibility to meet your needs as a busy family, so join us today and learn how you can make your mark in our caring community of educators!
A Shepherdstown Middle School eighth-grader is using her passion for powerlifting to lift up others! Brynlie Austin has raised funds for the American Cancer Society and the Special Olympics through Lifting for Loved Ones, a fundraising initiative she created with the help of her family. Read Brynlie's story here 👉 http://rb.gy/qswfx.
In recognition of National School Lunch Week, we want to express our sincere gratitude to the men and women serving as cooks in our school cafeterias who keep our students fed, focused, and ready to learn. Thank you for the important role you play in supporting their success!
A reminder that Jefferson County Schools will dismiss two hours early today, October 6, for faculty senate meetings.
Teachers at SMS work every day to make students feel inspired, welcomed and appreciated. One way they do this is through making the hallway and classroom decor inviting, educational and cheerful. Here are some wonderful examples spotted around SMS.
It's National Principals Month, and we're celebrating Ms. Horn! We're so grateful for her dedication, determination, and commitment to our students and staff. Thank you for being the guiding light in our school!
Ms Myers's 7th graders explored early human history with a STEM activity. Each clan had to create a tool to help the clan survive after an earthquake: a basket, a bow, a pot, a digging tool, and an axe. Students used "found" materials, built and tested their tools. Nice work, Cardinals!
As National Attendance Awareness Month comes to a close, we want to thank our JCS students and families for making it a priority to practice good school attendance! Don't forget submissions for our district-wide attendance poster contest are due this Friday, September 29 - visit www.jcswv.org/attendance for contest details. And keep up the good work! Remember… students who miss fewer than nine days of school see better grades, stay on track to graduate high school, and even have better work habits. That's why Attendance Matters: All Day, Every Day!
ATTENTION: 9/27/23 We are experiencing phone outages at Shepherdstown Middle School and Shepherdstown Elementary School this afternoon. If you are unable to contact the school please call the central board office at 304-725-9741. Thank you for your patience while we work with the phone provider to find a solution.
Students in Mrs. Spies's math class get new seats everyday! A playing card is drawn and students find their classmates with the same number. Mrs Spies says this visibly random grouping has many perks: everyone is greeted and welcomed to class, students develop skills to work with people they might not know/ have chosen. She also notices an increase in productivity and time on task!
We're proud to recognize and celebrate West Virginia School Service Personnel Day! Our service personnel play an essential role in every aspect of our JCS community, including: ✅ The bus drivers and mechanics who ensure the safe transport of our students ✅ The aides who offer vital assistance in the classroom ✅ The cooks who provide nutritious meals for students and staff ✅ The custodians who keep our schools clean and orderly ✅ The maintenance staff who keep our schools and facilities running safely ✅ And the secretaries who provide crucial administrative support. We offer our most sincere gratitude to these individuals for all they do. THANK YOU!
Did you know that practicing good attendance not only helps high school students stay on track to graduate but also increases their chances of earning a college degree and being successful in their jobs? We all prosper when our students gain the skills and abilities necessary to help them contribute to their communities. As we continue to recognize National Attendance Awareness Month, visit www.jcswv.org/attendance to learn more about why Attendance Matters: All Day, Every Day!
ATTENTION: Significant outages at Frontier have made receiving incoming phone calls at Shepherdstown Middle School inconsistent today (9/20/23). We have activated our backup number to ensure you can contact the school by phone. Please call (304) 671-7436 to reach the front office today. Thank you.