News from Panther Headquarters
February 2020
From the desk of the Principal...
Hello Panther Families –
This month I would like to touch on two different topics that help to define a highly effective, world-class learning community: Safety & Collaborative, hands-on learning and play with our 2nd annual Global Play Day.
Let me first mention Safety. This is paramount among all other aspects of school. Safety must always be kept to the forefront because unless our students are kept safe and feel safe when attending HIJH, nothing else really matters. Being a safe school encompasses many areas of school. We pride ourselves on ensuring that our students will be in a safe and caring environment within the walls of HIJH. We proactively address social issues such as bullying and character education consistently through our PAWS initiative. But, we also need families help to ensure that our students and staff are safe upon entering or leaving school in our parking lots. We have several students who are car riders in AM and PM. We have a system in place where cars pull up to a cone near Door # 19 to maximize the number of cars along the curb where students can get out and get in their respective vehicles. When the vehicle pulls away from the curb, we ask that parents drive slowly and watch carefully for those students or staff members who may be walking from the lot to the sidewalk. Essentially, only staff members and their children should be walking in from the parking lot. All car riders MUST be dropped off or picked up at the curb for safety. I know it is difficult to patiently wait in a car line, but in the interest of safety, we do not allow parents to park in the lot and have their child walk across the parking lot. Please help keep our students safe and adhere to this rule daily.
Also, given the cold Indiana winters, we ask that you make sure your children are wearing a coat to school, especially for those intermediate students who may be out a recess per district guidelines of above 15 degrees. For their safety, we will not let students go to outside recess if they do not have the proper warm clothing.
Finally, our 3rd Annual Global Play Day will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 5th. Students are all signed up to participate in three different activities of their choice. This global initiative allows students to actively engage in collaborative activities with peers and teachers while experiencing a fun and stress free day. Next month we will share some photos of this eventful day.
Respectfully,
Tim A. Mankin
Upcoming Important Dates
February 5 HSE Parent Night 7 pm at HSE (8th Graders)
February 7 PTO Meeting 9:30 am
February 7 Panther Palooza - 6-8 pm (7th & 8th Graders)
February 11 DC Trip Meeting at HIJH - 7-8 pm (8th Graders)
February 12 DC Trip Meeting at FCJH - 7-8 pm (8th Graders)
February 17 NO SCHOOL - Presidents Day
February 19 Dine to Donate-Buffalo Wild Wings
Early Dismissals and Returning to School
Bus Notes
Counselor's Corner
8th Grade Students attending HSE HIGH SCHOOL:
8th Grade Parent Night-Wed., February 5 at 7 PM-HSE High School (Leonard Auditorium). The program is for 8th grade parents to receive information regarding scheduling and other general information about high school. Families will also get a chance to hear from their student’s guidance counselor and attend a course fair to get information from teachers and students regarding course options.
HSE Course Requests-February 19, 20, and 21. You and your 8th Grade child will be scheduled to meet with an HSEHS Counselor, at our HIJH building, to create your child’s course requests for the 9th Grade. We will be scheduling those 15 minute appointments, from 9:45 AM– 2:30 PM timeslots, at the end of January, and will extend that information to you as soon as arrangements have been made. If you know of a date that you are NOT available, please inform the HIJH Guidance Office ASAP. Appointment times are randomly assigned and cannot be changed once they are assigned.
8th Grade Students attending FISHERS HIGH SCHOOL:
Fishers High School Course Requests - February 21. You and your 8th Grade child will be scheduled to meet with a FHS Counselor, at our HIJH building, to create your child’s Course Requests for the 9th Grade. We will be scheduling those 15 minute appointments, from 9:45 AM – 2:30 PM timeslots, at the end of January, and will extend that information to you as soon as arrangements have been made. If you know of a date that you are NOT available, please inform the HIJH Guidance Office ASAP. Appointment times are randomly assigned and cannot be changed once they are assigned.
Current 6th and 7th grade students. As second semester approaches, students should watch for information explaining scheduling choices for their 7th and 8th grade year. Sometime second semester, those students will meet in classrooms with their junior high counselor to discuss course selection options for the 2020-2021 school year. Please know that you will be able to verify those course selections later in the spring.
Current 5th Grade Students. Course selection for the 2020-2021 school year will be a natural progression of the courses they are currently scheduled.
Withdrawing Your Student. If your child will be withdrawing from HIJH , you MUST notify the Guidance Office at least two days in advance of your child’s last day. Withdrawal forms prepared by the Guidance Office must be signed by the parent/guardian. Once all administrative items are completed, a copy of the withdrawal form, current grades and schedule will be given to the student to provide to their future school for enrollment.
HONOR ROLL postings are on the HIJH website! HIJH honor roll is located on the Home page of the HIJH website. https://hij.hseschools.org. Students receiving high honor roll have received no grade lower than an A-. Students receiving regular honor high honor roll have received no grade lower than a B-.
TESTING DATES TO NOTE. Please mark your calendars to ensure your child is in attendance these testing periods.
ILEARN testing window - April 20 - May 15, 2020
It is extremely important that your child be in attendance and on time during these testing days. Please assist us by ensuring that your child is well rested and eats a healthy breakfast. Also, it would be advantageous to reschedule any appointments you have scheduled during these days. Thank you in advance for your assistance with this testing process.
Click here for Twenty-First Century Scholars information.
Click here for Northwestern University's Midwest Academic Talent Search (NUMATS) information.
Messages from the Nurse
Vaccinations. Any updated vaccinations at any time, please send a copy to the clinic. Vaccinations can also be sent to the nurse over the summer through email. As your student enters 6th grade, you will need Hepatitis A, Tdap, and Meningococcal.
