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Welcome to USJ

I am so happy to welcome your family to the University School of Jackson. You are about to begin a journey with us, and your learning experiences will create memories that will last a lifetime. USJ is an extraordinary community where our teachers, staff, and families are making excellence happen every day. Our school is a special place, and we are so excited that you have chosen to join us.

I know that starting a new school can be a little overwhelming, so we have put together a packet with some information to help with this transition and inform you of the different parent groups which you can join. We hope that you will take advantage of some of these opportunities and become involved in the life of the school.

Thank you for entrusting your children to USJ. If you ever have any questions, please know that you can always reach out to me. I’m looking forward to working with your family throughout your time with us.

Laura Moore, Director of Admissions

731.660.1692

lmoore@usjbruins.org

MISSION STATEMENT

“We instill a passion for academic, artistic, and athletic excellence while committing to personal integrity, mutual respect, and lifelong learning.”

IDENTITY STATEMENT

USJ is a non-denominational, nonsectarian, college preparatory school dedicated to academic excellence and to our founding principles of faith, service, and scholarship. Based on a heritage grounded in Judeo-Christian values, we provide an educational environment where students of all ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds are valued and respected. The faculty, administration, and students are empowered to nurture and embrace the JudeoChristian values and our operating principles. Through the fulfillment of our mission and adherence to these core principles and values, we prepare our graduates to be responsible and informed world citizens.

Leadership Team

At USJ, we encourage open communication between our families, faculty, staff and administration. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Head of School

Don Roe, Head of School droe@usjbruins.org

Becky Baskin, Assistant to the Head of School 731.668.0447, bbaskin@usjbruins.org

Lower School

Courtney Burnette, Lower School Director cburnette@usjbruins.org

Lisa Cates, Lower School Secretary 731.668.8401, lcates@usjbruins.org

Early Childhood

Leslie Scott, Early Childhood Director lscott@usjbruins.org

Lisa Cates, Lower School Secretary 731.668.8401, lcates@usjbruins.org

Middle School

Margaret Livingston, Middle School Director mlivingston@usjbruins.org

Alissa Wells, Middle School Secretary 731.660.2110, awells@usjbruins.org

Upper School

Shane Jacobs, Upper School Director sjacobs@usjbruins.org

Kim Rainey, Upper School Secretary 731.660.1447, krainey@usjbruins.org

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Chairman:

Matt Fite

Vice Chairman:

Brian Dougan

Jeff Watlington

Meredith Franz

Will Dement

Courtney Goolsby

Stephen Hammond

Doug Haltom

Andrew Long

Whitney Overton

Ajay Patel

Henry Smith

Kathryn Tucker

Sara Jane Via Lee Yandell

Frequent Contacts

College Counseling

Carol Ryan, Director of College Advising cryan@usjbruins.org

Aftercare

Rachel Winfrey, After-School Care Director rwinfrey@usjbruins.org

Director of Student Health

Mary Ann Giampapa, Nurse mgiampapa@usjbruins.org

Lower School Guidance

Sarah Jones, Counselor sjones@usjbruins.org

Middle/Upper School Guidance

Keli Gooch, Counselor kgooch@usjbruins.org

Beginning of School

Wednesday, August 5

Infant & Toddler Parent Orientation

Scheduled times

Thursday, August 6

Middle & Upper School

New Student Orientation

Lower School Parent Orientation (Jr. Cubs - 5th)

Jr. Cubs-K: 5:30pm-6pm

1-5: 6:15pm-6:45pm

Infants & Toddlers

Staggered Start

Infants & Toddlers - Girls Only

This will be the first day for girls in the Infant and Toddler program.

Friday, August 7

Lower School Come & Go Day

(Jr. Cubs - 5th)

8:30am-9:30am: Girls

10:00am-11:00am: Boys

This is an opportunity to see your classroom and meet your teacher. Uniforms are not required.

