Wildcat Pride

Principal: Michael Leiter Ed.D.

Assistant Principal: Kelly Carque

Assistant Principal: Amanda Alverson

Dean of Students: Karen Dame

Athletic Director: Michael Johnston

Assistant Athletic Director: Todd Graham

Website: https://www.jpsonline.org/schools/secondary/jenison-high-school/
Location: 2140 Bauer Road, Jenison, MI, USA
Phone: 6164573400

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As we approach the holiday season, I’d like to take a moment to thank you for the partnership and support you bring to our school community. It’s been a productive start to the school year, and as we settle into these colder months, our focus on academics continues to deepen. With first-quarter grades complete and semester exams on the horizon, your involvement is as important as ever in helping your students stay on track. Encouraging study routines and open communication with teachers makes a tremendous difference, and we’re here to support you in any way we can.

Beyond academics, we have several events planned to bring our school community together, from food and clothing drives to our winter concerts, athletic events, and our annual Your Change Can Change Hunger campaign. These activities not only foster school spirit but also promote empathy and service, values we know you work to instill at home. Thank you for your continued involvement and commitment to helping us make this school a place where every student can thrive.Thank you for partnering with us in this journey, and we look forward to a productive and joyful close to the semester.

In the Advanced Marketing class, students have split off into three different groups, each leading a community service project with a local nonprofit organization of their choice. The largest of the three groups is focusing on Hand2Hand, the nonprofit the class volunteered for. The second group is focusing on working with the BeNice organization. Lastly, the third group is focusing on Waterford Place, a non-profit retirement community. Groups are using their project-based learning knowledge to either raise awareness for the organizations or organize fundraisers.

Seven plays collide to form an unforgettable spoof on life and social conflict. With the zap of a remote control, the scene changes. See Zap, a show filled with hilarity, absurdity, and a whole lot of theatre love.

The fall play, runs from November 20-23. The Wednesday through Friday performances are at 7 p.m. and Saturday’s performance is at 2 p.m. All performances are at the JCA. Purchase tickets @ Jenison Center for the Arts - Purchase online tickets here

Grades

Parents, please help support your student by checking PowerSchool regularly, especially if your student is struggling academically. If you use the PowerSchool app, the "Status" tab, found under your student's classes, is a great place to identify missing work. Please reach out directly to your student's teacher with questions about a specific class!

Semester grades determine passing vs. failing a course. While the quarter grades play a large role in the semester grade (along with the semester exam), it is the final semester grade that determines whether or not a student passes and the grade that will be calculated into your student's cumulative GPA. For a student to pass and receive credit for a class at JHS, the semester grade must be 60% or above. We find that some students' failing grades are due to missing work, so additional support could help your student earn credit required for graduation. Remember, if a student fails a core class, they will need to retake the class or attend summer school to earn the credit for graduation.

SENIORS

The 2025 FAFSA will open on December 1! FAFSA completion is required for most school scholarships, for the Community College Guarantee, and to receive the Michigan Achievement Scholarship (which 80% of Jenison seniors last year received!). Each senior who completes the FAFSA will receive an Amazon gift card!

While the form won't open until December 1, you can get a head start by creating FSA IDs ahead of time. The following people will need their own FSA ID:

*Your senior student

*Your student's contributor(s) - there is a helpful chart here which helps determine who your contributors are (this means information contributor, not financial).

Your student (and their contributors) can create their FSA ID here.

We will be hosting a FAFSA workshop to help you fill out your FAFSA - stay tuned for more information!

FRESHMEN

Counselors will be meeting with each freshman in November and December! This is a check in so we can meet each freshman and check in to see how your student's transition to JHS has been.

The counselors will also be presenting to freshmen in Biology classes on November 13. This presentation will include information about:

*High school graduation requirements

*Exams and studying

*Stress management

Click here for - Athletic Quarterly Newsletter - Winter 2024/25

Senior Graduation Cap & Gown Information Senior Graduation Cap & Gown Information:

If you still need to place your Class of 2025 Cap & Gown Graduation order, please submit your order online at Jostens.com.

If you would like to order only the cap and gown with tassel - Click here - Cap & Gown Unit with Tassel. Also, if you have a gown from a previous Jenison graduate that you would like to utilize, then please double check that it is a gown that resembles the one linked below -

Image of Jenison Graduation Gown okay to wear at commencement

If you need financial assistance for your cap and gown, please email Mrs. LeQuia - klequia@jpsonline.org in the main office.

Senior Pictures for Yearbook

The deadline to submit senior photos for the yearbook is February 1.

Here are the requirements and the process for submitting a photo:

- Photos must be in .jpg format and sent as an attachment.

- All photos must be vertical.

- The photo can be full body or head and shoulder.

- The photos can be in color or black and white.

- Photos should be emailed to Ms. Zeichman at lzeichman@jpsonline.org. Please put the name of the student in the subject line.

- Please Note: screenshots or cell-phone pictures of the senior photo will not be high-quality enough to include in the yearbook. Please submit the original photo.

- Seniors & senior parents will be notified if a photo does not meet requirements. A replacement photo must be submitted within a limited time frame or your school ID photo will be used.

- We will reply to all submissions as we receive them. You can expect a confirmation email after you submit a photo and it is placed in the yearbook.

Our page designers are excited to continue the tradition of featuring senior baby photos in this year’s yearbook. Senior baby photos are due on February 1 as well. This is optional, but many participate. Baby photos should also be sent to Ms. Zeichman at lzeichman@jpsonline.org - the baby picture is considered anything up to age 4ish.

Yearbooks are currently for sale online now with Jostens - to order, click here. We have returned to a Summer/Fall drop off, so graduating seniors will receive yearbook orders in the summer, and freshmen through juniors will receive yearbook orders the first week of the 2025-2026 school year.

Hey Parents, do you own a Business? Help support the High School Yearbook by purchasing an advertisement. Please click here for details - Yearbook Newsletter

Our online store for the Cat’s Corner is open - https://jenisoncatscorner.square.site/!

You can purchase school merchandise from the comfort of your home, and we even have options for pick-up and delivery. In addition, we occasionally have evening sales which we will post on Facebook for special shopping nights. Follow our store’s Facebook page for updates.

Help us minimize classroom disruption during instructional time

Regular attendance is crucial to success in school. Parents, if your student misses school, please be sure to call our attendance line (616-457-3400, option 1) to excuse the absence prior to the start of the school day. If your student has an appointment during the school day and needs to be dismissed from classes, please call the office before the start of the school day and leave this information on the attendance line. By following this process, it will avoid disruption of staff calling into classrooms during instructional time for students to come to the office to sign out. Calling in prior to the start of the school day, the attendance office can provide your student with a pass to leave at the requested time. We greatly appreciate your help with this process.

Reminder: New Feature - Submit attendance through PowerSchool

Parents, please help your student(s) make plans for after school. Students not participating in a club, activity, or sport should ride a bus home or be picked up after school by 3:30 p.m. to avoid unstructured and unsupervised time in the building.

Thank you!

Food deliveries from outside vendors are only allowed during the lunch periods. Students will not be allowed to leave during class periods to pick up food orders from outside vendors. There is a delivery table outside of the main office for food order drop off/pick up.