Dear Jayhawks,

We had an amazing October at JHS. Spirit days, Halloween happenings, World Language Induction Ceremonies, Wellness Day and so much more. Please note that Quarter 1 grades will be released and posted on Powerschool today. Next week we are hosting parent/teacher conferences on Tuesday and Wednesday. (see below for more information).

Tonight, SEPTA and the PTSA is hosting an evening event via Zoom at 7pm. Greg Sloan, Curriculum Associate for Counseling, will interview alumni to allow students and parents to gain insights into how students can best transition to college life. Here is the link to tonight's Zoom event:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87545289286

This issue of the Jayhawk Blast is filled with a lot of important information including key dates, how to purchase tickets to the JTPO production of "Clue" this weekend, and much, much more. You can also view the first-ever production of the Jericho News Network (JNN).

Please take the time to read through the entire issue and follow the links to learn about all of the details.

Our best to you and your families,

Mr. David Cohen & Dr. Joe Prisinzano, Co-Principals

JHS has two Assistant Principals. They are always available to our students and supporting their needs.

Mr. Brian Cummings has an office just outside of the cafeteria and can be reached at phone extension x3226.

Dr. Micheala Finlay has an office in the Social Studies across from room 244 and can be reached at phone extension x3224.

• 11/14 - Quarter 1 Grades posted on Powerschool Portal
• 11/14- Joint HS PTSA & SEPTA Meeting (Zoom) 7:00pm
• 11/15 - HS Drama Senior Citizen Preview (HS Little Theater) 10:00am

• 11/16- HS Drama Production (HS Little Theater) 6:30pm

• 11/17- HS Drama Production (HS Little Theater) 7:30pm

• 11/18- HS Drama Production (HS Little Theater) 7:30pm

• 11/20- HS Winter Chorus/Orchestra Concert (MS/HS Auditorium) 7:30pm

• 11/21- HS Parent/Teacher Conferences (by appointment only)

• 11/22- HS Parent/Teacher Conferences 8:30am-12:30pm

• 11/23- Schools Closed

• 11/24- Schools Closed

• 11/28- Districtwide Art Exhibit Reception Jericho Public Library Reception (Jericho Public Library) 7:00pm

• 12/9- HS Talent/Fashion Show (MS/HS Auditorium) 7:00pm ***Date revised from district calendar***

We are excited to share another exciting year of theater with our Jericho family!

Ticket Information!

The fall drama CLUE ~ ON STAGE runs November 16th at 6:30 pm, November 17th at 7:30 pm and November 18th at 7:30 pm in the Jericho Little Theater.

Tickets are on sale now

Visit our Theater website in the link below.

Please visit our site to purchase tickets, place an ad or donate to our fundraising campaigns.

Please also follow us on social media. Share with your family & friends to follow our adventures!

ON FACEBOOK : Jericho High School Theater

ON INSTAGRAM: @Jericho.Theater

Thank you for your support of the Jericho Theater program!

Please take a few minutes to carefully read through the information below:

Dear JHS Parents,

Jericho HS will be hosting Parent Teacher Conferences in person this year on Tuesday, November 21 and Wednesday, November 22. Quarter 1 grades will be posted to the portal on Tuesday, November 14 and these conferences provide an important opportunity to partner with teachers regarding your child’s progress.

Appointments for Tuesday, November 21 are reserved for teacher requests. Emails will be sent to parents next week to families being requested to meet with teachers. The email will have pre-established meeting times and locations. If you receive an appointment email, please reply right away to confirm.

The session on Wednesday, November 22 is OPEN TO ALL PARENTS and will run from 8:30am-12:30pm. The session is self-directed for parents with no set appointment times. Parents should expect each meeting to last approximately 10 minutes and the last meeting starts at 12:15pm. The attached document lists the rooms where each HS teacher will be stationed. Student volunteers will be in the halls to help parents navigate the building. Translators will be available and stationed outside the HS Cafeteria. Parents attending the Wednesday session are encouraged to arrive between 8:30-9:00am.

We look forward to seeing you at the conferences.

We are excited to offer JHS students our full complement of clubs for the 2023-24 school year. Please follow the first link below for a list of clubs now being offered, the name of the advisor(s) and a description of each club. The second link below provides a schedule of when each of the clubs meet. Please email the advisor if you have any questions about the club. All of this information is also available on the JHS website.

Each of our teachers at the high school provides opportunities for students to receive extra help. Please use the link below to see the schedule.

