Irons Jr. High Newsletter
We Are Hawks!
Oct. 28, 2021
Irons Family,
Irons PTO is excited to announce our Fall Dance Friday, November 12th, from 7-9. The dance is a casual event (NOT semi-formal/formal). All attire must meet the school dress code for students to attend. Students must have four or fewer tardies and have not been assigned to ISS, OSS, or DAEP. Tickets will go on sale Monday, November 8th, during all lunches.
HB3906 requires the STAAR assessment to transition to a fully online assessment by May of 2023. Irons Jr. High has committed to taking all STAAR assessments online starting this school year in preparation for this TEA mandate. The STAAR Online matches the realities of today's environment, faster results for teachers and parents, flexible scheduling for schools, accommodation support for students, promotes innovation in assessments. You can find more information about the STAAR Online at https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/whatparentsshouldknowonlinetesting.2.22.21.pdf
To help model this transition. All students will be taking the STAAR Interim Assessments for Math and ELA in the coming two weeks. These two assessments will provide Irons Jr. High with data that will allow us to target students for acceleration, re-teach, remediation, intervention, and allow our students to practice the online testing platform. The Interim assessments will also closely model the STAAR Online that all students will be taking in May. We will continue to provide our students with multiple opportunities to become familiar with STAAR Online over the coming months so that all students can effectively utilize the online assessment platform.
Our school yearbook is on sale now for the best price of the year! Purchase early before all copies are sold out!
Here's a scary statistic: Children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than on any other day of the year. Lack of visibility because of low lighting at night also plays a factor in these incidents.
Keep these tips in mind when your children are out on Halloween night:
- A responsible adult should accompany young children on the neighborhood rounds
- If your older children are going alone, plan and review a route acceptable to you
- Agree on a specific time children should return home
- Teach your children never to enter a stranger's home or car
- Instruct children to travel only in familiar, well-lit areas and stick with their friends
- Tell your children not to eat any treats until they return home, and take care to avoid any food allergies
- Children and adults are reminded to put electronic devices down, keep heads up and walk, don't run, across the street
Football:
- 8th Red team - lost 32-0. We fought hard the entire game. Unfortunately, we had two turnovers in our first two possessions. York scored their first two touchdowns on trick plays. Defensively we caused two turnovers which included an interception by our safety, CJ Williams. We're proud of the players' efforts and attitude throughout the game. We wish all our 8th grade players success as they move to ORHS next year.
- 8th White team -had a tough loss last this week. We gave up a pick-six and had several other turnovers, which led to the loss. We are very proud of the fight in our boys, and we know they will continue to grow as football players.
- 8th Silver team - lost 0-4. This was a defensive battle the entire game. One of our touchdowns was called back due to a holding penalty. Defensively we caused four turnovers which included an interception by Braedyn Price. It was a great effort by the entire team.
- 7th Red Team lost 19-0. The team played hard all game and continued to fight to the end. Unfortunately, we gave up two touchdowns and a field goal. We could not be more proud of our grit this season.
- 7th White Team lost 7-0. This was a defensive game to the end. Keith Jones played well offensively and came close to scoring on a long run but got tackled around the 20-yard line. We will work hard in the off-season and continue to grow as athletes.
- 7th Silver Team lost 24-12. The team played well. We had two touchdowns scored by Alfredo Salcedo, which included a 95-yard touchdown run. The boys improved weekly, and we could not be more proud of their determination.
I could not be more proud of our boys' dedication and teamwork throughout the season. One of my best conversations was with an athlete who said he "had fun at every game" despite the outcome. I know that all these boys are winners and will go on to achieve great things in life!
I would also like to thank the Irons Athletic Booster Club for their support of all our Athletes through football and volleyball season. We cannot do this without your dedication!
Volleyball:
- The hard work and dedication shown by our young ladies lead to a successful season. The 7th grade A team went out with a bang and beat York Junior High in two sets! Great job, ladies!!! We wish our 8th grade girls success as they move on to ORHS.
Cheer and Drill:
- I want to give a shout-out to our Cheer and Drills Teams for the incredible performances at all of our games. We know that these young ladies have been working diligently every week to improve in their sport. Thank you to Coach Neal and Bachman for a great start to the school year!
This is just a reminder that Halloween Costumes and face paint are not allowed at school tomorrow, Friday, 10/29. We will have our last day of Red Ribbon Week with friends don't let friends do drugs. Twin with a Friend!
Irons Goals for the school year:
Learning Recovery which includes
- High Quality Instruction
- Safe and Collaborative Culture
- Tier Two and Three Intervention
- Communication
Have a great Week!
Robert MacFarlane
Irons Jr. High Principal
We Are Hawks!
