News

Dear Keller Families,

 

It was another fantastic week at Keller.  While we have a weekend upon us, I do want to shift to the excitement of what next week brings.  Wednesday, September 20th, we have two peak moments planned.  The first peak moment is our belong-a-thon that will be taking place with the staff and students during the morning of the half-day.  Your child will spend the morning participating in several activities that will encourage them to connect with others through sharing stories, playing games, practicing mindfulness, and giving back to our Keller community while working to build a school culture that promotes our Keller motto: TOGETHER AS ONE.  The second peak moment on Wednesday, will take place from 5-7:00 PM where we will be celebrating the amazing start of the school year and our wonderful school community with our second annual back to school bash.  Our very own teacher band, PAPER JAM, will be performing live.  Please read further below for additional event details.  We hope to see you at the back to school bash!!

 

Have a wonderful weekend and GO BEARS!!!

 

As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our front office staff or me.  Thank you for your patience, flexibility, and support and we will work “TOGETHER AS ONE” to ensure the success of our students.

 

Regards,

Tom Barbini
Principal

[email protected]

 

 

 

Important Dates to Remember:  

• September 20:  Half-day Inservice; students released at 10:40 AM
• September 20:  Back to School Bash from 5-7:00 PM
• September 21:  Keller Student Kick-Off Celebration 2:15 – 3:50 PM
• October 9:  Columbus Day – No School
• November 8:   Half-day Inservice; students released at 10:40 AM
• November 20:  Full-day Parent-Teacher Conferences – no school all day
• November 21:  Half-day Parent-Teacher Conferences – no school all day
• November 22-24:  Thanksgiving Break – no school
• December 21:  Winter break begins at the end of the day
• January 8:  School Resumes
• January 15:  Martin Luther King Jr. Day – no school

 

 

 

2023 – 2024 Keller Calendar

The 2023-2024 Keller Calendar can be viewed here:  https://keller.sd54.org/aboutkeller/calendar/.  This calendar contains upcoming events for Keller.

 

 

 

2023 – 2024 District Calendar
The 2023-2024 District Calendar can be viewed here: https://sd54.org/calendar/. Please click on the link for the Spanish version of the calendar. 

 

Keller Junior High Website

Click here to navigate to the Keller Junior High Website.

 

 

 

 

Keller Sports, Intramurals, and Clubs
Please encourage your child to get involved in our Keller Sports, Intramurals, and Club offerings that take place after school.   Please visit our Sports, Intramurals, and Clubs page for more information about these activities.  Students must maintain academic eligibility to participate in sports, intramurals, and clubs.  For information regarding upcoming dates for sporting events, intramurals, and club sessions please click on the link to view the building calendar on the Keller webpage.
  
Students participating in interscholastic athletic programs, including intramural sports, shall have an annual physical examination prior to tryouts and participating in any scheduled practice or contest.  Physicals are effective for one year from the date of the exam. The physical exam form for District 54 can be found by clicking on the link.  For additional information on District 54 Junior High Sports and the Sports Parent-Student Handbook please click here.

 

 

Infinite Campus Parent Portal
Infinite campus is District 54’s student information system that connects parents to information.  Through Infinite Campus, parents will have access to the Parent Portal.  The Parent Portal provides access for parents to information regarding their child including paying fees, viewing assignments, attendance, grades, academic schedule, and teacher comments. 

If you currently do not have a Parent Portal account, please email [email protected] or you can call our front office at 1-847-357-6500 and our secretaries can assist you.  If you need help logging on to the Infinite Campus portal click here, email [email protected], or call portal support at 847-357-5110.  If you have previously created a Parent Portal account and cannot recall your username or password, you can reset them yourself from the portal website by selecting forgot password. 

 

 

 

 

Keller Food Drive

On Tuesday, September 5th we started our Food Drive.  The 7th and 8th graders are competing to collect the most items.  Items are being collected before first period in the cafeteria. Students will be awarded two Cat Coin for each donation or can purchase a donation by spending two from their Cat Coin to contribute towards their grade level. The grade level that donates the most items will be participating in the Belong-athon on September 20th first and being dismissed from school first, while the other grade level will be joining the activity shortly after. 

