May 2018 Panther Press
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Dear JCS Families,
I hope that this month’s Panther Press finds you happy and healthy. It was wonderful to see so many families at Open House last week. Your JCS school pride, support, and involvement truly make this school special.
It is hard to believe that the end of the year is approaching so quickly! Please look over the May calendar and the following list of important events to be sure that you do not miss anything.
Now that Spring is here, it is time for us to plan for next year’s classes. Please inform the school if your child will not be attending JCS next year. Thank you!
Have a wonderful May!
Sincerely,
Melanie Nannizzi
Principal
Important Upcoming Dates
May 1: Foundation Meeting 5:30 @ Baywood
May 2: Third Grade Field Trip to Dunes 12:10
May 4: Congressman Jared Huffman visits JCS @ 8:40 a.m.
May 5: Movie Screening at Minor Theater Screenagers @ 11:00 a.m.
May 7-11: 7th and 8th Grade CAASPP Testing
May 9: Third Grade Field Trip to Marsh
Kindergarten Field Trip to Arcata Playhouse
May 14: JCS School Board Meeting @ 7:15 in Library
May 14-18: 3rd and 4th Grade CAASPP Testing
May 15: JCS Staff Appreciation Luncheon
May 15: School Site Council @ 3:30 in Room 1
May 17: Fourth Grade Music Performance @ 2:30 Library
May 22: Coffee with the Principal @ 8:30 am in the Library
May 24: 1st grade play performances, morning and evening in the Library, times TBD
May 21-25: 5th and 6th Grade CAASPP Testing
May 25: Folk Dance Festival @ 8:45 am in the Gym
May 29 – June 1: 5th and 8th grade California Science Test
May 30-May 23: Parent Discussion Forum @ 6:00 in the Library
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CAASPP/CAST Testing
Students in third through eighth grade will begin taking the California Assessment of Performance and Progress (CAASPP) Test in May. The fifth and eighth grade students will also take the California Science Test (CAST). These are statewide assessments, and it is important that the students do their best and show what they know! The results of this assessment play a large role in guiding our instruction.
Students and parents can try CAASPP practice tests. There is a link to a post on recent tests on the JCS home page or see the full post on CAASPP practice test.
Please help support your child in the following ways:
- Make sure that your child is well-rested.
- Provide your child with a healthy, protein-packed breakfast.
- Make sure that your child is on time for school so that they do not miss any of the instructions or testing time.
CAASPP Testing Dates by Grade Level:
May 7 – 11: 7th/8th Grade
May 14 – 18: 3rd/4th Grade
May 21 – 25: 5th/6th grade
May 29 – June 1: 5th Grade CAST
Annual JCS Parent Forum
Parents Helping Parents: Managing Peer Friendships
On Wednesday, May 30th, from 6:00-7:00 p.m. in the library, the School Site Council and parent facilitators Danielle Witten-Lehman, April Klingonsmith, and Therese FitzMaurice will be hosting a pertinent parent discussion forum.
Join other parents, school counseling staff, and administrators to share questions, perspectives, and experiences to support our children’s healthy peer relationships. Facilitators will meet in break out sessions with parents of students of different age levels.
Snacks and childcare will be available.
Please RSVP by Friday, May 25 to lehman.danielle.w@gmail.com.
Screenagers Movie Showing
From NPA Middle and High School:
NPA middle and high school bring a viewing of the movie Screenagers to the the larger community. This is a thought-provoking documentary that explores the latest research about technology and the developing brain. The viewing will be followed by a panel discussion with several NPA students. Audience participation will be invited and welcome. As you know, our societal and youth interface with technology is one of the most pressing public health concerns of our day.
This is an excellent opportunity for you to spend some concentrated time thinking about how to cultivate healthy technology habits in your children from an early age and to explore your own relationship with technology. After all, we model this relationship to our children. We are proud to be able to offer this event free of charge but tickets will be required as seating is limited; please stay tuned for more information about tickets. If you are able, please consider bringing a donation. This film is best for older upper elementary students and up though would not be inappropriate for younger children. We encourage you to invite friends and students who may be interested. We hope to see you there!
Screenagers
Saturday, May 5, 2018, 11:00 AM
The Minor Theatre
Arcata
Attendance
Every year, it seems that our school’s attendance rate drops as we near the end of the school year. Regular school attendance is very important for your child’s academic success and for our school’s funding. The school only receives funding for days that students attend school, so when our attendance percentage falls, our funding does, too.
Please plan family vacations during regularly scheduled school breaks and, unless your child is ill, please send them to school regularly. Also, for planned absences of five or more days, please plan an Independent Study Contract. Independent Study Contracts allow students to stay up with the work that they miss during an absence, and the school still receives funding for the student’s
missed days.
