Parent Information

Caution Report for the Week of August 19-21  We are currently focusing on classroom expectations and rules.  Students may receive team cautions beginning Monday, August 31^st.  A caution is a warning.  Please keep in mind that receiving a few cautions every now and then is expected.  If your child receives three cautions, however, in one day, he/she will receive a Chiddix “red slip” and a team after-school detention. Below is an explanation of each type of caution that your child could receive.    

“Transition” cautions will be given for entering the classroom in a loud or disruptive manner.

 “Tardy” cautions will be given for arriving late to any of our team classes.

 “Materials” cautions will be given for not bringing required material to class such as pencils, books, or binders.

 "Direction” cautions will be given for not doing what has been asked, e.g. not putting a name on a paper.

 “Talking Out” cautions will be given for blurting out answers and information before being called upon.

 “Disturbing Others” cautions will be given for bothering other students; e.g. talking, touching others’ belongings.

 “Out of Seat” cautions will be given for wandering around the classroom & being a distraction during a lesson.

 “Negative Comment” cautions will be given for saying things that put down others or learning activities.

 “Off-Task” cautions will be given for not staying focused during a lesson or not working on an assigned task.

 “Other” cautions will be given for other types of behavior that interfere with learning.

 Homework Report :  In future My Week In Reviews, this section will list any late/missing assignments your child received during the previous week.  It will also let you know if those assignments still need to be completed.  If your child receives two or more “lates” in one week, he/she will receive a Chiddix “red slip” and a team after-school detention. A note will be sent home for any detentions.

 Parent Information:

 Picture Day  School photos will be taken Wednesday, August 26^th.  Order forms were sent home last week.  All students will have their picture taken for the year book regardless of whether or not you order pictures.  If you are ordering pictures, the form and payment must be returned by Wednesday. 

No School: There will be any school Monday, September 7^th in observance of Labor Day.

Curriculum Night:  Our team is having a curriculum night on Thursday, September 10^th from 6:30 – 8:00pm.  This night is primarily for parents; however children may attend if necessary.  Please reserve this date on your calendar. J

Team Website:  Homework is updated each night on our team website.  The information is generally entered by 5:00 each night.   Students need to refer to their homeroom teacher’s list. Our team website is www.unit5.org/cjhs/odyssey.

Fundraiser:  Catalogs and order forms for our Medieval Times fundraiser will be sent home on Thursday, August 27^th.   Additional information will be attached to the order forms and available on our team website later in the week.  Please let us know if you do not receive this information or have any questions.

Student Reflections on the front of the My Week In Review:  On Fridays, students are given about 20 minutes to write their reflections for the week.  We feel this is an invaluable activity that will benefit them and provide insight into their learning for you and us.  Please take a few minutes at the beginning of each week to read over this information with your son or daughter and discuss events and feelings from the previous week. 

In addition, please note that this writing comes home without teacher editing.  We do expect the students to use the writing conventions they know, and, if they have time, to proofread their work before turning it in; however, there will likely be some occasional spelling or grammatical errors.  We do note these convention errors and use this information when planning future language arts lessons.  As the year goes on, we hope you will find fewer and fewer mistakes in all of your child’s writing.   The primary purpose of this activity is to promote communication and dialogue about your child’s learning and school experience. 

No School – There is no school on Monday, September 7^th in observance of the Labor Day holiday.

Parent Orientation Night – Please plan on attending the Team Odyssey Parent Orientation Night on Thursday, September 10^th from 6:30 – 8pm.  We will be discussing the curriculum and how to help your child at home.   This meeting is intended for parents only; however, if needed you may bring your child.

Skyward Access  - Attached  is information about Skyward Family Access.  This is an invaluable resource that allows you to check your child’s grades, absences, lunch purchases, and lunch account.

Allergies – Please be aware that we have several students on our team with food allergies.  Before sending in food for the class, please contact a teacher for guidelines as to what is acceptable.

Fundraiser – Information was sent home last week about the opportunity to raise money for our field trip to Medieval Times in May.  All money and orders are due by Tuesday, September 8^th.  Checks should be made payable to Chiddix.  Do not separate order forms.  We receive the order form when you pick up your items on Tuesday, September 29 in the Chiddix cafeteria from 3–4pm. This will be our only fundraiser of the year.  More information about the fundraiser is available on our team website.

Parent Letters:  We thoroughly appreciate the letters you have sent to us about your child.  This information is most helpful.  If you have not yet sent us a letter, please send it at your earliest convenience.

Book Orders:  September book orders and money will be due Friday 9/11.  If your child would like to order books from more than one club, you only need to write ONE check for the total made payable to Scholastic Book Clubs.  Book orders are a great way to build enthusiasm for reading and also allow us to order many new titles for our classroom libraries.   Thank you for your support. J

Appointments:  If you need to pick your child up early from school, it is necessary to call the Chiddix Attendance Line (888-6843).   Passes are delivered to students throughout the day allowing them to be dismissed to the office where they meet their parents/guardians and are signed out.

