Dear Families,

We are just heading into our Spring Break week. We have been pushing hard since the snow and ice of January faded away.  It is great to have students learning and improving in so many classes and in so many ways. Middle School is an awesome time and being a part of the work at Jason Lee often brings me joy.

For the past four years, one of our themes has been to encourage students and staff to “Find Their Greatness.” The idea is that inside each one of us, there is the capability to become extraordinary. The goal is to set our sights on finding that which brings passion to our everyday life and allows each one of us to activate the faith and hope necessary to do the exceptional. Greatness is different for each person, an individually tailored talent, skill, focus, or belief that when ignited, allows us to truly find joy in this life. Often we do not know what that will be until we have tried many things. However, sometimes, our passion surfaces the first time we experience an activity, event, challenge, or success. The wonderful thing, in my eyes, simply lies in the quest for finding the greatness within. The journey of life is made so much sweeter when we are searching for and finding that which will bring us joy.

This quest is what middle school is all about; the continual exploration of possibilities and trying different experiences out. As I contemplated our school and this goal, I thought about the many ways we help students explore the possibilities that might help each individual “Find Their Greatness.” Here is a list of just a few:

High Quality Daily Instruction

Science Olympiad

Sports Programs

AVID

The Math Team (mathletes)

PTA

Parent Involvement

Sock and Pet Food Drives

Food Bags

Choir

Club Greatness

Assemblies

GTT

Video Tech

Art

Orchestra

Our Daily Student Announcements

Caught you Caring

Character Ed Lessons

Bullying Prevention Efforts

School Lunch Program

Band

iReady and IXL instructional supports

The Media Center

Extended Day Program

Camp 6

Leadership Class

Sixth Grade Exploratory

Spanish Elective

Mandarin Immersion

Challenge/Honors

College Wear Wednesdays

PBIS and MTSS teams

Above is just a snapshot of the many ways in which the staff and students at Jason Lee are trying to “Find Their Greatness.” What I know is that as we continue to focus on improving the climate and culture at our school and engage students each day with high quality instruction that produces results for student learning our school will become better and better. Thank you all for the support in helping our school improve.

Do a great month!!!   …… Curt