A HUGE thank you to committee co-chairs Melanie Jones and Juli Openshaw and to all the volunteers who helped make the Jamboree such a smashing success! With a little cooperation from the weather, we had a great night celebrating together as a Joyner family. Hope that your airbrush tattoos are still going strong!
Help find presenters for Science Go Round
The Science Go Round Committee is looking for volunteers to present to Joyner students at our daylong science event on Thursday, Nov. 10. JYJ’s annual Science Go Round is a fun-filled day when scientists and parents give hands-on demonstrations to our students, connecting science application with the real world. Do you love gardening, cooking or astronomy? Do you work or do research in a field of science like dentistry, pharmacy, medicine, agronomy, physics or food science? Even if you don’t do any of those things yourself, maybe you know someone who does… ask your family members, friends, co-workers or neighbors if they might be interested in sharing their science expertise with children in a hands-on way. If you are interested or want more information, please contact Katie Calvillo at 919-272-3225 or Katie@calvillo.com.
Open House set for end of Disability Awareness Month
Across Wake County public schools, 21,000 students have identified disabilities. About 10 percent of students at Joyner have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) to help meet their learning needs. Learn more as we wrap up Disability Awareness month by attending the WCPSS special education open house on Nov. 3 or read one Joyner mom’s explanation of what it means to be “uniquely capable.”
Study Buddies information session
Please join us in the library on Wednesday, Nov. 9, from 8-8:30 a.m. to learn more about the Study Buddies program beginning at Joyner. The program will pair adult volunteers with students in each grade that need a little extra one-on-one time reading or doing class work — no prior teaching experience necessary. For more information, contact Kate Parke kparke24@gmail.com.
Azalea planting this Sunday
Thanks to Julie Dalton and her crew (see below), we’ve got 50 1-gallon azaleas already picked up and ready to plant around campus. Sign up now in MemberHub to help out this Sunday, Oct. 30, from 1-3 p.m. Burn off all that early Halloween candy you’ve been sneaking or help your middle/high school students get those community service hours in.
So you think you can dance?
It’s Dance-a-Thon time again! Grab your dancing shoes and join The J.Y. Joyner Foundation on Thursday, Nov. 17, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. for the Second Annual Dance-A-Thon. This year it’s bigger and better than before! The Foundation has the Bunn DJ Company spinning tunes and Broughton’s Dance Team showing their moves, plus Dads-Dance-Off, limbo, glow sticks, food trucks and more! New this year: Class Songs and a raffle, with fantastic music-related prizes. Best of all: Every dollar raised helps keep our staff at full strength. Details on tickets, pledges, raffles, the dance video contest and more in your Wednesday folder this week.
KIDS: Starting this week, make your own kid-appropriate dance video (20 seconds maximum) and email it to kparke24@gmail.com. The Foundation will show as many as possible on the Joyner News and then reveal them all on the big screen Nov. 17!
We’re listening — here’s your chance to speak up
We at Joyner know that a strong partnership among our families, school leaders and community is important for the success of our students and school. That’s why we are participating in the National PTA School of Excellence program, which celebrates partnerships between PTAs and schools to enrich the educational experience and overall well-being for all students. As part of the program, we need your feedback at the beginning of the year.
Please take 5-10 minutes to reflect on your experience at Joyner and complete this 31-question survey: PTA School of Excellence Survey. Your response will be anonymous. (Paste this link in your browser if the hyperlinks above don’t work: http://bit.ly/JYJPTAsurvey.)
Parenting in the age of social media
If that headline made your stomach clench, then consider attending a discussion on “Social Media and the Middle School Student: A Primer for Parents” on Nov. 2 at 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium at Daniels Middle School. Speaker Natalie Riche, outreach specialist from the NC Department of Justice, will cover everything from gaming apps to social networking apps to hiding apps to the dynamics of texting. Families from Daniels, Carroll and Martin middle schools as well as rising 6th grade families are invited to attend. Please fill out this quick anonymous RSVP survey to help make this opportunity enriching for all families that attend.
Register and sign in to volunteer at JYJ
Be sure to complete the volunteer registration with WCPSS before the end of the month! If you wait until November, you’ll have to start the process over, even if you’ve been approved in the past. Stop by the Joyner media center or any WCPSS school and fill out the online form. Also, any time you come into school to volunteer or visit, be sure to sign in at the main office.
Quick links
- Joyner PTA website
- Joyner glossary of terms
- J.Y. Joyner Foundation website
- Mrs. Hutchinson’s blog
- WCPSS email alerts and newsletters
- Lunch menus
- My School Bucks (lunch money app)
- WCPSS Online School Payments (for field trips)
- Mr. Fotta’s adoption site
Calendar items
- Oct. 31: Make-up day — school in session
- Nov. 8: 2-hour delay for all WCPSS schools (election day)
- Nov. 10: Science Go Round
- Nov. 11: Veteran’s Day (no school)
- Nov. 17: 2nd Annual JYJ Foundation Dance-a-Thon, 5:30-7:30 p.m.