Jaguar News Journal

Dear JWE Families,

Hello and Happy Sunday! I hope you're having a great weekend. Last week's cooler temperatures have me ready for Fall! I know we'll still have warmer days but I do enjoy the change of season!

With cooler mornings and warm afternoons we're seeing sweatshirts and other layered clothing get left behind by students. We would like to again ask parents to please write your child's first and last name on their water bottles, backpack, lunch box as well as any sweatshirts, jackets or personal items you may send to school. Our lost and found fills up quickly and we end up donating items to charity each year after setting deadlines for claiming items once it fills. If items are labeled it's very easy to get them back to their owners.

Monday of this week we have our first Bridgewater Domino's Spirit Night of the school year! We invite you to take a break from cooking and order from Domino's. Please be sure you reference the fundraiser and use/show this flyer (linked) when you order! 20% of the proceeds come back to John Wayland!

This week our 3rd-5th Grade students will participate in state required Growth Assessments. On Wednesday all of these students will be assessed in Reading and on Thursday, they will be assessed in Math. The baseline data that we get from these tests will help us make informed decisions on how we can best support growth for each of our students in these areas this year. I've included a letter below from our central office on these as well.

This week, we will aslo have our second fire drill of the school year! Thanks for any conversations you can have at home to help your student understand the importance of practicing for safety. It's a great time to make safety plans for your family at home as well!

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday and thank you for your continued partnership and support!

Sincerely,

Sara Hammill

Principal

Children today are what we call digital natives - meaning they haven't lived in a time in which cell phones, computers and social media did not exist. Finding balance as a parent and family when it comes to screens and our children is a challenge for all of us.

Some research suggests that access to screens and social media can be tied to anxiety and other mental health concerns in children and teens. A recently published book, The Anxious Generation, by Jonathan Haidt discusses this and has been number one on the NYT Best Seller list. It's worth the read if you're interested.

This week, we want to share information and resources around this for our families. Please find several links below that can help you navigate parenting in the digital age.

Screen Time & the Brain - Harvard

How Much Screen Time is Okay? - Common Sense Media

Effects of Excessive Screen Time on Child Development - National Institute of Health

Neuroscience News Article - Screens & Brains - Neuroscience News

The Use of Social Media in Children & Adolescents - National Institute of Health

We're well on our way to establishing our routines around family transportation. We'd like to offer these final reminders for our families:

• During drop off - please DO NOT wait until you're at the crosswalk to unload. The first three cars closest to the crosswalk are asked to unload. Those who are waiting to do so until they are at the crosswalk interfere with the efficiency of our system and frustrate other families. Thank you for cooperating with this procedure.
• Adults are asked to remain in vehicles, if your child needs your assistance, please park your car and assist from there.

We appreciate everyone helping to keep traffic flowing as smoothly and efficiently as possible. If you have relatives, friends, etc. helping with drop off or pick up - please be sure you share our this information with them.

Regular attendance is such an important thing for our students. The patterns for school attendance start now and families play a huge role in building positive patterns and norms around it. Good school attendance promotes the success of your student(s) and our school. We thank you in advance for your help with this!

Please prioritize school attendance and plan appointments and family trips around our school calendar. I'm sharing an important message below from our Superintendent, Dr. Larry Shifflett below in case you missed it last week!

From Dr. Shifflett

As we continue to work together toward academic excellence, I want to emphasize the importance of consistent attendance in ensuring student success.

We know that regular attendance is one of the most critical factors in achieving academic growth. Every day counts, and each day missed can have a cumulative impact on your child’s learning. This year, we are encouraging all of our students to embrace the challenge of “Strive for Less Than"5"—

to not be out of school for more than five days throughout the entire year.

September is National School Attendance Awareness Month, and I have a special challenge for students and staff who don't miss any days in September. Please watch my video for more information!

Attendance Video Link

Sincerely,

Larry Shifflett, Ed.D.

Division Superintendent

John Wayland has an outstanding team of dedicated staff who go above and beyond to support and inspire our students every day. The RCPS Inspire Award is a recognition program that honors the exceptional teachers and staff within our school community. To celebrate their hard work, we encourage you to submit an online submission form. When filling out the nomination form, please explain why you are nominating this teacher or staff member for the Inspire Award. Please include specific details and examples of how this person has inspired you or your child and is deserving of this recognition. (If your nomination is selected, this is what you will read publicly at the School Board meeting.) Use the following link to submit your nomination.

Friendships play an important role in a child’s emotional and social development. Part of our role as a school counselor is to help students create healthy friendships, handle friendship jealousy, and discuss the importance of sharing friends to show mutual respect and kindness. Here are some ways to help your child create and maintain healthy friendships:

1. Discuss Empathy and Understanding

• Encourage your child to consider how their friends might feel in different situations. Discussing emotions and perspectives can help them develop empathy, which can lead to stronger connections with others.

2. Model Positive Behavior

• Children often learn by example. Demonstrate kindness, active listening, and respect in your interactions with others. Share stories of your own friendships and the importance of nurturing them.

3. Encourage Open Communication

• Sometimes it feels easier to ignore a conflict or problem you have with a friend than confronting it. Unfortunately, those feelings tend to build up overtime and can lead to an even larger conflict down the road. Friendships can be strengthened through expressing thoughts and feelings openly. Talk with your child about how to respectfully and calmly communicate their feelings with others.

5. Conflict Resolution

• No friendship is perfect. Conflicts happen! You can help your child through friendship conflicts by encouraging them to approach disagreements with respect and empathy to find a fair solution. If possible, help work through these conflicts at home by role-playing different scenarios to practice these skills.

• Sharing friends can be tough, and it's normal to feel jealous at times. You can help your child through times of jealousy by validating their feelings while also teaching the importance of sharing friends with others.

8. Celebrate Friendships

• If possible, try to celebrate your child’s friendships. Organize playdates, birthday parties, or simple get-togethers to strengthen their bonds and create lasting memories.

We encourage students to resolve smaller friendship conflicts on their own. However, if they encounter a more challenging situation, adult assistance may be necessary. Please don’t hesitate to contact us, or encourage your child to speak with a counselor for support and guidance with their friendships.

Thank you to everyone who attended our first PTO meeting last Wednesday! It was great to see many new faces and start planning for the 2024-2025 school year. Keep in mind, meetings are not required to be a part of the PTO. If you have interest in learning more about what the PTO is and how you can get involved, e-mail jwesptova@gmail.com. We look forward to seeing everyone at our next meeting on Wednesday, October 2. This meeting will be completely hybrid via Zoom. A zoom link will be sent out prior to the meeting.

Sept. 9: JWES Bridgewater Domino's Pizza Spirit Night

Sept. 11 & 12th: State Mandate Growth Assessments for Grades 3-5

Sept. 17: FALL PICTURE DAY

Sept. 26: JWES Annual Title I Family Meeting

Principal: Sara Hammill

Assistant Principal: Diane Secord

Email: jwesattendance@rockingham.k12.va.us
Website: http://jwes.rockingham.k12.va.us/
Location: 801 N Main St, Bridgewater, VA, USA
Phone: 540-828-6081
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JohnWaylandElementary