Dear John Jay Middle School Families,
We hope that you enjoyed the mid-winter break. Whether you stayed local or were traveling the world, we welcome you back to the many exciting community events like the 6th Grade Game Show Night, the 7th Grade Rec & Roll and upcoming 8th Grade Dance. I would like to thank all of you who come to our parent/faculty discussion about the book Unselfie. It was a great conversation about the importance of developing empathy, especially in a world where human interactions are being replaced by social media posts and screen time. Please keep up-to-date on any future day or night events and opportunities to stay informed by visiting the JJMS PTO website at www.jjmspto.com.
We are excited to share that we have made some recent upgrades to the technology in our district to positively impact teaching and learning. All classroom teachers have received a MacBook and all classrooms have been equipped with an Apple TV. These upgrades allow each teacher mobility and choice with how and where they provide instruction since they no longer need to be “tethered” to a teaching station at the front of the classroom. Teachers can even take their MacBooks to another teaching space in the building. Many teachers are partnering with our Library Media Specialist in order to use the new classroom space in the back of the Library Media Center. These partnerships are leading to increasing amounts of engagement for our students. Please check out our “From the Middle” newsletter for more information about the great things happening in classrooms.
Please follow me @MrSwiatowicz on Twitter or Instagram for more frequent updates.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey Swiatowicz
Principal
John Jay Middle School
