News from Panther Headquarters
April 2019
From the desk of the Principal...
Hello Panther Families –
The staff and students have been engaged in problem-solving and critical thinking through student-centered learning. This will continue to be our practice and more as we move to empower kids to achieve through relevant topics and student-driven inquiry. Our revised HIJH Mission Statement (work in progress) will be streamlined to communicate our purpose: Facilitate Learning, Foster Equity & Agency for ALL students. This will lead to the new iLearn assessment that will take place this spring. The IDOE window is 4/22-5/17, but I anticipate that we will begin on Tuesday, 4/23, and finish during the first week of May. Testing will take place in the morning. Please try to schedule appointments around these dates/times, if possible. We appreciate your cooperation.
HIJH is also excited to announce that upon our return from Spring Break the new playground should be ready for students! Teachers received safety and procedural training as playground supervisors and will pass that important information onto students prior to engaging in the parkour style apparatuses. The students are so excited! Thank you to our PTO for their generous donation that was matched by our HSE administrative grant to make this possible.
This last quarter will be fast paced and filled with lots of activities and celebrations. We will continue to emphasize our PAWS Expectations to ensure we maintain the safe educational learning environment we have come to know throughout the year. We appreciate all that you do to ensure your child is ready to learn each and every day. Thanks again for all of the support!
Respectfully,
Tim A. Mankin
Upcoming Important Dates
March 29 - April 5 SPRING BREAK - NO SCHOOL
April 12 PTO Meeting 9:30 AM
April 16 Kings Island Parent Meeting 7:30 PM (Panther Hall)
Panther Preview Information for 19-20 School Year
Student Absences
Early Dismissals and Returning to School
Address and Bus Changes.
Counselor's Corner
Testing Dates to Note: Please mark your calendars to ensure your child is in attendance these testing periods.
ILEARN testing window - April 22 - May 17, 2019
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.
Course Scheduling for 2019-20.
Grades 6, 7 and 8. All 6th, 7th and 8th grade students should have been scheduled for the upcoming school year. Those students still needing to select courses will be called down to the Guidance Office to assist them with those scheduling options.
Current 5th Grade Students. Current 5th Grade Student course selections for the 2019-20 school year will be a natural progression of the courses they are currently scheduled. Students will be able to view their next year course selection in Family Access from April 12-25th, but please be aware that Aide positions, Peer tutoring, and Resource/Intervention courses will not be listed at that time. We are very excited to have reached such an exciting point in the year.
8th Graders. If your child will be attending a private school for their 9th grade year, you MUST notify the HIJH Guidance Office AND sign a withdrawal form. HSEHS requires that we forward these withdrawal slips to them at the end of this school year. If one is NOT completed, you will be phoned by the high school to come in to sign their form before they release records to your new school. Thank you in advance for helping us with this.
Current 7th Graders - Office/Library Aides. Sign up forms are in the Guidance Office for any current 7th grade student interested in becoming a library or office aide, for the 2019-2020 school year. Opportunities exist for both HIJH as well as Fall Creek Junior High. Students MUST have grades of C or higher in all of their classes to be considered. We are looking for motivated, responsible, dependable and trustworthy students for these positions. Teachers will be asked to make recommendations. Please note that only about 30 positions will be available and we will not be able to place everyone who signs up. If interested please sign up by Friday, April 19th.
Current 7th Graders-Interested in Peer Tutoring Next Year. For an entire period every day for a semester, peer tutors will work with special education students in the FAP classroom. Peer tutors help with academic instruction, monitoring student success, playing games, or may accompany them to their electives, such as art or PE. Peer tutors must be flexible and a continual positive influence during their period of service each day. The peer tutor class will be in place of a semester elective class. Tutors will receive a semester grade and elective credit for their peer tutor service. If you are interested in this wonderful opportunity to serve, please pick up a peer tutor information form in the guidance office. All applications are due by Friday, April 19th.
Withdrawing Your Student. If your child will be withdrawing from Hamilton Southeastern Intermediate/Junior High School, anytime prior to the end of school, 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-.
Click here for the Northwestern University's Midwest Academic Talent Search (NUMATS).