HSE Illness Policy. All students must be free of fever (without the use of temperature lowering medication--fever is defined as 100 degrees or more), vomiting and/or diarrhea for 24 hours before returning to school. Thank you for helping to keep our students healthy by following HSE Illness Policy, (it can be found in the online Handbook) and your best judgement when your child is sick.
Send in your pop can tabs to HIJH!
Val-O-Grams
Val-o-grams are coming! Val-o-grams, small postcards that will be delivered to students on Valentine's Day, will be sold during all lunches from February 3rd through February 13th. Val-o-grams can be purchased for $1.00 and will be delivered with a small treat attached. Student Council appreciates your support as we raise funds for Riley Children's Hospital.
Free Math Help
Congratulations to Mr. Yoder!
Ukelele Club
Congratulations to HIJH Science Bowl Champions!
Congrats to our HIJH Science Bowl Team and Mr. Josh TeGrotenhuis! For the 2nd consecutive year and three out of the last five years, the Panthers are the Indiana State Science Bowl Champions! Great job HIJH Panther Science Bowl Team!
Attention all parents of 8th Graders Going to Washington DC
Attention all parents of 8th graders going on the Washington D.C. trip: There will be two pre-trip meetings:
Meeting ONE is from 7-8 PM in the HIJH Auditeria on Tuesday, Feb. 11th (Please park in North Lot and enter at door 14).
Meeting TWO is from 7-8 PM in the FCJH Auditeria on Wednesday, Feb 12th. (Please park in Bus Parking Lot and use the main entrance).
It is MANDATORY that all students going on the trip attend ONE of these two meetings (whichever is more convenient for you). The same material is covered at both meetings. Parents are strongly encouraged to attend with their 8th grader. The purpose of these meetings will be to handout packing lists, supplies, flight info, and to go over trip plans and guidelines. Important information about the trip will be coming home from these meetings and is also posted on the google drive linked to our trip website www.dctrip.info. Also, please make note of the special arrangements you will need to make for Friday’s (2/14) departure. If you have any additional questions please contact Eric Brown (ebrown@hse.k12.in.us).
Save The Date for the Geist 5K-May 16th
PTO News
PTO Website. Checkout our PTO website (www.hijhpto.wordpress.com) for the 2019-20 PTO calendar, PTO meeting schedule, past meeting minutes, newsletters, and more.
Next PTO Meeting. The next PTO meeting will be Friday, February 7th at 9:30 AM at HIJH Conference room. All parents are invited to join us. Also, mark your calendar for our next meeting on Friday, March 6, 2020.
Dine to Donate. The next Dine to Donate is on Wednesday, February 19th from 5-9 PM @ Buffalo Wild Wings on 116th Street and Olio Road (excludes alcohol). Show the attached tickets when you order so the HIJH PTO gets credit. Click here to access the tickets.
*Mark your calendar for Upcoming Dine to Donates
-Feb 19 Buffalo Wild Wings
-March 18 Chuys
-April 15 The Ale Emporium
-May 4 Upaint Pottery
Panther Palooza. Panther Palooza is our amazing NIGHT OF FUN for all HIJH 7th and 8th grade students. It will be on Friday, February 7th from 6-8 PM. New this year, you can register & pay ONLINE at https://hijh-panther-palooza-2020.cheddarup.com. Online registration is OPEN now. Paper forms went home at the end of January if you prefer to sign up that way. Early registration price is $15 if paid by Feb 4th. The walk-in price on February 7 is $20 cash or check only. A permission slip & signed waiver are mandatory for participation. Panther Palooza is a student ONLY event – but we need parent VOLUNTEERS – please go to https://signup.com/go/MZpOVTH to sign up to volunteer or to sign up to send in donations for the event. THANK YOU!
Panther Fest. Mark your calendar for the 5th & 6th graders night of fun - Friday, March 27. Watch for more details about registration for this event next month.
Panther Rewards.
Kroger. HIJH families who link their Kroger card number to our school help earn our school money. It’s an easy way to support the PTO without costing you (or your fuel points) anything! Go to kroger.com/communityrewards. Sign into your account by clicking the person on the top right hand corner of the screen. Once you are signed in, click "My Account" under your profile tab. Click "Community Rewards" on the left hand side of the page. Type in "HIJH-PTO" or "WT583" and link your card to our account.**You STILL earn all your Kroger reward/fuel points – this is just BONUS money for the PTO. Click "Enroll."
Amazon. Amazon is another simple way to help our school money. Go to HTTP://smile.amazon.com/ and type HSJH PTO under “supporting”. You will need to go to smile.amazon.com each time (rather than use the app)- saving it under bookmarks makes it easy to use.
Coke Rewards. Enter Coke Bottle Caps in or enter online.
Box Tops. Keep clipping & scanning Box Tops & send the clipped ones in with your child's name, grade, teacher on envelope or baggie. Five raffle prizes will be drawn each semester for those who enter 25 or more. Click here for more Box Tops information.
Thank you for your support of the PTO and those families who have already linked their accounts to our school! The more families who are linked, the more money the PTO earns - and it all goes back to the school!
E-Waste Recycling Program
Middle Years
NEWS AROUND THE DISTRICT
Permitted use of school newsletters as required by the Equal Access Act is not an endorsement of this group or this group’s beliefs by Hamilton Southeastern Schools or the Board of School Trustees.
Hamilton Southeastern Intermediate/Junior High
Ph: 317-594-4120
Attendance: 317-594-4126
Guidance: 317-594-4124
Fax: 317-594-4129
hse.k12.in.us/hij/home.aspx
Twitter: @HIJPanthers
Athletics Twitter: @HIJathletics