The BULLetin
November 9, 2017
Principal's Message
We have an intense few weeks as we lead to the end of the first semester. With the coming holidays and breaks it is easy to overlook the school component. During the second quarter of the school year you may see students potentially struggle with content as more new concepts are introduced. Teachers are also in a crunch for time as they know they need to finish units of instruction prior to the end of the semester.
Parents may see an uptick in homework and projects especially as November turns to December. Stay in contact with your student's teachers and reach out to them if you have questions.
Veteran's Day at Murphy
For Veteran's Day students in the Social Studies Department will spend the day with lessons that explain what Veteran’s Day is, why we honor our vets, and what the yellow ribbons symbolize.
We thank all of our Veteran's for their service.
This years musical is going to be the Little Mermaid! Performances will be Thursday March 15 and Friday March 16. The audition schedule is as follows:
- Audition information posted outside choir room on Monday December 4
- Dance Clinic for Auditions is Friday December 8 from 3-430 (mandatory for those auditioning)
- Auditions - Monday December 11 & Tuesday December 12
- Cast List Posted - Friday December 15
- First Rehearsal - Monday January 8 - 3:00-4:30
- Mandatory Parent Meeting - Monday January 8 - 4:30-4:45
If you have any questions please contact Mrs. Tysiak (mtysiak@sd308.org) or Ms. Henaghan (khenaghan@sd308.org)
NJHS Service Project
NJHS would like to thank everybody who gave so generously to our first service project--our Hesed House drive. We were absolutely so thankful that nearly everything on the list was purchased. We will truly give a family a brand new start. We are imagining the joy that they will feel after being homeless, to being able to have their very own home filled with items. You have truly changed a life.
The NJHS spirit committee has also been hard at work creating locker tags to celebrate and encourage our student winter athletes--wrestling, basketball, poms and cheer.
Athena Dental Visit
I am pleased to announce that Dr. Andrea Miller with Athena Dental will be coming to Murphy to administer dental exams, cleanings, and fluoride treatments on November 28, 2017. The dental services are available to all Murphy students. Insurance will be billed BUT no co-pay or deductibles will be charged to families. No student will be turned away.
A consent form and brief medical history will need to be completed in its entirety and signed if you wish for your child to participate in this program. These forms are available in English and Spanish on the district website under family information/health services.
Also, if you are not able to access the form online, a copy can be sent home with your student. Please know that without the consent form and the medical history fully completed and returned, your child will not be seen by the dentist. You will receive
a summary of the dental exam and findings within two weeks of the exam. This exam will fulfill the requirement for a sixth grade dental exam.
If you have any question or concerns, please feel free to contact Margaret Wackerlin at
630-608- 5102 or mwackerlin@sd308.org
Ms. Miller's World History
Toys for Tots
It's that time of year again! Beginning on November 6th and running through December 12th, Murphy Junior High School in conjunction with the Oswego Fire Protection District will be participating in the Annual Toys for Tots Program.
Murphy Junior High will be collecting toys to donate to families in the community who are currently having financial difficulties. Gifts should be NEW, unwrapped and can be for children of all ages. Students should bring all toys to their homeroom student council rep in exchange for a raffle ticket. A raffle will take place on December 13th, where 6 lucky winners will have the chance to serve as Murphy’s "elves for the day". They will leave school and eat breakfast at the Oswego Fire Department with a friend of choice. These students will also have their picture taken with the local fire department, which will then be submitted to the local newspaper. In addition, family members of the elves can also join in on the fun and enjoy breakfast at the firehouse. This special event will take place on Thursday, December 14th during the first half of the school day.
In addition, students can receive double raffles tickets and win the chance to attend Murphy's Toys for Tots pizza party! The pizza party will take place on Friday, December 15th during lunch periods. Students will need to donate a "themed toy” from each one the four toy categories (Boy, Girl, Game, and Sport toy). In order to attend the pizza party, students must donate at least 4 toys, one from each category. The last day for toy turn in is Tuesday, December 12th. The more you donate the better chance you have to participate in this special event.
