JBD FOCUS
December 2, 2016
Tis' The Season!
Dear Parents and Guardians,
With the onset of December, comes holiday excitement! We hope that this month isn't too hectic for everyone. It is our wish that the next few weeks bring you plenty of family time as you prepare for our winter holidays. We love having all of our students here in school every day, but understand that some of you will travel for the holidays. Please make sure the teachers and the office are aware of any pre-planned absences. It may be possible for some teachers to send work, but for the most part, our collaborative learning at JBD is hands-on in class and light on worksheets. The best thing to do is READ everyday during the holiday season and practice math facts. If you travel, a photo-journal is a great documentation tool and vehicle for writing practice!
Thank you for your continued support as we partner in your child's education.
Sincerely,
Beth Bianchi
Principal
December Calendar
December 5:
- Middle School Options Meeting (5th Gr. Parents) 6 - 7 p.m. JBD Library
December 7:
- ESL Fall Parent Outreach Meeting 12 - 1 p.m.
- BRC cancelled today
- Rising 6th Grade Open House at GNMS / 5-6 p.m. OR 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
December 8:
- Holiday Music Assembly 8:30 a.m. & 1:30 p.m.
- Grade 2 Field Trip "Hurrah for the Holidays" 9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. TCC Roper Center
- Holiday Music Program 5:30 p.m.
December 9:
- Grade 1 Field Trip "Hurrah for the Holidays" 9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. TCC Roper Center
December 13-15:
- PTA Gull Gift Shop
December 15:
- Progress Reports
- Great Neck Middle School Chorus Assembly (Grades 4 & 5) 9:30 - 10 a.m.
December 16:
- JBD Holiday Party! Shawn McArdle's House from 5 - 10 p.m.
December 18:
- Girls on the Run 5K Celebration - 2 - 4 p.m. Virginia Wesleyan College
December 19:
- Gifted Information Night for 1st Grade Parents 6:00 p.m. Cafe
December 21:
- 3rd Grade Market Day 8:30 - 10:00 a.m.
- No BRC today!
- SCA Celebration 2:45 - 3:45 p.m.
December 22:
- Adjusted Dismissal 12:10 p.m. (Grades 1-5)
- AMK 8:10 a.m. - 10:10 a.m.
- PMK 10:10 a.m. - 12:10 p.m.
December 23, 2016 - January 2, 2017:
Winter Break - ENJOY!
Just a Note - from JBD Music!
Grade 5 Strings, Chimes, and Chorus will perform on Thursday, Dec. 8 at 5:30 p.m.
We are hard at work preparing for our concert and are excited to share our music!
The entire show will last approximately 80 minutes long.
Our Chimes group should arrive by 5:00 in order to help to set up, and to get in a quick warm up. They have prepared great pieces, and I can’t wait for everyone to get to hear them play.
Personally, I look forward to hearing our Fifth Grade Orchestra. Miss Sawyer always does an outstanding job with our young string players.
The Chorus will arrive at 5:15. We are very excited to present our performance of “Once on a Housetop”. Singers should wear black pants, a white shirt, and a scarf (red, green, blue, silver or gold). If possible black shoes will add a nice touch. Singers that play the part of a chimney sweep will also need a black jacket (or simply a black top). Singers are also welcome to wear holiday hats or headbands. Please keep in mind that concert attire should be neat and clean.
Fourth Grade Chorus! – Our Fourth Grade Chorus is ready for our trip to “Santa’s Seaside Village” to sing holiday carols on Friday, December 9 at 7:00 p.m. We will travel by school bus and will leave the school by 6:30 p.m. All singers should arrive, dressed warmly, by 6:15. The concert begins at 7:00 at “Santa’s Seaside Village” which is located on 30th St. We will sing for 20 minutes, and then we will take the Holiday Lights tour on the boardwalk. We will return to school at approximately 8:30 p.m. We appreciate your patience if we should be held up a bit by holiday traffic down at the oceanfront.
HOLIDAY SPIRIT WEEK!
