Welcome Back Rattlers!
Preparing To Return
Message From Principal Mike Davis
I am excited to announce that September 8 - 18th students will have a hybrid in-person schedule.
Students will attend school according to the last name schedule below. Gilbert Public Schools will be sending a message out to all families on Monday, August 31st with details relevant to all schools. DRJHS are preparing the campus with safety procedures and will communicate them with families and students throughout the next two weeks. We are keeping it real simple:
RATTLERS REIGN
MASK UP - WASH UP
GIVE 6’ - STAY RIGHT
The first week:
Monday, Sept 7 NO SCHOOL LABOR DAY
Tuesday, Sept 8 --Students with last names M - Z attend
Wednesday, Sept 9 - NO IN-PERSON SCHOOL - Login at home
Thursday, Sept 10-- Students with last names A - L attend
Friday, Sept 11 --Students with last names M - Z attend
As we transition back to campus we will be using a phased in approach.
Students with last names A-L will attend all of their classes in-person on Monday and Thursday.
Students with last names M-Z will attend all of their classes in-person on Tuesday and Friday.
NO IN-PERSON SCHOOL ON WEDNESDAYS, all students will login to BUZZ during their scheduled class time and check-in with their teachers.
***Families with multiple last names in their home - please reach out to our office if you would like all of your children to attend on the same days - even if at multiple schools. We will work with the other schools your children attend to make this work for you. Due to expected attendance, most of these special arrangements will have your children following the Tuesday/Friday schedule.
If the projections for the continued decline of our COVID numbers hold we will resume school fully in person on September 21.
Please reach out to your teachers or the DRJHS front office with any questions or concerns. Our staff is excited to have you back on campus starting on September 8.
WALK YOUR SCHEDULE NIGHT 1
7th Grade ~ Last names A-L from 5pm - 6pm
Wednesday, Sep 2, 2020, 04:00 PM
Desert Ridge Junior High School, East Madero Avenue, Mesa, AZ, USA
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
WALK YOUR SCHEDULE NIGHT 2
7th Grade ~ Last names M - Z from 5pm - 6pm
Thursday, Sep 3, 2020, 04:00 PM
Desert Ridge Junior High School, East Madero Avenue, Mesa, AZ, USA
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
Campus Map
If possible, please print this map to use at Walk Your Schedule Nights.
PURCHASES
P.E. Supplies
Shorts - $14.00
Shirt - $13.00
Lock - $8.00
Combo - $35.00
Card, Cash and Checks will be accepted on campus at the Spirit Store during Walk Your Schedule Night.
P.E. Shorts
P.E. Shirt
Lock
Chromebook Protection Plan
(Students who have purchased the DPP and have not had a claim for damage to their device during the school year, will have their protection rolled over to the upcoming school year and their device will remain covered under the DPP. The yearly roll over of the original DPP purchase will remain in place until the student is no longer a GPS student or has a claim. Devices will be periodically inspected to ensure the device is in good working condition and a claim is not being avoided)
Chromebook Column
Parent Information for Student Drop-off and Pick-up
Dress Code
The District encourages students to take pride in their attire as it relates to the school setting. Students should dress in a manner that, in addition to the following guidelines, takes into consideration the educational environment, safety, health, and welfare of self and others.
A. Students must wear a shirt with pants or skirt or the equivalent (dress, leggings, or shorts).
Tops must have a two (2)-inch minimum strap width on each shoulder and be of modest length.
B. Clothing must not be see-through and must cover a student’s undergarments, chest,
buttocks and torso, when standing or sitting.
C. Shoes must be worn at all times. Closed shoes are to be worn for any type of physical
activity, such as physical education, et cetera.
D. Jewelry shall not be worn if it presents a safety hazard.
E. Clothing, accessories and/or jewelry may not state, imply, or depict words, imagery, or
other messages that are designed to or are likely to harass, threaten, or intimidate any
group or class of people, including but not limited to groups based on race, ethnicity,
gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious affiliation, disability or any other class
of people.
F. Obscene language or symbols, or symbols of drugs, sex, or alcohol on clothing are
prohibited.
G. Students may not wear clothing, accessories and/or jewelry with images, symbols,
slogans, words or phrases that are profane, discriminatory or defamatory or that is worn
with the intent to convey affiliation with a criminal street gang as defined in A.R.S. 13-105.
H. Students may wear clothing, accessories and jewelry that display religious messages or
religious symbols in the same manner and to the same extent that other types of clothing,
accessories and jewelry that display messages or symbols are permitted.
