Dear JH & HS Tiger Families: 

Happy New Year to our school community! We hope you all enjoyed your holiday break and had time to rest and recharge! 

Prior to break, our students enjoyed a Staff vs. Student volleyball game and Open Mic Night that featured musical and artistic performances by students and staff. We also had the pleasure of hosting the Winter Band and Choir Concert on December 20th and appreciate Miss Hrdlicka's efforts to continue this wonderful tradition of highlighting the musical talents of our students! 

On December 22nd, we hosted our Newton Falls High School Athletic Hall of Fame induction, welcoming the following distinguished individuals: Joseph Capp, Cindi Banish, Andy Pike, John Moser, Steve Babbey, Michael Gillespie, Lee Marcheskie, Joseph Sekora, and the 1968 Varsity Football Team. It was a very special night to honor some incredible alumni and we are proud to add their names to our Hall of Fame as the Class of 2023. We are currently putting the finishing touches on our new Hall of Fame room which will be open to the public shortly and is housed in the JH/HS building near the Gene Zorn Gymnasium entrance. In a few short weeks, this will be open and available for anyone to peruse the athletic artifacts we've collected and had donated. 

We are nearly halfway through our 23-24 school year and all high school students finished up their midterm exams right before we went on break. Our junior high students are currently wrapping up their i-Ready mid-year assessments in ELA and Math and we will compare their scores from the beginning of the year to now to address any learning gaps ahead of state testing. We are still continuing with our high-dosage tutoring sessions with staff members from Huntington Learning Center in small groups in the Junior High for ELA and Math. We have received a grant from the State of Ohio for an additional math program called Zearn Math which can be used at home and in the classroom to help students hone in on their core math skills. More information on Zearn Math will be coming soon! 

The end of the grading period will be on January 12th and we encourage all parents to access their child's grades using our Parent Access Portal on the school website. 

We will have no school on Monday, January 15th, in observation of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. 

We are also still running our after-school program for students in grades 7-8 who may benefit from additional academic and social support. This program is facilitated by Alta Care Group and if you are interested in having your child participate, please email Principal Rankin at your earliest convenience as seats are limited (rankinr@nfschools.org). 

On January 27th, HS Student Council will be hosting their annual "Tinsel Ball Dance." The winter semi-formal dance for grades 9-12 will be held Saturday January 27th, 2024 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Tickets are $10.00 each and will be sold during lunch the week of the dance. TCTC and online students can purchase their tickets in the high school office that week. Guests in grades 9-12 from other schools are allowed as long as guest forms are signed and turned in by Friday, January 22nd. Complimentary photos will be offered at the dance courtesy of the yearbook class and students will be emailed their digital image. 

The JH/HS PTO will be sponsoring a dance for students in grades 6-8 which will be held on February 10, 2024 from 6:00 - 8:30 with coronation starting at 6:30 for 8th Grade Students. Please be on the lookout for a packet coming home with your students starting next week that will include a flyer with additional dance information, ticket form, picture form and an envelope to return your ticket information and money to the PTO.

Lastly, we want to emphasize to all of our Tiger families that if you find yourself lacking resources and are in need of help, especially as the cold months and holidays come upon us, please do not hesitate to reach out. If your children need winter coats, warmer clothes, better shoes, or you need help with groceries and food, we are here to help. There's zero judgment--it takes a village to raise a child and we at Newton Falls Junior High and High School are part of your village. Please email rankinr@nfschools.org if you ever need additional support and we will utilize all our resources to take care of our Tiger families!

We are committed to creating a partnership between our school and our Tiger families so that every child can be successful and achieve their highest potential. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us if you need anything or have questions/concerns. Thank you!

Sincerely, 

Mrs. Rankin, Principal & Mr. Bauman, Assistant Principal