News from Panther Headquarters
April 2022
From the desk of the Principal...
Hello Panther Parents/Guardians,
As we embark upon this time of refreshing for the last push of the school year, I hope you have a wonderful Spring Break and safe travels to all of you who may be leaving town. As we return, our students will have the opportunity to show what they know as they take ILEARN assessments, NWEA exams and other summative tests. I know some of you may look at this as a stressful time; know that some of our students and staff have the same sentiments. Let’s try to see the positives and most importantly make sure our students know that no matter how they perform on these, it does not define who they are. We use this as a tool to measure our effectiveness in teaching and ways our school can grow in how we deliver instruction. We will try to do things around here that lift some of that stress on our students, but your enforcement of this at home makes a big difference. One of those things will be a Spirit Week put on by Mrs. Hester’s class as a project. Be on the lookout for a Skylert with those themes once we get back. Again, have a wonderful week and we look forward to seeing everyone back on April 11th.
Jagga Rent
Principal
Hello Panthers, Panther Staff and Panther Families!
The week of April 18th, Mrs. Hester's homeroom class has organized another spirit week for all grades and staff to participate in. The spirit week will be held the week of ILearn, to keep spirits high and happy while we finish up these last couple months of the school year. Although we encourage all students to participate, dressing up is not required. Below will be the themes and dates.
Monday (4/18)- Comfy Clothes Day.
Dress in comfortable clothes or pajamas on Monday.
Tuesday (4/19)-Career Day.
Dress up as what you want to pursue as a profession on Tuesday.
Wednesday (4/20)- Favorite Sport Day
Dress up like your going to play your favorite sport Wednesday.
Thursday (4/21)- Decade Day
Dress up like a decade in previous years on Thursday.
Friday (4/22)- Red White and Blue Day
Dress up in red, white and blue to proudly show off the colors of USA on Friday.
Can't wait to see some awesome outfits and high spirits for spirit week, Panthers!
Upcoming Important Dates
Click here to find HIJH upcoming important dates.
Counselor's Corner
TESTING DATES TO NOTE:
Please mark your calendars to ensure your child is in attendance these testing periods.
ILEARN testing window – April 18 to May 13, 2022
NWEA testing window– May 2-13, 2022
It is extremely important that your child be in attendance and on time during these testing days. Please assist us by ensuring that your child is well rested and eats a healthy breakfast. Also, it would be advantageous to reschedule any appointments you have scheduled during these days. Thank you in advance for your assistance with this testing process.
COURSE SCHEDULING FOR 2022-2023:
All 6TH, 7TH AND 8TH grade students should have been scheduled for the upcoming school year. Those students still needing to select courses will be called to the guidance office to select their course elective. Core subjects will be a natural progression of the courses for which they are currently scheduled.
Student’s elective choices will be made available for viewing in Family Access from April 11 to 18th. Schedules will not be available at that time.
All schedule changes must be made by prior to the end of the school year, May 20th, to allow for course offerings and staffing.
(8th grade students who want to make a change to their high school schedule must contact their high school counselor. This must be done prior to leaving for the summer).
Current 5th Grade Students, course selections for the 2022-2023 school year will be a natural progression of the courses they are currently scheduled.
8th Graders Attending a High School outside of HSE School District:
If your child will be attending a high school outside of HSE School District for 9th grade year, you must notify the HIJH guidance office (317-594-4124) or email Kristen Weitzel (kweitzel@hse.k12.in.us) as soon as possible. HSEHS and FHS require that we forward withdrawal forms to them at the end of this school year. If one is not completed, you will be contacted by their high school to come in to sign their form before they will release records to your new school. Thank you in advance for helping us with this.
Withdrawing Your Student:
If your child will be withdrawing from Hamilton Southeastern Intermediate/Junior High School, anytime prior to the end of school, you MUST notify the Guidance Office or Kristen Weitzel (kweitzel@hse.k12.in.us) at least two days in advance of your child’s last day. Withdrawal forms must be signed by the parent/ guardian. Once all administrative items are completed, a copy of the withdrawal form, current grades and schedule will be given to the student to provide to their future school for enrollment.
Library News
Virtual Author Visit and Book Fair
We hosted our first international author virtually this year in March with Canadian and Cree author David Alexander Robertson. The visit went great, and students asked impressively thoughtful questions during Q & A! See some screenshots here. Our spring book fair was a huge success with students finding approximately 1,710 books to take into their homes! Checkout some photos and results here.
School Library Month
April is School Library Month! We are planning various things for School Library Month and will be releasing information shortly after break about kicking off some of our annual contests. We will also have our Young Hoosier Book Award voting party on April 28 after school. Any student who has read & logged 5 YHBA books or more this year will be invited to attend.
Early Dismissals
Please call the attendance line, 317-594-4126, by 9:00am to report Early Dismissals. This allows the staff adequate time to facilitate the request for dismissal. We will send your student a pass and have them waiting for you in the office at the time requested. If you are picking up your student after 3:30pm, please be aware that the car rider lane could be a double lane at that time.
