

Minidoka Jr. High Parent Newsletter
January 2023

Important Dates:
March 6: 8:30-11:00 Beauty and the Beast (Play at Minico)
March 11: State ISAT Testing Begins at MJH
March 14: 4:30-8:00 Parent Teacher Conferences
March 15: 8:00-12:00 Parent Teacher Conferences
March 25-29: Spring Break
Parent Teacher Conferences
Teachers are required to make contact with 100% of their parents at parent teacher conference time. This can be done in person, over the phone, or on a Zoom or Google Meet format as parents prefer. Parents can also request a different time other than the designated district dates. The parent contact just has to fall in the dates between March 4-21 before Spring Break. This is important for student success, and especially so in the spring as we are anticipating conversations regarding grade promotion, high school, and summer school assignments. Please respond to teacher requests for a meeting. Thank you!
Dyann Blood
MJH Dress Code Review
Student Dress and Grooming (Policy No. 344.00)
. The Board and administration expect that all students will dress in a way that is appropriate for the school day or for any school-sponsored event. Attire or grooming depicting or advocating violence, criminal activity, use of alcohol or drugs, pornography, are obscene, lewd, indecent or offensive are prohibited.
Uniforms are a requirement at Minidoka Jr. High as follows:
1. Students must be wearing the required uniform in order to attend school.
2. All students wear black, blue, or gray pants without patterns, words, or any other markings. No layering of pants. No cargo, capris, leggings, spandex pants or shorts allowed. Pants will not be frayed, have holes, or have any words or graphics and must be worn at the waist level (without undergarments showing) at all times.
3. Uniforms are to be clean.
4. Students may not wear shoes that are predominantly red or blue. No slippers, slides or flip flops.
5. All uniform clothing and accessory layer clothing must be in good repair. Any part of the school uniform that is torn, faded, or altered, must be replaced.
6. Belts must be the appropriate length without excessive length hanging outside the loops. Belt buckle designs, emblems, insignias, monograms must be school appropriate. No blue or red belts, threads, or markings.
7. Accessory layering of clothing under the uniform shirt will include: a crew neck or t-shirt style in solid black, gray, or white. No words or graphics. Hoodies are not allowed for layering purposes.
8. No hats, bandanas, headbands, or other head coverings will be worn in the building or as an accessory.
9. Students who do not comply with the Minidoka Jr. High Uniform Policy may be sent home. Repeated infractions may result in further disciplinary actions.
Polo shirts and layering shirts are available for purchase on Minidoka Jr. High district webpage. Polo shirts are $18.00, and layering shirts (white, black, or gray) are $8.00 each.
Extracurricular Events
We are planning several extracurricular events for the spring. All students are always invited and encouraged to attend. However, incorrigibility, insubordination, substance abuse and any unsafe behavior will disqualify a student from attendance. Parents will be notified if the school is attending an event or activity that your child is unable to attend due to safety concerns.
District Level Parent Involvement
The district is in need of more parents and patrons to join PPAT (Parent Patron Advisory Team). If you are interested, please email Veronica Granillo at vgranillo@minidokaschools.org. Meetings are held monthly on the 2nd Wednesday from 12:30 to 1:30. A light lunch is served.
Maintenance facility committee is looking for new members in the community to help make informed decisions about budgeting and upcoming projects. Please contact Jason Van Every at jvanevery@minidokaschools.org
Get Involved!
We look forward to getting to know our parents/guardians,
and support you in the education of your child.
Teacher Corner
Mr. Bruns:
Mrs. Bruns
Seventh Graders Shining in English Class:
Ana, Aron, Braiden, Brayden, Jayda, Jesus, MaryJane, Ronan, and Xander are ON TRACK with Power Focus Areas! Levi, Noah, Payzlee, Xander, Ana, Aron, Brayan, Brayden, Edward, Jayda, and Jesus have all COMPLETED the first project. Our second project, Rhythm and Flow (reading the book The Crossover), will be completed soon.
Eighth Graders Shining in English Class:
Anaie, Chelby, Gunner, Iohanni, Jamie, Jaysun, Jordan, Karter, Shooter, and Sondric are ON TRACK with Power Focus Areas! Karter, Mason, Nataly, Hayli, Jaida, Yaretzy, Ales, Anaie, Anthony, Cecilia, Evelyn, Gunner, Iohanni, Jaysun, and Jordan have all completed the first project. Our Poetry Slam project will be coming to an end soon.
Mrs. Ashcraft/Mrs. Bowen
This month we will be learning tips to help us with time management, task initiation, and our working memory.
Mr. Jarvis
7th grade experimenting with Exothermic and Endothermic Chemical reactions.
Mr. Bell
In Mr. Bell's class, we've started weekly classes for the Making a Difference class with Mrs. Adria, a class on sexual education and advocating for abstinence. Students have been asking thoughtful questions and participating well!
In 7th grade, we finished our history portion on the medieval kingdom of Mali and cultural exchange, and are now researching different cultures' foods and what we could potentially add to the school lunch menu to increase the amount of cultural exchange in our school!
In 8th grade, we moved on from the history of Reconstruction after the Civil War, and are now looking at the modern controversy about Confederate monuments and flags and thinking about how the historical views would react to these contemporary issues.
