JKES Cardinal Chronicle

Tuesday November 5th: NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS: Election Day

Monday November 11th: Veteran’s Day: School Assembly (1 PM)

Wednesday November 13th: Miss Virginia Teen USA, Julia Allen, will visit JKES. It is KINDNESS DAY (wear your favorite kindness shirt)

Friday November 15th: House Lunches

November 21st: Cafeteria serves Thanksgiving Meal

November 27-29: Thanksgiving Break: NO SCHOOL

JKES will be celebrating Veterans Day on November 11th and would like to gather pictures of our veterans. If you have any veterans in your family and would like to send in a picture with their name, branch of military they served in, and how they are related to your student, we would love to display these in a slideshow during our celebration. The pictures and information can be emailed to your child’s teacher through Talking Points, please send in the pictures and information no later than November 6th. We look forward to honoring our veterans next month.

November has 17 school days and they are going to go by very quickly. We want all of our Cardinals in the building and learning all of those 17 days!

We want our Cardinals to THRIVE and that starts with their attendance and being in the building every day school is in session! Attendance and engagement are key to success in school and beyond! Chronic absenteeism is a leading indicator that predicts success for both literacy and workforce outcomes of students. It is an early warning sign that students are at risk of not reading proficiently by the end of third grade, struggling academically in middle school and dropping out of high school. Chronic absenteeism promotes missed opportunities for our students to learn, build relationships and develop their mental health and well-being, and access to critical resources available at school. Coming to school regularly allows our Cardinals to SOAR!

WPS Talking Points accounts are set up automatically based on contact information from PowerSchool. Please note that Talking Points accounts are only available for contacts who have custody of the student.

If you are asked for a Class Code by Talking Points or you are not receiving Talking Points messages, please sign into your PowerSchool Parent Portal to review your contact information and request any updates or changes.

We still have Lost and Found not claimed during parent conferences on October 23rd and we are sure more will show up between now and Winter Break. On DECEMBER 16, 2024 our Lost and Found will be set up in the foyer for families to stop by between 3-6 PM to see if their child has any items that need to be collected after the first two quarters of the year. Anything remaining after that date will be donated to a local organization for the holidays prior to Winter Break.

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 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 your child’s teacher and they can provide information on next steps.

Donations continue to be needed for the John Kerr clinic: boys and girls clothes in a variety of sizes and, as we approach cooler weather we are in need of sweaters, long pants, long sleeve shirts, and etc. Please make sure that all donations are clean and in good shape. We appreciate your kindness and generosity.

Jackets and coats can also be donated to our school counseling department. Thank you so much!

The Winchester Public Schools 2024-2025 PARENT/STUDENT HANDBOOK is a valuable resource to know and understand all things Winchester Public Schools, to include K-12 standards and instruction, the yearly calendar, discipline policies and more.

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.

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!