JTA Parent Update

Monday, September 1

• NO SCHOOL - LABOR DAY

Wednesday, September 3

• Girls' Basketball HOME vs. LaRue County 5:30
• Football HOME vs. North Middle 5:30 (at North Hardin High School)

Thursday, September 4

• Football HOME vs. East Hardin 5:30

Friday, September 5

• Picture Day - used in the yearbook

Monday, September 8

• Girls Basketball HOME vs. Ft. Knox 5:30

Tuesday, September 9

• REGIONAL HIGH ATTENDANCE DAY!
• Football HOME vs. East Hardin 5:30 (at North Hardin High School)

Wednesday, September 10

• PROGRESS REPORT #1 COMING HOME!

As we wrap up the first month of school, I want to take a moment to share something that’s been on my heart.

This year has started off incredibly smoothly, and I’ve been deeply encouraged—not just by the routines falling into place, but by the quiet, beautiful moments happening in our hallways and classrooms every day. I’ve seen students hug each other in the hallway just because they’re happy to see one another. I’ve watched them stop to help a friend who dropped something, or invite someone new into a game at lunch. I’ve seen sportsmanship that goes beyond the scoreboard, and character that shines in the way they treat one another.

Most moving of all, I’ve witnessed students reaching out to their peers with special needs—not out of obligation, but out of genuine friendship. They are choosing kindness. They are choosing connection. And they are showing us, every day, what it means to be part of a community.

We hear so much in the media about what’s going wrong with this generation. But I want to tell you: these kids are amazing. They are resilient. They are hard-working. They are joyful. And they are growing into the kind of people who will make this world better.

Parents, thank you. Thank you for raising children who know how to love, how to lead, and how to lift each other up. It is an honor to walk alongside them—and you—this school year.

With gratitude,

Danielle Cassady

Principal

James T. Alton Middle School

Students were rewarded and got to celebrate meeting i-Ready goals based on their first reading and math diagnostic. If students met at least one goal in either subject. Students had to aim for not going down or maintaining their score from their spring diagnostic. Even if a student did not meet their goal, all students were rewarded with some outside time. Students who met their goal in both reading and math received a free ticket to our Back to School Dance. There were a total of 131 students who met their goal in both reading and math. Way to go students!

Did your student come home and tell you the teachers were dressing and acting weird this week? Our teachers held an underground spirit week to celebrate making it through the first month of school. We also wanted to have some fun with the kids and try to get them to figure out what we were up to. Check out this week's fun!

Students had their first dance Friday, August 29 to celebrate coming back to school and to wind down with friends. Having time to decompress and be a kid is just as important as academics.

This week, Mrs. Edwards's class built airplanes using styrofoam and toothpicks. They were tasked with using resources along with engineering techniques to build an airplane model that mirrored an actual plane and could fly.

Students took on the spaghetti marshmallow tower challenge in Mr. Bell's class. They were given 20 spaghetti noodles, 3 feet of tape, and 3 feet of string. Using these limited resources and the engineering principals learned in class, they were challenged to build the tallest freestanding tower that could support a marshmallow on top.

Mrs. Conley's career choices classes were visited by Mrs. Morris to present them with "Walking Art." The students learned about her passion and creativity about how to paint and design shoes. Students took what they learned to create their own designs.

Mrs. Reynolds's students used pattern blocks to visualize what happens to the area of a shape when using a scaled copy.

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.

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

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

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced small

• 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed

• 1 small red onion, diced

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp cumin

• 1 tsp chili powder

• ½ tsp paprika

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 8 small corn or flour tortillas

Optional Toppings:

• Chopped cilantro

• Avocado or guacamole

• Salsa or hot sauce

• Shredded lettuce

• Plain Greek yogurt (as a healthy sour cream alternative)

• Lime wedges

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).

2. On a baking sheet, toss diced sweet potatoes and red onion with olive oil, cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.

3. Roast for 20-25 minutes, stirring halfway, until sweet potatoes are tender and slightly crisp.

4. While vegetables roast, warm the tortillas and heat black beans in a small pot or microwave with a splash of water and a pinch of salt.

5. Assemble tacos: layer sweet potatoes, black beans, and desired toppings in tortillas.

6. Serve with lime wedges on the side.
   
   

Side Dish Ideas

• A quick cabbage slaw (cabbage, lime juice, salt)

• Brown rice or quinoa

• Baked plantains or corn on the cob