Knoxville Junior High School

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• Wednesday, November 27 - Friday, November 29 - NO SCHOOL (Thanksgiving Break)
• Friday, December 20 - 2:07 Dismissal (End of 2nd Quarter)
• Tuesday, December 10 - KJHS Choir Concert - 6:30 pm @ KHS
• Tuesday, December 17 - KJHS/KHS Band Concert - 6:30 pm @ KHS
• December 23, 2024 - January 6, 2025 - NO SCHOOL (Winter Break)

As a new feature this year, Knoxville CUSD 202 now has a regular podcast highlighting various areas and individuals throughout the district. Take a listen here - The Bullet Point

On Friday, November 8, KJHS welcomed nearly 20 Veterans into our building to speak with our students and share stories about their time in the service. We offer a heartfelt thank you to those who took time out of their day to come engage with our kids. Special thanks to Mrs. McGuire (our own vet right here in the building) for organizing and planning this event every year. To all of the Veterans who came in, and to Veterans everywhere, THANK YOU for your service!

Students at KJHS are recognized in their classrooms for being positive, respectful, responsible, hard-working, organized, and/or selfless. Students receive a positive office referral that they fill out and turn in. Each week, we draw names from these during lunch and students receive a small prize (popsicle, candy, trinkets, etc.). To date for 2nd quarter, over 100 students at KJHS have already earned a positive office referral. Keep doing wonderful things kids!!

On Thursday, November 21, our KJHS Life Skills class had the opportunity to travel to the Quad Cities to attend the Festival of Trees. All of the kids and adults had a great time!

From Mrs. Sprecher - We have been learning the history, parts and finger holds for 4 different chords that are used to play many simple songs on the ukulele. Students are working on switching from chord to chord, which is more difficult that it seems when you are new to the instrument. We started with our review song that we have used in every unit of study: "You are My Sunshine". Yesterday we introduced "THUNDER" by Imagine Dragons. Students played in small groups to practice, and then we played together as a class. Keeping up with the beat is more important now than hitting perfect notes, but many of them are doing BOTH!!!! We are moving on to the wonderful world of Bagpipes next week as we travel to Scotland for some history about music around the world.

Please take a minute to check out some healthy habits and tips shared by district nurse Jessica Lenz.

Newsletter

Upcoming Events:

• Saturday, 11/23 - 8th Grade Girls Basketball @ Illini West (Carthage) - 1:00 pm vs. West Prairie
• Monday, 11/25 - Boys Basketball vs. Mercer County - 5:30 pm @ KJHS
• Tuesday, 11/26 - Boys Basketball @ Bushnell-Prairie City - 6:00 pm
• Monday, 12/2 - JH Volleyball Practice begins
• Monday, 12/2 - JH Wrestling Practice begins
• Wednesday, 12/4 - Boys Basketball @ Orion - 5:30 pm
• Monday, 12/9 - Boys Basketball vs. Monmouth-Roseville - 5:30 pm @ KJHS

Athletics Registration:

Beginning with the 2024-25 school year, Knoxville CUSD #202 is moving to a paperless registration system for extracurricular activities and athletics. Once you click on the link below, you will need to click on the registration tab. First time users will need to create an account. Please note, you can only register one participant at a time. In order to register another child, you will have to complete registration for one child, then go back to step 6 and register additional children.

Here is the link for athletics registration: schools.snap.app/khsbluebullets

KJHS Boys Basketball season is off to an incredible start! Both teams are now 4-0, adding wins over Alwood and Galva this past week. Conference play begins Monday, 11/25 at home vs. Mercer County. Keep it rolling boys!!

7th grade girls basketball season ended with a tough defeat in the Regional Semifinal against West Central on Tuesday, 11/19. The 8th Grade Regional begins tomorrow, 11/23 at Illini West (Carthage). Our 8th grade girls are seeded in the #4 slot and will play West Prairie at 1:00 pm. Good luck tomorrow girls, and congratulations to our 7th grade team on a fantastic season!

This year, we want to provide an opportunity to recognize the positive things that our wonderful KJHS staff members have been doing. Each week, a Staff Shout Out Google Form will be shared out. If you feel drawn to recognize a teacher, paraprofessional, custodian, cafeteria staff member, administrator, secretary, etc., please feel free to fill out the quick form. It does have the option to remain anonymous if you choose. You will find it attached here: KJHS Staff Shout Outs.

KJHS Math/STEM teacher Amy Hopper was a presenter (along with Mrs. Katie Frey, former KJHS Science teacher) at the Illinois Education and Technology Conference last Friday, November 15. They presented ideas on running a successful STEM program with limited resources. Keep up the great work Ms. Hopper!

KJHS School Counselor: Sydney Ingle - sydneyingle@bluebullets.org

As we inch closer to the end of our 1st semester of Character Strong lessons, our 5th graders have been continuing to talk about Responsibility, while our 6th graders have been discussing ways to get involved in a school environment. Our 7th and 8th graders have continued conversations regarding their values and how they will impact future aspirations. Our teachers are doing a wonderful job delivering these SEL lessons weekly during our Advisory time!

It is safe to say that colder temperatures have officially arrived! Please reach out if your student is in need of any warm clothing, whether that be winter coats, hats, gloves, etc. We are happy to help!

Bridgeway update - Friday, November 15 wass Ms. Weinberg's last day at KJHS, as she left to pursue another career opportunity. Bridgeway is working to fill this position as soon as possible. As soon as a candidate is hired, we will provide more information. In the meantime, if you have questions or need additional assistance, please reach out to Mrs. Ingle.

Our District-Wide Social-Emotional program, Character Strong, is an evidence-based, multi-tiered solution designed to support whole child success. This program is integrated into Advisory classes, helping build a sense of community while developing essential life skills.

The aim of education is to prepare young people for success in all areas of life, including academic growth, college and career readiness, and overall life satisfaction. To achieve these goals, Character Strong focuses on three foundational outcomes:

A Sense of Belonging: Fostering an environment where every student feels valued and connected.

Improved Well-Being: Enhancing students' emotional health and resilience.

Increased Engagement: Encouraging active participation and investment in their learning and growth. By addressing these key areas, Character Strong helps lay the groundwork for students' long-term success and fulfillment.

In cooperation with the Knoxville Council of Churches, our KJHS Student Council collected food items and hosted a Spirit Week this past week at KJHS. We collected well in excess of 800 food items and are thrilled to be able to provide this to our local community for Christmas Food Baskets this holiday season.

Knoxville Junior High School

701 E Mill St.

Knoxville, IL 61448

309-289-4126

Principal/Athletic Director: Matt Maaske mmaaske@bluebullets.org

Assistant Principal: Michelle McClay mmcclay@bluebullets.org

Counselor: Sydney Ingle sydneyingle@bluebullets.org

Social Worker: Erica Weinberg eweinberg@bluebullets.org

Secretary: Kellie Basley kelliebasley@bluebullets.org

District Nurse: Jessica Lenz jessicalenz@bluebullets.org

Nurse: Christy Dunn cdunn@bluebullets.org