Joan MacQueen Middle School

Principal's Message As some might be aware, the AUSD Board of Trustees voted at Tuesday night’s board meeting to implement our Phase 3 learning model on January 19th, 2021. In phase three, our face-to-face students will attend school four days a week - Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Wednesdays will remain a Distance Learning Day to allow for deep cleaning in the classrooms and other campus areas. We will also continue to offer a Distance Learning model. During phase 3, there will be very few changes to the instructional day. Our 100% Distance Learning students will remain in their current schedules and Zoom at various times during the day. These Zoom times might change depending on the grade level as some classes may change periods. For example, the eighth grade Online English Language Arts class will move from Tuesday and Friday to Monday and Thursday. Your child’s teacher will be providing more information on exactly how this will look within their grade level. We realize that this decision might cause some of you to change the learning model your child is currently enrolled in. If you desire to change your student’s learning model to 100% distance learning or face-to-face four days a week, you must notify the office by Thursday, November 19th. Otherwise, current hybrid face-to-face students will automatically switch to face-to-face four days a week, and current 100% distance learning students will remain in 100% distance learning. The hybrid model will not be obe an option moving forward. Once again, please either call or email the school office ONLY if you want to change your current learning model - 619-445-3245, ccurrigan@alpineschools.net. Lastly, we ask that students stay in their learning model of choice from January 19th until February 24th (3rd Quarter Progress Notices) or April 9th (End of 3rd Quarter). Changes from one learning model to another will not be allowed unless your child is on quarantine from a COVID symptom or has had close contact with a positive COVID case. Thank you for your understanding and patience through these unprecedented times. We appreciate it immensely. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any further questions. Sincerely, Casey Currigan

To all the Veterans and Active Duty Military we salute your dedication, sacrifice and service to our country. Semper Fi

Happy Birthday USMC

We will be distributing free Grab and Go Meal Bags today, Monday 11/9 from 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm in the JMMS parking lot. The meals are FREE to all children 18 and under!

JMMS Weekly Update 11.7.2020 https://www.smore.com/q02ct Principal's Message Second-quarter is in full swing, and Joan MacQueen began our second phase of this hybrid model. Teachers are moving from class to class providing live instruction in each class. Live instruction is Joan MacQueen's next step towards having students return to school four days a week. Although students are not yet returning to campus four days a week, this is a positive step forward. Maintaining the health and safety of our students and staff will continue to be a collaborative effort. Students and adults who show even a single symptom need to report those symptoms to Mrs. Garbani in the Joan MacQueen office. Public health protocols require an individual with symptoms to isolate for ten days or for three days after a negative COVID test. Only if everyone is being transparent and honest will we be able to take the monumental step of students returning to school four days a week. A big public thank you to Laura Garbani for acting as JMMS’s medical detective. In two weeks we will begin four days of parent conferences. We would like families with students who are struggling with distance learning or the hybrid model (D's and F's) to have priority for conferences. Students will be released from in-person learning daily at 11:30 am. All schedules have been modified for the week to accommodate conferences. Please check the links on the Weekly Update for specific times. Conferences will take place via Zoom daily using the schedule below. Additionally, there are two evening conferences for your convenience. To schedule a conference please email Leslie Perricone or call (619) 445-3245 x117. The end of the quarter has seen our young scholars hard at work. Students have been turning in missing assignments and improving their grades. I encourage families to talk with their student(s) about staying on top of their studies.

Parent Teacher Conferences Monday, Nov. 16 - Thurs., Nov. 19 AM and PM Times Available https://www.alpineschools.net/o/jmms/page/parent-teacher-conferences--50

Free drive through COVID-19 tests and flu shots are available at JMMS today from 9:00-2:00. All students and community members are welcome.

