JTA Parent Update

Tuesday, October 21

• Football Playoff Game vs. North Middle School @ 5:30 PM (Game at JTA)
  
• Girls Basketball Playoff Game @ Bluegrass Middle School 5:30 PM

Wednesday, October 22

• Trojan Family Forum @ 9:00 AM & 5:30 PM

Thursday, October 23

• 7th Grade Girls Basketball Semi-Finals Game @ JTA

Monday, October 27 - Friday, October 31

• Red Ribbon Week (Spirit Days to be announced)

Monday, October 27

• 8th Grade Girls Basketball Semi-Finals Game @ JTA
  
  

Thursday, October 30

• Halloween in the Halls @ 5:30 PM

Friday, October 31

• End of Trimester 1 - ENSURE ALL STUDENT WORK (INCLUDING MISSING ASSIGNMENTS) ARE TURNED IN FOR TEACHERS

• PER KENTUCKY STATE LAW, if your students shows up late for school, a parent/guardian must sign them in. Please walk your child inside and sign them in. Thank you!
  
  
• Houses in the school are competing for our Halloween in the Halls Candy War. We are asking for candy donations. Each house will be competing for ribbons on the House Dominance of the Year competition.
• A pizza party will be awarded to the WIN class that brings in the most candy
• Regardless of which house brings in the most candy, every house has an opportunity to earn a ribbon. For each house that can fill 5 tubs to the top with candy, they will earn a ribbon (30 gallon tubs)

Students had their first Spirit Week to celebrate the last week of school before fall break. Check out the Dynamic Duos and Decades Days below.

We would love to recognize these students and parents for showing characteristics of a Personal Champion:

• Creates goals, identifies necessary actions, and utilizes resources to reach them
• Demonstrates skills to manage emotions to make responsible decisions and successful choices
• Perseveres through challenges to complete a task and recovers quickly from setbacks
• Understands and communicates own strengths and needs
• Seeks and responds positively to feedback

"Shoutout to our Student Concession Stand Workers: Atty Meenach, Aralynn Tidmore, Macy Mabe, Darsh Patel, Esabella "Smiles" Stimphill, and Elliot Holly. They have been very dependable and doing a great job. Atty has worked all but one game this year.

"I would love to shout out Adrienne Nzeale for working hard and making good choices in my class to further her success. She did amazing on our most recent quiz too!"

" I would love to give a special shout-out to Lily Morris. Born in Spain, she brings fashion with a smile and speaks with grace and etiquette. She longs to feel welcome and to belong. I just want Lily to know that she is truly welcomed here at JTA, and I believe the students will grow to know and appreciate her."

"Shout out to Molly Knapp. She's a Peer Buddy and is amazing with the kids. She started emailing me last year asking about being a Peer Buddy (we usually don't take 6th graders) so she would email me occasionally reminding me that she was really interested. She volunteered at Camp Tessa over the summer. She is very natural with the kids and it's obvious that she has formed real friendships."

"Shout out to CT Robinson. He is a true Trojan through and through. Whether he is on the field, on the court, or in the classroom he models excellence in his abilities, how he treats others, and strives to be his best. We are lucky to have him as part of Trojan Nation."

"I would love to send a shout out to Helena Bailey. She always volunteers to help me or someone else with anything in my career class, art. She is gifted with many talents. I appreciate her kindness and her willingness to get things done." - Mrs. Conley

"Helena Bailey loves learning and is always ready to ask good questions and answer the questions in class. She is always looking for ways she can learn more, exemplifying what a Personal Champion is. She tries to do her best, even if she already understands it, she's looking for ways she can learn more." - Mrs. Ricks

"I would love to recognize Jamie Lee, Ansley McPherson, and Amiyah Rhone for putting together one of the most creative and well recorded commercials I've ever had for their 13 Colonies Project. They came up with lyrics for a song and a dance to put together a cohesive, creative, and professional project. I am truly proud of their work ethic and collaboration. Way to go ladies!"

"Shout out to to Addy Jo Fancher and Sabine DeBolt who have taken on the responsibility of collecting and charging Chromebooks every afternoon in Mr. Bennett's class.

Mrs. Ricks's fourth period careers class dissected owl pellets on Thursday and Friday last week. After eating their prey, owls regurgitate (throw up) the fur, feathers, bones and anything they don’t use for energy.

Mrs. Cunningham's Culinary Class learned how to make homemade biscuits and gravy last week.

This week our 6th graders took their learning out of their seats and into the hallways with task card stations. Students worked in partners to decompose composite shapes into ones they already know, using expo markers to sketch, strategize, and solve for area.

Not only were they flexing their math muscles, but they were also collaborating, problem-solving, and cheering each other on every step of the way.

We are so proud of how hard our students are working and how they’re showing that math isn’t just about numbers on paper — it’s about teamwork, creativity, and confidence!

