NJHS--

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NJHS Candidate Requirements

The candidate must be a member of the 8th grade class.

The candidate must have been in attendance since at least September 2023.

The candidate must hold a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.75, based on the final mark for 7th grade. NJHS membership is incumbent on a cumulative 3.75 GPA (minimum) by the end of the third quarter of the 2023-2024 academic year.

Accepted NJHS candidates will be required to pay a non-refundable $20 candidate fee, due at the first meeting.

The NJHS Committee will review candidates’ standing. Students who do not promote scholarship, character, citizenship, leadership and service in the classroom and in their community will not be considered for active membership.

Anyone with an honor code violation will not be considered for active membership.

NJHS community service hours and reflections must be completed by the deadlines.

The community service reflections will be a major commitment for all NJHS Candidates to demonstrate character, leadership, and citizenship in the school community and beyond.

Candidates complete the year by demonstrating their acquired skills and knowledge in a Service Learning Gallery.

How many service hours will be needed?
What shows that the student has been promoting "scholarship, character, citizenship, leadership and service in the classroom"?

Are kids expected to intrinsically know these things or is this program only designed for those in the "in"? If FCPS wants to promote equity as they speak, they need to communicate the requirements of programs such as this to the community at large. Not everyone has the insider knowledge.

This isn’t “insider knowledge.” Everyone knows in order to qualify you need a minimum GPA.

Let me guess, your kid wasn’t selected? I detect sour grapes.

Don't be silly, the GPA requirement isn't what's insider knowledge. It is what comes after. Our school specifically said you needed more than just a threshold GPA but what was needed is the mystery.

I’m guessing your kid wasn’t invited or didn’t do the work to apply. It’s clear. Once our kid was invited, there was a letter explaining how to apply. Kids had to do an essay and get teacher recommendations. My guess is your kid didn’t follow through.

You think my neighbor who is an immigrant family who doesn't speak English had any idea what this meant based on the communication we got? Some of you are clueless. Truly.

Truly. This is an elective service club that has no basis on college apps or anything of the sort. Why can't any parent who doesn't know just call up the school or the smart kid just ask? Or the parent go to one of the many service areas to help with translation? Or scan the info into a translation app? The idea that every optional activity needs to cater to the immigrant family that doesn't speak English is too high a standard for anywhere in this country or the world. There isn't a single country that caters to people that don't speak their language to optional programs to the level you are speaking about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NJHS Candidate Requirements

The candidate must be a member of the 8th grade class.

The candidate must have been in attendance since at least September 2023.

The candidate must hold a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.75, based on the final mark for 7th grade. NJHS membership is incumbent on a cumulative 3.75 GPA (minimum) by the end of the third quarter of the 2023-2024 academic year.

Accepted NJHS candidates will be required to pay a non-refundable $20 candidate fee, due at the first meeting.

The NJHS Committee will review candidates’ standing. Students who do not promote scholarship, character, citizenship, leadership and service in the classroom and in their community will not be considered for active membership.

Anyone with an honor code violation will not be considered for active membership.

NJHS community service hours and reflections must be completed by the deadlines.

The community service reflections will be a major commitment for all NJHS Candidates to demonstrate character, leadership, and citizenship in the school community and beyond.

Candidates complete the year by demonstrating their acquired skills and knowledge in a Service Learning Gallery.

How many service hours will be needed?
What shows that the student has been promoting "scholarship, character, citizenship, leadership and service in the classroom"?

Are kids expected to intrinsically know these things or is this program only designed for those in the "in"? If FCPS wants to promote equity as they speak, they need to communicate the requirements of programs such as this to the community at large. Not everyone has the insider knowledge.

This isn’t “insider knowledge.” Everyone knows in order to qualify you need a minimum GPA.

Let me guess, your kid wasn’t selected? I detect sour grapes.

Don't be silly, the GPA requirement isn't what's insider knowledge. It is what comes after. Our school specifically said you needed more than just a threshold GPA but what was needed is the mystery.

I’m guessing your kid wasn’t invited or didn’t do the work to apply. It’s clear. Once our kid was invited, there was a letter explaining how to apply. Kids had to do an essay and get teacher recommendations. My guess is your kid didn’t follow through.

You think my neighbor who is an immigrant family who doesn't speak English had any idea what this meant based on the communication we got? Some of you are clueless. Truly.

Truly. This is an elective service club that has no basis on college apps or anything of the sort. Why can't any parent who doesn't know just call up the school or the smart kid just ask? Or the parent go to one of the many service areas to help with translation? Or scan the info into a translation app? The idea that every optional activity needs to cater to the immigrant family that doesn't speak English is too high a standard for anywhere in this country or the world. There isn't a single country that caters to people that don't speak their language to optional programs to the level you are speaking about.

+1,000,000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NJHS Candidate Requirements

The candidate must be a member of the 8th grade class.

The candidate must have been in attendance since at least September 2023.

The candidate must hold a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.75, based on the final mark for 7th grade. NJHS membership is incumbent on a cumulative 3.75 GPA (minimum) by the end of the third quarter of the 2023-2024 academic year.

Accepted NJHS candidates will be required to pay a non-refundable $20 candidate fee, due at the first meeting.

The NJHS Committee will review candidates’ standing. Students who do not promote scholarship, character, citizenship, leadership and service in the classroom and in their community will not be considered for active membership.

Anyone with an honor code violation will not be considered for active membership.

NJHS community service hours and reflections must be completed by the deadlines.

