August 2024 Principal Newsletter

As promised in my June Newsletter, here is the information I shared then for your review as the first day of school approaches. A second August Newsletter will be sent August 5th.

Our office reopens from 8:00am-4:00pm on Tuesday, August 6. We look forward to seeing/speaking with you, if you need anything.

Expect InfoSnap codes via email in late July/early August, in advance of the first day of school. You will receive this from our Community Engagement Department. This is an extremely important process we need all families to complete, as it provides our staff with updated contact information. Please do not put this off. If you need help, including access to a computer, you are invited to drop by our office beginning Tuesday, August 6.

Families not completing the InfoSnap process will be contacted by office staff and eventually by me in effort to be sure Jackson Avenue is 100% SNAPPED. We continue to have a perfect completion rate each year; thank you in advance.

Teacher assignments and any additional information related to school will be emailed August 9 at 4:00pm. Teacher welcome letters will be emailed August 12 by 4:00pm.

TK/K "practice drop off/pick up" to make first day of school smooth for our littles is August 12 from 1:00pm-2:00pm. While not mandatory, this will make the first day of school a bit easier for our newest students, as they will be able to see their classroom and teacher. Adults are invited to walk with their student to the classroom for this "sneak a peek" any time during the 1:00pm-2:00pm window.

Our first day of school is August 13 from 8:30am-1:30pm for all grades. August 14 and 15 are early release for all grades with 1:30 dismissal, as well. August 16 is regular schedule with TK/K dismissal at 1:30 and all other grades dismissal at 2:50.

In a continued effort to maximize student learning, we will open gates at 8:25 each morning, allowing students to walk directly to their classroom where they will be greeted by their teacher and begin their instructional day. Our preference is for students to walk independently to the classroom with adults remaining outside our gates to keep foot traffic down, however we understand if you choose to walk with your child to their classroom. Our gates will be closed and campus secured daily at 8:35 as part of our overall safety protocols. Students arriving after 8:35 are considered tardy and must enter through our front office for check in. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and support.

At the end of the day, gates will be opened at dismissal by teachers as they walk their class to their designated gate (teachers will share their gate location in their welcome letters August 12). Students needing to pick up siblings or leave through a different gate are allowed to do so; please be sure to coordinate with your child's teacher if this is the case so they are aware of where everyone is headed once school is out.

Jackson Avenue and our PTO will be hosting our annual ice cream social with a tentative date of Friday, August 16 to welcome families, make connections, learn about PTO volunteer opportunities, purchase spirit wear, and well . . . to eat ice cream! Watch for details in August.

We invite our families to our Wednesday Morning Stingray Meetings on the blacktop beginning the second week of school (August 21). This is the time our whole school comes together each week to check in, celebrate our learning and behavior, and generally have fun together. Students walk directly to their classrooms to start their day while visiting families will head directly to the blacktop. Gates will be closed at 8:35am daily; adults attending our Stingray Meetings will exit via our front gates near the office at the conclusion of our Stingray Meeting (approx 9:00 am), as all other gates will be locked.

Additionally, we encourage you to volunteer at Jackson Avenue to support our classrooms, our school, and our PTO. If you love working with kids and enjoy smiling, you should definitely give it a go.

Finally, be on the lookout for additional emails from me in August, as well as our Community Engagement Department, for our 2024-2025 school year. Looking forward to an amazing year together. Go Stingrays!

Email: tomjones@lvjusd.org
Website: https://www.livermoreschools.org/jackson
Location: 554 Jackson Avenue, Livermore, CA, USA
Phone: 925-606-4717