HJH Parent Newsletter

We are excited about the start of the 2024-2025 school year. We are looking forward to partnering with you, the parent/guardian, to ensure success for our students. HJH believes that in order for our students to achieve success at a high level there must be both support from home and school. Our commitment in this shared responsibility is to identify how we can support and grow ALL students. We ask that you support your child's learning by ensuring he/she:

• Attends school daily, on time, and prepared for class;

• Engages in conversations with you about their daily learning experience;

• Understands the assessment calendar and prepares the night before to perform their best;

• Believes that you as the parent/guardian have high expectations for them to succeed in school.

We ask that you also discuss with your child about what their interests are within our extracurricular opportunities. We have several clubs/organizations for students to be involved in on campus, and we encourage them to pursue those areas of interest. HJH stresses that each student's purpose at school is to obtain an education while following his/her passion and getting involved in order to represent our school and community.

Lastly, we ask that you and your child familiarize yourselves with our student handbook about the expectations of our campus. Our Student Code of Conduct is in place to ensure your child begins to understand their responsibility in their education here at Hallsville ISD. As a campus, we strive to instill discipline in our students in all that they do. In those moments when we are required to step in and correct them, we will always use it as an opportunity to teach them. This practice prepares them to be successful as they continue their education into high school, but also ultimately to prepare them for life down the road in all their future endeavors.

Within this google site, we have listed several resources to review with your child as we start the new school year. Again, we are excited and looking forward to an amazing year at Hallsville Junior High. Please feel free to contact the school if/when you have any questions or concerns.

Clayton Farrell

Principal Hallsville Junior High

8th - Meet the Teacher

8th - Community Pep Rally

12th - HJH Football Parent Meeting

13th - First Day of School

14th - HJH Girls Athletic Parent Meeting

16th -7th Grade Orientation (During Advisory)

16th - 8th Grade Orientation (During Advisory)

19th - District Board Meeting

22nd - KONA Ice

26th - Volleyball vs Marshall (HJH/I6)

29th - UIL Math/Science Parent Meeting

29th - Fishing Team Parent Meeting

*Only home sporting events listed

*Please join SportsYou located at the bottom of our newsletter for complete schedules and game locations

*Students must be accompanied by a parent/guardian in order to attend home events

***PLEASE NOTE, CLASS SCHEDULES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE***

Student schedule are currently closed as we work to balance classes. Due to new student registration, counselors will continue to balance classes over the next several days. Please make sure you check your child's schedule on Thursday, August 8th prior to 'Meet the Teacher' for final class schedules. Please see the counselor section down below for more instructions on student schedules.

Come out and join us at our Community Pep Rally on Thursday, August 8th. Plan on attending our Meet the Teacher and just walking across the street to Bobcat Stadium to recognize our current HHS programs. East Texas Professional Credit Union will provide FREE food. KONA Ice and Chugg's will be there to sell cold drinks. Cash or Card will be taken. You can also purchase Hallsville gameday gear. There will also be other various vendors selling merchandise. Hope to see you there! GO CATS!

The school day starts at 7:50am and ends at 3:35pm. At 7:45am, students will be released from the gym to their classrooms, and morning announcements will start at 7:50am. Attendance is taken every period at the Jr. High. Any student arriving late or leaving early will be marked absent for the periods that he/she misses. All absences, full or partial day, require documentation to be excused. If a student misses more than 20 minutes of a class without valid documentation, the student will be considered absent for this purpose.

When a student is absent and returns to school, he/she MUST bring a note signed by the parent explaining the reason for the absence or a note from a doctor. Any absence of more than 5 consecutive days for illness will require a statement from a doctor verifying the illness. Parent notes must be turned in within 3 days of the absence.

*Any documentation needing to be turned in can be done so through the reception desk, attendance office, or emailed directly to Mrs. Dorsey at bdorsey@hisd.com.

Online registration must be completed by Thursday, August 8th to ensure your student receives their schedule for Meet the Teacher on Thursday, August 8th.

