The Jaguar Journal
March 2023
James Sales Elementary
Brandy Nelson - Principal
Joy Sims - Assistant Principal
Office Hours - 8:15 to 3:30
253-298-4200 / FAX 253-298-4215
Website - jamessales.fpschools.org
Dates to Remember
February 27-March 3 ~ Read Across America Week
February 27 ~ Reach for the stars! Wear something out of this world!
February 27 ~ World's Finest Chocolate fundraiser packets going home
February 28 ~ Dress like your teacher day
February 28 ~ Dental Screenings
March 1 ~ Dress like a Dr. Seuss character
March 1 ~ Yearbooks now $15 each
March 1 ~ EARLY RELEASE - 1:55
March 2 ~ Wear something from your culture
March 3 ~ Dress like your future career
March 8 ~ World's Finest Chocolate sale begins
March 12 ~ Daylight Saving Time Ends - Set your clocks ahead 1 hour.
March 13 ~ 23-24 New Student Enrollment Opens
March 14 ~ Class Picture / Individual Picture Day
March 15 ~ EARLY RELEASE - 11:55 - End 2nd trimester
March 16 ~ Honor Choir performance - Trinity Lutheran Church - 7:30
March 22 ~ Full Day of School - NO Early Release
March 24 ~ Report cards go home
March 24 ~ Project Excel parent referrals due
March 27 ~ World's Finest Chocolate sale ends - must turn in money today
March 29 ~ EARLY RELEASE - 1:55
March 31 ~ Last day to request teachers for 23-24 school year.
April 5 ~ EARLY RELEASE - 1:55
April 10-14 ~ Spring Break - NO SCHOOL
From the Principal's Office
Hello James Sales families,
Happy March! Over the next six weeks students will be working hard in class on reading, math, and science as our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students prepare for the state assessment coming up soon. Thank you for taking time to help your child with homework as this reinforces skills and concepts they are learning in class.
Sincerely,
Brandy Nelson
Principal
James Sales Elementary
New School Year Enrollment is Opening Soon!
We are preparing for the 2023-24 school year already! Enrollment for new kindergarten through grade 5 students who live within our attendance boundaries opens March 13th. A child must be five years of age on or before August 31, 2023 to be eligible to enroll. Please prepare to register by obtaining medically verified immunization records, birth certificate, and a proof of residence (utility bill, lease/rental agreement, or mortgage papers). All enrollment is done online. Click here to access the enrollment application or go to fpschools.org and click on enrollment.
- We are moving to a new online system. Enrollment will end in our current system on June 11th and will reopen on July 17th in the new system. Please make sure to complete your child's enrollment application by June 11th or wait to start it after July 17th.
Current students who live within James Sales boundaries are automatically enrolled at James Sales for next year. Students who were overloaded to James Sales for the 22-23 school year will return to their home schools for 2023-24. Students living within our district but outside of James Sales boundaries who want to attend James Sales must complete a within-district transfer form online. Click on the Transfers and Homeschool link to access the correct form. Out-of-district students who wish to attend James Sales must complete a new out-of-district transfer (Choice Transfer) from their home district to be considered for enrollment.
Attention parents of 3rd and 4th grade students!
It is time to refer 3rd and 4th grade students for the 23-24 Highly Capable Student program, Project Excel.
Do you have a student who…
- learns easily and quickly?
- thinks up unusual ways to solve hard problems?
- has a clever sense of humor?
- dislikes doing the same thing over and over?
- thinks logically and wants things to make sense?
- is open to new ideas?
- is persistent and wants to keep trying with difficult tasks?
Complete a Project Excel Program Referral here. Referrals are due by March 24th.
Conce a algún estudiante que. . .
- ¿Aprende fácil y rápido?
- ¿Piensa de forma inusual cómo resolver problemas difíciles?
- ¿Tiene un sentido del humor ingenioso?
- ¿Le desagrada hacer la misma cosa una y otra vez?
- ¿Piensa de manera lógica y quiere que las cosas tengan sentido?
- ¿Está abierto a nuevas ideas?
- ¿Es persistente y quiere seguir tratando con tareas difíciles?
Complete una referencia del programa Project Excel aquí. Las remisiones son para el 24 de marzo.
Buses
Call 253-298-3865 if you are wondering where your student's bus is or for any other transportation related question or problem.
Sign up for the Bus Bulletin to receive text, email, or voice messages if your student's bus is running late. Click here for more information.
