Dr. Kelly Cooke
Principal
Mr. Robert Hayzler
Asst. Principal
Mrs. Kathy Tobia
Asst. Principal
Ms. Joanne Martino
SAC/Anti-Bullying Specialist
Mrs. Liz Conley
Nurse, X5720
School Hours: 7:35 am - 2:15 pm
1000 Weldon Rd.
Oak Ridge, NJ 07438
(973) 697-1980
Fax (973) 697-1348
Welcome to Jefferson Township Middle School’s Home Page!
The month of October was very exciting for students at JTMS. The Positive Behavioral Supports in School’s (PBSIS) Universal Team, School Safety Committee and JTMS PTA continue to work together to support our “Operation Kindness” program here at JTMS. As part of Project Kind, sixty-five Middle School students participated in making 700 sandwiches for the homeless in Newark. Throughout the year, the PTA will sponsor similar Project Kind events. The Middle School PTA sponsored a Pasta and Program dinner event which included a presentation by John Morello who spoke about positive self-esteem and kindness awareness. Mr. Morello also provided our 7th and 8th graders with an entertaining social awareness program titled, “DIRT”.
During the month of October, our students also participated in the following activities at JTMS:
Thank you for visiting and please be sure to check out our webpage, on the left, for upcoming events, announcements, and activities for JTMS students.
Sincerely,
Dr. Cooke
Principal
The district would once again like to thank the Jefferson Township Community for their support of our Bond Referendum vote back in October 2018. The district was able to receive 40% reimbursement from the State in grant money. Fortunately, when our credit history was reviewed by the financial institutions providing the bonds, we were able to secure loans at the rate of 3.62% which is lower than expected.
Although it is a smaller-scale project, we are excited that the work has started! The door locks are being replaced at Cozy Lake by Oak Security. The new locks will have a thumb lock for enhanced security and will be ADA compliant.
The other projects slated to occur this summer are:
Update: 7.23.19
High School:
Makerspace Flooring Progress
Update: 7.22.19
JTHS:
Science Flooring
Outside
Science Classroom Drop Ceiling
Wood Shop Flooring
Roofing Machinery & Crew
Music Rooms
Future Makerspace Classroom
Band & High Tech Music Room Flooring
Update: 7.19.19
Cozy Lake:
Outside Facade
All-Purpose Room
White Rock:
All-Purpose Room Abatement
Makerspace Flooring
Makerspace Flooring
Update: 7.18.19
Cozy Lake:
Outside Facade Progress
Ellen T. Briggs:
Exterior Modular Wing Facade Progress
Makerspace Room 111
Makerspace Room 111
JTMS:
Gymnasium Lobby
Locker Room
Floor Abatement
Panoramic View of Media Center
Stanlick:
All-Purpose Room Flooring
Makerspace Flooring
UPDATE: (6/26-7/10):
JTMS:
Media Center Moving Out, Ceilings Removed & Painting Begun
Cozy Lake:
Removal of Outside Facade:
Makerspace Classroom Before
JTMS Science Rooms:
Classrooms B3 & 4 Emptied
B4 Flooring Removed
B21 Final Demolition
White Rock:
Makerspace Classroom Before
All-Purpose Room Before
Middle School:
Locker Room Before
Locker Room Before
Media Center Before
Media Center Before
Robotics Classroom Before
Robotics Classroom Before
Science Classroom Before
Science Classroom Before
Ellen T. Briggs:
Facade Before
Makerspace Classroom Before
Door Hardware Before
Stanlick:
All-Purpose Flooring Before
Classroom Before
Kitchen Flooring Before
Closet Before
Makerspace Classroom Before
High School:
Roof Areas A,B,C, & D
Roof Areas C & D Before
Auxiliary Gym Roof Before
Fascia Before
Fascia Before
Science Lab Before
Makerspace Classroom Before
Wood Shop Classroom Before
Wood Shop Classroom Before
C7 Cleared Out
Prep Room Floor Hatch
C9 Early Demo
Room C8 Before
C8 Cleared Out
C7 Outside Fascia
May 16, 2019
Cozy Lake:
Before: Old Hardware
After: Updated Hardware
The school counselors finished their introduction presentations to students in all grades and have now started meeting with students for interviews. Counselors also worked on the Signs of Suicide presentation that was offered to staff and now have begun to prepare the SOS rollout to students whcih will take place in November and December. And finally, counselors will be initiated counseling groups once student interviews conclude.
