The Navigator Newsletter
Sycamore Junior High Family Communication
May 12, 2023
Aves Nation,
Thank you to the PTO for a great Teacher Appreciation Week. They provided an awesome dessert bar and box lunch, along with a contribution to some swag for our teachers! Also, shout out to our teachers for providing awesome service, dedication, and hard work all for our students.
To our community, we hope you have an restful and loving Mother's Day Weekend and that your family gatherings are full of joy. Next week is our last round of MAP testing on Tuesday and Wednesday. We will use this data to finalize our growth measurements of each student throughout this school year. All of us are proud of the work each child has put in and we know that learning (in many forms) has occurred this year.
Have a fantastic week.
-- Mrs. Schunk, Mr. Cole, Mr. Meyer
Coming Up
May 16 - 17: Spring MAP Testing
May 22: Band Concert at Sycamore High School, 7 PM
May 23:Orchestra Concert for grades 5-7 at Sycamore High School, 7 PM
May 25: Choir Concert at Sycamore High School, 6:30 PM
May 26: 8th grade Day
May 26: Scheduled with Ms. Bonham Medication Pick Up
May 26: Last Day of Classes and End of 4th quarter
June 7: 4th quarter final grades posted online
FAST FOOD DELIVERIES AT SCHOOL
Parents are not permitted to drop off fast food for their children for lunch at any building entrance!
Students are not permitted to order food to be delivered during lunch!
Thank you for abiding by this rule.
MAP Testing!
On May 16th and 17th, students will undertake the final round of MAP testing for Reading and Math.
Students will go to their 1st bell classes on both days, but some students will test in alternative locations.
Here is how you can help!
They will need their school-issued Chromebook fully charged and updated. If they are in Flex Bell Friday or Monday, the update should happen at that time.
Encourage them to do their best!
Let them know that this is just one moment in time and that the score will only be used to help them be as successful as possible.
The schedule will be different on Monday and Tuesday→CLICK HERE to preview it!
Medication E-mail Alert
Sean Minion, Overall District Teacher of the Year!
He is an amazing teacher who constantly goes above and beyond for his students and organizes after school activities, and teaches high level material in an easy to understand form and is the only teachers I truly respect.
great teacher, great class, very chill, SUPER fun, and all of the above
Amazing teacher. Personally, the only one I respect. I pay attention in his class and don’t cheat as well as don’t cheat, unlike other classes.
Mr. Minion makes this class fun and enjoyable to participate in. It's nice because he's the only Latin teacher in the district, so if you take Latin, you have him every year. He's nice, and with each year, the class gets more fun as you get to connect with him more. Also, he dedicates much of his time to making class more engaging by using games while still keeping it informative. One of the best activities we've done is something we call Legends and Ludi. It's essentially a Latin version of Dungeons and Dragons, where we have to do Latin activities to play. It creates more incentive to do well academically and also makes the class fun. In my personal experience, having the same awesome teacher for multiple years has increased my academic performance in his class compared to my others. Coming to his class is something I look forward to every day, and I don’t have that same feeling for all classes. I don’t dislike my other classes, but he makes a huge effort just to make his class as enjoyable as possible and an equally huge effort to ensure our success in his class.
Mr. Minion works really hard in order to make the class engaging and successful for the students. He sets the class up in a way that promotes collaboration and competition, allowing people to get the help they need and want to push themselves to further excellence. His class promotes not only growth as an academic but growth as a person. He opens the path to leadership and perseverance in a way no teacher has ever done before.
Mr. Minion is my Latin teacher. He always makes classes fun with his outgoing attitude and fun approach to teaching. He gives away prizes when we complete certain work, this makes it like a video game. I always enjoy going to his class and hope he will be given an award just like the awards he gives his class.
Kelly Abbas-Lee, SJH Teacher of the Year!
I am nominating Mrs. Abbas-Lee, my Algebra l teacher, for two reasons. One, she is a phenomenal teacher that engages students in math. She always is willing to sit down with a student to discuss grades, improvement strategies, and studying skills. She reaches all types of learners when teaching: students who learn visually, hands-on, and by listening. This enables all students to have access to an understanding of what is being taught. She also knows the balance between keeping the rigor of an accelerated class and not pushing students too hard. The second reason I chose Mrs. Abbas-Lee is that I have had an extremely harrowing year, and the one teacher that has always been understanding is her. On nights when I am talking with my parents about my sister's inevitable death in the next year, and I don't get my homework done, she is always willing to give me extra time, and is always there to talk with me too. I am also aware that I am not the only student she has been there for academically and personally, as she is always there for her students. She deserves recognition for her incredible teaching skills. Her ability to not only help students excel in her class but also being an extremely compassionate person makes her the perfect candidate for this award. Not many teachers have both of these qualities, so it would be logical to give this award to Mrs. Abbas-Lee.
8th Grade Day!!
We are so excited to celebrate 8th Grade Day on Friday, May 26th, at Blue Ash Rec Center! We have tons of activities, great food...and the pool!
We wanted to share with the families what has been shared over announcements over the last couple of weeks as well as with some individual students about behavior and grades leading up to 8th Grade Day.
This week, we are meeting with students who have multiple failing grades. Any student with multiple failing grades will remain at school during 8th-grade day to do school work.
We will also continue to expect the same great behavior and choices throughout the school day up until the last day of school. Students who are consistently not showing respect to students and staff may be asked to remain at school during 8th Grade Day.
If a student is going to remain at school, we will tell that student individually as well as communicate at home--however, our goal is to have the entire class together! Please reinforce this goal at home, and as always, reach out if you have any questions!
Mr. Cole
Moving or Transferring out of Sycamore?
Parents:
If your family is moving or your child is transferring to a private school, please complete a student withdrawal form. Click on the following link for this form. Sycamore Student Withdrawal Form. The Ohio Department of Education requires a signed withdrawal form from a parent/guardian that includes the last date of attendance and the name of the new district/school. Also, the new school must send a records request with your child’s start date. Please email or drop off this form to Ms. Manning in the Counseling Office before May 18, 2023. I appreciate your cooperation.Junior High PTO News
Eighth Grade Day Volunteers needed!
Parents are needed to help out with Eighth Grade Day on Friday, May 26th. Please use this link to sign-up.
Families of 8th grade parents, please join The Class of 2027 Facebook page
This is such an exciting time as our children are heading off to Sycamore High School. This page will be the best spot to gather as a community as we navigate the high school years. If you have any questions, please reach out to Victoria Margroum (page co-administrator and JH PTO President) at jhpto@sycamoreschools.org. Thank you.
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Victoria Margroum
Sycamore Junior High PTO President
District Updates
Event and Activity Flyers Now Listed On Website
Daily Student Video Announcements
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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.
Sycamore Junior High School
Email: jhadmin@sycamoreschools.org
Website: www.sycamoreschools.org
Location: 5757 Cooper Road, Cincinnati, OH, United States
Phone: 5136861760