Parker JHS Newsletter

Greetings Parker Students and Families,

Please see important information below:

School Improvement Day

Friday, October 30th is School Improvement Day and Early Release for students. The school day ends at 10:45 am.

Pink Out Girls Basketball Game

Join us Monday, October 26th for our Pink Out Girls Basketball Game.

Grade Reporting Timeline

Please be sure to review the Grade Reporting Timeline and additional information in the Curriculum and Assessment section of this newsletter. If you have specific curriculum questions, please reach out to your child's teacher for assistance.

Cell Phone Policy

Parker Junior High School is a cell phone free campus. Scholars were provided YONDR pouches to secure cell phones throughout the school day. It is expected that teachers will verify during Homeroom that cell phones are properly secured. As a result of the cell phone policy, we believe:

• Scholars will thrive in distraction-free classrooms to fully engage and thrive.
• Educators can focus on teaching rather than on classroom management
• Scholars will interact more with educators and peers which is essential to social development
• Reduction of distractions from cyberbullying, social media and negative images

Thank you for supporting our efforts to properly engage our scholars during the school day.

Campus Safety: Middle School After-School Supervision

Please - Please - Please: Monitor students during after school hours

Middle school students are not permitted on elementary school campuses after the middle school dismissal bell unless they are under the direct supervision of a parent or guardian.

Because elementary schools dismiss later than the middle school, unsupervised older students on these campuses create safety hazards and disrupt elementary dismissal procedures. After dismissal, middle school students must immediately head home, report to an official after-school program, or be picked up.

We are receiving several concerns from the community that middle school students are engaging on Elementary School campus after school hours without proper supervision. Please have a conversation with your child regarding these concerns.

Thank you for partnering with us to keep all students in our district safe.

• Students entering preschool, kindergarten, sixth grade, and students who are new to the District must provide proof of the required Illinois State physical examination and immunizations.

• Please note: A sports physical does not meet the Illinois school physical examination requirement.

Hearing and Vision - October 26th and 27th

• 8th graders will participate during PE classes

• Health Professionals will be on site to facilitate the screening

• Media Center will be utilized for pull out hearing and vision sessions

• Re-screening is scheduled for November 6th in the Media Center

• 6th and 7th New, transfer and SPED scholars (all grade levels) will participate in screening as well

We value your partnership and look forward to working closely with you to support your child's education. Thank you for your continued support of our school community.

Educationally Yours,

Ursula Parris, Principal

Parker Junior High School

Important Dates

10.26.26

• Halloween Spirit Week Begins - Wacky Halloween Hat Day - Wear your wackiest/scariest hat

• Gold Jazz Band Practice (Trumpets/Clarinets) - 3:05 p.m. - LGI

• Boys Basketball Practice - 3:05 p.m. - South Gym

• Knitting & Crochet Club - 3:05 p.m. - Dewey's Room (E2)

• Cheer Performance at Pink Out Game - 3:30 p.m. - North Gym

• Dance Performance at Pink Out Game - 3:30 p.m. - North Gym

• Girls BBall Pink Out Game vs Colin Powell - 3:30 p.m. - North Gym - Rock your Pink🎀

10.27.26

• Time Warp Decade Day - Dress from your favorite decade

• 8th Grade FT to AllState Arena Chicago Wolves

• Boys Basketball Practice - 3:05 p.m. - South Gym

• Girls Basketball Practice - 3:05 p.m. - North Gym

• Gold Jazz Band Practice - 3:05 p.m. - LGI

10.28.26

• H-F Late Start Day

• Cozy Fall Day - Wear fall colors, flannels and your favorite beanie

• Gold Jazz Band Practice (Flutes/Oboe/Saxophones) - 3:05 p.m. - LGI

• Boys Basketball Practice - 3:05 p.m. - North Gym

• Cheer Practice - 3:05 p.m. - South Gym

• Dance Practice - Film Day - 3:05 p.m. - Room B5

• Anime Club - 3:05 p.m. - Media Center

• LEGO Club (6th Grade ONLY) - 3:05 p.m - Room D11

• Fall Play Pizza Party - 3:05 p.m. - MUR

• Newspaper Meeting - 3:05 p.m. - Room E3

• Girls BBall Game vs Obama - 3:30 p.m. - Obama

10.29.26

• Age Swap Day - (See flyer below for grade level instructions)

