Morton Junior High School News and Notes

Parents & Guardians,  We wanted to share with everyone information about something new this school year, called “Future Focused Fridays”. The counseling department has created this program for all students to be exposed to a variety of career opportunities, in person.  During each Friday in February, all students will participate in a field trip to a different local business.  Students will be out of the building for 90 minutes (from 8:40-10:10), and we ask parents if possible to avoid scheduling appointments during this time. Students will still attend their full schedule of classes. Our goals include:  promoting career exploration within our community, making connections between academics and real-world applications, and helping prepare students for a future of purpose and impact. Most of the locations require students to wear long pants and closed-toe/heel shoes.  In order to make this simple for everyone, we are telling ALL students to wear long pants (n...

Parents and Guardians,  Attached is information regarding our annual vision and hearing screening.  Chris Carter Principal 

Gray Team Parents/Guardians,  First of all, thank you for your support and assistance in October with our monthly “teacher appreciation” snacks!  The salad bar was greatly appreciated.  As I stated in my email back in August, we are asking one team each month to consider donating.  (Each team will be asked twice.) This month, we are again asking the parents of the 8th Grade’s Gray Team. Please consider donating to this committee on February 2.     Here is the link to this month’s schedule.   Link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4AA5AF2DAAFBC43-61899976-first#/   Thanks! Chris Carter Principal 

Parents/Guardians: Our 11th annual Dodgeball for Gameball tournament is this Friday, and we have a record 26 teams competing. I suspect some friendly “trash-talking” this week as teams view the bracket.  This event is always a great time. Dodgeballs start flying at 6:00 and should be over around 8:00. We are in search of some additional volunteers.  Please check out this sign-up genius for options. We can’t make this event happen without your support.   Even if you aren't volunteering, we still encourage you to attend.  Admission is $3 (for all) with 100% proceeds going to the Gameball Run.  I recommend you sit higher in the stands in order to avoid the " splash zone ”.         If you are interested in either a Gameball Run t-shirt or participating in the Gameball Run you can order that here .  Hope to see you on Friday night! Mr. Carter Principal LINKS  Dodgeball Volunteer: https://www.signupgenius.com/g...

Each week, the counseling department will send out an article, podcast, or video designed to connect you with insights about technology, emotional health, or career pathways related to your teen.  Click here to  learn more about the MJHS counseling team . 18 Tips to Encourage Tween and Teen Reading I grew up as a mega bookworm. I read constantly, never leaving the house without a book (or three). And then I started high school, and my available time for reading vanished virtually overnight. Partway through college, I read a novel solely for fun for the first time in what felt like forever, and it was the most glorious feeling – like I had come back to the real me after a long time away. It wasn’t until I was finished with my undergrad degree that I really started reading for fun again (this is when I started Everyday Reading, back in 2006), and reading has been a constant in my life since. So when I hear people say that their tweens or teens used to love to read and now barely...

Each week the counseling department will send out an article, podcast, or video designed to connect you with insights about technology, emotional health, or career pathways related to your teen. Click here to  learn more about the MJHS counseling team . Book Study: What Happened To You? Care-U is a platform filled with resources and reflection prompts for anyone doing the most rewarding, exhausting, joy-filled, and hard work of raising and caring for children. It is our intention to provide accessible content in a non-shaming and non-blaming manner. The Care-U podcast is an integral part of this mission. We are excited to expand our reach and offer another Care-U: 709 Community Book Study. We will use the book's content to cultivate an engaging, reflective discussion and walk alongside caregivers in our Morton CUSD 709 community. "What Happened to You?" written by Bruce Perry & Oprah Winfrey will be the tool we use to drive our discussions. We want to invite a convers...