JOHN MUIR MIDDLE SCHOOL FALCON FLYER
PRINCIPAL ’S MESSAGE
September 2015
Dear John Muir Families,
It is my pleasure to welcome you to the 2015-2016 school year at John Muir Middle School. The administration,
teachers, and staff join me in saying that we are happy to have you as part of the John Muir family. We look
forward to a productive school year where we all work together to ensure the success of every student. I would
like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who supported us in getting the school year off to a great start.
With our staff and parent support we had a smooth start to the school year.
This year we are looking forward to strengthening our communication with John Muir families and community.
Our monthly newsletter is only one way we will keep you informed about the happenings at John Muir Middle
School. We will also be providing you with information through our weekly all calls and through our
website at www.slusd.us/muir. Another way that I will be strengthening the lines of communication with
our community is through my bi-monthly Principal Chats. Principal Chats are informal conversations with
the principal, about common issues, concerns, questions, and success stories. The goal of the Principal
Chats is for us to learn from each other so we can provide our students and families with the best
experience possible at John Muir. I invite you to join me in our next principal chat on Wednesday
September 16th in room C-2.
We welcome the following new teachers to John Muir:
Rosemarie Boos RSP teacher
Jose de Jesus Herrera Math teacher
Luis Alvarez
RSP teacher
Stephen Fish Drama teacher/History
Sarah Bo-Linn RSP teacher
Jeff Vogt Librarian
We also welcome counselor Mark Hamilton to John Muir. Mr. Hamilton will s be a full time counselor at John
Muir and serve students with the last names A-Lopes
John Muir is also seeking parents to serve on School Site Council (SSC) and Parent Teacher Student
(PTSO). We are also seeking volunteers to help out around the school in different capacities (front desk,
supervision etc.). If you are interested in participating on SSC, PTSO, or volunteering at the school please
email Vernon Walton or call Patricia Araque in the front office at 618-4400.
Finally, I invite all of you to our Back to School Night on Thursday, September 17, starting at 6:00 p.m. in
the gym with a general assembly. Back to school Night is a great opportunity for you to meet your students'
teachers and learn about their classroom and policies. Having this information will help you in supporting your
child to be a successful student. I look forward to seeing you all at Back to School Night.
www.slusd.us/muir
From the desk of Jorge Gonzalez, Vice Principal
Greetings John Muir Families,
Welcome to the 2015-16 academic year. I am really excited to be working with all of our families in
order to ensure our students’ academic success. As we begin this new year, your students will have the
opportunity to learn from our dedicated staff and they will have the opportunity to use Project Based
Learning, technology, and hands-on activities to learn the subject matter in a way that is meaningful for
them. Over the past year after speaking and meeting with parents it became apparent that ABI is an
essential tool to monitor your student’s progress. During orientation you had the opportunity to create a
new account for your child. If you did not complete the ABI form you can still do so by contacting the
main office. You can use ABI to check your student’s grades, attendance, and email teachers.
Monitoring your child’s academic progress is essential from day one in order to make sure that your
child is staying on top of his or her assignments.
Later this month you will receive an invitation to join our John Muir English Language Advisory
Committee or ELAC. We invite the parents of English language learners to come and share their
concerns and ideas so that we may better support our EL students. I also invite you to check our
website and listen to our weekly phone messages for opportunities for parents to get involved at John
Muir.
Lastly, this year I will oversee the following student caseloads:
8th Grade – All students
7th Grade – Last names M-Z
I look forward to working with all of you and I wish you a wonderful and successful 2015-16 academic
year.
Respectfully,
Jorge Gonzalez
Vice Principal
www.slusd.us/muir
From the desk of Doreen Bracamontes, Vice Principal
Dear John Muir Families,
Welcome back to returning families, and to our new 6th grade families. I look forward to working to support
your student and your student’s teachers this year so that they can grow and learn in preparation for college and
careers. I am the vice-principal supporting all 6th grade students, and 7th grade students with last names A-L.
That means any 7th grade student who had me last year is again assigned to me. This allows me to continue any
work that we started together last year. Never hesitate to contact teachers with class based questions or concerns
as they are your first point of contact in serving your student. Also, do not hesitate to touch base with me when
needed.
My best,
Doreen Bracamontes
I also support the athletic programs on site. We have a new district Athletic Director, Mr., Jason Strickland and
he has already started some great work to continue to improve the experience of our coaches and students who
participate in sports here at John Muir.
We have a number of different sports offered at John Muir Middle School.
Fall Sports
Winter Sports
Spring Sports
Co-Ed. Cross Country
Co-Ed. Soccer
Girls’ Volleyball
Co-Ed. Football
Girls’ Basketball
Co-Ed.Track
Girls’ Softball
Boys’ Basketball
Tennis (tentative)
Student athlete reminders:
 Students athletes must maintain a 2.0 grade point average (GPA) to be eligible to play a sport. We
determine initial eligibility by checking the last quarter grades that were reported.
 Student athletes have to sign an athlete contract that shows they understand the academic and citizenship
expectations. Our student athletes should be models in our community.
 Student athletes will have weekly grade checks
 Student athletes must not have tardies, detentions, or ongoing discipline referrals.
Parent and Student Safety and liability:
-All adults coaching or assisting the team must be a cleared as a volunteer with a current negative TB test on file.
The office has the volunteer packet to pick up if you are a parent helping a team.
- Any adult providing transportation for team members must have a license and proof of required insurance
coverage on file. Never drive other students if you haven’t been added to the driver list.
We expect student athletes to be the best representatives of their school and team both in and out of school, and
at the various school sites that host our teams. John Muir students have done an excellent job representing us in
the past, and I know they will continue building our reputation this year too. Keep it up students.
www.slusd.us/muir
www.slusd.us/muir
Important Dates and Times
September 7
Labor Day Holiday – No school
September 17th
Back to school
September28th
Make up Pictures
October 2nd
Staff Development Day – No School For Students
Principal Chats every other Wednesday, please listen for the
weekly phone calls or visit our website
www.slusd.us/muir