May 2014 Campus Article

Greetings from Kirbyville Junior High School!  This edition of the Kirbyville Banner marks the last campus update from Kirbyville Junior High for the 2013-2014 school year.  It is hard to believe, but we only have just over four weeks remaining before summer!  This year has been a great year at Kirbyville Junior High!

We have received results from the first administration of the STAAR test for the 2103-2014 school year, and we have a great deal to be proud of!  During the first round of tests, our 8th graders took the math and Reading portions of the STAAR and did remarkably well!  Our students scored above the state and local average on both of these tests!  8th graders that are taking Algebra 1 for high school credit took the End Of Course exam on Tuesday, and we will be anxiously awaiting results for the next few weeks.  We are very proud of the work that our students and staff have done!  Though these tests are required, they cannot measure all the great things that we as a campus accomplish throughout the year!

We are celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week at KJH!  We take this opportunity to recognize and applaud the efforts of our teachers and staff, and thank them for the great job that they do!  Our entire staff works incredibly hard, and devotes a great deal of time, energy and effort to make sure our kids have the best possible chance at being successful.  These folks spend countless hours and immeasurable energy making sure that our students get a first-class education!

Kirbyville Junior High is selling yearbooks for the 2012-2013 school year!  These are always a great product that showcase the events that have happened, from the first to the last day of school.  You can purchase an annual for $25, and if you would like your student’s name or additional icons on the cover it will be an additional $4.  You can also order your child’s annual online by going to www.schoolannual.com and purchase with a credit card.  Please call the office if you have any questions.

Here are some upcoming events going on at Kirbyville Junior High in the next few weeks:

• May 15 – Choir Concert at KHS (7:00 pm)
• May 19 – Band Concert at KJH gym (7:00 pm)
• May 26 – Student holiday
• Jun 3 – Early Release (1:00 pm)
• Jun 4 – KJH Awards Ceremony (9:30 am) and Early Release (1:00 pm)

I would love to be able to recognize each and every person who has contributed to making this year a success for Kirbyville Junior High and our kids.  However, there is not enough paper and that would be far too many names!  I would like to recognize the staff members of Kirbyville Junior High, and I would like to thank all of the parents and family members who allow us the privilege of educating their children!  Kirbyville truly is a great place to be!!

We are very proud of our young men and women, and love to show off all the great things that they do!  If you have a Twitter account, you can follow us at @KirbyvilleJH to keep up with the exciting things going on at Kirbyville Junior High and see how we are Working Together to Achieve Something Better!

March 5, 2014 Campus Article

Greetings from Kirbyville Junior High!

Turning the pages of the calendar from February to March means that we are moving closer to Spring!  In school terms, this also means that we will only get busier between now and the end of the school year!  I am very excited about many of the great things happening at Kirbyville Junior High, and take every opportunity I get to share how great our kids are!

Our 8th graders are traveling to Houston on March 6th to visit the Holocaust museum. This trip is taken to reinforce the study that our students have been doing in their English class this semester.  The museum is a great way for our students to hear first-hand perspectives and see many authentic artifacts and photos from the Jewish Holocaust.  Our students will be guided around the museum by knowledgeable docents who were able to answer questions and provide insight into the time period.

Twenty two of our eighth grade students are enrolled in a distance learning Spanish I class, and gain high school credit for taking and completing the course.  Many of these students traveled to Beaumont on February 21st to see a Spanish theater and dance production called Viva España with Flamenco.  During this performance, our students were able to experience many cultural elements from Central and South America, including their traditional dress, music native to the area, and many of the dance styles originating from the culture.  These students elected to attend to learn about the culture and areas that they have been studying in Spanish!

Students from the KJH Symphonic Band are traveling to perform in the Region Concert and Sightreading contest on Wednesday, March 5th in Groves.  Our students will be judged on their performance of three prepared pieces, and will be judged on their ability to read and perform a piece of music that they have never seen.  The KJH band has been working for months to prepare for this event, and we look forward to hearing great results from them!

