The Bear Bulletin

Vol. 1, Issue 2, July 30, 2026

Hello Bear Families!

The excitement is building at Montgomery Junior High, and I could not be more thrilled about the year ahead!

While our students and teachers are still enjoying the final days of summer, the MJH leadership team has been hard at work preparing our campus for an incredible school year. Over the past several weeks, our administrative team, counselors, instructional leaders, and support staff have been planning, organizing, and putting systems in place to ensure we are ready to welcome our Bears back home.

There is so much work that happens behind the scenes before the first day of school. Finalizing schedules, preparing classrooms, building systems, welcoming new staff members, and making sure every detail is considered. Our team has approached this work with excitement and a shared commitment to creating a campus where every student feels welcomed, supported, and ready to succeed.

Next week, our teachers will return, and the energy across the building will grow even more. Our staff is an incredible group of educators and professionals who are eager to begin building relationships, creating engaging classrooms, and helping students have a successful year.

As we prepare for the first day, I want families to know Montgomery Junior High is ready. We are excited. We are committed. We cannot wait to welcome our students back to campus.

Proud to serve Montgomery Junior High,

Tim Chesser

Principal

The 6th Grade Bear Bash is our new student orientation event. This welcome event is designed to give our new students (all 6th graders and newly enrolled 7/8 graders) a peek inside MJH and experience what it is like to #beabear. The event will be on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, beginning at 3pm. A cash purchase concession stand will be provided by our PTO. A spirit wear booth will also be operating prior to the parent meeting beginning at 4:30pm.

2:45: Parents drop off students in the car rider line. Please follow the road signs on Stewart Creek Rd. to enter the parent line drive. Carpools are encouraged for students who have working parents.

3:00: Pep-rally in the Auxiliary Gym. Staff and Student Leaders will be present to direct our new students to the pep-rally. Students will learn the student cheer, alma-mater, watch performances by our MJH Band, MJH Cheerleaders, and the MJH Jr. Belles. Students will have the opportunity to participate in a competitive pep-rally game, or cheer on their fellow students.

3:45: School Tours. Students will be taken in small groups by our Student Leaders to get a detailed tour of areas of the school, including Fine-arts, Cafeteria, Gyms, Offices, and Classrooms.

4:15: Fun Time. Students will get to interact with old and new friends in the main Gym. Thank you to our sponsor - FunJumps Event Rentals - who are providing inflatable activities and games for this event.

5:00: The new student parent meeting will start at 5:00. We will encourage staff to leave the parking lot open for parents attending this event. Arrive early for spirit wear purchases starting at 4:30.

6:00: Parents can connect with their children and head on home.

For families that are unable to attend this event, digital copies of student schedules will be available on the Skyward family portal at 12 noon, August10. All students will receive official schedules during alphabetized homerooms on the first day of school.

One of the first areas I was contacted about when named the new principal at MJH was the Car Rider Line. I came to observe it a few times, and the concerns were valid. Through a collaborative review process, the following changes are going to help improve both student safety and process efficiency. There are attached visuals for reference below.

1. All parents are expected to use the car rider line to drop students. Please do not drop students off in the street as this puts them, you and other drivers in harm's way. The area marked in red on the map is a no dropping zone per the newly installed road signs. Please honor these signs for safety sake. If witnessed by administration on morning duty, we will reach out to encourage use of the car rider line.

2. All bus traffic will be facilitated through the bus drive, including special transportation busses. This promotes safety for our special transportation riders by removing them from potentially moving vehicles in the car rider line. It improves efficiency by removing the obstacle and interruption of the line. Cars will be able to move through the line without stopped busses standing in their way.

3. On non-rainy days, the drop-off and pick-up zones are being expanded. See the purple line on the map. There will be large signs and staff along the zone to guide you. Always pull forward until the car in front of you stops. If there is a sidewalk for students to get out on, then it is in the zone. On rainy days, the zone will be shortened. Expect more time to get through the line on rainy days.

4. Walkers: While there is not an official crosswalk on Stewart Creek Rd. at our parking exit, our School Resource Officer is able to assist students crossing the street. All students who walk to school should travel along the grass inside the curb on the South Side of the street, and wait by the officer. They can cross on her direction. The crossing area is marked in blue.

5. Our staff parking lot will be restricted to parking pass holders only between 6:45 and 7:15 am, and after school. If you have a meeting and arrive during these hours, you will have to take the car rider line around to enter. If you are one of those early risers who likes to arrive before 6:45 and wait to drop off your student, we encourage you to wait in the car rider line rather than the parking lot. We are going to be limiting individuals crossing the crosswalk between the parking lot and front doors in order to honor an efficient flow. If your child has special needs, please contact the campus special education office or your child's AP to review options for your child.

6. Staffing: You may have witnessed in the past years only 1 or 2 staff members directing the car rider line. We will have 5 staff members out supporting the efficient flow of traffic.

We are committed to improving all areas of MJH to be nothing less than excellent. Your support in these expectations and changes is greatly appreciated.

Welcome to MJH PTO! We are a volunteer-based organization that focuses on the teachers and students of Montgomery Junior High School. We strive to build a strong partnership between parents, teachers, and the school. Our goal is to provide a supportive and enriching environment for our students and teachers.

We host a variety of events and fundraisers throughout the year to support the school and its programs, and to ensure that our students and teachers have access to the resources they need. We welcome everyone to join our community and be a part of something great. We would not be successful without you.

Please join at THIS LINK

For Questions or Volunteer interest, please email the PTO at mjhpto1@gmail.com

School Supplies are a critical part of every student's school day. We want to make sure they have what they need and aren't wasting time and money gathering things they don't.

By no later than August 10, we will have an updated list of school supplies by grade and subject. These lists will be posted on teachers classroom doors during Bear Beginnings (see above). We will also update our webpage with this information. Students will have until the end of August to purchase what they need from the lists. If we can gather the information prior to August 10th, we will communicate the update and provide the list at that time.

Congratulations to our very own MJH teacher, Coach Knauer!

We are beyond proud to celebrate Brittany Knauer on being named the ESC Region 6 Secondary Teacher of the Year!

This incredible honor is a testament to her passion for teaching, dedication to her students, and the positive impact she makes every single day. Brittany, thank you for representing Montgomery Junior High with excellence. We are so proud to call you one of our own!

Please join us in congratulating Coach Knauer on this well-deserved achievement!

Contact at 936.276.3300 or linked emails below

6th Grade

Nicole Petillo - Assistant Principal

Rachel Ballew - Counselor

7th Grade

Dr. Nikki Mullinnix - Assistant Principal

Tressie Stewart - Counselor

8th Grade

Chris Bails - Assistant Principal

Tracie Vickery - Counselor

Principal

Tim Chesser