January 9, 2024

Here at JMS, we are ready to make 2024 a year filled with success! We are looking forward to providing students with opportunities so that they can continue to grow and learn.

 

I want to ask our families to be mindful of re-establishing the necessary routines to ensure that your students are in attendance and on time each morning to get each school day off to a great start. In addition to morning routines, I also ask our families to continue to be mindful of early dismissal habits as well. Although there are times when an occasional early dismissal is necessary for an appointment or urgent family need, early dismissals should be minimal as this loss of instructional time can certainly affect a student’s performance. As always, I appreciate your support as our teachers and students strive to maximize their instructional time shared each day.

 

Mid-Year Academic Benchmarking:  Three times a year your child participates in academic benchmarking. These assessments help us determine how well your child is responding to instruction and what areas need improvement. Two main assessments that are administered are Acadience and NWEA (1st grade).  The purpose of Acadience Reading is to monitor your child’s development in reading, to identify students who need additional help, and to guide the teacher’s instruction. Acadience Reading consists of several brief tests that are used as indicators of critical skills that students need to master in order to become good readers. Also, during the dates of January 12-19, your child will take a MAP® Growth™ test from NWEA® on a computer. MAP Growth Reading and Math scores help teachers check student performance by measuring achievement and growth. Teachers use results to tailor classroom lessons and set goals for students. MAP Growth tests are unique and adapt to your child’s responses to measure your child’s knowledge. If your child answers a question correctly, the next question is more challenging. If they answer incorrectly, the next one is easier. These results will provide a more complete picture of where your child is on their learning journey— regardless of whether they are on, above, or below their grade level. Please connect with your child’s teacher if you have any questions. Your child’s teacher will also communicate with you about the testing dates. 

 

Student Social Strengths Screener: Jacques Memorial School is committed to every student's academic growth, as well as their social emotional and behavioral growth. It is our shared goal that our students develop the skills required to regulate their emotions, develop positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. As part of this process, we are asking all parents to complete a Student Social Strengths Screener.  This brief survey asks several questions regarding your student’s social skills such as responsibility, learning habits, and peer/adult relationships. 

 

Classroom teachers will also complete a social strength screener. This will help identify any students that may need additional support or interventions for social/ emotional/behavioral development. 

 

 Please click on the link below and take some time to complete this short questionnaire by Friday, January 19th.  We are hoping to get 100% parent participation. Thank you in advance!

 

 

 

Hi Friends, We are in dire need of help with popcorn at both schools so if you can please spread the word.  If we don’t have volunteers, we can’t do popcorn.  Here is the Jacques Popcorn Sign-Up Genius Link :

 

 

No School:  There will be No School on Monday, January 15, 2024 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. 

 

 

We are off to a great start to 2024 at JMS! Thank you all for everything you do to support our students, staff and school.