Our student athletes have also been competing in track meets in the area over the last few weeks, and many of our Wildcats have placed highly in these meets!  Our kids have fared very well in the meets in Deweyville and Kirbyville, but the meet scheduled for this past Monday was cancelled due to the inclement weather.  We expect to see great results from the district meets held on March 24th!

The end of the school year is rapidly approaching, and we are already making plans for May and June.  Mark your calendars and plan to attend our awards ceremony on Wednesday, June 4, 2014 at 9:30 am.  We have some big plans in place, and we look forward to seeing you there!

Stay tuned for all the exciting things that will be happening over the next few weeks and months at Kirbyville Junior High School! We push our students to be Ready, Responsible, and Respectful and to strive to do their best at everything they do!  We are very proud of our young men and women, and love to show off all the great things that they do!  If you have a Twitter account, you can follow us at @KirbyvilleJH to keep up with the exciting things going on at Kirbyville Junior High and see how we are Working Together to Achieve Something Better!

December 2013 Campus Article

Greetings from Kirbyville Junior High!  Believe it or not, we have entered into December and are nearing the end of 2013!  Our students and staff have returned from the Thanksgiving holidays and are already in full swing!

Kirbyville Junior High, along with Kirbyville Elementary and Kirbyville High School participated in the annual canned food drive benefiting the Kirbyville Christian Outreach.  Our students were grouped by their 2nd period class and were challenged to collect canned goods and non-perishable food items to donate to the community.  Over the course of two weeks, our kids collected 1,171 canned food items that were brought to the KCO!  Participating in this each year is a fantastic way for our students to learn how to serve others and make a difference in the community!

Our UIL academic teams will be traveling to Deweyville on Thursday, December 5th to compete in the 2013 middle school UIL competition.  These students have been practicing every Wednesday afternoon for several months and they will be competing with their peers from around Southeast Texas.  Events that students will compete in include science, math, poetry and prose, modern oratory, listening skills, dictionary skills, art, calculator, ready writing, impromptu speaking, number sense, oral reading, and spelling.  A new event this year that has gained the interest of many students is chess!  We are excited to see the bright young minds pushing themselves and we look forward to seeing our students excel!

Another group competing against their peers from the Southeast Texas area is the Kirbyville Junior High band.  On Saturday, November 23rd, 2013, members of the band auditioned for the ATSSB Region band, and we had five students earn spots in the group.  They will rehearse and perform with their their peers at a concert in the Spring.  The Kirbyville Junior High Band and Choir programs have both been hard at work preparing for the 2013 Christmas concert that will be held on Tuesday, December 10th at 7:00 pm.  Both groups have some surprises in store for the concert, so we hope that you will join us!

On the basketball court, the Wildcats have been busy!  Our teams have played well since the season began and they are continually improving!  Both the boys’ and girls’ teams are looking forward to dominating in district play.  The basketball teams will be playing into the second week of February, and we encourage you to come out and support the Wildcats!

This time of year is challenging because of cold and flu season and weather-related illness.  I would like to encourage parents to take extra measures to keep their children healthy.  Make sure that they are getting plenty of rest, washing their hands, and avoiding contact with others who may be contagious.  The students are kept indoors on mornings when it is extremely cold and the maintenance and custodial staff are taking extra precautions to keep our students healthy.

All Kirbyville CISD campuses will have an early release on Friday, December 20th, and will observe the Christmas and New Years holiday beginning on December 23rd, and will return to school on Monday, January 6th, 2014!

I hope that in this busy season you will take the time to reflect upon the things you are thankful for.  We are so blessed in Kirbyville CISD to have great kids and a great staff!  I would like to wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and I hope that your holiday season is filled with peace and happiness!

November 2013 Campus Article

Greetings from Kirbyville Junior High!  We have turned the pages of the calendar to November and turned the clock back for the Fall!  We are more than halfway through the 2nd grading period of the year, and report cards will be sent home on November 21st!

Last week, Kirbyville Junior High celebrated Red Ribbon Week.  This event brings awareness to drug and alcohol abuse and encourages students to make good choices and avoid destructive decision making.  Throughout the week, the kids were encouraged to wear hats, sunglasses, camouflage, and of course red and black to go along with the themed dress days.  They had a great time and exhibited their excellent behavior throughout the dress up days!