The community service reflections will be a major commitment for all NJHS Candidates to demonstrate character, leadership, and citizenship in the school community and beyond.

Candidates complete the year by demonstrating their acquired skills and knowledge in a Service Learning Gallery.

How many service hours will be needed?
What shows that the student has been promoting "scholarship, character, citizenship, leadership and service in the classroom"?

Are kids expected to intrinsically know these things or is this program only designed for those in the "in"? If FCPS wants to promote equity as they speak, they need to communicate the requirements of programs such as this to the community at large. Not everyone has the insider knowledge.

This isn’t “insider knowledge.” Everyone knows in order to qualify you need a minimum GPA.

Let me guess, your kid wasn’t selected? I detect sour grapes.

Don't be silly, the GPA requirement isn't what's insider knowledge. It is what comes after. Our school specifically said you needed more than just a threshold GPA but what was needed is the mystery.

I’m guessing your kid wasn’t invited or didn’t do the work to apply. It’s clear. Once our kid was invited, there was a letter explaining how to apply. Kids had to do an essay and get teacher recommendations. My guess is your kid didn’t follow through.

You think my neighbor who is an immigrant family who doesn't speak English had any idea what this meant based on the communication we got? Some of you are clueless. Truly.

So your faux outrage has to do with your neighbor’s kid? Sure, Jan.

[Anonymous]

My kid got a notice in advisory and didn't tell me about it or do what they needed to do for it. Actually HAS done the service hours, but never logged them. Oh well.
I do appreciate though that the MS notifies kids and not parents--it was a good lesson that they need to be on top of things not just rely on me to do it for them. I think this experience of a lost opportunity due to not being attentive will serve them better in HS than the actual NJHS award.

[Anonymous]

I’m grateful for the opportunity. My kid actually seems to like volunteering!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid got a notice in advisory and didn't tell me about it or do what they needed to do for it. Actually HAS done the service hours, but never logged them. Oh well.
I do appreciate though that the MS notifies kids and not parents--it was a good lesson that they need to be on top of things not just rely on me to do it for them. I think this experience of a lost opportunity due to not being attentive will serve them better in HS than the actual NJHS award.

Thank you for this post. I am a NJHS sponsor. We do all notifcations through the student, for exactly the reasons you stated. Even for the evening pinning in June to which families are invited, we do all notifications through the student (and our SBTS posts the event to our public-facing website calendar).

[Anonymous]

Where are you kids getting service hours? My kid still needs a few.

[Anonymous]

https://www.volunteerfairfax.org/

[Anonymous]

We were told for NJHS, service hours must be at an FCPS school. Which is odd and limiting.

[Anonymous]

Sponsor again. Where, when, how, how many, by what date, etc. are all determined on a school by school basis.

In my first school where I sponsored, we had a strict "in a school setting" policy because I (maybe misguidely) was holding fast to the "scholastic organization" aspect, plus we were trying to keep a tight leash on it all. In my current school, we allow almost anything (schools, sports orgs, civic orgs, religious affiliations, community work)--our goal now is for our members to work in service of others, and of course that can be accomplished in many ways. We don't allow food drive donations to count for service hours (we did at my previous school).

Our only rules are a) students can't double dip (like NJHS & Civics), and b) they can't use any activities that they are monetarily compensated for. I guess I have loosened my grip a bit in all these years; I am now willing to do some digging if needed to confirm hours (it is way easier sometimes to confirm them if they are performed at or with a school).

I wish that the county would standardize some of the aspects of NJHS, but seeing that not even every middle school has NJHS, that's probably a pipe dream.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sponsor again. Where, when, how, how many, by what date, etc. are all determined on a school by school basis.

In my first school where I sponsored, we had a strict "in a school setting" policy because I (maybe misguidely) was holding fast to the "scholastic organization" aspect, plus we were trying to keep a tight leash on it all. In my current school, we allow almost anything (schools, sports orgs, civic orgs, religious affiliations, community work)--our goal now is for our members to work in service of others, and of course that can be accomplished in many ways. We don't allow food drive donations to count for service hours (we did at my previous school).

Our only rules are a) students can't double dip (like NJHS & Civics), and b) they can't use any activities that they are monetarily compensated for. I guess I have loosened my grip a bit in all these years; I am now willing to do some digging if needed to confirm hours (it is way easier sometimes to confirm them if they are performed at or with a school).

I wish that the county would standardize some of the aspects of NJHS, but seeing that not even every middle school has NJHS, that's probably a pipe dream.

My kid said helping the neighbor counts and that sounds sus.

[Anonymous]

So 8th graders need civics hours and NJHS hours separately? When are the civics hours needed by? I know NJHS is 3rd quarter at our school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So 8th graders need civics hours and NJHS hours separately? When are the civics hours needed by? I know NJHS is 3rd quarter at our school.

Yes. Not sure when civics hours need to be done. Our school has a deadline of mid May for the NJHS service hours though and kids need 10 hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So 8th graders need civics hours and NJHS hours separately? When are the civics hours needed by? I know NJHS is 3rd quarter at our school.

Yes. Not sure when civics hours need to be done. Our school has a deadline of mid May for the NJHS service hours though and kids need 10 hours.

Mid May would be nice. Kilmer is next week and it seems many kids are scrambling to get them done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Curious .. how does NJHS help ?

My kid is at 7th grade I have the same question. The only answer I saw is "something to brag about" which doesn't make sense.