The Navigator Newsletter
Sycamore Junior High's Parent Communication
February 4, 2022
Speak Up/Save Lives
By calling or testing the statewide hotline
- 844-SAFEROH -
- 844-723-3764 -
you can report anything that is suspicious or endangering you, your friends or school.
Coming Up
THIS WEEK:
- February 7-11: Bengals Spirit Week (see below)
MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
- February 14: No School - WHO DEY!!
- February 16: Aviator Bash
- February 21: No School - President's Day
- March 14-18: Spring Break
AIR Testing
State AIR testing will be on April 11, 12, 19, 20, and 27. Please make every effort to not schedule appointments for your children prior to noon on these days. Thank you!
Black History Month at SJH
February is Black History Month. Because one of our district's core values is to respect the diversity of our community, our teachers will use this month to celebrate the contributions and achievements of African Americans. The language arts department will highlight Black authors during their Friday book talks throughout the month of February. The social studies department will be highlighting African American achievements and/or people in class and on the daily video announcements. Additionally, the SJH News Crew will be sharing Black History highlights on the video announcements and TV visuals in the hallways throughout the month.
IMPORTANT: Reporting COVID-19 Cases
PLEASE call the COVID-19 Attendance Line (513) 686-1707.
In addition, families and staff can report COVID-19 related absences online. Please visit https://goav.es/reportCOVID and simply fill out the Google Form for your student or yourself. You can also find an icon to the form inside the Sycamore Community Schools Mobile App. Submissions will be monitored daily.
From our Nurse
Parents/Guardians please check with your children each morning to make sure they feel well.
You will find the Covid-19 Daily Parent/Guardian Checklist linked here and on our website. Translations of this document may be found HERE.
Please visit the District's Healthy Aves page for more detailed information.
COUNSELING CORNER
Rising 8th Grade Scheduling News
Scheduling for the 2022-2023 school year is upon us! For current 7th grade students (Rising 8th), we incorporate an online scheduling component in which students will be entering their course requests into an online portal. Below are some upcoming dates regarding the scheduling process.
The Junior High 8th Grade Course Planner is now available online! You can find it on the website by going to: Junior High → Counseling → Course Planner & Scheduling or by clicking here.
February 11th: Teachers will let students know course recommendations for their core classes and world language. These recommendations will be uploaded and viewable by students when logging in during the online scheduling window.
February 17th: Students will be mailed Online Scheduling Instructions along with an electives course selector that includes students’ usernames and passwords.
February 19th - Feb 27th: Online Scheduling. Students will have one week to enter courses they would like to take next year into the online scheduling portal. Core courses (Language Arts, History, Math, Science) and World Languages, if applicable, will be pre-loaded. Students will then select their music and any electives, schedule permitting.
1st week of March: Rising 8th grade students will receive verification slips via My eBackpack. This will be a list of courses that were selected for next school year.
During online scheduling week, students can contact their counselor with any questions or if they need assistance with the online scheduling portal.
Mr. Brenner A-G brennerb@sycamoreschools.org
Mrs. Suter L-T suterk@sycamoreschools.org
Mrs. Morris U-Z morrisra@sycamoreschools.org
Rising 9th Grader Scheduling News
Academic Fair and Transition to HS Activity
8th Grade Families,
Due to public health conditions and in the interest of student well-being, SJH and SHS have made the collaborative decision to revise the presentation of our 8th grade day and Academic Fair.
Academic Fair will be an all-virtual event this year, which was emailed to families on Thursday, February 3rd.
The 8th-grade transition day will take place on Friday, March 11th in person. On that date, 8th-graders will be bussed from the JH to the HS for much of the day and then return to the JH prior to dismissal. If the situation at that time continues to warrant more social distancing and precautionary measures, we will hold this event virtually as well. If so, you will be notified in advance.
Thank you so much for your patience and understanding as we seek to balance the student experience with overall health. For additional questions, please contact SHS Dean of Students, Ashwin Corattiyil, at CorattiyilA@SycamoreSchools.org.
Upcoming HS Scheduling Dates
February 7 - Counselor Video Message & online scheduling instructions will be emailed to students & families.