Student Handbook:  Each student has received a Chiddix Student Handbook.  Last week we reviewed some of the information in class but would like to encourage parents to also go through this handbook with their children.  Please keep it at home and refer to it as needed throughout the year.

Oops Cards:  Last week we continued establishing routines in an effort to help our students become better organized and feel more comfortable in the middle school setting.  This week, we expect students to get to classes on time and with the correct materials; however, we realize that sometimes mistakes happen.  So, students have been given six “Oops” cards to be used for unscheduled trips to lockers.  Students who need to go to their lockers and no longer have any “Oops” cards will receive material cautions. 

Take Home Checklist:  In addition to completing the assignment notebook each day, students list the items needed at home on a yellow checklist. They then attach this to the front of the assignment notebook with a clip and refer to it when packing up at the end of the day.  This should help with getting the correct items home each day.  It may be helpful to again refer to this note when packing school bags for the return trip the next day.

Tutoring Service Bloomington Public Library is offering a free tutoring program (in English and Spanish) daily from 3-11pm for people with a valid Bloomington Library Card. Tutoring can be accessed from either a home computer or one of the library’s public access computers. For more information, go to this web address http://www.bloomingtonlibrary.org/find/online_resources/alphabetical_order/#R-Z. and click on “Tutor.com”

Schedule:  On the back of this sheet is a copy of your child’s schedule.

Curriculum Night – We hope that everyone will attend the curriculum night on Thursday, 9/10 from 6:30 – 8pm.  We will meet in Room 313.  This night is directed toward parents.  If you must bring your child along, they will need to sit with you during the presentation.   

MAP  Testing – All CJHS students will soon be taking the MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) test.  We will take one test each day for the next three days.  Students will be assessed in the areas of math, reading, and language.  Please make every attempt to have your child here for these important tests.

Fundraiser – Thank you so much for your support during our Chiddix Sixth Grade fund raising effort.  Many students were able to sell 25 or more items thus paying for their trip to Medieval Times in full.   Students that did not participate in the fundraiser or who sold less than 25 items will be notified later of the amount due.

Fundraiser Pick-up is Tuesday, September 29 between 3:00 and 4:00 at Chiddix. Please note that many items must be refrigerated or frozen.  These items must be delivered immediately and/or refrigerated until they can be delivered. 

 Curriculum Night:  We enjoyed seeing so many of you at Curriculum Night last week.  Since this was only our second curriculum night we would like receive some feedback so we can make it even better next year.  We would really appreciate knowing what you found most helpful, least helpful, or if there was any information that you would have liked to receive.  If you were unable to attend, we have attached the handouts and notes from the evening’s presentations. J

Book Orders:  September Scholastic Book Club orders are now due by Friday, September 18th.   You may place an order online or you may send the paper order form with cash or one check payable to Scholastic.  If you need the online ordering code, please let us know.  Thank you for supporting your child’s interest in reading.  J

Fundraiser Pick-up is Tuesday, September 29 between 3:00 and 4:00 at Chiddix. Please note that many items must be refrigerated or frozen.  These items must be delivered immediately and/or refrigerated until they can be delivered. 

Midterm Grades – Friday, September 18^th the counseling office will either post your child’s progress report on Skyward or mail it home depending on what you requested at registration.  Please be aware that your child’s report card grade may differ considerably from those on this progress report.  We are in the process of working on several learning targets this quarter, and only a few learning targets have been assessed to date.  Therefore, these midterm grades are based upon a limited number of grades.  It is possible that one low grade may have significantly lowered his/her midterm grade.  Later in the quarter, a low grade will have a smaller impact on his/her average.  To keep up to date on your child’s grade you could:  ask your child for their core subject grade sheets in the front of their binder, check grades online through Skyward Family Access, or contact us for more specific information.

Fundraiser Pick-up is Tuesday, September 29 between 3:00 and 4:00 at Chiddix. Please note that many items must be refrigerated or frozen.  These items must be delivered immediately and/or refrigerated until they can be delivered. 

Midterm Reports – For families that made the request at registration, progress reports were mailed out last Friday.    The progress reports are available on Skyward.  In some classes we have entered grades since progress reports, which is why there may be a different grade in Quarter 1.  The grade for Progress Report is a picture of the grades on September 16^th; the Quarter 1 grade is the current grade.  If you have any questions concerning your child’s grades, please contact us by email or phone.  Thank you.

Fun Night – There is a Chiddix Fun Night is Friday, 9/25 from 3-5pm.  Tickets will be sold at lunch for $4 until Friday, 9/25; tickets will not be sold at the door.

