Jonathan Alder Junior High
September 23, 2021
Message from the Principal
JAJHS Families,
I hope your family has had a good week! It looks like fall is here!
Around JAJHS, our teachers spent Monday’s professional development day learning about and discussing strategies for supporting all of our students. It was valuable time spent preparing to be even stronger teachers for our kids.
In the building, things continue to stay busy! Our athletic teams continue to show great growth and represent us well at their various contests. Student Council applications have kept students busy this week and we’re excited to share some Drama Club information in the upcoming weeks. At lunchtime, we will be kicking off some special clubs beginning with a Harry Potter Book Club and a Creative Writing Club! In the classrooms, students are completing projects, experiments, and activities as we move through the middle of the 1st Quarter. This quarter ends on Friday, October 22nd.
Please remember that the Remote Learning Day that was scheduled for Wednesday, September 29th has been canceled. Students will be in school for a regular school day on Wednesday, September 29th.
Please be sure to review all of the important information below about events and activities around JAJHS! Have a great Friday and a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Ryan Malany
Principal
Jonathan Alder Junior High School
MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
10/04-10/08 Spirit Week (Details TBA)
10/08 8th Grade Band Night at JAHS Football Game
10/20 Remote Learning Day (Details TBA)
10/22 End of 1st Quarter
11/02 Professional Development Day/No School for Students
11/10 Remote Learning Day (Details TBA)
11/24-11/26 Thanksgiving Break
Parent Teacher Conferences
Parents/Guardians of 7th and 8th graders: We will be having Parent Teacher Conferences on
Monday, November 1st 4:00 - 7:30 P.M. and
Thursday, November 4th 3:00 - 6:00 P.M
Details on format and scheduling a conference will be shared soon.
7th Grade
* Mr. Woolley's and Mr. Whitt's Science classes are finishing their unit on ecosystems and biomes. The students have created Jonathan Alder Food Webs, made Biome Posters, and observed a whole new environment by looking at pond water through a microscope. Next week the students will start Thermal Energy and Heat.
*Mrs. Brar's Social Studies classes are beginning their exploration of Ancient Greece. They will start by studying the geography and different forms of government in Ancient Greece. Next week, the students will begin their class Olympics!
* Mrs. Danner and Mrs. Kline's Language Arts students continue their adventures with Realistic Fiction. Soon, they will begin narrative writing as they prepare to enter the New York Times Personal Narrative Writing Contest! We regularly use video and audio in our instruction. Please be sure that your student has headphones/earbuds that they can use at school to participate in these individual activities. These were on the School Supply list, but we find many students do not have them. If you are unable to provide them, please let us know.
*Mrs. Heinig's Language Arts classes have been reading with interest and inspiration biographies and autobiographies. Friday, we will share our own Memoirs with our classmates--our first big piece of writing! Starting next week, we will move into Realistic Fiction. This is always a fun unit because the kids can see themselves in some of these stories and it gives us a chance to talk about life as a 7th grader. If the weather cooperates, we will be reading in the sunshine and fall leaves as much as possible, so please send in a beach towel.
7th & 8th grade World Languages and Cultures
8th Grade
The ELA 8 classes have voted to read The Outsiders, a classic American novel by S.E. Hinton that covers issues such as poverty vs. wealth, stereotyping, privilege in the justice system, and grief/death.
The Accelerated ELA 8 class will be reading Harper Lee's classic American novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, which covers prejudice and racism, inequality in the history of America's justice system, loss, and much more. Both classes will also look to strengthen our skills in analyzing characterization, theme development, and author's craft, as well.
* Mrs. Hall's Science classes are beginning a unit on Earth's History; look for details in a couple of weeks about an upcoming project!
Band
The 8th grade band students have been busy practicing for the big night!
Student Council
Each homeroom will have up to two representatives (one voted by peers and one appointed by the homeroom teacher). Any campaign media or materials should be given to Mrs. Garner by October 1st for homeroom teachers to share the day of voting. Voting and teacher selection will be finished the week of October 4th.