The sixth grade students completed a unit in math where they used multiples and factors to find the LCM and GCF of numbers. In addition, they named and simplified ratios and found the unit rate in order to effectively compare rates. Many students brought their grandparents to school for Grandparents Day and had the opportunity to play a math game with them. The grandparents enjoyed the games and showed off their math skills! For example, they played the Product Game appeared to really enjoy each other's company while discussing the complex math strategies. The Blue Team is having fun making their football picks and then calculating their success by transitioning from fraction to decimal to percent. The friendly competition between the classes is on the rise! The Gold team has been studying unit rates to find better deals when comparing stores and competing in an Order of Operation Challenge activity.
The 6th grade students completed their study of Continental Drift in which they worked on researching the use of multiple sources to gather, analyze, and organize evidence to best understand the theory of the moving continents. The 6 Blue Team received their trout eggs on October 21st! The team has a total of 381 healthy eggs at this time and have been watching carefully for any fungus which indicates disease in the population. Students will be studying the development and environmental needs of the trout, throughout the school year. Students are very excited to watch them grow and develop.
Students have been learning about the unrest in the colonies leading up to the Revolutionary War. In addition, students completed an analysis of several primary sources and created interactive commercials using green screen technology.
6th Graders read the novel, Al Capone Does My Shirts, and were introduced to annotating fiction texts. In addition, students also utilized the Membean platform, an individualized vocabulary program, to enhance further understanding of terms used within their reading. Students are now writing narratives which includes dialogue and descriptive writing.
7th grade ELA students completed reading the novel, Freak the Mighty. Students also finished a unit study on narrative writing. In doing so, students used creativity and originality to develop their narrative pieces which were based on the characters of the class novel.
7th grade Math students have been working in the Ratios and Proportions Unit of study. Students have been writing ratios, finding unit rates, converting units, and determining if graphs are proportional as well as setting up and solving proportions.
Students in 7th grade Science are investigating a trout crisis in the Great Lakes. As part of their research, students developed the skill of asking questions in order to obtain information that allowed them to determine cause and effect relationships between biotic and/or abiotic factors in an ecosystem. Graph analysis was the skill used in order to determine causation. Students successfully used the graphs because they first identified important parts of the graph before trying to explain the significance of the data. Both 7th grade teams are getting very excited about their class trips to Stokes State Forest next month!
The 7 Gold students have been exploring democracy and citizenship this marking period. Students just finishing an investigation of the Declaration of Independence. As part of the investigation and succeeding study, students will analyze primary documents in order to learn how to write an Enduring Issue essay.
Students completed a class study of S.E. Hinton’s, The Outsiders. Students are now beginning Part 3 of Unit 1, where they will be reading selections by Edgar Allan Poe. Soon after, students will write a narrative story in the style of Poe. Students are looking forward to ending the marking period with a trip to Pax Amicus theater where students will see the live stage production of "The Life and Tales of Edgar Allan Poe".
Students in 8th grade Math finished Chapter 1, which was the unit on exponents, scientific notation, and square/cube roots. Students began Chapter 2, which is the study of solving different types of equations. In Algebra 1, students completed Chapter 3 titled, Linear and Nonlinear Functions, and now have begun to explore Equations of Functions.
Students in Social Studies studied the River Valley Civilizations. In doing so, they made their own clay cuneiform tablets and wrote their names in Egyptian hieroglyphics. In addition, students participated in a bartering simulation activity in order to teach them about the ways in which economics factored into early civilizations. Students will be creating their own civilizations based upon the GRAPES of civilization that they have studied and will present those to classmates at the end of the month.
Students in 8th grade science learned about basic chemistry by using the Periodic Table to learn about atoms, molecules, and chemical bonding. Soon, students will be building atoms and molecules as well as understanding the parts of chemical formulas.
The 8th Grade GATEways students have begun work on a Public Speaking unit. Students will hone their skills for Impromptu Speeches as well as work toward a prepared speech. The 7th Grade GATEways students have begun a unit on Digital Art-Photography. In doing so, students began to analyze historical pictures in order to identify their meaning, purpose, and use of artist elements to help deliver the photos’ messages. The 6th Grade GATEways students are beginning a unit on Consumer Product Testing. During this unit, students will learn about testing services and review comparative Consumer Reports. Students will then conduct tests on a product and record responses in Excel. Students will compile, graph, and chart their findings.
