Email: jamessales@fpschools.org
Website: jamessales.fpschools.org
Location: 1301 113th St S, Tacoma, WA, USA
Phone: 253-298-4200
FAX: 253-298-4215
October 2 ~ EARLY RELEASE - 1:55
October 3-11 ~ Book Fair open to students only during their library time.
October 7 ~ NO SCHOOL - Staff Training
October 8-11 ~ 11:55 EARLY RELEASE - Student-Led Conferences
October 8 ~ Book Fair open during conferences - closes at 6 PM
October 9 ~ Book Fair open during conferences - closes at 4 PM
October 10 ~ Book Fair open during conferences - closes at 4 PM
October 11 ~ Book Fair open to students only during their library time.
October 12 ~ Adventure Club - 4th and 5th grade students and parents - Pinnacle Peak
October 16 ~ EARLY RELEASE - 1:55
October 17 ~ Treat money due by 9 AM
October 18 ~ Treat Friday - Fruit Snacks
October 23 ~ EARLY RELEASE - 1:55
October 24 ~ Treat money due by 9 AM
October 25 ~ Treat Friday - Popcorn
October 25 ~ Chuck E. Cheese fundraiser - 3-8 PM
October 30 ~ EARLY RELEASE - 1:55
October 31 ~ Treat money due by 9 AM
November 1 ~ Treat Friday - Fruit Snacks
Dear James Sales Families,
What a great start to the year! We will complete our bench-mark testing this month. Teachers and students are working hard on developing skills students will need to be successful.
Please remember to:
- Keep in contact with your child’s teacher
- Ask the teacher if you are unsure about something
- Check your child’s backpack daily as important information and homework may be found in there
- Help your child be on time to school. Students need 10-11 hours of sleep each night. Make sure your child is in bed early enough to get enough sleep to be able to be at school on time.
- Have your child at school every day, on time, all day!
When it is your child's turn to celebrate their birthday, we allow only one small store-bought treat to share with the class. Please do not bring in pizza, goodie bags, or other party items.
We have some goals for students to meet this year. Our attendance goal is for all students to have three or fewer absences and three or fewer tardies in the trimester. Our behavior goal is to have no more than one write-up in the trimester. Students who meet these goals will receive a reward at the end of each trimester.
Our student-led conferences are October 8-11. Please make sure you have scheduled a time to meet with your child's teacher for this important meeting. You may also shop at our book fair in our library before or after your conference.
We look forward to working with you this year. Thank you for your support as we all work together to ensure your child is successful.
Sincerely,
Brandy Nelson, Principal
We are required to practice emergency responses one time each month during the school year. We will have fire drills, lockdown drills, and earthquake drills to prepare for any future circumstance. In September we had a lockdown drill and passed with flying colors! Our students and staff did what they were supposed to do and the deputies on site were impressed with our performance during the drill.
The end of the day at James Sales is a hectic time! If you forgot to send a note in the morning and need to call the office with a change to your child’s schedule, please do so before 2:40 so the office can get a message to your student before they leave for the day. All end of day schedule changes must be made through the office, not with the classroom teacher. The office will ensure the teacher is informed of the change.
Our PE teacher, Mr. Horak, is once again spearheading the James Sales Junior Adventure Club for 4th and 5th graders and their parents. Once a month these students will have the opportunity to go on an adventure somewhere in the Puget Sound area. Each student must be accompanied by a parent/guardian/relative. Any adult attending the adventures must be cleared as a volunteer. Access the volunteer application here! Please allow plenty of time for your application to be processed. It can take up to two weeks to be approved so do it as soon as possible.
Our first Adventure Club outing will be to Pinnacle Peak in Enumclaw on October 12th. The bus will leave James Sales at 9 AM and return at around 3 PM. Wear sturdy hiking boots/shoes (no crocs), warm socks, gloves, a beanie, and dress in layers. Bring a water bottle, and snacks in a backpack. Watch for permission slips to come home soon.
We have a helpful transportation department, so if you have any questions or issues about something that happened on the bus, at the bus stop, or regarding a late bus, please call the Transportation office directly at 253-298-3865.
Sign up for Bus Bulletin for timely bus notifications: www.busbulletin.com/parents
If you wish your child to ride a bus other than his or her normal bus or to get off at a different bus stop, you must contact the transportation department to see if the desired bus has room for your child and send a note with the bus numbers and different stop listed. The same holds true if you want your child to walk rather than ride the bus. Sending a note with your request will cut down on the amount of phone calls our busy office receives each day. Without a note or phone call, we will not allow students to walk or change their regular bus or bus stop.
Please be aware that any bus-riding kindergarten student that is not met at the bus stop after school will be returned to James Sales for parent pick-up. It is very important to meet your students at the bus stop on time!
From the Health Room
Our kindergarten and 1st grade students still have accidents at times. Please make sure your child has an extra set of clothes in his/her backpack. Remind your child to ask to use the bathroom as soon as they need to go. “If you wait, it may be too late!”
Remind your child that thorough hand washing helps keep you healthy. Teach them to wet their hands, lather up with soap, rinse thoroughly, and dry them every time they use the bathroom, eat, or just get messy!