• Humanities FT to Chicago History Museum

• Boys Basketball Practice - 3:05 p.m. - South Gym

• Girls Basketball Practice - 3:05 p.m. - North Gym

• Blue Jazz Band Practice - 3:05 p.m - LGI

• Dance (Captains Practice) - 3:05 p.m. - MUR

10.30.26

• Halloween Costume Day - Wear your costume

• School Improvement Day - 10:45 a.m. - Early Dismissal for Students

We're excited to announce that we're working in partnership with H-F High School to offer our scholars the opportunity to take PSAT this fall. This opportunity provides students with early exposure to

the high school environment while gathering valuable academic insights to support their upcoming transition to high school. We are seeking 100% student participation in the assessment and permission slips are due Tuesday October 27, 2026.

A few reminders for test day:

What to Bring:

● Students must bring their Student I.D.

● Students cannot bring: Backpacks, Meta glasses, Computers, Headphones, or Electronic

devices.

● Cell phones must be turned off and put away for the entirety of their time at H-F.

● Students should dress in layers to adjust to the testing room temperature.

Testing Conditions:

● Students will take the PSAT 8/9 which takes about 2.5 hours to complete with standard time.

● Homewood-Flossmoor High School will ensure that all students have fully charged Chromebooks. These devices will be connected to our network and equipped with the necessary PSAT testing browser.

● H-F will also provide scratch paper and pencils for students.

Food and Snacks:

● Students should bring a snack and drinks for their break time in a paper bag or lunch box. The

The drink must have a resealable lid. Anything in a can, i.e. soda, will not be allowed.

● H-F will provide students with a boxed lunch.

Transportation:

● Students will be transported from Parker to Homewood-Flossmoor High School’s North

Building Door A for testing at approximately 8:30 a.m.

● Additional bus routes back to Parker will run for students who receive extended time accommodations.

8th Grade Upcoming Events:

• Cap and Gown Measurement Day - Wednesday, December 16, 2026
• Graduation Picture Day - Wednesday, February 17, 2027
• Graduation Retake Picture Day - Friday, March 26, 2027
• Graduation Day - Tuesday, June 1, 2027

Ms. Hahn - 7th Grade Math

Math Stations and Student Collaboration

• 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 Parking on School Street. Please maintain traffic flow and drop off scholars from Braemar Street!

  
  

• Transportation

• Bus information is available in Skyward for families. If you have any transportation questions, please contact Ms. Alma Gonzalez at 708-546-7072.
• Please prepare to arrive 10 minutes before the scheduled pick up time on the first day of school.

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.

Scholar attendance for after school activities

SSJHSA conference rule: ALL Scholars MUST be accompanied by THEIR PARENT in order to attend any home games. Parents must stay with their scholar for the duration of the game. If the parent leaves the game, so does the scholar.

Good Night Rule

At the conclusion of every home game and/or competition held at Parker, families and scholars have 15 minutes to exit the building. We thank you in advance for adhering to this rule!

Boys Basketball

Tryouts will conclude on Friday, October 23, 2026. All students must have had a sports physical on file and returned a completed packet. Good luck everyone!

Girls Basketball

Our 8th Grade Girls Basketball Team defeated Hart on Tuesday, October 13th with a score of 40-26! Our 7th Grade Girls defeated Kankakee on Tuesday, October 20th in OT! Both teams continue to play hard at each and every game. Great work Lady Falcons!

Veterans Day Assembly

We are looking to recognize our veterans at our upcoming assembly on November 10, 2026. If you are interested in attending and being recognized, please email Mr. Small at csmall@sd161.org for additional details.

FRIGHT CLUB

Can you scare someone in just 100 words?

A knock at the door. A figure in the dark. A curse. A missing person. A ghost who's having the time of their afterlife...

Fright Club challenges students to create an original ghost story in just 100 words. Creepy, mysterious, funny, or truly terrifying, the story is theirs.

Write it. Enter it. Get published.

A 100-word story could turn a student into a real author.

Give your students the thrill of becoming published writers, with the opportunity to see their Fright Club stories published in a Young Writers anthology.

And, there's more to play for:

3 STUDENT WINNERS

Their 3 favorite published writers will each win a $50 Amazon gift card.

TOP SCHOOL

The school with the best set of entries will receive the Young Writers Award of Excellence.