ISU Intern – Beginning today, our team has two ISU student interns that will be observing and teaching with us for the next five weeks.  Ms. Kull will be working with the language arts and social studies classes; Ms. Cummings will be working with the math and science classes.  We are excited that these interns will be joining our team and bringing their new ideas to our classes.   

Thank You – We appreciate the comments and parent letters that we have received from many of you!  We’re so happy to hear that our students are adjusting well to being in junior high.  Thank you for all of your support!  J

Fundraiser Pick-up is Tuesday, September 29 between 3:00 and 4:00 at Chiddix.  Please note that many items must be frozen.  These items must be delivered immediately and/or frozen until they can be delivered.  Small orders, that don’t include frozen food, may be picked up at the end of the day by your child and taken home on the bus. 

No School- There is no school on Monday, October 12^th in observance of Columbus Day. 

Early Dismissal Reminder:  Students will be dismissed at 1:15pm on Friday, October 16^th to accommodate those planning to attend the Homecoming parade at NCHS. 

Parent/Teacher Conferences:   Conferences will be held on Friday, October 23.  Please call the Chiddix Counseling Office at 888-6847 Monday, September 28^th through Friday, October 2^nd and October 19 through noon on October 21^st to schedule a specific time.  Our goal is to schedule a conference with every child on our team.   Detailed information about the conference is attached.

Thank You – Club Choice orders were picked up last Tuesday.  Hopefully, you have been able to deliver the orders with no difficulty.   If you find that anything from your order is missing or broken, please call Shopper Hotline number 1-877-369-9766.  This officially ends our sixth grade fund-raiser.  We would like to thank you for your support throughout this effort.

No School- There is no school on Monday, October 12^th in observance of Columbus Day. 

Early Dismissal Reminder:  Students will be dismissed at 1:15pm on Friday, October 16^th to accommodate those planning to attend the Homecoming parade at NCHS. 

Pictures- School pictures were sent home this week.  If you are unhappy with the pictures for any reason, your child may participate in retakes.  Picture retake day is Thursday, October 15^th.  In order to have retakes, he or she must return a retake form and the unwanted pictures.  Forms may be found on the Chiddix website or may picked up in Room 214 and must be returned to Room 214 by Friday, October 9, 2009 at 4pm. 

No School- There is no school on Friday, Oct. 23^rd due to parent/teacher conferences.  Students will come to Chiddix with their parent(s) at their scheduled conference time.

Medieval Times:  Attached is information concerning the balance due for the field trip.

Parent/Teacher Conferences:   Conferences will be held on Friday, Oct. 23^rd.  Please call the counseling office (888-6847) soon to schedule a specific time.  You will need to allow 45 minutes for the conference.  Because your son/daughter will be conducting a large part of the conference, he/she will need to accompany you.  If you need to schedule a conference on a different day, please e-mail us, and we will be happy to make other arrangements.

Pictures- Picture retake day is Thursday, October 15^th.  Students must have returned their pictures and retake order form in order to participate.

Early Dismissal Reminder:  Students will be dismissed at 1:15pm on Friday, October 16^th to accommodate those planning to attend the homecoming parade at NCHS. 

End of the Grading Period- The end of the first nine weeks is Friday, October 16^th.  All assignments and tests must be completed and turned in by this date.  This includes all late and makeup work.  Report cards will be mailed home on Friday, October 23^rd.

No School- There is no school on Friday, Oct. 23^rd due to parent/teacher conferences.  Students will come to Chiddix with their parent(s) at their scheduled conference time.

Book Orders:  October Scholastic Book Club orders will be passed out this week.  You may place and pay for your order online (see attached form) or you may send the paper order form with cash or one check payable to Scholastic.   Orders are due Friday, October 30^th.   Thank you for supporting your child’s interest in reading.  J

End of the Grading Period- The end of the first nine weeks was Friday, October 16^th.  Report cards will be available online and/or mailed home on Friday, October 23^th.

Book Orders:  October Scholastic Book Orders due Friday, October 30^th.   Orders may be placed and paid for online or you may send in a paper order with one check made out to Scholastic.  Online orders earn a free book for our classroom!  J

(Online Codes:   Mrs. Linton’s class  F1N1,    Mrs. Hinshaw’s class 1FIUU)

Student-Led Parent/Teacher Conferences:   

       ·      There is no school on Friday, October 23^rd for Parent Teacher Conferences.

       ·      Your child will spend about 20 minutes with you, and then we will join you for approximately another 20 minutes.  Therefore, please plan    
       to allow approximately 45 minutes for your conference.  If more time is needed, we will be happy to schedule an additional meeting at a
       later date.   

