Parker Junior High Newsletter

Greetings Parker Community

Please select a specific topic by accessing the Table of Contents to the left.

Hello Parker Families,

Teacher Appreciation Week is coming up from May 4th - 8th and we are excited to honor the incredible educators who support our scholars every day. Our teachers are more than instructors; they are mentors, data analysts, and content specialists who work tirelessly to provide the best experience for every child.

We invite all families to join us in making this week special. While gifts are never expected, a small token of gratitude can make a teacher feel truly seen and valued.

How You Can Participate:

Write a Note: A simple handwritten card or a heartfelt email from a parent or student is often a teacher’s favorite gift.
Small Treats: Consider sending in a favorite snack or extra classroom supplies.
Group Gifts: Some families may choose to contribute for a class gift basket or a group donation for a special treat.
Volunteer: If you have time, consider helping with event setup or providing snacks for the teachers' lounge.

Thank you for your ongoing partnership and for helping us celebrate the dedicated professionals who inspire our children daily.

Text Message Opt-In

Signing up for District 161’s text message alerts is quick and easy. Simply text the word “YES” to 67587 from the cell phone on which you wish to receive text messages. Please make sure that your cell phone number is up-to-date in Skyward. If you need to update your phone number, please contact the office at your child’s school. Click here for more information.

Flossmoor SD 161 Virtual Backpack

Access this link for Flossmoor and neighboring community events. Please see the featured organizations below by accessing the online Parker Virtual Backpack

HF Level Up Spring Camp

Flossmoor Baseball and Softball

Hazel Crest Park District After School Program

Hazel Crest Park District Summer Camp

You Matter 2 Spring Programs 2026

Homewood Public Library March Events 2026

Idlewild Caddie Program - Spring 2026

Olympia Field CC Caddy Program - 2026 (Summer Work Opportunities)

Would you like your not-for-profit organization event advertised on the Flossmoor SD 161 Virtual Backpack? Please access here for additional information.

Flossmoor SD 161 Elementary School Access

Parker JHS scholars are not permitted on FSD 161 Elementary School grounds until classes have been dismissed at 3:30 pm. If scholars are meeting or picking up a sibling, they must adhere to this procedure. Please reiterate this to your children as we strive to maintain safety for all schools of Flossmoor SD 161.

Above and Beyond Recognition

Our Staff Recognition Program, Above and Beyond, is designed to spotlight our staff members in all that they do for our students and community. Each school and department has the opportunity to nominate a staff member who exemplifies the characteristics and professional traits outlined below:
- participates above and beyond the defined boundaries of his/her duties and responsibilities
- takes initiative to develop or implement a creative solution to benefit the students, school, or
community
- positive, punctual, and professional
- demonstrates effective communication and outreach across all settings
- inspires others to make D161 a better place

Nominate a deserving Parker Staff Member by accessing the Above and Beyond link.

Flossmoor Parking

Flossmoor parking is only permitted on the non-hydrant side of the street. Verne Lane has been recently congested, and Flossmoor Police Department will enforce parking laws in the area. This applies during all of our Athletic and After School Activities. Please assist us in abiding with traffic safety!

Educationally Yours,

Ursula Parris, Principal

Parker Junior High School

5.2.26

Musical Call Time - 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. - North Gym
PJH Musical The Rockin' Tale of Snow White Matinee Show - 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. - North Gym

5.4.26

NHD State Competition in Springfield, IL
Boys & Girls Soccer Practice - 3:05 p.m. - Soccer Field
Track Practice - 3:05 p.m. - North Gym

5.5.26

Girls On the Run (GOTR) Practice - 3:05 p.m. - MUR
Green Team Meeting - 3:05 p.m. - Room 61
Track Practice - 3:05 p.m. - South Gym
Boys Soccer Game vs Memorial - 4:15 p.m. - Memorial

5.6.26

H-F Late Start Day
3rd & 4th grade Band/Orchestra Demonstration Concert - 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. - North Gym
Track Practice - 3:05 p.m. - Columbia
Student Council Meeting - 3:05 p.m. - Room 18
Boys Soccer Game vs Crete- 4:15 p.m. - Parker
Girls Soccer Game vs Crete - 5:15 p.m. - Parker
Visual Arts Expo - 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. - Normandy Villa

5.7.26

SSJHSA Track Conference - 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. - Columbia
Anime Club - 3:05 p.m. - Media Center
Girls On the Run (GOTR) Practice - 3:05 p.m. - MUR
Boys Soccer Game vs Hart - 4:15 p.m. - Hart
Girls Soccer Game vs Hart - 4:15 p.m. - Parker
Parker Junior High 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade Choir Concert - 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. - North Gym

5.8.26

(RAIN DATE) - SSJHSA Track Conference - 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. - Columbia
Track Practice - 3:05 p.m. - South Gym
Falconette Mentoring - 3:05 p.m. - Media Center

Superintendent Search Update

The Board of Education recently heard an update from BWP and Associates on the superintendent search process. Specifically, they discussed the leadership profile that was developed using information from the stakeholder survey and the in-person focus groups. Looking forward, the Board of Education intends to begin interviewing candidates in mid-May, with a recommendation for hire coming at the June 15th Board meeting.