Our students have begun practicing for the University Interscholastic League Academic competition which we be held at the beginning of December.  These students practice every Wednesday afternoon and are preparing to compete with their peers from around Southeast Texas.  Events that students will compete in include science, math, poetry and prose, modern oratory, listening skills, dictionary skills, art, calculator, ready writing, impromptu speaking, number sense, oral reading, and spelling.  A new event this year that has gained the interest of many students is chess!  We are excited to see the bright young minds pushing themselves and we look forward to seeing our students excel!

As we move into November, the 2012 volleyball season has come to a close.  The LadyCats finished their season playing in the district tournament, and represented KJH very well!  Our football teams have have made great progress throughout the season, and will play one final game in Warren on Thursday.  Before the shoulder pads and volleyballs are even put away, the boys and girls athletic teams are on the court getting prepared for basketball season.  The Wildcats open their 2012-2013 season at home on Thursday, November 15.  The boys and girls play once a week, and in most cases, alternate between home and away games.  We hope that you will come out and support Wildcats on the court in their quest for hoops domination!

This week marks the beginning of the annual KCO/KCISD Canned Food Drive!  Kirbyville Junior High will be collecting non-perishable food items until November 15th.  All of the items collected from all three campuses go directly to the KCO and are returned to the community.  This is one of many opportunities where Kirbyville students can make a difference!

The change of the calendar also means a shift to cooler weather.  This time of year is challenging because of cold and flu season and weather-related illness.  I would like to encourage parents to take extra measures to keep their children healthy.  Make sure that they are getting plenty of rest, washing their hands, and avoiding contact with others who may be contagious.  The students are kept indoors on mornings when it is extremely cold and the maintenance and custodial staff are taking extra precautions to keep our students healthy.

All Kirbyville CISD campuses will have an early release on Friday, November 22nd, and will observe the Thanksgiving holiday on the week of November 25-29th.   If you have a Twitter account, you can follow us at @KirbyvilleJH to keep up with all the exciting things going on at Kirbyville Junior High and see how we are Working Together to Achieve Something Better!

Chief Learning Officer

I have unofficially dubbed myself the Chief Learning Officer at Kirbyville Junior High. I have not crowned myself with this title because I am seeking a ego boost or searching for smart looking words to put on a business card. In fact, it’s quite the opposite…I feel far behind the curve of what a 21st century principal should know and do, and it’s because there is so much to learn, and I am loving learning it! I hope to model a true passion for learning for my students and staff.

Many well-meaning colleges, universities, mission statements, and educational gurus use the term “lifelong learner”. I don’t think that phrase is a bad thing at all…as long as it is put into action and moves beyond an interview buzzword, key phrase in a conceptual framework, or a plaque collecting dust on the wall.

Here are some of the things that I am currently having a great time learning!

• Twitter! – this has been the most revolutionary tool in my professional growth. Even though I would consider myself proficient at using it, there are still so many things about it, and so many ways that other people use it that I am still learning. In fact, one or our teachers taught me something new last week. Also, I think it is a tool that has the power to be either a game-changer or a springboard to a game-changer in education! You can follow me at @tjadams105 to see what I am learning. Also, follow @KirbyvilleJH to see what great things our kids are doing!
• Through Twitter, I have joined a new program this summer that I am excited about. The School Administrator Virtual Mentor Program (#SAVMP) created by a Twitter rockstar from Canada. I have been paired with a middle school principal from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and although we are just getting started in the program, I am gaining a great deal of insight from his leadership. I hope to continue to grow as a result of this program.
• Vine – an app that allows the user to create short video clips that loop about every 6 seconds. I haven’t figured out exactly how this can be used in education yet, but I thought the same thing about Twitter a little over a year ago!
• Pinterest – a tool for collecting and organizing things you love. When I found out my brother had a Pinterest account, I ridiculed him incessantly! I soon realized that there was a huge use for it in education. After seeing folks like Eric Sheninger use it effectively to share great ideas with other teachers, I thought I would give it a try. I really like it, and I didn’t have to surrender my “Man Card”. Just endure a little bit of deserved flack from my brother!
• Flipped Classroom – arguably one of the most revolutionary concepts in 21st century education! The concept of the flipped class is that the bulk of the instruction is delivered to students via video prior to the class meeting. Students can access these instructional videos using a mobile device, home computer, iPad, or any other device with internet access. In my opinion, the most ground breaking part of this concept is how time and learning are being redefined and restructured to take place outside of the traditional school building and school day!
• Reading a lot! – I have started several books this summer, with the intention of finishing all of them and using them to help me improve as a campus principal. I am currently reading:

1. Teach Like a Pirate (Dave Burgess)
2. The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction (Sean Cain and Mike Laird)
3. The Power of ICU: The End of Student Apathy (Danny Hill and Dr. Jayson Nave)
4. Learning Targets: Helping Students Aim for Understanding is Today’s Lesson (Connie M.Moss and Susan M. Brookhart)
5. There are at least a dozen other books on my “To Read” list.  I wish I had more time to devote to reading!

• New Apps and Web 2.0 tools!- I have spent time this summer exploring new apps and tools that I think are great for education. Here is a brief, non-comprehensive list of some of the cool things I’ve found and played around with.

1. Prezi – a cloud based presentation software that opens up a new dimension between whiteboards and slides.
2. Haiku Deck – this is essentially a trimmed out version of presentation software for an iPad. I need to keep exploring the app, but so far all the bells and whistles I have seen are incredible!
3. Remind101 – a way to safely text students and parents. A free tool to send one-to-many text messages. Free for teachers and supports unlimited class sizes. I am using this app to communicate with my staff, students, and parents this year.
4. Evernote – an app that helps you remember and act upon ideas, projects and experiences across all the computers, phones and tablets you use. I learned this summer how to organize all the great things that I’ve found from Twitter in easy-to-manage folders.
5. Google Docs and Google Plus – a cloud based format that allows you to create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, surveys, and many other amazing things. We are using Google Docs and Google Calendar in the office to coordinate and collaborate on projects and events. I’m also excited to try my first Google Hangout!
6. Edmodo – a platform that provides a safe and easy way for your class to connect and collaborate, share content, and access homework, grades and school notices. Several of my staff members have jumped into using this program for their classes, and they love it! After meeting the creators at #TCEA13 and talking with them, I grew curious about it as well. I plan to use this to communicate with students in the future, and I’m looking for all different ways to use it.

This is a very exciting time to be an educator! Although there many downsides of the job and seemingly increasing mandates placed on educators, there are so many exciting new thoughts, products, and paradigm shifts happening right now that create a fresh new perspective on teaching and learning! I am looking forward to learning about these things over the course of the next several years and seeing how the concepts of school, teaching, and learning are redefined!

May 2013 Campus Article

Greetings from Kirbyville Junior High School!  This edition of the Kirbyville Banner marks the last campus update from Kirbyville Junior High for the 2011-2012 school year.  It is hard to believe, but we only have just over four weeks remaining before summer!  This year has been a great year at Kirbyville Junior High!

We have received results from the first administrations of the STAAR test for the 2102-2013 school year, and we have a great deal to be proud of!  During the March round of tests, our 8th graders took the math and Reading portions of the STAAR and did remarkably well!  Our students scored above the state and local average on both of these tests!  8th graders that are taking Algebra 1 for high school credit took their End Of Course exam on Tuesday, and we will be anxiously awaiting results for the next few weeks.  We are very proud of the work that our students and staff have done!  Though these tests are required, they cannot measure all the great things that we as a campus accomplish throughout the year!

We are celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week at KJH!  We take this opportunity to recognize and applaud the efforts of our teachers and staff, and thank them for the great job that they do!  Our entire staff works incredibly hard, and devotes a great deal of time, energy and effort to make sure our kids have the best possible chance at being successful.  These folks spend countless hours and immeasurable energy making sure that our students get a first-class education!

Kirbyville Junior High is selling yearbooks for the 2012-2013 school year!  These are always a great product that showcase the events that have happened, from the first to the last day of school.  You can purchase an annual for $25, and if you would like your student’s name or additional icons on the cover it will be an additional $4.  Please call the office if you have any questions.

