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ANNOUNCEMENTS
Pre-K & Kindergarten Online Registration
Online registration for pre-kindergarten and new kindergarten students is underway and continues through May 24. For more information, contact the Office of Enrollment Services at (601) 960-8852. [ More]
JPS Community Chats
Jackson Public Schools will be hosting "Community Chats" to inform our stakeholders about the variations in the state's test over the past three years and other aspects of the testing process that may reduce our accountability label. The one-hour programs are scheduled from 6-7 p.m. by feeder pattern as follows:
- Monday, May 2 - Callaway High School, 601 Beasley Road
- Wednesday, May 4 - Forest Hill High School, 2607 Raymond Road
- Monday, May 9 - Jim Hill High School, 2185 Coach Fred Harris Street
- Tuesday, May 10 - Murrah High School, 1400 Murrah Drive
- Thursday, May 11 - Lanier High School, 833 West Maple Street
[ More]
High School Graduation Events
JPS high schools will hold commencement activities for graduating seniors on Monday, May 23 and Tuesday, May 24. Graduation practices and ceremonies will take place at the Mississippi Coliseum located at 1207 Mississippi Street in Jackson.
DVDs of graduation ceremonies will be available for ordering starting June 6. [More]
Last Days for Teachers & Students
The last day of school for students is Wednesday, May 25, and the last day for teachers is Friday, May 27. [ More] District-wide Closure
The schools and offices of Jackson Public Schools will be closed Monday, May 30 for the Memorial Day holiday. [ More] 2016-2017 District Calendar
At its April 19 regular meeting, the JPS School Board approved the District Calendar for the 2016-2017 school year. The first day of school for teachers is August 4, 2016, and the first day for students is August 9. District-wide closures for next year include: - July 4-8, 2016-Independence Day
- September 5, 2016-Labor Day
- October 10, 2016-Fall Break
- November 21-26, 2016-Thanksgiving Break
- December 23, 2016-January 5, 2017-Winter Break
- January 16, 2017-Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
- March 13-17, 2017-Spring Break
- April 14 & 17, 2017-Easter Break
- May 29, 2017-Memorial Day
[More]
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SPOTLIGHT
JPS Superintendent Elected to Executive Committee of National Urban Schools Group
 According to a news release from the Council of Great City Schools, JPS Superintendent Dr. Cedrick Gray has been elected to the 24-member Executive Committee of the organization recognized as the nation's leading coalition of large urban public school systems. Dr. Gray will serve from July 1, 2016, through June 30, 2019. "We look forward to Dr. Gray's participation on the Executive Committee to help improve and advance reforms in urban education in America," said Council Executive Director Michael Casserly. [ More]
Recently the Mississippi legislature took up the issue of School Choice, which is meant to offer scholars and their families options including public schools, charter schools, magnet schools, virtual classrooms, private schools and homeschooling.
Jackson Public Schools has a long tradition of providing the citizens of Jackson with a myriad of wonderful education choices. Our special programs are offered throughout our District and include the Academic and Performing Arts Complex, the Academies of Jackson, Advanced Placement, Arts Access, Ask for More Arts, Open Doors for gifted youth, International Baccalaureate, JROTC, Montessori, and Strings in Schools. [More]
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CONGRATULATIONS
McLeod Elementary Father Named 2016 Parent of the Year
 Jackson Public Schools recognized the 2016 Parent of the Year finalists and announced the District Parent of the Year during the April 5 School Board meeting. McLeod Elementary School parent, Steve Collins, a retired Army sergeant, was named the 2016 JPS Parent of the Year. Collins has displayed tremendous dedication to the success of JPS scholars, academically and financially. Collins' contributions to the school include securing a grant to improve the lighting of surrounding sidewalks, installing a portable basketball goal for the playground, and coordinating a trip to a Memphis Grizzlies basketball game for third through fifth grade boys. He also patrols the hallways, serves as a test monitor, volunteers as the morning car rider officer, and recruits mentors and tutors to support struggling scholars. [More] 
Sixth-grade young men of color from Blackburn, Powell and Hardy middle schools in JPS were honored during the A-TEAAM Awards Ceremony and Book Unveiling held April 24, 2016, at the JSU Student Center Ballroom. The A-TEAAM National Mentoring Initiative has mentored more than 250 young males for the past four years.
A student-authored book was unveiled and the Ambassadors of the Year were named during the program. The Ambassadors of the Year from JPS are Ephraim Hill, Blackburn Middle; Zion Walls, Hardy Middle; and JaQuarius Scott, Powell Middle. [More] Lanier Senior Cadet Named 2016 JPS JROTC Cadet of the Year
 Cadet COL Jaylin Rodgers of Lanier High School was named the 2016 Jackson Public Schools Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps Cadet of the Year during a recognition ceremony held in March.
