JKES Cardinal Chronicle

Wednesday, October 23: PARENT CONFERENCES

• Information should have been sent home for your child’s teacher for conference sign-up

• While in the building, please take a look at the lost and found for anything your child might be missing after the first quarter of the school year- we have an abundance of water bottles, jackets, etc.

Thursday October 31:

• Fun Run Boosterthon

• Storybook Character Day (all grades): costumes should not portray stereotypes of a culture or a group of people & are not offensive to any racial, ethnic or religious group, anyone with a disability/illness or other group of people. Outfits and costumes should not include weapons or masks.

Mrs. Pryor signed 359 ATTENDANCE ACHIEVER certificates this week for those students with a 90% or higher attendance rate for the month of September. However, there was an error on the certificates indicating it was for Quarter 1 Attendance instead of September Attendance. Regardless… We are so excited to celebrate the 359 students that have been and are attending school regularly and making every minute of their learning count. We will celebrate our October Attendance Achievers in early November!

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.

National Hispanic Heritage Month is annually celebrated from September 15 to October 15 in the United States for recognizing the contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States. This year's theme “Pioneers of Change: Shaping the Future Together,” signifies the diversity inherent within the Hispanic and Latino communities, as well as strength that comes with unity.

Below is a link to celebrations scheduled at Shenandoah University:

https://www.su.edu/diversity/hispanic-heritage-month/

Check the Winchester Star for information about what is happening around town to celebrate throughout October!

OCTOBER 23rd from 3-6 PM: We will have the lost and found available in the front lobby for families to stop by on their way in or out of parent conferences to collect items their child might have left behind during the first quarter. If you don’t have a conference scheduled but want to stop by to check out whether your child has items in the Lost and Found, you are more than welcome!

DECEMBER 18, 2024: 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 will be donated to a local organization for the holidays on December 19, 2024.

REPORT CARDS

Kindergarten report cards will be given to parents during scheduled conferences.

Grades 1-4 will go home with students on Thursday, October 17th.

The Winchester Public Schools report card was updated with new Standards of Learning for the 2024-2025 school year. Standards-based report cards communicate student progress in grades K-4.

What is Standards-Based Grading? Students’ most recent work is used to determine the level on their report card. This level reflects what they know or are able to do rather than an average of their performance throughout the quarter. Students’ performance can be measured in many ways such as assessments, student writings, and teacher observations. Student work that is sent home may be only a portion of the evidence that teachers use to determine students’ performance levels.

What are the Benefits of Standards-Based Grading? Subject areas are broken down by skills/standards providing a more detailed and complete representation of what students can do at the time of reporting. The report card levels focus on individual student progress within the standards and assist the teachers with adjusting instruction for all students based on individual progress.

How are standards-based report cards different from traditional report cards?

Standards-based report cards:

• One mark for each standard within a subject area, providing specific indicators of student performance within a standard.

Traditional report cards:

• One mark for all standards within a subject area, providing general indicators of student performance.

How will behavior be measured? Behavior will be measured through Profile of a Graduate Skills. The term Profile of a Graduate refers to a broad set of knowledge, skills, work habits, and character traits that are critically important to success in today’s world. Generally speaking, Skills can be applied in all academic subject areas, and in all educational, career, and civic settings throughout a student’s life.

How will academic progress be measured? Student progress will be reported in relation to the grade level expectations for the standard at that quarter. The following key will be used to report progress:

1 - Developing Proficiency - Student demonstrates progress toward initial foundational skills of the standard.

2 - Approaching Proficiency - Student demonstrates proficiency on foundational skills of the standard.

3 - Meets Grade Level Standards - Student demonstrates proficiency on all grade level skills of the standard.

4 - Exceeds Grade Level Standards - Student demonstrates understanding and performance beyond proficiency and has exceeded the standard.

A key component of standards- based reporting is that students have the opportunity to demonstrate mastery through re-teaching.

K-4 Standards-Based Grading Family Guide (English)

K-4 Standards-Based Grading Family Guide (Spanish)

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 jackets, sweaters, long pants, etc. We appreciate your kindness and generosity.

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!