Library Books
The end of the trimester brings new overdue and fines lists. Please look at home for any overdue and lost library books and turn them in. Students who have missing books will not be able to attend upcoming field trips and other special activities.
Important Information!
Teacher Requests Due
If you would like to request a teacher for the 2023-24 school year for your student, please put your request in writing and turn it into the main office by March 31st. We will do our best to accommodate your wish, but cannot promise that your request will be met. We work hard to balance class sizes, boy/girl ratios, etc. Thank you for your understanding.
Yearbook Order Time
Don't miss out on the memories! Order your 22-23 yearbook today! This year's yearbook will feature cover art by a James Sales student! Yearbooks are $15 each and are only available while supplies last. Ordering deadline is May 1st. Click here to order. For questions please email efryberger@fpschools.org.
Class Picture Day
Class picture day is scheduled for Thursday, March 14th. All students will receive a complimentary 6x8 class photo this year! You may also purchase individual pictures as all students will be photographed individually too! This way any student who did not have a picture taken in the Fall will appear in the yearbook. If you wish to order individual pictures, make checks to Quality School Portraits or send the correct amount of cash to school that day in a picture payment envelope, or pay online at www.qualityschoolportraits.com. Use online code SPJAME22. Remember, neither the office nor the photographer can make change. Payment envelopes will come with your student well before picture day so you can choose your packet and arrange for payment.
Celebrate Dr. Seuss' Birthday!
World's Finest Chocolate Fundraiser
Our favorite fundraiser is back! Students will have the opportunity to sell World's Finest Chocolate bars to friends and family and win prizes. The proceeds from this fundraiser will help pay for field trips and other special events at James Sales. The chocolate sale will run March 8th to March 27th.
Each family will have one permission slip for all children in the household. Siblings in the same household will be awarded prizes as a group. If you would like to participate in the sale, please return the completed permission slip to school. A box of chocolate will be issued to you or your child (oldest in the family) when we receive $60 cash per box. Each box of chocolate is prepaid. Each chocolate bar is $1.
Prizes for those participating in the chocolate sale are as follows:
- The top seller will receive a $100 gift card to their choice of DEFY Tacoma or CATAPULT Lakewood, Regal Movie Theater, Paradise Bowl.
- Top five sellers will receive a ONE POUND CHOCOLATE BAR!
- The top selling class will receive a GIANT FIVE POUND CHOCOLATE BAR!
Students who sell:
A - ONE BOX - Win an extra recess
B - TWO BOXES - WIn A and and ice cream treat
C - THREE BOXES - Win A and B and a $5 book fair certificate
D - FOUR BOXES - Win A, B, and C and pizza with the principal.
Please contact Ms. Bruce, jbruce@fpschools.org, or Mrs. Nelson, bnelson@fpschools.org, if you have any questions.
Thank you for participating in this sale and making our field trips possible!
New Guidelines from the Health Department
From the Health Room
It is a good idea for younger students to bring a change of clothes in their backpacks just in case of a bathroom accident or a particularly wet day outside. Put the clothing in a plastic bag into their backpack, then when the clothing is needed, they can put the wet clothing into the plastic bag and bring it home to be laundered. If we have lent your child clothes, please wash them and return them to the health room so they are ready for the next child in need. Thank you!
January Students of the Month
Congratulations to January’s students of the month who were honored at an assembly on February 3rd!
These students were selected by their teachers for showing determination and goal setting skills:
Leanne G., Evan K., Jan B., Lyla T., Camilo M., AnaMaria S., Isiah V., Zeke M., Alyanna F., Aniyah G., Erick H., Sophia U., Harriet R., Jaxon F., Daniel L., Abigail D., Felicia K., Camden K., Christopher T., Malita G., Mathias L., Victoria N., Malachi S., Iana M., Xya W., Malakai T., Yoana R., Ayden B., Noah A., Ashton C., Na'Laiya K., Emiliana N., Dominic A., Patrick L., Bentley P., Elizabeth U., Brianna D., and Eric R.
