JCS Community Newsletter (August)

Normally, we will distribute this newsletter on the Friday following the monthly Board of Education meeting. If you have suggestions for content in this newsletter, please send them to Collin Brooks at BrooksB@jcschools.org.

September Celebration Days 2024

• National Grandparent's Day - September 8
• Topper Pride Week - September 9-13
  
• Patriot Day (9/11 Observance) - September 11
• Maroon and Gold Day (District-Wide - SH Homecoming) - September 13
  
• Constitution Day - September 17
• National IT Professional Day - September 17
• First Day of Fall - September 22 (falls on a Sunday)
• Human Resources Professionals Day - September 26
• National Hispanic Heritage Month - September 15 - October 15
• Suicide Prevention Month
• National Yoga Month

Calendars

• Click here to view Printable Calendars for 2024-2025
• School-specific digital calendars can be found on school websites.
  

Don’t forget to support your Toppers this season! Football season tickets are now on sale. Secure your spot today! Tickets can be purchased on GoFan by using the following link: https://gofan.co/app/school/TN8195. For any season ticket questions please contact Noemi Mejia by email at mejian@jcschools.org

JCS Families,

The safety and well-being of our students are of utmost importance to us. We are reaching out to remind all parents and guardians of the need to monitor your child's social media activity. Social media can be a powerful tool for connection and learning, but it can also be a platform for harmful behavior and dangerous content.

Please take the time to discuss the appropriate use of social media and the potential risks involved with your children. Encourage them to share any concerns or uncomfortable experiences they may encounter online. As a community, we must work together to ensure our students use these platforms responsibly and safely.

We also want to remind everyone that our school district has a zero-tolerance policy regarding any threats to the safety of our students and staff. All threats, whether made online or in person, are taken very seriously. Johnson City Schools, with the help of the Johnson City Police Department, thoroughly investigate every situation and take appropriate action to ensure the security of our schools.

If you or your child become aware of any potential threats or concerning behavior, please report it immediately to school authorities or local law enforcement. We encourage open communication and proactive measures to maintain a safe and supportive learning environment.

Thank you for your continued support and vigilance in helping us keep our school community safe.

REMINDER: We now have CENTEGIX’s visitor management system, which replaced the Raptor software previously used to screen visitors for sexual offenses, custody issues and to see if they are banned from campus. Everyone visiting a school must present their driver’s license to front desk staff upon each visit and, once cleared, will receive a printed visitor label to wear while they’re at the facility.

Dear Parents and Guardians:

Johnson City Schools is very pleased to inform our families that beginning immediately all enrolled students at the following schools will have access to free breakfast and free lunch each school day.

These schools are:

Cherokee Elementary

Fairmont Elementary

Mountain View Elementary

North Side Elementary

South Side Elementary

Town Acers Elementary

Woodland Elementary*

Lake Ridge Elementary*

*Students in the paid pre-k program at Woodland and Lake Ridge are not eligible for this benefit as they are not officially enrolled students in the PowerSchool SIS.

This program is made possible through the USDA’s Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) allowing these students access to free meals. This Program will operate for the 2024-2025 school year. Johnson City Schools will assess the financial feasibility of continuing and/or expanding the program for future school years in the spring.

The Johnson City Schools Food Service Department is federally funded through the United States

Department of Agriculture (USDA) by participation in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. The department does not receive local funding and sufficiently operates eleven school kitchens generating operating funds through federal reimbursement for meals served to students. Our goal is to always offer our students and families the best possible benefits and we believe this will be a tremendous immediate financial assistance.

To see what this means for your student, please visit www.jcschools.org/CEP. If you have any questions about CEP or your student’s meal account, please contact the Johnson City Schools Food Service Office at 423-434-5228 or bakerk1@jcschools.org.

To fill out your free and reduced lunch application for Indian Trail, Liberty Bell or Science Hill, please click here.

