Dear WJES Families,

We are excited to be headed into our second quarter, learning full STEAM ahead at WJES! We continue to focus on safety, building healthy relationships and being kind to one another, and embracing big dreams! Our mindset of the month is “Passion First,” and this allows us to connect and share the things that energize us. We will be opening up a weekly opportunity for our students to share a talent or passion at our Friday Wall of Wow Open Microphone time. Let your child’s teacher know if your child would like to share!

We are excited to see all of the ways our students are connecting their learning to the world around them, and developing an inquiry approach based on “why”! We continue to encourage our students to apply what they are learning, and when their learning leads them to wonder, we want them to dig deeper to find out! Ask your student about their project based learning, or how they are using the arts to show what they are learning!

This year’s school theme is "Dream Big! Work Hard! Be Kind!” Our vision is to inspire and empower all of our students to engage and excel in the opportunities of a global society so that our students can ask questions, think critically and creatively, and work with others to solve problems in their lives, in our community, and in the world. We hope your students continue to be engaged and inspired by unique opportunities to connect their learning to the world outside of the classroom. We love taking our learning outside to the gardens, engaging in virtual field trips, and connecting our content learning with the arts, technology and real world application. If you would like to partner with us to support our students or to share in STEAM learning, or if you have any questions or input, please feel free to contact me by phone or email ahardegree@jcss.us or (706)654-2044.

Our WJES school council meetings provide a time to share goals and gain input to make WJES the very best place for all of our students. Our next school council meeting is Nov. 19 at 8 AM. If you are interested in being a part of our school council, which meets quarterly, please email me at ahardegree@jcss.us.

Stay safe, and go Panthers!

Dr. Amity Hardegree

Principal

Vision-

West Jackson Elementary School seeks to inspire and empower all students to engage and excel in the opportunities of a global society.

Mission-

WJES students can ask questions, think critically and creatively, and work with others to solve problems in their lives, in our community, and in the world.

Guiding Principles-

• Students’ learning needs are the focus of all decision making to support academics and the whole child.

• WJES provides a highly effective, committed staff and the resources for all students to achieve excellence and reach their full potential.

• Through Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS), we ensure and celebrate a nurturing, student centered, and respectful environment for learning, where every student is valued and known.

• WJES offers a rigorous, authentic, standards-based curriculum, guided by data and research-based, best instructional practices through STEAM based learning experiences.

• WJES is a community school, where all stakeholders work collaboratively to support one another to inspire and engage students in connected learning.

• At WJES, we embrace a growth mindset and encourage one another to reach challenging goals, while having fun on the journey!

November 4th: Fall Fundraiser is due

November 12th: 8:00 AM - 8:45 AM Parent conversation time with admin to answer questions and gain feedback meet.google.com/zsh-fpqb-rft

November 12th: 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM District Math Night

November 13th: Kindness Day - wear PJs

November 19th: 8:00 AM School Council Meeting meet.google.com/xft-amxs-qwr

November 20th: Distance Learning Pick Up Day 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

November 23rd - 27th: Student/Teacher Holidays

virtual STEM Night with GYSTC and Will Dodd - date TBD

The week of October 26th-30th, WJES celebrated National Red Ribbon Week. Our theme this year was: The Time is Now to be Drug-Free and Make Healthy Choices. We had dress-up days aligned with the 7 Mindsets such as "Passion First" where students and teachers dressed up as their Dream Passions or Jobs. We had a great week teaching our students the importance of healthy choices and what they can do when they Dream Big, Aim High, Be Kind and Stay Drug-Free!

Dear West Jackson Parents,

Your child’s Square One Art order catalog, free stickers, and original artwork will be coming home on November 9th. The deadline to order will be November 24th. All products will be shipped to the school and distributed before Christmas break.

The class with the highest money order total will be receiving a PIZZA PARTY from Mrs. Mitchell. All proceeds benefit the art department at West Jackson Elementary.

7 Mindsets:

This year we are continuing to focus on the 7 Mindsets, which is our social and emotional learning (SEL) curriculum. Our Mindset for this month is Passion First. Passion First teaches us that we are all unique individuals. It’s important to figure out our strengths and talents are so that we can connect them with our goals and visions for the future. In this mindset, we work with students to understand their skills and strengths, and how to share them with others. At WJES, we want to help students learn how to make their dreams into reality, tapping into both the courage and perseverance needed to overcome any challenges they cross across in life. As educators, we are working to instill a desire to uncover their strengths, and further help our students set goals and reach their dreams.

Below is the link for the parent newsletter for the current Mindset - Passion First. At the bottom of the second page are cool activities that you can do with your children.

English

Spanish

Dear WJES Families,

Families and caregivers are key in the implementation of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in their homes on a daily basis. It is especially helpful when events disrupt normal routines – events like worldwide health pandemics. This practice provides recommendations for families and caregivers on how to use PBIS to continue to support their students’ social and emotional growth and minimize behavioral disruptions in the home. If you need a PBIS code for your student, feel free to reach out to your child's teacher.

Please click here for Parent Information & Resources in English.

Favor de hacer clic Aqui para obtener Información y Recursos de ayuda para promover conducta positiva en el hogar.

Kind regards,

Your PBIS Team