7th graders must have shot records turned in before Tuesday, August 13th to attend classes.

Shot records can be dropped off or emailed to aholt@hisd.com.

Registration link:

Family.hisd.com

If you need assistance with registration please contact Barbara Dorsey bdorsey@hisd.com.

Please join us for a Fishing Team Parent Meeting on Thursday, August 29th at 5:00pm in the High School Cafeteria. If interested or have any questions, contact Mrs. Gipe at rgipe@hisd.com. Look forward to seeing you there.

Our 1st 9 Week Reward is Friday, October 11th. We will host a grade level Dodgeball Tournament in our gym. Teams will be divided up by student Advisory classes. In order to attend this reward, students must be passing all classes, have 90% attendance and meet all behavioral requirements. We will have music, sell snacks, and engage in friendly competition to celebrate student success. Students not attending will have an alternate setting during the tournament.

'If you inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader." - John Quincy Adams

The Leader in Me is a whole-school Transformation model that acts like the operating system of a computer; it improves performance of all other programs. Based on The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, The Leader in Me produces transformational results such as higher academic achievement, fewer discipline problems, and increased engagement among teachers and parents. The Leader in Me equips students with the self-confidence and skills they need to thrive in the 21st century economy. As a whole school we are explicitly teaching the language associated with the seven habits within each classroom. This is embedded within not only our curriculum, but our whole school environment and culture. You may hear your child come home and use language such as, think win-win, or put first things first.

For more information visit www.theleaderinme.org/

'As you teach these principles to young students you will be creating a generation of leaders, one child at a time" Dr. Stephen R. Covey

Key skills that businesses and educators have identified as vital to the futures of today's students are developed within The Leader in Me process.

These skills include:

• Leadership
• Accountability
• Adaptability
• Initiative and self-direction
• Cross-cultural skills
• Responsibility
• Problem solving
• Communication
• Creativity
• Teamwork

The Seven Habits:

• HABIT 1: Be Proactive - You're in Charge
• HABIT 2: Begin With the End in Mind - Have a Plan
• HABIT 3: Put First Things First - Work First, Then Play
• HABIT 4: Think Win-Win - Everyone Can Win
• HABIT 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood - Listen Before You Talk
• HABIT 6: Synergize - Together is Better
• HABIT 7: Sharpen the Saw - Balance Feels Best

As the summer comes to an end, consider following these few steps to make sure the school year starts on the highest note possible. The beginning of the year can bring in some anxiety for you and your students. Luckily, there are a few tips that you can follow to ease some of those anxieties and make sure they have a great start to the year. Don't worry you got this!!

Be prepared

Start preparing for the upcoming transition by resuming school-year routines, such as setting a realistic nighttime routine, getting their supplies organized, and clothes ready for the following day.

Be Positive with a Growth Mindset

Validate your student's worry by acknowledging that, like any new activity, starting school can be hard but soon becomes easy and fun.

Reach out for Support

Arrange some activities with one or more familiar peers before or around school starting. Research shows that the presence of a familiar peer during school transitions can improve children’s academic and emotional adjustment.

• Please note a change to our HISD medication administration policy: Any and all medications must have doctors orders to be given at school. This includes over the counter medications, such as Tylenol. The district does not provide medications. Medication Administration forms can be found online at hisd.com under “health services.”

• If your student has physician permission to carry their own emergency medications, rescue inhalers, Epi Pens or diabetic supplies, please send a copy of that paperwork to the nurse office as soon as possible.

• All doctor notes and orders should be renewed for the current school year and on file in the nurse office.

• Immunizations and Waivers must be up to date by the first day of school. Any student out of compliance will be unenrolled, following the Texas Department of Health guidelines.

• HJH will follow CDC guidelines related to illness.

• State mandated routine screenings are scheduled for the 2024-2025 school year:

• 7th grade boys & girls hearing and vision screening: September 24-25

• 7th grade girls spinal screening: October 24

• 8th grade boys spinal screening: October 22

Always reach out with any questions or concerns.