Absences Due to Illness: It is important that parents are aware that JCS School Board Policy requires that after parents have called in 10 absences due to illness, a doctor’s note is required to excuse any further medical related absences.
2018-2019 School Calendar with all of the scheduled breaks:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16hP_c6BaYXZPoQXTHhRYwh_Ll_R5_JNNvkobLE6BAEs/edit?usp=sharing
A Visit from Congressman Huffman
I am pleased to share that Congressman Huffman has rescheduled his visit to Jacoby Creek School. He will be coming to JCS on Friday, May 4, at 8:40 a.m. to address students. We are so fortunate to have this opportunity to learn from the congressman!
After School Enrichment Classes
Session Three of Homework Club and Study Hall: 5 weeks – April 23 to May 25
Session Three of After School Enrichment classes: 8 weeks – April 2 to June 4
Check the board outside the library for location of classes and for classes that still have openings. This is the last session for this school year. Study Hall is available and open to join. Just complete a registration form.
The last day of Middle Grade Math STAR is Tuesday, May 1st, so sign up your child for Study Hall to give continued support through the end of the school year.
Jacoby Creek Children’s Education Foundation
Thanks to everyone who contributed to and attended the JCCEF Spring Auction. With your support, we raised almost $30,000 for school block grants this year, funding programs from the sixth grade trip and PAT days, to our music program and Exploration Day. The foundation is looking for parent volunteers, please contact us at jacobycreekfoundation@gmail.com
PTO
This month the PTO will be hosting the JCS Staff Appreciation Luncheon on Tuesday, May 15. A flyer soliciting donations to cover the cost of the luncheon was sent out last week. It is also at the bottom of this month’s Panther Press. Thank you for contributing to show the JCS staff that they are appreciated.
If you are interested in being involved with the PTO, please send Mrs. Nannizzi an email!
The luncheon PTO’s last event of the school year. PTO will meet again in August to prepare for the Parent Coffee on the first day of school.
Athletics Committee
Track & Field is in full swing and will conclude on May 19th. Check out the schedule in the Athletics’ Bulletin Board in the front of the school if you are interested in watching a meet and supporting our athletes!
Information about Sports Physicals: Humboldt County is a rural community. There is typically a three month wait for well care visits. Families of student athletes should consider calling their primary care physicians now to schedule their pre-participation physical appointments for over the summer.
The Fall Sports Parent Meeting will be Wednesday, August 29, 2018. Cross country (coed K-8), golf (coed 5-8, and girls volleyball (7/8) will start at the beginning of the school year on September 4, 2018. In order to try out or practice all athletes must be cleared before that date. Clearance forms are available in the office.
SPONSORING AN ATHLETICS BANNER is a great way to support JCS athletics. Please contact our Athletic Director, Davita McGoldrick, if you are interested in sponsoring a banner for the gym. dmcgoldrick@jcsk8.org or (707) 616-5964.
School Site Council
The JCS School Site Council is a committee of parents and staff that work to review the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP), the School Safety Plan, and the Wellness Plan each year. The School Site Council serves as the LCAP advisory committee.
This year the School Site Council sent three surveys out to families in order to gather stakeholder information for the LCAP. The results of the survey will be shared with parents as an eblast this month. Thank you to all of the families that took the time to take these surveys.
School Site Council Meeting: Tuesday, May 15 @ 3:30 in Room 1
School Safety
The safety of our students is always important to the staff at JCS. With recent events around the country, we have been discussing changes that need to be made to improve our school safety. Recently JCS staff members attended an Active Assailant Training hosted by the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department and the Humboldt County Office of Education. One of the main messages of this training was the role of the schools in identifying people that may be potential dangers to the school and student safety. We want students and families to be aware of the importance of this role. We spent a lot of time discussing how to handle this and we have decided that in order to best protect all of our students, we will have zero tolerance for weapon-related threats. Any student that makes threats involving weapons, even if they consider it to be a joke, will be reported to Child Welfare Services and our School Resource Officer with Arcata Police Department. As a staff, we will be working to educate students on the serious nature of using this language. We encourage you to discuss this at home with your child to help us educate students.
JCS STAFF APPRECIATION LUNCHEON!
With the help of the JCS community, the PTO will be hosting a luncheon to show our appreciation for the staff at JCS!
This year the event will be catered. You can help by donating money to cover the cost of catering or by volunteering anytime between 10:30-1:30.
I WOULD LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE
Name:_________________________________________________
Phone Number and Email Contact
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I would like to donate money to help cover the cost of catering. Please attach a check written to JCS PTO.
Check # and amount___________________________________
Please send monetary donations and return this form by Friday, May 4.
Staff: Please put this form /donations in the folder in the office labeled PTO Lunch.