January 6th- Welcome Back Dolphins/2025 Martin Luther King, Jr. Art Contest

January 10th- Spirit Day

January 14th- 2025 Martin Luther King, Jr. ART ENTRIES DUE!

January 15th- SJE/PTA Spirit Night @ Red Robin

January 17th- 2 1/2 Hour Early Dismissal @12:10AM (11:40 AM Early Office PickUp cutoff time) /End date for 2nd quarter

January 20th- No School - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

January 21st- No School/Teacher Work Day

January 22nd- The new policy "Student Cell Phone Policy" in effect/ Jr. BETA Convention/

**E-Learning Day (check emails/remind)

**January 23rd- E-Learning Day (check emails/remind)

**January 24th- E-Learning Day (check email)

January 27th-31st- Kindness Week (see picture below)

January 28th- Giveback Day with Coastal Pantry

January 30th- 2nd Quarter Award Ceremony( Invitations sent home with 3/4th grade students)

January 31st- Yearbook Reminder for $35.00 after will be $45.00 (see picture below)

Weather Update:

Teachers will email eLearning work or send eLearning work through Remind for Wednesday, January 22nd this afternoon. The work can also be picked up in the front office at SJE until 3:00 PM today(1/21). The work will be due on Wednesday, January 29th. Please return to the classroom teacher by the end of the day on January 29th.

Please check your emails or Remind for your day Two- Learning Packets for Thursday, January 23rd.

**Please check your emails for information regarding day Three- Learning Packets for Friday, January 24th will be sent home with students on Monday, February 3rd.

𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐓𝐎 𝐏𝐔𝐑𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐅𝐎𝐑 $𝟑𝟓 𝐈𝐒 𝐉𝐀𝐍𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐘 𝟑𝟏𝐒𝐓!!! 𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐆𝐎𝐄𝐒 𝐓𝐎 $𝟒𝟓 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝗪𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐁𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐌𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐐𝐔𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐒!!!⁣ ** reminder flyers will also be going home in folders this week.
𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐓𝐎 𝐏𝐔𝐑𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝟒𝐓𝐇 𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐃𝐄 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐀𝐃𝐒 𝐈𝐒 𝐉𝐀𝐍𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐘 𝟑𝟏𝐒𝐓. 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇 𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐓𝐎 Meghan Renee Causey 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒.
𝘈𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘢 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘯𝘰𝘸-𝘑𝘢𝘯𝟹𝟷𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘛𝘈! ⁣
𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐄𝐑 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄: https://www.jostens.com/.../202411181315137.../CATALOG_SHOP/

Our #1 goal is to ensure that St. James Elementary is a SAFE environment for our Dolphins. To do this, we follow certain safety procedures and hold a variety of safety drills throughout the year.

All SJE students will walk through a weapons detection system daily. The weapon detection system utilizes advanced technology to identify and alert school administrators to the presence of concealed weapons upon entry to school.

SJE also requires that all students who choose to carry a backpack use a clear backpack.

Safety drills enhance school safety by allowing students and staff to understand proper emergency procedures outside of a crisis situation.

What drills will our Dolphins participate in throughout the school year?

Fire Drill: Students and staff practice exiting the building in case of a fire.

Tornado Drill: Students and staff take safety position lining up along an interior wall or the safest area, in case of a tornado.

Earthquake Drill: Students and staff DROP, COVER and HOLD ON, getting under a table or desk if one is near, in case of an earthquake.

Intruder Drill: Our school has adopted the “I Love U Guys” Foundation’s Standard Response Protocol (SRP). Students and staff will be training, practicing, and drilling the protocol. You can learn more from this Standard Response Protocol Handout for Parents.

𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 to an 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺. 𝘛𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘺, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 (𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘬𝘦𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴).

To ensure the safety of our students, all transportation changes must be made in writing. No transportation will be accepted after 1:30 PM. Phone calls or messages from friends or relatives cannot be honored. Anyone signing a student out must be listed in PowerSchool and/or be on the student's emergency card or have prior written notice. Bring your drivers' license, your child can not be dismissed without photo identification!

Email changes to Jpelno@horrycountyschools.net

It is so important that our children are ready to exit the car quickly and safely when and where it stops. When this does not happen, the flow of traffic is disrupted and the cars behind you are not prepared to stop. This can cause an accident. If you must get out of your car for any reason or your child is not prepared to exit the car at the stop, you must pull forward to the sidewalk area in front of the playground. Also, remember that it is most safe for the children to exit the car on the right side. Children walking in front of or behind cars is a huge safety concern. We are working as hard as possible to get all of the children out of the cars and into the building before the 7:40 am tardy bell rings. Our teachers on duty need to be in the building so they can prepare to provide instruction to our children. We will begin marking your child tardy after the bell rings. Please be considerate and safe to the cars behind you and follow all car rider procedures.

