Morton Junior High School News and Notes

Now that students have their locker numbers and combinations, you are welcome to stop in during regular school hours (8:00-3:00) to practice your combos, walk around the building to get a feel for the place, pick up your ID's from the LMC, and even "move-in" to your lockers.  PE uniform shirts will be distributed during the first few days of PE class.  If you haven't ordered one yet, you can still do that through EFunds.   Bags...students will need to leave their bags in their lockers this year.  Students will no longer be allowed to take their backpacks to classes/lunch.      IDs...you can pick yours up in the LMC! These are required for LUNCH and checking out books from the LMC (library).   Don't stress about what to take to class on the first day.  I recommend taking something to write on and something to write with...your teachers will be sharing what you need to bring each day to class.   Supply List : https://mjhs.morton709.org/file/376/supply%20list%202022-

Parents -  I wanted to share with you all a couple of corrections that have been inadvertently communicated differently in a couple of locations.   7th Grade/New Student Orientation - Tuesday, August 9, from 2:30-3:30 (students can come in starting at 1:30 that day and can stay until 4:30 practicing their lockers and getting a feel for the building)  1st Day of School - Thursday, August 11, 11:00 dismissal Meet the Teacher Night - Thursday, August 11, 6:00-8:00pm Information will be posted to my blog ( https:// juniorpotterprincipalnews. blogspot.com/ ).  This is also linked at the bottom of our homepage.   The building will be open next week from 8:00-4:00 daily for students to come check out their lockers and tour the building.     Chris Carter, Principal

Dress Code - 2022-23 If a style of dress or grooming becomes or appears to become disruptive to the educational process or constitutes a threat to the safety or health of students, it will not be permitted in school. Further, some types of dress are considered inappropriate when worn in school since they do not promote an educational atmosphere that is conducive to learning.   Dress and appearance must be such that students are covered from shoulders to mid-thigh.  If there is any doubt about dress and appearance, the building administrator will make the final decision. Other At the elementary schools:  Students are encouraged to wear gym shoes each day, due to daily PE and recess.  Students are also encouraged to dress appropriately for the weather conditions.  Please remember that we will go outside for recess and PE, and students should be dressed appropriately. No undergarment exposure. No bare or stocking feet (shoes must be worn at all times). No hats or bandannas. No accessories

This email was sent out to all parents today regarding a change in making lunch payments: In the past, we have had one location, eFunds, to make payments for all fees, including lunches. Due to a change in eFunds administration, we no longer have the option to make payments for lunch in eFunds. Lunch payments will now need to be made within the MealMagic Family Portal. To create an account in the MealMagic Family Portal, go to the portal (https://morton.familyportal.cloud/) and register. After you register, you'll need to add your students by entering their name and PowerSchool ID. If you don't know their PowerSchool ID, you can log into the PowerSchool Parent Portal and it will be at the top of the page. In some cases, the system might require an approval process. Your account should be approved within 24 hours. All other fees will continue to be paid using eFunds. Please don't hesitate to contact Amy Zimmerman at amy.zimmerman@mcusd709.org with any questions. W

Our annual Meet the Teacher Night is on Thursday, August 11 from 6:00-8:00pm.   Parents are to meet in the gymnasium to begin.  After a few remarks you will be dismissed to 1st period.   You will follow your student's schedule and spend approximately 10 min. in each class.  We recommend having access to your student's schedule from PowerSchool.  (We will also have hard copies available.)  

 We add several new faces to the MJHS family this school year!  We know they are going to be great additions to the faculty and they can't wait to get started! Welcome! Tatum Dowell - PE Jamie Getz-  Grade Gray Team Math Molly Loudermilk - 7th Grade White Team ELA Courtney Erickson - 7th Grade Resource Elise Hobbs - 7th Grade Resource Maggie Lytle - 8th Grade Resource Tim Finney - Project Lead the Way Amy Kuras - Multilingual Hannah Patton - Counselor Scott Hammond - Assistant Principal / AD

Physicals should be dropped off in the school office prior to tryouts All athletes must be registered prior to tryouts.  Softball: Mon., July 25 & Tues., July 26 - 8:00-10:00 at Birchwood Park Golf:  Wed., July 27 a& Thurs., July 28, 1:30-3:30 at Hillcrest Golf Course in Pekin Baseball: Mon., Aug. 1 through Wed., Aug. 3:  8th Grade - 9:00-10:30 / 7th Grade - 10:30-12:00 at Westwood Park Cross Country: The first week practice schedule : Mon., Aug. 1 - 9-10:30am at Kennel Lake Tues., Aug. 2 - 6-7:30pm at Kennel Lake Wed., Aug. 3 - 6-7:30pm  at Kennel Lake Thurs., Aug. 4 - 8-9:30am  at Kennel Lake Fri., Aug. 5 - No practice A full practice schedule will be passed out during the first week of practice.

  Last year's yearbooks (2021-22) will be ready for pick-up beginning on Registration Day, Thurs., July 28.   For this school year's yearbook (2022-23), all ordering and paying will be done through Jostens.   Parents will receive an email in early August with instructions/link.   Cost for the 2022-23 yearbook is $45, prior to Jan. 1 and $50 after Jan. 1. 

We currently have vacancies posted for paraprofessionals (classroom aides).  If you or someone you know has interest in working part or full time, please apply or call / email me. MJHS is a great place to work!   For certification questions, visit: https://tazewellcounty.schoolinsites.com/paraprotesting (In a nutshell, you either need 60 hours of college credit or pass the ETS Parapro test.) 

 Parents -  In-person registration is on Thursday, July 28 form 7:00am-5:00pm.  If you prefer, you can complete all registration requirements online right now.  It is not required for anyone to come in for in-person registration.   The building will be available and open for students to tour beginning on July 28.  Students can also take this time to practice their locker combinations and begin to "move-in" to their lockers.  The building will also be open again beginning on Monday, Aug. 1 for locker practice and touring.  We do have some ongoing renovations and it is possible an upstairs hallway could still be inaccessible. All PE uniforms will be distributed during PE class.  Parents can pay for their student's shirt through E-Funds.               

Dear MJHS Parents, The requirement for students to own their own graphing calculator has existed at Morton High School for a number of years, and we feel it is also beneficial for 8 th graders to own this calculator in order to increase the learning opportunities. The calculator that students need to purchase to be compliant with high school expectations is the TI-Nspire CX II. It is critical that students obtain a TI-Nspire CX because MJHS and MHS math teachers have software for these specific devices. TI-Nspire CX graphing calculators are available through Amazon, Best Buy, or most office supply stores.  If you will be purchasing a new TI-Nspire CX or TI-Nspire CX II (the latest version of the Nspire, which has a color screen) between now and the start of the school year, would you please return the entire “compare models” card that comes with the calculator to your child’s math teacher? It will help us to obtain the Navigator system at no cost to the district. The Navigator system

I hope you find the information posted here to be helpful.  We look forward to the beginning of the 2022-23 school year!   Chris Carter Principal