JTA Parent Update

Monday, October 27 - Friday, October 31

• Red Ribbon Week (Spirit Days Info Below)

Monday, October 27

• 8th Grade Girls Basketball Semi-Finals Game @ JTA

Tuesday, October 28

• Trunk or Treat at North Hardin High School 5:00 - 6:30 PM
  
  

Thursday, October 30

• Halloween in the Halls @ 5:30 PM

Friday, October 31

• End of Trimester 1 - ENSURE ALL STUDENT WORK (INCLUDING MISSING ASSIGNMENTS) ARE TURNED IN FOR TEACHERS

Monday, November 3

• NO SCHOOL - FDEA

Tuesday, November 4

• Book Fair begins until November 11

Wednesday, November 5

• Chili Supper & Student-Led Conferences 5:30 - 7:00 PM

Thursday, November 6

• Report Cards go Home

• 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!
  
  
• Houses in the school are competing for our Halloween in the Halls Candy War. We are asking for candy donations. Each house will be competing for ribbons on the House Dominance of the Year competition.
• A pizza party will be awarded to the WIN class that brings in the most candy
• Regardless of which house brings in the most candy, every house has an opportunity to earn a ribbon. For each house that can fill 5 tubs to the top with candy, they will earn a ribbon (30 gallon tubs)

We would love to recognize these students and parents for showing characteristics of an Engaged Learner:

• An individual who applies academic content and skills to deepen understanding, thinks critically to solve problems, demonstrates practical life skills for current and future successes, and asks questions to clarify and seek new learning.
  
  • Analyze how new knowledge and skills were learned, compare and contrast learning with prior experiences, and apply them to new contexts or tasks independently or collaboratively.
  • Analyze a complex problem and integrate information to develop creative approaches, solutions, products, or work; collect and incorporate feedback; and analyze the outcome and its impact.
  • Demonstrate practical life skills connected to relevant/practical contexts or personal plans/goals for the future.
  • Ask clarifying and thoughtful questions about what they are learning and explore connections to a larger theme or idea.

"Shoutout to Eighth Graders Ronin Gardner and Alyie Barnes. They were nominated for the Radcliff Optimist Youth Recognition Ceremony."

"Shoutout to Logan Clark. He always has a smile on his face even though he is a perfectionist. He is an active listener who contributes to the class with meaningful answers and insightful questions."

"Shoutout to Ashley Wallace. She is always paying attention in class and getting her work done. She is a very responsible student who likes to help peers and adults."

"Shoutout to Hollie Warren. In class she is always on task and self-sufficient."

"Shout out to the following students who participate in the North Hardin Marching Band. They are going to Semi-Finals this Saturday! They hope to win and perform that same night for the KMEA State Finals!"

"These students always focus on their work. They ask clarifying questions to make sure they understand, and they give thoughtful answers to questions in class discussions. No matter what other students around them are doing, Rosie and Logan always do their best!"

JTA has been fortunate to introduce orchestra to its curriculum. This new class has allowed students a creative outlet and build new skills.

Mr. Barry Dowell introduced solar energy to Mrs. Conley's Careers Class. The students chose to make a solar project of their choice. The purpose of this project was to represent a way to survive without electricity. Way to show active collaboration and engaged learning!

Mrs. Shabib's eighth grade math students illustrated the concepts of an engaged learner and active collaboration to help them understand how to use the idea of slope and rate of change to solve word problems as a group.

The Lady Trojans Basketball ended their season this week by playing their final playoff game. We would like to show recognition of the eighth graders who will be leaving us and played their last season at JTA. Way to go on a fantastic season! We wish you all the luck and know you all will carry on the Trojan Legacy in high school! Pictured below is the 8th grade team members during their Faculty Recognition Night.

The JTA Football team ended its season on Tuesday, October 21. We would like to show recognition of the eighth graders who will be leaving us and played their last season at JTA. Way to go on a fantastic season! We wish you all the luck and know you all will carry on the Trojan Legacy in high school!

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 (serves 4–5)

• 4 bone-in chicken thighs (or drumsticks)
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, dice
• 1 apple, cored and chopped
• 2 cups Brussels sprouts, halved
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp maple syrup or honey (optional but adds fall flavor)
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard (optional for tang)
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• Salt & pepper to taste
  
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
2. Prep marinade: In a small bowl, mix olive oil, maple syrup/honey, mustard, rosemary, cinnamon, salt, and pepper.
3. Toss veggies & apples: On a large baking sheet, toss sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, apple, and onion with half the marinade.
4. Season chicken: Rub the remaining marinade on chicken thighs. Place them skin-side up on top of the veggies.
5. Roast for 35–40 minutes, or until chicken is golden and cooked through (internal temp 165°F) and veggies are tender.
6. Broil for 2–3 minutes at the end if you want crispy skin.