The Cardinal Connection
September 7, 2022
At J.O. Wilson Elementary School, we are SOARing to success every day in every way by creating an environment in which joy, pride, positive interactions, and growth mindsets lead students to comfort in taking risks, self-advocating, and facing adversity.
Important Dates:
September 9th: The JOW PTA Presents... A Morning Meet & Greet 8:15-9:00 am
September 13th: PTA General Body Meeting
September 16th: Movie Night 6 PM-8:30 PM
September 17th: DCPS Back to School Block Party
September 22nd: Back to School Night 6 PM-8 PM
September 28th: Virtual Principal Chat @ 6 PM
October 6th: Parent Teacher Conference (No School for Students)
October 7th: Professional Development Day (No School for Students)
Friday, Sept. 9 — Grab-and-Go Coffee Meet and Greet
Tuesday, Sept. 13, at 6:00 p.m. – PTA General Body Meeting
Join us via Zoom for our first PTA meeting of the school year! Meet the J.O. Wilson PTA (Parent Teacher Association) to learn about who we are and what we do. We'll share information about upcoming events and activities, and we are excited to get your input and ideas! Membership in the PTA is free and open to all parents, guardians, and staff.
Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZApc-mtrTMjH9Bl-CJUSpDj9zk-4fBQ1zSl. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Friday, Sept. 16 – Save the Date for Outdoor Movie Night Screening of Vivo in Celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month!
Interested in helping to restart some Girl Scout troops at J.O. Wilson this year?
J.O. Wilson ES Presents...Back to School Night
September is Attendance Awareness Month
Why Attendance Matters!
Did You Know:
- Absenteeism in the first month of school can predict poor attendance throughout the school year. Half the students who miss 2-4 days in September go on to miss nearly a month of school.
- Poor attendance can influence whether children read proficiently by the end of third grade or be held back.
- Research shows that missing 10 percent of the school, or about 18 days in most school districts, negatively affects a student’s academic performance. That’s just two days a month and that’s known as chronic absence.
- When students improve their attendance rates, they improve their academic prospects and chances for graduating
Attendance Reminders for Families...
Excused Absences
What types of absences are considered “excused” and how do I notify the school? Any absence for an entire day without a valid excuse is marked as an unexcused absence. The following absences may be classified as excused absences:
- Illness of the student (a doctor’s note is required for a student absent five or more cumulative days in a term);
- Illness of a child, for parenting students (a doctor’s note for the student’s child is required when the student is absent five or more cumulative days in a term);
- Medical or dental appointments for the student;
- Death in the student’s immediate family;
- Exclusion by direction of the authorities of the District of Columbia, due to quarantine, contagious disease, infection, infestation, or other condition requiring separation from other students for medical or health reasons;
- The necessity for a student to attend a judicial or administrative proceeding, or court-ordered activity, as a party to the action or under subpoena;
- Observance of a religious holiday;
- Religious event celebration outside of a religious holiday (up to five cumulative days);
- Absences to allow students to visit their parent/guardian who is in the military, immediately before, during, or after deployment;
- College visits for students in grades 9-12 (up to three cumulative days);
- School visits for students in kindergarten through 8th grade (one day);
- Absences of expectant or parenting students for a time period specified by their doctor and any accommodations mandated by law;
- Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day
- An emergency or other circumstance approved by DCPS.
A written note must be provided electronically to the school by the student’s parent/guardian within five (5) school days after the student’s return. Please email excuse notes to Jowilsonesenroll@k12.dc.gov and be sure to include STUDENT's NAME in the subject line.
Inclement Weather Dismissal Process...
In the event that weather prevents us from dismissing from the field in the afternoon using our normal process, we will follow the prescribed process below...
*If your child is in PK3 or PK4: Enter the playground gate and pick them up from the rear classroom (or entrance) door as normal.
*If your child is in grades K-3rd: Please enter through the main entry doors. Students in grades K-2nd will be dismissed from the cafeteria and students in grade 3 will be dismissed from the commons area. All parents will exit using the 7th street cafeteria doors only.
*If your child is in grades 4th-5th: Please provide your child’s name to the guard or staff member at the main entry door and step to the side to leave the areas in front of the door clear. We will then have your child called down from their classroom.
**As a reminder, for the safety of our students and neighbors please do not double park or park in the coned-off bus area. We will also try to provide advance notice by communicating to families via blackboard when we may have inclement weather dismissal.
Early Dismissal During The School Day and for After-Care
For After-Care early dismissal, we kindly ask that parents please wait until 4:00 PM, as students are transitioning and getting settled into their after-care locations and staff persons are still settling the students in to start after-care programming. We thank you for your patience and understanding.