S.E.S. Monthly Newsletter

Dear Families,

To ensure a positive and supportive learning experience at S.E.S., I am asking your help in completing a parent survey through November 17, 2023.

Our staff, students and families are all encouraged to participate actively by completing this survey, in order to have information that will benefit the school community’s future success. Your participation is voluntary. You may choose not to participate; not to answer any questions you do not want to answer; and you may stop participating at any time during the survey without penalty. Your responses will be anonymous and confidential.

Parents can access the survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WVSLES_P_F23

Parent login code: P037205

Thank you for your support in helping guide school improvements. I also want to take this time to wish you all a happy Thanksgiving! May this holiday fill your home and hearts with all you are blessed with and thankful for. My heart is quite full from all that I have gained from my first few months of leading an incredibly skilled staff and learning how special our students and families are.

Mrs. Jodi Payne

11/9 - Parent Teacher Conference 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

11/10 - Veteran's Day - No School

11/13 - World Kindness Day!

11/13 - 2nd Grade Field Trip to the Library

11/16 - PTO Mtg. 6:00 p.m. in the Cafeteria

11/17 - 2nd 9 Week Interims

11/18 - Kings Pizza Fundraiser for S.E.S. 4:00 - 8:00 p.m.

11/20 - 11/24 - Thanksgiving Break

12/1 - School Picture Retake Day

12/4 - Holiday Shopping Week for Students at School (more info. to come)

We are experiencing a milk carton shortage and to ensure we are meeting as many needs as possible we have a few changes during breakfast and lunch. We encourage students to bring their own water bottle from home to breakfast and lunch. Students can only be given 1 milk if they bought a school lunch or buy 1 milk if they are a packer; no extra milks will be purchased. We are not serving milk at breakfast. Thank you for understanding our constraints and reasons for altering our drink availability during this shortage.

Please help the Student Council of Shepherdstown Elementary collect new items to donate to Jefferson County Community Ministries. We will focus on children's items.

Suggested items in baby, child, and teen sizes: socks, underwear, gloves/mittens, and winter hats are the priorities. Pajamas and fleece/throw blankets are also acceptable. They already have lots of coats and do not need any more at the moment. Please donate new items only.

Please send any items to the school by Friday, December 1st. We will gather the items and donate them the first week of December. Thank you for your continued support of our students, school, and community.

The S.E.A. and Student Council have created days to dress up in honor of American Education Week.

Coming home to you soon will be your child's custom catalog 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 : https://shop.square1art.com/Shop/artwork/Search

and enter state, school name, and your student's name. Your student's art and code will appear, and you may order! Order by 11/21/2023

This month's Star Award goes to our third grade teacher Mrs. Mitchell who shined on her colleagues with all her helpfulness, positivity, and encouragement!

First graders enjoyed the activities their teachers dissected from their ELA study of the human body!

Our attendance secretary would like to remind families who send in notes regarding their child to always include the child's first and last name please. You can email her changes regarding your child's day at kristin.ainsworth@k12.wv.us

Thank you for using the school or JCS website to submit your absences within 3 days of your child's absence. This simple step removes the possibility of the child not turning in a hand written note. Remember, you get 10 parent notes a year to excuse your child and after that they will be unexcused. You can submit as many doctor's notes as needed without any penalty. Lastly, if you are submitting an educational leave due to a vacation, you can find the paperwork on the JCS (Menu, students & families, parents & caregivers, Leave of Ed. Value Request Form) and you turn it in 5 days prior to the absence. You then have to turn in final project within 5 days after return to school. You may contact Mrs. Payne for any further clarification on absences.

Who would have thought S.E.S. family's hearts were so big that we could raise $11,456 in 8 weeks! We only need 3 more sign-ups to complete our challenge. Read more below!