PAWS and CLAWS NEWSLETTER

• The school day will begin at 8:45 AM and end at 3:50 PM.
• Students are marked tardy at 9:05 AM.
• Dismissal begins at 3:50 PM and ends at 4:00 PM
• Closed Campus: Student early dismissals will not be honored after 3:15 pm daily.

Veteran’s Day – November 11: As we observed Veterans Day, we expressed our gratitude to all who have served in the armed forces. Many of our own colleagues, friends, and family members are veterans, and their sacrifices deserve our deepest respect and appreciation. Thank you to all who have dedicated themselves to our country.

World Kindness Day – November 13: Join us in celebrating the power of kindness by spreading a little extra compassion, warmth, and positivity throughout our Red Clay community. Whether it's a smile, a helping hand, or a kind word, every act of kindness makes a difference. Let's show how even the smallest gestures can create a ripple effect that brings us all closer together.

National Parental Involvement Day – November 21: National Parent Involvement Day recognizes the incredible impact that engaged parents and guardians have on our students’ success. From volunteering to supporting learning at home, your involvement strengthens our community and inspires our students to reach new heights.

National Family Literacy Month: This month, we celebrate the power of reading together as a family. Whether it's sharing a favorite story, exploring new books, or learning something new, family reading time builds strong connections and a lifelong love of learning. Let’s make reading a family affair all month long!

Native American Heritage Month: November is Native American Heritage Month! This month, we honor the rich history, culture, and contributions of Native American communities. Join us in celebrating the legacy, resilience, and achievements of Native peoples in our schools and communities. Let’s learn, share, and grow together.

• The Joe Corbi's fundraiser pick-up will begin at 1:00 PM in the gym on Tuesday, November 12th. All order orders MUST BE picked up by 7:00 PM.

• There is nowhere in the school for the PTO to store items.

• Also, no items will be sent home with students because they need to be frozen.

Dear Red Clay Staff:

The Red Clay Consolidated School District is launching an initiative as part of its 5-year Strategic Plan to review and improve programming and balance enrollment at our secondary schools. This effort will include an analysis of school programs and attendance zones to ensure equitable access to college and career readiness opportunities for all students.

With approval from the School Board at the November Board of Education meeting, the district is forming a special committee to evaluate these factors and provide recommendations to the Board. In doing so, the committee will consider:

• A strong and balanced enrollment across schools
• Changes to current Attendance Zones
• Equitable access to quality education for all students.
• Advantages and challenges of options through data analysis, community feedback, and research.

The committee will include 3 District Administrators, 3 School Leaders, 3 Educators, 7 Parent/Community Members (1 from each nominating district), and outside experts to advise as needed. Members of the committee are expected to provide:

• Commitment: Committee members are expected to attend all scheduled meetings and actively participate in discussions and tasks.
• Objectivity: Members will approach the task with an open mind, focusing on the overall needs of the district and community rather than individual interests.
• Collaboration: Members will work collaboratively, respecting diverse perspectives and expertise.
• Communication: Members will serve as liaisons to the groups they represent, ensuring that all voices are heard and feedback is brought back to the Committee.

The first meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, at 6:00 PM

• Committee members will be contacted with the details.
• Additional meeting dates will be provided at this meeting.

This committee will follow all regulations related to the State of Delaware open meeting laws. If you are interested in serving on this Attendance Zones, Enrollment, & Programming Committee, please complete this interest form by December 13, 2024.

Committee members will be selected by December 20, 2024. If the number of interested participants exceeds the available spaces on the committee, we will inform you of this as well.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please feel free to contact us at amy.jefferson@redclay.k12.de.us. Thank you for your interest and support as we work together to ensure equitable opportunities for all students in our district.

Best regards,

Fall pictures have arrived and will be distributed to students on Tuesday.

Here is an overall review of what to expect.

