TJHS Fall 2013 Update

It is hard to believe that the Fall has nearly escaped us and Winter is quickly approaching.  The students and staff have been hard at work providing and receiving an excellent education.  We have had many positive things happen this Fall.  I thought I would take a moment to share a few:

We had 141 students participate in fall athletics.  Two of our fall teams finished in first place in the GWOC conference.  Our 8th grade volleyball team finished the season 19-0 and first place in the GWOC Gold division!  The Girls Cross Country team finished the season in first place in the GWOC North!  Congratulations!!

Our 1st Quarter Academic Awards recognized students for Perfect Attendance, Honor Roll (3.5-3.74 GPA), and Principal's List (3.75-4.0 GPA).  We handed out 572 total awards.  This is a direct result of dedicated teachers and staff, hard-working students, and supportive families.  Sounds like a winning combination!

Our Trophy Nut fundraiser was once again a success this year.  The top 20 students were transported to lunch at Al's Pizza by our business partner, Erwin Chrysler Jeep Dodge.  A Dodge Viper and brand new Dodge Challengers were used to transport the students.  Erwin even picked up the tab for lunch.  Thank you to Erwin Chrysler Jeep Dodge for being such a great business partner, and thank you to all of our families for participating again this year in the fundraiser!

Student council once again collected canned goods and held a penny "war" to raise money toward helping local families during the Thanksgiving season.  More than 1500 total canned good items were donated by the students of TJHS.  The donations combined with the money from the penny "war" provided 30 local families with a Thanksgiving meal and more.  It also allowed us to make a sizable donation to a local food pantry.  TJHS student council members and advisors, Mrs. Karnehm and Mrs. Clouser, donated their time and energy to shop for needed items and organize the food for each family.  TJHS staff members delivered the items to the homes of the families.  Job well done student council and all who contributed this year!

I hope this update finds you preparing to spend time with family and friends as we approach Thanksgiving Day tomorrow, reflecting on reasons to be thankful.  I know that I am thankful for the students, staff, and families that make TJHS such a great place to work and learn.

Happy Thanksgiving and Go Trojans!

Dave Dilbone
Principal

2013-2014 School Year Quickly Approaches

I hope that each of you had a relaxing and restful summer.   The upcoming school year brings some exciting new changes.  New to the Troy Junior High School staff this year will be Mr. Matt Siefring, Asst. Principal; Mrs. Betsy Widener, SAIL Teacher; Mrs. Alyssa Gibson, 7-2 Math; and Mr. Tyler Hoffman, Full Year Long Term 7-3 Science Sub (for Mrs. Amy Underwood).  Welcome to the new faculty and staff members, and welcome back to all returning faculty and staff members. 

Another very exciting and visible change is the update that has been completed in the IMC.  All tables are now white computer tables with black computers and monitors (some flat panel and some CRT).  We have increased the total number of computers to 139 in the IMC, which will allow an entire team to go to the lab at one time.  The IMC looks much better!

The building is clean and in excellent condition due to the hard work of the custodial staff.  The new blacktop, sidewalk repairs, shrub and tree trimmings, along with fresh mulch set the tone for the high expectations that we have as a building.  TJHS is ready for school to begin!

In the best interest of your child:

*We request that students use crosswalks when crossing streets.

*When children are being dropped off before school, we ask that you use the turnaround in the back of the building. Please DO NOT drop off your child on Adams St. or in front of the building. 

*Please discuss emergency plans with your child, in the case of an early closure or in case he/she misplaces the house key and cannot get into your home as expected.

*Please arrange for timely rides to pick up students involved in after-school activities. We expect that your child be picked up within 15 minutes of the ending time of the activity. 

*Lost and found items are kept in/near the office.  Please have your child check the lost and found for items they cannot locate.  

*Appropriate dress will continue to be a focus this year.  The TJHS Dress Code expectations will be covered at the beginning of the year.  Please call with questions.

Below is information regarding some important upcoming dates:

Monday, August 19th - Open House

8th Grade - 5:30-6:30

7th Grade - 6:30-7:30

Wednesday, August 21st - First Day of School

Friday, August 30th - Waiver Day (Inservice for Staff) - No School

Monday, September 2nd - Labor Day - No School

Please check the calendar on our website for other events.  This year is shaping up to be another great school year at TJHS!