Report Cards for Quarter 1 are now visible on StudentVUE and ParentVUE. https://sdhome.sdcoe.net/alpine/PXP2_Login.aspx

Dear JMMS Families, Today, at approximately 12:15 our fire alarms identified an electrical short in one of our electrical rooms. The fire department was quick to respond and our students did an excellent job evacuating classrooms. The fire department has cleared the school to be safe and all students have returned to the classroom. As always, thank you for your continued support. C. Currigan

October 26, 2020 Dear AUSD Families: As we enter week six of our hybrid learning model I wanted to provide some important updates. First, I want to sincerely thank all of our staff, parents, and families for their support and effort these past weeks. As one of the first public school districts in the county to reopen schools, we were chartering a new and uncertain path. We built our reopening plan on strong health and safety protocols, and the belief that our students would be best served by learning in person at school with their teachers. I am extremely grateful and appreciative of all the hard work and collaboration that has made our reopening of schools both safe and a model for other districts. Additionally, I am pleased to share that on Tuesday, October 20th, the Board of Trustees approved the installation of indoor air filtration systems in all of our classrooms and buildings. These new systems will be similar to what you find in hospitals and medical settings. I am proud to share that we are among the first school districts in the state to install these units. A HUGE thanks to our Board of Trustees for ensuring that Alpine Union continues to place the health and safety of our students and staff front and center, while also setting an example for how to effectively and safely reopen schools and plan for the future. A Superintendent’s Advisory Task Force has also been working to develop plans for our Phase Three reopening. At our Board of Trustees meeting on November 10th, the Board will discuss the Task Force recommendations and a target date for a full return to in-person learning. A month ago we implemented COVID-19 testing for all AUSD staff. Every two weeks free drive through COVID-19 testing and flu shots are available at JMMS. The testing plan has been expanded, and all community members, students, and families are welcome to receive a free flu shot or a COVID-19 test during our test days. I hope you and your family members will take advantage of this free service. Dates are posted on our website and social media. Last, we have expanded our Grab and Go meals, and are offering meal pick up on Mondays during the day from 11:00 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. and in the evening from 5:00 p.m.- 6:30 p.m. Meals are available free of charge for any school-age child under the age of 18. Please help spread the word so that we can continue to support our Alpine families and community members. As always, thank you for your continued support. We are all in this together, and we can only get through it together. Stay safe and healthy, Dr. Rich Newman Proudest Superintendent on Earth

JMMS Weekly Update for 10/23/2020 https://www.smore.com/tkejq

JMMS Weekly Update for 10/23/2020 https://www.smore.com/tkejq Principal's Message Second-quarter starts this Monday, and Joan MacQueen will begin our second phase of this hybrid mode. Teachers will begin moving from class to class providing live instruction in each class. Live instruction is Joan MacQueen's next step towards having students return to school four days a week. Although students are not yet returning to campus four days a week, this is a positive step forward. Maintaining the health and safety of our students and staff will continue to be a collaborative effort. Students and adults who show even a single symptom need to report those symptoms to Mrs. Garbani in the Joan MacQueen office. Public health protocols require an individual with symptoms to isolate for ten days or for three days after a negative COVID test. Only if everyone is being transparent and honest will we be able to take the monumental step of students returning to school four days a week. A big public thank you to Laura Garbani for acting as JMMS’s medical detective. We have made some changes to student schedules (specific changes outlined below). The most significant change we have made centers around electives. Students not in engineering see "Success Strategies" on their schedules. This class provides students a class where they can work on their "asynchronous" elective classwork. It will also allow students to work on assignments in their core classes with teacher assistance. All of the schedule changes are visible on StudentVUE and ParentVUE for quarter number two. If you are struggling with seeing the new schedule, don't worry, students will be attending school in the same classroom they have been in since physical school started on September 21st. Students attending school via distance learning will also see a schedule change. The new meeting times are outlined on the grade level bell schedule. This new schedule drastically increases the amount of instructional time students will receive. The new bell schedule can be found on the JMMS web page. The end of the quarter has seen our young scholars hard at work. Students have been turning in missing assignments and improving their grades. I encourage families to talk with their student(s) about staying on top of their studies.

CalFire had a cancellation in their schedule and will return to JMMS on Thursday, October 22 for free COVID-19 tests and flu shots @ JMMS from 9:00 - 12:30.