If you do not call ahead……the parent/guardian will need to show identification to have the student dismissed. This is for the security of our students.
NOTE: Please be aware that it may take time to locate students who are at lunch, outside for P.E., Recess, etc. The more notice you can give the school, the smoother this process becomes. We appreciate your assistance!
Messages from the Nurse
Reminder for all current 5th grade parents: Please check with your doctor to see if your student is in need of the 6th grade shot requirements of Tdap and Meningococcal. These two shots are due for your incoming 6th grader if they have not had them yet. Please send immunizations to eallen@hse.k12.in.us once you receive them, even if it is over the summer.
ILLNESS..... STUDENTS NEED TO BE FEVER-FREE FOR 24 HOURS BEFORE RETURNING TO SCHOOL. Just a reminder not to send in your student "sick" to school. If your student has Congestion/runny nose, loss of taste or smell, cough, headache, vomiting, sore throat, diarrhea, abdominal pains, fever of 100.4, or difficulty breathing.
Donations. The clinic is asking for donations of gently used leggings.
If you have any questions, please contact our school nurses at hijclinic@hse.k12.in.us
Please stay safe and be healthy!
Updated COVID-19 Reporting Form
The COVID-19 Self-Reporting Form, found on the hseschools.org, has been updated!
· The online form now allows you to provide the information nurses need to calculate a timeline of return for your student after a COVID situation arises.
· Once the COVID-19 Self-Reporting Form is completed, you will receive an email with the date of return for your student along with helpful information about their return to school.
· If you use the form, you do not need to call or email the nurse, building and/or teacher to inform them, your online submission will take care of that.
· If additional information is needed, the school nurse may reach out to you.
We believe using this new COVID-19 Self-Reporting Form will assist our school nurses and buildings in communication efficiency, and will save you time as well.
Thank you!
Covid Reminder Information
Please remember to send your student to school healthy. If a student is ill and has any of the symptoms of Covid listed below, we encourage you to get your student tested using a PCR test, which is available via Fishers Health Department (COVID Vaccine | Fishers, IN - Official Website) or the Indiana Department of Health (ISDH - Novel Coronavirus: COVID-19 Testing Information). PCR tests are the most accurate and provide less risk of a false positive or negative result. A visit to your physician is also suggested if you feel this is not Covid-related, then a doctor's note would be needed for your student to return to school. Please do not send your child to school ill or while waiting for Covid test results.
Symptoms to monitor for: Fever or chills, Cough, Shortness of Breath or difficulty breathing, Fatigue, Muscle or body aches, Headache, New loss of taste or smell, Sore Throat, Congestion or runny nose, Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.
Math Bowl Information
Good Luck to the Math Bowl team in your competition on April 12!
Attention all 7th Grade Parents-DC Trip info
April 2022:
Attention all parents of 7th graders: Mark your calendars- We will be having a MANDATORY meeting on Thursday May 5th at 8:30am in the main gym for all the student’s signed up for next school year’s Washington DC trip (in September). Parents should NOT attend the meeting. The purpose of this meeting will be to finalize roommate choices for the trip in September. If you forgot to sign up your kiddo for the trip we still have a couple spots left. Just go to https://worldstrides.com/register/ and us our trip ID# 199365. If you have any questions, please contact Eric Brown ebrown@hse.k12.in.us or visit my website at www.dctrip.info
Panther Pride Geist 5K Team
The Geist 5k is back to live racing this year and all Panther students, staff and family members are encouraged to participate! Whether you want to run or walk the 5K or 10K event, you are welcome to join the Panther Pride Geist 5K team. By joining, you will be able to enter this year's race at a discounted rate, receive a race and team t-shirt, and a medal for finishing. Sign up forms for this year's Panther Pride Geist 5K team are now available outside Mrs. Mockler's and Mr. Uebbing's classrooms or in the main office. Questions? Contact Mrs. Mockler.
Click here for Flyer!
HIJH Sports Information
Panther Parents,
Believe it or not, it is time for us in the Athletic Department to start thinking about 2022 Fall sports here at HIJH! In order to help our coaches plan for the Fall 2022 season (NEXT year's 6th, 7th, and 8th graders), we would like to get an idea of how many kids we can expect to come out for each of our Fall sports.
***If your child plans to try out for any one of our Fall sports programs, please take a moment to complete our 2022 FALL SPORTS INTENT SURVEY. Details about each sport can be found HERE as well.***
A few notes:
- Dates/times are subject to change. Please keep up with the latest info on our website Athletics - HSE Intermediate/Junior High (hseschools.org)
- In order to participate, all students must have: a. A completed IHSAA PHYSICAL dated ON OR AFTER APRIL 1st 2022 on file with the Athletic Director. Physicals dates PRIOR to April 1st 2022 will NOT be valid for the 2022-2023 school year. Physicals must be turned in HARD COPY, and not emailed over the summer. b. RANK ONE ONLINE FORMS must also be completed, but PLEASE DO NOT complete these forms until after June 1 after our system rollover has taken place.
