#NoPlaceLikeJones
Family Updates for the Week of April 15 2024
Monday, April 15 is ‘Bring Your Legislator to School Day’
Lindsey Prather, NC House of Representatives for the 115th district, and Julie Mayfield, NC State Senator, are scheduled to visit our school.
Principal Corner
Dear Jones Elementary Families,
I hope everyone is enjoying the spring weather and had a great spring break! My husband and I went to Costa Rica and had a fantastic time. Mr. Shimer was able to spend quality time with his family and catch up on his grad school work. He will graduate in May from WCU with a Master's in Educational Leadership, and we look forward to celebrating this monumental achievement with him.
This week, I want to discuss two main topics: school safety, students' cellphone usage, and its impact on the learning environment.
I understand that recent events at our school, specifically the two perimeter lockdowns, have raised concerns among some parents about the safety of our students and staff. We initiated both perimeter lockdowns due to an upset parent, but they did not come onto the school campus. Therefore, our students and staff were never in any danger. Our staff and students responded promptly and calmly and followed the safety protocols effectively.
We do not anticipate having to deal with a similar situation in the future. Our school administration has met with our school SRO and other district personnel to address this issue and ensure our campus is safe.
I understand you may have questions or want specific details about this situation. Unfortunately, we may not be able to answer them or provide those details. Please trust that we will always do our best to protect our students and staff. Thank you for your understanding, support, cooperation, and partnership.
As we continue to prioritize safety and a conducive learning environment for all our students, I want to provide additional information about school safety in general, including safety drills, and remind everyone of the importance of complying with our school's safety protocols to help ensure the safety and well-being of our school community.
I want to start by assuring you that our school is a secure place for all students and staff members. The well-being and safety of our school community are of the utmost importance to us, and we have implemented comprehensive safety protocols and measures to ensure a safe and secure learning environment.
The district has established guidelines for emergency response drills to ensure the safety of our students and staff. It's essential that we practice our emergency and crisis response plans by conducting drills designed to exercise our procedures. We conduct these drills throughout the school year.
The purpose of conducting drills is to enhance our ability to safeguard students, minimize injuries, and save lives. These exercises enable us to assess the effectiveness of our emergency operation plan and improve our response skills. The information below should help you understand the significance of drills and the procedures involved in each type of drill. This way, you will be better equipped to discuss this topic with your child if they have any questions. Furthermore, we would like to inform you of additional safety measures we have implemented at our school.
Safety Drills
Monthly Fire Drills: We conduct monthly fire drills to ensure a quick and quiet exit from the building while accounting for all students and staff.
Tornado Drills: Every March, we conduct a drill to prepare students for the possibility of tornadoes. During the drill, students are taught about the dangers of tornadoes and what to do if they spot one in our area. They are instructed to report to a designated safe location in the building away from large windows. This drill is a crucial way to keep our students safe and prepared in case of severe weather.
Shelter in Place: We practice the Shelter in Place drill at least once each school year. This drill aims to prepare us to move to a safe location within the building in case of a chemical spill, weather emergencies, medical emergencies, violence, or other criminal activities outside the building. Shelter in Place is also used to stop movement inside the building in the case of a medical emergency.
School Bus Evacuation Drills: Students practice what to do in case of an emergency on the bus. We practice this drill two times each year.
Bomb Threat Drills: We practice the bomb threat drill once a year. Staff practice how to prepare and respond to a bomb threat.
Lockdown Drill: We conduct at least two lockdown drills each year to practice protecting our students, staff, and visitors. During these drills, we focus on securing the premises and ensuring the safety of everyone inside. The purpose of the lockdown drill is to prepare for potential threats, whether from inside or outside the building.
Perimeter Lockdown vs. Full Lockdown:
It's important to clarify the difference between a perimeter lockdown and a full lockdown:
Perimeter Lockdown: This is a precautionary measure where students and staff are brought inside the school building, and all exterior doors are locked. Learning continues inside the building, and movement within the building is restricted. Perimeter lockdowns are typically initiated due to external situations in the vicinity of the school, such as police activity or a potential threat in the neighborhood. It is not unusual for our school to be put on a perimeter lockdown. In the past, we have had to do this several times for various reasons, such as when a bear was spotted outside the school or when there was an unsafe incident in the community.
Full Lockdown: In a full lockdown, all interior and exterior doors are locked, and students and staff remain in secure locations within the building. Lights are turned off, and silence is maintained to ensure safety during a potential threat inside the school.
During an emergency, the procedures for picking up your child from school may differ from a regular school day. Any approved emergency contact person must bring proper identification to the school. Only parents or adults on the student's emergency contact list can pick up the student. It is essential to ensure that this list has updated and accurate information. Any changes to the list must be made in person with our school data manager. We recommend listing several trusted adults and their contact information in case of an emergency.
Additional Safety Measures:
We have a dedicated SRO at our school that we only share with one other neighborhood school;
Our staff will review safety procedures with all students;
Our front doors are locked at all times;
When students arrive or leave school, an adult monitors all unlocked entries. Students are allowed to enter the building each morning starting at 7:15 am;
During class time, all outer doors are locked, and all visitors must enter our building through the main entrance to the school to check in with the main office;
For all visitors, we will use our intercom and camera system to verify the guests’ identities and purposes for visiting our campus before they are allowed access to our school;
Visitors will be required to present a state-issued ID that will be checked against a nationwide database. The system will also allow front-desk workers to keep a log of visitors and give them a snapshot of who is entering and leaving the building. Please make sure to let anyone on your child’s emergency contact list know to bring a valid photo id when visiting our school. Visitors are required to:
wear a yellow visitor sticker
stop by the main office to check out at the end of the visit
Additionally, we need to limit distractions in classrooms. If you need to drop off items for a special event or if your child forgot something, the main office will deliver the item to the classroom for you. If you need to speak to your child's teacher in person, please schedule a meeting with them outside of their teaching time. This will help ensure that every second is used to ensure teaching and learning are happening and will allow teachers to focus on student safety, especially during transition times like arrival and dismissal
Parents will be required to pick up children from the main office when checking them out;
We will continue to meet with our School Resource Officers and school safety team members to assess and update our safety plans as necessary;
We will continue to communicate information regarding safety drill occurrences as well as safety procedure updates.
Lastly, parents, please take this time to remind your children that they are safe at school. Please let us know if your student feels they need to talk to someone about how they are feeling or need any additional support; we are here for them. Here is a list of resources you can use to help establish a sense of normalcy and alleviate any fears they may be having.
National Association of School Psychologists (NASP): https://www.nasponline.org
National PTA: https://www.pta.org/home/family-resources/safety/School-Safety
We are committed to maintaining open communication with our families and ensuring that you are informed about any safety-related incidents at our school. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns regarding school safety.
Cellphones and Smart Watches at School
I want to address a growing concern we have observed regarding the use of cell phones and smart watches by our elementary students and how they may negatively impact your child's behavior and learning at school. Some of these issues include:
Bullying-Type Behaviors: There have been instances of bullying-type behaviors that originate outside of school on cell phones and spill over into school hours.
Distraction During Learning: Cell phones and smart watches can be distractions during school hours, affecting the learning environment and classroom engagement.
Inappropriate Use: Some students are using their cell phones and smart watches inappropriately, accessing games, social media, and other non-educational content during school hours.
School Policy on Cell Phones and Smart Watches:
Our school has a clear policy regarding the use of cell phones and smart watches during school hours to ensure a focused and productive learning environment for our students.
Option 1: Students can turn in their cell phones and smart watches to the main office each morning and collect them at the end of the day.
Option 2: Students can keep their cell phones and smartwatches in their backpacks, turned off, and not try to use them during the day, especially their smartwatch, as an alternative.
