JWMS Back to School Newsletter

Welcome to the 2023/24 school year! This school year has already started off with a bang as we welcomed over 260 of our newest students onto our campus for orientation. We also celebrate as we welcome our newest assistant principal, Ms. Tommi Jones to our school site. Ms. Jones will serve as the administrator over 8th grade, joining Mr. Bayardo (6th grade) and Mr. Cullinan (7th grade) in serving our students and their families.

This time of year can be very busy in our office. We ask that you please help us by using our electronic submissions as much as possible (see below for more information). As of last Friday, we continued to enroll new students, bringing us to more than 1070 students! If you have not already done so, it is important that you complete your students' online registration documents, which includes emergency information. It is important that you complete it no later than August 7. We look forward to seeing all of our students on Wednesday!

Sincerely, Mrs. V. Chavez

With the high number of students we anticipate, we expect that traffic will be heavy for the first few weeks of school. To ensure the safest possible flow of traffic, Cathedral City Police Department will be providing extra patrol to our area. Please be mindful to follow all traffic and safety laws as you drop off and pick up your students. Below are a few items you will need to be aware of as we work at keeping our students as safe as possible:

• Students may be dropped off or picked up at our back gate (soccer park). We encourage parents to use this gate as much as possible. We strongly encourage our families with 7th and 8th-grade students to use this point of entry and exit.
• Students may also be dropped off or picked up at 600 doors, just west of the office entrance when using the front parking lot.
• Students who walk or ride a bike/skateboard to school are to use the 600 gates.
• Please do not stop in the middle of the parking loop; keep moving until you have reached the gate.
• Our neighbors at Northgate Church have opened up their parking lot for our families. Please consider using this lot to help avoid heavy traffic.
• Due to bus safety issues, San Eljay will be closed off for student pick-up. Please do not park in the desert on that street.
• Please do not cross your students outside of the crosswalk. Every pedestrian and student must use the designated crosswalk, where a crossing guard will guide them.

The warning bell to move to class rings at 8:40 daily. Please take measures to ensure that your student is on campus on time.

Please be sure that your online registration is complete to avoid any delays in schedule requests. If you have not already done so, you may check your account by clicking here.

All students entering 7th grade must show proof that they have received a Tdap booster vaccine before they can start school. Please check your child's records to ensure that they have had their TDAP vaccine. 7th graders who have not provided verification will not be allowed to attend classes until they have done so.

You may send your proof of vaccination to jwmsinfo@psusd.us if you have not already done so.

Gates will open at 8:00 on the first day of school, August 9th. The bell rings at 8:40 and school will be dismissed at 1:05, our regular Wednesday dismissal time.

If you wish to request a schedule change, please use this link to do so. In consideration of our high enrollment, please note that your student will be placed on a wait list for a change in schedule.

While we do our best to honor schedule requests, some requests may not be possible for a variety of reasons, including class size, teacher credentialing, and special programs.

Starting August 14th, our school will be on a rotating schedule. This schedule will allow our students to participate in each of their classes in the morning as well as in the afternoon. You may see our rotating schedule by visiting here.

Back to School Night will take place on August 31 starting at 5:30. Please watch your Parent Square account for more information to come.

We are excited to announce that we adopted a new form of school-to-home communication called ParentSquare. This unified communications platform is designed to keep parents and guardians informed and encourage greater engagement and connection with our school and district. It provides a safe way for district administrators, school principals, teachers, staff, and parents to:

• Send and receive school and class information

• Share pictures and files

• See calendar items

• Sign up to volunteer

• Schedule parent-teacher conferences

• and much more . . . all in one centralized place!

All district and school, grade level and classroom information will now be sent to your computer or phone via email and/or text. For even more convenience, download the ParentSquare app (available for free for iOS and Android devices) by scanning the code below with your mobile device.

Email: jwmsinfo@psusd.us
Website: thecrag.net
Location: 69300 30th Avenue, Cathedral City, CA, USA
Phone: 760 770-8540