We begin welcoming car riders at 6:45 am and the tardy bell rings at 7:40 am.

All students should be dropped off using the car line procedures described below:

• Staff report to duty at 6:45 a.m. You can begin dropping your children off at this time (6:45 am). Teachers will line the sidewalks while others are strategically located throughout the building to keep our children safe.
• Please pull all the way forward to the first adult on duty. We encourage you to pull as far forward as possible in order to get as much traffic off the road as possible.
• The teacher on duty will monitor the children as they exit the car and walk down the sidewalk into the school. **Not everyone will get the drop-off spot closest to the door, but all children will be safely monitored into the building. With each child exiting the car during each round, the flow of traffic is uninterrupted and can move at a faster pace.
• Once your child has exited the car, continue with the flow of traffic. Please do not get out of your car. **Please pull off to the side only if your child cannot exit the car without your assistance.
• Please have your child exit the car from the right side. Children walking in front of, behind, and in between cars is a serious safety concern.
• All car riders must utilize the drop-off loop. Parents are not permitted to exit the car or to walk students to the door.
**Remember, all visitors MUST report to the front of the office to enter the building. No one will be permitted into the building from any side entrances. Thank you for helping us keep your children safe. We look forward to a continued happy, safe, and successful school year!!

**Remember, the tardy bell rings at 7:40 am. If your child is not in the building at 7:40 am, he/she will be marked tardy. Your child can be marked tardy even if you drive through the gate after the bell has rung. Instruction begins at 7:40 am, please be on time.

Due to transition of students at the end of the day we ask that parents do not sign students out after 2:10 PM.

Please make sure that you have your 2024-2025 Car Tags hung and visible during pick-up. If you don't have your Car Tag you will be sent to the Front Office to sign out your child/children after the car rider line is complete. Make sure to bring your driver's license!

**Please practice buckling and unbuckling the seatbelt. During afternoon dismissal if you need to buckle your child, please pull over to the wide paved section in front of the playground to buckle.

If you have medication drop off or need to drop something off at the office, Parents will need to drop student off in the car line first where staff are on duty to assist them getting to class safely and will be required to go through the check in process. Parents will then park and check in at the office. Please leave any unnecessary items in the car to expedite the check-in process. The nurse will be at open house accepting medication; however If you cannot make open house, please email her to find out the procedure for dropping of medication during the school day she is not always available at 7am. Parents that come in without emailing her to set up a time may have to wait until she is available.

1. Please send a complete change of clothes to school or keep in your child's book bag in case of an accident. Please make sure the change of clothes is appropriate for the season.

2. Please call or email the school nurse BEFORE bringing in any prescription or over-the-counter medications (including refills) to ensure compliance with the HCS medication policy and to arrange a time with the nurse to bring in the medication. HCS medication forms are required for the school nurse to administer any medications. The medication policy & forms can be obtained from the school nurse or the HCS Student Health Services website: https://www.horrycountyschools.net/Page/1006
   

3. SC Law requires a South Carolina Certificate of Immunization to be provided to the school. If you are from out-of-state, you must take your vaccine record to SC Dept of Public Health to get a SC Certificate of Immunization within 30 days of enrollment or the student cannot attend school.

4. The school nurse will call the parent if your child presents with the following condition(s): fever greater than 100 degrees, more than 1 episode of vomiting, more than 2 episodes of diarrhea, head injury with cause for concern, injury with any pain/swelling/deformity, live lice, or other serious conditions that warrant immediate parent notification.
   
5. The school nurse may send a note home to the parent to notify you of a visit that does not require immediate notification.
   
6. The school nurse will NOT notify the parent of every child's visit to the health office, such as minor injuries or illnesses that are resolved. Some minor injuries may be taken care of at the classroom level and not be seen by the school nurse.
   
7. Please do NOT send children who are sick to school. Children who have vomited or have diarrhea should remain home until vomiting/diarrhea free, able to eat and drink without recurring episodes of vomiting/diarrhea and feel well enough to participate in school. Children with fever of 100℉ or greater should remain home until they are fever free without the use of fever reducing medication for 24 hours. School nurses cannot excuse absences for students who are sent to school sick.

