Parker Junior High Newsletter

Thank you for taking the opportunity to review our Weekly Newsletter.

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.

Halloween Spirit Week

Monday, October 27th - Friday, October 31st (See flyer below for details)

Pink Out Girls Basketball Game

Join us Wednesday, October 29th for our Pink Out Girls Basketball Game.

School Improvement Planning Day

Friday, October 31st, school will be released at 10:45 am

Veterans Day Assembly

We are having a Veterans Day Assembly on Tuesday, November 11, 2025 at Parker! Please access this link and respond to a few questions if you would like to be acknowledged at our assembly!

Veterans Day will be observed Monday, November 10th - No School - District Closed.

Online Safety Parent Meeting

• Please save the date for an important parent presentation, “Keeping Our Kids Cyber Safe,” on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. at Parker Junior High School (2810 School Street, Flossmoor).

• Detective Rich Wistocki (RET) from Be Sure Consulting’s Cyber Safe Schools Team will share valuable insights and practical strategies to help parents protect children online and encourage safe, responsible digital habits.

• Please RSVP here by Tuesday, November 4, 2025.

• We hope you can join us for this important event!

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• Reserve la fecha para una presentación importante para padres, “Manteniendo a nuestros niños seguros cibernéticamente”, el martes 11 de noviembre de 2025, de 6:00 a 7:30 p. m. en Parker Junior High School (2810 School Street, Flossmoor).

• El detective Rich Wistocki (RET) del equipo de escuelas cibernéticas seguras de Be Sure Consulting compartirá información valiosa y estrategias prácticas para ayudar a los padres a proteger a sus hijos en línea y fomentar hábitos digitales seguros y responsables.

• Por favor, confirma tu asistencia aquí para el martes 4 de noviembre de 2025.

• ¡Esperamos que puedas acompañarnos en este importante evento!

Transportation

• 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.

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.

Educationally Yours,

Ursula Parris, Principal

Parker Junior High School

Fall Play

Friday, October 24th - 7:00 pm

Saturday, October 25th - 3:00 pm

We'll see you this weekend

Reminder

On Tuesday, October 28th, the Parker Student Council and FEA will be sponsoring a district-wide Trunk or Treat event!

Admission: 1 canned good or nonperishable food item per trunk-or-treater

We’re expecting over 40 decorated trunks and 4 food trucks. It’s going to be a spooktacular evening! We can’t wait to see everyone in costume!

• 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.

CKH Social Contracts

Teacher: Ms. Chielo

AVID Collegiate Wall

(Advancement Via Individualized Determination)

AVID Teacher: Ms Dewey

Upcoming Testing Window

NWEA MAP

• Winter: December 8-12, 2025
• Spring: April 20-27, 2026

Illinois Science Assessment (8th Grade Only)

• April 6 - 10, 2026

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

• March 16 - 20, 2026

Are you curious about Standards or Assessments provided to your child? Access the SD 161 Learning and Instruction webpage for detailed information specific to Standards Based Grading and Year Long Plans for every grade level content.

Homework Help

Grade Reporting Timeline

Dean Update and Reminders

We have observed an increase in disturbances during transition periods, where students are engaging in pushing and shoving, leading to congestion in the hallways. These bottlenecks hinder students' ability to proceed to their subsequent classes efficiently. We kindly request that our Falcon Parents speak with your children and reiterate the importance of hallway safety. Scholars that do not follow the Parker PBIS way of being respectful in these areas will receive appropriate disciplinary consequences. Please help us in maintaining a safe and thriving learning environment for all of our scholars.

Please remind your children to follow the directions of Parker Staff, especially during arrival and dismissal, on School Street, and in the Bus loading areas. Parker staff are always present to provide reminders, however, parental support is greatly appreciated!

Remind scholars to wear their Student ID everyday! When attending physical education [PE], ID’s can be removed during PE activities, but reworn immediately after changing.

Community Grade Level Meeting

Deans will continue to conduct Grade Level Community Meetings and provide reminders of our PBIS expectations throughout the quarter. Please reference dates and the slide deck below

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.

Upcoming Grade Level Community Meetings

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.].

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.

Parker PTO Spiritwear Sale

Show our Falcon Pride by ordering your school Spiritwear today!

Click the link below and use access code: 9XDVQ

https://championsportswear.itemorder.com/shop/home/

We can’t wait to see you rocking that gold and blue!

Sincerely yours,

- Parker PTO

PBIS October Focus

As we near the end of the month, please remember that our PBIS goal is to lower tardiness to class by a marginal percentage! Scholars are expected to be prepared and walk with a purpose to class. In doing so, the reward will be fruit snacks!

Yondr Bags were distributed to 6th and 7th grade scholars. 8th grade scholars are expected to keep cell phones in lockers and/or out of sight.

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