Academy for Careers in Engineering and Science
The Academy for Careers in Engineering and Science
(ACES) began its first full year of operation during the 2018-
2019 school year on the Oak Ridge High School Ninth Grade
Campus. As a result, students in the Graduating Class of 2026
have the opportunity to be a part of the fifth class of the Academy
for Careers in Engineering and Science (ACES). Along with the
other two CISD Academies (The Academy of Science and
Technology and the Academy for Science and Health Professions),
the Academy for Careers in Engineering and Science offers a core
curriculum of STEM courses, research and exploration
opportunities, and internship options. However, as with the two
other Academies, ACES has taken the opportunity to customize
offerings beyond core requirements, and, thus, has a unique
culture of its own. Moreover, because of the alternating block
schedule and unique offerings that exist at Oak Ridge High School,
especially in relation to the engineering design program, NASA
partnership and Health Science Program, ACES has the capacity to
accept a class of 120-140 students. In addition, since students
have the opportunity to enroll in 8 courses per year on the block
schedule, students should be able to meet Academy requirements
and pursue other extracurricular interests.
While a STEM Academy Program may not be a good fit for every
student, such programs do provide unique and rigorous learning
experiences in a close-knit school-within-a-school environment. In
my experience, students have the opportunity to develop strong
connections to each other without becoming totally socially isolated.
In essence, Academy students are isolated together for their
Academy courses but have the opportunity to interact with other
students in their humanities, language and elective courses. In
essence, the model we utilize is supportive but not constraining.
Academy program requirements are designed to insure a high level
of rigor based on the utilization of a college readiness model of
instruction. This approach gradually shapes course work to resemble
college level courses during students’ junior and senior years of
instruction. As a result, the transition to collegiate study should be
less difficult for students. As we become established, universities and
scholarship programs will readily recognize the preparedness of our
students.
ACES offers extensive opportunities for specialization in
mathematics, engineering, science and other related areas including
medicine, business, law, robotics, health science and computer
science. These course opportunities should foster interest in STEM
study and help encourage students to explore and apply their
interests and abilities in an enriched learning environment. In the
end, the primary purpose of all of our CISD Academies, including
ACES, is to maintain students in the STEM Pipeline to collegiate level
STEM study.
Aces academic requirements are simple. Each year, Academy
students must complete at least 3 academy courses. In each year, in
actuality, most of these courses are required for graduation. In my
experience, most Academy students take more than 3 academy
courses their junior and senior years. Also, because of the extensive
course offerings at Oak Ridge High School, we will be able to broaden
our elective offerings for Academy credit in order to meet the needs
of students on a more individualized basis. In addition, each year,
Academy students must enroll in a research and problems course for
local credit. This component can fulfilled through participation in
science fair, robotics, HOSA, computer science academic
competitions, UIL academic competition, or other activities related
to students interests. Also, over the four years of high school,
students must complete 14 exploration (field trip, speakers,
seminars, meetings, etc.) credits. Lastly, students must complete an
internship in an area of career interest and accumulate at least 100
hours of community service.
All of these requirements and the CISD Academy Model represent
research based approaches designed to foster interest in STEM
study and maintain students in the STEM Pipeline. In addition,
these efforts are similar to approaches utilized by most member
STEM schools of the National Consortium of Secondary STEM
Schools of which all CISD STEM Academies are members.
If you are seeking a challenging and rigorous academic
environment with a strong focus on STEM education in a small
school environment within a larger school setting, then the
Academy for Careers in Engineering and Science might be for you.
In addition, we have a strong commitment to producing well
rounded students who participate in a variety of extracurricular
activities while pursuing a strong academic program. I hope
students and parents alike will seriously consider making
application to the Academy for Careers in Engineering and
Science. I look forward to meeting you in the future. Please
contact our Academy office with any additional questions or
inquiries.
Dr. Mike Papadimitriou
ACES Headmaster
ORHS Fall Festival
Varsity Football Games
Veterans Day
Important Dates
11/2-11/3 Math STAAR Interim Assessment
11/4 Progress Report (PAC)
11/9-11/10 ELA STAAR Interim Assessment
11/12 School Dance 7-9
11/15-19 Generation Texas Week Dress Up Days
11/22-26 Thanksgiving
12/2 Progress Report (PAC)
12/3 Be Kind Day
12/7 Band Performance
12/8 Choir Performance
12/13-17 Semester Exams
12/17 Early Release at 1:10
12/17-1/4 Winter Break
1/7 Report Card
1/17 MLK Holiday
1/27 Progress Report (PAC)
2/17 Progress Report(PAC)
2/18 School Holiday
2/21 Presidents' Day Holiday
3/11 Teacher Professional Learning/Student Holiday
3/14-18 Spring Break
3/25 Report Card
4/14 Progress Report(PAC)
4/15-18 School Holiday
5/5 Progress Report(PAC)
Semester Exams 5/20-26
5/26 Last Day of School Early Release at 1:10
6/1 Report Card
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