HJS Update-February 3, 2025

Dear HJS Families,

Happy Groundhogs Day, A new month brings fresh excitement, and February is packed with opportunities to get involved and stay connected! Whether you're signing up for our final parent-teacher conference, joining in the fun at the first-ever Wildcat Dunk, visiting the PTO Book Fair, or celebrating our amazing bus drivers and school counselors, there’s something for everyone! We’re thrilled to see the continued growth and accomplishments of our students, both in and out of the classroom. Hopefully, the groundhog is wrong and we do NOT have six more weeks of winter!  Thank you for your ongoing support!

Weekly Calendar

This week being School Counselor Appreciation Week gives us the perfect opportunity to celebrate our wonderful, dedicated counselors! We encourage everyone to take a moment to thank our counselors for all that they do to make our school a better place. Whether it's with a kind word, a thoughtful note, or simply a smile, let's make sure they feel appreciated! Thank you for helping us celebrate the amazing impact our counselors have on our school community!

Monday, February 3:

• No JS Events Scheduled

Tuesday, February 4:

• Running Club begins today!
• 3:00-4:15PM

Wednesday, February 5:

• No JS Events Scheduled

Thursday, February 6:

• PTO Meeting
• 7:00PM, Wildcat Room in the Activity Center

Friday, February 7:

• No JS Events Scheduled

February is also Bus Driver Appreciation Month, and we want to take a moment to give a huge shoutout to our amazing bus drivers! They play a crucial role in getting our students to and from school safely every day, and we are so grateful for their hard work and dedication!

Academic Growth

This week, our students have been actively using their knowledge in real-world contexts, from hands-on projects and classroom problem-solving to connecting with their community, showcasing how what they learn in the classroom can be applied in meaningful ways.

• Mrs. Purdy’s “creative writing” classes are being challenged with transforming one of their favorite stories! Students can either create their own “fanfiction” story by altering key points such as plot points, character motivations, and gender from an existing story OR retell one of their favorite stories in another genre, maintaining the general plot, characters, and themes!
• Students taking “Agricultural and Biomedical sciences” with Mrs. Johnson crafted “long bones” as they learn the anatomy of the human body!
• Mrs. Cunningham’s art students are creating non-objective masterpieces! Their creative process involves first painting an abstract imagine and then cutting it into strips which will then be weaved together!
• Students taking ELA with Mrs. Hensley (Mrs. Gorski’s long-term sub) crafted concrete poetry, where the visual is meant to depict shapes or images that reflect the theme or subject of the poem, merging the literary and visual arts!
• Mrs. Ahr’s students are exploring the unique properties of rocks and minerals by investigating the different characteristics!
• “Medical Detective” students were testing antibiotics and how well they fight bacteria with Mrs. Carroll!
• Current 8^th Grade Parents:
• Thank you to all of the 8th grade families who attended the high school scheduling presentation this past Thursday evening.  We have posted copies of the slideshow from that presentation, as well as the slideshow we shared with the 8th grade students earlier that morning on the high school’s Guidance Department webpage.  This site also includes our course description book and our Pathways brochure, which we shared at the 8th Grade Open House in November.  Please be sure to reach out with any questions!
• Extended Learning Program (ELP)
• ELP is an after-school program that allows students to tutor in small groups with some of our core teachers or support staff.
• Our goal is to help any students that are struggling to get on track. If you would like to request the opportunity for your child to be involved in ELP, please contact Ms. Kenner at abby.kenner@southwestschools.org
• Conferences
• Our next conference date is scheduled for Wednesday, February 12^th! We are excited for parents to have the opportunity to connect with teachers and staff! Please refer to the email sent on Thursday, January 23 containing the sign-up link.

Social Growth

At HJS, we believe in nurturing well-rounded individuals. Our winter student athletes continue to work hard both in the classroom and on their respective playing field. We look forward to their continued success and cheering our Wildcats to victory! Looking ahead, second semester provides students the opportunity to get involved whether it’s on stage, in the spelling bee, on the track, or by joining a local sports team!