Infants & Toddlers

Staggered Start

Infants & Toddlers - Boys Only

This will be the first day for boys in the Infant and Toddler program.

Middle/Upper School Student

Orientation- Uniforms Required

Bring Computer and School Supplies.

6th Grade: 8:00 a.m. - 10:35 a.m.

7th & 8th Grade: 11:30 a.m. - 2:05 p.m.

9th Grade: 8:00 a.m. - 10:35 a.m.

10th, 11th, & 12th Grade: 11:30 a.m. - 2:05 p.m.

Monday, August 10

Staggered Start - Jr. Cubs, Cubs & Jr. Kindergarten

Jr. Cubs, Cubs & Jr. Kindergarten - Girls Only

This will be the first day for girls in Jr. Cubs, Cubs, and Jr. Kindergarten.

First Full Day of School

This is the first full day of school for students in grades K-5.

The hours are 7:50 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. for grades K-5

This is the first full day of school for Middle and Upper School students.

The hours are 8:00 a.m. – 3:05 p.m.

All Infants and Toddlers in School

All Infant and Toddler students will attend.

Tuesday, August 11

Staggered Start - Jr. Cubs, Cubs & Jr. Kindergarten

Jr. Cubs, Cubs & Jr. Kindergarten - Boys Only

This will be the first day for boys in Jr. Cubs, Cubs, and Jr. Kindergarten.

Wednesday, August 12

All Students - Full Day

All students in Infant, Toddler, Jr. Cubs, Cubs, Jr. Kindergarten, Kindergarten, and Grades 1-5 attend for a full day.

Information and questions will be shared and answered by your teacher on the new school year.

• Teachers will email welcome letters to their students on Thursday, August 6.

2026 - 2027 Calendar Highlights

July 2026

7/31 – New Teacher Orientation

August 2026

8/3 – PD Day / Teacher Breakfast

8/4 – PD Day

8/5 – PD Day

8/6 – PD Day/LS Parent Orientation

8/7 – LS/MS/US Student Orientation

8/10 – 1st Full Day of School/Sr. Walk & Breakfast

8/13 – MS/US Parent Orientation

September 2026

9/7 – Labor Day Off

9/8 – Late Start

9/15 – Parent/Teacher Conferences – 3:30-6:30 pm

9/16 – Parent/Teacher Conferences – 8-3 pm

9/25 - Homecoming

October 2026

10/2 – Q1 Ends

10/5–10/9 – Fall Break

10/12 – Late Start/Q2 Begins

November 2026

11/25-11/27 – Thanksgiving Break

December 2026

12/15-12/18 – MS/US Exams

12/18 – Q2 Ends

12/19-1/3/27 – Christmas/New Year’s Break

January 2027

1/4 – PD Day

1/5 - Students Return

1/18 – MLK Off 1/19 – Late Start

February 2027

2/12-2/15 – Winter Break

2/16 – Late Start

March 2027

3/5 – Q3 Ends

3/8-3/12 – Spring Break

3/15 – Late Start/Q4 Begin

3/26-3/29 Easter Break

April 2027

4/12 - Late Start

May 2027

5/8 – Graduation

5/18-5/21 – Exams

5/24 – Admin Day

A full calendar of events is listed on our website at usjbruins.org

Cafeteria Account

Welcome to the USJ cafeteria! You will have a cafeteria account once your information has been added in the school system. Once the account is added, you will receive an email link to set up your lunch account. Your login will be your Blackbaud ID; the same as your myschoolapp.

To add money to your lunch account, login to usjbruins.lunchtab.app.

Lunch Times: 10:50am-11:15am • Toddlers, Jr Cubs, Cubs, Jr. K 11:05am-11:35am • Kindergarten

11:00am-11:25am • 1st Grade

11:40am-12:05pm • 2nd Grade 11:45am-12:10pm • 3rd Grade 11:05am-11:30am • 4th Grade 12:20pm-12:45pm • 5th Grade

11:45pm-12:15pm • 6th-8th Grade 12:45pm-1:15pm • Grades 9-12

If you are new to USJ, you will receive a welcome email to setup your Lunchtab account. If your child has any food restrictions you are able to identify those during the setup.

