JSE Weekly Newsletter
August 2 - August 6, 2021
FIRST DAYS OF SCHOOL for Grades 1 - 3
When we open our doors on August 3rd and August 4th, we will be excited to welcome our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-grade students back into the building! The first two days of school are a staggered start, and they are full days. A staggered start means that:
- On August 3rd, students whose last names begin with the letters A – K will attend.
- On August 4th, students whose last names begin with L – Z will attend.
We love the staggered start because it gives our students time to learn about their new classroom expectations, meet new friends, and walk through the first day with a smaller group of classmates. Starting our first two days with smaller groups also allows our teachers and teaching assistants to be able to spend more time getting to know your children, more time to answer questions and explain the rules and expectations of a new classroom, and more time to explain what exciting things will be happening in the classroom!
JSE Open House for Grades 1 - 3
What?
JSE Open House for our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-grade students.
Who is invited?
The parents and guardians of our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Grade students
Where?
John Sevier Elementary
When?
Monday, August 2, 2021
What are the times for this year's Open House sessions?
Session 1: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Session 2: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Student, Staff, and School Safety
JSE will be continuing/implementing the following school safety measures beginning in the 21-22 school year:
Visitor Badges & Identification: Each visitor on campus must have a visitor badge. A driver's license, government-issued ID card, or documentation will be required to enter our buildings. If your visitor tag is not seen, our staff members will stop, politely greet you, and make that you do have a visitor tag and that the office is aware you are on our campus.
Visiting the JSE Front Office: The JSE Main Office is open from 7:15 - until 3:15 during the school year, for you to receive assistance, ask questions, drop off school supplies, student lunches, lunch money, or any paperwork or documents.
Classroom Volunteers, Fieldtrip volunteers: Teachers will share additional information about volunteering during Open House.
Lunches with Students: Family members and other individuals (identified via registration paperwork) are welcome to join their students for lunch in our cafeteria during their assigned lunchtimes. Family members will need to visit the main office, sign in, and will be escorted to the cafeteria to meet their students for lunch. Teachers will provide more information during Open House.
Students arriving via buses: These students beginning arriving via buses at approximately 7:00 - 7:15 AM each school day, they are greeted by our staff members and walked to the JSE cafeteria for breakfast. They will remain in the cafeteria, under the supervision of several JSE staff members, until 7:35 when teachers arrive in the classroom. At that time, they will be escorted by JSE staff members to their classrooms.
Students arriving in the morning whose families elect to part in the parking lot: Families that choose to park MUST walk their student(s) to the crosswalk. Children cannot be allowed to walk unaccompanied through our very busy parking lot.
Miscellaneous Information:
JSE Opening Time: The JSE school building will be open for students to enter the building at 7:15 AM each day during the school year.
If students arrive at JSE after 7:35 AM: Students arriving after 7:35 AM will be directed and helped to their classrooms. (Rest assured, there will be a large number of staff members, especially during the first few weeks, to help students to their new classrooms.)
If students arrive before 7:35 AM: Students arriving before 7:35 AM will be given an opportunity to eat breakfast in the cafeteria or wait in the JSE gym. Both areas will be well supervised by JSE staff members.JSE staff members will be present to greet all student(s) and ensure that they enter the building and arrive at their classroom, the cafeteria, or the gym safely.
Pets: Pets are NOT allowed on our campus at any time. Pets can be in your vehicles, but they must remain in your vehicles. Many of us love seeing all of our furry JSE family members but having them outside of your vehicle, or carrying them in your arms, is a violation of the Maryville City Code and MCS/JSE policies.
Bus Routes
If you have any questions, please contact our Transportation Coordinator, JOE PINKERTON, at (865) 982-7121.
The link for streety-by-street information is below:
http://www.maryville-schools.org/central-office/transportation/bus-routes
Student Registration and Verification
Your student will not be issued an iPad for use in the classroom until the verification process is complete.
