HAJHS January Newsletter

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a safe and healthy holiday season as we look forward to a great start to the new year.

The 2nd Marking Period will end on January 17th, which marks the midway point of the school year. This is also the beginning of the second semester and students may see a change in their schedule. Schedules will be distributed to students in their homerooms. As a reminder, students will be dismissed at 12:40pm on January 17th (lunch WILL be served) and there is no school on January 20th.

Dale McCall

Principal

Each month, we celebrate outstanding students for their efforts both in and out of the classroom. Teachers and staff nominate students that exemplify what it means to be a Golden Tiger (Citizenship, Adaptability, Analytical Thinking, Integrity, Perseverance, Communication) and one student is selected from each grade level by HAJHS Administration.

Congratulations to the December Students of the Month!

FREE Breakfast for ALL Students

Breakfast will be FREE for all students.

It is still important to those who may qualify for free/reduced priced meals, to apply or update their meal application for the 2024-25 school year.

You can add money to your child’s account through the School Café App that is available at the Apple App Store or on Google Play or by visiting School Café at https://www.schoolcafe.com/HOLLIDAYSBURGAREASD.

January 6

January 13

January 27

Art Club meetings are held from 3:00pm to 3:45pm in Room 132.

The dates for Art Club in January will be the 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th.

The dates for Art for Wellness will be the 14th and the 28th.

9th Grade Jazz Band will have their Winter Jazz Concert on Tuesday, January 7 at 7:00 PM in the Senior High Auditorium. All are welcome to attend!

7th and 8th Grade Jazz Band will rehearse every Thursday from 3-4 PM, beginning Thursday, January 9.

MathCounts will meet on the following days from 3:00 to 4:00 in Room 220.

Tuesday, January 28

In January, we will be finishing our School Competition. The top 14 students will qualify for competing at the Blair Region MathCounts Competition, which is at Penn State Altoona, on Saturday, February 1.

All students who are interested in participating in the Project NASA Club are invited to the first meeting on Monday, January 27th at 7:00 pm on Google Meet. Be sure to join the Google Classroom. The link for Google Meet will be active at 7:00 pm. If you have any questions, please email Mrs. Murphy or Mr. James. (rita.murphy@hasdtigers.com or bryan.james@hasdtigers.com)

We will have PALS January 24th during 8th period location TBD.

Also here are some pictures from our last event. If you still need stuff for the newsletter.

Junior High PALs met and played holiday themed games including an ornament relay race, holiday BINGO, and pass the parcel.

January 2025

• Tuesday, January 7 / 3:00 P.M. - 3:45 P.M.
• Thursday, January 16 / Eat & Meet Lunches
• Wednesday, January 22 / 3:00 P.M. - 3:45 P.M.

• Reading Club/Reading Competition

  January 2025

  • Wednesday, January 15 -

  • Reading Club - 2:50 P.M. - 3:20 P.M.

  • Reading Competition - 3:20 P.M. - 3:45 P.M.

  • Wednesday, January 29-

  • Reading Club - 2:50 P.M. - 3:20 P.M.

  • Reading Competition - 3:20 P.M. - 3:45 P.M.

Quiz Team Meets will be held on January 14, January 21, and January 28.

Yearbooks are available for pre-order. Go to yearbookordercenter.com and enter our school code: 4315. Books are $22 each until January 1st, when they increase to $25. Guaranteed pre-orders close February 14th

Any questions can be directed to nicole.stouffer@hasdtigers.com or abigail.miller@hasdtigers.com

The following are the scheduled year-end activities:

7th Grade***** Pittsburgh Pirate Game (Fundraiser/Fair Share Sponsored)

8th Grade ***** Hershey Park (Fundraiser/Fair Share Sponsored)

9th Grade***** Blue and White Dance (Fundraiser/Fair Share Sponsored)

If you have any questions, please email Amanda Hammel at amanda.hammel@hasdtigers.com.

Jan. 7 and 8 - Winter Keystone Algebra 1

Jan. 17 - Early Dismissal: JH-12:40, Lunch will be served - PM In-service

Jan. 20 - No School for Students, MLK Day

Feb 11 - FKS LGI 6:30-8:00 Autism/Applied Behavior Analysis

Feb. 14 to Feb. 17 - No School for Students, Holiday

March 14 - Early Dismissal: JH-12:40, Lunch will be served, PM In-service

April 15- JH LGI 6:30-8:00 Extended School Year (ESY)

April 17 – No School for Students, Act 80 Teacher In-service

April 18 to April 21 - No School for Students, Holiday

May 20 - No School for Students, In-service (Election Day)

May 23 - Early Dismissal: JH-11:10 – No lunch, PM In-service

May 26 - No School for Students, Holiday

All attendance excuses may be emailed to the Attendance Secretary, Amanda Hammel at amanda.hammel@hasdtigers.com or you may fill out this FORM.

Early Dismissals:

• Students needing an early dismissal need to bring a written excuse indicating the time of the early dismissal and the reason for the request.
  
  
• When arriving at school before entering the auditorium or going to breakfast, the student should report to the lobby outside the Main Office for an early dismissal pass.
  
  
• Students are responsible to report to the main office at the time of their dismissal, we do not interrupt class to call students.
  
  
• Please note the time on the written excuse is the time the student is dismissed from class, please allow enough time for them to meet you in the lobby.
  
  
• All students must be signed out by the person picking them up using the Navigate system in the foyer.

The Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) meets monthly during the school year at the HAJHS on the third Wednesday of the month at 10am. All parents and guardians are members and are invited to come to the meetings. Attending meetings is a good way to meet other parents and learn about what is happening at the Junior High School. PAC organizes many activities at the Junior High.

If you are interested in volunteering, please see the Junior High main office or access the volunteer signup form at hasdtigers.com - Junior High Page - Parents Tab - Parent Advisory Committee.

If you would like to participate in the Tiger Pack Program by receiving a bag of food weekly for your child(ren), please have your student(s) return the form that was mailed home. Forms are also available in the Main Office and attached below. A new signup form must be submitted every year. If you would like to donate to Tiger Pack or have any other questions, please contact Chris Burkey at christine.burkey@hasdtigers.com for additional information.

On Friday, December 20th, students celebrated the holiday season with "Frosty Fest," a much-anticipated annual event hosted by our Portrait of a Golden Tiger team and Student Council. The festive atmosphere was filled with joy as students chose between playing in or cheering on their peers during an exciting volleyball tournament, or diving into creative fun by crafting while sipping on delicious hot chocolate. Adding to the merriment, a special pop-up store, stocked with thoughtful items provided by PAC, allowed students to shop for unique treasures.

The day was a huge success, with students having a wonderful time connecting, creating, and celebrating together!

Website: https://www.hasdtigers.com/hajhs/home
Location: 1000 Hewit Street, Hollidaysburg, PA, USA
Phone: (814) 695-4426
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HollidaysburgAreaSD/
Twitter: @Tigerwires