1. Any student wishing to have a retake should bring their original picture package to exchange for the retake image.
2. When an order is placed online, the parent/guardian will receive a camera pass via email. This can either be printed or texted to the student and brought to picture day. The photographer will photograph the printed camera pass along with the student.
3. If a student is not able to print their camera pass, that is not a problem. We will match up the student to their order manually in the production process.
4. A parent may order from the flyer up until 24 hours after picture day. After 24 hours, the online ordering access may close. This will allow our imaging team to "Pull" all orders submitted and match them with the students photographed.
5. 5. When pictures are returned to school, all students that purchased pictures will receive their prepaid package. Any student that was photographed but did not order a package, will receive a "Proof" (PX) of their picture that was taken on picture day.

All proof packages offer parents a second opportunity to order prints. All orders are subject to shipping and handling costs of up to $8.50 and will be shipped directly to home.

• Please trust that the Johnson staff will escort students to their classroom during the first week of school. We always have EXTRA staff the first few weeks to assist our students as they get accustomed to routines. Parents/Guardians will not be permitted to enter the school to walk your child to their classroom in the morning.
• It is important that your child’s teacher is informed how your child will be dismissed on the first student day and any changes to how he/she should be dismissed for the remainder of the year. Please note that daily changes to how a student is dismissed can be disruptive to procedures and can confuse the student.
• Students in grades K-2 are encouraged to have/wear a name tag the first two weeks of school. Include your child’s name, emergency contact information and transportation to and from school.
• The Red Clay Consolidated School District offers a voluntary low cost accident insurance for your student. Families can choose either during the school day or 24-hour coverage. The brochure is attached. Applications and fees should be sent directly to the Philadelphia Insurance Companies. There is no obligation to purchase this insurance. English brochure / Spanish brochure

i-Ready is an online program for reading and/or mathematics that will help your student’s teacher(s) determine your student’s needs, personalize their learning, and monitor progress throughout the school year. i-Ready allows your teacher(s) to meet your student exactly where they are and provides data to increase your student’s learning gains. i-Ready consists of two parts: Diagnostic and Personalized Instruction.

Learn more about i-Ready by watching this video!

https://i-readycentral.com/familycenter/

We’re excited to introduce a new pet therapy team that started! Mr. Ira, the owner, and his dog, Weaver are now apart of our Pet Therapy program at Johnson. They will be back next week for their first official visit.

Congratulations to our 2nd and 3rd grade classrooms that received a donation from First Tee Golf of DE to complete a fall project. It's support like this that make our school a great place for students to be.

Our teachers take time to build relationships throughout the day. Mrs. Poll (Quinn) enjoys a lunch bunch with a student.

We will have TAG and Enrichment for our 2-5 grade students this year beginning next week. Students who are apart of the program scored as the top 10% of their grade level on various assessments. We welcome Ms. Dumas, who is new this year, and Ms. Honisch as our TAG teachers who support all WLC schools including Johnson. Students will be support up to 45 minutes on curriculum for reading or math.

Our school host two musical programs which include band and strings. School-specific information can be found at: www.tinyurl.com/RedClayBandInfo

On 10/29 our mentors returned to begin their orientation before support our students. We welcome all new and former mentors to Johnson who will be supported by Ms. Nancy Smith under the guidelines of Creative Mentoring. Students will begin meeting and building relationships with their mentors next week.

We aim for our mentors to help students in the areas of:

• Academic performance: Students with mentors may have higher grades, do better on tests, and complete more assignments.
• Attendance: Students with mentors are more like to show up to school.
• Sense of belonging: Mentoring can help students feel like they matter and are part of a community.
• Social-emotional development: Mentoring can help students develop emotionally and improve their relationships with other adults and peers.
  

All students in K-5 received a sweet treat from Mr. Softee to jump start our Tier 1 event in which students are expected to show our 4 R's, respectful, responsible, reset and ready.

What is the PTO? Why Join?

