OCTOBER - Contentment

Dear JES Family and Friends,

October as always is shaping up to be a busy one! Our character value for this month is CONTENTMENT defined as: Deciding to be happy with what you have.  I hope you continue to use the Core Essentials Values to spark conversations at home. When we work together, school and home, we can do amazing things!

DRAGONS GO BLUE!

On October 1st we celebrate World Day of Bullying Prevention. All throughout Dragon Country, we ask that everyone wear blue to bring awareness to the issue of bullying. We will be participating in activities that raise awareness of being kind and standing up for others throughout the month. Around the district we are awakening Rachel's Challenge in an effort to address bullying and the power of one to create a chain reaction of kindness. For more information visit rachelschallenge.org  At the K-4th grade level we discuss Rachel as a girl who was a role model for being kind, including and standing up for others. Ask your child about signing the banner pledging to be kind.

COGAT and ITBS for 4th Grade

On the 2nd of this month our fourth graders will be taking the CogAT test. The Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) measures students’ learned reasoning abilities in the three areas most linked to academic success in school: Verbal, Quantitative and Nonverbal. On October16^th and 17th our fourth graders will be taking the Iowa Test of Basic Skills or ITBS. Although the primary goal of CogAT is to assess students’ reasoning abilities, it can also provide predicted achievement scores when administered with the Iowa tests.

There is no special preparation you need to do at home for these tests. What you can do to help your student is make sure they are rested, well fed, and present at school on time on testing days. Please check your calendar and make sure that you have not scheduled doctor appointments during these mornings.

A parent letter went home a few weeks ago about the upcoming tests that should address any questions you might have about the actual test and its purpose.   Of course, as always, if you have additional questions, please contact me at Elizabeth.Johnston@southlakecarroll.edu or Haily.May@southlakecarroll.edu

Red Ribbon Week October 22^nd – 26th 

This is a district wide drug awareness celebration.  We will kick off the week with a fun theme for each day! Watch for information on the daily themes. Southlake Fire Department and Police will be dropping by for a safety lesson. The benefits of leading a healthy lifestyle will be our emphasis. Please take advantage of this opportunity to talk with your children about making good decisions. It’s never too soon to start that

conversation.

Back to Back to Back Compassions Cup Champions!

Congratulations to the most generous school family!!!! You are amazing! A THREE PEAT! What an achievement for our campus. There is no higher honor that we could receive than to be recognized as the most compassionate school in CISD!

Way to go JES!    

Kind regards,

Ziba Johnston

JES Counselor                              

Character Trait for September ~ INITIATIVE

Dear JES Family and Friends,

What fun it has been welcoming the children back to school! We are excited to get to know our many newcomers! We are working on settling into classroom routines. I will be visiting each classroom to introduce myself and having a short lesson about kindness and taking INITIATIVE. During the month of September, we will be talking about the character trait INITIATIVE defined as "seeing what needs to be done and doing it".

RACHEL'S CHALLENGE

On September 26th, we will have an assembly to introduce Rachel's Challenge to our students in a district wide initiative to promote a positive school culture. The program's anti bullying message encourages kindness and community service. Watch for more information coming from the district about Rachel's Challenge. 

MENTAL HEALTH and WELLNESS

Our district focus this month is Mental Health and Wellness with an emphasis on stress management and Suicide Awareness. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention,  suicides for children younger than 10 are rare. However, suicide is the second leading cause of death for individuals between 10-24 and is on the rise. Educate yourself on the risk factors and warning signs. A threat of self injury is a mental health crisis. The national suicide hotline is 1800-273-8255. The school district is here to partner with you to support your child. Let me know how we can help.

Are You A Lawnmower Parent?

An interesting article that recently came to my attention  began with the question : Are you a lawnmower parent? It is definitely a good read for any parent. I have to admit I have been a helicopter parent and maybe a lawnmower parent, until the realization that the message that I was sending to my child that they could not handle it(what ever "it" was) so I would have to step in. Our children need to take risks and fail so they can see that it is not the end of the world to fail or fall short. That there is life after a mistake and that it is ok...even for us parents. http://www.weareteachers.com/lawnmower-parents/

What an exciting time to have the whole school year before us! If I can help in any way, you can reach me at 817 949 4500 or Elizabeth.johnston@southlakecarroll.edu

Kindest regards,

Ziba Johnston
JES Counselor

@JESCounselor