CJHS "Chargers Connection"
September 8, 2023
From the Principals...
Students are learning, teachers are leading amazing lessons, everyone is smiling, and life is good! We hope you have had a great start to the school year as well! Thank you for being fantastic partners with us as we strive toward excellence this school year!
Reminder that Tuesday, September 12th is an Early Release day! Students will be dismissed at 11:45 a.m. and have an opportunity to grab a bag lunch on their way out!
~Ms. Nicasio, Principal
~Mr. Tripp, Associate Principal
~Mr. Dennis Larson, Assistant Principal
Sharing the Joy!
In Remembrance of 9/11
Monday is the 22nd anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, a significant day in our nation’s history. Sept. 11 has been designated Patriot Day. On Monday, we will commemorate this moment in history and students will be invited to observe a brief moment of silence during morning announcements. We encourage you to discuss this significant event in our nation’s history with your children to the extent and depth you believe is developmentally appropriate for your child(ren). Additionally, this is a wonderful opportunity to encourage your children to look for opportunities to be courageous, selfless and loving; and, if possible, to say thank you to those who work so hard to keep us well and safe.
One reason we remember Sept. 11 is that we want to preserve the memory of the victims who lost their lives and those who died in service to others. Another reason to remember is to honor the courageous service of our firefighters, police officers, paramedics and military. In the face of this disaster, we saw courage: firefighters, police officers and paramedics rushed to help. We saw selflessness: strangers helped strangers. We saw love: people from around the world sent cards, supplies and comfort.
This is an opportunity to turn something negative into a positive activity by honoring the good work of others and by doing good works ourselves. Look for opportunities to be courageous, selfless, and loving; and if possible, say thank you to those who work so hard to keep us well and safe.
Early Release Day - Sack Lunch Distribution
High School Athletic Events
High school football games are great events for junior high and elementary students to attend to start seeing what high school life is like. It is important to note that junior high and elementary students coming to a football game at either Normal Community or Normal West must be accompanied by an adult (18 or older).
Junior high or elementary students without an adult will not be allowed to enter the stadium. We also ask that students not bring bags, footballs, or toys to the game.
Thank you for your cooperation and we invite you to come out and support our Unit 5 teams this fall!
Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15–October 15)
The month of September, and part of October, is a time to celebrate Hispanic culture. This time of year is significant because the Latin American countries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua all received their independence on September 15th. Additionally, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16th and September 18th. At 55.6 million, people of Hispanic origin are the largest ethnic or racial minority in the U.S. (17.6% of the total population). To learn more, click here.
From the nurse...
As the school nurse for Chiddix Junior High School, my role is to help each student feel safe, be healthy, and ready to learn. I also help to monitor attendance to identify those students who may be having an issue attending school regularly due to various reasons.
I need your help to ensure a safe school environment that extends to illness and injuries. If you are contacted by your student via text message or phone call, please tell them to check into the health office to see me. If you receive a phone call from them requesting to be picked up due to illness or injury, feel free to contact me, so that I can check on your student's status. Please do not sign out students who are ill or injured, if they have not seen me or you have not received a phone call from me. Oftentimes students want to leave due to a variety of reasons, including anxiety, stress, or work avoidance. It is our goal at Chiddix to help our students feel supported, healthy, and keep them in school. Thank you for your partnership for a safe, healthy and happy school year!
Sincerely,
Andrea Powell
BSN, RN, PEL-CSN
Illinois Certified School Nurse
Chiddix Junior High School
309-557-4405
Student IDs
Student IDs serve two extremely important purposes throughout the school year: bus attendance and lunch.
IDs on the bus
- Any time a student rides a bus (even for athletic events), students will be required to scan their IDs. This will allow "real time" access to data indicating student attendance on bus routes. This is extremely important in the case of an emergency.
IDs in the school lunch line
- Students should have their ID for lunch each day. Students who do not have an ID are asked to wait until the end of the line to get their meal.
The use of student IDs in these situations is the expected norm for the school year.
Please help to ensure your student has a secure way to locate their ID - whether through a lanyard, wallet, card case, etc.
What if your student loses his or her student ID this year? Students may come to the main office to request one.
Please note students will be provided one free replacement ID.
Additional IDs will cost $3.00!
I HAVE A PARENT PORTAL ACCOUNT, NOW WHAT?
Our annual "unraiser" is the only fundraiser where 100% of your donation goes toward PTO budget and it DOES NOT involve selling products or spending your valuable time.
Please consider a donation of any amount to help support our school community!! Click on the link below for more information.
Supplemental Snack Food Items
With the support of Midwest Food Bank and Eastview Christian Church, Chiddix offers supplemental snack food items to qualifying students who would like to enroll. These snack items will be available bi-weekly. If you would like for your child to participate, please fill out the following form.
Please contact Kelly Winter, Family Coordinator at winterk@unit5.org or 309-989-2637 with any questions.
Athletic/Activities Corner...
Golf - Congratulations to Jack who won the IESA Boys Golf Sectional at The Oaks at River Edge with a score of 76! He will represent Chiddix at the Boys State Tournament next week at Metamora Fields Golf Club! Congratulations to Caitlin Newman who won at Willow Pond in Rantoul with a score of 106!
Softball - The girls won their opening round match against Morton Wednesday night and will Play at Evans this Saturday at 10 AM. Special shout out to the JV team that went 16-0 this year!
Baseball - IESA Regionals start next week with opening round matches starting 9/13, and events being hosted 9/16 and 9/18 at Chiddix Baseball Field.
Cross Country - Charger Runners have a busy couple of weeks which includes Maxwell Park on 9/9, Morton on 9/11, and Mahomet on 9/16!
Girls Basketball - Practices are well under way for the Lady Chargers with their first two games happening at St. Mary’s on 9/18 and the first home contest on 9/19 against Lincoln. Be sure to come out and support these Student Athletes!
Boys Basketball - Check the next Newsletter for Open Gyms and Tryout information!
ALL CLUBS, ACTIVITIES, AND ATHLETICS MUST SIGN UP ON 8 TO 18!
We are asking all parents to sign their students up on our 8 to 18 website for all athletics and club activities. This will allow the club sponsor access to emergency information as well as family contact information. Please go to the 8 to 18 website at:
If you have not used this website before you will need to create an account. Then log in and pick the activity your child will be participating in to register them. If you are registering your child for a club activity, you do not need to provide a physical. Physicals are needed for all athletic sign ups. Thank you for your cooperation
Stay Connected...
You can also visit our school website for additional information. Please be patient as changes are being made to the website to ensure the most updated information is provided.
Visitors
All visitors to school property are required to check into the Building Principal's office and receive permission to remain on school property. All visitors' log, identifying their name, the date and time of arrival, and the classroom or location they are visiting, show identification, and wear a visitor's badge.
Chiddix Junior High School
Dan Tripp, Associate Principal
Dennis Larson, Assistant Principal
Phone Numbers:
- General Information: (309) 557-4405
- Guidance Office: (309) 557-4850
- Attendance Line: (309) 557-4454
- School Nurse: (309) 557-4687
- Transportation: (309) 557-4287
Email: nicasim@unit5.org
Website: https://www.unit5.org/Domain/25
Location: 300 South Walnut Street, Normal, IL, USA
Phone: 309-557-4405