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Parent Email, May 12, 2026 - Caffeine Pouch Concern

Parents and Guardians, While the end of the year is quickly approaching, I wanted to make you aware of a concern we have with what we are observing lately in school.  We have started to experience students bringing caffeine pouches to school.  These pouches resemble nicotine pouches and are ingested in the same manner by placing them between the lip and gum.    While caffeine is not necessarily bad for students, we have obvious concerns with them ingesting high amounts of caffeine (anywhere between 25–200 mg of caffeine per pouch).  In addition, according to our student handbook, look-alike substances are prohibited, E.g., nicotine pouches are illegal and not permitted.   While these are legal for our students to purchase at local gas stations, they are not permitted in school. If a student has them, the pouches will be confiscated, and parents are free to pick them up from the office.  Beginning tomorrow, Wednesday, May 13, students in posse...
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Awards Night Email, May 7

Parents & Guardians,  Invitations have been mailed to all students who will be recognized at our annual Awards Night on Monday, May 18, from 6:00 to 7:00 in the Kiln.  You should receive them by this weekend.   The awards being presented include:  All-Sportsmanship Team, High Honor Roll, Honor Roll, Perfect Attendance, Platinum Potter, Potter Fan of the Year,   Potter Way, Principal’s, Rotary Students of the Month, and Top Students.   We ask that students dress up a little and avoid shorts and jeans.  Again, students being recognized will receive an invitation in the mail in the next couple of days. Chris Carter principal
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Counseling Connection Email

  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 . Four Ideas to Help Today’s Kids Delay Gratification  One of the best decisions my parents made was during the summer of my eleventh year. I begged them to let me go to Bobby Leonard’s Sports Camp, one state over, and three hours away. I pestered them long enough to convince them it was a good idea.  My parents dropped me off on Sunday and were expected to pick me up the following Saturday. The place was beautiful, with baseball diamonds, basketball courts, and football fields. At first it looked like heaven, but by Monday night, I was begging my mom and dad to let me come home.  I was homesick. My parents handled this problem brilliantly. Click the link to  learn more about teaching delayed gratification.
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Counseling Connection, March 27, 2026

  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 .   5 Tips to Reduce Test Anxiety in Children  It's the big test day at school, and your child is  tense, shaky, and complaining  of a stomachache. There’s a name for that: “test anxiety.” Unfortunately, with the increasing prevalence of standardized testing, test anxiety is also on the rise. Most students say that they’re more stressed by schoolwork and tests than by anything else in their lives. 16-20% of students have high test anxiety, and another 18% have moderately high test anxiety. Test anxiety increases mistakes, reduces reasoning and working memory, creates confusion, and lowers test scores. More importantly, it’s harmful to the well-being of our children. With the average American student in publi...
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Parent Email, Standardized Testing: March 9, 2026

  Parents & Guardians, We will begin our annual standardized testing at the end of this month.  Both the 7th and 8th Grades take the IAR ( Illinois Assessment of Readiness ). The 8th Grade will also take the PreACT 8/9 and the ISA ( Illinois Science Assessment ). These tests provide much-needed insight into how our students are progressing and, in turn, are ready for high school.  This data also helps us evaluate our curriculum, programming, and instructional strategies.  Testing Schedule : -  7th Grade IAR - Mon.-Tue., Mar. 24-25 & Wed-Fri., Apr. 8-10; 8:00-10:15 (one test per day) -  8th Grade IAR - Mon.-Tue., Mar. 24-25 & Wed-Fri., Apr. 8-10; 10:20-12:20 (one test per day) -  8th Grade PreACT 8/9 - Mon., Apr. 13; 8:15-12:00 -  8th Grade ISA - Tue., Apr. 14; 8:15-11:30 & 1:30-3:00 Here are some testing reminders that are critical to our students: Please send WIRED headphones with your students.   AirPod-style wireless ear...
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Parent Email - HS Health Records, Feb. 27

Parents and Guardians,  I’m not trying to startle you, but this email is being sent because your student will be starting high school in the fall!  Since you have already started the course registration process, this probably isn’t much of a surprise!    Please take a few moments to read this letter from our health office. It contains information and details about the State of Illinois Health Record Requirements.  We wanted to share this early to provide time to schedule appointments.  Chris Carter Principal  
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5Essentials Survey Reminder

Parents & Guardians,  This is just a reminder about the 5Essentials survey we are required to give by the Illinois State Board of Education. In order for us to see the data from the survey, we must have a minimum of 20% of our families respond.  Currently, we are close at 17%.  Please consider taking a few minutes to tell us what you think.  Once we hit 20%, I will stop bothering you!  The survey closes on March 13. Survey link :   http://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/parent/ Privacy Policy :   https://survey.5-essentials.org/privacy/   ISBE Info :  https://www.isbe.net/Pages/5Essentials-Survey.aspx   Thanks so much! Chris Carter Principal
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