David Starr Jordan Middle School

SCHOOL DESCRIPTION

Welcome to the website for Jordan Middle School. My goal is to make this an informative and useful site for you. Please go to the links on the left for more detailed information.

Jordan offers a rich and challenging curriculum for all students. It is our goal to prepare students academically and to help them become responsible, contributing members of the community. Jordan has a great partnership between students, parents and faculty. They work together to create positive middle school experiences for all students. The PTA is active and welcomes your participation. They have many opportunities throughout the school year for you to become involved. For more information about how to volunteer with PTA, please click on the link at the left.

At Jordan we all work to make the transition from 5th to 6th grade and from 8th to 9th grade, a smooth one. When 6th graders arrive at Jordan they are placed in a 6th grade core that is comprised of two teachers teaching the same students four core classes. We also locate the majority of the 6th grade classes in the same section of the school and offer the 6th grade physical education classes at different periods from the older students. This helps the students to bond with their teachers, and each other, and to ease into school life at a larger school. For 8th graders we work together with parents, high school counselors, and administrators to make sure that all students are correctly scheduled for high school. We also show them how to become involved in all of the wonderful opportunities available to them at the high school.

Jordan has a strong academic record in terms of the state testing program (STAR). Over the last several years, Jordan has continued to post strong scores as measured by the state Academic Performance Index (API). This year our API is at 804, which represents a twelve point increase from the year before. Although we are pleased with the growth and that we have made the state goal of 800, rest assured that Jordan teachers are always working hard to improve classroom instruction for all students. Our goal for this year is to score even better. We know that strong academic performance is the product of quality education and supportive parents, so we thank you for all of your efforts.

Jordan is also fortunate to have many excellent teachers. Even among all the strong teachers that we have, several have earned additional recognitions. The 2005 Los Angeles Teacher of the Year was Laura Vinyard. The California League of Middle Schools honored Brian Kaloustian as an Educator of the Year. Last year, Christine DeMore, Jordan’s amazing choir director, was one of Los Angeles County’s teachers of the year. My personal goal is for you to become a part of the Jordan family. Please don’t hesitate to call me if you have any questions or concerns.

Sharon Cuseo