Lunchtab will notify you daily when the account is below a $50 positive balance. It is highly recommended that you enroll in auto-recharge. You can customize the amount and the threshold that you want to prompt the recharge. Please note that the process takes a week to finalize the deposit, and some banks require account verification before it initiates the first payment. We recommend setting the threshold to $50 and a minimum of $100 per recharge.

At anytime you can view your family in the Lunchtab parent portal to edit spending limits, restrictions or allergies, and review each child’s recent purchases.

If you have any questions, contact the business office at student.billing@usjbruins.org.

Our lunch menus are updated weekly and can be found on our usjbruins.myschoolapp.com portal.

Technology Requirements

All students in grades 4-12 are required to have a laptop. The minimum specifications for all laptops used by USJ students on campus are as follows:

Apple Minimum Specs

OS 13 Ventura

4 GB RAM

128 GB HD

Anti-virus/Spyware Required

Windows 10/11 Minimum Specs

4 GB RAM

128 GB HD

Anti virus/Spyware Required

Devices that do not Meet Device Requirements

Smart Phones

Tablets

Carpool

Carpool is the system we use to safely and efficiently get your child into the building in the morning and into your car in the afternoon. Please do not park your car in the carpool area and leave it unattended. School administrators have devised a carpool plan so that the process goes as smoothly as possible.

- Parents can help the carpool process by following arrival and dismissal times.

- Never park your car where it blocks traffic.

- Students can help the process by getting to their carpool pick-up spot as soon as possible after dismissal.

Upper and Middle School Carpool

Middle School carpool flows on the east side of the McClellan Road campus to the cafeteria doors, Entrance 1. Please form one line on the outside, leaving the middle lane open so cars can exit when the child arrives. As you wait, pull your car up as far as possible. Your child will walk to your car. Do not stop where your child stands if there is space to pull forward. When students are safely in the vehicle, parents may pull to the outside lane to exit.

- Middle and Upper School students are not to be dropped off or picked up in the front of the Upper/ Middle School building during carpool hours. (7:15 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. and 3:05 p.m. - 3:25 p.m.)

- The front parking lot will be one-way traffic from 7:30 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. and from 2:50 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. daily.

- Parents and guests will not be allowed to park in the Upper School parking lot waiting to pick students up after school. Students can only be picked up from the carpool line.

- All buses will pick students up on the Upper School side of the building. Buses will enter the last turn into the parking lot and proceed to the curb area for pick-up.

Lower School Carpool

Lower School students are assigned carpool numbers and a specific drop off/pick up door, which is staffed by school personnel. Every Lower School child will receive a school issued carpool number and a mirror tag. Carpool numbers are available in your child’s classroom as students return to school. Every Lower School family must complete the Lower School carpool form. The driveway behind the Lower School is closed to traffic except during carpool times. (There is no through traffic.)

- To help the flow of carpool, parents should not arrive before carpool starts.

- If parking your car, park only in parking lots and not on the road or in front of the school where you could block traffic.

- Infants and Toddlers parents must park in the parking lot on the Early Childhood Gym side of the Lower School building or the front parking lot and walk their students into and out of the school building.

- For the safety of our students, only school issued carpool tags are acceptable for student pickup.

- All Jr. Cubs through 5th Grade students will be dropped off and picked up in carpool.

- An email with a detailed carpool map will be sent prior to school starting.

