Tri-Point Upper Elementary/Jr. High

Transportation :
Cullom/Kempton/Piper A.M. Shuttle times will be 7:25am-7:33am
Cullom/Kempton/Piper P.M. Drop off times will be 3:25pm-3:35pm

Stelle A.M. Pick up time will be 7:00am
Stelle P.M. Drop off will be 4:03pm

Cabery Post Office A.M.
7:17am (Karen's Bus) We will dedicate this bus for all HS students.
7:18am (Jim's Bus) We will dedicate this bus for all other students.

Cabery Post Office P.M.
3:48pm (Karen's Bus)
3:48pm (Jim's Bus)

Farley Street in Cabery
7:16am (Jim's Bus)

Farley Street Drop off in Cabery
3:50pm (Jim's Bus)


Shuttle Buses from Cullom
1st bus in line will shuttle to Piper City
2nd bus in line will shuttle to Kempton

Shuttle buses from Kempton
1st bus in line will shuttle to Piper City
2nd bus in line will shuttle to Cullom

Shuttle buses from Piper City
1st Bus in line will shuttle to Kempton
2nd bus in line will shuttle to Cullom

Remember as all times are approximate and may vary, so we ask that all students arrive at their bus stop 5 minute prior to bus departure. If you have any questions please contact Torin Mettille @ 815-689-2105.

Welcome Back!!!!
Upper Elementary/Junior High Supply Drop Off :
Friday, August 15th 2-4 PM
-Students and Parents are invited to come drop off their school supplies!
If you are unable to attend , students can bring supplies on Tuesday, August 19th (the first day)

Reminder :
***All 6th graders are due for physicals, copy of immunization (or signed wavier) and dental exams this year.***

Please turn into the JH Office at supply drop off or first day of school . Students can drop them off.

Thank you!

JH Cross Country Practice :
6-7 PM @ JH -Monday, Tuesday, Thursday
No Practice Wednesday
4-5 PM @ JH -Friday

5th Grade Band :

JH Cross Country today… will be in Cullom from 6-7pm

JH Softball Bus Times: Today’s bus time is 2:55 in Piper and 3:15 in Cullom Friday's bus time to St. Anne is 2:30 in Cullom and 2:50 in Piper.

Parents,
If you have not registered your students for the 2025-2026 school year ..
Please do so as soon as possible. This can be done by logging in to parent's Teacherease accounts or by going to the District Office.
It is important to have your student registered as soon as possible, for their schedules for the upcoming school year to be completed.

-The first day of student attendance is August 19th.
-Please look on media sites for upcoming messages about the start of the school year.

*If you have any questions please contact 815-686-2247 ext 200

Thank you

https://www.teacherease.com/common/Login.aspx?

JH softball practice has been moved to Kempton . The practice will still be from 3:30 - 5:30.

JH Sports Reminder : Tri-Point Junior High fall sports are right around the corner. Softball and cross country are starting soon. Softball will have their first practice on Monday, July 28 from 3:30 - 5:30 in Cabery, and will practice at the same time for the remainder of the first week. Cross Country will have their first practice on Wednesday, August 6 at 6:00 at the junior high in Piper City. Practice schedules for both sports will be handed out at the first practice. A reminder, in order to participate in practices, students must have an updated physical (given to coach at first practice ) , fees must be paid, and they have to be registered for school by July 25th to attend first practice.