 

Some of the items that were are hoping to collect are:

• Household items: paper towels, toilet paper, Kleenex, cleaners, sponges, etc.
• Hygiene items: deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner
• Baby items: diapers, baby food, baby wipes
• Non-perishable food that is not expired

 

 

 

 

FLEX

Every Thursday morning, students will begin the day in their Advisory classes for a 40-minute FLEX session. FLEX is program unique to Keller where the staff spends structured time with small groups of students to facilitate a variety of activities designed to raise student achievement.  To begin the year, our focus with FLEX has been to teach the students how to navigate Infinite Campus to check their grades, identify missing and incomplete assignments, and the routines needed to manage their work responsibilities.  Now that this training has concluded with FLEX, teachers will begin to use FLEX for pulling small groups while other students are working on homework or completing any work that is missing and/or incomplete. Sometimes, the staff member works with a targeted group(s) to reteach material that the students have yet to master after initial instruction. Other weeks, teachers pull small group(s) that have already met the learning objective to offer an enrichment activity that will challenge these students. Finally, some weeks staff will pull a group of students to prepare for an upcoming assessment or concert, etc. It truly is a FLEX period, as the staff has flexibility to work with and support their students.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday 9/20/23 is a Half-Day of School

Please remember that Wednesday, September 20th, is a half-day of school for all students.  Please note, there will be no classes in the afternoon.  Dismissal will be from 10:35 – 10:40 AM and students will not be eating lunch at school.  On Wednesday, September 20th, we are celebrating our second annual Belong-a-Thon during our half day!  Your child will spend the morning participating in several activities that will encourage them to connect with others through sharing stories, playing games, practicing mindfulness, and giving back to our Keller community while working to build a school culture that promotes our Keller motto: Together As One.

 

 

 

 

Back to School Bash:  Wednesday 9/20/23 from 5:00 – 7:00 PM

You and your family are invited to join us for our second annual Keller Back to School Bash on Wednesday, September 20th from 5 – 7 p.m.  We are holding this Back to School Bash for our school community to gather together to celebrate an awesome start to the new school year, all the good things happening in our school, and the Keller PTA being named a National PTA School of Excellence for the 3rd successive year!
 
The celebration at Keller Junior High will include:

• PAPER JAM, the Keller Teacher Band, performing live!
• Old Town Pizza sales ($3 per cheese slice)! 
• Kona Ice Truck sales!
• Outdoor Games: 9 Square, Giant Jenga, Giant Connect Four, Cornhole!
• Informational tables with representatives from the Keller PTA and the Boys and Girls Club of America!
• Fun with your Keller friends!

   
Important notes:

• You can pay with cash, credit card, or Apple Pay.
• We encourage you to bring lawn chairs or blankets to the celebration.
• Parking in the Keller lot will be limited. Please consider walking or carpooling. 
• We need volunteers to make this event possible. Sign up hereto help out for a 30-minute shift. 

 
If you have any questions, please contact the Keller PTA via email at: [email protected] or text 331-901-0120.

 

 

 

 

Keller Kick-off Celebration after School:  Thursday 9/21/23 from 2:15 – 3:50 PM

To celebrate the start of the school year we are hosting a Keller Kick-Off Celebration for the students after school on Thursday, September 21st from 2:15 – 3:50 PM. There will be lawn games, bracelet making, tattoos, and plenty of pizza!  Pizza is $3.00 a slice!  The 4:00 PM activity buses are available to students that already take the bus to and from and school.  If your child is interested in participating, they just need to stay after school on Thursday, September 21st.

 

 

 

 

 

News from Keller PTA

The newest edition of the Keller Wildcat Newsletter is HERE!

 

In This Issue- 

• Keller Back to School Bash
• Chicago Wolves Family Night
• Hot Lunch
• Committee Openings
• Dine to Donate
• Become a PTA member
• Spirit Wear
• Box Tops

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Food Deliveries Allowed

With a focus on student and staff safety, District 54 will not allow food delivery services (including, but not limited to, GrubHub, DoorDash, and local restaurants) to our schools. We will continue to have hot lunch days, which are planned events, organized and supervised by school or PTA volunteers. However, we will no longer accept other outside food deliveries to keep our schools secure.

 

 

 

 

Multicultural Parent Advisory Council Presentation – Sept. 19

You are invited to join us on September 19, 2023 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. as District 54’s Multicultural Parent Advisory Council presents a session for parents on “Collaboration: The Key to Success for English Learners in District 54”.  During the meeting we will review how English Learners are identified in District 54 and discuss the information that ACCESS scores provide regarding your student’s learning.  We will also share tips for preparing for your child’s conference and review the Evidence Based Funding in District 54. Translators will be available. To sign up for the session, please complete the registration form by Wednesday, September 12th. If you have any questions regarding the meeting, please feel free to contact the Department of Language and Culture at (847) 357-5074.