Middle School - A Tradition of Excellence with a Vision for Tomorrow.

April is Kite Month, and what better way to celebrate than by taking learning to the skies! 🪁
Students in Mrs. Lee, Mrs. Heinen, and Mrs. Mulalira’s classes have been exploring the history and science behind kites. On this perfectly breezy Friday morning, they stepped outside to put their knowledge into action, watching their kites soar and bringing science to life.
Learning + fresh air = a pretty great way to start the day!

From tiny seeds to thriving plants 🌱 Ms. Baker's students proudly planted what they’ve been growing, showing patience, care, and a whole lot of science in action. We’re excited to watch their hard work continue to grow!

Yesterday, Team 7-4 celebrated Earth Day by getting outside and helping clean up trash around our school 🌎🧹✨ We loved soaking up the fresh air while making our outdoor space cleaner and brighter for everyone 🌿☀️💚 Happy (belated) Earth Day! 🌍💫

Join us in celebrating the incredible people who make Jenks Middle School such a special place! 👏 Staff Employees of the Month 👏 Meredith Waddel, Counselor Dale Brogan, Paraprofessional Thank you for your dedication, positivity, and the countless ways you go above and beyond for our students and staff each day.

On behalf of our wonderful PTAG, please see their ideas for Staff Appreciation Week! 🩵

The JPS District art show is happening now at the ESC center. And we just have to say, our middle school students showed out! 🎨🖌️Congratulations to the students whose artwork was selected and great job to Mr. Arledge, Ms. Baty, and Mrs. Brown for their students' amazing work.

This week in 7-4 Science, students are learning about invasive species through a hands-on lab simulation. In the activity, four students represented native Oklahoma fish while one student acted as an invasive species. They competed for food (pom-poms) in order to survive. Students who didn’t collect enough food “died,” those who gathered enough survived, and those who collected extra were able to “reproduce” and add more lives to the population. As the rounds progressed, students observed how the invasive species often outcompeted the native fish, sometimes leading to their extinction. Don’t worry—no students were actually harmed in the process!

On April 11th, the 7th grade orchestras traveled to OKC to compete at the Heartland Music Festival. These students have worked hard all semester, and their effort paid off, bringing home 5 trophies! String Orchestra received the Outstanding Achievement Award, with the cello section also earning Outstanding Section.
Concert Orchestra won Best Overall. The cello section and second violin section were both recognized as Outstanding Sections, and the first violin section earned Best Section of the Day.
These accomplishments reflect a tremendous amount of hard work, dedication, and teamwork from our students and we are so proud of them!

Congrats to the 3rd quarter "Portrait of a Graduate" recipients for Team 7-4. We're so proud of you!

As an enrichment to our ecology unit, 7th grade science students from Team 7-2 (Nolte) had a special visit last Friday. Candice and Emma from the Oklahoma Blue Thumb program led an engaging lesson all about water conservation.

We kicked things off with a globe toss game to explore how much of Earth is covered in water (about 70–75%), how much of that is freshwater (around 3%), and how little is actually clean and available for us to use (only about 0.03%!)

Students also learned about watersheds (areas of land that drain into a body of water) and the fact that we all live in one. We discussed and modeled how everyday actions can lead to pollution—like fertilizers, oil, litter, and chemicals washing into storm drains and eventually into our rivers and lakes (something called non-point source pollution).

Some simple ways we can all prevent contaminating our streams include:
*Avoid using fertilizers or pesticides in excess and before it rains
*Dispose of trash properly (including pet droppings!)
*Maintain vehicles to prevent leaks
*Be mindful of your actions and share what you know

You too can show your blue thumb and do your part to protect our scarce but precious water! 💧

Students in Mrs. Swift’s science class participated in a hands-on lab yesterday to explore the concept of biomagnification in a marine ecosystem. Using green M&Ms to represent mercury, students modeled how toxins move through the food chain, starting with plankton, then transferring to mackerel, then tuna, and finally to humans. As the activity progressed, students were able to clearly see how the amount of “mercury” increased at each level of the food chain. This engaging simulation helped students better understand how harmful substances can build up in organisms and have the greatest impact on top predators—including humans!

Always!

✨ JMS 8th Grade Dance ✨ Get ready for a night of music, friends, and fun! 🎶💃🕺 📅 Saturday, April 25 ⏰ 7:00–9:00 p.m. 📍 JMS Cafeteria 👗 Semi-formal attire 🎟️ Tickets are $10 ⭐️ Buy now on PowerSchool or during lunch the week before the dance ✅ AP Passes accepted ⚠️ IMPORTANT: ALL students must register with their student ID at lunch the week before the dance to receive a sticker on their student id for entry 👜 Clear bag policy Let’s celebrate the Class of 2030! Parent Volunteer Sign-Ups: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080B49ACAA2DA3F85-63285144-8thgrade

There have been a few April Fool's Day pranks today 🤣😉 I think Coach Moore got a kick out of this one!

Students in Señora Gonzalez's classes took their Spanish skills to new heights while exploring the Artemis moon launch! 🚀🌕They connected language learning to real-world innovation in space exploration today!

April Fool's Day at a Middle school....could be scary! 😱
Mrs. Burkhalter's French students celebrated April Fool's Day the French way by coloring, cutting out and sneaking a paper fish onto a classmate's back. In France, April Fool's Day is called Poisson d'Avril or April Fish Day.🐟

Interested in trying out for Colorguard?

Book Fair begins Monday! You can set up your child's ewallet for easy spending. Also, PTAG would love a few more volunteers to help .

E-Wallet: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/jenksmiddleschool
Volunteers:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0F49A9AC2DA1F94-62766644-jmsspring?fbclid=IwY2xjawQzyYZleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFpRjBteVB3Sm5NTGNJREdRc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHkOpB4nB3Kr-Xg3-QD64TX9MqyiPqpdbtdsb4dnxxKMdFsa1JXVS82NSmSx6_aem_-y1sPLhjQaPUd7gxQOXoBw#/

We’re officially in spring mode! 🌈 So fun seeing team 7.6 dressed in all the colors—and Ms. Baker didn’t miss out on the rainbow fun either!

It’s element poster time again for Team 7-2 Advanced Science students! This quarter, they researched elements from Fluorine (9) to Chlorine (17), a lively section of the periodic table that includes toxic and inert gases, explosive metals, and even an element with "split personality" capable to act both as metal and non-metal.

A few discoveries we've made along the way:
• Fluorine is the most electronegative element and shows up in compounds from toothpaste to nuclear fuel.
• Neon transforms electrical energy into radiant energy: the glowing light of neon signs.
• Sodium reacts violently with water—but in the form of salt, it’s one of the most common and useful compounds on Earth.
• Magnesium is named after Magnesia, Greece—not after magnetism!
• Aluminium / Aluminum—both spellings are correct for this, fittingly adaptable, metal.
• Silicon has both metallic and non-metallic traits and uses range from computer chips to silicone kitchen tools.
• Phosphorus was the first element scientifically discovered, isolated by an alchemist searching for gold.
• Sulfur may be odorless as a mineral, but its gases create some of the 'smelliest' smells we know.
• Chlorine is a toxic green gas—yet it’s also what keeps our pools and surfaces free of harmful microbes.

After spring break, we’ll keep working our way through the periodic table—ending the year strong with Iron 💪