Parker JHS Newsletter

Thank you for reviewing our important updates and information below:

Grade Level Community Meetings

Our Grade Level Meetings were facilitated and well received by our scholars. Please review updates in "Dean's Corner" of this newsletter.

Start with Hello Week is next week!

Scholars should wear GREEN Thursday, September 19th in honor of Start With Hello Week. Learn more here: What is Start With Hello Week? | Sandy Hook Promise

Upcoming School Holidays

October 11th - Yom Kippur Observed. No Classes

October 14th - No Classes

Transportation

School Street is one way for Arrival and Dismissal

• Please assist with maintaining proper traffic safety procedures.

• Braemar Street to School Street to Douglass (Optional right or left turn).

• No Parking on School Street! Please maintain traffic flow and drop off scholars from Braemar Street. NO STOPPING ON SCHOOL STREET!

Flossmoor SD 161 Elementary School Access

Parker JHS scholars are not permitted on FSD 161 Elementary School grounds until classes have been dismissed at 3:30 pm. If scholars are meeting or picking up a sibling, they must adhere to this procedure. Please reiterate this to your children as we strive to maintain safety for all schools of Flossmoor SD 161.

Educationally Yours,

Ursula Parris, Principal

Parker Junior High School

9.16.24

• Hispanic Heritage Month Begins

• 6th/7th Grade Cheer Tryouts - 3:30 p.m. - North Gym

• Girls Basketball Game vs Chicago Heights MS - 3:30 p.m. - Chicago Heights MS

• Cross Country Meet vs Columbia vs Crete - 3:30 p.m. - Palmer Park

• Fall Play Rehearsal - 3:05 p.m. - Media Center/Room 31

9.17.24

• H-F Late Start Day

• 6th/7th Grade Cheer Tryouts - 3:30 p.m. - MUR

• Girls Basketball Game vs Brookwood - 3:30 p.m. - North Gym

• Dungeons & Dragons Club Begins - 3:05 p.m. - Media Center

• Fall Play Rehearsal - 3:05 p.m. - Room 31

9.18.24

• 8th Grade Cheer Tryouts - 3:30 p.m. - North Gym

• Parker Press Newsletter First Meeting - Room 10

• Girls Basketball Practice - 3:00 p.m. - North Gym

9.19.24

• 8th Grade Cheer Tryouts - 3:30 p.m. - North Gym

• Girls Basketball Practice - 3:00 p.m. - South Gym

• Fall Play Rehearsal - 3:05 p.m. - Media Center/Room 31

9.20.24

• Parker Cheer Performance Day - 3:30 p.m. - North Gym

Welcome, Mr. Ramos!

The Parker team is excited to welcome Mr. Ramos to our team as the new 6th grade dean! Mr. Ramos has experience in building relationships with scholars and positively impacting classroom instruction.

6.20 School Dress Code

We expect all students to be dressed appropriately and comfortably for school each day. Students are expected to be reasonably dressed and prepared to participate in a professional and hard working school environment. Any student whose dress is deemed to be inappropriate will be provided with a shirt or shorts that will appropriately cover the dress code violation.

Clothes must be worn in such a way that the genitals, buttocks, stomach, sides, back and chest area are fully covered with opaque fabric. All undergarments must be fully covered.

The following apply to all student attire:

a) Shirts must have opaque fabric in the front, back and on the sides under the arms that extends to the waistband.

b) Pants/sweatpants/shorts/ skirt/dress/leggings must be worn at waist level and in such a way that genitals, buttocks, undergarments are fully covered with opaque fabric.

c) Shoes must be worn at all times.

The following guidance is intended to illustrate implementation of the above requirements for students, parents, and school personnel while on school property:

1. Jackets, coats, hats, hoods, gloves, and other forms of outerwear apparel are not to be worn in school. Fleece and sweatshirts may be worn in school as long as a hood is not covering a student’s head.

2. No head covering or cap may be worn in the school unless for religious or health reasons.

3. Only prescription glasses may be worn in school.

4. Attire, earrings, jewelry, pins, or any other type of wearing apparel or accessories that advertise, promote, or depict alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, drugs, gangs, weapons, nudity, obscenity, or profanity are not to be worn in school.

5. Students are not permitted to wear or advertise in any manner drug, alcohol, weapons, or any controlled substance paraphernalia.

6. Pajama attire is not to be worn in school, unless given special permission [PBIS reward, etc.].

Our CKH focus for the month of September is Empathy. Empathy is one of the top FIVE skills leaders look for in new employees. Listen to this podcast from Britannica- Raising Curious Learners: What is Empathy? as a family and discuss the importance of practicing empathy.

Our PBIS goal for September is positive common area behaviors. Scholars should practice empathy by being respectful and responsible in the hallway.

Rock Your School is a worldwide initiative that encourages educators to create engaging and fun learning experiences for their students. The program's mission is to:

• Celebrate the little things,
• Collaborate with people outside of education,
• Support and raise awareness for teachers
• Inspire students in new ways, and
• Revolutionize the classroom experience

Upcoming NWEA Testing Dates

Winter: December 9 -13, 2024

Spring: April 23 - 30, 2025

Upcoming AIMSWEB Testing Dates

Winter: January 22 - 28, 2025

Spring: May 6 - 12, 2025

Testing Tips

• Get a good night's rest

• Charge Chromebook the night before

• Eat a healthy breakfast

• Entrance and Exit - Parker Staff will be available to escort scholars to Grade Level Entrance

  • 6th Grade Scholars - Door B

  • 7th Grade Scholars - Door G

  • 8th Grade Scholars - Door J

  
  

• School Street is one way for Arrival and Dismissal

  • Braemar Street to School Street to Douglass (Optional right or left turn)

  • No Parking on School Street. Please maintain traffic flow and drop off scholars from Braemar Street!

  
  

• Transportation

• Bus information is available in Skyward for families. If you have any transportation questions, please contact Ms. Wanda Alexander at 708-647-7001.
• Please prepare to arrive 10 minutes before the scheduled pick up time on the first day of school.

Golf

Wakana Hill (7th Grade) finished 5th in the State Golf Tournament at Metamora Fields! Way to SOAR Wakana!!

Softball

Our Lady Falcons lost their regional game against James Hart on Wednesday 9/11/24, but our team ended their season with a record of 7-4. The girls gave 100 % at every game and practice. Congratulations on a great season!

Baseball

The team has their first regional game on 9/25/24. Good luck Falcons!

Girls Basketball

Good luck Lady Falcons! Their first game is 9/16 against Chicago Heights Middle School.

Cheerleading

Tryouts begin Monday 9/16/24. You MUST have a sports physical on file to try out!

Cross Country

The team has their next meet on Monday 9/16/24 against Columbia Central and Crete. Good luck Falcons!

Dance

Dance packets are available outside the main office! Tryouts will be on You MUST have a sports physical on file to try out!

Scholars be sure to check the Media Center Canvas page for additional announcements!

Homewood Science Center is sponsoring a conservation ecology-based internship for middle school students. This internship will complement the Ecosystems science content and the science and engineering practices reflected in the Next Generation Science Standards for middle school. This internship is a student-led program supporting student agency and equitable practices. All area middle school students are invited to apply to join us this fall in a community project to support Homewood Izaak Walton Preserve and Homewood Science Center through scientific investigation, discovery, and leadership!

Parker Junior High School will be a phone-free space. Scholars will be required to use the Yondr Pouch while in school. All scholars have been issued a Yondr pouch and are expected to place their cell phone inside the Yondr pouch every day upon arriving to school.

ALL 6th grade students are required to have a physical with updated immunizations completed and turned in to the nurse PRIOR to exclusion day October 15th. The physical must be on the Certificate of Child Health Examination form. A sports physical DOES NOT meet the requirement of a school physical.

Transfer/new students to PJH must present a 6th grade physical. It is the parent's responsibility to provide a copy of the physical/immunization forms from previous school records. Out of state transfers must have a physical on the Illinois form.

Medications - The only 2 medications (over the counter or prescription) that a student can have in their possession (including backpack, purses, etc.) is an inhaler or epi-pen with authorization. An epi-pen requires physician and parent authorization on the required forms. An inhaler requires parent authorization on the District form and the inhaler prescription box. Students may not have any over the counter or prescription medications at school at any time without the required district authorization forms.

Action Plans - An annual updated action plan is requested for all students with allergies, asthma, seizures, diabetes and other medical conditions.

This is asthma season with weeds and the fall coming, from now until probably mid November a lot of asthma issues coming up. So keep taking allergy meds daily if you take them. Use your inhaler if you need it, drink plenty of water.

Bug bites- we have been seeing a lot of bug bites at the urgent aids. Usually bites are from mosquitoes or some type of mite that is out there. So be mindful at dawn and dusk times those are when those bugs like to come out. If you’re outside, wear appropriate clothing or use appropriate sprays.

Step by Step training video for families regarding "My School Menus" can be found here: https://vimeo.com/395170590

Email: uparris@sd161.org
Website: https://www.sd161.org/o/parker-junior-high
Location: 2810 School Street, Flossmoor, Illinois 60422