The top reason to join the PTO is to benefit your child and support your school. Here are more advantages:

• Get Connected: Stay informed about school events and updates.
• Tap into a Network: Meet other parents and teachers, share ideas, and discuss issues.
• Speak Up: Suggest and influence changes at your child’s school.
• Witness Improvement: Contribute to positive changes in the school environment.
• Be a Role Model: Show your child the value of education through your involvement.

Join the Johnson PTO! Contact your child’s teacher or call (302) 651-2715 to express your interest.

No full-time commitment required—contribute as you can.

Meeting dates for 2024-2025 will be announced soon.

The WLC is an educational nonprofit committed to creating positive change across schools in Wilmington, Delaware.

Spanning nine city schools and serving students from Pre-K through eighth grade within the Brandywine, Red Clay, and Christina school districts, our focus is to improve the overall educational landscape in Wilmington.

Our primary objective is to establish a rigorous and engaging learning experience for Wilmington students, in collaboration with our families, educators, and school leaders. Through our community-focused efforts, we aim to enhance overall student outcomes within the city of Wilmington schools. https://wlc-de.org/

The Wilmington Learning Collaborative (WLC) is partnering with Delaware State University and Your Teacher Tutors to launch The Teacher Assessment Preparation Program (TAPP). TAPP provides in-person tutoring to support educators preparing to take the Elementary & Secondary Praxis Exams and includes access to an online test prep platform, peer study groups, and tutoring on content areas and test prep strategies. This program is offered at no cost to participants.

Registration is now open for the fall Praxis exam prep classes and is open to all WLC school staff who need to pass the Praxis teaching exam. A select number of slots are available for Paraprofessionals who need to pass the ParaPro exam. Interested WLC staff members should use this link to register: Register to enroll in TAPP by October 14. This 6 week fall course will begin the week of October 21 and run through December 5, 2024. Classes will be offered once a week on the following subjects: Elementary ELA & Math, Secondary English & Math, ParaPro English/Math (limited slots). Additional subjects will be offered in spring. The course is structured to provide you with extended tutoring support to truly prepare you to PASS your exam! Weekly tutoring sessions are led by trained tutors who are experienced certified teachers. This is a course that requires a commitment to attending sessions weekly, utilizing a test prep platform for continued studying in between sessions and leveraging your peers for study group support. Upon successful completion of the course you will receive a voucher to cover the cost of taking the Praxis exam! Classes are held once a week in-person at the Delaware State University Riverfront building in Wilmington, DE in the evening. Childcare will be provided upon request.

Ready to pass the Praxis exam? Register to enroll in TAPP!

We look forward to launching a partnership between CU (College Unbound) and the WLC for Adult Learners who are staff members at a WLC School, emphasizing those with less than 60 college credit hours.

CU is an innovative, accredited college dedicated to reinventing higher education for underserved adult learners through a student-driven model. Graduates will be supported in entering an ARTC program to pursue teaching certification and commit to a teaching role within a WLC school.

A pilot cohort of 10 educators will begin their bachelor’s journey in January 2025, with applications opening this fall. Interested applicants can register to attend an upcoming College Unbound information session or contact jessica.crawley@collegeunbound.edu.

Thank you for your support of our new arrival and dismissal procedure. Our Johnson parents are the best! Please continue to follow the directions of the Johnson staff members who direct traffic.

Families will receive copies of the handbook on Monday night at the open house.

POC ID: 1710218900

• Does your student use an inhaler? You can drop it off during this time or send it in with your student along with their action plan.

• Does your student take other medications? Be sure to discuss your student’s needs with the nurse.

Families, we'd like to introduce you to our new community and school's coordinator, Ms. Baker. She supports with helping to maintain or bring in new resources and ideas for our families. Each month she will put together a calendar to share with important dates for you to remember.

