The Navigator Newsletter

* Provide rigorous learning opportunities

* Respect diversity

* Personalize learning

SJH Reunification Site: Blue Ash Rec Center

This Week:

December 11: Choir Concert 7 pm

December 13: Adopt-a-Senior Day

December 20 - January 5: Winter Break, no school

1-844-SAFEROH

Safer Schools Ohio is a multi-agency effort created to assist schools in continuously improving the safety of our students. By calling or texting the statewide anonymous hotline parents, students or community members can report anything that is suspicious or endangering you, your friends or your school.

We have reached that time of year with weather affecting lunch and recess time. The following is important to review with your student:

• We will go outside for our 10 minute recess as long as the temperature is 30 degrees and above with no precipitation of any kind.

• Students need to be prepared for these types of temperatures.

• It is also important for students to know that beginning December 16, the restrooms by the auditorium will be locked. If your student needs to use the restroom before recess or on recess have them ask a staff member and they will be directed to the restrooms by the cafeteria.

The students enjoy their 10 minutes to move around and we want them to have that opportunity as much as possible this winter. Thank you for your help with reminding your student about our winter time recess and lunch procedures.

PTO MEMBERSHIP

Join the PTO! Being a member of the PTO doesn’t mean you have to volunteer and attend meetings, although everyone is welcome to do either/both! Joining the PTO shows your financial support for our programs that recognize students and teachers in our building. PTO membership is $10 ($11 online) and can be done online. Visit http://tinyurl.com/sycamorejhpto for more information!

Reminder:

All information about the PTO can be found by clicking on this link:

http://tinyurl.com/sycamorejhpto

Questions? Please email jhpto@sycamoreschools.org

Follow us on Facebook!

Hello Junior High Parents

Your 2020 Flight Fest team is already at work to bring a great event to Sycamore Junior High! Next year will be the 10th annual Flight Fest and we would like your input. The first half of the survey is for parents to fill out and the second half please get input from your students. Thank you so much for your time and support!

https://forms.gle/z9f98y68MnbaP4cF6

Part Time Job Opportunity

The Sycamore HS PTO is looking for an individual to serve as the store manager and merchandise buyer for the Aves Hangar Bookstore and Spirit Shop, located on the school’s campus, anticipated to begin mid to late January 2020. This is a new position and will replace the role currently held by volunteer managers.

Retail experience and knowledge of sales and marketing principles are necessary. This is a contract position, with an average expected work-load of 20 hours/week. Schedule is somewhat flexible. Incentive opportunities are also available.

For more information on responsibilities, time commitment, requirements, etc, please visit: https://www.sycamoreschools.org/Page/3365

Lost & Found is in the cafeteria and is cleared out periodically. Click here to see the current items.

Please visit this link to order your 2020 SJHS yearbook . . . https://sycamorejhs.store.creatorstudiopro.com/ . Check this off of your to-do list today!

*Yearbooks will be delivered to students May 20, 2020- make a note on your calendar if you purchase early so you don't accidentally purchase twice.

Questions? Contact Melissa Speelman

speelmanm@sycamoreschools.org

When will students take the AIR assessments?

Sycamore Junior High will administer the AIR assessments on April 15, 16, 22, 23 and 29.

How can you help?

Please mark these dates on your calendars and make every effort not to schedule your child for appointments or vacation days. Thank you for your cooperation!!

Thank you to all 7th grade families who have turned in immunization records. As we work to process those records received, please continue to be patient before you follow up. If there is a problem, you will be contacted via email by Amy Bonham. If you have not turned in your child's proof of immunizations from a doctor's office, please do so ASAP.

Know! To Put Kindness into Action

As it turns out, being a teen is not as carefree as we adults would sometimes like to think. In a 2018 study conducted by PEW Research Center, it appears teens have a host of problems and pressures weighing them down.

When 13 to 17-year-olds nationwide were asked about a variety of issues plaguing fellow youth in their community, they named mental health, specifically anxiety and depression, as the number one problem. Seven in ten young people shared this same concern, regardless of gender, race or socioeconomic status. Bullying came in second, with more than half of all teens saying it was a major problem where they lived. Next in line was drug addiction, followed by underage drinking. The silver lining here is that even though about half of all teens see drinking and drug use as a major issue among their peer group, less than one-in-ten report feeling a lot of pressure to personally use drugs or drink alcohol.

Speaking of pressure, without question, academics is at the top, with 88% of teens saying they feel ‘a lot’ or at least ‘some’ pressure to get good grades. Not surprisingly, teens say they worry about looking good, and fitting in socially as well. Young people also report feeling pressure to participate in extracurricular activities and to be good at sports.

Nearly one in four children worry every single day about their family having money for basic expenses, and another one in four report coming across people who try to put them down - on an everyday basis. More than one in four young people say they feel tense or nervous about their day, and wished they had more good friends. The study also found that family finances, teen pregnancy, bullying, drug addiction and gang activity, while a concern for all, weighs even heavier on the minds of children growing up in lower income homes.

In looking at the near future, of those teens who say they plan to go to college, the majority say they worry about getting into a college of their choice, and are concerned with being able to afford it.

Footloose and fancy-free are certainly not words to describe the majority of today’s young people. The amount of worry and stress upon them can be overwhelming, and may lead to unhealthy behaviors and coping skills. While you cannot and should not attempt to take away every adversity in your students’ lives, you do have a unique opportunity to teach, support and provide solid advice on helping them deal with the problems and pressures they are facing.

In a series of tips to follow, we will share information on maintaining mental health, putting a stop to bullying, and preventing or dealing with substance abuse, as well as healthy ways to help students cope with the many pressures and stressors in their lives.

Source: Pew Research Center: Most U.S. Teens See Anxiety and Depression as a Major Problem Among Their Peers. Feb. 2019.

Email: jhadmin@sycamoreschools.org
Website: www.sycamoreschools.org/sycamorejh
Location: 5757 Cooper Road, Cincinnati, OH, United States
Phone: 5136861760
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SycamoreJuniorHighPTO/
Twitter: @sycamorejrhigh