Two Rare Prairie Cicada Species Discovered in Kempton “I hear one over here,” said Pru Davies, a student at Tri-Point High School, while looking for a rare species of prairie cicada south of Kempton. Ball’s prairie cicada , Okanagana balli, is known to be found from less than a dozen old prairie sites in Illinois, mostly in the Chicago region. This species was never observed at this site or elsewhere in Ford County until this week, when Tri-Point students Pru Davies, Phoebe Davies, Hunter Davies, and Luke Tompkins began searching for it with science teacher Scott Saffer, art teacher Akiko Thorson-Saffer, and Mick Montoya. Shed exoskeletons were found near Sugarloaf, the glacial hill south of Kempton, and the group surveyed the railroad and prairie sites that Don Gardner has reconstructed there. This small cicada is about an inch long and makes its quiet buzzy call from thick clumps of prairie plants. The species is on the Illinois watch list and has been proposed for the threatened species list in Illinois due to its rarity and loss of habit. Only .01% of original prairie remains in Illinois, and those sites are threatened by invasive species and disturbance. English Prairie and the railroad adjacent to it have allowed it to survive here, and Don Gardner’s restored prairie sites at Sugarloaf and in Kempton are adding more habitat. The group heard several of the rare insects calling, and collected one from Sugarloaf. Dr. Katie Dana, research biologist with US Army Engineer Research and Development Center in Champaign and expert on prairie cicadas in Illinois, confirmed the initial identification and will be processing DNA to confirm it. Dr. Dana had previously documented a population of these rare cicadas at Weston Prairie Cemetery in Mclean County. Phoebe Davies also caught one of the little grass cicadas, Cicadettana calliope. This ¾ inch long cicada is only a little more common, and has been proposed for the Illinois watch list. Both cicadas will be deposited in the Illinois Natural History Survey insect collection. The students also plan to continue their reintroduction project with the larger prairie cicada, Megtibicen dorsatus, at Don Gardner’s prairie in late July. This will be their fourth year reintroducing them, and they are still waiting to see how long it takes for them to emerge from the ground and establish a population in the prairie. The group has presented their work at wildlife conferences and to Master Naturalist classes, and plan to publish their research in scientific journals once completed.

2025-2026 Return to School Reminders : -First day of school will be on 8/19/25 -Incoming 6th graders will be due for physicals, updated immunization records and dental exams. If your student does not receive vaccinations , the ISBE form must be signed by a physician and given to the school office. -Any students wanting to play sports will need a new sports physical -Please look at the school's website , app or Facebook for information on upcoming school registration and school supply lists. -Please remember the district will require proof of residency this school year. Documents can be uploaded to online registrations. If you have any questions about the upcoming school year, please contact the District Office at 815-253-6299. Thank you

The tradition continues. The 8th-grade students met with this year's kindergarten students to deliver the books they created for them. The books were very creative and all about the kindergarten students. This year marked a full-circle moment as this year's 8th-grade students were Ms. Storm's first kindergarten class. This tradition has been going on for over 30 years!! Thank you to Tri-Point Pace for awarding a grant to pay for the books this year. In addition, thank you to the staff member who helped this year to keep the tradition alive: Ms. Storm, Ms. Weston, Mrs. Andrews, Mrs. Hoffman, Ms. Shiner, and Mrs. Platz.

The tradition continues. The 8th-grade students met with this year's kindergarten students to deliver the books they created for them. The books were very creative and all about the kindergarten students. This year marked a full-circle moment as this year's 8th-grade students were Ms. Storm's first kindergarten class. This tradition has been going on for over 30 years!! Thank you to Tri-Point Pace for awarding a grant to pay for the books this year. In addition, thank you to the staff member who helped this year to keep the tradition alive: Ms. Storm, Ms. Weston, Mrs. Andrews, Mrs. Hoffman, Ms. Shiner, and Mrs. Platz.

Reminder : Today is the last day of student attendance and is a 2:10 student release time. The staff of the Upper Elementary and Junior High would like to wish all our students, families and community a great summer break!! To our 8th graders going to the Tri-Point High School, we wish you nothing but the best in Cullom next year. Please look to media sites throughout the summer for updates on the 2025-2026 school year!

5/22-Fun Day 5/22-Track Breakfast 5/22-2:10 Out 5/22-JH Dance (6th -8th Grades ) 5:00 in Piper 5/23-STUDENTS LAST DAY!!! 5/23-2:10 Out

Congratulations to the 8th graders !!! The 8th grade class defeated the JH/UE Staff for the first time in seven years. Congratulations on your win!

Upper Elementary/Junior High : 5/22-Fun Day 5/22-Track Breakfast 5/22-2:10 Out 5/22-JH Dance (6th -8th Grades ) 5:00 in Piper 5/23-STUDENTS LAST DAY!!! 5/23-2:10 Out

Upper Elementary/ Junior High: We will be selling candy bars to students if they would like some the next couple of days. $1.00