Here is a Google Document that I put together that has potential resources and supports for students and families:

Holiday/Seasonal Assistance for Students and Families in Need_UPDATED_November, 2024

Educational Programming:

We are still waiting on books for our Books and Basketball Initiative. Once we get those, we will be ready to announce all of our Educational Programming. Take a look at what we are able to offer right now below:

Coaty Appearances: https://www.instagram.com/p/C7NG9gPuCld/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Coaty will come out and interact with youth and community members to help enhance any type of event such as literacy nights, honor roll assemblies, etc

Basketball/Skee-Ball Inflatables and Resource Table: https://www.instagram.com/p/C8xcz9fuwsj/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Our Basketball and Skee Ball Inflatables are packed with fun, come with prizes for winners, and guarantee smiles. Our resource table helps us to connect with the members at any given event such as open houses or other events.

If you're interested in scheduling these, please just let me know 🙂

Delaware Blue Coats Coaching Clinic

Please share the attached flyer and RSVP link for any athletic directors or coaches that may be interested in coming out!

https://sixers.formstack.com/forms/coachclinic2024

Education Days

We would love for your school to consider our Education Day Games on March 13th and 20th , especially if we've done Books and Basketball, Skills and Drills, or came out to an event in general! It's a great way to show us support back.

We dub Education Days as "The Best Field Trip Ever" . Tickets are $9 each and come with food, drink, and access to the dozens of vendors with giveaways and information that we plan to have at these games! These games are 11am games and are a great way to increase school morale, reward great behavior, or just have a fun outing with the school! If you're interested, please just let me know.

Community Contact List / Complimentary Tix

We are on a mission to grow our Delaware Blue Coats Community. If we've interacted recently, I've sent you a link to send to families via Class Dojo or bulletin boards. This link is to share with families of your schools so they can join our Community Family - an email newsletter with perks of complimentary tickets for each member, updates on our FREE Open Gyms, and more!

You can easily plan a school night out with this link by asking families to select the same game to use their complimentary tickets when you send out the link!

Keep in mind - we show scheduling favor to schools that do share this information when it comes to events, Books and Basketball, etc.

Link is below, we encourage you to share it ASAP so your school family can join our family as well! There's still time for them to sign up for our FREE Open Gym this Sunday once they fill out the form and get all of the info from me.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScjiNNE5jkAWJ0WZZ6kDzbiZb1FSRd4h2yk-qw-z8J2ExTB4Q/viewform

Following the incredible success of the inaugural Spelling Bee in February 2024 (for more information, visit our website), First State Educate is thrilled to announce it is sponsoring the 2025 Delaware Spelling Bee Competition! This exciting event offers your district a unique opportunity to highlight student excellence in your elementary and middle schools!

There will be three county-based Spelling Bee competitions between October 2024 – December 2024. County champions will receive fantastic prizes and public recognition. The top 15 spellers from each county will advance to the prestigious statewide competition on February 28thof 2025 on the campus of Delaware State University.

As enter into the 2024-2025 school year please encourage/identify students in grades 4-6 to participate! We would appreciate you sharing the attached flyer in your communications to parents. Parents can register students online using this registration form. (Please register ASAP)

Additionally, we would like to partner with educators interested in becoming "coaches" for students in their County. Coaches will receive a stipend and recognition during the program. Please share this information with your teachers and encourage them to apply online.

The Delaware Spelling Bee can be a powerful tool for promoting the importance of literacy skills and cultivating students' intrinsic motivation to improve their literacy skills. We hope you will join us in this community-led effort to focus Delaware's collective attention on literacy achievement and showcase the remarkable capabilities of students attending Delaware's public schools.

For more information, please visit our website or contact us at delawarespellingbee@firststateeducate.org. We look forward to partnering with you to make the 2025 Delaware Spelling Bee a resounding success!

Sincerely,

Ken Livingston

Our focus is character and sports development.

Click the images for access to the full calendars.

Our Website: https://www.redclayschools.com/johnson

Facebook: Joseph E. Johnson Jr. Elementary School

Twitter: @JohnsonSchoolDE

Instagram: @JEJohnson_Wildcats