The J-List

Hello JES Family!

What a great way to start the week welcoming and celebrating our Veterans! We were honored to have nearly 20 veterans and their families on campus for our annual Veterans Day program, which included a beautiful performance by our fourth grade Honor Choir. I've included a couple of pictures from the program below.

This morning, we hosted a Legislative and Budget Briefing on campus, and I want to extend a heartfelt thank-you to everyone who joined us. A special thanks to Superintendent Glenn and Trustees Bottom, Bryan, and Stacy for taking the time to share insights about the financial challenges our district is facing. I truly appreciate their transparency, dedication, and openness to hearing feedback from our community. In future newsletters, I’ll be sharing ideas on how we can all come together to support our leaders as they continue to provide the outstanding educational opportunities that make CISD a standout District across Texas and beyond.

Finally, I have spent a lot of time observing instruction in classrooms over the last couple of weeks, and I am so impressed with the work our students and staff are doing! I absolutely love seeing how our teachers challenge our students, and how our students rise to the occasion! Great things are happening in our classrooms every day at JES!!!

Thank you for the opportunity to serve this beautiful community, and please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any concerns, questions, or joys to share with me!

GO DRAGONS!

Patrick Holladay, Principal

IT'S BACK! Yes, the JES Book Fair is next week! Students can shop any day during WIN or recess time. The fair will be open during school Monday–Thursday from 8:00–2:45, and will also be open for a special family shopping night on Tuesday, November 19 from 3:00–5:00. Friday, November 22 is Grandparents and Special Friends Day and the book fair will be open from 8:00–2:00. Students can use cash or check to purchase items, and adults can use cash, check, or card for purchases.

A portion of all sales will be returned back to the JES Library! Thank you for supporting literacy and learning at our school!

Did you know...that instead of using enrollment numbers (the number of actual students served), Texas determines school funding based on daily attendance. How this affects JES and CISD is that for every student not present at school on a particular day, the state withholds approximately $50 in funding. JES had 114 total student absences this week, which cost our district approximately $5,700 in withheld funding!

Attendance by the Numbers...

Mon Nov 11 - 94.30%

Tue Nov 12 - 96.91%

Wed Nov 13 - 98.37%

Thu Nov 14 - 96.58%

Fri Nov 15 - 95.28%

Weekly Average - 96.29%

We are so excited to host our Grandparents and Special Persons Day on Friday, November 22, 2024! This is a special day for our children to show their grandparents or special people their classrooms and enjoy time during lunch together. Please join us for iced tea refreshments, a special photo booth, the PTO Spirit Shop, and the Fall Book Fair.

Our families typically bring in their own meals to share. Due to food supplies and cafeteria staffing, only current students and staff may purchase school lunch on this day. Refreshments will be available for our guests. If you have multiple students, families are welcome to pull students from class this day so that grandparents can eat with their family during one lunch time.

Please RSVP your grandparents/special persons in advance to expedite our check-in process. Thank you SO much for helping us! Please plan to arrive 15-20 minutes early to get checked in.

Lunch Times:

• Kinder: 10:30 - 11:00 am
• 1st Grade: 11:05 - 11:35 am
• 2nd Grade: 11:40 - 12:10 pm
• 3rd Grade: 12:15 - 12:45 pm
• 4th Grade: 12:50 - 1:20 pm
• Visitors will be able to go back to the classrooms 15 minutes before lunch times.

It's almost time for our annual Gingerbread Village! Please see this letter for details about this fun JES tradition. Mark your calendars to bring in your gingerbread houses December 4th, 5th, and 6th.

For our new to JES families, we have a special holiday tradition where students and their families come together to create Gingerbread Houses. These houses are proudly displayed in our front hallways during the first three weeks of December. Whether your creation is simple or super fancy, it’s all about the joy and creativity! Last year, about 300 families participated, and the display was absolutely magical. We’d love for you to join in the fun and add your touch to this wonderful tradition. Check out the link above for all the details—we can’t wait to see your masterpieces!

It’s everyone’s favorite time of year! Our JES tradition of having an Angel Tree is back! Please be sure to stop by the table on Grandparents Day (Friday, November 22nd) and pick out an angel or two. Please bring your angel gifts back wrapped and clearly marked with your angel’s number on Friday, December 13th.

The JES Angel Tree is separate from the Gifting Project and impacts students AT and AFFILIATED with JES. The Gifting Project impacts families in Tarrant County. The JES Angel Tree is specific to families at our school. If you have questions before Grandparents Day, reach out to Carrie Moore (moore.carrie.j@gmail.com) or Lindsay Bailey (lindsay.bailey@southlakecarroll.edu).

All parents are welcome to attend the class holiday parties on Friday, December 20th. Grade level party times are included for your information below. We will include a link to RSVP in the December J-Lists.

• Kinder: 11:30 - 12:15
• 1st: 10:00 - 10:45
• 2nd: 10:45 - 11:30
• 3rd: 11:00 - 11:45
• 4th: 10:20 - 11:05

The JES Yearbook Store is open and it's time to order your copy of the 2024-2025 JES yearbook. CLICK HERE to go directly to the Balfour JES Store to place your order. The cost is $40 but will increase to $50 on January 1st.

4th Grade Only

Parents of 4th grade students also may purchase dedication pages for $25 for an 1/8 page ad. Please note that this is only for 4th grade! You will order, pay, and build your page on the Balfour site when you purchase your child’s yearbook. Thank you for purchasing early! Deadline for ad purchases is February 15, 2025.

Lots of help is needed next week for the book fair! Come in and help our dragons make their purchases! SIGN-UP TO HELP WITH THE BOOK FAIR

Let's show our gratitude to the JES teachers and staff! Please sign up to give a small thank you gift. If both spots for your classroom teacher are full, help us spread the joy by choosing another staff member! You are always welcome to send a card or gift to any teachers or staff even if their sign up slots are filled!

Thankful for teacher signup!

Teacher & Staff Favorite Things List!

The Gifting Project is back and this year JES has adopted 25 Angel Wishlists! We will collect all gifts on Thursday 12/5 from 7:30-8:00 am and again from 2:25-3:30 pm in the JES Parking Lot. New this season - only 4 gifts may be purchased per Wishlist! The Gifting Project fulfills wishlists for children in the DFW area, most are local to Tarrant County.

Sign-up for the Gifting Project

Dragon Families, please read the information below about the Wait Until 8th pledge, known in our community as Dragons Delaying Devices. This parent-led initiative encourages families to hold off on giving children smartphones until at least the end of 8th grade, helping them grow without the distractions and pressures of early smartphone use. To make the pledge active at each school, ten families per grade level are needed to join! See flyer for details.

Are you interested in a Fall Camp for your student? A few Carroll ISD staff members are sponsoring camps over the Fall Break.

Please see the list of available camps online.

November

18-22 - Book Fair

22 - CISD Substitute Appreciation Day

22 - Grandparents & Special Friends Day

25-29 Thanksgiving Break

December

2-20 - Gingerbread Village

19 - Movie and Hot Cocoa Day

20 - Winter Parties

20 - End of 2nd Grading Period

23-Jan. 7 - Winter Break

• Carroll ISD E-Blasts
• Birthday Dragon Form
• JES PTO Website
• JES Website and School Calendar
• JES Social Media: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter
• JES Cafeteria Menu
• MySchoolBucks
• J-List Archive: Past school newsletters
• JES Arrival & Dismissal Procedures