Waterloo Jr. High School

WJHS would like to congratulate Ms. Tina Seymour on her recent recognition as Staff Member of the Month for January! Ms. Seymour is a paraprofessional in our building and also serves as the Director of Kennel Klub for the Waterloo District. Ms. Seymour is a positive, encouraging, and helpful member of our school community. We appreciate all she does to help our students succeed in school!

As we settle into the new year, we are doing a school-wide 'reset'! Staff members are reiterating school expectations, and students are being encouraged to take some time to think about their progress so far. We want to help them recognize and celebrate their successes or reset goals in areas they want to work on in the second half of the school year!

Each quarter, nine students are selected by a teacher for their exemplary character. The second quarter recipients were recently awarded with a medal and certificate that includes a write-up from the teacher who nominated them. The winners pictured below are: (front row L-R) Aubrey Fischer, Hazel Rau, Luke Kolweier, Brody Utz, (back row L-R) Bre Devall, Noah Whitaker, Eli Armbruster, Nathan Lewis, and Lydia Huffman. Congratulations to these students who have shown all-around excellent character!

WJHS is excited to share that the students pictured here were nominated by staff members for the Bulldog Trait of the Month for December - RESPECTFUL! This quality is one that we are focusing on in our motto for the year, "We are respectful, responsible, and resilient". Congratulations to these students for being recognized for how they conduct themselves in the school setting and beyond!

Our lost and found in the cafeteria is overflowing! If your child has lost a jacket or lunch box, it is likely in there. Please have them check or feel free to come in and have a look for yourself. We will be donating lost items at the end of the semester. Thanks in advance!

The WJHS Staff Member of the Month was announced this week. We would like to congratulate Mrs. K. Miller! Mrs. Miller is the lead teacher in our Special Ed Cross Cat classroom. She wanted to also give a shout-out to the paraprofessionals who work closely with the students in her classroom. This team does a great job making learning fun and meaningful for their students, while also giving them opportunities to learn work skills. Congrats!

T he Positive Behavior Interventions team announced the next behavior incentive at school on Tuesday. Any student who does NOT receive a referral between Dec. 6 and Dec. 20 will earn the privilege to participate in a Holiday Trivia Showdown during study hall on Dec. 20. Any student who earns a referral during that time will not be able to participate in this fun activity. The last few weeks of the semester often see upticks in behavior concerns, so please encourage your students to make wise choices as we cruise toward the holiday break!

Last week, we recognized students who received a nomination for the Bulldog Trait of the Month. November's trait was COURAGEOUS! Congrats to all these students who were selected by staff members for showing courage in a variety of situations - in and out of school!

We are celebrating December at WJHS with some dress up days...should be fun!

Our students and families came through for our recent food drive! We were thrilled to collect, deliver, and help sort over 1300 items to the food pantry at Concord Presbyterian Church. So many students gave and our Student Council helped deliver and sort with the pantry staff. They were so grateful to receive the help and asked us to send a huge thank you out to our school community for supporting the work they do helping local families! Happy Thanksgiving!

WJHS is excited to announce that Ms. Briesacher was named the staff member of the month for November! Ms. Briesacher teaches 8th grade Literature and Language. Her students say they enjoy her passion for her subject and the way she connects with her students in a caring way.

WJHS Bingo Night is quickly approaching! Please see the attached flyer for information. We will provide printed sign-ups sheets beginning tomorrow. Sign-up sheets and money will be due on Friday, November 17.

Congratulations to Emma Siburt and Evan Rahn for being named the Optimist Students of Character! These two superstars were chosen by their teachers to represent the 8th grade class. We are so proud of them!

The Bulldog Trait of the Month for October was OPTIMISTIC. The students pictured were recently recognized by staff members for displaying that trait. Congrats!

Proud of what we accomplish when we work together! Thank you students, staff, families, and community stakeholders!

Proud of what we accomplish when we work together! Thank you students, staff, families, and community stakeholders!

We asked, and you delivered! Thank you to all the parents who responded to our requests for some volunteers in the concessions at the dance next week and for help in the library during the school day. We now have all the help we need for these two requests. Stay tuned for other opportunities to volunteer or help in other ways throughout the year! We are so grateful for supportive and involved families!

Parents: Would you be interested in volunteering at WJHS events and activities? We are looking for 5-6 parent volunteers to serve our students in the concession stand and game area during next Wednesday night's Halloween dance from 6-8pm. These two stations will be in the cafeteria. We are also looking for a volunteer or two to serve in our library during study hall on Wednesday and/or Friday afternoons from 2:15-2:47 so that students can come down during study hall to check out books. This would be a weekly commitment. If you are willing to serve in either of these capacities, and you have a background check on file, please email Mrs. Brown at cbrown@wcusd5.net. Please include which opportunity you'd like to volunteer for, your student's name, your name, and a phone number where you can be reached. Mrs. Brown will contact you to verify that you have been cleared to volunteer and to give you more details! Thank you for considering!

Due to popular demand, we have opened the Bulldog Apparel store for a limited time. If you missed the opportunity to order at the beginning of the year or would like to order more, please use this link to the store: https://waterloojrhigh23-2.itemorder.com/shop/home/ The store will be open through midnight on Sunday, October 22. Thanks for your support!

Each quarter, nine WJHS students are selected for the Students of Character awards. Each student received a medal and award certificate from the teacher who selected them for their all-around excellent character! Congratulations to our first quarter recipients: Harrison Bloebaum, Will Pashia, Mason Wilhelm, Sam Beck, Ali Cobb, Jayden Pence, Rylan Miller, Charlotte Keeling, and Camden Myers.. We are proud of these WJHS Bulldogs!