Rodgers serves as the Battalion Commander for Lanier's 1st Battalion Mighty Bulldogs. He holds a 3.33 GPA and has earned a score of 25 on the ACT. He has taken advanced level courses throughout high school, such as Accelerated English I and II, Accelerated Geometry, and Advanced Placement U.S History. Also recognized were six other 2016 school-level JROTC Cadets of the Year:
- C/LTC Vivian Sandifer, Murrah
- C/LTC Tiaria Mister, Wingfield
- C/COL Dikardo Dextra, Callaway
- C/LTC LaShawn Bowens, Forest Hill
- C/LTC Bernice Burns, Provine
- C/CPT Victoria Hawkins, Jim Hill
 The Jackson Public School District was recognized for several outstanding community partnerships on March 15, 2016, at the annual Mississippi Association of Partners in Education Governor's Awards ceremony. Each year, MAPE recognizes the state's top school-community partnership programs. This year's recognition program took place at the Hilton Hotel in Jackson. The JPS partnerships honored with MAPE Governor's Awards were: - Books in the Barbershop & Jackson Public School District
- Mississippi Community Symphonic Band, Power, Bailey, Rowan, Brinkley & Blackburn middle schools
- Mississippi Children's Museum, Raising Cane's & Spann Elementary
- Colonial Heights, Fondren Presbyterian, Word of Life Outreach & George Elementary
 JPS challenge bowl teams tried to be first to give the correct answer to a broad range of academic subjects at the Annual JPS Middle School Challenge Bowl. The team from Bailey APAC outwitted the competition, winning the Challenge Bowl for the fourth year in a row. Finalists for the 2016 Challenge Bowl were Kirksey Middle, second place, and Siwell Middle, third place. The final day of competition was held at the Jackson Convention Center on March 29, 2016. [More]
 The Mississippi School Public Relations Association (MSPRA) recently recognized JPS Public and Media Relations professionals for excellence. JPS graphic artist Tommy Robertson received a first place award in the Special Purpose Publications category and web manager Georgette Keeler won a first place award for production of the Electronic Newsletter, the Key Communicator. Sherwin Johnson, JPS Executive Director of Public and Media Relations, was also named a runner-up to the Communicator of the Year. [More]
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JPS ATHLETICS
 JPS Athletics hosted an additional signing day program on April 13, 2016, for athletes who play winter and spring sports, including basketball, baseball, and soccer. Fourteen seniors made their next-level commitments known during the event. Besides excelling in their sports, these seniors are well-rounded individuals who perform at high levels academically and serve as leaders among their peers. [ More]  The Jim Hill Lady Tigers track and field team competed at the Mobile Challenge of Champions against the most talented teams from four Southern states. The Lady Tigers had two top-three finishes at the meet. The girls 4x100 team of Dayjah Jackson, Kenedy Guidry, Kemara Martin and Catera Thomas finished third overall. The 4x400 team of Talayla Davis, DeKeashia Kelly, Arnesa White, and Kemara Martin finished 2nd overall. Tamika Harris is the head coach of the Jim Hill Lady Tigers track team. [ More]  The Murrah Lady Mustangs basketball team defeated the Callaway Lady Chargers with a 54-52 win in double-overtime to claim the 2016 Mississippi High School Athletics Association 6A Championship on March 12 at the Mississippi Coliseum. CSpire presented Lady Mustangs player Melissa Creese the the Scholar Athlete of the Game Award for being the senior player with the highest grade point average of 3.1. Her 13 points made her one of the team's lead scorers, along with Nya Irvin (13), and Keimoya Walker (14). [More]  The Callaway Chargers baseball team defeated the Natchez High School Bulldogs 8-1 to capture the 2016 Capital City Classic Baseball Tournament Crown. Eleven teams participated in the spring break tournament, including all seven JPS high schools along with Canton High, Natchez High, Port Gibson High, and Yazoo County High. Kevin Wright, Sr. is the associate head baseball coach for the Chargers. [More]
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 Jackson Public Schools and its partners in the Read On Jackson initiative kicked off the JPS Summer Reading Program with a pep rally on April 6 at Murrah High School.
JPS Superintendent Dr. Cedrick Gray, Board President Beneta Burt, WLBT/Fox 40 News Anchor and JPS Summer Reading Ambassador Joy Redmond, and JPS Teacher of the Year LaShunna McInnis encouraged all Jackson area scholars and parents to engage in a culture of reading during the upcoming summer months.
Dr. Derek Hill of the Rickey Smiley Foundation delivered 8,000 books donated in honor of McInnis, an English teacher at Provine High School. [More]
Clothing company Agape North presented 440 uniform shirts to scholars at Peeples Middle School on April 20, 2016, in partnership with the Junior League of Jackson. The well-made uniform shirts are monogrammed with the school's logo and features the school's black and gold team colors.