Themed Weeks
Nov 6 - Nov 10 (Girl Toy)
Nov 13 - Nov 17 (Boy Toy)
Nov 20 - Nov 21 (Toy of choice)- Shortened week
Nov 27 - Dec 1 (Sports)
Dec 4 - Dec 8 (Games)
Dec 11 - Dec 12 (Toy of choice)- Shortened week
Murphy Yearbook
There's nothing like getting a yearbook. It is the limited edition collection of our school's stories for this year. Don't let your student miss out on sharing and reliving the big events that will make this year special.
Yearbooks are now on sale for the lowest price of the year. Order now for $25.00! Yearbook price will increase January 6th, 2018. Yearbook orders can be completed online at jostensyearbooks.com. Please contact Ms. Fell if you have any questions.
Weekly JAM (Just Another Maverick)
Murphy PTO
If you haven’t already, please consider making your family’s annual donation to the PTO. Our focus this year will be on Student Events and Classroom Grants. Any contribution helps and is very much appreciated! Donation Form
New to the PTO this year! We are so happy to announce that the PTO will be running the Concession Stand for the Girl’s Basketball season and Boy’s Volleyball season (Winter/Spring sports). There will be volunteer opportunities available for this as well, so be on the lookout for details soon!
For more information on the Murphy PTO, upcoming PTO events or volunteer opportunities, please contact PTO President Missy Dziewiatkowski at missyd71@gmail.com. Please also follow us on Facebook for PTO events and updates (Murphy PTO-Home of the Mavericks).
Student Services Spotlight
Maverick Teacher Shout Outs!
We think our entire MJHS staff is amazing and deserves to be acknowledged for the great work they do on a daily basis! Please use this form to recognize any member of our staff. Remember, staff includes teachers, secretaries, nurses, teaching assistants, and custodians!
8th Grade Course Selection
8th grade teachers have made class recommendations for high school through Wednesday, November 8th. This timeline has changed from previous years. Teachers made recommendations based on class performance, embedded assessment performance, and standardized testing results.
Oswego East counselors and 3 senior AVID students (former Mavericks!) visited Murphy on Thursday, November 9th during Science classes. They presented on High School electives, 2-year course plans, and what to expect at Oswego East. Students received copies of available electives and 2-year plan worksheets. Home Access (HAC) will open on Monday, November 13th for our 8th graders to select electives. Please use the 2-Year Plan worksheets and HAC Directions for reference. If your student has questions, please have them see their counselor in Student Services for further assistance.
Important Dates:
October 25th – November 8th
8th grade teachers make course recommendations for High School course placement
November 9th
Oswego East Counselors visit Murphy through Science classes to discuss HS electives, 2-Year plans
November 13th – December 3rd
Course selection will open in Home Access Center (elective course selection is done through Home Access; if you do not know your login information, please contact Murphy’s front office at 630-608-5100.)
November 16th
Future Wolves Night @ Oswego East, 5-8pm
December 14th
OE Counselors will have 1:1 meetings with 8th graders at Murphy to review elective selections
Oswego East has an Incoming Freshman page on OE’s website that will include important dates and a link to the presentation that 8th grade students viewed with the OE counselors. To visit this page, please use the following link:
“The Maverick Way” Outside of School
Murphy Junior High students are doing amazing things in the classroom as well as demonstrating “The Maverick Way” outside of school. If any student is demonstrating “The Maverick Way” outside of school we want to know about it! Please contact Karen Whited at kwhited@sd308.org or Brandi Zawacki at bzawacki@sd308.org.
*Don’t forget to include some pictures in your email.
MAVS Working Hard on the Field
Zac Clarke (6th), Jackson Gillen (7th) and Aiden Moriarty (6th) are State Champs in Football! The Oswego Bears PeeWee Football Team won the State Championship vs. Lockport 20-12 on Saturday. The team’s next stop is the Mid America Playoff Games in Indiana the weekend of November 18th.
