Ponder Junior High

6th - 113

7th - 128

8th - 136

PJH is committed to making student/staff safety our top priority. To meet the new laws of HB 3, fencing and shatter resistant ballistic film is in the process of being added to PISD campuses. We will continue to emphasize that all doors are to remain locked and shut during instructional time and administrators will conduct daily door audits. Once students arrive back on campus, we will train our students on the new safety expectations.

PISD will also be participating in the Defender program. Each campus will have an armed individual on each campus.

PJH will continue to have a Behavioral Threat Assessment Team to help identify potential threats of violence and intervene as necessary. The team members have all gone through the required training and are prepared to perform their duties. The following classroom teachers and staff were chosen because of their ability to establish strong connections/relationships with all students.

PJH Behavioral Threat Assessment Team:

Connie Ford

Heather Thornburg

Tara Furr

Kari Holland

Teresa Hockaday

Kristen Akins

Kelli Escamilla

Our new teachers reported back on August 1st and we welcomed back our entire staff on August 7th. While we have many new faces at PJH, our teams invested many hours working to establish grade level and departmental norms, core values and Fixing Our Focus. PJH teachers/staff believe that building relationships with our students is crucial to their success. We are committed to putting students first.

Our RLA, Math & Science teachers received training on NWEA Map testing. NWEA Map assessments reveal precisely which academic skills and concepts a student has acquired and what he/she is ready to learn.

Ponder Junior High will be recognizing students & teachers for their positive contributions as leaders this coming school year. Two students per grade level will be awarded the "Lion Leader" award each grading period. Recipients of this award will demonstrate such qualities as exemplary work habits, upholding school rules and expectations, attends class regularly, strives to build strong relationships with peers and teachers and is has a positive impact on those around them. Recognized students and teachers will receive a yard sign to display, their picture will be posted in the hallway and the monthly newsletter, they will be recognized during the daily announcements and also be invited to recognized at the monthly school board meeting.

We had a huge turnout on Monday, August 14th for our 6th grade Meet the Teacher Event. Our teachers and staff did an amazing job making our students feel at ease as they prepare to transition to a new campus. I want to say a HUGE thank you to Mrs. Holland and our PJH Cheerleaders/Mascot for volunteering to serve as campus tour guides and showing our new students around.

I am extremely proud of the campus performance on the 2022-2023 state assessment. The new test format proved to be a challenge, but our students and staff worked tirelessly to prepare. With continued dedication to closing student learning gaps and focusing on meeting students where they are, our students will continue to show growth and excel.

Math Passing Percentage:

6th - 87%

7th - 80%

8th - 92%

Alg. I - 93%

RLA Passing Percentage:

6th - 80%

7th - 78%

8th - 87%

Science Passing Percentage:

8th - 83%

Social Studies Passing Percentage:

8th - 72%

The Ponder Junior High annual Big Kahuna fundraiser is set to kickoff on Thursday, August 24th and sales will continue through September 11th. Students love participating in this fundraiser and earning a ride on the Party Limo Experience. Proceeds are used throughout the year to purchase student rewards, as well as, materials to support our academic UIL events.

The lady lions will kick on the season on Thursday, August 24th at Sanger. The game order is 7B/8B/7A/8A games and are set to start at 5:00 in the JH gym. Please come out and cheer them on to victory. Please click here to view the 2023 PJH volleyball schedule.

The Lions and Lady Lions Cross Country teams will compete in their first meet on Wednesday, August 30th in Sanger. The Lady Lions have a start time of 4:30 & the Lions will run at 5:00. Please click here to view the 2023 PJH Cross Country schedule.

The PJH Lions will kick off their season on Thursday, September 7th. Our coaches and student athletes have worked hard all summer to improve and get stronger. They look to establish winning traditions both on and off the field and we are excited to begin a new season. Please click here to view the 2023 PJH football schedule.

Email: cford@ponderisd.net
Website: www.ponderisd.net/pjh
Location: 501 Shaffner Street, Ponder, TX, USA
Phone: 940-479-8221