November 1, 2023
Good Afternoon JMS Families,
November is a perfect time of year to reflect and to practice gratitude. Do you have a moment to send a quick thank you note or email to a staff member at Jacques Memorial School. A simple note of appreciation can change a staff member's day. Positive connections between home and school foster mutual respect, which in turn creates a stronger learning environment for all. We encourage you to share a quick thank you with someone having a positive impact on your child.
Attendance: Regular school attendance is the single most important factor in school success. Students can make-up assignments, but can never get back what’s most important: the discussions, the questions, the explanations and overall instruction by the educators and the thinking that makes learning come alive. Learning builds day by day. A child who misses a day of school misses a day of learning.
Being late for school impacts a child’s learning, too. A child who is 10 minutes late every day will miss 30 hours of instruction over the course of the year. Your child’s success in school depends on having a solid educational background- one that can only be gained through regular school attendance.
Here are some tips to help support your child’s school attendance:
- Talk with your child about the importance of attending school regularly. Give specific examples of how education helps people succeed.
- Whenever possible, avoid scheduling family trips or doctor’s appointments during school hours.
- Establish a morning routine. Avoid the morning rush, choose clothes the night before, bathe or shower in the evening, have lunch laid out and ready to go.
- Walk to school or to the bus stop with another child who is always on time.
- Establish an evening routine. Set a regular bedtime and stick to it. Nobody functions their best when they are tired.
- Teach them to set and use their own alarm clock or clock radio.
- Help your child relax before bedtime with a story, instead of the stimulation of television.
- Support school rules and consequences for being tardy.
We understand that there are times when students are not able to be at school due to illness ( Fever > 100 F, vomiting or diarrhea). Children must be free of these symptoms for 24 hours before returning. When children are ill and you have contacted the health office their absence is excused.
The Milford School District and Jacques Memorial school staff is required by law to keep track of attendance and intervene if a student is exhibiting an attendance or tardiness problem. Parents and guardians, as well as students themselves, have the responsibility to ensure that attendance at school is regular and timely.
PTO Meeting: Please join us for our monthly PTO meeting on Monday, November 6th 2023 at 6:30 pm in the Heron Pond Library. If you can not attend in person, you are welcome to join remotely by clicking on the ZOOM link below.
Join Zoom Meeting:
Meeting ID: 897 8335 5142
Passcode: vEj8GN
Reading Buddies: Jacques Memorial Elementary School and Heron Pond Elementary School are coming together for a unique opportunity to build connections between students across schools in the district. The fourth and first grade classes will be partnering as reading buddies where they will get to travel through the community and meet each other four times throughout the year. This is not only an excellent opportunity for students to connect with each other and support social-emotional learning, this is also an opportunity for students to foster a love of literacy.
We are so pleased to be able to create this memorable opportunity for the students at these schools. We are looking forward to partnering together and sharing our experiences with families through our Facebook page.
Square One Art PTO Fundraiser: Coming home to you soon will be your child's custom ordering packet for the Square 1 Art fundraiser. Get a head start, and start ordering keepsakes and gifts featuring your child's art online NOW, if you like! Simply search for your child's art using this link:
Uploaded artwork will be available shortly for you to view. Enter state, school name, and your student's name. Your student's art and code will appear, and you may order! Place your order by November 21st. We strongly encourage parents to ship to home, however schools will accept shipping. Proceeds of all sales support our PTO!
Should you have any questions please feel free to contact our art teacher Mrs. Jones.
JMS Jaguar Spirit Wear: We are pleased to announce the opening of our online spirit wear store through Souhegan Printed products! Students and staff may access this store by clicking on the link below to purchase apparel and other JMS “Jag Swag” accessories. Orders that are placed by November 15th should arrive in time for the holidays. Act now because the online store will only remain open until Wednesday, November 15th! Click Below to access the online store:
Parent Conferences: The success of our students comes from the team of parent, teacher, and student working together to achieve the goals we want to reach. We will be hosting our annual parent conferences beginning Monday, November 13th through Tuesday, November 21st Your classroom teacher will communicate with you and schedule a conference date and time if they haven't already done so.
Although teachers have information they want to share with you, the best conferences are those where questions and comments come from both sides. It is appropriate to ask things like; What are my child’s academic, social, and behavioral strengths? Where do they still need to grow? Where have you seen improvement since the beginning of school? What goals should we set for the next semester?
Please let your child’s teacher know if you have seen changes in your child’s demeanor that worry you. After the conference, it’s important to discuss with your child his or her progress. It reminds your child that school and home work together for their benefit. Praise good news and encourage change in habits if the news is not as enthusiastic. Help your child plan out a course of change if necessary. It may be time to reevaluate where or when homework is done. Bedtime and nutrition are also important areas to review.
No School: There will be No School next week on Tuesday, November 7th for Teacher’sWorkshop/Professional Development .
Please find attached to this email a copy of the November Lunch Menu from our Food Service Department. In addition there are several documents regarding the MES PTO Square One Art Fundraiser.
I appreciate your partnership as we work as a team to create the best learning experience for your child. Your work in providing a caring environment at home that nurtures and respects education provides a solid platform for us to build on. Our work together creates a team of support for your child that allows great learning and growth to happen academically, socially and emotionally. Thank you for your hard work and ongoing support of our work!
Sincerely,
Tim O’Connell
Principal
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