Havana Jr. High

Congratulations to the 5 Havana #126 retirees. Thank you for your many years of dedicated service to the young people of Havana #126. Best wishes in retirement. You will be missed.

Today's 8th grade Promotion will be streamed via Facebook Live. You can access this link by going to our Havana District #126 Facebook page..the ceremony will begin at 1pm. Thank you to Quia Quinlan for streaming the event for us! Also, 8th graders are to arrive by noon for a short meeting with Mr. Wherley and a short practice run for the ceremony. Doors will open to the public by 12:45 pm. Only those with tickets will be allowed in...and masks will be required, while inside the building. We will allow for pictures following the ceremony, but do ask that everyone vacate the building and parking lot by 1:55pm, for our afternoon bus/parent pickup. Thank you for your cooperation and we look forward to seeing you this afternoon! Go Ducks!

JH Parents and families, We need to know what families are interested in Summer School by this Friday, 4/23, at the latest. We sent out letters to those students' families who we recommended a few weeks ago, with a response date of 4/16 and have had a minimal response. Please let us know asap, if you are interested in sending your child to Summer School. As of now, we are planning to start Summer School on June 7th and last 4-6 weeks, depending on the # of students attending. This will be Monday-Thursday, 8am-11:30am and transportation will be provided, along with a breakfast and lunch (to-go) option. The main subject areas will be Math and English, with Science and Social Studies mixed in also... Thanks!

Students and Parents, We are approved for an 8th grade Bridging Ceremony, on Monday, May 17th, 1pm start at the Junior High Gym. This ceremony will last between 30-40 min. Pictures will be allowed after the ceremony, but everyone will need to depart the Junior High by 1:55pm. We will allow 4 tickets per student, for family members to attend. We will send those tickets out the week of May 10th. If someone does not have a ticket, they will not be allowed in the gym. Masks will be required of all those in attendance, while you are in the building. Parking is available in our West parking lot. Please do not park in front of our gym/cafeteria doors, so we do not block the buses. There is a possibility of a streaming option on Facebook live and we will update you on that, leading up to that date. If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know. We hope to see you on the 17th, to celebrate our future high schoolers!

Next week is IAR testing here at the Junior High. Your child will be testing Monday 4/12-Friday4/16 (7th and 8th will test from Tuesday 4/13-Tuesday 4/20) There is no testing accountability state-wide this year due to COVID, so this testing process is basically just gauging where our students are academically compared to past years. We would still like them to try their best and be in attendance for all testing. Here are some things to know for next week: - Please bring a working set of headphones - Please be on time to school each day, this is very important. If your child is sick for some reason, we can make up testing when they return. - Please get plenty of good sleep and eat as healthy as possible all week (and any week of the year for that matter ;)... - Please make sure your Chromebooks are fully charged overnight - Just relax and answer the questions to the best of your ability and you will be fine! Parents, if you have any questions, just let us know...thanks and take care!

Reminder: tomorrow, Thursday April 1st is our last day of school for the week. We are out for Easter Break on Friday 4/2 and Monday 4/5...we will be back in session on Tuesday, April 6th. Also, our State IAR testing will begin on Monday, April 12th through Friday, April 16th. Some grade-levels and makeups will still be testing on 4/19 and 4/20. Our next SIP Day is Friday, April 30th, with a 12:05 dismissal. Happy Easter and enjoy the 4-day weekend!

Attention JH parents and guardians: Just a reminder today is an SIP Day and we dismiss at 12:05. Also, 3rd Quarter report cards are posted in Alma for your viewing.

From the Havana Area Prevention Team:

Parents and Guardians, Here is a link to the 5 Essentials Survey that the State puts out every year, to gather information on our schools/communities. If you have some time, please fill this survey out to the best of your ability...we appreciate it! http://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/parent/ Also, a reminder that today is an SIP day for Havana 126 and the JH will let out around 12:05. No School Monday and no in-person school on Tuesday..we will see the students back here on Wednesday. Thank you to everyone for making the pickup process a little easier yesterday for our buses, we appreciate your efforts! Stay warm this weekend! Go Ducks!

Parents and guardians, We realize that our student drop off/pickup situation is not always ideal, due to the makeup of our driveways and that afternoon pickup can get pretty crazy with everyone trying to go different directions. We have stressed to our students to please be careful and only use our crosswalks when leaving the building, although some do not always follow these suggestions. With that being said, we need your cooperation in keeping all our roads, including the access road between the JH and HS clear of vehicles when possible. Today we had cars blocking the access roads and our buses could not take their normal routes, which messes up their drop-off times and routes. Please keep the access roads and our entrances clear, so that we can try and have a smooth dismissal and everyone can get home safely. If you are not coming around our circle drive to pick up your student, then please park in our lot, west of the school by the football field, where there is plenty of room to park in the spaces. Also, stress to your child to use the crosswalks and sidewalks, when they are available...we just do not want any unnecessary accidents or circumstances. We also have coats available to give away here at the JH, that were provided by John Lorek and Illinois Ability Sports, for those in need. We have several different sizes and colors available, so let us know if you are interested in one for your child, as we get through these colder days. This Friday, February 12th is an SIP Day early dismissal at 12:05 for the JH. Thank you for your time and cooperation!

