I believe I have the order of this title wrong in the eyes of the state. However, in the eyes of the kids I think this will suit them just fine.

Testing - This year the eighth grade students start testing earlier than ever before. The reason for the early testing cycle is because this is the first year the eighth graders will have to pass to be promoted. If you haven't noticed we have had more students attending after school tutorials, coming to school early for morning help, and even staying in at lunch. The students who are taking the time to do these things are truly to be commended, along with their parents for making time for them to get here at these odd times.

The first test that we give is the Reading test on March 5th, next Wednesday. On this day, the seventh graders will take the writing test and the eighth graders will take the reading test. Students who do not pass the test the first time given will get a chance to retest in April. I have told the kids and their teachers have told them that they do not want to rely on later tests dates to pass. Passing the test the first time will reduce their stress level and help to build confidence. So, if your son or daughter has been staying late, thank you. Hopefully his or her hardwork will payoff the first time that they test.

As for Spring Break, I am not sure it can get here soon enough for the students and teachers. I think everyone is ready for a break.

Have a good break and call me if you have any questions or concerns.

Spring is just around the corner or at least that is how it feels when basketball season starts coming to an end and track season begins. This week the JH basketball teams will finish up their seasons and after school track practice will begin soon thereafter.

Along with the changing of the weather seasons and athletic seasons also comes the unchanging spring TAKS test. This test as most of you know is given in the following subjects: Reading, Writing, Math, Science, and Social Studies. Seventh grade students will take the Writing TAKS test the first of March and the eighth grade students will take the Reading TAKS test at the same time. This is the first year that eighth grade students have to take their tests to be promoted, according to state standards. We have a local policy that requires students to pass so they do not have to repeat a grade or attend summer school; however, our policy is no where near as stringent as the state’s policy.

My suggestion to all parents is to constantly monitor your child’s success on six weeks tests. Each grading period students are given six weeks tests that are closely aligned to the state’s standards (TEKS). These tests are our way of measuring and monitoring your child’s success with his/her learning objectives. When you see or we see that six weeks exams are low then students should make plans to stay after school for more practice and remediation. If you feel your son or daughter needs more help, regardless of their grades on six weeks exams, go ahead and make them stay after school for tutorials.

With the upcoming changes, the one greatest change we can all make is helping each child reach the passing standard and beyond on this year’s spring assessments (TAKS tests). 100% passing must be the change we all want along with a track district title!

Call if you have any questions or concerns. Thanks for your help and continued support in our efforts to make BJHS a better place for all.

Sincerely,

Brent Evans
Principal
BJHS

Note: 8th Math TAKS test – April 8th / re-test May 13th
7th Math TAKS test – April 29th
7th Reading TAKS test and 8th TAKS Reading re-test April 30th
8th Science TAKS test – May 1st
8th Social Studies test – May 2nd

I would like to welcome everyone to Breckenridge Junior High school for the 2007-2008 school year.

Breckenridge Junior High school is an outstanding campus. We are one of a few Recognized junior high campuses in the area. When comparing our overall scores to other schools our size and even smaller schools in our area we are easily one of the top five schools in the Big Country region.

We have great students and staff. Over the last three years our campus has made many positive improvements. Our academic scores have continued to climb while our discipline and campus problems have continued to decrease. As stated earlier, we are one of a few Recognized campuses in the region and our staff has currently been asked to present at two upcoming conferences. Several staff members will attend the "Gathering of Professionals" in Abilene in December to present our school wide intervention team, which we call our SWIM (Succeeding While Improving Morale - nobody sinks everyone swims!) team. This same group has also been asked to present at the statewide student behavior conference in Dallas this June. I am so proud of the staff's accomplishments in making this team and their efforts a success. Just so you know, the focus of this team is to find, problem solve, and present ways to the staff to improve day to day procedures and discipline on the campus. Due to concerns voiced by students, teachers, and parents through surveys, informal meetings, and casual conversation we have changed many procedures on campus which we feel have made the day at BJHS better for all. We still have a way to go but with this team we are constantly trying to improve our school.

I hope your son or daughter has a wonderful experience here on our campus. And, I thank each and everyone of you for taking the time to read about BJHS on this website. If you have any questions or concerns do not hesitate to call or come by. We may not always agree on everything we do but your concern and interest in what we do will only help us improve.

Have a great day!