Click here Twenty-First Century Scholars.
Messages from the Nurse
Immunization Reminder. Check with your doctor over the summer on what immunizations your student will need. If your student will be in 6th grade next year-they will need Tdap and Meningitis and have received (2) Hepatitis A vaccinations-please check with your doctor.
Medication Reminder. Do not send any medications to school for your student to keep in their backpack. All medications MUST go through the clinic. This includes cough drops.
PAWSitive Thinking
The PAWS Committee designed a lesson encouraging students to not be silent but instead to help their classmates. One of this year’s theme has been, “we don’t do that here” a common line that empowers bystanders to break the silence. The main point of the lesson was, if you see something, say something. Please take a minute and ask them what they thought about this month’s PAWS lesson. Be The Change!
Music Department Notes
Click here for the HIJH Music Trip Information.
Student Council Helps Make a Difference
Student Council will begin its final fundraiser of the year April 15-19th. Each classroom is charged with filling a small box with extra change. The money collected during this week will go the Lukemia/Lymphoma Society through the Pennies for Patients collection. HIJH has an outstanding record of stepping up to make a difference through this event. Let's work together to raise $2,500 as a school!
Free Math Help
2018-19 HIJH Yearbooks
Attention all parents of 7th Graders
Attention all parents of 7th graders: Did you forget to sign up your kiddo for next year’s legendary Washington DC trip? If you have not yet registered your kiddo we have unfortunately already reached our cap. However, there is still a good chance you can get your kiddo on the trip by putting them on the waitlist. As cancellations occur, kids are taken from the waitlist to fill those spots. Best of all, it’s no risk. If a spot on the trip does NOT open for your kiddo you get all your money back, even your deposit! To get on the waitlist, go to www.worldstrides.com/signup, and type in our trip id# which is 173852. Kids are taken from the waitlist on a first-come-first-serve basis so the sooner your register the better! Contact Eric Brown ebrown@hse.k12.in.us if you have any questions or visit our trip website at www.dctrip.info.
Panther Planters
Panther Planters will meet Tuesday April 16th, 23rd and 30th in April after school until 3:45. We will be working in the science lab on all of our starter plants and be designing the layout of our outdoor space for when the weather remains above freezing and we move outside. Any student is welcome to attend any of our meetings and learn more about gardening.
PTO News
PTO Website. Checkout our PTO website (www.hijhpto.wordpress.com) for the 2018-19 PTO calendar, PTO meeting schedule, past meeting minutes, newsletters, and more.
April PTO Meeting. The next PTO meeting will be Friday, April 12 at 9:30 am at the school. All parents are invited to join us.
Panther Rewards. HIJH families who link their Kroger card number to our school help earn our school money! When you use your Kroger card, a portion of the sale goes to our school. It’s an easy way to support the PTO without costing you (or your fuel points) anything! Go to kroger.com/communityrewards, click “I’m With An Organization…” then “Request Your Kroger Plus Card” and create an account or sign in. Find HIJH-PTO (WT583) and link your card to our account.
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.
Tyson Rewards and Box Tops. Congratulations to Mrs. O’Rourke’s class for bringing in the most box tops in February. Keep clipping Box Tops and Tyson Rewards. Our next prize days are April 10 and May 8. Each student that brings in 10+ box tops/Tyson rewards OR a Kroger receipt showing at the bottom community rewards going to HIJH PTO gets a treat at lunch. Put all rewards in a baggie labeled with your student’s name, grade and teacher. Receipts need name, grade and 1st period teacher written on it. Contact Lisa Gruber with questions at gruber5@comcast.net.
Panther Fest. Thank you to everyone that volunteered at Panther Fest to make it a huge success. Thank you also to all the families that donated items for the event.
Panther Pride Geist 5k Team
6th Grade Humanitarian Project
E-Waste Recycling Program
HIJH Connect
Middle Years
April Multicultural Holidays
Click here to find out about the Multicultural Holidays for the month.
NEWS AROUND THE DISTRICT
Text-A-Tip is a program that allows students, parents or others to anonymously send a text or email to our school resource officers.
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