JTA Parent Update

Monday, February 16

• NTI Pizza Party

Thursday, February 19

• School-wide field trip to the PAC
• Volleyball AWAY vs. LaRue County @ 5:30 pm

Friday, February 20

• 6th Grade Field Trip to see Percy Jackson
• End of Trimester 2 - all missing work due this day
  
  

Monday, February 23

• Volleyball HOME vs. West Hardin @ 5:30 pm

Tuesday, February 24

• Volleyball AWAY vs. East Hardin @ 5:30 pm
  
  

Wednesday, February 25

• Student Exhibition Night 5:00 - 6:30 pm (Report cards handed out)

Thursday, February 26

• Report Cards coming home
• Volleyball AWAY vs. Bluegrass @ 5:30 pm

Friday, February 27

• End of Trimester Rewards Trip - 6th grade & 7th grade (Last name A-M)

It is February, and with February comes Valentine’s Day. I remember with great fondness how my elementary teachers would go to great lengths to make that day special. We ate pink frosted cookies and drank Hawaiian Punch, while each of us got the chance to sit and enjoy each other’s company.

In preparation for the day, we each got to make an aluminum foil wrapped shoebox that would hold the dime store valentines we would receive. We would cut red and white construction paper hearts and glue them to our shoeboxes, along with any other trinkets we could find to make our box unique. Finally, we would cut a hole in the top of the box to make depositing them easier for our classmates.

I really loved Valentine’s Day (but I also liked doing the extra odd math problems and checking my answers in the back of the book). All of the holidays were special, but Valentine’s Day gave us a chance to actually tell our friends how much we appreciated them. The only problem was that some students went out of their way to sabotage this kind message. They would “forget” to give a certain classmate a card, leave their name off as the sender, or write an unkind message on the back of cards. I remember one year, we all got a stern talking to from Mrs. Dawson about the importance of being kind.

I guess I was a little ahead of my time, but by 5th grade I was already over the commercialism of the day, and I had had it with Valentine’s Day Grinches. I decided that instead of sending a valentine that was just one that came in a box of 30, I was going to compose a complete, thoughtful sentence on the back of each student’s valentine, expressing my appreciation for them and telling them how much I enjoyed being in class with them at Maryville Elementary. Armed with a class list, two or three boxes of dime store valentines, and a fierce determination to provide a heart-felt message, I went to work:

Dear Sandra, you are my best friend, and I have enjoyed your willingness to share your dessert with me every day. Please return my ten color ink pen.

Dear Ritchie, you’re a great athlete, and I know you will make the basketball team in middle school. I forgive you for pushing me down on the playground in third grade.

Dear Theresa, I liked it when we worked together on our Abraham Lincoln report and got an A, even though I did all the research and drew all of the pictures. It was nice working with you.

In a flash I had finished writing all of my valentines, and they were signed, sealed, and ready for delivery. On Valentine’s Day, my friends and I meandered around the room depositing our small, white envelopes into the aforementioned decorated mailboxes. When we finished, I waited to see how my peers would respond to their sincerely scripted cards. I didn’t receive much validation for my efforts. Instead, everything was business-as-usual, a scene of students ripping open envelopes and searching through their boxes for candy and Rice Krispie Treats. In the excitement of the day, no one acknowledged my efforts.

And yet, over the course of many school years, my classmates did indeed find authentic ways to return my generous gesture. Sandra kept sharing her dessert with me. When I found myself struggling in a class, Theresa would offer to study with me. Ritchie grew at least a foot over the summer and did, in fact, make the basketball team. He and I became good friends, and even into high school, he would have a gang of us over to his house to play Trivial Pursuit. And at every school year’s end, our hearts guided our pens as we scribbled kind messages on the inside covers of yearbooks. I learned it doesn’t take Valentine’s Day to remind us of the need to communicate kindness. We can recognize and acknowledge the inherent goodness in each other on a daily basis. Being inclusive at our school is as meaningless as the message on a candy heart if we don’t show it through actions and words. We can, to paraphrase the famous Rogers and Hart lyric, make everyday Valentine’s Day by banishing bullying behavior, showing respect to each other, and being kind to ourselves. We can show our affection for our school by keeping it clean, making good choices, and making a commitment to come to JTA each day, on time, ready to learn and contribute.

One needs only to chat with students, witness the supportive acts of staff, marvel at our daily volunteers, attend a parent event, or participate in one of our charitable drives to recognize that huge hearts are alive and well in our learning community.

May our hearts continue to shine with kindness, and may every day be Valentine’s Day.

Warmest Regards,

Ms. Cassady

• 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!
  
  
• Student Exhibition Night: Our school will be hosing a student exhibition night one Wednesday, February 25 from 5:00 - 6:30 pm. This is a chance for you to come see student work, defenses of learning, communicate with teachers, and pick up your child's report card for trimester 2. We hope you will join us!
  
  
• Yearbook Extension: Great news! If you haven’t had a chance to order this year’s yearbook yet, Jostens has extended the deadline to Monday, February 23.This means there is time left to purchase a copy of The Trojan Yearbook with your child’s name embossed on the front cover. A limited number of extra copies will be available for purchase when yearbooks arrive at school in April, but those will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Preordering is the only way to guarantee your child receives a personalized copy. The cost is $38. Payment may be made with cash, check, money order, or tap-to-pay by bringing payment to Mr. Roberts at school. For a quick and hassle-free option, you may also order online at www.jostensyearbooks.com. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or email Ms. Howell at madison.howell@hardin.kyschools.us.

