Message from Louise Porter, LJMS Principal
"Together we make a difference." The Jackson Middle School mission is to provide academic excellence in a caring, challenging learning climate.
Jackson embraces the middle school philosophy to guide its instructional and physical organization. Teams consisting of the four core teachers, with the addition of a wheel teacher in grade 7, instruct and guide a group of approximately 125 students through the school year. The classrooms of each team are located as close together as possible, with every effort made to place lockers within that same area of the building. Each team has a counselor who is closely involved in weekly team meetings and parent conferences. The guidance staff creates lessons and activities that support student academic learning as well as ways and means to handle the many challenges of today’s world, such as bullying, gangs, and substance abuse. The Teacher Advisory (TA) program is held daily in conjunction with fifth period classes so that students are part of a small group, under the supervision of a teacher, that is engaged in character education discussions, silent reading times, academic assistance, and the Friday viewing of the student-produced show on LJTV. These elements come together to create a learning environment for students that helps in the transition from elementary to high school.
Exploratory activities, another component of the middle school philosophy, are offered through the quarterly rotation of wheel classes at grade 7, elective classes, cocurricular and extracurricular activities, and after-school opportunities. Staff members provide expertise in a wide variety of academic courses, including honors classes, Spanish and French high school courses, Algebra, SOL support classes, and advanced music programs. The recent addition of PAWS (Positive Activities With Students) allows monthly time during the school day for students to engage in remediation, relearning, enhancement, and enrichment activities. Students are engaged in technology within classroom instructional time, library research, keyboarding and technology tools classes, and formal and informal assessment periods. Teachers use technology for instructional, management, and communication. FCPS 24-7 learning provides timely information regarding student work that parents can access from home computers.
The teachers and staff members strive to deliver an instructional program of the highest quality to all of the students at Jackson. They actively attend coursework and in-service activities outside the workday in order to have the most current and appropriate strategies and courses for students. Their efforts are recognized and supported by the parents of our students and by members of the community. With over 60 different countries represented as well as over 45 different languages, Jackson represents a global community and the future of the world.
