May 2025

A Note from Ms. Palmer, KJHS Principal

Dear Kingsley families,

As we head into the last few days of the 24-25 school year, I want to thank you for all you have done to make this year at KJHS a great one. From donations to attendance at school events, the support that you all provide to KJHS is invaluable and greatly appreciated. In a few days, the KJHS staff will be "tagging out" for the summer. We hope you enjoy a wonderful summer break with these amazing students. It has been a privilege to work with them this year!

Ms. Palmer

KJHS Updates

KJHS Summer Hours

TThe KJHS Main Office will be open from 9 am - 3 pm Monday through Friday this summer. The office will be closed June 30 - July 3 for cleaning as well as on June 19 and July 4 in honor of those holidays. KJHS does not have full time office staff in the summer so there may be other dates on which the office needs to be closed. Families dropping off paperwork can place it in the secure collection box on the north wall outside of Door A on the east side of the building.

25-26 School Supply Lists

Here are the supply lists for the 25-26 school year:

25-26 Beginning of the School Year Events

Please mark your calendars for these 25-26 beginning of the school year events...

Open Doors at KJHS: 8/12 - 8/14, 1:30 - 4:30 pm

KJHS Back to School Bash: 8/18, 5:30 - 7:30 pm

1st Day of School: 8/21, 8:45 am

Stage and Cafe Curtains

KJHS is seeking individuals who have sewing talent/ability/willingness to help with constructing a new stage curtain. Interested in helping? Contact Elisa Palmer at palmere@unit5.org.

April Discipline Referrals

We are so excited to share that discipline referrals for April 2025 were down 37.1% as compared to April 2024. Thank you for all you do to help support KJHS in maintaining high standards for both behavior and academics!

EOY Chromebook Collection

All students need to return their Chromebooks and chargers by the end of the day on May 21st. Failure to do so will result in a fee of $300 for a missing Chromebook and $45 for a missing charger. KJHS will be collecting these devices from students in attendance on 5/21. If your student is going to be absent that day, please have them turn in their school-issued Chromebook and charger on their last day of attendance for the 24-25 school year.

PTO Treasurer Needed!

The KJHS PTO is looking for a volunteer to serve as treasurer for the 25-26 school year. If you are interested, please reach out to the PTO Board at kjhspto@gmail.com.

PBIS Updates

PBIS PRIDE theme for April was Determination. Through this lesson and discussions in advisory, students and staff discussed how students can establish a determination to follow the school's rules. April's lesson was extra special as it was developed by students.

May's PRIDE theme is Excellence and we will be discussing how we can do our best for the entire school year.

KJHS Promise Council

Did you know that KJHS has its own dedicated Promise Council organization? The Kingsley Promise Council is dedicated to removing barriers to learning such as:

Meeting the physical needs of students when they stand in the way of academic achievement
Helping schools help kids - one child at a time
Providing adult mentors for students
Increasing opportunities for parental engagement

Get involved! We need your help to build a list of caring adults for the basic needs as they occur at Kingsley; examples include bus passes for transportation, food and grocery gift cards, hygiene products, gently worn clothing and household items.

If you would like more information or to add your name to the Shout-Out list, please contact co-chairs Susan Wright or Katie Ruder at promisecouncil.kjhs@gmail.com. You can also access the KJHS Promise Council Amazon Wishlist here.

25-26 School Year Online Registration

Online Registration in Infinite Campus for the 25-26 school year is opening on March 31st. The process is the same as last year and information is available on the Registration Page.

25-26 Unit 5 Calendar

Here is the 25-26 Unit 5 Calendar.

KJHS Info

Attendance Matters

Attendance is key to academic success. Students who miss two days a month (that's once every other week) this year will miss...

20 days of school

30 hours of math

60 hours of reading and writing

Over one year of school by graduation

Want some more information or helpful hints in increasing your student's attendance? Start with these helpful strategies.

KJHS Social Media

Just a couple of updates re KJHS social media...

We are now actively posting to our Kingsley Junior High School Facebook page. Thank you for your patience as we worked through some of the changes with Meta taking over Facebook.
Postings on our social media are dependent on coaches and teachers sending information to Ms. Palmer. If you feel an activity is being left out, please reach to the coach or teacher and encourage them to send Ms. Palmer information/updates to post.

Social Probation

Attendance at extracurricular events is a privilege, not a right, and students who cannot maintain appropriate behavior during the school day forfeit the privilege of attending after school events at KJHS. As such, students who earn an out of school suspension or an in school suspension during the second quarter of the 24-25 school year will be placed on social probation for the remainder of the quarter and cannot attend any extracurricular events unless they are a participant in the event itself. Social probation may also be issued to students who earn lunch detentions for the same offense on multiple occasions. Issuance of social probation will be communicated to both the student and the family by the issuing administrator.

AP Assignments

Assistant Principal Dennis Larson (larsond@unit5.org; 557-4858) is the primary administrator for students in 6th and 7th grade while Associate Principal Sylvester Davis (davissy@unit5.org; 557-4962) is the primary administrator for students in 8th grade. If you have a concern about a behavior issue with your student, please contact your student's AP.

Counselors

Mrs. Kimberly Johnson (johnsonk@unit5.org; 557-4869) is the guidance counselor for students with last names starting with A-K; Mrs. Breanna Schwarz (shwarzb@unit5.org; 557-4869) is the guidance counselor for student with the last names starting with L-Z. Please contact your student's guidance counselor is you have concerns about any social or mental health issues.