Here are some upcoming events going on at Kirbyville Junior High in the next few weeks:

• May 8 – AR 100 Point Trip
• May 16 – NJHS trip
• May 20 – Band Concert (7:00 pm)
• May 27 – student holiday
• May 31 – JH Awards (9:00 am)
• June 6 – Early release and 8th Grade Promotion ceremony (7:30 pm)

I would love to be able to recognize each and every person who has contributed to making this year a success for Kirbyville Junior High and our kids.  However, there is not enough paper and that would be far too many names!  I would like to recognize the staff members of Kirbyville Junior High, and I would like to thank all of the parents and family members who allow us the privilege of educating their children!  Kirbyville truly is a great place to be!!

We are very proud of our young men and women, and love to show off all the great things that they do!  If you have a Twitter account, you can follow us at @KirbyvilleJH to keep up with the exciting things going on at Kirbyville Junior High and see how we are Dreaming Big and Working Hard!

April 2013 Campus Article

Greetings from Kirbyville Junior High!  This is the time of year when the mercury in the thermometer begins to rise, and we start to look forward to summer vacation!  We only have seven weeks of school left, but there is a tremendous amount of activity taking place between now and June 6th!

The next major item on the calendar is the second round of STAAR tests taking place next week.  Our students will be taking the following tests next Tuesday through Thursday:

Tuesday, April 23

• 7th grade Math

• 8th grade students report at 12:00 pm

Wednesday, April 24

• 7th grade Reading

• 8th grade Science

Thursday, April 25

• 8th grade Social Studies

Our teachers and students have been working hard all year long, and these tests are the way the state of Texas measures how much our students have learned.

Our student leadership organizations are currently involved in two several service projects.  The students in National Junior Honor Society have been collecting pet food and supplies from the student body to donate their time and what they have collected to the Beaumont Humane Society later this month.  They will stop and visit the Humane Society on their way to Galveston for their annual field trip.  Members of our Student Council and NJHS are also working to raise money to benefit  the development of Cystic Fibrosis research.  It is wonderful to see our students working to champion a cause for the greater good and benefit other organizations!

Students from the KJH SkillsUSA traveled to Corpus Christi during the first weekend in April.  Our students represented Kirbyville Junior High very well and they will be recognized at the Kirbyville CISD Board of Trustees meeting in May.  We are so proud of all of our students that have participated in extracurricular activities this year!  Their hard work has been on display and they have competed against their peers in volleyball, football, basketball, band, art, career and technology, and academics and made Kirbyville Junior High very proud!

If you are interested in purchasing a yearbook for the 2012-2013 school year, they are on sale!  For pricing and additional information please call the office at (409) 420-0692.

Stay tuned for all the exciting things that will be happening over the next few weeks at Kirbyville Junior High School!  We push our students to be Ready, Responsible, and Respectful and to strive to do their best at everything they do!  We are very proud of our young men and women, and love to show off all the great things that they do!  If you have a Twitter account, you can follow us at @KirbyvilleJH to keep up with the exciting things going on at Kirbyville Junior High and see how we are Dreaming Big and Working Hard!

March 27, 2013 Campus Article

Greetings from Kirbyville Junior High!  Our students and staff  have returned from a much needed Spring Break and have hit the ground running!

Students in the KJH band traveled to Baytown and performed in the District Concert and Sightreading contest.  The band performed very well, and we are proud of the way that they represented our campus and Kirbyville CISD!  They will be hosting their Spring Concert in May, and we hope that you will be able to come enjoy their performance.

As you are reading this article, the student athletes at KJH have wrapped up their seasons for the year.  On Monday, the track teams traveled to their district meets, hosted in Hemphill for the girls and Woodville for the boys.  We are so proud of each and every one of our athletes and want to recognize them for their great work ethics that are demonstrated throughout the year!

Since there have not been very many events in the last few weeks, I would like to devote the remainder of this article to showcase some of the great things that have been happening in the classrooms this year.  We are fortunate to have great staff members at Kirbyville Junior High that can meet the continually rising bar while giving our students a great, innovative education!