Picture Retakes
Sports
Winter sports are coming soon! If your son or daughter is interested in trying out for basketball or wrestling, please make sure you login to Final Forms and have checked basketball or wrestling in the activities/sports section. Doing so will attach your email to the coach's roster so they can communicate. Information will be coming soon on open gyms and tryouts for basketball that will be communicated with the students here at school. This information will also be emailed home by the coaches.
Prior to basketball and wrestling tryouts, all student athletes should have an up to date sports physical on file in the office. Once completed, physicals may be uploaded on Final Forms or turned into the office.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Scott Moyer moyersc@japioneers.org
Lady Hoops!
Every Saturday in September and October, JA High School girls basketball is hosting our Lady Hoops Dribble Club.
You can register by scanning below. If you have questions please contact Coach Allen Eggleston alleneggleston49@gmail.com
Bowling League
All students in grades 7-12: Plain City Lanes will be hosting a Fall Singles League for 7th-12th grade. Youth can sign up at this link: https://form.jotform.com/200555410187146
There is a $25 registration fee and then it is $10/week to bowl. The league begins on Sunday, September 26th and will go through the first weekend in November. Information is also posted on the JA Bowling Facebook page.
School Lunch Menu Change
Menu Change:
Like many areas, we are experiencing some product shortages with our food ordering. In light of this, please note these menu changes:
Monday, 9/27: Chicken Tenders, Blueberry Waffles, Celery Sticks, Fruitable Juice, Fruit Cup, Milk
Tuesday, 9:28: No Change
Wednesday, 9/29: Domino’s Cheese or Pepperoni Pizza, Greene Beans, Applesauce, Milk
Thursday, 9/30: No Change
Friday, 10/1: TBA
Canvas
JA 5-12 grade families will continue to utlize Canvas for online learning activities and for accessing students’ progress and grades. Students have been shown how to access pairing codes for their families to use in their accounts.
Here are some helpful resources:
Bus Passes
Our bus drivers are working hard to adjust to new protocols.
To assist with this, we are unable to honor bus pass requests as we have in the past. For activities such as a sleepover or friends coming over at school, we will ask that these transportation arrangements be made after school hours. Please do not send a note requesting that your student ride home with another student as we are simply unable to honor these requests to start the year.
If your family has extenuating circumstances that may necessitate a bus pass, please contact Mr. Malany (ryan.malany@japioneers.org) directly to discuss this situation.
PTO
The JAJHS PTO wants you to know there are a number of ways for parents to help throughout the year and levels of commitment can vary based on your interest and availability!
Parent volunteers are an important part of the PTO success. In the fall, PTO is busy running concession stands at both JAJHS volleyball and football games. All proceeds go back to the PTO for programming throughout the year. If you are able to volunteer, please consider signing up here:
Volleyball Concessions Sign-Up
Please consider “Liking” their Facebook Page or you can email jajhsvolunteers@gmail.com
Madison County Prevention Workshop
For information please see the attached flyer.
Nationwide Children's Hospital Suicide Prevention
Nationwide Children's Hospital is offering virtual presentations of education and discussion about the Signs of Suicide. There will be monthly live trainings, via Zoom, offered September 2021 through April 2022. Registration is not required. Please see the attached flyer. for more information.
Message from the District Nurse
Parents/Guardians of 7th graders:
Please turn in Immunization records showing your 7th grader received the required TDAP and Meningitis Vaccines or an Exemption Form, if necessary. You can Fax the records to the junior high office at 614-873-0845, email them to ungerdo@japioneers.org or bring the paperwork to the junior high office.
Substitute Opportunities
Substitute with Us!
Are you interested in joining our JAJHS community as a substitute teacher? We would love to have you!
Information and applications are available online. Education requirements are simply a Bachelor’s Degree in any area. Please consider applying or sharing with anyone who may be interested!
Reminders from JAJHS Office
Medications at School
Sometimes parents ask that school personnel administer medication to their child during the school day. When this is necessary, we require written permission and instructions from the parent and in some instances from the doctor.
The required form “Distribution/Student Use of Medicines/Medications” must be completed and turned in to the junior high office with the medication to be administered.
School Fees
The school fees for 7th and 8th grade can be paid online using MyPaymentsPlus or you can bring cash or check to the school office. The fees are $30 per student for the 2021-2022 school year.