From Our Handbook
Report Cards
Report cards are sent home after each trimester (approximately every 12 weeks of instruction). We send them home with your child. Please contact your child’s teacher if you have any questions regarding their progress. Franklin Pierce School District uses Standards Based Grading:
4 - Exceeding End-of-Year Standards
3 - Meeting End-of-Year Standards
2 - Approaching End-of-Year Standards
1 - Performing Significantly Below End-of-Year Standards
/ - Introduced - Insufficient evidence at this time
X - Not addressed in this grading period
Employee Appreciation
Please join us in recognizing our hard-working para-educators during the week of March 6-10. We are grateful for our paras and all the very valuable help and support they offer to the students at James Sales Elementary. They are: Ms. Charlie, Alyssa Craig, Taqua Alnasi, Kate Chaffin, Chloe Dawson, Julisa De La Torre, Danielle Douglas, Paula Hernandez Benitez, Tonnika Kawalec, Dawn Miskar, Anika Nordin, Nancy Pack, Marisol Ramirez, Christian Ryle, Marian Ufland, and Jennifer Wallace. Please give them a big “Thank You” when you see them during this week.
Nutrition Services
Volunteers
At the end of last year we were finally able to have volunteers help with field trips! Hooray!! We anticipate the need for volunteers this year as well. If you are interested in volunteering as a chaperone for field trips or in any other capacity that may come up, please complete the volunteer application as soon as possible. It may take up to two weeks to process an application and we don't want you to be left out of a volunteer opportunity because you are not approved yet! Click here to begin your volunteer application. If you were cleared as a volunteer last year you will need complete an application again. A new volunteer application must be completed every year.
PTO Needs Volunteers
PTO is in need of new parent volunteers to join the Executive Committee (President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer) for the 2023-2024 school year. Due largely to the Covid-19 pandemic our volunteer pool has dwindled, and the the current Executive Committee is in dire need of help. Unfortunately, we have reached the point that if new volunteers do not step up to take on a leadership role, there may not be a PTO after next year. The loss of the PTO would be devastating to our students and staff, as PTO is the main generator of funds outside of the district. If you have ever considered becoming a PTO leader NOW IS THE TIME. For more information please email PTOJamesSales@gmail.com
Join the James Sales PTO!
Because we are a PTO, not a PTA, we are able to put 100% of our membership dues right back into our school! We provide classroom enrichment, and raise funds to provide our students and staff with items and activities not funded by the district. Volunteering and attending meetings is encouraged, but not required. A family membership (for adults living in the same household) is $10.00. PTO membership forms are in the office. Cash or checks are accepted. Make checks to James Sales PTO.
James Sales PTO is on Facebook
Hewins Early Learning Center Enrollment
Please scan this QR code for information about enrolling at the Hewins Early Learning Center, an income based program for preschool aged students in the Franklin Pierce School District.
Reminders From the Office
Please read these important reminders from the office!
- If you need to come into the building, please press the intercom button on your right as you look at the front door. This will enable the office to see you and to buzz you into the entry if needed.
- Please notify the office of any changes in the way your child will go home at the end of the day. We need this information before 2:45 so we have time to get a note to the teacher.
- Call the office (253-298-4200) if your child will be absent. If they have an appointment, please ask the doctor, dentist, counselor, etc. for a note for school. Offices that treat children are used to giving notes to students for excuses! Tardies and leaving school early shows on your child's attendance record. Please make appointments outside of school hours when possible.
- If you need to take your child out of school before the end of the school day, please come before 2:45 so we can easily locate your child and you won't be stuck in the end-of-the-day pick-up line! You will need to sign your child out and wait for them to come from their classroom or wherever they are in the building, so allow plenty of time for us to find them and have them get their belongings and come to the office.
- If your phone number, email address, or home address changes, please let us know so we have the most up-to-date contact information for you. If students become ill, or otherwise need your help, we need a way to contact you! Thank you.
Franklin Pierce Schools has a resource center for our families. You will find information and help for all sorts of situations and needs - food, diapers, formula, community referrals, and more. Click here to access the Family Resource Center website.
Before and After School Care with Right at School
James Sales hosts a before and after school care program on-site for our students this year. The care is provided by Right at School. Right at School provides a safe environment to learn, to play, and to grow. Click here for more information and to register. Enter WASAVE50 for a $50 discount!
Franklin Pierce Community Action Group
The Franklin Pierce Community Action Group meets once a month. The group consists of parents, students, and district staff who are striving to help improve the culture of our schools and district. Please come share your experience with us in the FPSD. Everyone is welcome!
Franklin Pierce Schools does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation including gender expression or identity, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. Questions and complaints of alleged discrimination should be directed to Brandy Marshall, Compliance Coordinator for State and Civil Rights Laws; Wendy Malich, Title IX Officer; or John Sander, 504/ADA Coordinator at 315 129th ST S, Tacoma, WA 98444-5099 or at (253)298-3000. Requests for accommodation of a disability should be directed to Human Resources.