Students in our math classes have learned a great deal this year!  Over the past week, 7th graders have been participating in a game that was developed by students in our Computer Applications class.  The game is based on a tactical mission, and students have to use the information they have learned about mean, median, and mode to complete steps, earn badges, and complete their mission!

Our English classes have done so many interesting things that it is hard to summarize!  8th grade students have done an in-depth study on the Holocaust, capped off by a trip to the Holocaust Museum in Houston.  7th graders have been learning about different genres of media and participating in book studies with students across the nation and the world using an education program called Edmodo.  In writing, our 7th graders have learned to use their writing skills to express themselves and make their opinions heard.  Recently, they wrote a letter to the principal to express their views about a school rule and why they would like to see it changed!

In science, our students have learned a great deal about the world around them!  8th graders have created an interactive periodic table of the elements that included QR codes that linked to a website containing more information about each element.  They have also used hands-on activities to explore forces, chemical and physical changes, and the forces that affect our earth.  7th grade students will are beginning to learn about living systems and will soon take on the stomach-weakening task of frog dissection!

Art students have had the opportunity to explore and create many different forms of art this year, including: painting, drawing, sculpture, and electronic media.  Their amazing works have been displayed all over campus and showcased locally in Kirbyville.  In preparation for the STAAR test, this week the students will be using their originally created drawings, using scale factor, and creating huge chalk murals on the walls outside!

In Computer Applications, our students have had the opportunity this year to learn how to perform computer maintenance, how to access free internet resources to help them learn subject matter from other classes, and how to use technology to connect with their peers and others from around the world.  Students have used Edmodo to safely communicate with their teachers and their peers, and they are participating in ePals to interact in a global learning community with students in Turkey, Slovakia, and the Netherlands!  Students in the advanced Computer Applications classes are currently doing project based learning activities that include creating the video game mentioned earlier for math students, creating a website and setting up a benefit concert for a global charity, and creating a virtual orientation for students who will be coming to junior high next year!

I consider it an honor to be able to see the great things that our kids are learning and doing everyday!  Technology is rapidly changing the landscape of education and the way that we learn.  It is so exciting to see great teachers show curious students how to use knowledge and the tools that are available to learn about the world around them and prepare them for their future!

Stay tuned for all the exciting things that will be happening over the next few weeks and months at Kirbyville Junior High School! We push our students to be Ready, Responsible, and Respectful and to strive to do their best at everything they do!  We are very proud of our young men and women, and love to show off all the great things that they do!  If you have a Twitter account, you can follow us at @KirbyvilleJH to keep up with the exciting things going on at Kirbyville Junior High and see how we are Dreaming Big and Working Hard!

 

March 2013 Campus Article

Greetings from Kirbyville Junior High!

Turning the pages of the calendar from February to March means that we are moving closer to Spring!  In school terms, this also means that we will only get busier between now and the end of the school year!  I am very excited about many of the great things happening at Kirbyville Junior High, and take every opportunity I get to share how great our kids are!

Our 8th graders traveled to Houston on February 22nd to visit the Holocaust museum. This trip is taken to reinforce the study that our students have been doing in their English class this semester.  The museum is a great way for our students to hear first-hand perspectives and see many authentic artifacts and photos from the Jewish Holocaust.  Our students were guided around the museum by knowledgeable docents who were able to answer questions and provide insight into the time period.  At every stop we made throughout the day, people commented on how well behaved, respectful, and polite our students were.

Twenty two of our eighth grade students are enrolled in a distance learning Spanish I class, and gain high school credit for taking and completing the course.  Many of these students traveled to Beaumont on February 25th to see a Spanish theater and dance company called Latin American Extravaganza.  During this performance, our students were able to experience many cultural elements from Central and South America, including their traditional dress, music native to the area, and many of the dance styles originating from the culture.  This day was a student holiday, and these students elected to attend to learn about the culture and areas that they have been studying in Spanish!

