The Jim Plain Insider

We aspire to be a safe and loving community that empowers students to be lifelong learners who positively contribute to the world.

We are so glad that our Pride is back on campus! We've had a great first week of the spring semester. Thank you for partnering with us to ensure students are dressed warmly for the colder weather. We already have cold weather items gathering in the lost and found, so please be sure to encourage your child to check the lost and found if they come home missing items. Stay warm out there!!

Have a great week!

💗Mrs. Ulatoski

24-25 Academic Calendar

January is School Board Appreciation Month!

January 13

• Plain Pride Day - Wear your JPE Gear
• Generation Texas Week begins

January 16

• Virtual PTA Meeting @ 5:30

January 17

• Future Friday - Wear your college, career, or GHS/LMS/DMS gear!

January 20

• No School - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

January 29

• Spring Picture Day - Individual & Class Photos

January 31

• 3rd grade trip to see Ballet Austin performance

February 3

• National School Counseling Week begins
• APEX Fundraiser begins

February 17

• Professional Learning Day - No School for Students

We are excited to have two new after school enrichment opportunities beginning in January! We will have a Master Chef class on Mondays after school from 3:00 to 4:00 and Art Explorers on Wednesdays from 3:00 to 4:00. Registration opens on December 16th and closes on January 15th. Classes begin the week of January 20th through February 28th. For more info or to sign up, click here!

Our counselor, Ms. Hodge, provides snacks to students who need them. If you are able to donate snacks, please consider purchasing something from her Snacks for Students Amazon Wishlist.

At JPE, students can earn Pride Paws for showing our campus-wide PAWS expectations, and then they can spend their Pride PAWS at the Pride Paw store. We are asking for donations to refill our store so students can start spending their Pride PAWS. Here's the list for our Amazon Wish List. Thank you in advance!!

Yearbooks are already on sale! Click on the link to order yours now! Yearbooks are $20. Payment plans are available too!

New this year - 5th grade parents can create a student ad to shout out their fifth grader. Click here to create your ad for the yearbook!

We love our JPE PTA! They work together to create incredible experiences for our students, staff, and families. Interested in joining or learning more? Find out more about out JPE PTA here and be on the lookout for the PTA table at school events!

Please consider attending Rally Day at the Capitol on Monday, February 24th, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. Rally Day is a popular advocacy event and thousands of PTA members across the state of Texas will be in attendance. Rally Day is open to all PTA members. (Reach out to our PTA Membership Chair, Erica Smith, or to me for more information about joining the PTA.) This will be an excellent opportunity to participate in a caucus, rally on the steps, enjoy a picnic lunch together, attend legislator meetings, and participate in literature drops. Rally Day is considered an excused absence for your students, but parents must notify us of the reason for the absence.

The primary focus of the Texas PTA is getting public school dollars back into our schools, resolving teacher and staff shortages, transforming school accountability, improving public school funding, and increasing school safety. Learn more by viewing the Rally Day 2025-Legislative Priorities One Page PDF attachment below.

If this sounds like something you are interested in, please fill out this Google form: Rally Day Interest/Attendance Form

Is your child returning to Jim Plain and possesses some of these Common Characteristics of Gifted Children (source: What is Giftedness?):

• Comprehends material above their age peers
• Surprising emotional depth and sensitivity
• Strong curiosity and unique interests
• Quirky sense of humor
• Creative problem solving and imagination
• Quick learning with minimal repetition
• Self-aware, socially aware, and globally aware

These MAY be indicators that the GT/QUEST program could be beneficial to your child. Screening for the GT/QUEST program is based on referral by any adult that knows the student. If you feel your child may have an educational need for gifted services, complete the Referral Forms provided on Emily Riordan’s QUEST Website in order for them to be screened for the GT/QUEST program for the 2025-2026 school year.

*Referrals for the 2025-2026 school year are now open! They will close on March 1, 2025. Parents who referred will be notified by April 1, 2025 if their child moves to testing. Results will be sent home before the last day of school. (The next opportunity to refer a student for the GT/QUEST Program will be next school year for screening and testing in the Spring of 2026 for the 2026-2027 school year.)