Back To School Newsletter 2022

Welcome Back!

School Pictures

Friday, August 19, 2022

School Pictures Re-takes

Tuesday, October 11, 2022

Back To School Night

Monday, August 29, 2022 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm

7th Grade Orientation

Monday, August 8th, 2022 10:00 am or 12:00 pm

8th Grade Pick Up Schedules & Work Lockers

Monday, August 8th, 2022 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Office Hours & Phone Numbers

MJH School Office -7:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. -309-833-2074

Attendance Office -7:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. -309-833-2484

Co-Principals E-Mail Addresses

Dana Isackson isacksond@mcusd185.org

Brock Bainter bainterb@mcusd185.org

JH School Hours

8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Jr. High classes begin at 8:00 a.m. Outside doors are unlocked at 7:30 a.m. Students arriving before 7:50 a.m. should go to the Commons. Students are dismissed from the Commons at 7:50 a.m. to go to the restroom, and/or get a drink. Students need to be in their seats for their first hour class at 8:00 a.m. Buses arrive between 7:35 and 7:50 a.m.

Breakfast is served at 7:30 a.m. Jr. High students should budget their eating time daily, so they are not late for their first hour class at 8:00 a.m.

MJH DAILY SCHEDULE 2022-2023

1st Hour 8:00- 8:43

2nd Hour 8:46-9:29

3rd Hour 9:32- 10:15

4th Hour Class 10:18-11:01

(4A Lunch 10:18-10:53)

5th Hour Class 10:56-11:39

(5B Lunch 11:04- 11:39)

6th Advisory 11:42-11:57

7th Hour 12:00-12:42

8th Hour 12:45-1:27

9th Hour 1:30-2:12

10th Hour 2:15- 3:00

Drop Off/Pick Up Locations & Procedures

Safety is our main concern in creating procedures for drop off and pick up. With safety in mind, please follow procedures noted below:

CAR

Parents who drop off/pick up their child should do so in the circle drive at the Jr/Sr High School. The circle drive is located by the football field on the northwest side of the building.

Students who ride with high school sibling/students should enter the building closest to where the high school student parked and then go to the Commons. High school students sometimes forget Jr. High classes begin at 8:00 am, not 8:05 a.m. and do not arrive in time for the Jr. high student to be seated on time for their first hour class. This will result in a tardy. Please make a plan that prevents your Jr. High child from being late..

WALK

Students who walk to/from school should enter/leave from the Commons. They are advised to walk on the grass, not through the parking lot. Anxious, hurried drivers are maneuvering cars in the parking lot. Walking on the grass is the safest location.

RIDE A BIKE

There is a bike rack on the southeast side of the building. Students should park AND LOCK their bikes at the bike rack. They should enter/leave the building in the Commons. Caution....bikers riding through/near the parking lot should be VERY ALERT. Drivers are often in a hurry and may not see the biker. Defensive biking is advised.

BUS

Students riding a bus will be dropped off and picked up on the southwest side of the Commons. At dismissal, students should go directly to the Commons and wait to be dismissed to board their bus.

Jr. High students riding home with their high school sibling should wait in the Commons for the high schooler.

Students riding the Go West bus will also come to the Commons following dismissal at 3:00 p.m. They will exit the busses from the Commons, not the south entrance. Bus schedules will remain the same, so bus students will not arrive home any earlier.

Registration

Students need to be registered before school begins, August 17, 2022. Families may register online by going to www.macomb185.org, click Family Access, click Online Registration. Parents/Guardians may also register at the Jr. High School anytime 7:30 am - 3:30 pm, Monday -- Friday.

2022-2023 MCUSD 185 Visitor Notice

When entering any Macomb CUSD #185 school building, all visitors will be required to leave a PHOTO IDENTIFICATION CARD during their visits. Staff will provide approved visitors with a badge before allowing them into the building. When leaving the building, visitors will have their photo ID returned. Sign-in sheets for visitors will no longer be used.

New Cell Phone Policy

In order to support student learning, the cell phone expectation at Macomb School District #185 is that all students, pre-k through grade 8 will not have cell phones in our classrooms and will leave their phones in their lockers when they are brought to school. This policy was already in place through grade 6 and as we transition to a new middle school model, we find it beneficial to extend the policy through grade 8. The cell phones are to remain in the locker until the end of the school day. If parents need to reach their child due to an emergency, please call the office of the building your child attends. Students contacting parents needs to be consistent. Students will ask teachers before they contact parents when they are ill, upset or require something. Teachers will assist students in contacting home through the classroom/office phone.

2022-2023 COVID-19 Protocols

There are currently no mandates outside of weekly testing for our non-vaccinated employees, which is still a legal requirement for us. We will once again partner with the University of Illinois Shield Program to conduct our testing which will be on a weekly basis once they get set up and running. As last year the testing will also be offered to all unvaccinated students who chose to test. Attached is the opt out of testing form that can be turned in at the student's school. The Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board of Education has sent us a joint recommendation to follow CDC's Operational Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in Schools. Our current model will be based on our local community level of transmission, as well as hospital and local medical capacity.
COVID-19 2022-2023 Protocols
Mask Optional - We will begin the year with mask optional, however if we hit the metrics to be designated as a high transmission community and local data warrants, we will change to mask-highly recommended.
No social distancing requirements - Although we will attempt not to overcrowd spaces when possible and will take some precautions during lunch.
The test to stay will be implemented again this year. If a person is a close contact, they can test every few days and remain in school rather than automatically being sent home to quarantine as long as they continue to test negative. This is also true for persons experiencing symptoms other than fever.
Positive Test or Self-Isolation - Individuals who have tested positive and under quarantine may return after 5 days if no symptoms are present, and then must mask for 5 days upon return or simply quarantine the full 10 days.
High Risk Activities - There are some high-risk activities that are still being evaluated at this time.
Remote Learning - The district will provide remote learning for any student who is under quarantine or isolation.
We have significantly improved all of the air and ventilation systems in all buildings.
Hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette will be reinforced.
We will systematically clean and disinfect all areas daily.
Nurse Office - School Nurse offices have been deemed medical facilities and therefore everyone entering these spaces must be masked.
Contact Tracing - We do not have adequate resources to effectively conduct rapid contract tracing, so we will utilize our mass notification system this year to alert parents of potential exposures to the best of our ability. This way parents can immediately begin to monitor your child for symptoms.

PE Uniforms

This year 7th and 8th graders will dress into gym clothes for their Physical Education class. We are making PE uniforms available through the school. A uniform includes an orange crew neck t-shirt and black shorts. It is not mandatory to purchase the uniform from school, but students are required to wear an orange crew neck shirt and black shorts with 6+” inseam. The first day students will dress for gym class is Monday, August 29, 2022.

If you wish to purchase gym clothes through the school, you may order individual shirts, shorts and/or a cinch bag at prices noted below. Two optional package orders are discounted.:

Individual price:

Orange t-shirt $8.00

Black shorts $8.00

Cinch bag $6.00

Package 1: $15.00 – 1 shirt and 1 short

Package 2: $20.00 – 1 shirt, 1 short and 1 cinch bag

Samples of t-shirts and shorts will be available in the main office or with your PE teacher. Here is a size chart:

T-SHIRTS – Orange

Youth Large

Adult Small

Adult Medium

Adult Large

Adult X-large

Adult 2X-large (additional $5.00)

SHORTS – Black

Youth Medium