Please keep students home if they have vomiting, fever, and/or diarrhea. If they have any of these symptoms, they must be symptom free for 24 hours without medication before returning to school.
Book Fair
Our Fall book fair will run from October 3rd through October 11th in the library. Students will be allowed to shop on their own during their library specialist time. Students should know what day they have library specialist. Parents can shop with their students before and after their scheduled conference time in our library. Shop online here and set up an E-wallet so your child can shop without cash at school!
The book fair hours are:
October 3 - 11 - during library specialist times for students only.
During conferences:
October 8 - Closes at 6 PM
October 9 - Closes at 4 PM
October 10 - Closes at 4 PM
October 11 - Closes at 12 PM
Student Led Conferences
Student-led conferences will run Tuesday, October 8 - Friday, October 11. Parents should have a conference appointment from your child’s teacher already. If you have not sent in your appointment slip to confirm your appointment, please do so as soon as possible or call the office - 253-298-4200. Remember, all students will be dismissed early at 11:55 each day of conferences. Sack lunches will be served and buses will run 3.5 hours earlier than a regular dismissal day. Please make arrangements ahead of time for any daycare needs.
Last year James Sales has an incredible fundraiser at Chuck E. Cheese raising over $1000, so we are doing it again!! Chuck E. Cheese donates 20% of every sale to the school during our fundraiser time. Mark your calendars for Friday, October 25th from 3-8 PM so you don't miss it! It was a blast last time and we can't wait to see all of our families there! Students will receive a flyer for discounts and free tokens a few days before the event.
We will begin to enjoy treat Fridays on October 18th. Treats will alternate between fruit snacks and popcorn. Please read the details of treat Friday below.
- Treats are 50¢ each week (exact change only) OR pay $4 to cover your child's treat Friday for all 8 weeks (exact change only).
- One treat per student may be purchased each week.
- Treat money must be turned in to teachers by 9 AM on the Thursday before Treat Friday! Late money will not be accepted.
- Parent volunteers to help with treat Fridays are needed. Please contact Mrs. Nelson (bnelson@fpschools.org) if you are interested in volunteering an hour or so each week.
We understand that sometimes electronic devices are necessary and that some students will have them at school. At James Sales, we have an “Off and Away” policy. Cellphones and other electronics must be turned off and placed in a student’s backpack while at school. If you need to contact your child during the day, please contact the main office at 253-298-4200. If your child needs to call you, their teacher will find an appropriate time for them to call. Please note - we are not responsible for lost, stolen or broken electronics. If possible, please leave these items at home.
Please send an extra set of clothes in your Kindergarten or 1st grade student's backpack. Accidents happen and it is very helpful for students to have the clothes they need here at school so they can change and get back to class. We have a very limited amount of clothing to lend in our health room. If you child does not have a change of clothes with them, we will call you to bring clothing for them.
If you have questions about head lice, please click this link. You can also talk to our school nurse if you have concerns about your child and head lice.
Congratulations to September’s students of the month who were honored at an assembly on September 27th!
These students were selected by their teachers for showing inclusion of others and embracing diversity:
Sosefina T., Alezander V., James S., Ximena F., Adelina B., Aliya A., Kainalu K., Rainier T., Lilianna M., Darius G., Abigail R., Kamdin R., Anamaria S., Joshua G., Andrew W., Miranda C., Zoey B., Jeremy B., Khloe F., Asiah E., Lily H., Ezra N., Eli E., Luna L., Yaretzi J., Sir W., Lokadah G., Kayla G., Lilly B., J.J. C., Genesis F., Xya W., Valeria A., Valeria D., Lokadah G., Abel K., Thomas M., and Aurora L.
September 30-October 4 - Custodians and Maintenance Staff - Cheryl Larson, our chief custodian, and Gary Scott, our night custodian, work very hard to keep our school clean and safe for our students and staff. They help maintain the playground, clean restrooms, classrooms, and other areas of the building, help at breakfast and lunch, and do countless other jobs. Please join us in giving them a big THANK YOU!!!
October 14-18 - Nutrition Services -Thanks to Mrs. Kimball and Ms. St. Clair; our kitchen workers, who work hard to keep our students well-fed, happy, and ready to learn!
October 21-25 - Transportation Staff - We also appreciate our bus drivers; various subs (#7), Ms. White (#9), Brian (#10), Aaron (#11), various subs (#24), Mavis (#53), and Eddie (#56); who transport our students safely to and from school each day.
We anticipate the need for volunteers for field trips and other occasions. If you are interested in volunteering as a chaperone for field trips or in any other capacity that may come up, please complete the volunteer application as soon as possible. It may take two weeks or more to process an application and we don't want you to be left out of a volunteer opportunity because you are not approved yet! Click here to begin your volunteer application. If you need assistance with your application please come to the office, call 253-298-4200, or email Linda Morrison - limorrison@fpschools.org .
James Sales hosts a before and after school care program on-site for our students this year. The care is provided by Right at School. Right at School provides a safe environment to learn, to play, and to grow. Click here for more information and to register.
Franklin Pierce Schools has a resource center for our families. You will find information and help for all sorts of situations and needs - food, diapers, formula, community referrals, and more. Click here to access the Family Resource Center website.