Navigating Student Conflicts

Given the fact that we have over 700 students in our KJHS community, conflicts are bound to occur. If your student is experiencing an issue with another student and needs adult assistance to help work things out, please encourage them to complete the "What's Up Kingsley?" form. This will alert the adults in the building to the issue and we will direct the students involved to the KJHS resource best suited to the conflict. If your student is struggling to express the issue, please notify their AP and they follow up with your student.

Who Do I Contact at KJHS?

Knowing who to contact at KJHS about certain issues can be challenging. We hope this mini-guide helps as to who to contact first when you are needing assistance.

Absences (partial or full day): KJHS Attendance line (309-557-4456)
Classroom level issues (grades, behavior, etc.): Your student's teacher(s)
General questions about KJHS: KJHS Main Office line (309 - 557-4407)
Student information/registration updates: KJHS Guidance office (557-4899)
Sports related questions: Mrs. Menken (557-4862 or menkenk@unit5.org) or Mr. Davis (557 - 4962 or davissy@unit5.org)
Student behavior issues: Student's AP
- - - - 6th & 7th Grade: Mr. Larson (557-4858 or larsond@unit5.org)
        8th Grade: Mr. Davis (557 - 4962 or davissy@unit5.org)
Student emotional or social issues: Student's Guidance Counselor
- - - - Last Name A-K: Mrs. Kimberly Johnson (johnsonk@unit5.org)
        Last Name L-Z: Mrs. Breanna Schwarz (schwarb@unit5.org)
Student schedules: KJHS Guidance office (557-4899)
Student support services: KJHS Guidance office (557-4899)
Issues with KJHS staff member: Ms Elisa Palmer (palmere@unit5.org; 557-4574)
Curriculum questions: Ms Elisa Palmer (palmere@unit5.org; 557-4574)

Athletics & Clubs

24-25 Athletics

Kingsley Clubs and Activities

Incoming students & families often ask "how can my child get involved & participate in the Kingsley community?" Great question!

Off of the main page of the Kingsley website, there will be an extracurricular activities page once updates are completed. For students, we post club information in the daily announcements & on "What's Kickin' at Kingsley?" bulletin boards throughout the school. Here is a list of our current clubs:

Animal Club Flobinet Choir Not In Our School

Board Game Club GSA Percussion Club

Byte by Byte Club Jazz Band Pokemon Club

Chess Club Kingsley Bible Club Rubix Cube Club

Drama Club Kingsley News Speech/Debate Team

D&D/MTG Club Kingsley Stream Team Spirit Club

FCCLA Kingsley Student Council Tech Club

Fellowship of Student Athletes (FCA) Knitting/Crochet Club Yearbook

KJHS Book Club eSports Club Songwriting Club

Stream Team is Bringing KJHS Home Games to Your Home!

Want to enjoy KJHS home games from the comfort of your own home? Check out our Kingsley Activities You Tube page for live streams of all home events and enjoy how our student led Stream Team broadcasts each and every game!

Unit 5 Junior Athletics Instagram Account

Unit 5 Junior High Athletics now has its own Instagram account. You can follow all the Unit 5 Junior High Athletics action by following them at u5jhathletics.

Athletic Eligibility

In order to be eligible for participation in IESA athletic events, student athletes must maintain a grade of 1.1 or higher in all classes. Eligibility checks are done on the Friday of each week and, if ineligible, a student athlete cannot participate in any athletic contests from the Monday following the eligibility check through the follow Sunday. If a student athlete is ineligible, their coach will communicate that to them and a letter will be sent to their family.

Dates to Note

May

21: Field Day
21: Early Release (11:45 pm student dismissal)
21: Last Day of the 24-25 School Year

August

12-14: Open Doors at KJHS (1:30 - 4:30 pm)
18: KJHS Back to School Bash (5:30 - 7:30 pm)
21: First Day of Student Attendance for the 25-26 School Year

Stay Up to Date!

24-25 Unit 5 Calendar

Be sure to mark school holidays, teacher institute days, and early release days on your calendar!

Daily Announcements are shown each lunch period daily & posted on the main page of the KJHS website.

Stay Connected

To stay connected to our Kingsley community, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, &/or Twitter.

You can also visit our school website for additional information. Please be patient as changes are being made to the website to ensure the most updated information is provided.

At any time you can also reach out by email to palmere@unit5.org

Unit 5 Info

Talking Points

McLean County Unit 5 has implemented a computer program called Talking Points that allows staff to communicate with families by text using their work computers. Occasionally, cell phones will label the messages as "spam". If you get a message like this, it is a legitimate message from a KJ staff member.

Unit 5 Podcast

Want to know more about Unit 5? Check out our new podcast, Inside Unit 5!

This monthly podcast is dedicated to highlighting information and news for Unit 5’s parents, students, educators, and community members.

Unit 5 Strategic Plan

Unit 5 has a new strategic plan, which will guide the district's decision making and priorities over the next five years. Unit 5 is committed to integrity, belonging, engagement, teamwork, and excellence and has the following areas of focus:

Inspiring a Culture of Learning
Creating Foundations for the Future
Building and Strengthening Our Community

Want to know more? Check out the Unit 5 2024-2029 Strategic Plan.

#KingsleyCARES

Student Council is putting on a dance from 3:45 - 5:30 in the KJHS cafeteria. The theme is "Winter Glow" and tickets are on sale now. Attendance is limited to 250 students and students with a 2nd quarter ISS or OSS will not be allowed to attend the event.

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