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Showing posts from March, 2026

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...

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...