21-22 JSE Kindergarten Camp Schedule
- Monday, August 2nd - K Student Screenings
- Tuesday, August 3rd - K Student Screenings
- Wednesday, August 4 - Kinder Camp for students w/ last names start with A-K (8 - 12)
- Thursday, August 5 - Kinder Camp for students w/ last names start with L- Z (8 - 12)
- Friday, August 6 - Kindergarten Class Lists posted at 3:00 PM; No Camp today.
- Monday, August 9 - Full Day of Class for K students w/ last names start with A-K.
- Tuesday, August 10 - Full Day of Class for K students w/ last names start with A-K.
- Wednesday, August 11 - Full Day of Class for K students w/ last names start with L-Z.
- Thursday, August 12 - Full Day of Class for K students whose last names start with L-Z.
- Friday, August 13 - No K classes today.
- Monday, August 16 - All K students; all day.
Kindergarten Information Night
Kindergarten Parent/Guardian Information Night
JSE Kindergarten Classrooms
August 12, 2021
4:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Kindergarten Supply Lists
Below is a list of general kindergarten supplies, and individual teacher lists will be available on August 6th when class lists are posted. Our K students are provided canvas bags by the Maryville City Schools Foundation*. Your K student does not need nor should they bring a backpack.
General Kindergarten Supplies:
- 2: 1 inch 3 ring white binders with clear front sleeve
- 1 pack 10 Crayola markers, classic/washable
- 2 packs of Elmer’s glue sticks
- 2 packs Ticonderoga pre-sharpened pencils
- 1 pack of skinny black expo markers
- Clorox wipes
- Girls: Baby wipes
- Boys: Kleenex boxes
- Hand sanitizer
- Change of clothes labeled in a plastic bag
- Labeled water bottle; preferred brand: Contigo
- Headphones (no earbuds, Bluetooth)
- Dry individual packed snacks; examples: goldfish, pretzels, Teddy Grahams, animal crackers
*Thank you Maryville City Schools Foundation for your love and support of our JSE and our kindergarten students!
Ways to Prepare your Child for Kindergarten
We are providing the list below simply for your information. It is not required, but it is only intended to help you prepare your child in a variety of areas and to make the transition during this kindergarten year as smooth as possible! Just as little as 15-20 minutes of playing and learning with your child a day can make an amazing difference!
Social/Emotional Development
- Encourage your child to persist in tasks when encountering a problem by giving him tasks slightly above his current ability level. When your child cannot find a solution on his own, encourage him to calmly ask for help.
- Play board games to practice taking turns.
- Set up several play dates with friends of various ages.
- Allow your child to stay with other trusted adults for a few hours at a time prior to kindergarten (especially if she has rarely been in the care of someone other than mom and dad).
- Tell your child you expect her to clean up after play.
Language Development:
- Verbally give your child specific one-step and two-step directions and encourage him to follow through.
- Read to your child for a combined total of at least 20 minutes each day.
- While reading, point out how to hold a book (right-side up with the spine on the left) and the orientation in which we read the words and look at the pictures (left to right).
- After reading, ask your child what happened in the beginning, middle, and end of the story. Give your child plenty of opportunities to draw (without coloring books). Ask her to draw the things she sees around her.
- Teach your child the uppercase and lowercase letters and, most importantly, the sounds each letter makes through play and games.
- Need some ideas? Go here: http://www.icanteachmychild.com/alphabet
Cognitive Development
- Have your child help you sort items according to color, size, and shape (laundry, blocks, silverware, toys, and other household items work well).
- Teach your child to make various patterns (red, blue, red, blue). Garage sale dot stickers or craft pom-poms are great for this purpose.
- Practice counting aloud to 20 while driving in the car.
- Teach your child numerals 1-10. Need some suggestions on how to do this: Go here: http://www.icanteachmychild.com/numbers
- Count objects in your home. Have your child point to each object as she counts.
- Go on a shape hunt. Point out circles, triangles, squares, and rectangles to your child while you are taking or walk or grocery shopping.