Hello parents and guardians, With some weather issues this week, we wanted to clarify an issue on absences. If you call your child in for missing school because of the weather, or issues getting to school, you cannot say that your child is "remote" for that day or timeframe...they are just absent. Remote learning is only being provided for those students who have a medical excuse from a Doctor, as the reason they cannot attend in-person and anyone who is currently quarantined due to COVID or being a close-contact. We expect all students who do not fall under this category to be at school and learning in-person. If your child is out due to a non-COVID reason, they will be marked absent for that reason and follow our usual protocol for being absent and making up work. If you have any questions, please contact the Junior High office. Thanks!

REMINDER: Today is our last day in session for 2020!! We will return to in-person learning on Tuesday, January 5th. 1st Semester Report cards will be distributed on Friday, January 8th. It has been a very challenging Semester, but we made it through to Christmas Break with only a few bumps in the road. A big thank you to all of our staff, custodians, bus drivers, cafeteria workers and to you, parents and guardians, for making this a successful semester! We would like to wish everyone a safe and happy Holiday season. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all you Ducks out there and we will see you all in 2021!!

Reminder JH Parents and Guardians: Tomorrow, December 11th, is a School Improvement Day, with JH students dismissed at 12:05. Go Ducks!

JH Parents and Guardians: today is the 2nd Quarter midterm already. We will send any D/F slips home with students on Monday 11/30, to be signed and returned next week. Any remote D/F slips will be emailed to the parent/guardian on Monday 11/30 and a confirmation email is required. Also, NO SCHOOL tomorrow, Wednesday 11/25. We would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and we will see students again on Monday, 11/30. Go Ducks!

Parents: please be conscience of your child's health and well-being as much as possible, especially during our Winter months. Good nutrition, adequate sleep (8-9 hours/night for adolescents), and staying hydrated with water or sugar-free drinks is a good place to start. Also, continue to stress social-distancing, washing of hands and using hand sanitizer, and wearing a mask when in public and around others indoors when necessary. Please continue to check your child for symptoms before sending them to school and use precautions when needed. Thank you for all you do to make sure your child is healthy, at school and staying on track academically! Go Ducks!

Reminder parents and students: Tomorrow, November 11th, there is NO SCHOOL, to observe Veterans Day. We want to thank all of our Veterans for their service and sacrifices!! Also, Friday, November 13th, is an SIP Day, with a 12:05 dismissal for students.

It was awesome to show our Havana #126 TEAM how much we appreciate the job they are doing for our students. Frozen Turkeys were passed out to every employee in a drive by hand off after school on Friday! Thanks to Randy at County Market for assisting us with this awesome event.

Reminder for JH Parents and Guardians: You can now view your student's report card in Alma. We are not sending report cards physically home with students. Also, there is NO SCHOOL tomorrow, Friday 10/30. The State of Illinois is also having schools take next Tuesday, 11/3, off of school for Election Day. So, NO SCHOOL on Tuesday 11/3. Have a great and safe 3-day weekend!

HJH Parents and guardians, We have reached the end of our 1st 9 weeks with the end of the quarter last Friday. Teachers are diligently working to get grades finalized and reaching out to parents/guardians, to see about scheduling a parent-teacher conference. As you know, we are not doing in-person parent-teacher conferences this year, due to our guidelines and restrictions, but we are contacting you to see if you would like to schedule a "virtual" conference through video or phone conference last week and this week. If you do not need to meet with teachers at this time, to discuss any issues or concerns, just let the teachers know that you "do not have any concerns at this time". If you feel at any point throughout the year that you would like to have a meeting with your student's teachers, please just let us know and we will try to accommodate you. Our teachers are always willing to communicate throughout the year, when needed, whether that be through email, phone, virtually or in-person. We want you to know that it is our top priority to provide your student with the opportunities they need educationally to be successful moving forward, even in these uncertain times where we know we are all a little behind where we would normally be academically. Please be patient with us and the process as a whole. This year, report cards will be available to view on Thursday, October 29th in Alma, so please make sure you have an active account to view your student's progress. You will also notice that accompanying the letter grade this year, we also have a section for Effort and Conduct included on the report card and we have attached a guide to help you understand those ratings, as they pertain to your child. For 5th grade only, we will just have effort and conduct listed at the top, for all subject areas. For 6th-8th, those subject-area teachers will have that for each class. Lastly, we would like to thank all of you for your patience and cooperation so far this year as we have finished 25% of the academic calendar. Students have been doing well with our procedures and guidelines (with a few reminders here and there) and overall we are happy with the way this year has begun, knowing we still have a long way to go. With your help along the way, we believe we can have a very successful year, even while dealing with all the challenges we all face on a daily basis. With the winter months almost upon us, please be diligent in checking your child's temperature and how they are feeling each morning, along with taking the necessary precautions outside of school. Also, we will still try and get outside as much as possible, to provide mask breaks and exercise for the students, as that is a very important part of their day, so please make sure they have the proper clothing to do this. Once again, thank you for all you do as parents and guardians and we look forward to a another successful 9 weeks here at Havana Junior High...Go Ducks!

Congratulations to the JH American Legion Award winners from last Spring: Elizabeth Johnson and Noah Blakeley! Thank you to the American Legion for presenting them with their awards today! Go Ducks!