District Department Plans

District 161 department leaders presented the tentative Department Plans for the 2026-27 school year. We discuss the initial plans in April, so that changes and adjustments can be made before the building teams begin building their School Improvement Plans in June. Looking forward to the 2026-27 school year, we will be refreshing the Strategic Plan and that process should be completed by March. Once that is done, the district will be on an aligned schedule that will lead to consistent improvement.

Preschool Expansion

For the 2026-27 school year, we will be offering a full-day Preschool classroom at Flossmoor Hills, along with two half-day classrooms. The adjustment is a pilot program that the Board of Education will use to make future decisions regarding Preschool programming. In order to be considered for Preschool services in District 161, your child must complete the screening process and that information can be found here.

May 2026

8th Grade Field Trip: Movies - Tuesday, May 26, 2026

Great America Trip- Wednesday, May 27, 2026

8th Grade Picnic - Thursday, May 28, 2026

8th Grade Dance - Friday, May 29, 2026

June 2026

Graduation Rehearsal - Monday, June 1, 2026

Graduation Rehearsal - Tuesday, June 2, 2026

8th Grade Graduation - June 2, 2026 - 6:00 PM at HF High School

Graduation Ticket Pick-Up

Each graduate will receive four tickets only! Graduation tickets are available for pick up at Parker Junior High School at Door A entrance (Main Office Lobby) during the dates and time provided below. Parents are required to provide identification and sign that they received the graduation tickets.

Tuesday, May 26, 2026 - Friday, May 29, 2026

9:00 am -11:00 am

2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Access HF High School Incoming Freshman Information Here

Entrance and Exit - Parker Staff will be available to escort scholars to Grade Level Entrance
- 6th Grade Scholars - Door B
- 7th Grade Scholars - Door G
- 8th Grade Scholars - Door J
School Street is one way for Arrival and Dismissal
- Braemar Street to School Street to Douglass (Optional right or left turn)
- No stopping on School Street. Please maintain traffic flow and drop off scholars ONLY on the curb side of School Street.
Transportation

Bus information is available in Skyward for families. If you have any transportation questions, please contact Ms. Wanda Alexander at 708-546-7072.

E-Bike / E-Scooter Update

At its meeting on Monday, Feb. 2, the Flossmoor Village Board of Trustees approved an ordinance prohibiting the riding of e-scooters on all sidewalks in the central business district. Flossmoor also currently abides by the other e-bike and e-scooter regulations set by the State of Illinois, including the 18+ age requirement for low-speed e-scooters and the 16+ age requirement for Class 3 e-bikes. View more regulations in the shown graphic. Questions? Please contact the Police Department at 708-957-4500 or info@flossmoor.org.

The Parker Press Newspaper: Created by Parker Scholars for Parker Community

Access Newspaper Here

Soccer

The games against Hart were canceled on 4/27 due to the weather. The teams faced Columbia Central on Tuesday, 4/28. The boys lost 5-1 while the girls won 9-0! The teams faced Kankakee on Thursday, 4/30 and the girls won 4-0 but the boys lost 6-1. The teams will face Hart on Monday 5/4. The boys play Memorial on 5/5, both teams face Crete on 5 /6 and Hart again on 5/7. Good luck Falcons!

Track

The team has been practicing and running hard this season. Hard to believe that we are already at the conference meet! Our Falcons run in the SSJHSA conference meet on Thursday 5/7 at Columbia Central. Good luck Falcons!

Academic eligibility

Per IESA guideline 2.043 For all IESA activities, athletic as well as non-athletic, passing work shall be checked weekly. Eligibility will be applied to the Monday through Saturday following the week that was checked. Students must be passing each subject each week to be eligible.

The CKH focus is perseverance. Specifically, locking in

and finishing strong!

Keep focused on your academics and stay respectful,

responsible and ready to learn!

Pie a Staff Member Fundraiser

Our Student Council is excited to host a fun school fundraiser called “Pie a Staff Member!” Students will have the opportunity to purchase raffle tickets for a chance to throw a pie at a participating staff member. All proceeds from this event will be donated to St. Judes Children’s Research Hospital.

Ticket Sales:

Tickets will be sold during lunch from April 27 through May 8.

Students can purchase 2 tickets for $1 and place them in the container for the staff member they would like a chance to pie.

Event Dates:

6th Grade: May 13 during Period 6
7th Grade: May 13 during Period 4
8th Grade: May 14 during Period 4

This fun event supports a great cause, and we are excited to come together as a school community to raise money for St. Judes Children’s Research Hospital.