Just Added 2nd Day Cal Fire on JMMS Campus for COVID testing and Flu Shots Thursday, October 22nd from 9:00 am - 1:00 pm

Free drive-through COVID-19 test and flu shots are available at JMMS today from 8:00-2:00. All adults and children are welcome. Stay safe and healthy!

PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE Good afternoon Alpine, This is Joan MacQueen's Proud Principal, Casey Currigan. Students are starting to feel the urgency of turning work in at the end of the quarter. We can feel the increase in everyone's anxiety. Please check your child's grade using ParentVUE. If you need support in activating your account, please send me an email. If you see that your child is missing ten assignments, create a list and assign two items from the list each day, so the workload doesn't look daunting. If your child needs homework assistance, we have tutors for Math, English, Social Studies, and Science available every day. Please email me for assistance. As the quarter comes to a close on October 23rd, you may want to move your child from 100% distance learning to face-to-face learning, or you can go the other direction. Now is the perfect time to make that change. Please let me know ASAP if you would like your child to change the learning models. Lastly, we encountered our first confirmed case of COVID 19 in AUSD this past week. We could not be more proud of the AUSD staff, students, and community for coming together to support one another. We are all in this together. Keep up the excellent work stay healthy and safe.

Dear AUSD Families: We were notified today that an individual at Boulder Oaks has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. Due to privacy laws, information regarding this individual's identity cannot be released. This individual is currently not on campus per public health guidelines. The school will remain open for in-person learning. We have cleaned and disinfected appropriately following all health protocols. We understand that this information is concerning. Staff members and students who may have come into close contact with the individual will be contacted directly by San Diego County Public Health and the school office with further instructions. We are working with public health to continue to monitor the situation, and we are strictly following all public health guidelines. As a reminder, we ask that you monitor your student for any signs of illness each day such as cough, shortness of breath, runny nose, and fever at home before coming to school. Anyone with a fever of 100°F or more should not go to a school site. Those experiencing symptoms including a persistent cough, shortness of breath, or runny nose should not attend school or ESS, even if no fever is present. All students are required to wear a face covering, and student temperatures will continue to be taken upon entering classes and buildings. Thank you for your cooperation and support. Sincerely, Dr. Rich Newman Superintendent Alpine Union School District

We will be distributing free Grab and Go Meal Bags today, Monday 10/12 from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm in the JMMS parking lot. The meals are FREE to all children 18 and under!

PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE Good afternoon Alpine, this is Joan MacQueen's Proud Principal, Casey Currigan. It was a phenomenal week at JMMS, the weather cooled off significantly, and students played dodgeball, frisbee, and soccer at lunch and in PE. It was the first time since March we have heard students laughing and having a good time. However, the weather is supposed to turn hot again next week, so do not forget to send students with their water bottles and sunscreen. The first quarter of the school year comes to a close on the 23rd of October. If you haven't checked in on your child's progress using ParentVUE, please do it this weekend. We recognize that we are trying to educate in the time of COVID. However, some students still believe these grades will not count. This misconception has resulted in more failing grades than we would like. Teachers are accepting late work up until the end of the quarter, so please support your child, check on those grades, and encourage them to get their work turned in to the teacher. If you don't know how to access your ParentVUE account, instructions are below. If your child is adamant that they have turned everything in and the grade is still a zero, Google does allow students to turn in blank work. It will show that the work as turned in, but students will not receive credit for an empty assignment. Please encourage your child to email the teacher to make sure there receive credit for their assignments. Lastly, we need three parents to participate in our Site Council. There is only one meeting a month, and they will not ever be longer than forty-five minutes, and all of the sessions will take place on Zoom. Please click on the link below to sign up. Your role on the committee is to provide parent input on the future of Joan MacQueen.

Every Monday we will be distributing Grab and Go Meal Bags from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm at JMMS! All children 18 and under are FREE!!! We are so proud to be able to serve our community . If you have any questions, please kmassey@alpineschools.net.