      ·      If you have not yet scheduled a conference, please see the attached sheet with instructions for signing up. We would like to have a
     conference with each student on our team. J

     ·       If you have already scheduled a conference, below is a reminder of the time scheduled for your family.

             Date ________________________________________         Time  ___________________________

Report Cards – If you have not received your child’s report card by the end of the week, please call the counseling office (888-6847).

Parent/Teacher Conferences –We want to thank everyone for their patience at conferences on Friday.  We realize some families had to wait due to Mrs. Winn’s unexpected absence.   Hopefully you felt the conferences were as informational and productive as we did.  Students will now begin working on the “Plan for Success.”   A copy of the “Plan for Success” will be sent home soon.  Students will reflect on their plans in the “My Week in Review” periodically. 

Conference Reflection Forms – Please be sure to fill out the Student-Led Conference Reflection forms received at the end of your conference and return them as soon as possible.  We are looking forward to reading your suggestions and thoughts concerning these conferences.  Thanks!  J

Book Orders:  October Scholastic Book Orders are due Friday, October 30^th.   Orders may be placed and paid for online, or you may send in a paper order with one check made out to Scholastic.  Online orders earn a free book for our classroom!  J

(Online Codes:   Mrs. Linton’s class  F1N1,    Mrs. Hinshaw’s class 1FIUU)

Halloween – Students should not wear costumes on Friday. Those coming to Fun Night may bring their costumes and leave them in their lockers until after school.

Halloween Leftovers? – Occasionally we reward our students with a piece of candy.  This may be for meeting a classroom goal, winning a game, having the correct materials in class, etc.  If you have any unwanted, leftover wrapped candy or would like to purchase a bag from an “after Halloween” sale, we would love to add it to our classroom supplies!  Thank you. J

Conference Reflection Forms – We appreciate hearing your suggestions and thoughts concerning your child’s conference.  Thank you for the valuable input.  If you have not returned a conference form, please do so at your earliest convenience. 

Halloween Leftovers? – Occasionally we reward our students with a piece of candy.  This may be for meeting a classroom goal, winning a game, having the correct materials in class, etc.  If you have any unwanted, leftover wrapped candy or would like to purchase a bag from an “after Halloween” sale, we would love to add it to our classroom supplies!  Thank you. J

Breakfast – Breakfast is now being served in the cafeteria from 7:20 - 7:40am. Cost is $1.05 for a full breakfast, which is deducted from the student's food service account. A la carte items are available as well. Students that have free or reduced lunch can also have free or reduced breakfast.

Personal Reading Goals  - Students are now working on their personal reading goals.  Please check with your child periodically as to his/her progress on these graded goals.  Both reading goals and evidence need to be completed by Dec. 14^th.  Reading goals are usually about 30% of the overall literature and composition grade.

Plan for Success: – Attached is a copy of your child’s “Plan for Success” that was developed during his/her student-led conference.  Each student also has a copy in his/her language arts binder.  Please review this plan periodically with your child and discuss his/her progress towards the goal.

Medieval Times - We would like to collect all money for the Medieval Times field trip by 12/11/09.  Unless you have made other arrangements with the teacher, please send in the balance before then.  If your family will need some assistance with paying for this trip, please let us know. 

We would also like to finalize the list of parents, who would like to accompany us on our field trip to Medieval Times on May, 13^th.  The discounted cost for parents is $60.  We have a limited number of seats available; therefore, we will have a drawing at the end of November to determine the order in which tickets will be given out.  Please respond with an X to let us know whether or not you are interested in accompanying us.  (We realize some parents have already responded; please respond again below.  Thank you)

_______ Yes, I ____________________________________ would like to accompany the Team on the Medieval Times trip.

_______  No, I am not interested or unable to attend the Medieval Times field trip.

No School  - There is no school November 25, 26, and 27^th.  Wednesday is a School Improvement Day; Thursday and Friday there is no school because of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Exploratory Classes – Your child began a new exploratory class on Monday.  Please be aware that there may be school supplies needed for this class. 

Oops Card Party – Thursday, 11/19, we are having a celebration for students who did not need to return to their lockers more than five times during class last nine weeks.  The students will have lunch in the room during the regular lunch hour.  Your child may order food from Avanti’s, bring a lunch from home, or purchase the school lunch.  Students who would like a gondola for lunch will need to bring $3.00; if they would like pizza bread they will need to bring $3.50. Chips, cookies and a drink will also be provided.  Money should be brought in by Thursday.   Students will have the chance to earn another oops party after the second nine weeks. J

Progress Reports  - It’s hard to believe we are half way through the second nine weeks.  Progress report grades will be mailed home Friday, November 20^th.   If you have any questions about your child’s grades please let us know.

No School  - There is no school November 25, 26, and 27^th.  Wednesday is a School Improvement Day; Thursday and Friday there is no school because of the Thanksgiving holiday.