SD 161 Parent Student Handbook - Click Here

SD 161 Learning and Instruction - Standards Based Learning (Click Here)

Homework Help

Families, please be advised that Smart watches, iPads/tablets, Ai/meta glasses, etc. are prohibited, along with cell phones and listening devices while at Parker! Students using such devices will receive a referral for a Technology Violation and be assigned a Saturday Detention. Thank you for your continued support in fostering a distraction-free learning environment!

Please do not send scholars to school with food, or drink items larger than personal size. We’ve seen scholars bring liter drinks recently, which have caused disruptions. There is no time in the day to consume such large quantities. Additionally, water is the only beverage allowed to be consumed and carried throughout the day. If staff sees a scholar with anything other than water during the day (besides lunch), they will be asked to discard it. Thank you for your cooperation.

Please note being tardy to class comes with consequences. If your scholar is late, please note the following:

1st Tardy - Warning
2nd Tardy - Phone call home
3rd Tardy - 30 minute detention
4th Tardy - 60 minute detention (Dean Assigns)
5th Tardy - Saturday detention (Dean Assigns)

Physical Aggression is not tolerated at Parker JHS!

Parker scholars are encouraged to be Respectful, Responsible, and Ready to Learn.

We appreciate your cooperation in maintaining a positive school culture.

Together, we can ensure that our school remains a safe space for all scholars.

We have noticed an uptick in lost ID’s in all grade levels; ID’s must be worn daily- NO EXCEPTIONS. There is a $5.00 replacement fee billed to your scholar's Skyward account for each printed ID and we encourage you to check your scholar's Skyward account. Scholars can request a replacement ID by going to Parker’s Canvas Media page and clicking on Parker Announcements; replacement ID’s are issued on Mondays only. Below are our ID Policy Guidelines.

In order to maintain a safe and secure learning environment, all students and staff are required to wear their school ID badges during school hours. This ensures quick identification of people in the building and fosters accountability.

Parker ID Policy Guidelines:

IDs must be visible at all times, worn on your Parker issued grade level lanyard.
Students are responsible for keeping their IDs in good condition and bringing them to school EVERY day.
Lost or damaged IDs must be replaced; replacement fees may apply. Request a replacement ID using this google form ONLY if your ID is lost and not if you’ve FORGOTTEN it somewhere else.
Scholars will be issued temporary sticker IDs in the event that they do not have their ID, but they will escalate through the consequences listed below.
Scholars with their IDs and barcodes are called first for lunch to accommodate the lunchroom scanning process; scholars without IDs must wait and are unable to purchase ala carte items.
IDs are required for entry to all after school activities and sporting events.
Temporary sticker IDs will be issued, but consequences will follow as outlined below:

1st → Warning

2nd → Parent Contact

3rd → 30-minute after school detention

4th → 60-minute after school detention

5th → Saturday Detention & $5 replacement ID fee

6.20 School Dress Code

We expect all students to be dressed appropriately and comfortably for school each day. Students are expected to be reasonably dressed and prepared to participate in a professional and hard working school environment. Any student whose dress is deemed to be inappropriate will be provided with a shirt or shorts that will appropriately cover the dress code violation.

Clothes must be worn in such a way that the genitals, buttocks, stomach, sides, back and chest area are fully covered with opaque fabric. All undergarments must be fully covered.

The following apply to all student attire:

a) Shirts must have opaque fabric in the front, back and on the sides under the arms that extends to the waistband.

b) Pants/sweatpants/shorts/ skirt/dress/leggings must be worn at waist level and in such a way that genitals, buttocks, undergarments are fully covered with opaque fabric.

c) Shoes must be worn at all times.

The following guidance is intended to illustrate implementation of the above requirements for students, parents, and school personnel while on school property:

1. Jackets, coats, hats, hoods, gloves, and other forms of outerwear apparel are not to be worn in school. Fleece and sweatshirts may be worn in school as long as a hood is not covering a student’s head.

2. No head covering or cap may be worn in the school unless for religious or health reasons.

3. Only prescription glasses may be worn in school.

4. Attire, earrings, jewelry, pins, or any other type of wearing apparel or accessories that advertise, promote, or depict alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, drugs, gangs, weapons, nudity, obscenity, or profanity are not to be worn in school.

5. Students are not permitted to wear or advertise in any manner drug, alcohol, weapons, or any controlled substance paraphernalia.

6. Pajama attire is not to be worn in school, unless given special permission [PBIS reward, etc.].

Access SD161 Parent - Student Handbook Here

30 day grace period for free and reduced lunch

30 day grace period for free and reduced lunch has expired. If parents have not either been confirmed by the state for SNAP/TANF or Medicaid status or have not completed a new free/reduced lunch application in Skyward, their lunch status may be back to paid. Complete a lunch form in Skyward to correct your status!

Text Message Opt-In
Signing up for District 161’s text message alerts is quick and easy. Simply text the word “YES” to 67587 from the cell phone on which you wish to receive text messages. Please make sure that your cell phone number is up-to-date in Skyward. If you need to update your phone number, please contact the office at your child’s school. Click here for more information.