–Nurse Holt

Email: aholt@hisd.com

Phone: 903-668-5990, ext 2042

ALL 7th grade students must have required vaccines - TdAP and Meningitis - to enroll.

**If you know you have submitted your child's shot record, please disregard, but if you are unsure, please call the nurse.

If you received a phone call from the nurse's office it is because your student's record is not up to date. If you are unsure if your child needs these vaccines, please call the nurse as soon as possible. NO student will receive his/her schedule until vaccine records are current and up to date, which means that students will not be allowed to come to school until records are submitted.

Students with state waivers: Please verify that your child's affidavit is not expired and that the original form is on file in the nurse's office. If the affidavit is out of date, the information above applies.

There are still spots left to join our 8th grade trip to Washington DC in May, but the deadline for registration is October 30th. Register at www.schooltoursofamerica.com (Trip #A947 departing 05/27/2025). If you have any questions, contact Ms. Mayes (mmayes@hisd.com).

HISD looks to a have a GREAT year in 2024-2025! Attached is a copy of the HISD calendar.

Parent Drop-off/Pick-up:

The map below has instructions for parent pick-up and drop-off. Please make sure you enter in the correct locations and stay in line. The first couple of weeks will be hectic. Thank you in advance for understanding and being patient as we work to make these processes as efficient as possible for our students.

Car Tags for parent pick-up will be passed out during Meet the Teachers or afternoon pick-up on the 1st day.

Parent Drop-Off:

• Gym Parking Lot
• Do not enter via Bobcat Lane once the parking lot is already full
• Enter through the stadium home side parking lot on Rob Street
• Doors open at 7:15am, no students should be dropped off prior to this time
• Students will enter through 100 hall doors located above the gym and make their way to the gym
• After 7:50am, students should be taken to the main entrance
  

Parent Pick-Up:

• Gym Parking Lot
• Do not enter via Bobcat Lane once the parking lot is already full
• Enter through the stadium home side parking lot on Rob Street
• School dismisses at 3:35pm and once all staff is in position we will begin calling names. It is important that you have a car tag in your window to maximize efficiency with this process
• If for some reason your child does not come to your car, please pull your vehicle across Bobcat Lane to our stadium parking lot and our Officer will help locate your child and get them to you safely
• This allows for our flow of traffic to continue as we work to get all students home safely
• At 3:55pm all students remaining at pick-up will be escorted to the front of the building and you may pick your child up from there

7th/8th Grade Boys Athletics:

• 8th Grade Boys begin their day at the fieldhouse and may be dropped off in the fieldhouse parking lot
• 7th Grade Boys end their day at the fieldhouse and may be picked up at the fieldhouse parking lot
• ONLY Boys Athletics may be picked up or dropped off at this location

*Students may NOT be dropped off or picked up anywhere other than these locations

Thank you to our amazing HJH Parent Support Group and Chuggs Tea for donating delicious drinks to our staff this afternoon during Professional Development.

Parents and Guardians,

We are reaching out to bring your attention to an important new policy change that has been passed by the 88th Texas Legislature and will be taking effect immediately in our district.

House Bill 114 (HB 114) has been enacted to respond to the increasing concerns around e-cigarettes, vaping, marijuana, and THC related products amongst our youth. The Bill mandates that any student found in possession of, under the influence of, selling, gifting, or delivering these substances within a 300-feet radius of any school premises, will be immediately removed and placed in a Disciplinary Alternative Education Program (DAEP).

You can access the full version of the Bill here: https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/billtext/pdf/HB00114F.pdf

Please take a moment to discuss the implications of this new law with your children, emphasizing the importance of adhering to school policies and laws for their own welfare and for the betterment of the school community as a whole.

Thank you,

HISD Administration

Website: https://www.hisd.com/Domain/9
Location: 1 Bobcat Lane, Hallsville, TX, USA
Phone: 903-668-5990
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HallsvilleJH/