JKES Cardinal Chronicle

Mrs. Stephanie Turner, Kindergarten MCL

This is Mrs. Turner's 21st year. She has taught K, 1, Reading Specialist K-4, and MCL for Kindergarten.

All of her teaching experience has been at John Kerr. John Kerr has a special place in her heart. She is also a former student and her mom is a former TA. She worked before and after school at John Kerr while in college. Mrs. Turner and her husband celebrated their 20th Anniversary in June. They have two children, a son, Cade, who is a freshman at Handley and daughter, Laken, who is in sixth grade at DMIS.

Due to the necessity to replace the existing old water and sewer pipes, Winchester City will be closing National Avenue to through traffic from the traffic circle at the Timbrook Police Station to the intersection with North Pleasant Valley Road (see attached map). The project will begin September 3, 2024 and should take about 4 months. Please be aware we anticipate travel disruptions for WPS bus transportation. Woodstock Lane will be established as the detour route during the project for through traffic. We appreciate your patience as we navigate this disruption to schedules and the associated traffic. New bus stop locations for students living on or near National Avenue, that require a new stop to get to their bus, will be sent home by Wednesday August 28, 2024.

School pictures will be taken on September 10, 2024. The attached link will allow parents to sign up to receive updates via email regarding their child's school portraits. These updates include promotions, additional deals and the ability to order more pictures at a later time. When entering student information, parents should be sure to enter the student's name as it is on file at the school.

https://strawbridge.fotomerchanthv.com/clients/john-kerr-elementary-school/fall-pictures-9-10-2024-71/optIn

Hello Cardinal families,

This year our Friday Food Bags will begin during the week of September 16th-20th. Food Bag forms were sent home on Tuesday (August 13th). If you are in need of another form, please let your students' classroom teacher know. If you are in need of emergency food assistance, please contact one of our school counselors. Listed below is a link that is available for volunteers to help with Friday Food Bags. This includes coming into JKES on Fridays and delivering Food Bags to classrooms. Dates and times are included in the link below. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Davis, JKES School Counselor.

Sign-Up Genius

John Kerr is looking for (2) parents to serve on the WPS Title I Parent Advisory Committee. If interested, please reach out to Mrs. Pryor or Mrs. Houser no later than August 30th.

• Advisory meeting dates: 10/16/24, 4/23/25 - 5-6pm @ CAO

John Kerr is always looking for volunteers. There are opportunities throughout the building to include support in lunch, at recess, in the library and other areas of the school. If interested, please reach out to our principal, Kim Pryor, at pryork@wps.k12.va.us and she can provide information on next steps.

The JKES PTO will hold their first meeting on Wednesday, September 4th at 6:30 PM in the JKES cafeteria. We encourage all parents to attend. If you have any questions, please email the PTO at jkespto@@gmail.com.

PTO meetings for the remainder of the year will be help virtually. The dates are as follows:

November 6, 2024

January 8, 2025

March 5, 2025

April 30, 2025

Hello John Kerr Families,

Here at JKES we have the privilege of participating in the Ron Clark House System. This is a school-wide system that focuses on building community, personal, social, and collaborative skills. At John Kerr we have six houses that students (K-4th) and staff are put into. Your student will have the opportunity to participate in this school-wide program. Each month we get the students together in their houses and celebrate a school-wide topic. These topics have included: Teamwork, Self-Esteem, Kindness, and more.

An order form has been sent home if you would like to order a House T-Shirt for your child. Your child will be in the same House they were in last school year. If your child is new to JKES this school year or in kindergarten, a shirt will be provided for them, along with their reveal for their house assignment. This form is for if your child outgrew their previous shirt, or if you would like to have an extra. Please return this form and money to your child’s teacher. Shirt prices: XS - XL ~ $6.00; 2XL ~ $7.00; and 3XL ~ $8.00. If you have any questions about the House System, please contact the school counselors, Taylor Hawkins & Julie Davis.

