Gator Bytes. Learning, Leadership and Laughter...The JRG Journey. Dec

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1 Gator Bytes Learning, Leadership and Laughter...The JRG Journey J.R. Gerritts Middle School * 545 S. John St. * Kimberly, WI * Dec December 15 Coding Club 3:00-4:00 Chess Club 3:00-4:00 December 19 Coding Club 3:00-4:00 Winter Band and Choir Concert Large Gym 7th Grade 6:00 PM 8th Grade 7:15 PM December 20 Chess Club 3:00-4:00 December 21 Student Council 7:00 AM in the Small Gym Chess Club 3:00-4:00 December 22 Gator Tales during lunch hours Coding Club 3:00-4:00 December 26-January 2 No School January 3 Wrestling Begins 3:10-4:30 Girls Basketball Begins 3:10-4:30 January 5 Coding Club 3:00-4:00 7th Grade Ski Club 3:30-10:00 PM January 9 Coding Club 3:00-4:00 January 10 Chess Club 3:00-4:00 January 12 Chess Club 3:00-4:00 Coding Club 3:00-4:00 8th Grade Ski Club 3:30-10:00 PM Registration for the School Year Our School Counselor Lana Barnes will be meeting with current 7th grade students on December 13th to begin the course registration process for the school year. Students will be receiving a Course Registration form on that day upon which they will be indicating their course choices. All registration forms must be signed and returned to TLC teachers by Friday, December 16th. Students will be entering their choices online during TLC on Monday, December 19th. Students will only be able to register once the forms are returned. Please remember that while we try to accommodate everyone's first choice for electives, many factors prevent this from happening all of the time. Eighth grade course descriptions can be found online on the JRG Forms and Documents page here. Keep in mind that students with exceptional educational needs may have other support or enrichment classes that are not listed in the required courses. You will not select those classes yet. If needed, school staff will help you register for those classes at the appropriate time. If you have any questions, feel free to call or Mr. DeLain, Assistant Principal at JR Gerritts at or rdelain@kimberly.k12.wi.us. He will be happy to assist you with any scheduling or registration questions you may have. Information about the high school registration process for current 8th graders is included on page 2. Cold, Wintery Weather Has Arrived Appropriate Attire and Increased Traffic As the weather gets colder, please remember to have your student bring proper outdoor attire, including jackets, hats and mittens. Recess will be held outdoors as long as the temperature stays above 0 degrees Fahrenheit. With the colder weather we are also seeing increased traffic as more students are being driven to school. Please remember that the beginning and end of the school day are very busy traffic times with students traveling by foot, bike, car, and bus. Here are a few reminders to keep everyone safe and to maintain a smooth traffic flow: Drivers, when dropping students off in the circle driveway, please pull as far forward towards the main entrance (flag pole) as possible before dropping off your student. When leaving the circle driveway, you may find it faster to turn right towards 3rd Street. We are finding that cars that are turning left out of the circle driveway are creating a traffic backup during these busy drop off and pick up times. Never park your vehicle in the circle driveway along the sidewalk during drop-off times. The south parking lot (near the football field) is for buses only. No students may be dropped off in this lot. Please be patient and follow traffic rules when dropping off or picking up your students. Please watch for students crossing the entrance and exit of the circle driveway. Please talk with your child about the safety expectations if they are walking, riding their bikes, or skateboards to school. Students should get off and walk anything with wheels (bikes, skateboards, long boards etc.) as soon as they enter school property. All students should be alert for vehicles entering and exiting the driveways and streets near school. Thank you for helping us to prevent accidents. Your child s safety and well-being is our top priority. Wrestling and Girls Basketball Begin January 3 Wrestling and Girls Basketball will begin on Tuesday, January 3. Wrestling practices will be held from 3:10-4:30 PM. Basketball practices will be held for both 7th and 8th grade girls from 3:10-4:30 PM. 7th grade girls will participate in tryouts January 3-5 and must be present each day. All athletes must have an updated athletic form on file. The form can be found on our webpage under the Athletics tab in Student Activities or by clicking here.

