The BUZZ at PJHS Perrysburg Junior High School 550 E. South Boundary Perrysburg OH 43551 419-874-9193 ISSUE 16 SEPTEMBER 2018 Administration Don Christie, Principal Scott Buker, Assistant Principal Marjoe Cooper, Assistant Principal Letter from the Principal Dear Perrysburg Junior High School Families, The beginning of the school year has been an exciting time for parents, guardians, faculty, students, and staff members. It also can be a time of anxiety transitioning to a new schedule with unfamiliar teachers, new locker and getting to meet new people. Our goal at the junior high is to create a welcoming environment for students, parents and guardians that includes an open line of communication between the school and home. There have been many improvements made to our building during the summer months. These improvements have included new lighting, ceiling tile, paint, sound panels, classroom sound systems, Apple TV s in each classroom, carpeting, signage, HD movie projector and main entry doors. All of these improvements will benefit students for many years. The Jacket Way program is an important part of helping our students to understand the expected positive behaviors that should be displayed in the classroom, hallways, cafeteria, restrooms and technology use. Students will continue to earn Jacket Way incentive awards on a weekly, monthly and semester basis. Students will also be recognized monthly by individual teachers for effort and citizenship in the classroom. On September 28, all of our students will be participating in our annual Color Run to raise funds to support the Jacket Way program. Please encourage your child to become involved in the many different clubs, activities, and sports that occur throughout the school year and are listed on the junior high web page. By getting involved, students get to know new people, build self-esteem, and feel a part of a group in a positive way. The successful education of a student needs the parent/guardian, student, and teacher working together as a team. The communication between the teacher/parent and parent/teacher is the main component to help students reach their greatest potential. continued on next page...
2 Counselor s Corner Mrs. Monheim (7th Grade) and Mr. Przybylski (8th Grade) want to welcome all of the students back to school. We are so excited to start the year and see all the bright and shiny smiles in the hallways. We want to encourage both students and parents/guardians to contact the Guidance Office with any questions or concerns. A great way for students to get connected and enjoy school is to participate in the many clubs, sports and activities that the Jr. High offers. Students and parents/ guardians should pay close attention to the announcements for information on how to sign-up. We look forward to helping students get off to a great school year. 8th Grade PSAT 8th grade Students will take the PSAT 8/9 on October 10th The PSAT 8/9 is the first test in the SAT Suite of Assessments. It serves as a check-in on progress, allowing students and teachers to pinpoint areas for focused practice as students progress through high school. You can access more information about the PSAT by going to the following website: www.collegeboard.org. Letter from the Principal...continued from cover page Our teachers have time built into their daily schedule to meet with parents and guardians, I encourage you to contact them if you would like to meet. Many times a face-to-face meeting helps everyone to understand better. I look forward to having a great 2018-19 school year! Go Jackets! Mr. Don Christie, Principal dchristie@perrysburgschools.net 419-874-9193 ext. 4006 Get Involved at PJHS! Welcome to another exciting school year are PJHS! We are excited to have you here as you begin the next phase of, or continue on, your educational journey. While the middle school years can be a time of significant change for our learners, rest assured our entire staff works hard to develop meaningful relationships with students in order to ensure they achieve their greatest potential socially, mentally and educationally. We are here to support you and your journey. As the school year begins, it is a great time to remind all parents and guardians of the importance of getting involved in your child(ren)'s education. Research shows thatwhen parents/guardians get involved with the education of their children by getting to know teachers, the school in general and having open discussions about school days-school becomes a more meaningful experience. There are several ways to get involved here at PJHS including volunteering or becoming a member of our parent organization (JHPO). We look forward to an exciting year and, as always, we are here to help as needed. For additional ways to get involved, in general, please see the article below: https://www.healthychildren.org/english/family-life/community/pages/how-to-get- Involved-With-Your-Childs-School.aspx
The Buzz At PJHS September 2018 Issue 16 Perrysburg Junior High School 550 E. South Boundary Perrysburg OH 43551 3 New Faces at PJHS There are several new employees at PJHS for the 2018-2019 school year. We welcome the following new faces to the PJHS Family! Alexa Almond, 8th Grade English Language Arts Intervention Specialist Cynthia Blubaugh, 7th/8th Grade Gifted and Talented ELA Amanda Colvin, Intervention Specialist Marjoe Cooper, Assistant Principal Melissa Gressman, 7th Grade ELA Casey Hemmelgarn, 8th Grade Math Andrea Huist, Speech and Language Pathologist Jacket Way Program Natasha Ingersoll, 7th Grade ELA Intervention Specialist Allison Latella, 8th Grade Math Intervention Specialist John Lucas, Physical Education Anne Matolyak, 8th Grade ELA Intervention Specialist Jennifer Scharer, 7th Grade ELA Kathleen Schnerer, Orchestra Scott Sorg, 8th Grade Science and Athletic Director PJHS is proud of its Jacket Way Program! The Jacket Way Program is designed to emphasize positive behaviors in students and reward those students who demonstrate those positive behaviors. Students can earn Jacket Way Tickets from PJHS staff members for demonstrating these positive behaviors during their school day. Every Friday, students have the opportunity to redeem a Jacket Way Tickets for their prize as determined by their scratch-off ticket. Prizes may include candy, passes or coupons. At the end of each month, students will be selected at random based on those Jacket Way Tickets to win a free Jimmy John s lunch. In addition, all students who earn a Jacket Way Ticket will be eligible to be drawn at random to play Plinko at a semester assembly with the possibility of winning a gift card to various locations in Perrysburg. Students participated in the Jacket Way Kickoff Assembly on Friday, August 31, rewarding five 7th grade students and five 8th grade students who received Jacket Way Tickets during the first three weeks of the school year. These students teamed up with the teacher who gave them their Jacket Way Card and competed against each other in five Minute It to Win It competitions. The winning team then had one shot at earning a gift card from the PJHS Plinko Board. We look forward to many more positive experiences for our students with our Jacket Way Program!