February 18 - Scheduling-specific usernames and passwords will be sent to students and parents.
Course Planning Site:
Current teachers will share their class recommendations in February. However, students and families do not need to wait until February to start looking at courses! Take a look at our Course Planning Guide! This guide includes class descriptions, graduation requirements, and much more. A comprehensive list of classes just available to rising 9th graders can be viewed here.
Class of 2026 Counseling Team
At the high school, we assign counselors alphabetically by graduating class. Your student will work with the same school counselor for all four years. Your student's counselor will meet with them during the first week in March to discuss class choices and answer any questions that may remain.
The class of 2026 counseling team is:
Mrs. Brenda Fisher (A-K)
Mrs. Bonnie Stephenson (L-Z)
Adapt for Life Parent Information Night
Through grant funding, Sycamore has partnered with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital to launch a mental wellness program in our schools called Adapt for Life. To provide more information about the Adapt for Life program, the district is offering a Virtual Parent Information Night on February 8, 2022, from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
We are asking parents to register BY FEBRUARY 7 and indicate the grade level of their child in order to better customize the information session to the audience. Please also submit questions or topics you would like our speakers to cover during the session. A Zoom link will be emailed to registrants. Click here to register.
For more information about the program, tools for students and families, please visit the Adapt for Life website at https://www.adaptforlife.org. Questions? Please reach out to Lisa Zelvy, Pupil Services Supervisor, at zelvyl@sycamoreschools.org.
PTO NEWS
Aviator Bash is HERE!
It is time for students to have some fun!
Students are invited to the Aviator Bash on Wednesday, February 16 at 3:15 pm. The PTO will be hosting the event in the Jr. High gymnasium wing.
What’s happening at the bash??!!
Food and games, dancing with a DJ, and a quiet chill area to do some art or hang out with friends. Kids will be encouraged to bring board games, art supplies (they can keep them in their locker), and decks of cards (please check the appropriateness of the game, if deemed inappropriate it will be taken until the end of the event). If your family has a cornhole game or giant Connect 4, we would love it if you would be willing to drop them off right before the event. Please make sure names are on all items.
Food: Option of pizza or chicken nuggets, a drink, and a sweet treat.
Time: 3:15 pm (immediately following dismissal) and goes to 5:30 pm. To help offset crowded pickup lines, dismissal for 7th graders will be at 5:15 pm and 8th graders at 5:30 pm. Student pickup will be on the I-71 side of the building (the bus drop-off/pickup area). Please plan to pick your student up at the given times. PLEASE see the diagram below.
Volunteering/Donating: If you are interested in volunteering at the event (chaperones will be needed in all areas) or are willing to donate food/drink items, please use the link below for the Sign Up Genius.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Victoria Margroum or Megan Lee at jhptoaviatorbash@sycamoreschools.org
The event is free to all students and chaperones.
Masks will be required at the event.
SJH: IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
SJH Code of Conduct/Dress Code
Students were reminded of the policies on video announcements. Please review the dress code on page 19 of the Student Parent Handbook with your child.
The administration will be exercising a higher vigilance in enforcing these policies. Students will receive a warning on the first offense. Upon the second infraction, students will face disciplinary consequences.
Thank you for your support!
The 2022 SJHS Yearbook is on sale now. Order TODAY!
The SJHS Yearbook Club is committed to documenting this school year for YOU! Order your yearbook today for $35. April 15th will be the last day to order.
Click HERE to order your 2022 Yearbook.
Do you have photos you would like to submit to the Yearbook Club? Click HERE and find the “Submit Photos Here” button ! We want to represent ALL students in this year's historic yearbook.
Questions? Contact Mrs. Melissa Speelman
AROUND OUR DISTRICT
IMPORTANT LINKS
Sycamore Junior High School
Email: jhadmin@sycamoreschools.org
Website: www.sycamoreschools.org/sycamorejh
Location: 5757 Cooper Road, Cincinnati, OH, United States
Phone: 5136861760
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SycamoreJuniorHighPTO/
Twitter: @sycamorejrhigh