The Navigator Newsletter
Sycamore Junior High's Parent Communication
August 27-31, 2018
Building Goals
*Cultivate a Positive Climate
*Implement Formative Instructional Practices
COMING UP at the JH!
This Week
August 28 & 29: Sycamore Singing Company Clinics 3:15-4:00 pm
Mark your Calendar!
September 3: Labor Day - No School
September 4 & 5: SSC Tryouts 3:15-4:00 pm
FLIGHT FEST
Please visit our website at www.aviatorflightfest.com to register for the race and view more Flight Fest 2018 information.
New this year-Those that register for the race will receive a custom made Flight Fest 2018 finishers medal in addition to Flight Fest t-shirt and swag bag.
When registering for the race be sure to vote for your favorite SJH teacher to win a prize and a “surprise”. Stay posted for details on what that surprise entails! Hint-teacher may not like it, but students will! The race begins at 8am and First Watch will provide breakfast for runners/walkers immediately following the race. The festival begins at 10am. with food, games, Silent Auction, and more! Also new this year-Silent Auction will be available online. Follow us on twitter @avesflightfest to see when Auction site goes live! You do NOT want to miss the updates on auction items added and awesome Instant Buys.
Please contact Michelle Ciotola at avesflightfest@gmail.com to learn about business and family sponsorships opportunities, volunteer opportunities, or any questions regarding Flight Fest. Thank you for your support! Go Aves!
P.T.O.
It was great to see so many people at schedule pick up last week! Thank you to everyone who joined the PTO already. If you haven't yet, don't forget that you can pay online using the link below. Membership in PTO will give you access to our student directory and is one way we raise money for projects, programs, and special requests.
We are looking forward to a great school year. Don't forget our first PTO meeting is on September 12 at 10:30 am. For more information about the Junior High PTO please visit
https://www.sycamoreschools.org/domain/575
Membership Form:
https://www.cognitoforms.com/SycamoreJuniorHighPTO/SycamoreJuniorHighPTOMembershipForm
Volunteer Opportunities
https://www.cognitoforms.com/SycamoreJuniorHighPTO/JHPTO20182019VolunteerOpportunities
PTO MEETING DATES
All meetings are at 10:30am with the exception of May 9
September 12
October 10
November 14
January 16
February 13
March 13
April 10
May 9 (Appreciation Lunch 11:00am)
Clubs & Activities at SJH
Clubs and activities are beginning! Dates and times of initial meetings will be announced several days ahead of time in daily announcements so students have the opportunity to attend the first meeting. Daily Announcements can be accessed from the SJH webpage.
BE SYCAMORE
Sycamore Junior High is excited about our new support system, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). With PBIS, the goal is to encourage good behavior and a culture which is safe, supportive and welcoming for all students. Helping students develop these skills ensures that we are developing successful, engaged citizens that are able to contribute productively in the world after high school. At Sycamore, we will focus on the following expectations to help students develop and practice appropriate educational behaviors:
Be Respectful
Be Responsible
Be Safe
Be a Problem Solver
PBIS is a proactive approach to establishing the support needed for all students in school to achieve social, emotional, and academic success. Key focus areas of PBIS include prevention, positive behavior supports, using data to better determine the individual needs of students, team meetings to support students with complex emotional and behavioral needs, and community-based supports for families, youth and schools.
Immunizations for 7th graders
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. The cutoff date is September 5th.
Reunification
August 13, 2018
Dear Sycamore Families,
Sycamore Community Schools takes the safety and security of our staff and students very seriously. As part of an Ohio Revised Code requirement, the District is required to inform students and parents/guardians before the first day of school each year of our emergency parental notification protocols.
In the event of an emergency where an evacuation of the school building is necessary, students will be transported to safety at Sycamore Community Schools’ reunification site:
Blue Ash Recreation Center
4433 Cooper Rd.
Blue Ash, OH 45242
In the event of an evacuation, families should report to this location to pick up their student(s). A Reunification Information Document will be used in an event of an emergency where a reunification process is required. This document will be made available at the Blue Ash Rec Center to assist us in releasing your child to you.