Student Spotlight
New Student Spotlight:
Our new students have really hit the ground running! Anthony M started figuring out Summit all on his own on his first day at Minidoka Junior High. Eric and Fernando each completed one checkpoint their first day in class! Hayli and Yaretzy have already COMPLETED the first project! We are glad that they have joined our group.
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Eligibility for students to attend Responsibility Reward Activities
Students are eligible to participate in the current Responsibility Rewards Activity if they have met the following criteria:
Attend at least 90% of classes since the last reward activity (must be on time to count as attending unless previously excused)
ANY student who has perfect weekly attendance will earn one entry each week into a drawing for random prizes that the winner can choose
No more than two incomplete checkpoints or projects in any core class
No unresolved student responsibility sheets behavior concerns
No more than two responsibility sheets since the last reward activity
***Students are expected to pass at least one PFA each week in order to be eligible to participate in each Responsibility Reward activity.
Attendance
- Students can miss a maximum of 7 days in a semester (August 21-December 20).
- Doctor's/court/counseling notes need to be delivered to the school within 5 school days after returning to school.
- When a licensed physician or psychiatrist shall state in writing to the board of trustees that physical, mental or emotional condition of a child does not permit attendance at school, and a petition is filed with the board by the parent or guardian of the child requesting such child be exempt, the board of trustees may at its discretion grant the requested exemption during the existence of such condition.
- Click link to view policy. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/16gXdG2iHucMfD0G9H1inlIVDPMxfn7FX
Reminders:
- All students attending MJH need the signed "Statement of Cooperation" form turned in to the secretary.
- No backpacks/binders
- No open drink containers
- Cell phones will be turned in to staff at the beginning of the day and returned as students leave the building. Students who do not turn cell phones in will receive graduated consequences: warning, parent only (no siblings) pick up the phone from the office, not allowed to bring a phone for the remainder of the year.
- No dropping off students before 7:30-students need to be dropped off in the back of the building by the gym doors. We do not have supervision earlier than that.
- Students will go home on their assigned bus unless you contact the school (preferably by noon if possible). Please do not send notes, and we do not allow students to call home to change transportation plans.
- Click Link for Statement of Cooperation. https://drive.google.com/file/d/16LDAXmNpc04mSIwifE5RTokNt96NQ5Fm/view?usp=sharing
Summit Platform
Parent Login to Summit Platform Instructions
How do I log into the Summit Learning Platform?
To log into the Summit Learning Platform as a parent/guardian:
- Go to https://www.summitlearning.org
- Click Parents Login in the upper right
- Sign in with your username or email address, as well as your password
If you’ve forgotten your password:
- Click Forgot Password? on the login screen, under Password
- Enter your username or email address, then click Reset Password. You’ll receive an email with further instructions to reset your password
If you don’t receive the email, or if you’ve forgotten your username or email address, your child’s teacher should be able to provide you with that information.
If you don't have a parent account, please reach out to your student's teacher or principal and provide them with your name and email address for them to create an account for you. They will provide you with a username and password, which you can later update.
If you have additional questions or need more help, just contact our help desk.
Instructions to See Your Child's Work on Summit
Where can I see my child’s work?
As a parent/guardian, you may want to see what your child is working on at school. From the menu on the left, you can explore this through 3 different avenues:
Week
In the Week section, your child can plan and set goals for focus areas and checkpoints they are working on. Clicking on a goal will take you to the corresponding focus area or Project it is associated with.
Year
The Year section shows your child’s progress across all subjects. Scroll down to see each of your child’s courses, as well as the Projects and focus areas for each course.
The vertical blue line is the pacing line, and it indicates where your child should be today in order to be on track, or on-pace, to complete a given course by the end of the school year. Projects and focus areas to the left of the line are either completed or behind schedule, while all Projects and focus areas to the right of the line are upcoming in the school year. Students are free to work on focus areas ahead of time or return to previous focus areas for review at any time. You can toggle to past or future school years by clicking on the left or right arrows at the top right of the page.
Note: Projects that have been assigned are sized proportionally, depending on the start and end dates of the Projects. For example, a longer Project will take up more space than a shorter Project. Projects that are unassigned, as well as all focus areas, are spaced equally and are presented at the same width.
How do I see my child's specific assignments?
You can view your child's specific assignments by clicking into a project. Once you are viewing a project, you can click into the individual assignments to see your student's progress as well as the teachers' written feedback.
- Go to your child's Year Page
- Click into a project
- Click into a checkpoint or final product
4. See your child's progress and the teacher's comments
Progress
In the Progress section, you can view everything your child recently worked on, a summary of his/her goals for each week, and a space to view notes from teachers and mentors.
You can also view your child’s grades in each of their classes based on their current pace. Keep in mind that these grades are not final until the school year ends and may change whenever students complete Projects or pass Content Assessments. By clicking into each course, you will receive a detailed grade summary.
Federal Programs
Helpful Resources
Handbook
School Calendar
Free & Reduced Lunch Application
Information for Parents/Guardians
- Parents/Guardians have the right to request professional qualifications of teachers and paraprofessionals.
- Parents/Guardians are invited to monthly meetings-They will be held the third Wednesday each month from 3:45-4:45 (latest)
- Parent/Patron Advisory Committee meets monthly at 12:30 here at our building. Lunch is provided, and parents/guardians have the opportunity to be part of the decision making process for our schools. We would love to have you participate as you can.