The sixth grade students are approaching the end of the unit, School, and will be taking their unit test next week. During the unit of study, students discussed their school schedules, places in the school, and supplies needed in their classes. The seventh grade students learned about clothing and weather. Students demonstrated how to describe the seasons, weather, and clothing preferences. The eighth grade students completed their Hispanic Heritage Month projects and presented cultural highlights of their chosen Spanish speaking country to their peers. Throughout the marking period, students learned to describe themselves and their family members physically. In addition, students learned to describe how they feel in certain real life situations by using emotions and moods.
Our first cycle of 21st Century Researchers concluded with lively debates on issues including: should homework be banned? Should students be allowed to have cellphones in school?, and should state testing be abolished? These debates allowed students to demonstrate their research and presentations skills.
In Computer Science Discoveries, students discovered that a computer must be able to utilize material that is input to store, process, and output new material. Students then proposed an app idea that used the four components of a computer (Input, Processing, Storage, Output) and solved a real-world problem. Students then transitioned their study to Web Design while creating their own personal, multi-page website using HTML.
Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Grade Language Arts Core Skills students have been working on reading and analyzing fictional texts using the Notice and Note Signposts as annotations. During CSP flex extra help, sixth-grade students have been working on identifying important elements of a story and tracking them through the use of a plot map. Seventh-grade students worked on addressing a narrative prompt and writing a story that aligns with the requirements of the prompt. Eighth-grade students have been working on making inferences and citing textual evidence to support their inference in literature, as well as understanding and analyzing the works of Edgar Allan Poe.
Core Skills Math had a Meet and Greet where parents were presented with an overview of the Core Skills program, the matrix used to identify students, and the way in which parents and the school can work together to help these struggling students succeed. Refreshments were served.
Students in the Family and Consumer Science classes welcomed and prepared treats for their special guests and grandparents for Grandparents’ Day. Guests were very impressed to see students working in a small group setting to demonstrate table-setting, food preparation, serving, pleasant conversation, and clean-up. A good time was had by all!
Students have been learning about the fundamentals of forensics through identifying trace evidence, learning about the inconsistencies with witness statements, and determining how to analyze shoe prints. In addition, students have been working on observing and making connections of fibers under microscopes and learning about the many different colors that make up a black marker through chromatography. Very soon, students will begin a project on cold cases.
The JTMS Band members have been working hard to learn the fundamentals in order to understand what is necessary to be a good musician. Students started to prepare for their Winter Concert which may seem far away now, but will be here before you know it! The music department is happy to share that four 7th graders and three 8th graders auditioned and were accepted into the Sussex County Junior Honors Band! Congratulations students!
In Robotics, students learned about the History of Robotics as well as the three laws of modern day robotics. Students had the opportunity to participate in the Hour of Code activity as well as got a quick glimpse into coding by solving puzzles through the Lightbot application. Students were also provided the opportunity to work with the web-based software, TinkerCad, used to create 3D designs. Sixth graders in the Robotics Exploratory class followed a set of directions to build their LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3s and programmed them to do a variety of unique tasks on command.
The 7th and 8th grade students wrapped up their unit on Thermal Energy by creating and testing insulating structures that could keep an ice cube from melting inside of an oven. Students analyzed the results and drafted a blueprint for an improved version of their insulated shelters. The 6th grade students moved through the Engineering Process in order to create boats that were capable of holding increasing heavy loads. Many boats held impressive amounts of weight with the highest recording of 34 golf balls (1564 grams).
8th Grade Health students created a children’s book about Puberty. All of the books have been submitted through Google Classroom for judging. There will be an overall “winner” from all four classes for the best children’s book. As a prize, the winner’s book will be made and bound into an actual book.
The Craft Club members finished their last week of meetings. Twenty-five students participated in the club. Students created ceramic Jack o lanterns, tie dyed T-shirts, baskets and windchimes. All club members had a great time creating this fall!
The Red Cross Club and Student Council members volunteered to work a variety of stations at the Fall Festival held at Camp Jefferson on Saturday, October 19th. Club members had the opportunity to help out at the bounce house, inflatable slide, pumpkin patch, children’s candy corn guessing, and refreshment stand as well as sell over 400 Gertrude Hawk chocolate bars.
