HAJHS March

Dear Junior High Students and Families,

With the "Madness" of March upon us, there will be a lot happening at the Junior High in the next few months. I encourage you to check the school calendar, and review the important dates included in this newsletter and to talk to your children about what is happening at school.

There will be an early dismissal (12:40pm) on March 14th due to a Teacher In-Service. Lunch WILL be served on this day. School will be closed on April 17th (Teacher In-Service), April 18th (Good Friday), and April 21st (Easter Monday).

Also, state testing (PSSA and Keystones) will begin at the end of April. Please keep this in mind if you are scheduling any appointments and/or planning any trips. We are required to have all testing completed in the testing window provided by the state. If you have any questions regarding these tests, please contact the office.

Respectfully,

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 February 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.

Fair share balance is due Friday, March 21st. Any remaining fair share balance money is due by March 21st. If fair share is not met, your student CAN NOT go on their field trip or attend the dance.

A “Fair Share” program is offered to families who did not participate in fundraising for their students’ share for the year-end class trips/activities.

Fair Share amounts Due:

7th Grade - $40.00

8th Grade - $60.00

9th Grade - $25.00

Payment for fair share can be made via cash or check. All checks for fair share balance should be made out to HAJHS.

The following are the scheduled year-end activities:

7th Grade ***** Pittsburgh Pirates Game. Wednesday, May 21st

8th Grade ***** Hershey Park. Tuesday, May 27th

9th Grade ***** Blue and White Dance. Friday, May 2nd

If you have any questions about fair share and balances, please email Amanda Hammel

amanda.hammel@hasdtigers.com

SPCP was established with the goal of helping individuals financially obtain a service dog and/or helping defray extraordinary veterinary costs for those currently using a service dog.

Period 1 Library Assistants created small pop tab collection containers for the JH classrooms. There will also be a collection container placed in the JH cafeteria during lunches and one in the JH main entrance foyer.

Please collect aluminum can tabs and donate them to the Junior High.

The PALs club had a Valentine's Day party on the 13th.

They played games and made their own valentines!

TAB (Tigers Against Bullying) distributed lollipops to students to show kindness.

Aevidum meetings are held from 3:00pm to 3:45pm in Room 218 on the following dates:

March 3rd, 17th, 24th, and 31st.

Art Club meetings are held from 3:00pm to 3:45pm in Room 132 on the following dates:

• March 6th, 20th, and 27th.

Announcements for Band in March:

The Junior High Jazz Band and Percussion Ensemble Concert will be on Tuesday, March 11 at 7PM at the Junior High School. This event is free to the public.

Schedule for Band:

Percussion Ensemble meets Monday, March 3 from 3-4 and Monday, March 10 from 3-3:30. Report time for the concert is 6:30 PM. Please wear your Hollidaysburg Band T-Shirt and jeans or dark pants.

Jazz Band will meet every Thursday in March except March 20. We will also meet on Monday, March 10 from 3:30 - 4:00 PM for a dress rehearsal. Report time for the concert is 6:30 PM. Please wear your Hollidaysburg Band T-Shirt and jeans or dark pants.

• Thursday, March 13 / 3:00 P.M. - 4:15 P.M.

• Tuesday, March 25 / 3:00 P.M. - 4:15 P.M.

Meeting Times for March

- Tuesday, March 4 from 3:00 to 4:00

- Tuesday, March 11 from 3:00 to 4:00

- Tuesday, March 18 from 3:00 to 4:00 (last meeting of the year)

Project NASA Club will meet on the following dates in the following formats. If you are interested in joining our club, please contact Mrs. Murphy (room 314) or Mr. James.

rita.murphy@hasdtigers.com bryan.james@hasdtigers.com

Monday, March 3rd at 3:00 PM in the junior high library, meeting in person with Mr. Rocco Scalzi from Beating the Odds
Monday, March 10th at 7:00 PM on Google Meet
Monday, March 17th at 7:00 PM on Google Meet
Monday, March 24th at 7:00 PM on Google Meet
Monday, March 31st at 7:00 PM on Google Meet

Mark your calendar: Wednesday, May 14th is the trip to the Goddard Space Center in Greenbelt, MD. (We will discuss attendance requirements as we get closer to the date. We leave very early in the morning and return in the evening.)

PALs will meet March 17th for St. Patrick's themed games, in the auditorium during 8th period.

March 2025

• Tuesday, March 4 / 3:00 P.M. - 3:45 P.M.

• Monday, March 17 / 3:00 P.M. - 3:45 P.M.

• Thursday, March 27 / Eat & Meet Lunches

March 2025--

• Wednesday, March 5 -

• Reading Competition - 2:50 P.M. - 3:45 P.M.

• Wednesday, March 12 -

• Reading Competition - 2:50 P.M. - 3:45 P.M.

• Monday, March 19 -

• Reading Competition - 2:50 P.M. - 3:45 P.M.

• Wednesday, March 26 -

• Reading Competition - 2:50 P.M. - 3:45 P.M.

April 2025

• Wednesday, April 2 -

• Reading Competition Event @ Forest Hills Junior-Senior High School

Student council will have their meeting on Thursday, March 6th until 3:30 in Mrs. Galo's room 130.

Congratulations to the JH Quiz Team who placed 1st at the Blair/Bedford Varsity Scholastic Quiz Team Competition. This is the 8th Year in a row for achieving this award. They will move on to Nationals in May. Please congratulate these individuals for their hard work and dedication!

Coaches: Nicole Stouffer and Allison Arbuckle

Front Row: Thomas Wagner, 7th; Carter Doliveira, 8th; Sean Furry, 8th

Back Row: Lily Davis, 9th; Keegan Henry, 8th; John Urban, 9th; Colin Gardner, 9th

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 closed February 14th

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

The Tiger Treasure Store is open! It is located in the back of the cafeteria in the same room as the School Store. The store has new or gently used clothing for free as well as toiletries, hygiene products, and more! The store is open on Wednesdays during all lunches.

Jackie Settimio and Dawn Cunningham

March 3 - 7 - Reading Across America

March 3 - "Llama Llama Red Pajama" - Wear your pjs or comfy clothes

March 4 - "Cat in the Hat" - Wear your favorite hat

March 5 - "Harold and the Purple Crayon" - Wear purple

March 6 - "The One and Only Ivan" - Wear animal print

March 7 - "Oh the Places You'll Go" - Wear your favorite college swag

March 17 - St. Patrick's Day - Wear Green/Shamrocks

March 21 - World Down Syndrome day - Wear fun/funky/mismatched socks and/or wear blue and yellow

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

March 14 - Mental Health Day

March 25 - Adaptive Art Show in the JH Library from 4pm to 5pm

April 14 - April 18 - Spring Scholastic Book Fair!

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

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 or complete the online form.
  
  
• When arriving at school, students will 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 LobbyGuard 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.

Don't miss the chance to explore the creativity and talent of our students at the upcoming Student Artwork Shows!

It’s a great opportunity to support young artists and experience the unique perspectives they bring to life through their work.

Come celebrate their passion, creativity, and hard work—you're sure to be inspired!

Hollidaysburg Art Department Annual Art Show -The artwork will be on display throughout the halls of the Blair Regional YMCA from March 14th through April 4th.

Adapted Art Show - March 25th at 4pm in the JH Library

HASD Art Show K-12 - April 28 at 4pm at the Casino at Lakemont Park

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