The Cougar Chronicles
December 14, 2024
Hello Tomball Junior High community! As we head into the Winter break, let's take a moment to care for one another. If you notice a friend struggling or expressing thoughts of self-harm during this time, please be a source of support. Reach out to them and encourage them to seek help. Remember, even a small gesture can make a big difference. If it's urgent and after school hours, call 988 for assistance. Let's ensure a safe and caring break for everyone!
Tony Scherrman, 7th Grade Counselor
Latasha Thompson, 8th Grade Counselor
Tomball Junior High School
2024 - 2025 Early Release Bell Schedule
1st Period 7:15 - 7:48 (33 min)
2nd Period 7:52 - 8:25 (33 min)
3rd Period 8:29 - 9:02 (33 min)
4th Period 9:06 - 9:39 (33 min)
5th Period 9:43 - 10:16 (33 min)
6th Period 10:20 - 10:53 (33 min)
7th Period 10:57 - 11:30 (33 min)
Happy Holidays! See you in 2025!
Dear Parents,
As we approach the holiday season, I want to take a moment to remind both you and your child about the importance of staying responsible, especially when it comes to social media. While the holidays are a time for joy and connection, students often spend more time online, sharing photos and updates with friends and family. This makes it a great opportunity to talk about responsible and respectful behavior online.
Here are a few key reminders to share with your child:
Think Before Posting: Encourage your child to be mindful of what they share online. Once something is posted, it can be difficult to remove, so it's important to think about how it might affect others.
Privacy Matters: Remind students to keep personal information (like location, phone numbers, or passwords) private and only share with trusted individuals.
Be Kind Online: Whether on social media or messaging apps, kindness is key. Encourage your child to be supportive and respectful in their interactions.
Balance Screen Time: With the excitement of the holidays, it can be easy to spend more time online. Help your child find a healthy balance between online activities and enjoying family time, hobbies, and rest.
We encourage open conversations at home about responsible social media use and offer your continued support as your child navigates the online world. If you ever have concerns or need guidance on how to address these topics further, please feel free to reach out.
Tony Scherrman, 7th Grade Counselor
Latasha Thompson, 8th Grade Counselor
The lady cougars played the Oak Hill Lions this week. 7th grade B team unfortunately fell short to Oak Hills this week. Coach Stansbury can’t wait to see what kind of fight yall will have next week against Magnolia. 7th grade A team pulled out the 51 to 47 win in a nail biter. Taitum Lewis is the player of the game with 38 points. Coach Patane is so proud of y’all and is excited to see what else we accomplish this year! 8th grade B team pulled out a W this week. The players of the game were Izzy King and Emma Reich who were both a big presence around the basket in rebounding and scoring. Coach Perino is so proud of everyone for contributing to the team win 8th grade A team also pulled out the win this week. Players of the game were Anna Beth Caldwell for her offensive leadership and Kylee Reneau who stepped up in key positions that she normally doesn’t play throughout the game which contributed to the team win. Coach Pina is proud of everyone and eager to see what the rest of the season has in store for the Lady Cougars. Come out and watch us take on the Magnolia Lady Mustangs next week before Christmas break!
Hi Cougars!
Only one more week to go before the long Christmas break! Hope everyone is doing well and getting excited for the holidays!
Thank you to everyone who donated gift cards for the Holiday Staff Raffle This is such a neat event as we provide every teacher, paraprofessional, cafeteria worker and custodial staff member with a gift card. This couldn't happen without your support, and we truly appreciate you!
We are excited to celebrate the holiday season with our teachers and staff at the Holiday Luncheon on December 17. We need two more volunteers to help serve from 10am-1pm. Here is the link to sign up if you can help: Holiday Luncheon Signup.
And finally, we still need some volunteers to help with Students of the Week Pizza Delivery. We have no one signed up to help until late January! This is an easy way to support our students as it just requires picking up a pizza (generously donated by Marcos!) and delivering it to the school. If this is something you can do, please take a look at the open slots and sign up here: Student of the Week Signup Genius.
Thank you for all the ways you help and support TJHS! If you'd like to be more involved, join us at the next PTO meeting on December 19 at 1pm in the TJHS library. We'd love to see you!
--
Chris Doherty
PTO Vice President
ONE TEAM, ONE GOAL 2024-2025
If you drop off your TJH student at a sporting event to be a spectator, they are expected to have appropriate behavior. There will be an announcement made 30 minutes before the event is to end. Any TJH student spectator who is still at the event after 30 minutes could lose the privilege of attending another event.
Bus schedules will be available on August 2, 2024 on Smart Tag Admin and Parent App.
If no bus information is available in Smart Tag Portal, refer to infofinderi via http://www.infofinderi.com/ifi/?cid=TI05693839218
Wear ID tags on Lanyard around neck while loading and unloading.
According to the Student Handbook: Deliveries of personal nature (such as flowers, balloons, gifts, cards, etc. for birthdays, homecoming, Valentines Day etc.) will not be permitted. Food may be brought for your student only (not a group of students) and only by a students parent or grandparent and if the parent is not having lunch with the student, must be left at the front table. The receptionist will not send for the students nor monitor who takes the lunch. Doordash, uber eats, etc. deliveries will be turned away at the door.
Please make sure that your student is following the TJHS dress code. It will be strictly enforced.
Highlights of the Dress Code that all students should be aware of include but are not limited to:
- All students must wear clothing that adequately covers the body. Shorts and/or skirts must reach the mid-thigh. Spaghetti straps, strapless, backless, see-through and low-cut tops are not allowed. Tops must cover the midriff.
- Students are not allowed to wear hats, bandanas, or other head coverings. Please leave your hats at home.
- No Pajamas. No slippers.
- Hair should be clean and neatly groomed. It should not cover the eyes or be colored (including partial coloring or tips) or styled in any way that is distracting to the learning environment (i.e. unnatural hair colors, such as but not limited to, pink, purple, blue, green including highlights and tips). All students will be free of facial hair.
If it is determined that a student’s grooming or clothing violates the school’s dress code, the student will be given an opportunity to correct the problem at school and return to the classroom. If the problem cannot be corrected at school, the student may be assigned to in-school suspension for the remainder of the day, until the problem is corrected, or until a parent or designee brings an acceptable change of clothing to the school. A student who wears a hat or unacceptable jewelry will be asked to correct this violation of the dress code. A student who continues to violate this part of the dress code will surrender the item to an administrator. These items may be kept by the administrator for a period of time to be determined by the administrator, including until the end of day or the end of the year or until the parent comes to the school to retrieve the item.
Full version of TISD student handbook:
Texas House Bill 114 was passed by the Texas legislature last spring and requires school to place students in the District Alternative Education Program (DAEP) any student who is in possession of, uses, sells, gives, or delivers an e-cigarette (or vape) on school grounds or at any school related event. What this means for your student is that if your student has an e-cigarette (even if nothing is in it) on school grounds or at a school related event, he or she will be recommended for a DAEP placement of at least 10 days. Your student is responsible for any item in his or her possession, even if it does not belong to your student. **To note, this means just the device alone will result in DAEP; it does not have to contain any nicotine or THC at all. Please talk to your student about not "holding" anything for anyone, and to guard their backpacks/lunch boxes/possessions at all times. Lockers in pe/athletics must be locked at all times.
**Please see the district letter below for full information**
New Law: Mandatory DAEP Placement for E-Cigarette Violations
Students are allowed to bring their cell phone to campus. However, students are only permitted to use their phones/earbuds/electronic devices before school, during lunch, and after school. This includes the use of apple watches for any non-watch function.
TJH is a 1:1 campus and any activity that requires a device in class, teachers will rely on our district technology to support learning in the classroom.
If a student has his/her device out during a time that is not permitted, the device can be taken to the office by any staff member at TJH.
1st Offense: Student can pick up after school
2nd Offense: Parent must sign for the phone and can pick it up
3rd Offense: $15.00 fine and parent must pick up and sign for the phone
A $15.00 fine and parent pick up each time after 3rd offense
For safety reasons, students are required to wear an I.D. badge around the neck daily and at all times. Please remind your student/students about this district requirement. The replacement cost for replacing an I.D. badge are:
$3.00 for the I.D.
$1.00 for the lanyard
$1.00 for the plastic sleeve
Those students who do not have an I.D. will be sent to the office
Tomball Junior High School
Your 2024-2025 TJHS Administration and Counseling Staff
Charlie Gerszewski - Principal
Diana Herbst - Assistant Principal - 7th Grade
Dr. Clint Vick - Assistant Principal - 8th Grade
Tony Scherrman - Counselor - 7th Grade
Latasha Thompson - Counselor - 8th Grade
Email: charlesgerszewski@tomballisd.net
Website: www.tjhs.tomballisd.net
Location: 30403 Quinn Rd. Tomball, TX 77375
Phone: 281-357-3000