• Winter Athletics
• Wrestling: Shoutout to our stellar Wrestling team, coached by Mr. Starnes, for claiming their title of SWOC champions!
• Basketball: Huge congratulations to our 7^th grade girls, coached by Mr. Bill, and our 8^th grade boys, coached by Mr. Bontrager, on their victories this past weekend at the SWOC championship! Way to go, Wildcats!
•  Running Club
• We are thrilled to announce our very own Running Club! Whether you’re a seasoned runner or just looking to get started, this club is the perfect opportunity to boost your physical fitness, learn proper running techniques, and prepare for track and cross-country events!
• Open to 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th graders!
• Running club will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:00-4:15PM, beginning this Tuesday, February 4!
• Interested? Please message Mr. Napier on Teams or email him at robert.napier@southwestschools.org
• Percussion Club
• Would you like to be a percussionist? The Music Department is staring a Percussion Club! Come out and learn how to play drums, mallet instruments, and all things that go boom!
• ALL grades are welcome!
• Percussion Club will meet every Thursday at 5:00PM in the High School band room!
• See Mr. Egan with any questions or email him at brian.egan@southwestschools.org
• HJS will be partnering with Companions on a Journey (COJ) in 2025! 
• COJ offers a School-based K-12 Grief Support program that helps transform schools into grief-informed spaces where students can process complicated feelings of grief and loss, connect with a caring community, and build a toolbox of critical wellness and resiliency skills. COJ collaborates with over 70 public, private, and parochial schools to provide monthly grief support, while also responding to school crisis situations. COJ work alongside administrators and counselors to build a grief-sensitive culture where bereaved students and staff feel loved, accepted, and supported. 
• Students can join at any point in the school year, so if you know a student that could benefit from this kind of support or have any questions, please fill out this form Https://form.jotform.com/241706828041151 or email Mrs. Spurlock at emily.spurlock@southwestschools.org.

Safety

The safety of our students is our top priority. Here are some updates and reminders:

• School Messenger Notifications
• As winter approaches and the chances for winter weather increase, please make sure your contact information is current in Final Forms.  If you are already getting emails, texts and phone calls from us via the School Messenger Mass Notification system, you should be all set to receive weather-related information.  You can also check the District website (southwestschools.org) and the official District social media accounts for the most up-to-date, accurate information. 
• Medication Reminder:
• For the safety and well-being of all students, medications must be brought to school by a parent or guardian in their original, labeled container. This ensures that the medication is properly identified and administered according to the prescribed instructions. Please refrain from sending medications with your child or in unmarked containers, as this helps us maintain a secure and effective environment for managing student health.

Please remind your child about the importance of following these safety guidelines both at school and at home.

Parent Tip of the Week: Monitoring Screen Time

With so much screen time in daily life, it’s important to keep an eye on how much time your child is spending on devices. Set healthy limits and encourage breaks to keep them balanced. Try to establish “screen-free” times, like during meals or before bed, to foster family connection and ensure they’re getting enough sleep. Keeping a balance between screen time and other activities will help support their well-being both academically and socially. Here are some great activities your child can do while taking a screen break: read a book, creative hobbies such as drawing or painting, board games or puzzles, journaling, or joining an extracurricular!

Upcoming Events:

• Wildcat Dunk!
• It’s the FIRST ANNUAL WILDCAT DUNK! The event will be held on February 8, 2025, at 11:00AM in the Harrison Fire Department Parking Lot (200 Harrison Ave, Harrison, OH 45030). Participants will DUNK into a pool of icy cold water to raise awareness and funds for our Junior and Senior High Special Olympics and Community Fund! Registration is free, but incentives can be earned based on your fund-raising efforts! To register, please click here: https://www.locallevelevents.com/events/details/36941. You may sign in as a guest if you do not wish to create an account. For those wanting to support the cause but have NO DESIRE to jump in a cold pool in February, you can sign up as TOO WILD FOR THE WATER and still raise funds! If you would simply like to donate, or share this link with others, you can use the link below and put "McBee/Tracy" as the athlete. We are going to use this to keep a weekly count of our building total raised.
• Students will have the opportunity to nominate teachers and staff members by placing donations in their corresponding buckets. Once a staff member’s bucket reaches $100, that staff member will officially be nominated to jump at the dunk! Student voting will begin Monday, January 27 and run through Friday, February 7!
• PTO Book Fair
• PTO will be hosting a Scholastic Book Fair February 10-12th which will benefit HJS classroom libraries!
• Students will have the opportunity to visit the book fair with their ELA class throughout the week or stop by during lunch! Parents will also get the chance to check out the book fair during the evening of conferences!

We appreciate your continuous support and collaboration.

Thank you for your attention to this weekly update. Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at 513-367-4831.