Our Commitment to a Positive Learning Environment:
We are committed to maintaining a positive and safe learning environment for all students. We do not want to take time away from valuable learning opportunities due to behaviors stemming from the inappropriate use of cell phones and smartwatches.
We Need Your Support:
We urge you to discuss the importance of responsible cell phone and smart watch use with your child and reinforce the school's policy at home. It is essential to monitor your child's online interactions and teach them about responsible digital citizenship.
We encourage open communication between parents and teachers to address any concerns or issues related to the use of cell phones, but as a reminder, it is difficult for us to address and solve issues that are happening at home outside of school that are occurring through text messaging or other apps that students may use to communicate with each other. This is why I am urging parents to check in with their children and their cellphone usage.
Organizations and resources
American Academy of Pediatrics: Screen time guidelines from the Center for Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health.
American Psychological Association: Read the health advisory on social media use in adolescence.
Common Sense Media: Find parent guides, advice for social media platforms and reviews of all kinds of media.
KidsHealth: Nemours Children’s Health system has resources to help teach kids to be smart about social media
Social Media U at #HalfTheStory: Offers digital wellbeing training for parents and schools.
Family Media Plan: Learn how to create a family media plan with this resource from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Books
Disconnected: How to Protect Your Kids from the Harmful Effects of Device Dependency
Thank you for your understanding, cooperation, and support in addressing this important issue. Together, we can work to ensure that our students use technology responsibly and respectfully.
I invite you to visit our school's website and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/irabjones/ and follow us on Twitter @Principal_IBJ and Instagram @IraB.JonesElementary. These will serve as a resource tool for all upcoming events, the student/family handbook, and important reminders, and you can catch up with all the wonderful things our students and teachers are doing. I also send out a weekly family newsletter. Please ensure we have updated contact information so you can stay informed of all our school happenings.
As a school leader and a parent, I understand the necessity of healthy communication between families and the school. I welcome your questions, celebrations, or concerns at any time. You can call the school at 828.350.6700 or email me at ruafika.cobb@acsgmail.net.
With heartfelt gratitude,
Ruafika Cobb
Principal
Ira B. Jones Elementary School
#noplacelikejones
Tropical Jones Jam Dance-a-thon - SUPPORT YOUR STUDENT IN THE JONES JAM! We have just 2 weeks to make our fundraising goal!!
As you have recently learned on Parentsquare, the Tropical Jones Jam Dance-a-thon, our Ira B. Jones 2024 Spring Fundraiser is coming up April 26th! This year’s dance-a-thon is tropical, so Jones students: Break out those Hawaiian shirts, bright colored ’fits, and your best dancing shoes (flip flops?), and catch a wave, dancing with your fellow Global Scholars and DJ Molly Parti in the gym on April 26! This dance-a-thon is for everyone! ALL Jones students will be able to participate regardless of any donations secured – no contribution is required. It is a Jones FTO priority to keep our events inclusive and fun for all students.
PRESENTING SPONSOR: Thank you to Blue Ridge Orthodontics for sponsoring the 2024 Tropical Jones Jam! Thanks to BRO, all students will receive a color-change water cup after they dance!
OUR GOAL: To raise $12,000 from the Jones community through pledges for students between now and April 26.
INCENTIVES: To thank you for donations of $75 or more, students with pledges in their name amounting this amount or more will receive a pair of fun bright colored sunglasses or a tropical keychain! However, everyone will dance regardless of donation amount.
DONATE TODAY! Read our info page on the FTO's website.
Click here to make a pledge to your Jones student(s). Please share with your family and friends so that they can support our school!
FTO Meeting: March 27 @ 5:15 pm
Upcoming Events
- Wednesday, April 17: FTO Meeting
- Thursday, April 18: IBJ Read Together Day
- Thursday, April 25: Moving Up Night
- Friday, April 26: FTO Dance-a-thon
- Friday, May 10: Spring Fling
- Wednesday, May 15: An Evening of Black Excellence Event
Email: ruafika.cobb@acsgmail.net
Phone: 828.350.6700