6th Grade and New Student Orientation will be held on Friday, August 9 at 10:00 am and Wednesday, August 14 at 6:00 pm.  Please read the attached letter.

The Heart of JCo, a Huntingdon County 501(C)(3) with a mission of “Helping to create a kinder world where no child is hungry or excluded due to financial hardship.”  If you or someone you know has a need please use the request form provided.  Commonly requested items include winter coats, warm clothes, new shoes, hygiene items, school supplies, or anything that will help a child feel better about themselves and simply bring a bit of joy into their little life. 

Link to the help request form: http://theheartofjco.com/wordpress/request-help/

During September, we recognize National Suicide Prevention Month in the Huntingdon Area School District.  Resources are available in the school counseling office.  All students have been invited to join Aevidum. The purpose of the group is not only to prevent suicide, but also in contributing to a positive school climate that is aligned to our BEARCATS expectations, especially “Caring About the Team.”  A link to information about the Aevidum, which has its roots in Pennsylvania, is provided below.    

During this difficult time, we aspire to encourage communication between school and home.  We have provided suicide prevention online parental resources below.   Please do not hesitate to reach out to us with concerns about your child/children. 

Resources 

https://definingwellness.com/resources/how-trauma-affects-the-brain/

https://www.graniterecoverycenters.com/resources/the-link-between-suicide-substance-abuse/

https://www.preventsuicidepa.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Parent-Resources_Final.pdf

https://www.preventsuicidepa.org/task-force-county-init/huntingdon/

https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/?scrlybrkr=3c578483

https://www.crisistextline.org/?scrlybrkr=7bf9818d

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/suicide-prevention/index.shtml?scrlybrkr=2662c3aa

https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/suicide/resources.html

https://afsp.org/suicide-prevention-resources

https://www.helpguide.org/articles/suicide-prevention/suicide-prevention.htm?scrlybrkr=35ff8a24

https://save.org/

https://www.thetrevorproject.or

https://aevidum.org/

Homework Help will now be offered Mondays & Wednesdays from 2:50-3:50 in the MS Library.  If you would like your child to attend Homework Help, please contact the office at 643-2900.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) hereby notified us that the Huntingdon Area School District has been identified as having at least one school designated as a low-achieving school. The following is the school within the district designated as low achieving:

• Huntingdon Area MS

Pursuant to Act 86 of 2016, the Department of Education produced a list of public elementary and secondary schools within the Commonwealth that are in the lowest 15 percent of their designation for the previous full academic year.

Public elementary and secondary schools (excluding brick-and-mortar and cyber charter schools, and area vocational-technical schools) within the commonwealth that ranked in the lowest 15 percent of its designation for the 2018-19 school year is based on the combined Mathematics/Algebra I and Reading/Literature scores from the annual assessments (PASA, PSSA, and/or Keystone) administered in 2019.

Students who reside in an attendance zone of a school that was on a previous list of low performing schools but is not on the 2020-21 list may apply to a Scholarship Organization to continue receiving a scholarship.

An overview of the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit program is provided within this link.