The TJHS Scholastic Book Fair is coming...April 23-25
More pictures of 8th grade stem students who visited the Challenger Learning Center. Students got to participate in a live simulation on an immersive space mission to Mars. Students worked in teams and were provided the opportunity to participate in Mission Control and in the Space Craft. Students were given tasks to communicate with each other and had to be completed. When students were not participating in the live simulation, they were in a separate location completing stem activities and learning about an engineer's life from NASA. It was a fun filled day and a GREAT learning experience.
More pictures of 8th Grade Stem visiting the Challenger Learning Center. Students got to participate in a live simulation on an immersive space mission to Mars. Students worked in teams and were provided the opportunity to participate in Mission Control and in the Space Craft. Students were given tasks to communicate with each other and had to be completed. When students were not participating in the live simulation, they were in a separate location completing stem activities and learning about an engineer's life from NASA. It was a fun filled day and a GREAT learning experience.
On Friday March 14, 2025, Mrs. Reindl and Ms. Anderson took Ms. Anderson’s 8th grade stem classes to Normal, Il to visit the Challenger Learning Center. Students got to participate in a live simulation on an immersive space mission to Mars. Students worked in teams and were provided the opportunity to participate in Mission Control and in the Space Craft. Students were given tasks to communicate with each other and had to be completed. When students were not participating in the live simulation, they were in a separate location completing stem activities and learning about an engineer's life from NASA. It was a fun filled day and a GREAT learning experience.
The TJHS Builders Club raised $200 during our Valentine's Crush fundraiser and donated the proceeds to the Christian County Animal Shelter and Ms. Dwanna Kelmel. A big thank you to everyone that supported the effort and we hope to do it again next year. The Builders Club is an extention of the Key Club at THS and the Kiwanis Club in the greater Taylorville community.
TJHS--Fan Bus Info
--Leaving Friday, March 14 from the TJHS front circle at 6 pm
--Cost is $5 for transportation
--Students must sign up and pay prior to 3 pm on Thursday, March 13
--IESA state championship entry fee has been paid for by generous benefactors
--Students attending will need their own spending money
--We expect to return between 10:30 and 11:30 pm since Kingly JH is 90 minutes away
--Emergency Contact# (217) 460-2776, Mr. Bruder
Scholastic Bowl Conference Champions 2025--"We beat St. Anthony & Teutopolis to win our pool and go to the championship. We beat Mattoon who was the winner of Pool A (they beat Charleston & Effingham) in the championship. The kids were amazing!"
Congratulations to the TJHS Scholastic Bowl Team!!!
Mrs. Reindl had Mrs. Salmon's 6th grade classes in the stem lab the week of Feb. 10th - 14th. The students had a website on Earth's layers. The website had a z-space activity, google drawing activity, Lego fun, word wall activities, video review's and songs and parodies. Student worked in groups designing and answering questions. They used the oculus as astronauts on a space launch. It was a fun learning experience.
Come out on Thursday, Feb 13 for our TJHS "Night of Music!"
Congrats to our JH Choir on their pending performance this Saturday at the IESA 8th grade state championship basketball tournament!
This week, Mrs. Reindl visited Mrs. Wagner's 8th-grade classes to introduce students to the fascinating world of coding and cybersecurity. The primary objective was to engage students with historical devices and demonstrate the concept of cracking codes, while also inspiring them to consider future careers in Computer Science or Cybersecurity. Students participated in hands-on projects that included:
1. Morse Code
- Students learned about the Morse code system and practiced encoding and decoding messages.
2. Cipher Disk
- The cipher disk activity allowed students to create their own substitution ciphers and understand how they can be used for secure communication.
3. Enigma Machine
- An overview of the Enigma machine was provided, explaining its historical significance and complexity in code-making and breaking during World War II.
4. Binary Code
- Students explored binary code, learning how computers use this system to process information.
5. Pig Pen Cipher
- The pig pen cipher activity involved students creating messages using this simple yet effective substitution cipher.
Mrs. Reindl also engaged students in a discussion about various career paths in the fields of Computer Science and Cybersecurity this included with degrees or just a certification.
Mrs. Reindl went into Ms. Anderson's science classes on Friday to show the students Binary Code. Students then worked on solving some binary code. At the end of her week long lesson - she talked to the students about a cybersecurity path or computer science path to think about. She also shared websites to students for certifications.
Mrs. Reindl went into Ms. Anderson's science classes on Wednesday and Thursday. She taught the students about the Enigma machine and how complex the coding on the Enigma machine was. She also discussed how hard it was to hack the machine during the War. Students then made personal Enigma machines. They then did some coding with their Enigma machines.
Mrs. Reindl is going into Mrs. Anderson's 8th grade classes this week to talk to students about a career path in computer science and/or cybersecurity. She is talking to them about the qualifications for jobs in various areas. She is also doing some coding and cybersecurity activities to show the students how long coding and solving codes have been around. They started on Monday learning about the Disk Cipher and how they had to adjust codes they sent to make it tougher to crack. Today they learned about Morse Code and how it was used during wars.
Terrance Talley is coming to TJHS on Monday, Jan 27 at 9 am to encourage our kids to "Never Give Up" and to have each others back! A great speaker with an inspiring message is just what we need to push through the third quarter grind. Looking so forward to this and the support that our students and staff provide for each other as we learn to grow together!
The TJHS Chess Club is meeting each Friday afternoon to sharpen their skills and have some fun in our Media Center! Do you know what these chess terms mean? Castling, Check, Backward Pawn, Rank, and En Passant...? They do!
All our love, thoughts and prayers to you Mt. Zion community, from the Taylorville Junior High School students and staff. Stay strong and know that the Tornadoes care for you!
Homework Help resumes tomorrow at TJHS and will meet each T/TH from 3:15-5 pm. Just a reminder that if you would like to take advantage of this program a parent or guardian must be able to pick up the student by 5 pm. Please call the office at 824-4924 if you would like further information regarding this opportunity and we can send home a packet with your son or daughter.
7th and 8th grade students that passed 20 lessons in both math and reading got to enjoy some time at the Decatur Indoor Sports Complex on Wednesday, Jan 8. Here are a few of the pics for your review. Next Wednesday, Jan 15, our 5th and 6th grade students who earned the incentive will be heading that way as well. i-Ready is our latest computer program designed to meet students at their readiness levels and increade grade level competency. Thank you to our JH Student Council for funding this Rewards Trip activity for the kids!
TJHS students and staff are wearing red and black tomorrow to show our support for the Mt. Zion community as they stand together in hope and prayer through their recent tragedy. Rivals come together when it really matters and nothing is more precious to us than the lives of our kids and the wellness of our communities.
