10/5: World Teacher's Day -- Encourage your child to thank their teacher(s) for all that they do to help them get a good education.

10/6: National Coaches Day -- Encourage your child to thank their coach(es) for inspiring them to do their best in class and on the field.

10/12: Stop Bullying Day -- Talk with your child about what bullying looks like and the dangers of bullying. Encourage your child to tell their teacher if they witness a classmate being bullied.

10/31: Happy Halloween!

JC Pre-K

• Oct 3-7: GA Pre-K Week
• Oct. 10-14: FALL BREAK/ NO SCHOOL

JCPS

• Oct. 10-14: FALL BREAK/NO SCHOOL
• Oct. 18: Report cards go home
• Oct. 21: PBIS All Star Celebration
• Oct. 24-28: Red Ribbon Week
• Oct. 25: Storybook Pumpkin Patch entries due
• Oct. 28 (Morning): Book Character Parade
• Oct. 28: Storybook Pumpkin Patch judging

WPES

• Oct. 10-14:FALL BREAK/ NO SCHOOL
• Oct. 18: Report cards go home
• Oct. 24-28: Red Ribbon Week
• Oct. 24: Fall Family Engagement night (4-6 pm)

JCMS

• Oct. 10-14: FALL BREAK/ NO SCHOOL
• Oct. 18: Report Cards go home
• Oct. 27: Student-led Curriculum Night

JCHS

• Oct. 10-14: FALL BREAK/NO SCHOOL
• Oct. 18: Report Cards go home
• Oct. 25: PSAT

What does your middle schooler really want for dinner? You. Families live busy lives and you may wonder whether gathering for a family meal is worth all the hassle. Well, it is. In fact, family meals can make a difference to your child’s school success. Studies have found that kids who eat dinner with their families four or more nights a week are less likely to try cigarettes, alcohol and marijuana. They also perform better in school. To make family meals work for you:

• Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t eat together every night. Try to have dinner together a few times each week.

• Include your child in mealtime conversations. Ask a few specific questions. Instead of the standard “How was your day?” ask for specifics. “What’s one interesting thing that happened at school?” Ten try to keep the conversation going.

• Keep it pleasant. Don’t use meal-time as an opportunity to argue or interrogate your child.

• Laugh. Humor makes dinnertime fun for everyone.

• Be flexible. If evening meals are hard to schedule, share breakfast with your child. You’ll have the same chance to connect.

• Go low-tech. Don’t try to compete with digital devices for your child’s attention. You’ll lose. Turn of the TV and keep phones and tablets away from the table.

Source: “Benefits of Family Dinners,” The Family

Dinner Project.

• Tell me what was the best part of your day.
• What was the hardest thing that you had to do today?
• Did anyone in your class do anything funny?
• Tell me about what you read in class.
• Who did you play with today? What did you play?
• Do you think that math (or any subject) is too easy or too hard?
• Who did you sit with at lunch?
• Can you show me something you learned (or did) today?

• Set aside time to review and discuss your child's report card together.
• Ask your child if they agree with the grades they received. Have them expand on their answer by explaining why or why not.
• Remain calm! Try not to make our child feel even more disappointed.
• Help your child make a plan to improve or maintain their grade.
• Contact your child's teacher if you or your child have concerns or questions.

• Put low grades into perspective: poor grades can drain a student's self-confidence. Make sure your child knows that grades are not a measure of a student's worth.
• Focus on the positive: Talk about what your child has done well -- in an academic subject or "What are you most proud of".
• Look behind the grade: Low grades indicate a problem: What does your child think the problem is? Sometimes it's not academic ability, but poor study habits or test anxiety.
• Set realistic goals for improvement. Don't expect all A's if your child is currently getting all C's.
• Contact teachers. Sometimes, students try their best and still fail. Or they blame teachers for their troubles. Gather more information by asking teachers for their opinion about what is happening.