The Cardinal Connection

At J.O. Wilson Elementary School, we are SOARing to success every day in every way by creating an environment in which joy, pride, positive interactions, and growth mindsets lead students to comfort in taking risks, self-advocating, and facing adversity.

September 20th: Lafayette Invitational (ES/MS Only) - Wednesday @ 12 PM - Colmar Manor Community Park

September 21st: Back to School Night 6:15PM-8PM

September 23rd: DCPS Back to School Block Party 11AM-2PM at McKinley Tech High School

September 26th: Deputy Mayor for Education virtual town hall meeting to provide feedback on boundary and student assignments. at 12:00 p.m.– Register here

September 27th: Deputy Mayor for Education virtual town hall meeting to provide feedback on boundary and student assignments at 6:00 p.m. – Register here

October 4th: Vision To Learn visits JOW

October 9th: Indigenous Peoples Day...No School for students and staff

October 18th: Fall Festival and Hispanic Heritage Celebration

October 19th: Parent Teacher Conference Day...No School for Students

October 20th: Professional Development Day...no School for Students

October 25th: Fall 23-24 Picture Day JOW

Cardinal Families,

This week we are celebrating for Back to School Night, which take place on Thursday, Sept. 21st. With that being said, we will be having Back to School Spirit Week this week. Please see below for what happens on each day and we hope to see you all on Thursday, Sept. 21st!

Monday: Welcome BACK Cardinals. Wear Mix Matched or BACKWARDS clothing

Tuesday: We are shining bright! Wear NEON or BRIGHT colors

Wednesday: Hats off to a great year Wear a CRAZY or SILLY HAT

Thursday: JO Wilson SOARS in SWAG! Wear your JOW swag. (see you at Back to School Night)

Friday: We are CHAMPIONS! Wear your favorite TEAM JERSEY or GEAR

One in four kids in public schools lacks the glasses they need to see the board, read a book, or participate in class. Students with uncorrected vision problems often avoid reading, suffer headaches, and can have trouble focusing in class, as 80% of learning during a child’s first 12 years is visual.

How Vision To Learn Works:

Vision To Learn mobile clinics solve the problem by bringing eye care and glasses, free of charge, to children at schools. Studies show that students who receive glasses from Vision To Learn are better able to recover lost learning time and succeed in school. Here’s how Vision To Learn works:

· Vision To Learn collaborates with schools and community partners to provide vision screenings to students.

· A Vision To Learn mobile clinic comes to the school or community organization where a Vision To Learn optometrist provides eye exams to students who fail their vision screenings.

· Students who need glasses pick a pair of frames from a large selection in the mobile clinic.

· Students receive new glasses in about three weeks, free of charge.

*Families who do not wish to participate can request and opt-out form from the Front Office.

For those who weren’t able to attend, you can review the agenda and meeting slides online. Detailed minutes will be shared ahead of the vote to approve them at the Oct. 10 (virtual) meeting. Please email info@jowilsonpta.org for additional information.

Membership in the PTA is free and open to all parents, guardians, and staff. Please fill out our membership form to let us know if you're interested in roles like volunteering during events or serving on a committee. To stay up-to-date, visit the school website jowilsondcps.org, follow us on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) @jowpta and like us on Facebook at facebook.com/JOWPTA.

Immediate PTA Leadership Position Available:

• Fundraising Director - Election will be held Nov. 14, 2023
• Identify and manage fundraising opportunities for J.O. Wilson Elementary School
• Build and maintain partnerships with local businesses and residents in the community
• Serve as Chair of the Fundraising and Events Committee

Thanks to everyone who continues to show school pride by purchasing J.O. Wilson apparel! You may pre-order shirts, hoodies, and yard signs by completing the order form at our Swag Store (unfortunately, verbal and email requests cannot be honored). We will fill orders as we receive them and publicize regular pick-up dates in the Cardinal Connection. The next swag pick-up date will be at Back-to-School Night on Thursday, Sept. 21.

Unfortunately, gray kids’ short-sleeved shirts purchased on or after the Sept. 1 uniform sale contain printing errors. We regret the error, and in most cases, can offer an immediate replacement (in a different color). Please reach out to info@jowilsonpta.org to coordinate. If you bought one of these shirts, you can bring it back to Back-to-School Night, and the PTA will be on-hand to replace it for you. Thanks for your patience while we work to rectify this issue.

W6PSPO will meet virtually on Tuesday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m. If you registered for a previous W6PSPO meeting, the link you received for that meeting will work for this and future W6PSPO meetings. If you don't already have the meeting link, you can register at

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAudOqsqDorHdOqNZKiWVfvLL0TPp_az3Wp. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

The agenda will include:

• Toni Criner, the interim Ombudsman for Public Education

• Elizabeth Corinth with the DC LSAT Collective

We will also have time to discuss individual school issues/concerns.

Join the Cardinal Community for:

• Pumpkin decorating

• Fall-themed activities and games

• Bake sale

• Refreshments (pizza, popcorn, snacks and drinks)

• Halloween-themed movie

Festivities will start at 4 p.m. Movie begins at sundown. Closed captions will be provided. This event is open to all; please help spread the word to friends and neighbors.

To order pumpkins in advance, please complete the pre-order form no later than Wednesday, Oct. 11. Limited quantities will be available for day-of purchase at the Fall Festival. All proceeds support the PTA.

We need bakers to contribute baked goods to the bake sale! Please sign-up here. All items must be individually packaged/wrapped and NO NUTS please.

To make this event a success, we will need a lot of volunteers to assist with set-up, concessions, and clean-up. If you can help during the afternoon/evening of Wednesday, Oct. 18, please sign-up.

Cardinal Families,

As a reminder, cell phones are not permitted at school. If a student has a cell phone, his/her phone is to be powered off and placed away. Parents, we ask that in the event that you need to reach your student to please call the main office. Also, if there is an emergency and your student needs to contact you, we will ensure that the student is permitted to use the school phone. **When students bring cellphones, air pods, earbuds, or any personal electronics to school, the student and parent assume all risk for damaged, lost, or stolen items.**

The PTA is looking for families who would like to adopt the teachers' lounge for month-long periods throughout the school year to help us maintain it in great condition. This would involve stopping by once or twice during the month, restocking the coffee pods and tea, and anything else you'd like to contribute to show our teachers love (leave them a card? bake some cookies? deliver some flowers?). If you're interested, please reach out to parent Emily Badger at emilybadger@jowilsonpta.org.