LJHS Summer News & Notes
2022-2023
Looking ahead...
We are extremely excited about the 2022-2023 school year and welcoming your student to our school (or welcoming your student back to our school for their 8th grade year)! The success of a new school year begins with preparation and expectations during the summer months by all stakeholders; as we start our summer break, we wanted to reach out and share some important information and some other considerations. We appreciate all of your support as we turn the page from one school year to the next. We will communicate with all families again in early August with more updates, as well.
Have a great rest of your summer,
Alex Brunk, Principal
Jerry Comello, Assistant Principal
Heidi Calvert, Athletic Director & Dean of Students
Open House, Schedules, and School Supplies
Schedules released - August 1st at 4pm
You should receive an email with your student’s schedule and other pertinent information (i.e. locker number and combination) on this date and time.
Open House - August 12th from 8am-12pm and 1pm-3pm
The Junior High building will be open to all students during this date and time. Students are encouraged to explore their school, walk through their schedule, and work on learning how to open their lockers; students and families can come and go as they please.
School Supplies
Make sure to visit our school website as we move through the summer as we will be posting the 2022-2023 school supply list when it is finalized. We will also be sending out more information about school supplies in early August.
Speaking of Schedules…
The move from Berry to the Junior High can cause much anxiety and angst for some of our students. It is a big deal to now have 7 teachers, new-found and age-appropriate freedoms and responsibilities, and, of course, all of the physical and emotional changes that take place with our Junior High-aged students. Rest assured that although your student may head down a wrong hallway or go into a wrong class the first day or two, they aren’t the only ones! We will have plenty of staff members out and about throughout the first few days of school, supporting and guiding our wonderful student body. Our staff prides themselves on working with Junior High students… It is our passion! We understand how overwhelming it can be to navigate a new school with so many transitions. Please assure your student that it is okay to make mistakes as they get to know their new schedules and all that this new reality entails; we will be there to lift them up if that happens! We are all in this together!
Volunteering at LJHS
If you are interested in volunteering during the 2022-2023 school year, please make sure you follow the instructions on the following link; you will only be permitted to volunteer once these procedures have been completed.
Volunteer guidelines and procedures
Also, please fill out the following Google Form to see the full list of opportunities and if you are interested in helping.
2022-2023 Junior High PTO Interest Form
If you have any questions, please email ljhs.pto.45036@gmail.com.
LJHS School Hours
The Junior High School day starts at 7:10am and ends at 2:05. Our building opens for students at 6:50am. Students will not be allowed into the building until this time. We ask you not idle your car on the curb outside of our building waiting for 6:50am. If you arrive prior to 6:50am, you may drop your student off as they are more than welcome to hang outside of the building until it opens; if you arrive prior to 6:50, but do not want to drop your student to wait outside, please station your car in the main varsity football lot until you are ready to drop your student.
A map of our drop-off and pick-up locations will be sent out in early August along with reminders related to these procedures.
Students are expected to be in their seats for the start of the school day at 7:10am. We understand there may be issues with traffic for our car riders on the road leading directly to our building; appropriate protocols have been put in place to make sure these students are not marked tardy.
Most importantly... It is highly recommended that students and families prepare their routines well ahead of our first day at school, including waking up early the weeks leading up to the first day of school as a way to accustom your student’s body and mind to this early start time.
Cell Phones
Many students are curious about the use of cell phones during school hours at the Junior High. Students are allowed to use their phone, with the exception of making phone calls, in between classes, at lunch, and at the discretion of our teachers. We recommend students put their cell phones in their lockers for the duration of the day. However, this is only a recommendation. If a student has their cell phone on their person in class, they will be asked to put it in a cell phone pocket that hangs at the front of each classroom unless the phone is to be used for educational purposes and at the direction of the teacher.
Taking pictures and video is prohibited at school. We strongly encourage all of our families to have transparent and direct conversations with their student about the appropriate use of phones and other technology both inside and outside of school. They are powerful tools and without appropriate supervision and guidance, they can quickly become problematic in many, many ways.
Appropriate School Attire
As the years go by, we notice changes in how Junior High students express themselves via their clothing. Recently, we noticed an increase in crop tops that expose the lower back and belly; this is a fad that is very popular across the country. However, this is not acceptable attire at the Junior High. Please make sure you are aware of what your child is wearing each day. If there is a dress code violation we will offer the student a shirt they can change into or have an adult bring a change of clothes. If dress code infractions become a consistent problem for an individual student, there may be consequences that are in addition to having them change their outfit. For more information about what is acceptable attire, please refer to the student/parent handbook that will be made available in August of 2022.
2022-2023 Sport Involvement and Opportunities
This document was previously sent to parents in early May. It has been updated with Football and Girls Basketball information. Please check out the LJHS Athletics web page for more information. Registration for all sports for the 2022-2023 school year will open July 1 at this link (very Important: DO NOT USE STUDENT SCHOOL EMAIL ADDRESS in the registration process).
7th Grade Immunizations
2022-2023 Free/Reduced Meals
FREE MEAL BENEFIT IS ENDING: For the past two years, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) provided waivers to schools across the nation to offer all students, regardless of income status, free breakfast and free lunch. This program will end June 30, 2022. This means that starting next school year (August 2022) families will need to complete a Free/Reduced Meal Application in order to receive free meals at school. Students who do not qualify for Free/Reduced Meals will need to purchase meals at school next school year.
If you think that your family qualifies for Free/Reduced meals, it is very important to fill out an application NOW, to avoid an accumulation of meal charges at the start of the school year:
If you think that your family may qualify for Free/Reduced meals, Click here to log in and complete a 2021-22 meal application online. Once you log into Linq click on a student name and you’ll see an option for “Family Free/Reduced Lunch form 2021-22” - click on that form, fill in the information, and submit it. If your family qualifies for Free/Reduced status, your child will have a 30-day carryover to begin the 22/23 school year, allowing them to receive free meals for the first 30 days of school.