Irons Jr. High Newsletter
We Are Hawks!
1/6/23
Irons Family,
Happy New Year! It was great to see all the students back to school this week. We look forward to a successful second half of the school year. Believe it or not, the second semester will move by quickly! We have some exciting updates in this newsletter. As always, please reach out to us if you have any questions.
Smart Tag Student ID:
Conroe ISD is excited to announce a new addition to student safety with the implementation of the first phase of the SMART tag™ I.D. system in the Oak Ridge High School feeder. Students in this feeder will begin using this system on January 10, 2023, with the initial use to scan bus riders boarding or exiting a bus. SMART tag™ uses safe passive technology which enables your child’s I.D. card to be programmed with a unique student number. This number can only be read by the SMART tag™ tablet installed on each CISD school bus, and the I.D. number is the only digital information on the card.
The goal is to have the SMART tag™ system fully implemented throughout the District by May 2023. Upon full implementation, parents/guardians will have the ability to sign up to receive text notifications of when their child’s bus will arrive for pick up in the morning and drop off in the afternoon.
When a student boards or exits the bus, the student will touch their SMART tag™ I.D. card on the SMART tag™ tablet (RFID reader) at the top of the stairs. This will allow the bus driver to determine if the student is on the right bus, as well as confirm that the student is getting off at the correct bus stop. The GPS capability is in the SMART tag™ tablet on the bus, not the SMART tag™ I.D. card.
Bus riders in the Oak Ridge feeder zone will receive SMART tag™ I.D. cards and a lanyard when they return to school in January. The success of the program in large part depends on students having their SMART tag™ I.D. card with them when they get on and off the bus. We ask for your help in this regard.
The District is excited about offering its families this new service, and we ask for your patience as we implement this new program. In the near future, your child’s SMART tag™ I.D. will also be used for cafeteria purchases and library book check-out.
For more information on the program including how the passive technology works, please visit the District’s SMART tag™ website. If you have additional questions, please feel free to contact the Conroe ISD Transportation Department’s Oak Ridge Center at 832-592-8850 or visit our transportation website.
Irons Smart Tag Rollout:
- Irons Students will be issued smart tag ID on Monday January 9th.
- Students will be required to have their smart tag ID to ride the bus starting Tuesday January 10th.
- Students who do not have a smart tag will load the bus last.
- Students will tap and go entering and exiting the bus.
- Students will be allowed to ride the bus without a smart tag ID for up three days before they must purchase a new smart tag ID.
- Do not bend, fold, or punch holes in the smart tag ID as the RFID will not work
- Replacement smart tag ID will cost 5 dollars.
- Smart tag ID will also be scanned to purchase lunch and check out books from the library.
- Students will need the smart tag ID to attend after school events and dances.
Yearbook:
The Irons Award Winning Yearbook is on sale for only 50 Dollars!! We have sold half of our allocation of yearbooks. Beat the next price increase and purchase you yearbook now!
Irons 7th grade level math students wishing to accelerate to take Algebra I in 8th grade:
The Credit by Exam (CBE) for 8th-grade math provides an alternate opportunity for students to accelerate their placement and enroll in math courses for high school credit while in junior high school. Students who earn an 80% or higher on the exam will be enrolled in High School credit Algebra 1 for the 2023 - 2024 school year. Students can earn this credit by Examination or the CISD Online Acceleration Initial Credit summer school program.
If your child is interested in taking the CBE to skip 8th-grade pre-algebra, please contact your child's counselor and math teacher. The deadline to sign up will be Jan. 20.
Students with the following characteristics have the most success when skipping the entire year of 8th-grade pre-algebra.
- Has your student held a strong A in their level math class in seventh grade so far?
- Has your student mastered their math STAAR tests in 4th, 5th, and 6th grade?
- Has your student been motivated to complete their math homework on time and sought help when needed?
- Does your student apply their knowledge of mathematics? (calculations vs. the applications of the concepts)
If your child meets these characteristics and you would like to explore this option, please contact your child's teacher and counselor for a more in-depth discussion to determine if the CBE is an appropriate pathway for acceleration.
Deliveries to Campus:
For the safety of our students, Irons Junior High will not allow food delivery from companies such as Uber Eats, Grubhub, Doordash, etc. Students can charge lunch to their school cafeteria account if they forget their lunch at home. If a parent needs to drop an item off to their student, they may leave the item in the front office with a note.
Student Attendance Matters:
Average daily attendance affects our funding, our campus rating, and mostly your student's academic progress. Our goal is 97%, and our current campus average attendance is 94.7%. Please encourage and ensure your student attends school daily.
Bell Schedule Change:
To improve student comfort, safety, and the learning environment, we have decided to change our bell schedule for the second semester. This change will create two transition periods allowing students to transition from class to class with only 7th or 8th-grade students. We hope this change will improve the daily educational experience of our students.
Report Cards:
Report Cards will be in PAC Saturday 1/7/23
Robert MacFarlane
Irons Jr. High Principal
We Are Hawks!
Second Semester Bell Schedule
Irons Jr. High
Email: contactirons@conroeisd.net
Website: https://irons.conroeisd.net/
Location: 16780 Needham Road, Conroe, TX, USA
Phone: 936-709-8500
Twitter: @Irons_Principal