Parker Jr High Newsletter

Thank you for taking the time to review our updates for this week:

Capturing Kids Heart - CKH

Monday, November 27th, we will survey our scholars to gauge the impact of our CKH strategies. The survey is anonymous with all multiple choice questions. Capturing Kids Hearts (CKH) is program that is utilized for relationship building and provides self-managing strategies for our scholars.

Spelling Bee

On Wednesday, December 6th, students who are interested can participate in the Flossmoor School District Spelling Bee Qualifying Test. If interested, your child will take the District 161 spelling test at school during their 1st encore class period. This means that seventh graders will test during

Period 1, eighth graders will test during Period 2, and sixth graders will test during Period 3.

If you would like your child to take the qualifying test, please complete the permission slip and return to your child’s English teacher by Friday, December 1st (See information below). Every participant must turn in a permission slip in order to participate in the District 161 Spelling Bee Qualifying Test. See the 2023-2024 Spelling Bee Permission Slip for additional details.

6th Grade Dance

Friday, December 1st from 3:05 - 5:00 p.m. in the PJHS North Gym

Permission slips are available in Room 11 or outside the main office.

Best Regards,

Ms. Ursula Parris, Principal

Who: Grades 6-8 students

What: District 161 Spelling Bee Qualifying Test

Where: In person at Parker Junior High Media Center

When: Wednesday, December 6th, 2023 at 7:55 (7th Graders), 8:41 (8th Graders), and 9:27 (6th Graders)

2023-2024 Spelling Bee Permission Slip

The students who receive the highest scores will compete in the District 161 Spelling Bee at Parker Junior High School on January 31, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. The top scorer will become the District 161 champion and will advance to the South Cook Intermediate Service Center Scripps Regional Spelling Bee event in March 2024.

Your child can prepare by studying words from Merriam-Webster’s Third Unabridged Dictionary. Visit the Scripps National Spelling Bee website https://spellingbee.com for more study tips and games to practice spelling and vocabulary.

If there are any questions, please reach out to Tiffaney Washington, Instructional Coach (twashington@sd161.org)

Thank you for your support of the Flossmoor School District 161 Spelling Bee and best of luck to your child!

8th Grade Families are invited to attend the Homewood-Flossmoor High School’s annual Voyage to Excellence open house on Thursday, November 30, 2023 from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. at H-F North Building. Please see the Voyage Parent Letter (23-24) 1.0.pdf for more information.

Please see the Dress Code Policy below:

6.20 - School Dress Code We expect all students to be dressed appropriately and comfortably for school each day. Students are expected to be reasonably dressed and prepared to participate in a professional and hard working school environment. Any student whose dress is deemed to be inappropriate will be provided with a shirt or shorts that will appropriately cover the dress code violation. Clothes must be worn in such a way that the genitals, buttocks, stomach, sides, back and chest area are fully covered with opaque fabric. All undergarments must be fully covered. The following apply to all student attire:

a) Shirts must have opaque fabric in the front, back and on the sides under the arms that extends to the waistband,

b) Pants/sweatpants/shorts/ skirt/dress/leggings must be worn at waist level and in such a way that genitals, buttocks, undergarments are fully covered with opaque fabric, and,

c) Shoes must be worn at all times.

The following guidance is intended to illustrate implementation of the above requirements for students, parents, and school personnel while on school property:

1. Jackets, coats, hats, hoods, gloves, and other forms of outerwear apparel are not to be worn in school. Fleece and sweatshirts may be worn in school as long as a hood is not covering a student’s head.

2. No head covering or cap may be worn in the school unless for religious or health reasons.

3. Only prescription glasses may be worn in school.

4. Attire, earrings, jewelry, pins, or any other type of wearing apparel or accessories that advertise, promote, or depict alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, drugs, gangs, weapons, nudity, obscenity, or profanity are not to be worn in school.

5. Students are not permitted to wear or advertise in any manner drug, alcohol, weapons, or any controlled substance paraphernalia.

6. Pajama attire is not to be worn in school, unless given special permission [PBIS reward, etc.]

Mr. Small, 6th Grade Dean

Ms. Bennett, 7th Grade Dean

Mr. Metanias, 8th Grade Dean

• Please continue to encourage your students to wear their ID.

• Our November PBIS Goal is to decrease the number of referrals for Physical Aggression and Physical Contact. Encourage your scholar to make positive decisions and notify the nearest Parker Staff Member if assistance is needed.

• The 2nd Quarter Incentive criteria to participate in our Grade Level End of the Quarter activities will include scholars with that have NOT been assigned In-School Suspension, Out of School Suspension, and have NOT engaged in Physical Aggression. We are looking forward to celebrating our scholars that are making positive choices.

Knitting and Crochet Club

Knitting and crochet club is about to start! Does your student like to knit and/or crochet? Do they want to learn? Tell them to sign up for the Knitting and Crochet Club! Cost is $5 for supplies and is limited to 15 students! We'll be meeting after school on Mondays with our first meeting Monday, November 27. See Ms. Rudenga in the Media Center for a form to sign up!

Girls Volleyball

Bump, set, spike! Packets are available on the table outside the Main Office. Packets are due November 27th to room 72. You MUST have a sports physical on file to try out!

SPECTATORS

Per South Suburban Junior High School Association (SSJHSA), students MUST be accompanied by THEIR parent/guardian to attend any home or away athletic events in the conference. Parents/guardians MUST remain with their scholar during the entire game.

Athletic Eligibility

For all IESA activities, athletic as well as non-athletic, passing work shall be checked weekly. Eligibility will be applied to the Monday through Saturday following the week that was checked. Students must be passing each subject each week to be eligible. Grades will be pulled every Friday. Emails will be sent to parents/guardians of those scholars who are not passing their classes.

SPORTS PHYSICALS MUST BE ON FILE IN THE NURSE’S OFFICE IN ORDER TO TRY OUT, NO EXCEPTIONS!

Transfer/new students to PJH must present a 6th grade physical. It is the parent's responsibility to provide a copy of the physical/immunization forms from previous school records. Out of state transfers must have a physical on the Illinois form.

Medications - The only 2 medications (over the counter or prescription) that a student can have in their possession (including backpack, purses, etc.) is an inhaler or epi-pen with authorization. An epi-pen requires physician and parent authorization on the required forms. An inhaler requires parent authorization on the District form and the inhaler prescription box. Students may not have any over the counter or prescription medications at school at any time without the required district authorization forms.

Action Plans - An annual updated action plan is requested for all students with allergies, asthma, seizures, diabetes and other medical conditions.

COVID-19. Please report all positive COVID cases to the Nurse (708- 647-5437).

Homework Help is available Tuesday - Thursday from 2:35 pm-3:05 pm. Please make sure your child has transportation home. Bus Transportation will not be provided.

Email: uparris@sd161.org
Website: https://www.sd161.org/o/parker-junior-high

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PJHS161
Location: 2810 School Street, Flossmoor, Illinois 60422