ZAP-Zeros Aren't Permitted
ZAP is an intervention implemented to develop good homework habits. This program helps students self-correct without a penalty. Getting into the habit of doing homework and realizing that it counts is tough for many students. ZAP helps reinforce the importance of homework completion and provides an opportunity for intrinsic growth through self-correction.
What to do when your student is ZAPPED?
If a student does not complete a homework assignment he/she will receive a ZAP. Students have until 8:00am, the following morning, to turn the assignment into Student Services for full credit. If the student chooses not to complete or submit the assignment, then the student will be required to attend the ZAP classroom (D126) during his/her lunch to complete the homework, also for full credit. It is your student's responsibility to know what is missing and bring the necessary materials home. Students will be allowed 5 visits (every 9 weeks) to the ZAP classroom to complete their work. After 5 visits, students are no longer eligible for the ZAP intervention.
If you have questions, please contact your child’s teacher and/or counselor.
PBIS @ Murphy
Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a proactive approach to establishing the behavioral supports and social culture needed for all students in a school to achieve social, emotional and academic success.
One aspect of PBIS includes positive acknowledgement of student behavior. When students display the expected behaviors outlined in our MAVS Matrix, they may be acknowledged with verbal praise or tangible rewards (Bullseye Tickets) from their teachers. This makes the expected behaviors more likely to occur in the future and creates positive interactions, rapport, and relationships with students.
When students earn Bullseyes, they are able to collect them to enter weekly prize drawings and shop at the Maverick Mini Mall. This year, our Mini Mall will be on a cart, and students will have an opportunity to shop with their Bullseyes during homeroom each week. The Maverick Mini Mall will open for business next week!
There will be a monthly behavior focus, and teachers will be on the look out to catch students displaying these positive behaviors.
Next week’s Target is to Accept Responsibility by:
11/13 – 11/21 Being Prepared to Learn
In addition to acknowledging students for displaying expected behaviors with Bullseyes, we are preparing for our First Semester PBIS Celebration. On Friday, December 15, students will be rewarded with tickets to the Maverick Movie Celebration, where they will be able to watch a movie at school. Between the dates of October 2 – December 8th, students will need to:
- M - make good decisions by receiving ZERO tardies to class,
- A - accept responsibility by receiving ZERO ZAPs,
- V - value and respect each other and our school and
- S - be safe by receiving ZERO disciplinary actions! This includes suspensions, detentions and office referrals through December 15th
Parent Article – How to Stop Negative Thoughts
Students sometimes get stuck in negative thought patterns. The following article offers ways to help your students get out of those patterns,
College Planning from myOWN.edu
How do you choose a career? Students across the country are asking this question. This month we'll explore the ways that you help them narrow down their options. Continue reading...
8th Grade:
The competition for college admissions often starts with high school course selection. But should honors and AP courses be a part of your teenager's schedule? See what colleges are really looking for! Continue reading...
Letters About Literature Writing Contest
Letters About Literature Writing Contest - Call For Student Entries!
The Library of Congress invites students to enter the 25th Annual Letters About Literature Writing Competition. Students are asked to use their reflective writing skills and write a letter to an author-living or dead-explaining how his or her work changed their view.
If students are interested in participating in the contest, please see the attached rules and guidelines. Entries are due by Wednesday, November 21st. Students can submit their entries to their Language Arts teacher.
Additional contest information and prizes can be found here.
Boys' Basketball
7th Grade
The 7th grade basketball team made it to the championship game of the Joliet West tournament over the past weekend. In that game, the Mavericks faced a tough Troy team. The Mavericks were able to stay close to Troy with the lead changing several times. After building a 5 point lead late in the game, the Mavericks allowed Troy to tie the game heading into the final minutes. Unfortunately, Troy was able to sink a couple of shots to come away with the 43 to 39 victory. Robert Jones led the scoring with 15 points, while Christian added 13.
