Principal's Message
Dear Families,
It is with great excitement and gratitude that I thank you for choosing Jackson Academy of Math and Music. As both a principal and a parent, and I am honored to be part of such a special school that focuses on a positive environment to support a great learning atmosphere.
As a K-8 school, we have the unique opportunity to provide a consistent approach toward teaching and learning. As a result, this directly supports a positive climate and continuity of expectations both academically and behaviorally. Our schools vision focuses on keeping learning “Alive” and our instructional focus supports best practice instruction. Our dedicated teaching and certificated staff have been purposely selected and we are committed to serving the great community at JAMM. I want to personally thank you for trusting us with your children and providing us with feedback so we can be the best for your kids.
Over the summer, our school was thoroughly cleaned by our custodial staff, a new fence installed to secure the campus, a new hydrationstation for students to fill their water bottles was installed, and new curriculum purchased to support college and career standards. Our Music instruments were thoroughly cleaned, tuned, and prepared for the start of a new school year. Our middle school sports program has been scheduled and materials organized for the start of a new athletic year. Our associated student body has been planning upcoming spirit days and school dances to support an inclusive environment. Our middle school lockers were cleaned and prepared for beginning of the year. Moreover, additional student chrome books were ordered to support increased enrollment for this year. Our teachers have been attending a multitude of professional development and organizing their classrooms for a smart start to the year.
We are one of the very few schools in the nation who are providing violin instruction to our kindergarten through 1st grade students as well as a full operating piano lab for our 2nd through 5th graders. Our students in grades six through eight are learning instruments and transitioning into band. Our sixth through eighth grade extend the day by 45 minutes to support more instruction in all subjects as well as music. Moreover, we have hired a second full-time music teacher.
Our teaching staff continues to attend professional development to support a higher order thinking in all of the subject disciplines. Our staff is committed to continually learn and improve teaching practices.
As we continue our journey to improve the quality of instruction we are committed to reflect on our own professional practices and expectations for students and ourselves while maintaining a positive culture and climate at school. An ancient Chinese proverb says “one good parent is worth 1,000 schoolmasters”. Parents are the single most important variable in a child’s schooling. As a parent myself and the principal the most important thing to me is how my child has performed individually and their intrinsic motivation to learn, along with their attitude towards school. I encourage you to take time and support the love of reading and thinking with your child. Many families will set time aside to turn off the TV and model will love of reading and thinking. Thank you for celebrating your child’s academic successes and clearly supporting the opportunities for improvement. I wish you all a great school year and thank you for your continued support.
With my deepest gratitude,
Patrick Buchser
Principal