Go Trojans!

Dave Dilbone

Principal

Mid-Summer Update Recognizing Teachers and Students

Can you believe that the school year ended and June has already escaped us?  Before you know it August will be upon us and the start of school will be quickly approaching.  People often ask what it is that I do in the office all summer.  That is a great question.  There is much to be done to wrap up a school year and plan for an upcoming year.  Just to name a few things, there are schedules to be created, positions to fill, OAA scores to examine, professional development activities to attend and create, building improvements to oversee, and an opportunity to look at how we can continue to build upon the successes that we have experienced at TJHS.  All in all the summer provides time to review the previous year and plan for the upcoming year.  

I hope that this update finds you relaxing poolside, with your feet propped up, basking in a beautiful Ohio summer.  Please take a few minutes and catch up on some of the many exciting things that happened near the end of the 2012-2013 school year that I want to share with you during this mid-summer update.  

Mrs. Blair, Language Arts Team 8-3, had students enter the Hayner Cultural Center Poetry Contest.  Students could enter up to two poems.  Lydia Reedstrom placed 1st and 2nd.  Jackson Armstrong placed 3rd.  Honorable Mention went to Zach Rose, Amanda Setser, and Rachel Martin.  Well done!


Megan Myers, 7th grade student, competed in the National History Bee Regional Championship in Lexington.  At that event she qualified for the National Finals, competing in Atlanta in early June.  This is quite an accomplishment...congrats Megan!

The Troy Junior High Archery team qualified for and competed in Nationals this year on May 10th, in Louisville, Kentucky.  An outstanding performance at the State competition, on March 7th landed the team with a qualifying score.  The JH team placed 9th out of 15 in the State, scoring 3055 points as a team, with 2950 points needed to qualify for Nationals.  Top Female & Male archers for the team were Christine Moser and Collin Goltzene both of who shot 272/300 points.   What an exciting year for the TJHS Archers!

We have a couple of teachers who have been selected to further their knowledge of Social Studies.  Mr. Crews, SS Team 8-3, was chosen for the Civil War through Artifacts seminar by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.  He will travel to Gettysburg, PA for 5 days this summer for a mixture of classroom instruction, small group discussion, independent reading, and instruction with real artifacts from Gettysburg on the battlefield where they were used.  Only 30 teachers from across the Nation are chosen for each seminar.  Mrs. Schenck, SS Team 8-1, was selected for the National Teacher's Institute sponsored by the Civil War Trust.  This 4 day institute will be held in Gettysburg, PA and will include guided tours, lectures and discussions led by Civil War scholars and the sharing of instructional methods between educational professionals.  Congrats Mr. Crews and Mrs. Schenck on being selected for these outstanding professional development activities! 

Mr. Crews has also been selected as the 2013 James Madison Fellow for the state of Ohio. The James Madison Fellowship is recognized as the most prestigious award in the field of constitutional history and government for secondary school teachers. Named in honor of the fourth president of the United States and acknowledged "Father of the Constitution and Bill of Rights," a James Madison Fellowship funds up to $24,000 of each Fellow's course of study towards a master's degree with a concentration on the history and principles of the United States Constitution. The award is intended to recognize promising and distinguished teachers, to strengthen their knowledge of the origins and development of American constitutional government, and thus to expose the nation's secondary school students to accurate knowledge of the nation's constitutional heritage. To learn more, go to www.jamesmadison.gov.  TJHS is very proud of Mr. Crews for being selected for this prestigious award!

I hope the remainder of your summer is enjoyable.  We will see everyone in August.

Go Trojans!

