No Place Like Jones
Family Updates for the Week of March 6, 2023
Read Across America: March 2 - 6 Get Inspired! π©πΎβπ
Principal Corner: Ready, Set...Read! π
Ira B. Jones Families:
March is here; before you know it, it will be springtime! Although, lately, the weather has been beautiful, and several trees and plants have already started to bloom. Speaking of spring, for planning purposes, spring break is April 3 - 7, 2023. This will be the last stretch of a break before the school year ends, and it's summertime. We will only have nine weeks left when we return to school. As a reminder, May is extremely busy with end-of-year testing, including End of Grade Testing for our 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. Please help ensure students are at school each day, so they aren't missing instruction and these critical assessments. We have end-of-year celebrations at the end of May/beginning of June, and I want 100% of our students to attend.
Although Read Across America was celebrated the week of March 2 - 6, I still want to share why reading is essential for all of our students and reasons to still celebrate it:
- Reading is awesome: Reading is an activity that has something for everyone. Whether you're looking for fiction or self-help, knowledge about a particular topic, or just a good time, there is a book for everything. Reading to young children helps develop good habits early.
- Reading is healthy: Among reading's many benefits are the innumerable health benefits provided by it. Reading improves brain activity, aids sleep readiness and reduces stress. Reading can lower your blood pressure and heart rate and can even fight symptoms of depression. Reading regularly slows down our cognition from aging.
- Reading makes you smarter: Reading of any kind increases vocabulary and comprehension skills. It drastically increases our knowledge of various topics and makes us more intelligent. Reading stimulates the brain, improves memory, and makes us better writers.
I invite you to visit our school's website and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/irabjones/ and follow us on Twitter @Principal_IBJ and Instagram @IraB.JonesElementary. These will serve as a resource tool for all upcoming events, the student/family handbook, and important reminders, and you can catch up with all the wonderful things our students and teachers are doing.
As a school leader and a parent, I understand the necessity of healthy communication between families and the school. I welcome your questions, celebrations, or concerns at any time. You can reach me by calling the school at 828.350.6700 or emailing me at ruafika.cobb@acsgmail.net.
In Partnership,
Ruafika A. Cobb
Principal
Ira B. Jones Elementary School
#noplacelikejones
Read about women trailblazers! Clickππ½
Clickππ½ for info on Dr. Seuss & diversity
Raising Readers: What Parents Can Do
NATIONAL SCHOOL SOCIAL WORK WEEK MARCH 5 β 11, 2023
We Celebrate the Impactful Work of Ms. Abby, Our School Social Worker, in the Jones Community
March 5-11, 2023 is National School Social Work Week, an opportunity for schools, communities, and partners to acknowledge and recognize the impactful work they do to support students, families, and their communities.
Under the leadership of the School Social Work Association of America (SSWAA), the only national organization exclusively dedicated to the profession of school social work, this celebration will emphasize School Social Work contributions of focusing on the βwhole-childβ, linking families to community resources, a valuable voice as part of the schoolβs multi-disciplinary team, and advocating for the profession of School Social Work.
The theme for National School Social Work Week 2023 is βWe Rise.β During the school year, School Social Workers are confronted with challenges, heightened anxieties, and anticipated difficulties. However, School Social Workers face these challenges with strength and resilience. School Social Workers rise up - supporting their students, families, and school communities. School Social Workers rise to share hope. They rise to listen and understand. They rise to challenge inequities. They rise to support all students.
"School Social Workers are humble professionals,β said Rebecca Oliver, LMSW, SSWAA Executive Director, βwho often are the voice for students and families but do not always voice the value they add to the school community. School Social Workers rise to support the growing need for mental health services, offering hope for students and families who face various challenges, and advocating for marginalized youth.β
Ms, Abby, We β€οΈ and Apprciate You!
A Message from Our Family Teacher Organization (FTO)
March 25: Spring Campus Beautification Day!
Hello, Jones Families!
