SummerFlash | Welcome to August!

Posted on by Cyndi O'Neil

What to expect in August

Only three and a half weeks left before school starts! For many of you, back-to-school routines are old hat — but for some, this is your first August at Joyner. Whether you need a introduction or just a refresher, here are a few notes about what to expect this month:

  • Letters with classroom assignments (1st-5th grades) and staggered entry dates (kindergarten) — along with other helpful info about Joyner and the PTA — will be mailed from WCPSS by Aug. 19. Note that staggered entry for kindergarten means those students will only attend school ONE day during the week of Aug. 29.
  • Kindergarten gatherings with popsicles on the playground are set for Thursday, Aug. 11, at 10 a.m. and Sunday, Aug. 14, at 3:30 p.m. Come meet other Joyner kindergarten families and talk to current students and parents! Please RSVP to hannacompton@gmail.com.
  • Meet the Teacher for students in 1st-5th grades runs from 8-9:30 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 26. Bring your kids and drop in anytime during that block to check out your child’s new classroom, introduce yourself to your child’s teacher, pick up a carpool number, get a walker number, check your bus information, sign up for before/after school care and drop your pre-ordered supplies at your child’s desk. You can even sign up to be room parent for your child’s class while you’re there. PTA will also have a table set up so you can go ahead and join the PTA and give to the No-Fuss fundraiser — details coming soon. (Kindergarten Meet the Teacher will be held on Sept. 2 from 12:30-1:30 p.m.)
  • School supply lists are on the Joyner website at http://www.wcpss.net/Page/4728, in case you didn’t pre-order supplies to be delivered to school.
  • Deposit lunch money in your child’s account through the My School Bucks lunch money app, if your child plans on buying cafeteria lunch. You can also use the app to see what they buy, so you know if they’re getting the lunch or just buying desserts. Not that anyone would do that. Or if you’re looking for information about the state’s Free or Reduced Price Meals in the National School Lunch Program, click here for the latest updates.
  • Help out the PTA by volunteering for the audit position on the PTA board — contact Catherine Otto at catherineeotto@gmail.com for details.

 

What does that mean?

The overhang. The Jamboree. OM. IB. PYP.

Like all families, Joyner tends to use its own shorthand and nicknames for lots of things — plus the world of education comes with a whole set of terms and acronyms. Check out our handy-dandy JYJ glossary to find definitions of terms and explanations of programs to help keep you in the know — it’s saved in the Files section of the Joyner hub.

 

Donate to Joyner’s Backback Buddies program

So far we’ve raised about $1,000 for Joyner’s Backpack Buddies program, administered through the Interfaith Food Shuttle. That amount will only cover about three Joyner children in need to take home some basic food each weekend — and we need your help to fund 18-20 food insecure students for the 2016-17 school year. It costs $350 per child to provide them with a weekly bag to take home filled with nutritious food throughout the school year.

If you would like to contribute, just click this link — you can donate anonymously if you wish, and it only takes a minute! Alternatively, you can mail your donation to: Ele Roberts 616 Mial Street, Raleigh 27608. Checks can be made out to Interfaith Food Shuttle with “Joyner” on the memo line. Donations are tax deductible. You will receive a receipt for tax purposes directly from Interfaith Food Shuttle. Joyner’s goal is to collect enough to fully fund the program before school starts in August. If you have questions, please contact our Joyner volunteers: Ele Roberts (919) 649-6600, Lisa Brown (919)782-0640 or Kelly Valdespino (919)835-0405.

 

Updates to MemberHub

The Joyner PTA and the J.Y. Joyner Foundation both use MemberHub for communications with Joyner parents, but we don’t have a way to automatically subscribe families to the hub. If you know someone who is joining the Joyner family and isn’t set up in MemberHub, please ask them to complete the form at this link: http://bit.ly/JYJmemberhub. 

Already in MemberHub? Take a moment to be sure your profile is updated. If your child is no longer attending Joyner and you’d like to be removed from the JYJ hub, just reply to this message and ask to unsubscribe.

 

Get those final summer books!

Hopefully your kids are finding time between camps and other summer activities to keep up their reading! Extra reading logs, as well as program info in English and Spanish, are available on MemberHub. Students can keep track of the minutes they read this summer (either at www.scholastic.com or on the log in sheet) and be eligible for a celebration in September. Don’t forget to join us for the last Summer Reading Challenge library meet-up on Aug. 8 at 10 a.m. at the Leesville Community Library.

 

Access online learning resources

Be sure to use Joyner’s online learning resources over the summer! Big Universe, PebbleGo, BrainPop, BrainPop, Jr, CultureGrams, Tumblebooks, NC WiseOwl and more are available to you for free as a Wake County/Joyner family. Check the files section of MemberHub for login information and let the learning begin! If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Hale at dhale@wcpss.net.

 

Quick links

Calendar items

  • Aug. 8: Summer reading meet-up, Leesville Community Library, 10 a.m.
  • Aug. 11: Popsicles on the playground for rising kindergartners, 10 a.m.
  • Aug. 14: Popsicles on the playground for rising kindergartners, 3:30 p.m.
  • Aug. 26: Meet the Teacher (grades 1-5), 8-9:30 a.m.
  • Aug. 29: First day of school!
  • Sept. 2: Kindergarten Meet the Teacher, 12:30-1:30 p.m.
  • Sept. 8: Open House, 5-7 p.m.

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