- Talk about positional and directional concepts like up/down, over/under, in/out, behind/in front of, top/bottom, beside/between, off/on, stop/go.
- Talk about opposite words (big/little, empty/full, slow/fast).
Physical Development (Gross & Fine Motor)
- Give your child plenty of opportunities for outdoor play: running, jumping, and climbing.
- Play catch on a regular basis. o Practice skipping.
- Stack blocks together.
- Let your child use child-safe scissors to cut out a variety of shapes.
- Teach your child to write his name (capital for the first letter and lowercase for the remaining letters). To start, write his name using a highlighter and encourage him to trace over it. Be sure that the forms the letters from the top to the bottom.
- Ensure your child is holding her pencil correctly: http://www.icanteachmychild.com/2012/06/correct-pencil-grip/
- Play with playdough regularly. Roll, squish, stamp, and even cut it!
- Encourage your child to cut out various shapes using child-safe scissors. String large beads to make a necklace.
- Play with an interlocking puzzle together.
Creative Arts
- Always encourage pretend play…occasionally join your child in his fantasy world.
- Teach your child to recognize the following colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, black, white, brown, and pink. For help, go to: http://www.icanteachmychild.com/colors
- Use a variety of materials to let your child paint, draw, and explore!
School Meals All Year Long - Free!
However, it is still important for those who qualify for free meals under the USDA National School Lunch program to complete an application. You can complete an application by picking up a paper copy in the JSE Front Office, requesting one from your child's teacher, or online using the link below.
https://www.applyforlunch.com/Application
We need you to fill out the application for the following reasons:
- Increased funding that supports your child's education.
- Additional technology funding and increased internet access.
- Discounts for fees associated with college application processes.
- Scholarship opportunities for SAT, ACT, and AP Tests.
- Free and/or reduced meal costs during a normal school year.
- Discounts through Maryville Alcoa Parks and Recreation.
Lunches and Breakfasts are free, but additional items like ice cream, additional servings, or chips, etc. are available for an additional cost. Families will be encouraged to use the online system to put money into their student's lunch account. If you are not able to use that online system, then please bring the money to the JSE Front Office or send it to your student's classroom teacher. If you need to talk to the JSE Cafe Manager, please come to the main office at any time between 7:15 - 3:15.
MILES 4 MARYVILLE
On August 21, the Miles 4 Maryville will offer a 10K and 5K and 1 Mile Run/Walk- all finish on the 50 yard line of Renfro Field in Shields Stadium at Maryville High School, in Maryville, TN. Miles 4 Maryville is a fundraising event for the Maryville City Schools Foundation, which provides the ongoing enrichment of educational programs for all students in Maryville City Schools.
DATE/TIME/PLACE: Saturday, August 21, 2021 starting at Maryville High School, 825 Lawrence Avenue, Maryville, TN 37803; The 10K race will begin at 6:30am with the 5K starting at 7:30 am and the 1 Mile at 8:30 am. All runners are timed with a bib chip.
For more details, visit: https://runsignup.com/Race/TN/Maryville/Miles4Maryville
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The 10K and 5K courses are USA Track & Field certified! Both the 10K and 5K are single loop courses with some rolling hills and fast flats, travelling on area roads, greenway, and sidewalks. The 10K features five of the seven Maryville City Schools along the way. Both courses start and finish at MHS.
REGISTRATION: Online registration is open at www.runsignup.com. All in person registrations end at noon on Friday, August 20. When registering note early packet and shirt pick-up dates/times at CrossFit Pistol Creek. Everyone must pick-up in advance of race day.
FOUNDATION FRENZY: On Friday before the race (Aug. 20), between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., the Foundation will host a FRIDAY NIGHT FAMILY EVENT on the MHS campus. More details to come in the weeks ahead ... but mark your calendar now for this evening of fun!
District Information About 2021-2022 Covid Protocols
https://www.maryville-schools.org/central-office/coordinated-school-health/2021-22-covid-19