Jericho High School offers a student mentor program to support our 9th graders and new admission students. The program enhances their connections at JHS by pairing them with an upperclassman. The program is by request. Below is a link for 9th graders and new students to sign up for the program.

We want to share this year’s updated parent technology packet. The document can be accessed by clicking on the icon below. The document provides parents with important information about Canvas, PowerSchool, Google Classroom, OTIS, device insurance, and more. We encourage all students and parents to bookmark the link to this document in order to easily access should any technology questions arise throughout the school year.

Jericho’s one-to-one device program continues this year with one slight change. We are asking all parents to digitally sign one device lending agreement per student being loaned a device prior to providing a school-issued device.

The form is located here: Device Lending Agreement 2023-24.

We would ask you to complete this form before the first day of school so all students can be provided a device on day one. If your child is not borrowing a device, we would ask that you still complete this form should he or she need to borrow a device during the course of the school year. If your child already has a district-issued device, we would ask you to sign off on this form should we have to swap or replace that device. Having a signed device lending agreement means we can provide a loaner or replacement device immediately. If you have any questions, please email our Director of Technology Dr. Fogarty at pfogarty@jerichoschools.org.

Additionally, device insurance is an important consideration for families. We are contracting with Worth Ave Group to offer families insurance on Jericho-owned devices this coming school year. Insurance for the year is a very reasonable $38, which covers cracked screens, accidental damage, and more. Parents will have until 9/30 to purchase this insurance for the year. Because we are now offering this option, families will be charged for damage to one-to-one devices through Cell Mechanic. When an uninsured device is sent in from a parent or guardian for repair, we will pass it along to Cell Mechanic, who will evaluate it and let us know the cost of repair. Parents will then be asked to cover that cost. In order to avoid any such costs, we encourage families to consider this new insurance option. Please click on the icon below to learn how to purchase insurance on Jericho-owned devices issued to students for one-to-one usage throughout their high school career.

Please note that the Canvas Calendar is the starting point for all instruction, assignments, student council information, etc. All students and parents should have a Canvas account. For help, please access the Jericho Parent Tech Overview document shared above in this newsletter.

Traffic on campus is typically very busy. As you plan for your child's travel to and from school this year, please know that one way to alleviate traffic issues is for students to utilize our bus service. Our buses are safe, fast and the easiest way for students to travel to and from school. If you will be dropping off or picking up your child from school, there are two access points; the HS attendance entrance via route 107 and the upper senior parking lot via route 106 (You may not use the front circle for drop-off).

Safety is our primary focus, particularly at dismissal. If you are picking up your child it is critical that you adhere to the following procedures:

• Car lanes are single file and drivers should never leave the line unless directed by a security agent
• When using the route 106 access, drivers must pull into available parking spaces in the upper lot and wait for their child
• Security agents are on site to assist drivers when pulling out of spaces and moving back into the single lane of cars. Please understand that the security agents are focused on ensuring a safe and efficient process so please be courteous and understanding of their role.

Please anticipate a potential wait when dropping off and picking up your child. We ask everyone to demonstrate patience and to provide extra time to account for traffic volume.

Thank you for your support.

Our first Wellness Day of the year was on October 19th. Students and teachers were able to relax, de-stress and recharge while they spent time connecting with one another and participating in activities ranging from mindfulness, restorative circles, icebreakers and games. There were lots of smiles, laughter and team building throughout the day.

Thanks to David Hymowitz, Director of #SameHere Schools, students were provided with assemblies throughout the day. The assembly topics included “The Science of Stress”, “Coping with Stress”, “Why People Self-Medicate”, and “Online Gaming/Gambling”.

Finally, A huge thank you and shout out to the PTSA and the JEF for donating our new Wellness Day t-shirts to all students and staff at the high school.

Congratulations to all of our students who were inducted into their chapters of the World Language Honor Society!

The JHS community celebrated Halloween! Student Council put together a great Spirit Week from October 30th-November 3rd. Below are some pictures highlighting the fun!!! We look forward to our Annual Costume Contest on Halloween. It is always one of the highlights of the year!!

We had a school wide Pink Out on October 27th in support of breast cancer awareness month and the Morgan Foundation.

Earlier in the year, we had a blast celebrating Jayhawk pride in a sea of blue with our pep rally, homecoming carnival and our first football game of the season!

