The Navigator Newsletter

We are excited to welcome Officer Bob Otte as our School Resource Officer. Officer Otte will be here at the Junior High to assist students and families.

Thank you, families of F2F students, for responding to our Transportation Survey last week.

We have analyzed the data from the survey. About half of our F2F families responded. Of those who indicated you would DRIVE your child to school, 60% indicated an arrival time of 7:30-7:40.

We realize that some of you who chose this 7:30-7:40 time slot may have specific constraints, but we ask that if you are able, please drop your child off earlier - from 7:10-7:30 - in order to further space out arrivals.

We will be making every attempt to move students through the process of temperature-taking and getting into the building; however, please understand that the increased traffic and steps required may mean backups for you and your child. See below for previously communicated information on the process and tardy policy.

Procedural Reminder:

We will have monitored and physically distant space set aside in our auditorium to accept arrivals as early as 6:30 am. As you can imagine, the earlier your student arrives, the better able we are to manage a safe and smooth process. Walkers should enter the building through the main doors. There will be traffic assistance in cooperation with local law enforcement to ensure student safety. Car drop off will occur along the east side of the building as always, but will end at 7:40 in an attempt to get all car riders into the building and to the auditorium by 7:45. After 7:40, the gate will be locked and we must begin reallocating resources to prepare for the arrival of our students riding the busses. If your child is not through the gates and in the building by 7:45, we ask that he or she proceed to the front office via the sidewalk along the outside of the building in order to follow the safety protocols for arrival. Students will be asked to maintain proper physical distancing, and, although we will make every effort to speed the process, we hope you understand that if we have a large number of students waiting in the front, we may ask that the que extend outside the building. In order to maintain the structure of the educational time allocated to each class, students will be marked tardy if they are not in their classroom by 8:02 am, the start of the first bell.

Mark your calendar:

• September 2: Picture Day and course material pickup for virtual classroom students (schedule and details to come!)

• September 3: First Day for 7th Graders (only)

• September 4: First Day for 8th Graders (only)

• September 7: Labor Day - No School

• September 8: First Day ALL Students

• September 14: F2F Picture Day

September 2 will be a day our Virtual Classroom Students can come to the JH to get school photos taken and pick up any curricular items their teachers need them to have at home.

We will provide information about this day in next week's newsletter.

Schedule Pickup will be virtual this year. In next week's SMORE, we will have specific instructions on how to participate in Schedule Pickup Virtually. Students will be able to view their schedules on Blackboard on September 1. Printed schedules will also be available on the first day of attendance for F2F learners (September 3 for 7th graders and September 4 for 8th graders).

We are looking forward to welcoming 7th graders on September 3rd and 8th graders on September 4th! Rest assured that students will have plenty of time to walk their schedule with double the amount of transition time between bells. At the end of each class, students will be guided on how to course their path to their next class. Since lockers will not be in use, students will have their materials with them at all times. The day will be emcompassed with lessons on new behavioral expectations in the hallways, classrooms, cafeteria and other common areas. There will also be activities for connection and celebration as students see their classmates and forge new friendships!

Staffing changes this year have necessitated modification to some of our music course offerings as follows:

• Piano I and Guitar I will have limited sections.
• International Music, Piano II, and Guitar II will not be offered.

If your child has enrolled in Piano I or Guitar I, counselors will make every effort to place him or her in these classes. However, there is a possibility that these courses will not match up with your student's schedule or may be full.

If your child is affected by these changes, SJH will be waiving the general music requirement for your child and he/she will be placed into one of our state-of-the-art STEAM offerings: Design, Modeling & Architecture OR Automation & Robotics. Both of these courses are taught by Justin Dean and provide hands-on, valuable instruction on the in-demand career fields of robotics engineering, architecture, 3D modeling, and more.

For detailed descriptions of these courses, please see STEAM Electives in Lieu of Music. We are confident your child will gain valuable skills in many of the areas that will make him/her successful in the future.

The placement into one of these courses will be made by our counseling team based on its fit with your child’s schedule and class capacity. If you do not want your child to participate in one of these classes, you may opt-out by contacting your child's counselor, and your child will be placed in a Study Hall. We understand that you may have additional questions once the changes are made. If so, please contact your child’s counselor.

Our Counselors are:

Last Name A-K: Ben Brenner brennerb@sycamoreschools.org

Last Name L-Z: Kristen Suter suterk@sycamoreschools.org

We appreciate your understanding as we navigate these challenges.

Please remember to complete all student forms electronically through Final Forms at www.sycamore.finalforms.com. If you have questions or difficulty in this process, please email our district tech department at helpdesk@sycamoreschools.org.

The Ohio Department of Health requires all students prior to entering the 7th grade to have (1) dose of MCV4 (meningococcal) and a Tdap (Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis) booster.

Proof of immunization from the doctor’s office must be given to the school before the start of 7th grade.

Immunization documents can be brought to schedule pickup, dropped off, or mailed to the JH, emailed to the JH Nurse Amy Bonham at jhimmunization@sycamoreschools.org or faxed to (513) 792-6192. If immunization records were previously given to EH Greene another copy will not need to be sent.

Questions regarding immunizations may be directed to the school nurse, Amy Bonham at bonhama@sycamoreschools.org.

The Sycamore District has made a decision about extracurriculars. At this time, all extracurriculars (not including sports, band, and theater) are suspended until October 1, at which point we will reevaluate our ability to reinstate these activities.

We encourage you to work with your child to help him or her remember items like lunch or school work. Please remember that the district has instituted a NO VISITOR policy in our buildings for the time being. Thank you for your cooperation.

• General Supply List
  
• Bell Schedule
  
• Healthy Back to School Family FAQ
  
• Special Education, Gifted, ESOL FAQ
  

Email: jhadmin@sycamoreschools.org
Website: www.sycamoreschools.org/sycamorejh
Location: 5757 Cooper Road, Cincinnati, OH, United States
Phone: 5136861760
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SycamoreJuniorHighPTO/
Twitter: @sycamorejrhigh