You can tell the holidays are approaching at EJHS when.....

Let it Snow...

Let it Snow...

Fall leaves have been replaced with signs of winter in our hallways!
Upcoming holiday concerts:  
Tuesday, December 9th:  7th & 8th Grade Collage Concert 7pm in the EHS auditorium.
Thursday, December 18th:  7th - 12th Grade Chorus/Chorale Concert 7:30pm in the auditorium.

Snow Day and Two-Hour Delay Notifications at EJHS/EHS

Snow Day and Two-Hour Delay Notifications at EJHS/EHS

It was an early start to winter last week and we got to experience our first snow day. If you did not get a phone call or text when school was cancelled on Tuesday, we do not have your correct phone numbers in Power Announcement. When you log in to PowerSchool you will see a tab on the left side of the screen to enter your Power Announcement information. Please click that tab and check your phone numbers if you were not contacted on Tuesday.  

Please note we need your full ten-digit phone numbers in Power Announcement because the calls are not generated from Escanaba. If your cell phone number is 555-5555 then you need to enter that number as 906-555-5555 in Power Announcement. Power Announcement ignores any phone numbers with less than ten numbers in them.

One concern we hear from parents on snow days is how early the phone calls and texts go out. We have received complaints from parents who do not want to receive a phone call or text at 5:30 a.m. Those calls and texts go out that early because we have students who are picked up by the bus shortly after 6:00 a.m. We have to make the calls early to warn those students before they go out and start waiting for their busses.

Most of the time when we have bad weather we close school for the entire day. Once in a great while we decide to start school on a two-hour delay. Please click on the link below to see the two-hour delay schedule for EHS.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6VFr_0blhp2cVZRVVZfZUM0ajQ/view?usp=sharing

If we have a two-hour delay, everything starts exactly two hours later than normal and school will end at the normal time. For example, our school day starts at 7:35 a.m. You will see on the two-hour delay schedule that school will start at 9:35 a.m., two hours later than normal.

This also applies to bus routes. All bus routes will be two hours later than normal. If your children are normally picked up by the bus at 6:40 a.m., they will be picked up at 8:40 a.m. if we have a two-hour delay.  

2014-15 School Year starts off with excitement for all!

Mr. Micheau's 7th Grade Science Class say "Good Morning!"

Mrs. Hall's new students are all smiles!

As our final minutes of the first day of school draw to a close, it amazes me how smoothly it has gone by.  Our phenomenal Jr. High staff do a great job teaching students the expectations and procedures of life in our Jr. High facility.  This allows students to focus their attention on learning and improving their chances for success.  Welcome to all of our new 7th grade students and the veteran 8th graders as well.  You bring such life to our building!

Trying to be Cool Results in Uncool.

Is your goal to be cool in Jr High? 

 The research provided in this article shows that students who participate in what they believe to be "mature" behaviors ( early dating, drinking, smoking, etc) are actually viewed as less mature by their peers and over time will result in less popularity as they move into high school.   Check out the article by clicking on the link provided below:

http://mobile.edweek.org/c.jsp?DISPATCHED=true&cid=25983841&item=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.edweek.org%2Fedweek%2Finside-school-research%2F2014%2F07%2Fwhat_happens_to_the_kids_who_r.html

Reminder - June 5th, 6th, & 9th  are 1/2 days of school with Early Release at 11:55 a.m.)

No bussing will occur at that time- please arrange transportation for your child.

Due to Exam days on the final 3 days of school, Jr. High students will be having lunch at 11:25 a.m. and will be dismissed at 11:55 a.m. each of the three days.  There will be no bus transportation at dismissal time, so students should arrange transportation home or may walk/bike at that time.  We will have a homework work room for students who need to finish up incomplete class work (must be arranged with  the teacher) and an attendance make up room for students who are exceeding the attendance point policy.  All other students will be leaving upon dismissal at 11:55 a.m.  Thank you for your help in these efforts.

Have a great summer vaction everyone!  See you in September....

Congratulations to our Robotics team "The Robomos" and their advisor, Marie Young on hosting our first hugely successful Robotics Tournament!  We hope to do this for many years to come.  Thanks for your dedication, hard work, and for representing our Escanaba Schools so well!

Amazing what Jr. High students can do with 1500 toilet paper rolls!  Our very own "EJHS Art Gallery.  Thanks to Mr. Dykema and our 7th & 8th grade Art students.

EJHS Parents and Students,  

As is typical by this time in the school year, we are beginning to see behaviors that we refer 
to as "drama" or in some cases bullying in the Junior High.  We feel, as educators, that it falls 
upon us to help guide our students in how to effectively learn to deal with these negative behaviors 
and handle them in a positive manner, instead of being "caught up" in the action.  Please encourage 
your child to report acts of bullying to an adult in our school and work with them on how to handle 
such things as gossip and "drama" with other students.  There are many steps that we can take as 
educators to help you in this process without disrupting your child's educational process.  Please 
feel free to communicate with school officials if you have questions or concerns involving your child.  
Many times these acts are not reported by students for fear of being a "tattle tail" or a "narc".  This is 
never the answer...we take precautions to protect each child that comes to us with their concerns.  
Take time today to work with your child on how to effectively deal with those tough situations that will 
arise in these awkward middle school years.  Please see the tips below offered by the website "About.com" 
for tweens and parents.  Please let us know if we can assist you or your child in any way.

Middle school can be a lot of fun in many ways. Middle schoolers are learning independence, 
developing new skills and making new friends. Unfortunately, middle school is also drama central. 
There's a lot of drama happening in middle school, from gossiping to arguments to bullying. And 
now that your child is in middle school, there's no escaping it.

But you can help your child minimize school drama with a few quick tips. Teaching her how to 
avoid or minimize school drama will help your child, not only in middle school, but in high school, 
college and beyond.

How to Avoid Middle School Drama

Choose Friends Carefully: It's hard to tell a child who just wants to be accepted by her peers to choose 

her friends carefully, but it is important to point out what makes a great friend. Encourage your child to 

 

develop 

friendships with people who have similar interests and who refrain from gossip and drama. 

Point 

out how a frenemy can be harmful and make life miserable. If your child has great friendships, gossip and drama will be minimal.

Don't Gossip: Gossip is the root of all school drama, and by avoiding it your child may steer clear of a lot of unnecessary drama. Encourage her to say NO to gossip and to resist the urge to pass it along.

Minimize Your Online Presence: A lot of the school drama that happens today begins on Facebook, Twitter or via email or texts. It's a lot to ask, but if your child waits a few years to open a Facebook account, the benefits will probably outweigh the negatives. If you can't convince your child to steer clear of Facebook, write a social networking contract that your tween has to sign. The contract will detail what behavior is and is not allowed online.

Shrug it Off: Let's face it, middle school can get ugly and so can the behavior of peers and even good friends. While your child may feel slighted by or upset over the behavior of a friend, it might make more sense to help her learn how to shrug it off, rather than make a big deal over the incident. Tweens have a habit of making a big deal over trivial things. Help your child recognize the difference between an incident that requires follow-up and one that should just be forgotten or ignored.

Keep it to Yourself: You want your child to confide in friends when she needs to, but it's also important for a tween or teen to know when to keep private information private. This is a hard lesson for some to learn, and many learn it the hard way. The bottom line: if you don't want everyone to know about something, it's best not to tell anyone, or to only tell a close friend whom you know is reliable and will keep your secrets. On the flip side, your child should also understand that when a friend confides in her, she's not to spread the information around. The exception is when a friend might be in a troubling situation, and then it might be wise to tell a trusted adult.

Be Honest: Drama often starts with a lie. Even little white lies can cause a lot of trouble. If your child tells her friend that she can't spend the night because she's sick, but really she's hanging out with another friend, that's the beginning of trouble. Encourage your tween to be honest with her friends, and to avoid those little white lies. They may seem like a good idea at the time, but they can end friendships and start a lot of trouble.

 7th & 8th Grade Students to take upcoming EXPLORE test.

Our EJHS students will be taking the EXPLORE test on Tuesday, March 4th during 1st, 2nd, and 3rd hours.  This is a pre-ACT test that helps to monitor each student's ability in 4 content areas:  English, Reading, Math and Science.  This is our students first experience at timed testing to help them experience the conditions they will have for the ACT test as Juniors.  The results of this test will help you and your child identify areas of focus that you can work together to improve upon to increase student achievement.  I have provided a link for parents to obtain more information on the purpose of this test and what the results mean to them and their child.   Students experienced personal inventory questions that urged them to look at their goals and intentions for their futures.  Please take time to view the information shared with your child and feel free to contact me if you have any questions related to the testing and its purpose.

http://www.act.org/path/parent/tests/explore.html

*Reminder to parents and students:  Due to MME/ACT testing on March 4th, 5th and 6th for EHS Juniors, we will be doing an early release at 11:26 am on Wednesday, March 5th and Thursday, March 6th.  Students will be provided lunch prior to their dismissal at 11:26 on those days.  Busses will be delivering students home at that time.

Early Release - Exam Day Schedule

EJHS Parents and Students:  
Please note that all 7th & 8th grade students will be following the Jr./Sr. High Exam day schedule below for Tuesday, January 21st through Thursday, January 23rd.  Each of these days will result in an early release at 11:55 a.m.  No classes will be held in the afternoon on these three days.  All other schools in the Escanaba district will run a normal full day schedule so buses will not be taking our students home at 11:55, the buses will run their normal end time at 2:30.  
Our 7th & 8th grade students are excused at 11:55 after eating lunch.  Students can be picked up or walk home at that time.  Please consider making arrangements for students to get home each of those exam days.  Any students remaining, that are unable to get transportation home until the buses arrive at 2:30, will be monitored in a Jr. High classroom(s).

The Exam Day schedule is as follows:

Tuesday, January 21st
1st Hour Exam - 7:35 a.m. to 9:35 a.m.
Nutrition Break - 9:35 a.m. to 9:55 a.m.
2nd Hour Exam - 9:55 a.m. to 11:25 a.m.
Lunch - 11:25 a.m. to 11:55 a.m.

Wednesday, January 22nd
3rd Hour Exam - 7:35 a.m. to 9:35 a.m.
Nutrition Break - 9:35 a.m. to 9:55 a.m.
4th Hour Exam - 9:55 a.m. to 11:25 a.m.
Lunch - 11:25 a.m. to 11:55 a.m.

Thursday, January 23rd
5th Hour Exam - 7:35 a.m. to 9:35 a.m.
Nutrition Break - 9:35 a.m. to 9:55 a.m.
6th Hour Exam - 9:55 a.m. to 11:25 a.m.
Lunch - 11:25 a.m. to 11:55 a.m.