Hope everyone is enjoying spring break! Get lots of rest and read some good books if you can so you come back ready to learn next week.
Kindergarten registration and readiness camps open now
Have friends and neighbors zoned to attend Joyner next year? Remind them to register their rising kindergartners now so that our school leaders can plan for the fall! Rising kindergarten orientation will be held at Joyner on May 10.
To help students prepare for kindergarten, Joyner teachers Ms. Forbes and Ms. Johnson are offering fun half-day kindergarten readiness camps at Hayes Barton Baptist Church this summer. The camps will run from 9 a.m. to noon for the weeks of June 26, July 24, July 31 and Aug. 7 and are open to all rising kindergartners (not just Joyner students) for $150/week. Through games, crafts and hands-on activities, the camps will focus on the physical, intellectual, emotional and social child to prepare for the awesomeness that is kindergarten. See MemberHub files to download the camp flyer and registration form.
Support for Joyner family
Many of you may already know that the Joyner family recently suffered a tremendous loss when parent Lucette Tshiyonga — mother of Mael (6th grade) and Karla (4th grade) — passed away. If you are interested in supporting the family through this difficult time, please visit their Go Fund Me page at https://www.gofundme.com/3af7z68. The Joyner PTA is grateful for all that Lucette did as a parent volunteer and we hold her family in our hearts.
Quilting squares and the Heritage Parade next week
Over the break, don’t forget to work with your child on your family’s quilting square. You should have received a small felt square with a pink letter from Ms. Orr last week. Please bring these back to school after spring break, and volunteers will sew them together into a large unity quilt.
As members of the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) community, Joyner would like to honor our diverse heritage with a parade at 8:45 a.m. on Wednesday, April 19. Any members of our school community who wish to dress in traditional clothing and participate in a celebration of our cultural backgrounds are welcome to gather in the media center at 8:30. Following the parade, we’ll host a “quilting bee” to create a Joyner Unity Quilt. Please contact dorr@wcpss.net to sign up for the Heritage Parade or to volunteer your time and sewing skills on April 19.
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month
All children deserve a great childhood, both for themselves and for the future success of our society. When children grow up in safe, stable, nurturing homes and communities they are more likely to become healthy, productive adults. Adverse childhood experiences, like child abuse and neglect, rob us all of a successful future. These experiences cause toxic stress that damages children’s developing brain architecture, resulting in poor school and workplace performance, increased risk of addictions and criminal behavior, and long-term physical and mental health problems.
We all have a role in helping children grow up in safe, stable, nurturing homes and communities. Take a moment during April to learn more from Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina about ways you can improve the lives of children today in order to create a more prosperous and productive North Carolina tomorrow. You can also take PCANC’s free 2-hour Recognizing & Responding to Suspicions of Child Maltreatment online course designed for professionals and volunteers working with children and families and any NC citizen concerned with child well-being.
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
- Triple P (Positive Parenting Program)
Calendar items
- April 19: Heritage Parade at 8:45 a.m. (contact dorr@wcpss.net to sign up for the parade or to volunteer your time and sewing skills
- April 20: PTA general membership meeting and 2nd grade/3rd grade/choir concert, 6:30 p.m.
- April 22: JYJ Gold Choir at the Carolina Mudcats
- April 27: JY Joyner Foundation gala
- May 4: Food Truck Frenzy and Night of Nonsense
- May 10: Kindergarten orientation, 8:35 a.m.