COUGH DROPS!

We are starting to see more cough drops being brought to school by students. As a reminder, students ARE allowed to bring non-medicated cough drops to school. They may keep these in their classroom and use them as needed. They are NOT allowed to bring medicated cough drops. Medicated cough drops must be kept in the nurse's office and require an HCS Over-the-Counter Medication Permission form to be completed, must be in the original sealed packaging and brought to the Front Office by a parent.

What is a non-medicated cough drop?

Cough drops considered to be "non-medicated" do not contain medications such as lidocaine, benzocaine, menthol, etc.

Active ingredients for non-medicated cough drops are pectin, honey, and zinc.

Examples of non-medicated cough drops: Luden's, Hall's Breezers

Thank you,

Jessica Osteen, BSN, RN

School Nurse

SJE will be participating in the Backpack Buddies program this year for families that are in need and can benefit from the support of the program. Backpack Buddies supplies nutritious, child-friendly, self-serve, nonperishable food designed to be put in a backpack and eaten by the child over the weekend. The food is offered at no cost. The food will be delivered to the school each week and placed in your child’s backpack on Friday. If you are interested in participating, please email our school counselor, Mrs. Lester, alester@horrycountyschools.net or send a note to school with your child.

Bullying is an unwanted, intentional, aggressive behavior that may be physical, verbal, or nonverbal. There is an imbalance of power between the parties and the behavior is repeated over time. We have included a link for parents and students to use if they need to make a bullying report. The report will go to Mrs. Lester. There is also a bullying report form on the HCS website. Please don't hesitate to contact the school counselors or an administrator with your concerns. https://forms.gle/3ffGJCrSvngX2TAv6

Counseling Services

• Short-term individual counseling

• Small group counseling

• Classroom guidance lessons

• Crisis intervention

• Consultation with parents and teachers

• Coordination with outside agencies and therapists

• Referrals for community services

Things to remember:

A student is considered truant:

1. After three (3) consecutive all-day absences, or five (5) cumulative all-day absences which are not excused by a medical doctor's written statement, proof of bereavement, or principal's approval; or,
2. After an elementary school student has accumulated ten (10) or more unexcused tardies or early release (Note: Tardiness in middle and high schools is considered a disciplinary issue.)

• An absence is considered excused if a valid medical doctor's written note (with the date & time the student was seen) is provided within 3 school days after the absence. Online Medical visits with medical notes and/or screenshots that contain the student's name, date of birth, and results of the online visit (prescription, number of days out before the student's return to school, etc.)
• An absence for bereavement, due to a death in the student's immediate family, may be excused if an obituary or program of service verifying the death is provided to the attendance clerk within 3 school days after the student returns to school.
• An absence for a nationally recognized religious holiday of the student's faith may be excused if a request is made in writing to the principal and written approval is received prior to the absence.
• A parent may request approval of an absence for hardship, in writing, utilizing the Request for Approval form. This form may be obtained from the school's attendance office. The form must be completed and submitted prior to the absence (if the parent has prior knowledge), or within 3 days following the absence.

***When my child is absent from school, I will notify the attendance office by completing the link provided https://forms.gle/9iiZznScmwVBox8m7

Data Quality at SJE - Facebook page for information & updates.

Attendance Truancy Information - District Office

SC Regulation #43-274

The vision of St. James Elementary School, is a community where all students and staff are loved, respected, supported, and inspired to reach their full potential.

We will focus on Respect, Supportive, Kind, Integrity, Responsible

___________________________________________________________

Horry County Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or immigrant status. English-speaking status or any other characteristic protected by applicable Federal or S.C. law in its programs or activities,

You may call 843-488-6700 or contact Horry County Schools, 335 Four Mile Road, Conway, SC 29528.

Email: help@blackboard.com
Website: https://www.horrycountyschools.net/St_James_Elementary
Location: 9711 Saint James Road, Myrtle Beach, SC, USA
Phone: 843-650-8220
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stjameselementaryhcs/

Start collecting those Pop Tabs for QTR 3!!

Congratulations to Mrs. Keane & Mrs. Morris "The Fish Class" for being our Q2 pop tab winner with ten (10) bags.

Congratulations to Mrs. Keelin & Ms. Capps "The Bear Class "for being our Q1 pop tab winner with four (4) bags.