Dave Dilbone
Principal

OAA Week, April 22-26

Our Ohio Achievement Assessments or OAA's are under way here at TJHS.  This week our 8th grade students will participate in Reading on Monday, Math on Wednesday, and Science on Friday.  Our 7th grade students will participate in the Reading on Tuesday and Math on Thursday.  Below is a schedule for this week:

Schedule for Testing Week (April 22-26)

Mon.  Apr. 22	7th Grade	8th Grade
7:35-8:45	Per. 1	Testing
8:48-9:54	Per. 2	Testing
9:57-11:00	Per. 3	Announcement to move to 3rd Per. once testing is complete and materials are collected.
11:04-2:40	Normal	Normal

**Tuesday will follow the same schedule as above with 7^th Testing and 8^th in class.

Wed.  Apr. 24	7th Grade	8th Grade
7:35-8:45	Per. 3	Testing
8:48-9:54	Per. 2	Testing
9:57-11:00	Per. 1	Announcement to move to 1st Per. once testing is complete and materials are collected.
11:04-2:40	Normal	Normal

**Thursday will follow the same schedule as Wed. with 7^th Testing and 8^th in class.

Fri.  Apr. 26	7th Grade	8th Grade
7:35-8:45	Per. 1	Testing
8:48-9:54	Per. 3	Testing
9:57-11:00	Per. 2	Announcement to move to 2nd Per. once testing is complete and materials are collected.
11:04-2:40	Normal	Normal

TJHS Students Shine Bright

One of the things that we take great pride in here at TJHS is the overwhelming number of students who perform at a high level on a daily basis.  Recently we have had a few students shine a little brighter than most.

The Ohio Middle Level Association recognizes one male and one female student each year as the OMLA Student of the Year.  This year, I am proud to say that 8th Grader, Keenan Kinnel has received this award for 2013.  Keenan is being recognized at the OMLA conference in Sandusky, OH on Feb. 22.  Keenan was nominated for this prestigious honor by Mrs. Jackson, Guidance Counselor.  This is only the second time that TJHS has had a student recognized for this honor.  Congratulations Keenan!

Two TJHS students were recently selected for the 2nd Annual Ohio State University Middle School Honor Bands.  7th Grader, Cynthia Stanley (Tuba) and 8th Grader, Caitlyn Cusick (Flute) were selected out of roughly 500 JH students across the state.  The 7th and 8th grade bands will be comprised of around 90 students each and will spend Feb. 23 at OSU working with OSU faculty and a world renowned guest conductor.  They will then give a concert at Weigel Hall on campus.  Congratulations Cynthia and Caitlyn!

This year TJHS had students enter pieces of art work for the 2013 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Art, Writing & Multimedia Contest sponsored by the Ohio Civil Rights Commission.  There were nearly 1000 entries statewide, with one winner selected from each grade level.  TJHS student and 8th Grader, Abby Smith was named the winner for her grade level.  Abby will be recognized Feb. 27 in Columbus, OH at an awards ceremony and reception.  Congratulations Abby!

We have three students who will be participating in the Regional National History Bee in Lexington, KY on April 8.  7th Graders, Megan Myers and Tony Simon, along with 8th Grader, Josh Kraynek all qualified for this event by finishing in the top 4 out of roughly 200 TJHS students who took the initial History Bee test given here at TJHS.  They then had to take the Online Regional Qualifying Exam (ORQE) and have a score in the top 120 students out of the Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky Region.  Congratulations Megan, Tony, and Josh and good luck at the Regional National History Bee!

TJHS is beaming with pride for the accomplishments of these students!  With that being said, I want to provide an example of why we have so many students doing so well.  Recently Mrs. Neikirk, Social Studies Team 7-1, had her students do an extra credit assignment that included a portion from the parents.  The assignment was for the students to watch the State of Union address by the President and respond to what they felt were the biggest issues discussed by President Obama.  Parents were asked to write their response to what they felt were the biggest issues for a compare/contrast analysis by the class the following day.  Mrs. Neikirk shared with me that the response was overwhelming, more than she had ever received.  

The reason I share this is that this assignment required parents and students to spend time watching a current event, reflect on the issues with that event, then submit a response.  The overwhelming participation in this assignment summarizes why our students perform so well...they have supportive parents and families.  Research tells us the  most accurate predictor of a student's achievement in school is not income or social status but the extent to which that student's family is able to:

1. Create a home environment that encourages learning.
2. Express high (but not unrealistic) expectations for their children's achievement and future careers.
3. Become involved in their children's education at school and in the community. (Henderson and Berla, 1994, p. 160)

Thank you TJHS parents for creating a home environment that allows our students to Shine so Bright!  

Go Trojans! 

Dave Dilbone

Principal