"We are extremely delighted and humbled by the generosity of Agape North and the Junior League of Jackson," said Chinelo Evans, JPS Chief Academic Officer for Middle Schools. [More]
The LeFleur's Bluff Chapter of the Links presented a donation of more than 30 laptop computers to Rowan Middle School Principal Dr. Shimelle Mayers on April 20, 2016. The devices will be used by the students of the school as they transition to online testing. We are extremely excited about the donation from the Links," said JPS Superintendent Dr. Cedrick Gray. "These donations enable the scholars to accomplish the ultimate goal of being proficient with technology." [More]  Jackson Public Schools and Jackson State University hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a learning garden at Blackburn Laboratory Middle School recently. Over the past couple months, hundreds of volunteers and students worked hard to plant and cultivate the learning garden for Blackburn Laboratory Middle School. Scholars from Blackburn and Jackson State will monitor and maintain the upkeep of the new garden. The vacant lots were purchased by JSU and donated to Blackburn for the student garden.[More] 
Discover Financial Services recently announced that it has awarded Jackson Public School District with a nearly $54,000 grant to cover the cost of enhancing financial education into their high schools' curriculum.
The grant is part of Discover's Pathway to Financial Success program, a five-year commitment to bring financial education curriculum into public high schools across the country. The award will reach 1,800 students in nine schools: Callaway, Forest Hill, Jim Hill, Lanier, Murrah, Provine, and Wingfield high schools, Capital City Alternative School and the Career Development Center. [More]  The District is taking steps to ensure each scholar has a quality education in all of our schools by launching a new initiative called the Schools of Promise. This School Improvement Model will revolutionize schools within Jackson Public Schools. Seven JPS schools have been identified as a School of Promise-Clausell Elementary, Isable Elementary, Wilkins Elementary, Blackburn Middle, Whitten Middle School, Jim Hill High, and Wingfield High. [More]  Power APAC scholars learned how just 60 minutes a day of play can help their overall health at the Just Have a Ball event held March 18, 2016, at the school. Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi's Health and Wellness Coordinator, LaCiana McIntyre, shared with students the importance of exercise, how to make better food choices and the importance of drinking enough water. [More] 
The Office of Campus Enforcement is proud to announce the establishment of Police Explorer Post #325. The Police Explorer Post is the first of its kind in the Jackson Public School District and the only active post in the City of Jackson. This is an initiative of Superintendent Dr. Cedrick Gray that is designed to build character and life skills in JPS scholars.
JPS Police Explorer Post #325 includes scholars, School Resource Officers, Safety Officers, Deputy Chiefs and the Chief of Campus Enforcement, who have all completed training as Post Advisors by Learning for Life/Boy Scouts of America. [More]
 James Cole Jr., General Counsel, Delegated the Duties of Deputy Secretary of Education, traveled to Jackson, Mississippi on Tuesday, March 29 to visit Blackburn Laboratory Middle School and to deliver remarks at the Department's first Educator Equity Lab at Jackson State University. A senior education official of the United States Department of Education, Cole toured the school and held roundtable discussions with educators and students. [More]One hundred forty-one scholars from Davis International Baccalaureate Elementary School ran in the Mississippi Blues Marathon One-Mile Kids' Fun Run earlier this year. The school received a $2,000 award for winning the first place award for the highest participation.
For the third consecutive year, Davis scholars received training through the Get Ready to Run School Program sponsored by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi. [More]
 McGruff the Crime Dog surprised Walton Elementary kindergarteners recently to raise their awareness about crime prevention and safety. McGruff taught the Walton scholars about stranger danger, gun safety, staying away from abandoned houses and neighborhood watch. The participants learned about the Safe Kids Identification program, which allows parents to receive a personal identification kit that encourages a dialogue about being safe between scholars and their parents at home. [More]The Jackson Public Schools middle school initiative, Men on the M.O.V.E. (motivating, organizing. volunteering, and engaging) kicked off Monday, February 8, 2016, at Whitten Middle School. Through this initiative, JPS calls upon men in the community to encourage middle schoolers by sharing their time, talents, and resources to strengthen attendance, behavior and course performance. Former JPS teacher and celebrated author Tommie Mabry hosted a discussion about social challenges facing today's youth and offered a motivational challenge to 100 students to help them prepare for success. [ More] |
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Board Meetings
Regular Board meetings are held on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 5:30 p.m. in the Board Meeting Room at 621 South State Street.
Upcoming Board Meetings:
for coverage of past Board meetings.
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The five characteristics of high performing schools:
- Scholar Academic
Success - Effective Principal
Leadership - Effective Teaching - Parent and Community
Engagement - Scholar and Adult
Recognition
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