FEBRUARY 2 ISSUE
UPCOMING EVENTS
February 6
*JASI

February 8
*National Junior Honor Society Ceremony

February 9
*National Honor Society Ceremony

February 10
*Staff Development

February 15
* Winter Holiday

February 17
*FAFSA Day

February 18
*Ninth and tenth grade PSAT meeting
THE CLARION-LEDGER METRO BOY ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Congratulations to senior Ben McDowell for being named The Clarion-Ledger Best of MS Preps Boy Metro Player of The Week. Ben averaged 17 points, six assists, five steals, and two rebounds in a three-game sweep of Jackson Prep, ACCS, and East Rankin.
UPPER SCHOOL DISMISSAL
Due to the number of schools coming to the JA Showchoir Invitational (JASI) this weekend, the Upper School will dismiss at noon on February 5.
2016 SUMMER CAMP
Sign up for a JA Summer Camp now! View all the camp possibilities here or online at jacksonacademy.org.
Beth Murray-Wilson, Allen Broyles, and Pat Taylor
ALLEN BROYLES DISCUSSES HOW BRAIN RESEARCH IS INFLUENCING EDUCATION

Guest speaker Allen Broyles presented a session for faculty and staff February 1 from 3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. on Cerebro Diversity and Diversified Learning. He led faculty and staff through exercises that demonstrated how memory is enhanced when touch or movement is incorporated; how it feels to a student to complete a task in an area of weakness; and how people interpret intelligence based on performance. He discussed how views of a person's intelligence often are restricted to those associated with scholarly activity without accounting for other attributes of intelligence, such as spatial or verbal intelligence.

Throughout the day, he also met with small groups of faculty, staff, and administrators sharing current research and experiences regarding the ways individuals and classes learn best. Broyles routinely encourages educators to look for ways to incorporate new models of teaching that help all students learn more effectively. He said that even students who have no trouble with memorizing and giving info back learn better with hands on, multimodal, and multisensory experiences. He also finds that learning strategies that work for students with learning differences work for all students.

Broyles serves on the National Board of Directors of the Learning Disabilities Association of America, and has presented and consulted on the topics of brain research, math, and differentiation for Southern Association of Independent Schools and at regional and international conferences. He has 24 years of experience in independent school education in administration and in the classroom, and is currently assistant head of school at The Howard School in Atlanta.



Using strategies presented by Allen Broyles yesterday, Middle School teacher Lisa Lucas modified a test review for her class today. The students were going to review landforms, islands, and rivers of South America for a test this Thursday. Instead, the students drew and outlined (from memory) South America and then were given labels to write the names of 27 landforms, islands, and rivers (again from memory) and place them in the correct location on their map. Afterwards, they displayed their maps and checked one another's work for mistakes. The students responded at the end they never thought they could do this when the teacher presented the instructions, but once they started, all groups were able to remember almost all 27 items and their locations. The students also shared they really enjoyed doing a hands-on review because it didn't even feel like a review. The teacher enjoyed watching students work together to determine how they would design their map and coming up with all of the names. She also commented that it was particularly rewarding that students who are normally quiet during review time said that they had fun! 
JACKSON ACADEMY NAMES LARRY WEEMS VARSITY HEAD FOOTBALL COACH



Athletic Director David Sykes announced January 27 that Larry Weems will be JA's varsity head football coach. Weems brings to JA 39 years of coaching experience, with 19 of those years as a high school head coach.

"Coach Weems shares our ideals of inspiring young men to reach their potential and lead lives of purpose. We believe he is a great fit for the job to ensure not only the success of the program but even more importantly, that our mission as a school continues to be fulfilled through the program," said Sykes.

Weems most recently served as head football coach for Meridian High School where he led the team to a 107-31 record. His teams appeared in playoffs each of 10 seasons, earning the state championship in 2008 and runner-up in 2006 and 2010. As head football coach at Pearl High School from 2000-2006, he led teams to five consecutive state play-off appearances. This week, Weems was named as one of five inductees into the Mississippi Association of Coaches' Hall of Fame. Weems holds a master's degree in secondary administration from the University of Southern Mississippi and a master's degree in education from Mississippi State University, where he also earned his bachelor's degree.

Read more...  


For further information, view the Raider Network interview and latest news coverage of Larry Weems below:

Raider Network Interview
The Meridian Star
The Clarion-Ledger
WJTV
MS News Now


FAFSA DAY AT JA



Wednesday, February 17 from 8:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.

Get one-on-one assistance completing your federal and state financial forms. To sign up for FAFSA day, contact Amy Bush, college admissions counselor, at abush@jacksonacademy.org.
WINTER GUARD SEASON BEGINS



Congrats to the Winter Guard on a great first show at the Rhythm & Waves circuit show on Saturday, January 30 at Gulfport High School. The group competed with 27 units from Mississippi and Louisiana. They won their class and had the second-highest score of all Mississippi groups.

The group competes next weekend at Oak Grove High School. They perform at 6:00 p.m. Saturday, February 6. To follow the Winter Guard, see the JA Band Blog at jaband.blogspot.com.

BASEBALL BEGINS IN FEBRUARY



Come support our Raiders. Check the following links for schedules:

Varsity Schedule
Junior High Schedule
Eighth Grade Schedule

JA STUDENTS PERFORM AT MACY'S PARADE



Officers for JA's Accent dance team and the captain for the varsity cheerleading squad were invited to perform in the 2015 Macy's Day Thanksgiving parade as part of the Varsity Spirit Team. Attending this year were (from left): Rebecca Nosef, Avenell Newman, Annalee Purdie, Abbey Lindsay, and Maggie Cross.

AESOP'S FABLES PROGRAM OFFERS LESSONS



Little by little does the trick and No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted are lessons offered by Aesop's Fables. Last week, second grade presented its annual class program, An Aesop Adventure. The students relayed several of the fables of Aesop, then sang songs about the virtues and lessons contained in the stories.
NINTH AND TENTH GRADE PARENTS INVITED
TO PSAT MEETING

Steve McCartney, Amy Bush, and Paula Pratt invite parents of ninth and tenth grade students to join them for a discussion:

WHAT: Meeting to discuss PSAT results, the ACT vs. PSAT/SAT, how to proceed, and the college planning timeline.

WHEN: Choose either Thursday, February 18: 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. or Thursday, February 18: 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

WHERE: The Flex Theatre on the back hall of the Jackson Academy Performing Arts Center.

EVENT REMEMBERING FORMER JA COACH SHAW FEBRUARY 6



Coach Sherard Shaw led the JA Raider football team to the school's first football championship in 1995 and is remembered fondly by the JA community.

The Sherard Shaw Foundation's "Gold Ribbon Night of Hope" is scheduled for Saturday, February 6 at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. It will be a fun filled evening with live music, food, and a silent auction! Come join the Sherard Shaw Foundation family and friends as they kick off their mission with this first event! For more information or to purchase tickets, visit  www.sherardshaw.org.
ALUMNI: SUBMIT YOUR CLASS NOTES FOR THE JA MAGAZINE



The JA magazine, True Blue, will be published in July. We are now collecting information for the Class Notes section, which features the milestones of our many alumni. Please send information about your accomplishments, employment, and family news to Haleigh Ritter at hritter@jacksonacademy.org. For samples from past issues, check out the JA magazines at jacksonacademy.org/alumni/jaam-magazine.

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