The FTO Beautification Team is planning the Spring Campus Beautification Day for Saturday, 3/25, from 9 am-1 pm. Please use this Sign Up Genius link - BeautificationDaySignUp. We will clean out beds, plant a few items, and make the Marquee stand out. If you have any ideas to contribute, please email ross.cassie@gmail.com. Please plan to bring your own gloves and tools. The rain date is scheduled for Saturday, 4/22, at 9 am. Join us!
Thank you, The Jones FTO
NOTES FROM THE COUNSELING CORNER WITH MS. COURTNEY, SCHOOL COUNSELOR
What Every Student Needs For Good Mental Health
Want to keep your student healthy? Sure, you do! You already know the importance of preparing nutritious food, maintaining adequate shelter, encouraging enough sleep, exercising, finding great doctors, and creating a safe home. But the silent partner to all of this is mental health. A childβs physical and mental health is equally important. A childβs good mental health includes unconditional love, self-confidence, playtime, firm rules, and freedom of expression.
Unconditional Love: Remind your student that their familyβs love for them does not depend on their accomplishments. Help your student feel that you would choose them again and again to be your child.
Self-Confidence: Set realistic goals that match your studentβs abilities. Focus on the process rather than the outcome.
Playtime: In our goal-oriented society, we all need time to unwind, learn how to get along with others, develop a sense of belonging, and simply relax. Remind your student that resting is equally important as working hard.
Firm Rules:
- Establish, display, revisit, and revise rules about everything, including social media, school work, behavior, attitude, and chores.
- Mean what you say, say what you mean, and do what you say you will do.
- Remember that the behavior does not define your student when consequences are needed.
- Separate the behavior from the person.
Freedom of Expression: Be present for your student. Create space for them to talk to you and allow yourself to listen actively, selectively share, and honestly enjoy.
Raising physically and mentally healthy students is a decision that requires adults to set good examples and support each other. If your student is exhibiting behaviors that are getting in the way of daily life functioning, consider reaching out to your pediatrician and/or school counselor. We are happy to partner with you to create a community for good mental health.
Adapted from: Mental Health America What every Child Needs for Good Mental Health. A complete view is linked here.
All Lost & Found Items will be Donated the End of this Week!
All Lost & Found Items will be Donated on March 10
Please put your student's first and last name on items coming to school that could easily be misplaced, such as water bottles, gloves, sweatshirts, and coats. Not only will putting names on items prevent confusion, but it also means that when misplaced items are found, we can deliver them to the right student rather than adding them to the ever-expanding lost and found. Speaking of lost and found, if your student has lost an item lately, please encourage them to look in that area or stop by after school to look for yourself.
Donate to Our Maker Space
Do You Have Any of these Items?
The Makerspace is looking for donations of scrap fabric, thread and other sewing materials such as fabric scissors, rotary cutters and cutting mats. If you have anything around your home you would like to donate- please send it in with your student or contact Cathy Sorensen - cathy.sorensen@acsgmail.net
Manna Food Drive
Ira B. Jones Elementary will collect non-perishable items to support MANNA Food Bank. Please send non-perishable items to Jones from March 1, 2023 - March 17, 2023. We will have containers located in the front lobby to collect. The IBJ Student Council is supporting this worthy cause!
Upcoming Events
- Wednesday, March 8: Late Start Day
- Wednesday, March 8: FTO Meeting at 5:00 pm
- Thursday, March 16: Spring Picture Day!
- Monday, March 20: Required Workday for Staff; No School for Students
- Friday, March 24: IBJ Career Fair
- Tuesday, March 28: Schoolwide Read-a-thon
- Friday, March 31: End of Q3
- Friday, March 31: Early Release Day for Students
- Week of April 3 - 7: Spring Break
- Wednesday, April 12: FTO Kicks off Dance-a-thon Fundraiser
π Picture Day is Coming - March 16 π
Email: ruafika.cobb@acsgmail.net
Phone: 828.350.6700