To reach the championship game, the Mavericks battled back from being down at halftime to Yorkville team by holding them scoreless for the first 13 minutes of the second half. The Mavericks were able come away with the 27 to 24 win. They also picked up a 26 to 25 victory to Sandwich in the second round. In the semi-finals, the Mavericks took control of Hufford in a 38 to 27 win.
The 7th grade basketball team suffered it's first conference loss to Plank on Tuesday. After a rocky first quarter, the Mavericks battled back to hold a 3 point lead at halftime. In the second half, Plank was able to get some break away shots to pull away for the 39 to 35 victory. Robert Jones and Caden both scored 7 points. Mike was good for 6 points.
In the second game, the Mavericks fell behind early. They kept battling back, but were unable to take the lead in a 31 to 32 loss. Roney led the scoring with 7 points, while Justin added 5.
Wrestling
The wrestling team had a dominant performance against Thompson Tuesday night. Individual winners are as follows: Patrick Black won by pin, Dylan Crawford won by pin, Jack Gilles won by pin, Vasa Won by pin, Anthony Kuceba won by pin, Mekhi Fikremariam won by tech fall. In exhibition matches Muhammad Shas won by pin, Javon Griggs won by pin, Matt Watson won by tech fall, and Cody McCoy won by pin. Great job wrestlers.
Maverick Makers Club
Maverick Makers Club meeting dates from 3:00-4:00 Art Classroom
November 13, 20, 27
December 4, 11
January 22, 29
February 5, 12, 36
March 5, 12, 19
Any student who is wanting to explore the visual arts should join this club. Experimentation with glass, ceramics and fibers will be introduced.
Additional information and sign up sheet can be found here.
Temple Grandin: Developing Individuals Who Different Kinds of Minds
This event is FREE and open to the general public.
Additional information can be found here.
EPEC Exceptional Parents of Exceptional Children
EPEC is hosting a Special Needs Resource Fair, an informative event for families of individuals with special needs.
The event will take place Tuesday, November 14, 2017 from 630 p.m. to 830 p.m at Traughber Junior High School, 570 Colchester, Oswego, Il. The goal of the fair is to provide families the opportunity to connect with local agencies, organizations and the community as a whole.
A few of the organizations will be present are:
- SD308 Special Olympics
- Spot 4 Kids -Physical, Speech and Occupational Therapy
- Behavioral Perspective ABA Therapy
- VIP Service Dogs
- Chuck Rose -Attorney for Special Needs Trusts
- Fox Valley Special Recreation Association (FVSRA)
- MedicAlert
- Langston Pediatric Therapy
- Celebrate Differences
- Olympic Soccer Stars Adaptive Soccer
And several others……..
Upcoming Events
November 9
- 7th Boys' Basketball v Traughber (4:30pm)
- 8th Boys' Basketball @ Traughber (4:30pm)
- Wrestling @ Bednarcik (4:30pm)
November 10
- Veteran's Day Observed
November 11
- Veteran's Day
- ILMEA Festival @ Huntley HS
November 14
- 7th Boys' Basketball @ Bednarcik (4:30pm)
- 8th Boys' Baksetball v Bednarcik (4:30pm)
- Wrestling v Jewel (4:30pm)
November 16
- 7th Boys' Basketball @ Herget (4:30pm)
- 8th Boys' Basketball v Herget (4:30pm)
- Wrestling v Traughber (4:30pm)
- Fall Play Bottom of the Lake @ 7pm
- Future Wolves Night (5-8pm) @ OEHS
If you are looking for directions to AWAY events, this link will provide directions to many area schools.
Use the "Murphy Building Calendar" link below to see all the things going on at Murphy Junior High.
Contact Us
Murphy Junior High School is an inclusive and supportive community that promotes student success by ensuring ALL students are college and career ready.
Email: banderson@sd308.org
Website: www.sd308.org/murphy
Location: 26923 Grande Park Boulevard, Plainfield, IL, United States
Phone: (630) 608-5100
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/murphy308/
Twitter: @murphy308