October 2024

A Note from Ms. Palmer, KJHS Principal

Dear Kingsley families,

It's officially fall and we are in full swing here at KJHS! We hope that your student has found one or more activities here at KJHS that have helped them feel more a part of our school community. October is a busy month around here and we hope to see both you and your student at one or more of our many school events. As we progress through this semester, please do not hesitate to reach out to us with your questions or concerns. We want to make your student's middle school experience as enjoyable and productive as possible for both them and you. Thank you for continued support of KJHS - we truly do have the best school community!

Ms. Palmer

KJHS Updates

Kingsley Night At IWU Volleyball: 10/18

IWU is hosting Kingsley Night at the Women's Volleyball Game on Friday, October 18th at 6:00 pm. Any student or staff from Kingsley will get in free and family members will only pay $3.00. IWU will host a 50/50 drawing with the proceeds going to Mary Kate Kroesch's family.

PBIS Updates

PBIS PRIDE for September was Respect. Through lessons taught in advisory, students and staff discussed how to show respect to peers. October is Integrity month for PBIS PRIDE.
Iron Coyote Challenge Park has donated hour long passes for PBIS raffles for the remainder of the school year. They also offer school camp days on days when Unit 5 is not in session.

Progress Conferences: November 4

Progress Conferences (formerly known as Parent- Teacher Conferences) are on Monday, November 4th from 8 am - 4 pm. You may sign up for a virtual or in person conference. Sign ups will be come available on Thursday, October 17 and will remain open until Monday, October 28. Information regarding how to sign up can be found on the Kingsley Progress Conferences Guide Sheet.

PTO Fundraisers

The KJHS PTO funds its efforts to support KJHS teachers and students via multiple avenues. This month, the PTO is continuing its donation-based No Hassle Fundraiser as well as sponsoring a Dine to Donate.

Dine to Donate at Chipotle: Dine at the Normal Main St Chipotle on Wednesday, October 16, from 4-8 pm and 25% of your order goes to the KJHS PTO. Ordering online? No worries... use the code NHH7N7Y when ordering. See the official flyer for further details.

KJHS PTO No Hassle Fundraiser: The KJHS PTO is asking for donations to help them support the KJHS students and staff throughout the year. Want to donate? Here's are the options...

Donations of cash or check (made out to KJHS PTO) can be submitted in the following ways:

dropped off in a sealed and labeled envelope at the school office
dropped off in the secured drop box located by the main entrance doors
mailed to KJHS PTO at 303 Kingsley Street, Normal, IL 61761

On-line donations can be made using PayPal to KJHSpto@gmail.com.

Please make sure to mark the donation as “For Friends and Family” so that a service fee is not deducted from your donation.

SEAAT Opportunity for Students

We are seeking 3 KJHS students to serve on the Unit 5 Student Equity Advisory & Action Team (SEAAT) for the 24-25 school year. This team is designed for students with an interest in social justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion who would be willing to share their experience in Unit 5. The team meets in person three times during the school day each year and transportation is provided. If your student is interested, please encourage them to apply.

September PBIS Students of the Month

Congratulations to the September PBIS Students of the Month listed below! The PBIS theme for September was Respect and these students were nominated by their teachers for the respect they show here at KJHS.

6-1: Lucas Heikkila

6-2: Liles Gideon

7-1: Baylee Bauer

7-2: Kendall Howe

8-1: Brooklyn Russell

8-2: Scarlett Mercer

Exploratory: Corbin Holzhauer

KJHS Social Media

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

Currently, our most up to date social media site is our Instagram account. We recently discovered that our Kingsley Junior High School Facebook page is no longer syncing with updates to our Instagram page. Rather, our Kingsley Cougars Facebook page is syncing with Instagram. The plan is to sync the Kingsley Junior High School Facebook page with our Instagram account and delete our Kingsley Cougars Facebook page. We will let you know when that is happening.
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.

K Cart

The KJHS K Cart is a key component in the KJHS PBIS reward system. Operated by 8th grade BELT students, the K Cart provides the opportunity for students to use K Cash (earned by exhibiting appropriate behavior in the classroom) to purchase items such as fidgets, bracelets, candy, soda, etc. The K Cart operates 10 weeks a semester and costs approximately $1500-$2000/semester to operate. The KJHS PTO supports the K Cart with a generous $1000/semester donation and the remainder of the funds come from monetary and product donations. If you would like to donate to the K Cart, please visit their Amazon wish list or drop off cash/check at the KJHS Main Office. The K Cart will begin operations on October 4th.

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

There are two current opportunities for parents and community members to get involved:

1. Add your name to the KJHS Promise Council Shout-Out list.

2. Help meet the physical needs of KJHS students by purchasing items off the KJHS Promise Council Amazon wishlist (all items are sent directly to the school).

If you'd like to find out more about Promise Council, visit https://www.facebook.com/PromiseCouncil/.

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.

Construction Updates

1. Greeter's Station: Our greeter's station is completed and in use! Visitors to KJHS will need to provide identification to be screened through our Verkada system. Once cleared, visitors will be given an ID badge to wear while in the building.

2. Neuman Gym Bleachers: Our new bleachers are almost completed! We will be unveiling them at the girls home basketball game on Thursday, October 17.

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.

Navigating Kingsley

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.

Guidance 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 (shwarb@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)

Unit 5 Updates

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.

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

October

14: Indigenous Peoples Day (No School)
16: Dine to Donate @ Chipotle (4 - 8 pm)
18: Kingsley Night @ IWU Volleyball (6 pm)
23: Early Release Day (11:45 am)
25: Kroeschin'Cancer Benefit (Doors Open at 5:30 pm)

November

4: Progress Conferences
5: Election Day (No School)
27-29: Thanksgiving Break (No School)

December

6: StuCo Dance (After School)
13: Music Winter Fest
23-31: Winter Break (No School)

January

1-6: Winter Break (No School)
7: Start of Spring Semester

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

#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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