In an emergency, we will disseminate information through our mass notification system, which includes phone calls, emails, mobile app alerts, as well as the district website and social media. Additionally, we will continue to provide updates through the above avenues as needed.
We are asking parents to verify their emergency contact information is up to date in Final Forms in order to be contacted in case of emergency. If you make any changes to your contact information in Final Forms, please confirm that the changes have been received by your child’s school by calling the front office.
New Procedures for Guests to enter the JH
Dear Sycamore Families, Friends, and Stakeholders:
Our district is always looking for ways to make our schools safer and to implement new processes in order to support that mission. LobbyGuard is a visitor management system that will aid us in this effort. This system will "check in" visitors to our school and ensure accountability for all persons in our building, including information about who is currently in the building, who visited, and when they came and left.
The program also runs a background check on each individual who enters the school. The LobbyGuard Management software identifies individuals who should not have access to our building (i.e. registered sex offenders) and allows us to create a custom list of individuals who are prohibited from picking up children (i.e. potential custody situations, restraining order, etc.).
The program will be fully implemented the first day of school in August and will be required for any visitor who is entering the school building.
Please be aware of the following changes for visitors to our school buildings:
All individuals planning to enter the school will be asked for a state-issued license or identification. If you do not have a license or state i.d., you will not be permitted to enter the building. You will either be asked to wait in the lobby for your student or the reason for being present at the building.
Individuals who do not have access to a state i.d. should seek out how to obtain proper identification.
All individuals will be asked to sign in and sign out through the program.
All individuals will be required to wear the badge that prints out with their picture on it for the entire time they are in the building. This easily identifies each person as a visitor. All regular staff will wear their identification badges.
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to the district or to me at the Junior High School.
Sincerely,
Traci Rea, Ph.D.
Principal
FREE AND REDUCED PRICE MEALS FOR 2018-19 SCHOOL YEAR
The Child Nutrition Department is accepting Free and Reduced Applications for the 2018/19 school year as of July 1st, 2018. We recommend you apply online by going to the following website: https://onlinemealapp.sycamoreschools.org/sdms2/. This application needs to be completed on a computer or Chromebook. Unfortunately, it cannot be completed on a cell phone or tablet. Applying online allows for a much quicker response time.
We will also accept paper applications that are located on the sycamore website under Services -> Child Nutrition -> Free & Reduced Price Meals -> Printable Forms (at the bottom of the page).
Kelsey Gash RD, LD
Child Nutrition & Wellness Director
Sycamore Community Schools
(513) 686-1796
Around Sycamore
The Aves Hangar
Sycamore Athletic Boosters
WE MAKE SYCAMORE ATHLETICS BETTER!
WHO: We are the only Sycamore Booster organization serving all Sycamore Athletics.
WHAT: Sycamore Athletic Boosters raise money for a broad range of athletic
programs at Sycamore Junior High & Sycamore High School. We help fund
shortfalls in School Board approved athletics and annually assist over 100
teams where coaches identify specific needs.
WHY: We strive to provide as many athletic opportunities as possible for our students
by maintaining a large athletic program and by keeping our pay-to-play fees
as low as possible.
Visit us at www.sycamoreathleticboosters.com.
FIRST Tech Challenge
Join FIRST Tech Challenge!
The online application is now available for the FIRST Tech Challenge Robotics program for the 2018-2019 school year.
The application can be found at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf4l1Wnn1x41mdRBC1KTywQ5FglyEeoVLpL0yb9qdjfEc0jCg/viewform?usp=sf_link
What is FIRST Tech Challenge?
FIRST Tech Challenge are made up of 10+ members in grades 7-12. The teams are challenged to build, program, and operate robots in a head to head challenge in an alliance format.
Sycamore Junior High School
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