Students from the KJH Symphonic Band are traveling to perform in the Region Concert and Sightreading contest on Wednesday, March 6th in Baytown.  Our students will be judged on their performance of three prepared pieces, and will be judged on their ability to read and perform a piece of music that they have never seen.  The KJH band has been working for months to prepare for this event, and we look forward to hearing great results from them!

Our student athletes have also been competing in track meets in the area over the last few weeks.  Many Wildcats have placed highly in these meets and several school records have been shattered!  Our kids have fared very well in the meets in Deweyville, Kirbyville, and Newton, and we expect to see great results from the district meets held on March 25th.

Nearly 40 students from Kirbyville Junior High and Kirbyville High School will be traveling to Washington, D.C. over the spring break holiday.  This trip has been taken nearly every year for over 20 years, and has given many KJH students the opportunity to see some of the most significant landmarks in our nation’s history.  Some of these places include the National Mall, the Lincoln and Washington Memorials, the Vietnam and Korean War Memorials, and the Capitol and White House.
In the span of a month, the Kirbyville Junior High Wildcats have been or will be seen in Deweyville, Newton, Woodville, Beaumont, Baytown, Houston, and Washington, D.C.  With great kids and great staff, it is very easy to showcase the great things that we have throughout the area, around the state and the nation!

Stay tuned for all the exciting things that will be happening over the next few weeks and months at Kirbyville Junior High School! We push our students to be Ready, Responsible, and Respectful and to strive to do their best at everything they do!  We are very proud of our young men and women, and love to show off all the great things that they do!  If you have a Twitter account, you can follow us at @KirbyvilleJH to keep up with the exciting things going on at Kirbyville Junior High and see how we are Dreaming Big and Working Hard!              

February Campus Article

This is the KJH campus article that was posted in the Kirbyville Banner on February 13, 2013.

Greetings from Kirbyville Junior High School!  The spring semester is such a busy time of year, and we are just getting started!  There are so many events and activities that seem to pull our staff and students in many different directions, and still we have to remain focused on the main business of what we do…teaching and learning.  Here is a brief summary of what has been going on, and what will be happening over the next couple of weeks.

We have nearly wrapped up the fourth six-weeks grading period.  This time of year signals that we have entered the second and final leg of our journey, and we are making the final push until the end of the year.  Our students will be taking the STAAR assessment during the months of March and April, and we are working diligently to prepare them to succeed.  Our students are encouraged every day to work hard and strive for excellence in everything that they do!

Kirbyville Junior High School will be inducting new members into the National Junior Honor Society on February 26th at 7:00 pm.  National Junior Honor Society is an organization that recognizes outstanding junior high and middle school students for their scholarship, leadership, service, and character.  Our chapter of National Junior Honor Society is very active and seeks ways to serve the school and the community.

Basketball season has come to a close at Kirbyville Junior High.  Our teams did very well this year against district opponents, and both the boys and girls teams ended their season with big wins!  Our eighth grade students got the opportunity to play their last game of the season in Wildcat gym at Kirbyville High School!  Even though the basketball season just ended, our students have been working very hard to prepare for the track season.  Our students will compete in their first track meet on February 18th in Deweyville.  The following week, the Wildcats will be hosting a track meet here at Wildcat Stadium on February 25th.

The fine arts programs at Kirbyville Junior High School are busy as well.  Eleven of our band students represented our campus as members of the region band in January, and had a great time at the rehearsals and concert.  The band students are also hard at work preparing for the upcoming Concert and Sightreading contest that will be held in March.  We want to wish our students the best as they prepare to take the stage for competition next month.  Students in our art classes have been preparing their works for the upcoming art contest sponsored by the Women’s Civic Club.  They will be recognized at a ceremony on Thursday, February 14th at 10:00 am.  Our art students work very hard throughout the year, and this is a great opportunity to showcase their talent in the community.

Stay tuned for all the exciting things that will be happening over the next few weeks and months at Kirbyville Junior High School! We push our students to be Ready, Responsible, and Respectful and to strive to do their best at everything they do!  We are very proud of our young men and women, and love to show off all the great things that they do!  If you have a Twitter account, you can follow us at @KirbyvilleJH to keep up with the exciting things going on at Kirbyville Junior High and see how we are Dreaming Big and Working Hard!