As you know, student wellness has been such an important focus for us at JHS. The NEST program, is aimed at supporting students and the stress many of them face. This is accomplished by creating safe spaces for students to engage in restorative circle discussions while increasing their connections with peers and adults in the school. The vision statement for the program is "The Nest Period is a safe and supportive space for students to feel a deep connection with the members of our community and share voices for making positive change. "

During the past month, students have engaged in NEST sessions in our English and Social Studies classes. This week, students are experiencing NEST in their math classes. In the coming weeks students will have NEST opportunities in Science, World Language and Elective classes.

Making connections throughout the entire JHS community is one important step towards ensuring a healthy and supportive school community. We look forward to working with all of our students to make the NEST a place where each of their voices counts. Remember, every student has a home in the NEST

Dear Parents,

Welcome to the PTSA Connections Corner! Here you will find the latest PTSA news and information about upcoming events and happenings that the HS PTSA sponsors and/or supports. We are always available to answer any questions and look forward to a wonderful school year. We thank you in advance for your support.

Sincerely,

Your PTSA Co-Presidents

Marni Rubin

Sheree Weingarten

Membership

Please use the link below to become a member of the PTA this year.

SENIOR PARTY DONATIONS

Attention seniors and families. Please click here to view a flyer about donations to support this year's Senior Party to celebrate the Class of 2024 on June 5, 2024.

Information from SEPTA

SEPTA is an organization that supports all students in the District. Below is a link to some important flyers from SEPTA. Each flyer has English and Mandarin versions.

Please take a few minutes to read through the flyers. We encourage all families to become members of SEPTA.

Danielle Smith, High School Psychologist

Wendi Goldstein, High School Psychologist

Ray Velez, High School Social Worker

How To Raise Resilient Kids

Children may face many challenges in their lives. During times of stress and change, it is important for us to pay particular attention to supporting them in forming connections, confidence, self control, coping strategies and character. Resilient children tend to be empathic, good communicators, strong problem solvers, have a strong interest in academics, and are goal driven. By teaching resiliency through continued family and community support, our kids will learn to thrive despite these challenges.

Please read the article in the link below that has been shared with us by our Northwell Partners. Together as parents we can teach our children how to succeed on their own, even amid setbacks.

• The high school counseling center has been hard at work assisting seniors with their college applications. Students should continue to communicate with their counselors about their post-high school plans!
• During Wellness Day in October, counselors set up games in the cafeteria to allow students to "unplug and connect" with their peers.
• In the month of November, counselors will be meeting with their 9th grade students in small groups. Topics of the groups include a check-in, get to know your counselor, Naviance goal setting, and resume building.
• The counseling center is hosting a financial aid night on Wednesday, November 8th at 7pm in the MS/HS Auditorium. Please check your email for more details.
• Save the date- Virtual Grade 11 Students and Parents Meeting will be on Tuesday, December 12th at 7pm. Counselors will go over important information for juniors, including starting the college application process, course selection for senior year, and more. Please be on the lookout for an email from your counselor with zoom information.

Dates to Remember

November 14th

1st Quarter Grades Posted in Parent Portal

November 21st & 22nd

MS/HS: Parent/Teacher Conferences

December 2nd

SAT Exam 8 a.m. (not in Jericho)

December 9th

ACT Exam 8:00 a.m. (not in Jericho)

December 12th

Grade 11 Students & Parents Meeting (Virtual) 7:00pm

Online Newspaper

Visit Jericho High School’s award-winning online newspaper: The JerEcho!

For over 50 years, The JerEcho has reported on school, local, and national issues.

Currently, we report the news through a variety of articles, videos, and podcasts. We’re comprised of a dedicated coalition of editors, reporters, and photographers.

We hope you enjoy exploring our site.

-The JerEcho Team

The JNN Debut

Did you know that JHS is expanding its Broadcast Journalism program? In fact, we just released our first ever JNN news broadcast. Click on the link below to catch up on recent school highlights, upcoming events, and meet some of our new faculty members. Congratulations to Ms. Valenza and all of the students involved in pioneering these tremendous steps forward for the program. We look forward to get more school news from the JNN in the future!

JHS Partners with Elementary School

High School students recently spent time mentoring 4th graders on how to create a podcast. It was a wonderful way for the 4th graders to learn the technical skills needed to create a podcast while also learning some really cool aspects of Earth Science. Such a wonderful experience. We loved having the elementary students at the high school.

Visit the Jericho High School Website!

Follow us on Twitter @DaveCohenJHS
https://twitter.com/DaveCohenJHS