
The Navigator Newsletter
Sycamore Junior High's Parent Communication
January 28, 2022
Speak Up/Save Lives
By calling or testing the statewide hotline
- 844-SAFEROH -
- 844-723-3764 -
you can report anything that is suspicious or endangering you, your friends or school.
Coming Up
THIS WEEK:
- February 3: HS Academic Fair - Changed to Virtual Only
MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
- February 16: Aviator Bash
- February 21: No School - President's Day
- March 14-18: Spring Break
AIR Testing
State AIR testing will be on April 11, 12, 19, 20, and 27. Please make every effort to not schedule appointments for your children prior to noon on these days. Thank you!
SJH Code of Conduct/Dress Code
Students were reminded of the policies on video announcements today. Please review the dress code on page 19 of the Student Parent Handbook with your child.
Beginning Monday, the administration will be exercising a higher vigilance in enforcing these policies. Students will receive a warning on the first offense. Upon the second infraction, students will face disciplinary consequences.
Thank you for your support!
IMPORTANT: Reporting COVID-19 Cases
PLEASE call the COVID-19 Attendance Line (513) 686-1707.
In addition, families and staff can report COVID-19 related absences online. Please visit https://goav.es/reportCOVID and simply fill out the Google Form for your student or yourself. You can also find an icon to the form inside the Sycamore Community Schools Mobile App. Submissions will be monitored daily.
From our Nurse
Parents/Guardians please check with your children each morning to make sure they feel well.
You will find the Covid-19 Daily Parent/Guardian Checklist linked here and on our website. Translations of this document may be found HERE.
Please visit the District's Healthy Aves page for more detailed information.
Black History Month at SJH
February is Black History Month. Because one of our district's core values is to respect the diversity of our community, our teachers will use this month to celebrate the contributions and achievements of African Americans. The language arts department will highlight Black authors during their Friday book talks throughout the month of February. The social studies department will be highlighting African American achievements and/or people in class and on the daily video announcements. Additionally, the SJH News Crew will be sharing Black History highlights on the video announcements and TV visuals in the hallways throughout the month.
COUNSELING CORNER
Academic Fair and Transition to HS Activity
8th Grade Families,
Due to public health conditions and in the interest of student well-being, SJH and SHS have made the collaborative decision to revise the presentation of our 8th grade day and Academic Fair.
Academic Fair will be an all-virtual event this year, which will be emailed to families on Thursday, February 3rd.
The 8th-grade transition day will take place on Friday, March 11th in person. On that date, 8th-graders will be bussed from the JH to the HS for much of the day and then return to the JH prior to dismissal. If the situation at that time continues to warrant more social distancing and precautionary measures, we will hold this event virtually as well. If so, you will be notified in advance.
Thank you so much for your patience and understanding as we seek to balance the student experience with overall health. For additional questions, please contact SHS Dean of Students, Ashwin Corattiyil, at CorattiyilA@SycamoreSchools.org.
Upcoming HS Scheduling Dates
February 7 - Counselor Video Message & online scheduling instructions will be emailed to students & families.
February 18 - Scheduling-specific usernames and passwords will be sent to students and parents.
Course Planning Site:
Current teachers will share their class recommendations in February. However, students and families do not need to wait until February to start looking at courses! Take a look at our Course Planning Guide! This guide includes class descriptions, graduation requirements, and much more. A comprehensive list of classes just available to rising 9th graders can be viewed here.
Class of 2026 Counseling Team
At the high school, we assign counselors alphabetically by graduating class. Your student will work with the same school counselor for all four years. Your student's counselor will meet with them during the first week in March to discuss class choices and answer any questions that may remain.
The class of 2026 counseling team is:
Mrs. Brenda Fisher (A-F)
Mrs. Bonnie Stephenson (L-Z)
Adapt for Life Parent Information Night
Through grant funding, Sycamore has partnered with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital to launch a mental wellness program in our schools called Adapt for Life. To provide more information about the Adapt for Life program, the district is offering a Virtual Parent Information Night on February 8, 2022, from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
We are asking parents to register in advance and indicate the grade level of their child in order to better customize the information session to the audience. Please also submit questions or topics you would like our speakers to cover during the session. A Zoom link will be emailed to registrants. Click here to register.
For more information about the program, tools for students and families, please visit the Adapt for Life website at https://www.adaptforlife.org. Questions? Please reach out to Lisa Zelvy, Pupil Services Supervisor, at zelvyl@sycamoreschools.org.
PTO NEWS
Aviator Bash is HERE!
It is time for students to have some fun! Students are invited to the Aviator Bash on Wednesday, February 16 at 3:15pm. The PTO will be hosting the event in the Jr. High gymnasium wing.
What’s happening at the bash??!! Food and games, dancing with a DJ, and a quiet chill area to do some art or hang out with friends.
Kids will be encouraged to bring board games, art supplies (they can keep them in their locker) and decks of cards. If your family has a cornhole game or giant Connect 4, we would love it if you would be willing to drop them off right before the event. Please make sure names are on all items.
Food?? Option of pizza or chicken nuggets, a drink and a sweet treat.
Time: 3:15pm (immediately following dismissal) and goes to 5:30pm.
To help offset crowded pick up lines, dismissal for 7th graders will be at 5:15 and 8th graders at 5:30.
If you are interested in volunteering at the event (chaperones will be needed in all areas) or are willing to donate food/drink items, please use this link for the Sign Up Genius.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Victoria Margroum or Megan Lee at jhptoaviatorbash@sycamoreschools.org
The event is free to all students and chaperones.
Masks will be required at the event.
Spring-a-Thon
Do you have great ideas for fun activities for 7th and 8th graders? We have found a chair and co-chair for our first-ever Spring a Thon fundraiser. We are now seeking individuals that would like to help the chair organize this event. By volunteering, you get to have your voice heard on this first-ever event and help mold this for future students. If you are interested in helping out either from home or the day of, please fill out the form below and our chair will reach out to you with more information. Thanks for considering helping with this exciting new event.
8th Grade Day: June 2, 2022
It’s hard to believe our 8th graders will soon be moving on to High School!!!
8th Grade Day...A fun "out of school" day for all 8th graders, co-sponsored by PTO and JH Administration typically held at the Blue Ash Recreation Center. Day includes pool access, outdoor activities, DJ and lunch. Volunteers are broken up into two shifts (morning and afternoon) mostly to chaperone and help out with snacks and parting gifts. If you are interested in helping out day-of or co-chair planning for this Sycamore Jr. High tradition please contact jhptoprograms@sycamoreschools.org
SJH: IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Parking For After School Events
The 2022 SJHS Yearbook is on sale now. Order TODAY!
The SJHS Yearbook Club is committed to documenting this school year for YOU! Order your yearbook today for $35. April 15th will be the last day to order.
Click HERE to order your 2022 Yearbook.
Do you have photos you would like to submit to the Yearbook Club? Click HERE and find the “Submit Photos Here” button ! We want to represent ALL students in this year's historic yearbook.
Questions? Contact Mrs. Melissa Speelman
AROUND OUR DISTRICT
IMPORTANT LINKS
Sycamore Junior High School
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