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3 Gator Bytes J.R. Gerritts Middle School Page 3 Mr. Hoerth s Ex. Tech Photo of the Week Winner Congratulations to this week s winner: Abigail Haubrich JRG Strength and Fitness Centers Now Open The JRG Strength Center and Fitness Centers are now open for students to use after school. The JRG Fitness Center (entrance through the small gym) is open to any 7th grader on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday after school from 3:05 until 4:00. Trained staff will be on hand to help students use the equipment safely and effectively. There is no fee or sign-up needed, simply show up when you can. Please see your Physical Education teacher with any questions. The JRG Strength Center (balcony of large gym) is open to any 8th grader from 3:05 until 4:00 on the following days; Monday and Wednesday for 8th grade boys, and Tuesday and Thursday for 8th grade girls. Students will follow a training plan that focuses on teaching proper form for various exercises, with an emphasis on technique rather that lifting heavy weights. There is no fee or sign-up needed, simply show up when you can. Please see your Physical Education teacher with any questions. Weather Cancellations and Delays Winter weather has arrived! If weather conditions dictate that there will be no school or a delayed start, a decision to keep the schools closed is usually made by 6:30 am. Parents will receive a direct call, text and/or from our auto-call system since that is the fastest way to communicate with thousands of parents at one time. As a reminder: If you have a new phone number or address, please update your information in the Infinite Campus parent portal or contact our main office to update the information. Announcements are also sent to local TV and radio stations, please tune to local stations such as these rather than call the school directly: WAPL FM, WHBY 1150 AM, WKFX FM, WEMI 91.9 FM, WGEE 1360 AM, and WOZZ FM; and WBAY TV2, WFRV TV5, WGBA TV26, and WLUK-FOX 11. If other school events, such as concerts or sporting events are also cancelled because of weather, they are typically communicated through these stations as well. The District s website and Facebook page are not our primary way to communicate school closures, so we ask parents to listen to the auto-call messages or tune in to the radio and TV stations listed for the timeliest updates. Cough and Cold Season Is Upon Us With the weather changing to colder fall temperatures, the health room is seeing an increase in students with cold symptoms. While we do have Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, and Benadryl in stock, any other type of over the counter medication needs to be provided from home. All medications must be kept in the health room, including cough drops. If your child is in need of any medication at school (stock, or over the counter), please fill out a medication consent form and bring it to the main office. The forms are available in the office and on our website under Forms and Documents. We also encourage students to carry a water bottle with them as good hydration is key. Thank you for your help in keeping our kids healthy and safe!

4 Gator Bytes J.R. Gerritts Middle School Page 4 Weather Cancellations of Ski Club Trips The JRG Ski Club begins in January. This is a great opportunity for students to experience the Wisconsin winter and have fun with friends. Ski trips will be held in most weather conditions, including significant cold, wind and snow, so students need to be prepared with clothing that will keep them warm and dry. However, there are times when Ski Club may be cancelled. In general, Ski Club may be cancelled if predicted temperatures including wind-chill exceed -25 degrees, or if weather conditions are expected to make travel difficult or unsafe. If Ski Club is cancelled, students and parents will be notified as soon as possible. In many cases, this notification will occur on the day of the trip based on changing weather conditions. In those cases, students are allowed to call home and we will make a room available to store ski equipment overnight if students need to ride the bus home. We will use methods such as and our school Facebook page to keep parents informed. In the event of cancellation, we will attempt to reschedule the trip if possible. Because the fees charged for Ski Club are substantially reduced based on a package cost offered by Nordic Mountain, we are not able to offer refunds for cancellations for students who miss trips.

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12 Gator Bytes J.R. Gerritts Middle School Page 12 Emergency Medications Please be aware that emergency medications that are provided for use during the school day will not be accessible before or after school hours. Parents and students must plan ahead to have emergency medication available during school activities such as clubs and sports. If an emergency arises and a student does not have their emergency medication available, 911 will be called. The Kimberly Area School District does not discriminate against pupils on the basis of sex, race, religion, national origin, ancestry, creed, pregnancy, marital or parental status, sexual orientation or physical, mental, emotional or learning disability or handicap in its educational programs or activities. Federal law prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of age, race, color, national origin, sex, religion or handicap. J. R. Gerritts Middle School 545 S. John Street s Kimberly, WI (P) (F) (E) JRG@Kimberly.k12.wi.us

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