GIFTED CORNER
Please go on line to https://giftedapplication.vbcps.com to learn more about the program and complete the Parent Information Form. Select “Old Donation School.”
To log in, you will use your student’s permanent number. Most students have memorized this number as it is used as their library number, their lunch number and for logging in to school computers.
The password for the referral is the same password your child uses as school to log in to the computers. The password will change quarterly. Our school has a formula for the password but some classrooms have created their own. You will have to ask your child about his/her password.
The formula for the school is:
(The number for the quarter we are in, 1-4)jbdes(capitalized first initial) (capitalized last initial) so mine might look something like this: 1jbdesKR during the first quarter.
Once this form has been submitted, your child’s name will be added to the list of students to be tested by an assessment specialist from the Gifted Education Testing Office.
The testing date for Old Donation applicants is Feb. 27th, 2017.
FIFTH GRADE MIDDLE SCHOOL OPTIONS and Gifted Identification:
Fifth graders can choose between the Brickell Academy at Old Donation School (ODS), the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program at Plaza (MYP), or Great Neck Middle School. The first two require applications. Use the same log in information as listed above for ODS. To find out more about MYP, please go to:
http://www.vbschools.com/curriculum/advanced_academic/middle_years.asp
The application will become available on Dec. 2.
First Grade Gifted Identification:
You can access your child’s Parent Portal account and navigate to the Standardized Test Results to view your child’s gifted screening scores. Getting Parent Portal access is a two-step process so if you’re not on yet, you will want to register now to find out your child’s test scores when they become available. Go to VBSchools.com. Under the word PARENTS on the blue banner, select Parent Portal and follow the directions for registering from the blue box on the left side of the screen. Your child’s gifted screening score will be available on Parent Portal by December 15, 2016 and you may access it at that time.
We will have a first grade parent meeting at John B. Dey On Dec. 19th at 6:00 in the cafeteria to help you with understanding the gifted program and the application process. Save up your questions for that evening. Every benefits when we talk about it together.
Gifted Visual Arts and Gifted Dance:
A one day a week pull-out program for art or dance is offered for rising 3-5th graders. Please go on line to https://giftedapplication.vbcps.com to learn more about the program and complete the Parent Information Form. Use the same log in information listed above. Applications are due Feb. 1, 2017.
Identified Gifted Students
Gifted students can always apply to the Brickell Academy at Old Donation School (ODS) for the following year. Just go to the website mentioned above, log in and apply! Be aware that vacancies only occur when students move or choose to return to their home schools so some years there are very few slots. Rising 3rd graders have a better chance at acceptance because ODS adds 25 student spaces at the 4th grade level. 150 more students are added at 6th grade.
CLINIC CORNER- Food Allergies
As we enter the upcoming months there will be celebrations in the classroom and it seems there is always someone having a birthday. As you know for some children, ingesting their food allergen can be an emergency. We often think of peanuts, tree nuts, and shellfish as the main food allergen. These are the more common food allergies. However, we have children with allergies to wheat, dairy, soy, and eggs in our school as well. Prevention of exposure is always the goal.
How can you continue to keep the children at John B. Dey with food allergies safe?
If you are a Room Parent, check with the teacher and /or the nurse to see what food allergies are present in your child’s room. Any food given to the children with food allergies must have a food label and be approved by the teacher, parent of student with severe food allergies or nurse . Food CANNOT be home made.
Birthdays celebrations: Birthday treats brought in for the class are coordinated through your child’s classroom teacher. Because of the severe food allergies, birthday treats are no longer shared in the café during your student’s lunch. Ice cream can be ordered through the café with a 2 week notice.
Always remember, an alternative to food for birthday celebrations could be stickers, pencils, or other non-food items.
Thanks so much for keeping all John B. Dey students safe!!
LOST AND FOUND
Elizabeth Bianchi, Principal
Email: Elizabeth.Bianchi@vbschools.com
Website: www.deyes.vbschools.com
Location: John B Dey Elementary School, North Great Neck Road, Virginia Beach, VA, United States
Phone: 757-648-2440
Twitter: @JbdElem