GJH Parent Portal

Congratulations to all the students whose names were drawn for a free slushie at lunch! Students who are present for every class period each week are placed in a drawing for a free slushie and attendance certificate. Keep up the great work!

We are monitoring and tracking attendance every day. It is so important that all students are at school as much as possible. We have attendance letters that will be sent home weekly if your child has missed 4, 7, or 10 days of school. If your child has missed 10 days or more, we will need to have an attendance hearing. We understand kids get sick. Students should be fever and vomit free for 24 hours prior to coming or returning to school.

According to HealthyChildren.org -- Missing just two days a month of school―for any reason― can be a problem for kids in a number of ways. Children who are chronically absent in kindergarten and first grade are less likely to read on grade level by the third grade. For older students, being chronically absent is strongly associated with failing at school―even more than low grades or test scores. When absences add up, these students are more likely to be suspended and drop out of high school. Chronic absenteeism is also linked with teen substance use, as well as poor health as adults.

Goshen Community Schools has also approved attendance as a District Wide Goal for this year. The goal is for GCS students to attend 94% of the school year, which is 169 days present at school . That equates to a student missing 10 or less days of school (excused and unexcused total).

Goshen Junior High School's Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held on Tuesday, October 17, from 8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m and 3:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.

The conferences will be held arena style. All teachers will be in the lower gym. Parents can pick up a copy of their child's report card and make their way to each teacher for a discussion.

Students will not have school on October 17. This will NOT be an e-learning day.

GJH welcomes Mr. O'Brien who recently joined our team as an EL teacher!

Mr. O'Brien has a BA from Valparaiso U, an MBA and a JD from IU, spent a year in Oxford, England, and began a PhD degree (unfinished) in Tainan, Taiwan. He spent 17 years teaching and working in the high-tech industry in Taiwan, and he also worked in China for 2 years. Mr. O'Brien been to around 50 countries, mostly in Asia and Europe, and speaks Chinese as a second language.

Mr. O'Brien has a wife and a cat. Just a few of his many interests include: snow skiing, scuba diving, paragliding, writing, gardening, cooking and board gaming. He is also a Chicago Bears fan…even though there hasn’t been much to celebrate recently. Maybe the Redhawks will give him something to cheer about?

Mr. O'Brien is grateful to the very friendly and helpful staff at GJHS for helping him as he transitions to teaching in the USA.

We are planning a reward field trip for each grade level at the end of the school year. Qualifying students in 7th grade will have the opportunity to go to Deep River Water Park. Qualifying 8th graders will be able to go to Cedar Point!

Students must meet the following criteria in order to be eligible for these trips. All students were given a fresh start after hearing about the criteria. For 7th graders, the "count" starts on Monday, September 25. For 8th graders, the "count" starts on Monday, October 2nd. Talk with your child about monitoring his/her attendance and behavior to meet this goal!

1. Six or fewer absences (excused and unexcused absences count)
2. Thirty or fewer tardies to class
3. One or less referral (excluding major referrals)

Administrators will make the final decision about eligibility for any exceptional cases.

This year all students in grades kindergarten, 2nd, and 5th grade will be preliminary screened for high ability identification. This is a new mandated law from the Department of Education.

Parent and Teacher Request Window is Open for any grades: If you would like to request a student get the full screening for high ability, please contact your school counselor. Requests can be made from now until November 1st, 2023.

The Goshen Public Library has a lot of fun events planned for teenagers in October. Click on the link below for details!

Goshen Community Schools Dress Code can be found in the online student handbook at https://gjhs.goshenschools.org/about/

Our goal is to help students understand and evaluate appropriate settings for formal vs. informal attire, which is a skill they will use in the world beyond school. Students will see this addressed starting on the first day of school.

We appreciate parents working with us on this. If you have questions or concerns, don't hesitate to contact an administrator.

For the safety of students, car traffic is not allowed in the front parking lot during our arrival (8:45-9:30) and dismissal (3:30-4:30). At any time when there are buses in the front lot, parents must drop off or pick up students in the North or South lot. Please communicate with your child ahead of time so s/he will know where to find you after school.

Goshen Schools is now using LINQ Connect instead of MySchoolBucks for managing students' breakfast and lunch accounts.

You can create an account at https://linqconnect.com/.

ALL parents should complete the meal application for free and reduced pricing for meals. This can also be done at https://linqconnect.com/ .

If you have questions, please contact GJHS bookkeeper Michelle Strite by calling the school or emailing at mstrite@goshenschools.org .

Requirements:

1. You must have a 23-24 IHSAA Sports Physical completed and submitted before you are eligible to practice or tryout.

2. All forms must be completed on FinalForms. Go to: goshen-in.finalforms.com to complete these forms.

Tuesday, Oct.17 - Parent-Teacher Conferences all day. NO SCHOOL!

Wednesday, Oct. 18 - Skating Field Trip for eligible students (fundraiser sales reward)

Oct. 23-27 - Fall Break, No School

November 22-24 - Thanksgiving Break, No School

GCS provides many valuable online resources for parents and students. Skyward, Canvas, Parent Square . . . and the list goes on!

Detailed instructions and support for using these resources can be found here: https://goshenschools.instructure.com/courses/9841

Click this link to access student handbooks in English and Spanish:

https://gjhs.goshenschools.org/about/

Do you know of a GJH staff member who has "gone the extra mile" to make a difference in the life of a child? Take a moment to recognize and thank someone who has shown the Heart of a Redhawk! Click on the link below to fill out a nomination form. This is a simple, meaningful way to thank someone for a job well done.

www.goshenschools.org/heartofaRedHawk

Email: lherschberger@goshenschools.org
Website: https://gjhs.goshenschools.org/
Location: 1216 S. Indiana Avenue, Goshen, IN 46526
Phone: (574)533-0391
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goshenjrhigh/
Twitter: @GoshenJrHigh