JMM 1st Semester 2020-21 Virtual Learning

Important Links

If you are having problems or issues with accessing your class materials, you can reach out to us at 608-663-5990 or by email at memorial@madison.k12.wi.us.

JMM Virtual Daily Schedule for Students

Student Virtual Learning Toolkit

JMM Teacher Communication Landing Page

Student Virtual Learning Weekly Organizer

Latinx Heritage & Culture Website

JMM Administration Contact Information

Attendance

Thanks for your patience as we navigate best practices in attendance-taking for a virtual world. A reminder that there are three ways that a student can be marked as present:

attend the scheduled synchronous instruction time (in Zoom),
complete and submit an asynchronous task assigned by the teacher in Google Classroom that day between 12am-11:59pm
or engage in two way communication (phone call, email exchange, or student support time virtual visit)

While students can turn in assignments or send out a communication until 11:59pm on each day, teachers have to mark preliminary attendance in Infinite Campus by 4pm. Therefore, if you need to correct an attendance error, a parent/ guardian should contact their child’s neighborhood office and/or complete the district’s online attendance form.

Semester Grading

We want all families and students to be aware that letter grades A-D will still be provided to students that meet passing criteria for their courses. For students that have been unable to engage in learning consistently or at all and/or have not been able to turn in sufficient evidence for their teacher to determine a final semester grade, the grade of No Pass (NP) will be assigned. The NP will not be factored into a student’s cumulative GPA and the student will not earn the credit.

Bridge (formally Finals) Week

This week (January 19-21) is Bridge Week (formerly Finals Week). Students should plan to attend their classes on Tuesday and Thursday only if they need to revisit and/or complete first semester assignments. Teachers can choose to accept work after Thursday, 1/21 but all teachers will accept work until at least 11:59pm on Thursday, January 21. Friday (January 22) is a no school day for students and classes will not be in session. All students are also asked to review these Bridge Week Activities and complete their 21-22 Course Selections (see below).

Semester 2 Schedules: Semester 2 starts Monday, January 25. Teachers will be reaching out to students on or around January 22nd to get them the zoom links and google classroom links they will need for their new or continuing courses.

Semester 2 Study Halls: A reminder that while we continue in virtual learning, Study Halls will not be running as courses and students are not expected to attend a synchronous study hall. Attendance will not be taken in Study Halls until we return to face-to-face instruction. If you are an 11th or 12th grader who plans to sign out of Study Hall when we resume in-person learning, you can complete an Approved Activity form. An electronic version of this form is available here.

Course Selection for 2021-2022

Course Selection for the upcoming 21-22 school year is upon us! Be sure to visit our JMM Course Selection Website to get the information you need to make your course choices for next year. Students will have until Wednesday, February 3rd to complete course entry into Infinite Campus using these IC Course Entry Instructions. Between January 19th and February 3rd, you can make changes to your course requests through IC. Course request changes made after February 3rd need to go through counselors and may not be able to be honored, so choose wisely! Staff will be available across this week to provide students with information and support via drop-in Zoom Sessions. Visit this link for more information. Though parent/ guardian signatures on course request cards will not be required this year, we strongly encourage students to use this month to discuss their next year courses and post-high school planning with their parents/guardians, teachers, and their counselor.

Attention Seniors and Families of Seniors

Soon it will be time to order diplomas for the 2021 Senior Class. Please check Infinite Campus and verify that your name is spelled correctly. If your middle name is missing or your name is incorrect in ANY way, you must contact Rachel Braun in the Wisconsin Office at your earliest convenience. She can be reached by email at rcbraun@madison.k12.wi.us or by phone at 663-6101 (Monday-Friday 7:30-4:00). Please correct mistakes NOW! If it is wrong in IC, it will be wrong on your diploma.

Help to Families in Need

Many of our families are in need of additional support during this time and we also know that many of you are interested in offering support to our school community. If you are able, please consider donating a giftcard to Amazon, Target, Walmart, Woodman's, Pick n' Save, or local gas stations to support our students and families. Any amount -- from $5 to $50 -- is greatly appreciated. To donate gift cards, you can either mail to Elizabeth Contrucci (Memorial High School, 201 S. Gammon Rd., Madison, WI 53717) OR drop them off at Memorial's Welcome Center between 8:30am and 3:30pm Monday-Friday. Thank you for considering!

Extracurricular Opportunities

A reminder that clubs and organizations are meeting virtually. Students can check out this google classroom using this link or using the class code epg5tuj to find clubs and locate when they are meeting. Be sure to go to the “Classwork” section and explore some of the unique club opportunities Memorial has to offer!

Early College STEM Academy Information Sessions

The application deadline for ECSA is January 29, 2021. To watch a video about the program and complete an application, visit the ECSA website.

Athletics

Athletics will follow our instructional model and remain virtual at this time. Winter athletes stay connected with your coaches and out-of-season athletes please use the resources in our Speed and Strength GoogleClassroom. More information will come from coaches and make sure to sign up for fall and spring sports you are interested in via the online forms to be included in communications specific to your sports. Contact Athletic Director Jeremy Schlitz, jschlitz@madison.k12.wi.us with questions.

Textbook/Materials Distribution

We will continue to distribute instructional materials to students who need them. If a teacher contacts your student that something is at school to be picked up, stop by any school day between 9-3. If you are not able to pick up materials and need them delivered, please ask the teacher to share the delivery request form.

Staff Work Hours

Our staff are teaching and supporting students across their workday between 8am and 4pm. While many of our staff have given you options to contact them via email, phone, and text, please remember that messages might not be received or responded to if they are sent outside of normal school hours. We appreciate your understanding.

Chromebook & Tech Problems

There have been performance and stability issues with Zoom on Chromebooks and Zoom has now just released an updated Chrome extension that is intended to remedy this. To properly install, students need to completely power off their Chromebook (not just close the lid) and upon powering the Chromebook back up, the new Zoom extension should install.

If you are having Chromebook problems, internet/ wifi needs, or need other technical assistance, visit the District Webpage for Chromebook support or contact JMM’s Library Media Specialist, Ms. Delorme at kdelorme@madison.k12.wi.us. Additionally, remember that students now log in to their chromebooks using their 6-digit district ID number and their password (same password they previously used).

School Photos/School IDs

At this time, there is no date for school photos. When we are ready to return to face-to-face instruction, we’ll provide more information. School IDs are not necessary for virtual instruction, but sometimes prove useful for other reasons (employment, as a photo ID for banking, etc.). More specific information will be communicated when we have it.