JCSS Family Engagement Newsletter
August 2021
Welcome Back to School!
The JCSS Family Engagement Team would like to welcome you to the 2021-2022 school year! As the school year begins, please remember we are here to help you and your family locate the resources needed for success. Through our monthly newsletter, we will seek to share practical tips, links, QR codes, articles, and strategies to help you to better support your child's success. Invitations to parent sessions and family engagement opportunities will also be publicized here. If you need assistance with locating academic, behavioral, or community resources, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We are here to help!
August is not only National Back to School Month, it is also National Get Ready for Kindergarten Month and National Wellness Month. In this edition of our monthly newsletter, you will find resources related to each of these topics, as well as links to JCSS webpages and other district resources.
“EDUCATION IS THE MOST POWERFUL WEAPON WHICH YOU CAN USE TO CHANGE THE WORLD.” – NELSON MANDELA
If you have a question or concern, please contact us.
Shelley Dunlap sdunlap@jones.k12.ga.us or (478) 986-3032 Ext. 1284
Leslie Poythress lpoythress@jones.k12.ga.us or (478) 986-3032 Ext. 1282
Everyday Active Learning
This month’s active learning tip is to play board games together. Back to school time can be stressful and time consuming, but playing board games is an easy way to spend time together, and help your child learn.
Play games that include counting spaces, such as Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, or Trouble. For older kids, games like Scrabble and Monopoly are great ways to improve their vocabulary, spelling, and math skills.
Conversation Prompts
- What are you most excited about this year?
- Is there anything that makes you nervous about starting a new school year?
- Do you have any goals for this year?
- What changes do you want to make this year?
Tip of the Month: Model Goal Setting
The Importance of Attendance...
- Absences add up. Even if your child misses just a few days here and there, his/her grades are likely to suffer.
- Elementary attendance impacts reading development. Frequent absences in elementary school have been shown to significantly affect a student’s reading skills.
- Attendance problems can negatively impact a student’s future. Research shows that by sixth grade, attendance problems become a leading indicator that a student will drop out of high school.
- Attendance affects social growth. At school, students learn to interact with others, make friends, and build relationships with adults outside their family.
To Improve Attendance...
- Develop routines. Get everything your child needs for school ready the night before. Set out (or have your child set out) clothes, shoes, socks, coat, and backpack.
- Be informed. Know bus pick up times, parent drop off times, and school bell times. Determine what time your child needs to be “out the door” to get to school on time.
- Get support. If you have difficulty getting your child to and from school, or if your child doesn’t seem to want to go to school for any reason, talk to your child’s teacher, school counselor, or an administrator.
- Woodburn Press
Jones County Schools Family Engagement
If you have a question or concern, please contact us.
Ms. Shelley Dunlap, Family Engagement Coordinator
sdunlap@jones.k12.ga.us or (478) 986-3032 Ext. 1284
Mrs. Charlotte Foskey, Executive Director of Federal Programs cfoskey@jones.k12.ga.us or (478) 986-3032 Ext. 1233
Mrs. Leslie Poythress, Executive Director of Family Engagement lpoythress@jones.k12.ga.us or (478) 986-3032 Ext. 1282
Mr. Charles Lundy, Superintendent of Schools
clundy@jones.k12.ga.us or (478) 986-3032
Email: cfoskey@jones.k12.ga.us
Website: https://www.jonescntysd.ga.schools.bz/
Location: 125 Stewart Ave, Gray, GA, USA
Phone: 478-986-3032
Facebook: facebook.com/jcssfamilyengagementteam