🎓 Celebrating Our 8th Graders: Recognition Event Details
We are so excited to celebrate our 8th graders! Here is everything you need to know about our upcoming 8th Grade Recognition event tomorrow on Thursday, May 21st.
🗓️ Thursday, May 21st Schedule
8:15 AM – North doors (by the gym) open for guest seating.
9:00 AM – Recognition Ceremony begins in the PBL Junior High Gym. Every 8th grader will be called to the stage and will be recognized with a certificate of recognition!
10:00 AM – Reception in the Commons Area. Join us for cupcakes, water, photos, and goodbyes.
🎈 After the Ceremony: Student Options
Once the reception wraps up, families have a few great options for the rest of the day:
Go Home Early: Parents are welcome to sign their child out for the day right after the ceremony or reception.
Stay at School: Students can stay for a fun afternoon of games and activities with teachers and classmates. (Note: Students are welcome to bring a casual change of clothes to swap into for these activities!)
Hudz Family Fun Zone: Located in downtown Paxton, they are offering free admission to all PBL JH 8th graders from 10:30 AM – 3:00 PM!
🍦 One Last Treat: Before regular dismissal, our Student Council is handing out free Dilly Bars to all 8th graders and staff to kick off summer break!
📝 Important Details for Friday, May 22nd
Friday is not a required school day for 8th graders.
However, if your student has outstanding assignments or wants one-on-one time with teachers to improve their grades, they are highly encouraged to attend. Please note that Friday is an early dismissal day at 1:47 PM.
We can't wait to celebrate the amazing Class of 2030! See you there!
📚🎉 WHAT A DAY! 🎉📚
PBL Junior High School officially wrapped up our End-of-Year Reading Challenge on Tuesday, May 19th, with an absolute blast of a celebration! Our students read their hearts out this year, and today was all about rewarding that incredible hard work.
🍪🥤 A Sweet Start to the Day
We kicked things off right during 1st and 2nd period with a Goodie Cart packed with delicious snacks, cookies, and drinks to celebrate all of our amazing students who successfully completed the May Reading Challenge!
A massive shoutout and thank you to our incredible community partners who made the rest of our big rewards possible:
PBL Education Foundation: Thank you so much for funding the Reading Challenge through your grant program and generously rewarding our top 5 readers with brand-new Kindles! Kaitlyn Smith (9,461 pages read), Abbigail Fredricksen (8,629 pages read) Rex Reber (7,972 pages read), Violet Foster (7,339 pages read) and Louise Foster (5, 349 pages read). We also had 5 students complete all 10 reading challenges this school year and received Barnes and Noble Gift Cards: Brynn McKenry, Brynn Carter, Valentina Graf, Kaitlyn Smith, and Elli Hubner!
Paxton Masonic Lodge #416: Thank you for sponsoring the wonderful "Bikes for Books" reading incentive program and keeping our students motivated all year long! 🚲✨ Rex Reber was the lucky winner totaling 50 books this school year!
🥧 The Grand Finale: Because our students absolutely crushed the Students vs. Teachers reading contest, they earned the ultimate reward... getting to PIE THEIR TEACHERS IN THE FACE! (Huge props to our brave staff members who were such good sports!)
Thank you to everyone who supported our readers this year. Keep turning pages, everyone! 📖
Check out the link for pictures from this awesome day: Reading Challenge End of Year Assembly Photos
PBL Junior High School students who completed all of the reading challenges from January - May went to Hudz Family Fun Zone to celebrate! The students had a blast playing games and celebrating their accomplishments. A huge THANK YOU to the PBL Education Foundation for sponsoring the Reading Challenge and this event. Check out the photo album: Hudz Family Fun Zone - Reading Challenge
It is an exciting day of exploration at PBL Junior High School. Today, Wednesday, May 13th, is a day of discovery as 8th grade students from GCMS Middle School and PBL Junior High School participate in IGNITE. Taking place across the junior high and high school campuses, this event offers students a unique opportunity to engage in hands-on experiences across several essential trades.
Throughout the day, students rotate through ten different interactive stations—Precision Agriculture, Electricity, Iron Workers, Industrial Technology, Automotive, Surveying, Welding, Bricklaying, Carpentry, and Plumbing—to explore the various career paths available after high school graduation. We sincerely thank all the adults who came out today to showcase their trades, careers, and professional skill sets; their dedicated efforts ensure our students have an engaging and relevant day focused on the future. A big thank you to the generous support of our sponsors: the Early College & Career Academy at Parkland College, the East Central Illinois Building and Construction Trades Council, Gibson Area Hospital, Paxton Masonic Lodge #416, and the PBL Education Foundation.
From providing delicious meals and treats to donating raffle prizes and classroom supplies, your generosity reminded our staff that they have an entire village behind them. Because of you, our teachers felt seen, fueled, and deeply valued.
🍎 It’s Teacher Appreciation Week at PBL!
Our teachers are the heart of PBL School District. From sparking "lightbulb moments" in the classroom to being mentors, cheerleaders, and innovators, they go above and beyond every single day to support our students.
Now, it’s your turn to share gratitude and thanks for our teachers!
We’ve set up a Teacher Shoutout Form where you can leave a note of gratitude for a teacher who has made a difference in your child's life or our community. We will be sharing these messages with our staff throughout the week to show them just how much they mean to us.
📝 How to Participate:
Click the link below to access our Google Form.
Write a quick note highlighting a teacher’s hard work, a kind gesture, or a great classroom memory.
Hit submit and help us make their week unforgettable!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe7ojjKpocywXQLoJrEl8zETneLVQKNi95JOb33EeHQTtDLxg/viewform?usp=header
Why we appreciate our PBL Teachers:
They Inspire: Turning everyday lessons into lifelong passions.
They Care: Building a safe, supportive environment for every student.
They Lead: Dedicating countless hours to extracurriculars, coaching, and growth.
Join us for the End of the Year Choir Performance next week, Tuesday, May 5th at 7:00pm in the High School Gymnasium. Both Jr High and High School Choirs will perform and awards will be presented. Bring your cameras as we celebrate the wonderful work students have accomplished this year!