John Kerr held their second fire drill of the year on Friday. It was orderly and students and staff exited the building quickly, quietly and safely. We will continue to have fire drills on a regular basis throughout the year.

Dear Families:

We’re excited to have Right At School as Winchester Public School’s Provider of After School

Programs.

Right At School’s programs offer more than a typical childcare provider. Each day, your child

can get homework help, play games and sports, engage in hands-on learning activities, and

much more. Since programs are hosted on-site, you don’t have to worry about transportation,

and you can pick up your child when it works for your schedule.

Registration for Fall 2024 is open now. Register at https://www.rightatschool.com/register/?utm_source=principal-comms&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=fec-24

You May Be Eligible for a Discount or Financial Assistance!

Right At School offers a range of discounts for families with siblings, military families, children

receiving free or reduced lunch, and even district employees. RAS also accepts state subsidies

— which means that families who qualify for financial assistance may be able to access

programs at little to no cost.

Visit Right At School’s website to learn more and request a discount: https://www.rightatschool.com/financial-assistance/?utm_source=principal-comms&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=summer24

Donations needed for the John Kerr clinic: boys and girls clothes small sizes, 2-5. Shorts, pants, t-shirts.

We greatly appreciate our families being so vigilant about student safety at AM drop-off and PM pick-up. Staying in the line and staying in your vehicles is helping minimize the chance of anyone being injured crossing between vehicles waiting in the line. Your continued patience and timeliness to get students to school and in/out of the building safely is held in high regard.

Annual Verification Forms MUST be completed for each WPS student using the PowerSchool Parent Portal prior to the first day of school.

Use this step-by-step guide for completing the online process: https://bit.ly/WPSAnnualFormGuide (English and Spanish)

Any change in a student's regular means of transportation in the afternoon must be by a written note from a parent/guardian or by email to mcnamara@wps.k12.va.us AND armistead@wps.k12.va.us by 1:30 PM Monday through Friday if there is a last minute change. We ask that you call the school to notify the office of your incoming email. Student safety is very important to us!

Between 2:15 PM and 2:40 PM, the office is open only to school personnel and volunteers. Students who are picked up by car will be dismissed to the car pick up line ONLY during dismissal.

Any questions, please call the school office.

Breakfast and lunch are provided for all WPS students at no charge through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). Students may purchase additional a la carte items with cash or through myschoolbucks.com. Students PIN numbers are required to go through the cafeteria line. If you want to provide packed lunches for your student(s), they will need a lunch box.

Meals are free for all WPS students (https://bit.ly/WPSAnnual/formsGuide) in English and Spanish.

For questions regarding school meals, contact the Food Services Department at (540)-667-4258 ext. 16147 or curry.laurie@wps.k12.va.us.

Breakfast (7:25 AM-7:45 AM)

• At this time, all breakfasts provided will be a bagged option.

• Starting the first day of school, August 12, 2024, Grades 2-4 will go through the line and put in their PIN for a bagged breakfast. They will eat in the cafeteria. (* if a student does not know their PIN, please go to homeroom before the cafeteria, teachers will have that information)

• Pre-K-Grade 1 will have breakfast delivered to their classroom.

• Breakfast ends at 7:50 AM, for all grades, regardless of whether they are eating in the classroom or cafeteria

We want to see every Cardinal, every day! The bell rings at 7:50 AM. All John Kerr students should be in their homeroom and ready to learn when the bell rings!

No more waiting for a bus, transferring routes, or long walks to bus stops. WinReady is a point-to-point service that will pick you up when you need to be picked up and take you where you need to go within the City of Winchester within 30 minutes. You can request or schedule a ride directly from your phone, and WinReady will get you there. (click the link for additional information)

Not receiving school-related text messages? You must OPT-IN to receive messages. Text "Subscribe" to 67587. You should receive confirmation that you are registered. Don't forget to ensure all of your contact information is correct at your student's school, too!