8/13/21

Good Afternoon Jonathan Valley Families,

Thank you for all your hard work and support as we begin the 21-22 school year. We love your kids and are so glad that your family is a part of Jonathan Valley.  The first day of school is Monday, August 16, and it is a 12:30 dismissal.

This message contains information about the first day of school, arrival, masks, breakfast and lunch, buses, car riders, COVID guidelines, Kindergarten,  and beginning of year paperwork.  All of this information will not fit in the time limit on the call system, so it will be sent through the email you have connected to your HCS phone account, through Remind, and posted on our JVE website.

First Day of School

If you were not able to come to the Meet the Teachers sessions due to your work schedule or vacation, etc., you may schedule a conference with your child’s teacher at a later time. Since each teacher offered multiple days and times for Meet the Teacher, car riders should be dropped off on the sidewalk to walk into the building as we did last year.  We have over 400 students; if all of them have one parent walk them in, that is 800 people coming into the building all at once and we simply cannot have that many people in the halls at the same time as we try to abide by the new COVID guidelines. I am trusting in advance that you will comply with this request.  We will have all of our Jonathan Valley team on hand to make sure our students get to class.

ARRIVAL

As the school year gets ready to begin, please remember students may begin entering the building at 7:30 AM.  The tardy bell rings at 8:10 AM.   This year if your child is tardy, you will need to park, walk them in the building, and sign them in at the front office.

MASK INFO

Please be sure you have let your child’s teacher know if you wish for your child to wear a mask.. Teachers will be “mask reminders” but not the “mask police”. If you communicate that you want your child to wear a mask and the student takes it off, the teacher will remind them several times that you want them to wear it and then they will communicate to you that your child isn’t keeping it on. 

Masks are required by all staff and students on school buses and activity buses.

If a child gets sick at school, we call home, and are waiting for someone to come pick him/her up, the child will be required to wear a mask while waiting to be picked up.

BREAKFAST AND LUNCH

Breakfast and lunch are free for all students again this year. Please complete the free/reduced lunch application anyway because federal funding comes from our percentage of students who qualify for that program. More information about the free/reduced lunch application will be included in the beginning of the year packet of paperwork that will be coming home with your child.Students will be picking up a bagged breakfast in the lobby in the mornings and taking it to their grade level hallway just like last year.  

Lunch will be a bit different from last year.  All of our classes have the option to eat in the cafeteria or outside.  As stated before, we are still socially distancing to the extent that is possible. 

Bus Drivers and Numbers for JVE

Bus 45-Mrs. Nikki

Bus 46-Mr. Joe

Bus 47-Mrs. Linda

Masks are now required on buses.  Yellow school buses are state owned and fall under the Federal transportation order for public transportation.  The order states that passengers and drivers must wear a mask on school buses, including on buses operated by public and private school systems.  The School Boards’ action to make masks optional did not include buses.  Bus riders should allow at least 10 minutes before and after the usual arrival time of their bus.  Throughout the year we have students moving in to JVE and moving out of JVE.  This can cause bus pick up and drop off times to fluctuate.  

Car Riders

The car rider line will operate as usual.  Please plan to be in line by 2:50.  As the year goes along the car line will get quicker.  We ask that you wait in your vehicle or beside your vehicle.  Please do not wait on the sidewalk.  This is a safety issue, and it blocks our students as they try to make their way to their vehicle. Our JVE faculty and staff will help all students get to their vehicle.  Students not picked up by 3:10 will be taken to after school.Please have the yellow car rider sign in your front windshield / window.  This will help our folks on the JVE car rider line.  It helps keep our car line a little safer, and it also keeps the car line moving.  This sign should be in your vehicle window everyday.  

COVID Guidelines

New COVID guidelines were sent out by HCS this week.  Please see the link in your email associated with this account, the HCS or JVE website, or Remind.  

Kindergarten

Kindergarten students will be contacted by Kindergarten teachers with more information about all things Kindergarten.  Kindergarten Camp students will be signed in on the front sidewalk, and walked to the classroom by their teacher.  We are excited to welcome our newest Panthers to JVE.

Beginning of Year Paperwork

As always, paperwork will be coming home with your student.  Some may have already been filled out at your Meet the Teacher session, but more may also be sent home.  After school care paperwork will be sent home with all students on Monday.  We ask all families to fill this paperwork out even if you do not plan for your child to stay in after school care.  Emergencies do arise, and if we do not have paperwork on file, your child cannot go to after school care.  After school care will begin Wednesday, August 17th.  Also, please read through the agenda book, and be sure to sign the page in the agenda indicating you have read it.  

Have a great evening, and give us a call if you have any questions.