Sales Tax Holiday

The Mississippi Sales Tax Holiday is July 26-27, 2013. On these dates, sales tax is not charged on clothing or footwear priced under $100 per item. This includes uniforms. Refer to the Official Sales Tax Holiday guide for details.

Parent Orientation at Power APAC

Parent Orientation for the APAC program will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, July 28, 2013, in the Power APAC auditorium. This is for all parents of students who will be in 4th or 5th grade at Power APAC in the fall of 2013. For more information, call the school at (601) 960-5387. [More]

FREE ACT Workshops

Jackson Get2College is offering FREE ACT workshops. Participants may choose morning or afternoon sessions. Workshops will be held daily through August 9, 2013, at 2600 Lakeland Terrace, Jackson, MS. To reserve a spot, call 601-321-5533. [More]

First Day of School

The first day of school for JPS teachers is Monday, August 5, 2013. Teachers will participate in Convocation and professional development activities held throughout the school district.  

JPS students begin school Thursday, August 8, 2013. School hours are:

• Elementary - 7:45 a.m. - 2:20 p.m.
• Middle - 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
• High - 8:20 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

JPS School Registration for New Students and Special Populations

School registration is underway for certain new students and special populations for the 2013-2014 school year. To register, parents should visit the Office of Pupil Placement from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, call the office at 601-960-8852. [More]

JPS Transportation Changes

Due to budget constraints in the upcoming school year, JPS school buses will no longer deviate from their regular routes. Buses will not pick up and drop off students at locations other than their home addresses. This includes after school programs and daycare centers. Please note, buses will provide transportation to special programs, like APAC, International Baccalaureate, and Montessori. [More]

JPS Food Service Meal Prices to Increase

Full-priced meals for students and adults will increase in 2013-2014. Lunch meals for students will increase from $2.00 to $2.25. Adult breakfasts will increase from $1.75 to $2.00. The prices of reduced meals will not increase. For more information, call JPS Food Services at 601-960-8910.

Callaway Athletes Named to 2013 Clarion-Ledger Dandy Dozen

Taylor	Speaks

Callaway football players Roderick Taylor and Breeland Speaks have been named to the 2013 Clarion-Ledger Dandy Dozen football team. Both players are lineman. At 6-foot-4, 305 pounds, Taylor plays offensive guard for the Chargers. Speaks who is 6-foot-4 and 285 pounds plays on the defensive line.

Taylor and Speaks are both top national football recruits in the class of 2014. Taylor committed to Ole Miss after receiving scholarship offers from some of the best college football programs in the country. Speaks is also being heavily pursued by Ole Miss. He has also received offers from Jackson State and Mississippi State and others.

JPS Fall Sports to Begin

Softball & Volleyball

Softball and volleyball season for JPS high schools begins August 10, 2013. Softball teams will scrimmage at the VA fields. Games begin at 10 a.m. as follows:

• Callaway at Provine, VA-4
• Forest Hill at Jim Hill, VA-3
• Lanier at Murrah, VA-1 

Download the printable softball schedule on the JPS Softball Schedules page.

Download the printable softball schedule on the JPS Volleyball Schedules page.

Football

Football season for JPS high schools begins August 23, 2013. Admission for high school games is $6.00. Games begin at 7 p.m. as follows:

• Callaway (Home) vs. Forest Hill at Newell Field
• Jim Hill (Home) vs. Louisville at South Jackson Field
• Lanier (Home) vs. Amite County at North Jackson Field
• Murrah at Hazelhurst
• Provine (Home) vs. Canton at Hughes Field
• Wingfield at Hinds AHS

The season for JPS 9th grade teams begins September 9. Game time is 6 p.m. Middle schools begin football season September 10. Game time is 5 p.m. Admission is $5.00 for 9th grade and middle school football games.

Download printable schedules on the JPS Football Schedules page.

Visit JPS Athletics for game schedules for football, volleyball, and softball. 

JPS Teachers Preparing for Common Core State Standards

Thirty-five teachers in Jackson Public Schools are preparing for Common Core State Standards this summer. They are participating in training called Rigorous Curriculum Design (RCD). Elementary, middle, and high school teachers will become RCD experts in JPS. They will train school RCD teams to build knowledge of school administrators and teachers about the Common Core State Standards.

RCD is a professional development product of The Leadership and Learning Center. It provides a road map for educators to follow throughout the school year. The program is a carefully sequenced, hands-on model that guides the work of curriculum designers and educators. It helps educators to create a progression of lessons that keeps standards, instruction, and assessment focused and connected. [More]

Murrah Graduate Brings Awareness to Rare Illness through Pageant Platform

Kennitra Thompson, a 2009 graduate of Murrah High School, used the Miss Mississippi stage to bring awareness to Steven Johnson Syndrome. Her personal survival story related to the rare and potentially fatal illness was the feature of a July 6, 2013, Clarion-Ledger newspaper article, "Miss Mississippi Contestant Beats Death's Call."

Her battle to overcome the disease was fought just a few months ago. Although left with blemishes covering her body, she competed in the 2013 Miss Mississippi pageant held July 10-13 at the Vicksburg Convention Center in Vicksburg, Mississippi. [More]

JPS Students Attend All-Girls Summer Engineer Camp

Girl students from JPS elementary schools participated in an all-girls engineering program at New Hope Church. The Summer Engineering Experience for Kids (SEEK) program drew more than 350 participants in third through fifth grades from Jackson and surrounding areas.

The free program was held over three weeks in the summer of 2013. It introduced students to engineering concepts through fun and engaging experiences. Students learned the science of flight, vehicle design, and perfume making. They also practiced very important team-building skills. [More]

7/28 Power APAC Parent Orientation >>  

8/5 First Day for Teachers >>

8/8 First Day for Students >>  

8/9 FREE ACT Workshops >>   

1. Make sure my child is ready and on time for school each day.

2. Meet and exchange phone numbers with my child's teacher.

3. Create a quiet space at home so my child can study at least one hour each night.

4. Check my child's school work and pick up my child's report cards.

Download the Four-Point Pledge.