Since students at our eight elementary schools will be receiving free lunch and breakfast, it is VERY IMPORTANT that families fill out our Household Survey. This is the way that our schools will receive funding. You will recieve this form from your school. It is VERY IMPORTANT that it is returned.

All ParentSquare questions should go to Collin Brooks at BrooksB@jcschools.org.

Invitations for ParentSquare have been sent out to all parents. Please follow the instructions to activate your account. The platform syncs nightly with PowerSchool and pulls the contact information that parents have provided to connect them to their student(s). If you do not see a student (except PreK students), please contact your school's PowerSchool administrator to update your contact information in PowerSchool.

We continue to work out some kinks as we move to this new platform, but we believe that ParentSquare will be a powerful tool for improving our communication across our district. Parents will only need to learn this platform to communicate with teachers, coaches and other school staff.

Parent Training Resources

For Parents & Guardians

• Parents & Guardians Training Video (14:23)
• Parents & Guardians Spanish Training Video (13:42)

The middle schools and high school will also use StudentSquare, here is an introductory video and resources for students.

For Students

• StudentSquare Overview Video
• Let’s Learn StudentSquare Video

The Johnson City Schools Board of Education updated their policy on "Use of Personal Communication Devices" during their special called meeting on 7/29/24. The policy can be viewed below.

All Board Policies can be found on the board website at www.jcschools.org/board

Parents will receive a printed copy of this that will be sent home with their student in the coming weeks.

Except on occasions such as school programs, athletic events, open house, and similar public events as determined by the principal/designee, all visitors will report to the school office when entering the school and will sign-in. Authorization to visit elsewhere in the building or on the school campus will be determined by the principal/designee.

All bags are subject to inspection upon entering school property.

Parents, community members, and any other visitors to school property or during school programs/activities MUST NOT:

1. Act in a threatening manner toward another or others.
2. Injure or threaten another or others.
3. Damage school property, or the personal property of another or others.
4. Disrupt classes, school programs or other school activities in any way.
5. Communicate with another or others in an abusive, harassing, or threatening manner.
6. Audio or video record where there is an expectation of privacy (i.e., classroom instruction, locker rooms, etc.).
7. Disrupt school transportation or confront transportation staff on a bus/vehicle, a road, a neighborhood, etc.
8. Distribute or wear materials which are vulgar, obscene, advocate illegal action, promote drugs, or are disruptive.
9. Harass or discriminate against another or others.
10. Enter school property, or certain areas of school property, when otherwise restricted from entering the same.
11. Fail to promptly leave school property upon being directed to do so by school administration or law enforcement.
12. Possess, consume, sell, distribute or exchange alcoholic beverages, tobacco, vaping products, or illegal drugs.
13. Possess or use firearms or dangerous weapons, except in the case of law enforcement officers.
14. Gamble or encourage another or others to gamble.
15. Violate any applicable federal or state statute, local ordinance, or board policy.

If you have questions about this Code of Conduct, please refer to the school system’s online Policy Manual located at https://www.jcschools.org/boardpolicy (Policy No. 1.501), and/or contact central office using the following telephone number: (423) 434-5200.

Johnson City Schools is hiring Educare assistants, custodians, and instructional assistants. Current job postings can be viewed at www.jcschools.org/jobs.

Johnson City Transit is in need of bus drivers. Please visit this page for more information about open Bus Driver positions.

The next Johnson City Board of Education meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 3 starting at 6 p.m. inside the Board Room at Central Office (100 E. Maple Street). Board meetings can be viewed on the Johnson City Schools' YouTube channel.

The Johnson City Schools' Communication Department is looking for suggestions for features stories to share with our community. This could be anything you think parents, students or the public want or need to know about can be good features. We're talking student achievements, teachers doing cool things in their classrooms, school programs or offerings that could benefit from a little awareness, clubs... Anything. If there's a visual component – something or someone I could photograph to go along with it – it will be even more engaging. I'd love to hear your ideas!

Please reach out to Nathan Baker or Collin Brooks with your suggestions.