2021_22 New Cadet Brief

 

Suicide Prevention, Operational Risk, Anti-Bullying Statements

 

 

On behalf of Senior Chief Moss, Chief Welch and myself, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to McDonough High School Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC ) Unit.   

 

For first year cadets this will be a totally new experience for your son or daughter. Although some of what we do consists of the traditional classroom experience (lectures, discussions, tests, etc.), much of what we do will be completely new. They will learn military drill, ceremonies, and courtesies; not because we expect most of them to join the armed forces, but because it teaches discipline, orderliness, and teamwork. As they gain experience in our unit, we will give them the opportunity to exercise ever-increasing levels of leadership and responsibility. Each year approximately 10-12 cadets are enrolled in JROTC who SHOULD NOT be. They did not select or volunteer for this course. This causes disruption and leads to eventual dis-enrollment. We do fail cadets each semester and ask that you understand we are not the active duty military and are not in the business of fixing your child’s attitude.

 

 

 

Uniform Requirements: 

 

We will be issuing uniforms the second and third week of school. We hope we can have our first unit uniform inspection the 4th week of school. We will send more word during the first week of school. Uniform day this year will be on Wednesdays. All cadets must wear their complete uniform to school once each week and stay in uniform all day. The fact that they wear the uniform and how good it looks is a very important factor in determining your cadet’s grade. Occasionally we will modify the day that the uniform is to be worn. This happens very seldom and always with advance notice to our cadets. If you ever have a question as to whether your child should be wearing their uniform to school on a certain date, please give us a call or email us at the school.

 

Generally we will not accept any excuse for not wearing the uniform on the designated uniform day. This includes notes from the parents: such as, “I didn’t get it washed in time” or “I didn’t get it back from the dry cleaners in time.” We are attempting to teach our cadets responsibility and accountability, and “Uniform Day” is one method that we use. If your cadet is absent from school on Uniform Day, he/she will be expected to wear the uniform on the first day that they will return to school as a “makeup day”. The Navy considers the uniform a very important part of the NJROTC program. Failure to wear the uniform will result in eventual failure of the course and your cadet’s removal from the NJROTC program.

 

Haircut/Grooming Requirements:

 

Your child must comply with the national NJROTC instruction on grooming in order to receive credit for JROTC or pass the course.   This means a military regulation haircut, no earrings, for males (in uniform or any ROTC classes). No “faddish” hairdos weird colors, etc. Males may not have beards OR 2-3 day growth of beard at any time. Many recent female “hair weaves” do not meet military standards so do not use “spent money” as an excuse; we will have to dis-enroll the child in August to prevent failure. The exact requirements are below.

 

Drill (Marching) and Physical Fitness Training Participation:  

     

We do physical training (PT) on Fridays; your cadet will be required to be in our unit PT uniform which will be included in their participation fee. If your cadet is unable to participate due to illness or physical impairment you must provide a note to the instructor explaining why.  We also do military drill outside every other week on average, comfortable shoes for the cadets are a good idea.

 

We will be sending out a lot of paperwork during the first week of school so please read, sign, and date, answer any questions on the forms and get them back to us. This year ALL students at Henry County High will be required to have health/accident insurance if they participate in sports or any other extracurricular activities like our rifle, drill, and orienteering team. This insurance is very inexpensive and is the old type “school insurance”. A sports physical is also required to participate on any team.

 

Your support is vital to our success. Sometimes, communications may become confused between the school and home which is why Senior Chief Moss, Chief Welch and I are always available to discuss your child’s progress in NJROTC.