“My School App” Information

The “My School App” is in the top right corner of our USJ website home page at www.usjbruins.org. This tab is designed for our current families to help with any important information during the school year. The tab links to the usjbruins.myschoolapp.com portal, where you can find the following information:

Back to School Information

Calendar and Calendar Highlights

Calendar of Weeks and Bell Schedule

Carpool Directions

Event Broadcasts

Family Directory

Grades/Report Cards

Inclement Weather Information

Infant and Toddler Schedule

Lunch Menus

Middle School Test and Homework Schedule

Parent Involvement Information

Spirit Store

Summer, After School, and Winter Programs

Transportation Options

Uniform Information

USJ Arts Guild Bruin Box Office

Grade Level Representatives

Jr cubs - Morgan Gray

Cubs - Meredith Fuller

Jr K - Makenzie Acosta & Lauren Robinson

K - Caitlin Masoud

1 - Kristen Hutchinson

2 - Alexis Long

3 - Amber Harris

4 - Emily Gamble

5 - Daisy West

6 - Carrie Brown Campbell

7 - Brittney Tucker

8 - Maegan Rothrock

9 - Celia Allen

10 - Brooke Dorris

11 - Melissa Hutchison

12 - Jamie Davenport

Ways To Get Involved at USJ

USJ parents play a key role in the success of USJ. From volunteering to work at concession stands and Holiday Mart to serving on the Board of Trustees, parents are always involved in school activities.

Board of Trustees

Members of the Board of Trustees meet each month.

Bruins Club

The Bruins Club supports the total athletic program at USJ by providing funds for many extras that our athletes need. Besides revenue from its annual Super Booster membership drive, the Bruins Club earns a significant portion of its income from operation of concession stands at USJ home athletic events. In recent years, projects funded by the Bruins Club included irrigation systems for athletic fields and a new spring sports concession stand with restrooms.

Arts Guild

The Arts Guild supports the Fine Arts at all grade levels. The Guild provides support for numerous plays, musicals, and art festivals, as well as providing summer scholarship opportunities for deserving students and continuing education for faculty. The Guild also buys additional music and art equipment and supplies.

Parents Club

The USJ Parents Club, which supports the school in many ways, has one major fundraiser each year: the Holiday Mart, which is always held the weekend before Thanksgiving. Besides raising money for many

school needs, the Parents Club supports the teachers through projects and a network of room mothers.

Moms in Prayer International

The Moms In Prayer

International group is two or more moms who meet for one hour each week to pray for our children, our schools, our teachers, and our administrators. Mothers, grandmothers, or anyone who is willing to pray for a specific child and school are invited. Moms in Prayer at USJ meet every Wednesday from 8 a.m. - 9 a.m.

Culture of Generosity

At USJ you have many opportunities to support the school. While each opportunity for support serves different needs, they all enhance your student’s experience. Your time and talents are great assets to the USJ family – thank you! There are many channels to direct a monetary gift as well.

FUND FOR EXCELLENCE (FFE)

The Fund for Excellence (FFE) is USJ’s annual giving platform. It supplements the annual budget and covers expenses that tuition doesn’t. A gift of any size to the FFE is critical in funding multiple areas of instruction and can be designated to the area of most interest.

ENDOWMENT FUNDS

Invested funds in an Endowment provide a steady, predictable flow of income to support USJ over time. For example, the Donald Newman Endowed Chair of Mathematics provides support for specific elements of the USJ experience. The principal dollars invested in any endowment provide long term stability and growth, while the institution can utilize a set percentage of interest accrued on an annual basis.

LEGACY SOCIETY

With a $2,500 or greater donation to the Fund for Excellence, you can become a member of the Legacy Society. Your gift supports the FEE as well as the other support groups at the school. Benefits include: a Super Booster membership, Holiday Mart Patron status, a Silver Level USJ Arts Guild sponsorship, and recognition and invitations to special events.

FOUNDERS SOCIETY

With a $5,000 donation to the Fund for Excellence, you become a member of the Founders Society. Your investment supports all aspects of the Legacy Society and also earmarks money for the USJ Endowment.

If you would like to make a gift of support to USJ, please contact a member of our development team or go online to usjbruins.org/give.