#ActiveLearning #MathInAction #JTAProud

The 8th Grade Yearbook class has published their September Edition of the JTA Trojan News. Check out their work with the link below. Way to go students!

The school nurse paperwork was sent home the first week of school. If you want your child to see the school nurse for any reason, they must have it completed and returned. That documentation MUST be on file for school health personnel to see and treat students.

Important Student Health Information

• In alignment with updated requirements from the Kentucky Board of Nursing and the Kentucky Department of Education, a written provider order must be on file before any prescribed medication can be administered by the school nurse. In the past, a grace period was allowed for submitting this documentation. However, effective with the 2025–2026 school year, that grace period will no longer be permitted. When bringing prescribed medication to school for administration by the nurse, you must also bring the written provider order at the same time. Without it, the medication cannot and will not be given to your student.
  
  
• Also in alignment with updated requirements, effective for the 2025-2026 school year, over-the-counter medications (i.e. Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Neosporin, Tums, etc.) cannot be given to a student without a written consent on file. If you give permission for your student to receive over-the-counter medications administered by the school nurse, please return your Healthy Kids Clinic registration forms with your consent. We will no longer be able to accept verbal permission.

We are encouraging our teachers to use Apptegy Rooms with you, so you can get consistent, quick, and reliable communication. The best feature is it is similar to texting because we know how busy life can be. Please download the Apptegy App and sign up to receive communication from your student's teachers!

A new Kentucky law, KRS 160.145 (aka Senate Bill 181), requires school districts to adopt a traceable communication system that “shall be the exclusive means for school district employees and volunteers to communicate electronically with students.” You can read more about HCS Traceable Communication when you CLICK HERE.

Hardin County Schools has another tool to communicate with students, parents, staff and the community. Smart device users can download the HCS App from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. Each school and the district will still communicate through the all-call system with phone calls, text messages and/or emails. That is why it is critically important that your phone number and email address are current in the HCS Parent Portal

The Parent Portal is a wonderful tool to keep track of grades and attendance. Log in to the Parent Portal by CLICKING HERE. A Parent Portal app is also available from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. If parents do not have login credentials for the Parent Portal, they should contact their child’s school.

A new Kentucky law requires schools to provide a moment of silence or reflection at the beginning of each school day's first class. It shall be of at least one (1) minute but not to exceed two (2) minutes in duration. Students will be required to remain seated and silent and do nothing to distract others. See KRS 158.175 and Hardin County Board of Education Policy 8.1351 for more information.

Proper appearance and dress makes a good impression and keeps the educational and learning environment professional. The Hardin County School District asks that students and parents accept responsibilities concerning student dress code.

• Tank tops, tube tops, halter tops, crop tops, shirts that show the midriff, bareback tops, off-the-shoulder tops, spaghetti straps, low-cut and/or revealing tops, blouses or dresses are prohibited.
• Shorts, skirts, and dresses must meet the 5 inch rule, (no more than 5 inches from the top of the knee all of the way around using an index card placed vertically for measurement)
• Pajama pants are not allowed.
• Visible rips, tears, or holes located higher than finger-tip length are not permitted, unless an underlayer (ex: leggings, form-fitting pants, a neatly sewn patch, undershirt, etc.) is worn underneath the affected area.

Students may have cell phones and electronic devices in their possession, but they must be turned off or silenced during the school day. Cell phones, earbuds/headphones, & other electronic devices must remain out of sight from the time class starts at 8:00 AM until the time they exit the school building, except when authorized by a teacher or administrator. This includes use in the cafeteria at lunch and in the hallways during transition.

PARENT CONTACT DURING SCHOOL HOURS

If a student needs to contact their parent or guardian, the student should use the Student Signup form to put in a request to come to the front office to call home.

To minimize disruption to the learning environment, parents are kindly requested to contact the school's front office directly at 270-877-2135 if they need to relay an urgent message to their child during school hours. This allows school staff to deliver messages efficiently and ensures that classroom instruction remains uninterrupted.

Ingredients (serves 4–5)

• 4 bone-in chicken thighs (or drumsticks)
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, dice
• 1 apple, cored and chopped
• 2 cups Brussels sprouts, halved
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp maple syrup or honey (optional but adds fall flavor)
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard (optional for tang)
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• Salt & pepper to taste
  
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
2. Prep marinade: In a small bowl, mix olive oil, maple syrup/honey, mustard, rosemary, cinnamon, salt, and pepper.
3. Toss veggies & apples: On a large baking sheet, toss sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, apple, and onion with half the marinade.
4. Season chicken: Rub the remaining marinade on chicken thighs. Place them skin-side up on top of the veggies.
5. Roast for 35–40 minutes, or until chicken is golden and cooked through (internal temp 165°F) and veggies are tender.
6. Broil for 2–3 minutes at the end if you want crispy skin.