Exceptions for special activities or health considerations may be pre-approved by the
administrator.
Students who volunteer for extracurricular activities, such as athletics, band, chorus, et cetera, are subject to the standards of dress as defined by the sponsors of such activities.
School administrators will make the final decision regarding the appropriateness of any student's appearance.
For more information refer to the Elementary and Secondary Student Handbooks.(English)
Secondary Student Handbook (Spanish)
Letter from Athletic Director - James Louzek
As the District begins our phased in return to in-person instruction, we are also preparing for the startup of our 2020/2021 Junior High athletic programs. Across the state, athletic programs have been impacted by COVID-19 since last spring. This year, we have attempted to build a schedule for our programs that will provide the best possible experience for our athletes and their families. In doing this, we have worked out a schedule that we hope will limit the impact to only our fall sports season.
As of right now, Register My Athlete (RMA) is open for families to register for fall sports or any sport throughout the year. If your child had a physical on file with the athletic dept. during the 2019/2020 school year, you will NOT need to get a full physical for the 2020/2021 sports season. However, if there has been any changes to your child's health history form 15.7-A (two pages) will need to be filled out and re-submitted. If your student did not participate in our athletic programs last year, your child will need to have a physical completed and submitted (uploaded) in RMA prior to tryouts. The doctor will need to fill out the AIA physical form (four pages) and sign before submitting this form.
AIA Requied Physical Forms-
Concussion Awareness Training - AIA
*8/26-Register My Athlete (RMA) registration and updates start now.
*On 9/8-Hybrid in-person instruction will begin. Registration for RMA will continue through 9/14.
*The week of 9/8-9/11- Coaches for each fall sport will be conducting camps/clinics to help prepare athletes for the tryout process for 7th and 8th grade volleyball, boys and girl’s soccer, and flag football. Fliers will be sent out today.
*The week of 9/14-9/18- Tryouts will be held for each of those sports.
*On 9/21- Team practices will begin.
*On 9/28- The first games of the fall season will be played.
*The week of 10/28 will be the fall sports tournament and championship
If everything proceeds as planned, we will have a shortened fall sports season that includes 5 games and then a tournament at the end of the season. Our intention (barring any other COVID-19 related mandates) we will continue with our full winter and spring seasons throughout the school year.
Many questions have come up about spectator attendance at sporting events. We are still discussing this as a district, as our first step was to get athletes on either the field or court. Once we have more information, I will communicate with you how the season will look. If we are limited in attendance, we will make every effort to try to live stream events if possible.
I would like to thank everyone for their patience and support throughout our procedures trying to re-open schools. Welcome back to the place where Rattlers Reign! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact DRJHS athletics at (480) 635-2025 ext. 1402 or laurie.mcbride@gilbertschools.net
James Louzek
Assistant Principal/Athletic Director
DRJHS
Rattler Flag Football Camp Flyer
The Desert Ridge Junior High School Counseling Department is proud to provide comprehensive school guidance counseling services to address the social-emotional, academic preparedness and career planning needs of our students.
DRJHS counseling department is made up of academic guidance counselors at each grade level, 2 social workers and we work collaboratively with community mental health agencies to help identify wrap around services for families in need.
We invite all DRJHS community members to visit our DRJHS Counseling Website to meet our team and to learn more about our services provided. The Counseling Website is a dynamic site that will be updated regularly to include timely information and resources. Contact information for each member of the counseling team is available.
The DRJHS Administration and Counseling Departments work closely on helping monitor student wellbeing and safety. Students can use our Rattler Response system to communicate with DRJHS staff about experiences or observations that may affect our DRJHS community wellness. CLICK HERE for more information about the Rattler Response system.
Annual Update - Please Complete
Failure to do so may result in break of communication via email and/or text messages. Completing the Annual Update also assures that Desert Ridge Junior has the most current health updates available. Thank you!
Desert Ridge Junior High
Email: drjhsinfo@gilbertschools.net
Website: https://www.gilbertschools.net/Domain/34
Location: 10211 East Madero Avenue, Mesa, AZ, USA
Phone: 480-635-2025
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DesertRidgeJHRattlers/?ref=bookmarks
Twitter: @drjhs_rattlers
Contacting Staff
Email address is first and last name @gilbertschools.net
For example, John Smith is john.smith@gilbertschools.***(net)
Call 480-635-2025 if you have any problems with contacting any staff.
All staff names can be found on the GPS/DRJHS Website