We would love to recognize these students for showing characteristics of being a Trojan: Productive, Polite, Prompt, and Prepared!

"Audrey Clark, Abigail Miller, and Bridgit Stahlin are 6th grade students who completed all of their NTI work and turned it in on Monday. They also passed 2 iReady lessons with 30+ min. of time on task by Wednesday of this week! They have been responsible citizens and engaged learners! "

"Odin Carroll sat with Adrian Moore, a new student to our building, and helped him all through lunch. He Showed him how to go through the line and where to put his tray afterward. He has been a real friend to Adrian, going out of his way to make him feel included."

"Alex Scrogham shows commitment to his academic performance everyday. He shows up prepared, ready to work, and is always displaying characteristics of a personal champion."

"I would love a shout out to Owen Armstrong for contacting me over the snow days to complete his NTI work. He did a great job doing all of his NTI and turned it in on time. Keep up the good work Owen. "

"Karter Barrett and Elijah McKinney are 6th grade students who completed all of their NTI work and turned it in on Monday. They also passed 2 iReady lessons with 30+ min. of time on task by Wednesday of this week! They have been responsible citizens and engaged learners!"

"CT Robinson has been knocking the informational essay writing process out of the park! He asks for clarification when needed and is helpful to peers in a respectful and productive manner that embodies what it means to be an effective communicator."

"Ian Garced and Meah Sanders are 6th grade students who completed all of their NTI work and turned it in on Monday. They also passed 2 iReady lessons with 30+ min. of time on task by Wednesday of this week! They have been responsible citizens and engaged learners!"

"Samantha Alborough is always leading by example. She comes into class enriching peers with her leadership and perspective in content. She also produces high quality work and putting forth her best effort. She is the epitome of an engaged learner and effective communicator!"

"Hayden Minter came with a lot of energy, completed all the NTI days' work, excelled at solving systems of equations, helped students during class, participated, and set a good example of an engaged learner."

" Landon Helms and Ayvah Turner are 6th grade students who completed all of their NTI work and turned it in on Monday. They also passed 2 iReady lessons with 30+ min. of time on task by Wednesday of this week! They have been responsible citizens and engaged learners!"

"I would like to give a special shout-out to Jai Lynn Hamler, Lilianna Morris, Aurora Schoenbachler, and Chad C. Lego Jr. These students are in my WIN classroom, and I truly appreciate how they are always Prompt, Prepared, Polite, and Productive, even though we have a short time together each day. Whenever I need assistance with technology or supporting another student, they are always willing to help without hesitation.

Lilianna greets me with a smile every morning, leaves with a smile, and always says, “Have a great day, Ms. Conley.” She eagerly volunteers to answer questions, give feedback, and help others with technology.

Jai Lynn is calm and focused. She consistently completes her work and is always willing to help others.

Aurora is quiet and hardworking. She completes her work and is always ready to lend a helping hand.

Chad C. Lego Jr. (CJ) may be quiet, but he completes his work and is willing to help others whenever needed.

I am so proud of each of you. Thank you for being such positive leaders in our classroom!"

NHHS softball is having open conditioning. This is available to all 7th and 8th graders. Tryouts will be on Feb. 15th from 3:00pm to 6:00pm. Make-up tryouts will be Feb. 16th 4:00pm to 5:30pm. To participate you must have a sports physical on file. For more information, you can pick up a flyer in the front office.

NHHS baseball is having tryouts on Feb 17th and 18th 3:00pm to 6:00pm. This is available to all 7th and 8th graders. To participate you must have a sports physical on file.

JTA baseball tryouts will be next week. 6th Graders will tryout on Tuesday, Feb 17th. 7th grade and 8th Graders will have tryouts on Feb 18th and 19th. Students must have no grade lower than a C and have a physical on file in order to tryout.

Softball tryouts for JTA are February 18 from 3:30 to 5pm in the gym. Must have a ride home and a sports physical on file.

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
Chicken

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp olive oil
  
  

Strawberry Balsamic Glaze

• 1 cup fresh strawberries, finely chopped
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard (optional)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
  
  

Sides (Valentine-themed)

• Roasted red potatoes (cubed)
• Steamed broccoli or green beans
  
  

Directions

1. Roast the Potatoes
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Toss potatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of garlic powder.
3. Roast 25–30 minutes until golden.
   
   
2. Cook the Chicken
1. Season chicken with garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
2. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
3. Cook chicken 5–7 minutes per side until internal temp reaches 165°F.
4. Remove from pan and set aside.
   
   
3. Make the Strawberry Glaze
1. In the same skillet, add strawberries, balsamic vinegar, honey, Dijon, and garlic.
2. Simmer 5–7 minutes until thickened and slightly syrupy.
3. Return chicken to pan and spoon glaze over top. Simmer 2–3 minutes.
   
   
4. Steam the Veggies
1. Steam broccoli or green beans until tender-crisp.