Dear JES family and friends,

ONE Day Without Shoes at JES April 17^th!!!

How perfect that our character trait for April is PEACE! With ONE Day Without Shoes, we are giving children hope that they might have a peaceful future. One pair of shoes for a child can gain them entry to school, keep them healthy, protect them from injury, and most of all give them the knowledge that someone cares about them. Not to mention the peace our children feel when they give to others, especially those in need.
                                                     

 On April 17^th, we will be going shoeless (wearing clean socks!)at school to bring attention to the needs of children around the world who miss opportunities in life because they do not have shoes. Send in a NEW pair of shoes to donate to Shoes for Orphan Souls on April 17th. For more information visit the Shoes for Orphan Souls website at:

                                  http://www.shoesfororphansouls.org/ .shtml

STAAR testing for fourth grade writing is coming up on Tuesday, April 10^th. Third and fourth grades will be testing on May 14^th and 15^th.  Our students are well prepared. The most important thing that parents can do is make sure your child is rested, well fed, and in attendance  and on time for testing days. Thank you for your help.

Fourth Grade Orientation
Student Orientation for our fourth graders going to Durham Intermediate next fall is on May 21st. All fourth graders will travel to DIS by bus for an informational talk by the DIS administrators and a tour of the campus. A Parent Orientation is May 9^th at 6PM-8PM in the Durham Intermediate Cafeteria. Transition to fifth grade can be a challenge. Attending the orientation meetings can ease some of the anxiety by answering many of your questions about procedures, the schedules and the “always challenging” lockers!

Mental Health and Wellness News

April's focus topic is Resiliency and Child Abuse. Visit our newsletter for current information about what we are doing to promote resiliency in our growing Dragons.https://www.smore.com/467q3

Also, please check out the Let's Talk section  which provides anonymous phone lines to report concerns to help keep our Dragons safe. 

As always, if I can assist you in any way, please call.
Kindest regards,
Ziba Johnston 

JES Counselor