- Academic eligibility policy: Any student who finishes Semester 2 with 2 or more Fs on their report card are NOT eligible for participation in Fall sports in 2022.
E-Waste Recycling
PTO News
The next PTO meeting will be Monday April 11th at 11 AM in the HIJH conference room. All HIJH parents are invited to join us.
Dine to Donate
**Five Below May 8 - 14th
-Kona Ice - Last Day of School, May 20, from 4-6pm (3 neighborhoods: Hunters Run, Avalon & Whelchel Springs)
MARK YOUR CALENDAR:
- Panther Palooza - the 7th & 8th graders night of fun was Friday March 25 and we had a fabulous turn out. Thank you to all who sent their kids for a memorable night of fun and to all those who volunteered to make the night a huge success.
- Panther Fest - Mark your calendar - Friday, May 6th (For 5 & 6th graders only). Registration will start after Spring Break…stay tuned. Watch for online registration link in a skylert and facebook. (Note: only parents who volunteer are allowed to attend - so watch for a parent volunteer sign up also).
ARE YOU IN THE LOOP?
Follow @HIJHPTO on Facebook for the latest and up to date HIJH information.
** Sign up to receive all the latest PTO info & newsletter at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeT_7uZmmWJeoCQk6btVux-CaahT04GOF3c0ZMmilPWLaxJpA/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0&fbclid=IwAR0dIPBsu8_gq3uVYQfPe-tHM0axLPezW7vpzt5CLxKXNQnUZggY2TVyqxk
-Checkout our PTO website (www.hijhpto.wordpress.com) for the 2022 calendar, past meeting minutes, newsletters, and more.
PANTHER REWARDS
Send money back to the PTO so we can do awesome stuff for HIJH and your kids at no additional costs to you. It’s FREE money – it just take a few moments of your time to sign up for these programs. The more families who are linked, the more money the PTO earns - and it all goes back to the school! Thank you for your support of the PTO and those families who have already linked their accounts to our school!
**AMAZON: Now HIJH can earn money when you shop AMAZON on BOTH the app and desktop at no cost to you. (“set up” has to be on your DESKTOP or in Safari NOT app) **Login to Amazon on your desktop or safari, then go https://smile.amazon.com/ type HSJH PTO under
“supporting. (note: there is a S not an I – in HSJH). AFTER set up on desktop or safari – now go to the Amazon App, go to settings (=), click on Amazon Smile and follow the on screen instructions to turn on AmazonSmile on your phone.
**Kroger Community Rewards (set up on desktop)
-You STILL earn all your Kroger reward/fuel points – this is just BONUS money for the PTO to use towards awesome things for HIJH and your kids. https://www.kroger.com/
1. Sign in to your account by clicking the person on the top right hand corner of the screen
2. Once you are signed, click “My Account” under your profile tab.
3. Click “Community Rewards” on the left hand side of the page.
4. Type in “HIJH-PTO” or use the school code WT583
5. Click “Enroll”
**Market Day: Remember a few years ago, getting Market Day flyers, looking at all the tasty food, excited to go to school and pick it up...then it all disappeared . But never fear, Market Day is here... again! The program is slightly different though. No longer will flyers come home, you can shop any time online! No more getting in your car and driving all the way to school to get your food, it's shipped to you! Select our school when you buy and we get 10% back! You get tasty food while supporting the school, such a win win! Sign up to receive emails from them and get a coupon sent to your email. It's all pretty exciting and tasty! https://www.marketdaylocal.com/
**Coke Rewards: Send Coke Bottle Caps in or enter codes online for HIJH.
**Box Tops: Keep scanning Box Tops & earning free money for the school. Bonus: Raffle prizes will be drawn each semester for those who scan 25 or more.
Mudsock Youth Athletic Update
Mudsock Youth Athletic Updates:
Spring Sports: Did you forget to register for spring programing? There are limited spaces open for certain divisions in our baseball, softball, soccer, boys lacrosse, rugby, and track leagues. Register now at myathletics.com and we’ll see you on the fields. Learn more here. Questions? Email info@myathletics.com.
Boys Volleyball is BACK this Spring!
Due to interest, Mudsock Youth Volleyball will be running sessions for 3rd - 8th graders from April 22nd - May 15th on Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons. Participants can register NOW at myathletics.com. Parents/guardians, thank you for letting us know if you'd like to coach on the online form. Learn everything you need to know, including the format here. We’ll see you on the courts soon! Questions? Email mudsockvolleyball@gmail.com.
Hamilton Southeastern Intermediate/Junior High
Ph: 317-594-4120
Attendance: 317-594-4126
Guidance: 317-594-4124
Fax: 317-594-4129
Twitter: @HIJPanthers
Athletics Twitter: @HIJathletics
Permitted use of school newsletters as required by the Equal Access Act is not an endorsement of this group or this group’s beliefs by Hamilton Southeastern Schools or the Board of School Trustees.