4 From the Music Department The PJHS Music Department is proud to begin another year! Below are important dates to keep in mind for the upcoming school year. Orchestra Concert Schedule Thursday, November 1 at 7:00 p.m. in the PJHS Auditorium Wednesday, January 30 at 7:00 p.m. in the PJHS Auditorium Thursday, April 25 at 7:00 p.m. in the PJHS Auditorium Musical Auditions for the PJHS musical are: Saturday, September 22 2-4:30 p.m. (7th Grade) 5-7:30 p.m. (8th Grade) Sunday, September 23 Callbacks - individuals may be called back after auditions More information will come out at a later date. PACTB Perrysburg Association of Choir and Theater Boosters - an organization servicing 5th-8th grade choir students. If you're interested in joining this organization to help support our choir students, please contact Katie Kuhlman (kdriscoll@perrysburgschools.net) or Joel Hamilton (jhamilton@perrysburgschools.net). Drama Club All PJHS students are eligible to join Drama Club! Students may fill out a form and return it with a $10 fee. Students may see Mrs. Kuhlman for a form. Choir Concert Schedule Fall Concert, Tuesday, October 9, 7:00 p.m. Winter Concert, Thursday, December 13, 7:00 p.m. Festival Concert, Tuesday, March 19, 7:00 p.m. Evening of Love Concert Fundraiser, Wednesday, February 13, 7:00 p.m. Showcase Concert, Thursday, May 16, 7:00 p.m.
5 Jacket Time Jacket Time is a block of time added to the last five minutes of the day. Students remain in their 10th period class for an extra five minutes after the conclusion of instructional time. This time is used to assist students in getting organized with what materials need to be brought home and what assignments will need to be completed for homework. Upcoming Clubs and Activities Yearbook Yearbooks are available for purchase at JostensYearbooks.com. The price is $40 and will rise to $45 on January 1st. Applications to join the yearbook staff will be available in September. Creative and dedicated seventh and eighth graders will be encouraged to apply at that time. For any questions, contact Ms. Mayfield at kmayfield@perrysburgschools.net. MathCounts The PJHS MathCounts club is a club for 7th and 8th grade students who want to be involved in math problemsolving and, if interested, in math competition against other schools. The PJHS MathCounts club will begin meeting mid to late September through March. The club will meet after school in Mr. McIntyre s room, Room 213, from 2:50 to 4:00 p.m. MathCounts club members will have the opportunity to take part in several different math problem-solving competitions and will be eligible to compete for a spot on the team that could head to a national championship. Students are encouraged to attend even if they don t want to be a contest-going mathathlete. See Mr. McIntyre in room 213 or email Mr. McIntyre with any questions!! Academic Study We return the elective option of Academic Study for students for the 2018-2019 school year. This elective is designed as a place where students complete homework, work in small groups of two or three if necessary for projects, make-up tests if assistance is not needed and gain some academic assistance with school work and develop a plan or sense of organization through our Academic Study Flowchart. This period may best be described as a hands-on study hall for our students. Monitors will help students get started on their homework and follow a chart in determining what is most important and what they need to complete. The class begins with students taking out work or finishing projects that they need to finish. If they do not have any assignments to complete, the students are instructed to check Schoology on their own. If the student has no assignments to work on then the expectation is for all students to participate in Meaningful Silent Reading. Students are not permitted to be on their computers unless they are completing work. Games or general web surfing are not permitted during this time. Students may also seek out one of their teachers, if available, during this time for extra assistance.
6 Band Update The PJHS Bands are off and running for their 2018-2019 season! After dusting off our instruments and getting used to rehearsing daily, the students have settled in on building their fundamentals and preparing for their first performance - the Harrison Rally Day Parade on Saturday, September 15th at 10 a.m. in downtown Perrysburg. All of our students band together to form the PJHS Marching Yellow Jackets for this performance. We're excited to march down Louisiana Avenue while representing our band, school and community! We're also thrilled to kick off our Yankee Candle fundraiser on Thursday, September 6th. The PJHS Band will be selling the same items found in Yankee Candle shops throughout the country. This year also features a wonderful online ordering system. Be sure to ask your friendly neighborhood PJHS Band member for more information about how you can support our amazing young musicians. Thank you for all you do to support the PJHS Bands and we are excited to perform for our community throughout the school year!
7 Athletic Avenue Athletics at Perrysburg Junior High are in full swing! Our fall athletic teams are into their game schedules and having some early success. The girls cross country team finished in first place in their first two invitationals. The boys cross country team finished first and second in their invitationals as well. What a terrific start for both teams! Currently, both the 7th and 8th grade football teams are 1-0 on the young season. The 7th grade team defeated Gateway 35-0, while the 8th grade also defeated Gateway by the score of 30-8. The volleyball teams are both 2-0 as well and are eager for more after victories over Bowling Green and TImberstone. The student sections at our two home contest of the season have been outstanding! Let s keep that energy alive and growing as the season continues. It is exciting to see so many students come out and support their classmates. If you have not been to a home contest yet, please come check out the excitement and help us grow our student section. You can find more information on the PJHS Athletic Department at http://www.perrysburgschools. net/athleticdepartment_pjh.aspx and receive updates on Twitter @ PJHSAthletics.
Perrysburg PUBLIC SCHOOLS 140 E. Indiana Avenue Perrysburg OH 43551 Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Orlando, FL Permit #2346 Current Resident or: 8 Inside This Issue New Faces at PJHS Counseling Corner Upcoming Clubs and Activities Get Involved with PJHS and more!