For questions and more information, see Mrs. E. Nicotra in room E5 or email enicotra@sd161.org

🎃 Parker Trunk or Treat is Back! 🎃

October we continue showing Empathy towards our fellow classmates

All core teachers are working diligently to analyze academic data and organize scholars into targeted WIN Classes. WIN stands for "What I Need," which Parker is taking a step further this school year by intentionally placing students in classes based on what their comprehensive academic data is telling us. For example, a student who may need tier 2 support in math may be placed directly with their math teacher; this allows for more intentional small group instruction and scholar feedback.

While viewing your child’s report card, take note of the standards in each quarter. This will allow you to have a clear understanding of the standards and concepts that your child is working on in class. From there, students can work on standards using IXL.com or Achieve3000.com

NWEA MAP

• Winter: December 14 - 17, 2026
• Spring: April 27 - 29, 2027

AIMsWEB Testing

• Winter: January 4 - 7, 2027
• Spring: May 3 - 6, 2027

Illinois Science Assessment (8th Grade Only)

• April 12 - 15, 2027

Illinois Assessment of Readiness (Math and Reading) (All Grade Levels)

• March 8 - April 8, 2027

Grade Level Community Meeting Dates

8th Grade Reminders

Dear Parker Family Community,

Please review the following technology policies for our 8th-grade students to help us maintain a focused learning environment.

• Cell Phones: All phones must be secured in Yondr bags immediately upon arrival at school.

• Headphones: Headphones are not permitted during the instructional day and should be left at home.

• Tablets: Personal tablets must stay at home. Every student is provided with a school-issued Chromebook for academic work. Personal devices are not allowed due to recent instances of unauthorized communication during school hours.

Thank you for your cooperation and support. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Important Reminders

• Please reinforce with your student the importance of maintaining appropriate physical boundaries and respectful conduct toward their peers. This expectation is fundamental to creating a safe and inclusive learning environment for all members of our school community.
• We encourage you to review the school's comprehensive policies and procedures with your student, emphasizing their responsibility to adhere to all established guidelines (See link access above). This collaborative approach to accountability supports both academic success and positive school climate.

Thank you for your continued partnership in supporting our students' growth and development.

• The expectation is that scholars come to school wearing their ID's everyday and throughout the entire school day…NO EXCEPTIONS!
• Students who missed Picture Day will have another opportunity at Picture Retake Day on Tuesday, October 6th and will be provided an ID at that time (this information is forthcoming so please be on the lookout for the email).

• Please encourage your scholar to adhere to locker times per grade level. Failure to do so, will result in a consequence.

• Headphones are NOT permitted at Parker. Please speak with your child and remind him/her not to bring headphones to school. Review our handbook for all dress code expectations (See Link Above).

• Please remind scholars of our Parker expectations to be RESPECTFUL, RESPONSIBLE AND READY TO LEARN: upon arrival, during transitions, dismissal and in every class. Our goal is to provide a safe and structured environment where all scholars can thrive. Thank you for your support!

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.].

Chef Pop-Up Event at Parker Junior High on Wednesday, October 28!

Our featured menu will be Boneless Wings, with students having the choice of three delicious flavors:

We’re looking forward to bringing some excitement to the lunchroom and offering students a fun dining experience!

Students who purchase items from the School Store will be able to pick up purchased items during their grade level lunch period every Friday.

UPDATE: Virtual School Store is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8am to 4pm. Scholars can purchase items during WIN. Please DO NOT purchase items unless you have downtime!

Get ready for some friendly competition and school spirit—Color Wars are coming to Parker Junior High!

This year, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade teachers have been paired into Color War Teams! Throughout the year, teams will have opportunities to earn points by participating, showing school spirit, supporting our students, and working together.

Scholars earned their PBIS incentive for Pajama pants! Scholars can wear Pajama pants on November 6, 2026!

Parker Junior High School will be a phone-free space. Scholars will be required to use the Yondr Pouch while in school. 6th , 7th and 8th Grade scholars will receive a Yondr pouch the 1st week of school. Scholars new to FSD 161 and PJHS will receive a Yondr pouch.

Email: uparris@sd161.org
Website: https://www.sd161.org/o/parker-junior-high
Location: 2810 School Street, Flossmoor, Illinois 60422