NewsFlash | Help Publish Student Writing, Scientists Needed, and Odyssey of the Mind

Wake County Schools gave a SHOUT OUT to @pta_joyner for receiving @NationalPTA Schools of Excellence designation! pic.twitter.com/3rLltbyFNF

National PTA School of Excellence Logo

Junior Authors’ Guild (JAG) Needs Volunteers

Help publish Joyner students’ writing! The JAG committee is responsible for publishing original student work, including yearly biography books for each classroom and original teacher classroom projects. Volunteers for JAG may interview students, communicate with teachers, and type, bind, and laminate student works. Please contact Lori Nieter at lori.nieter.phd@gmail.com for more information or to volunteer for the JAG committee.

 

Required Volunteer Registration Only Takes a Second

If you plan on volunteering in any way this year (and we know you want to!), you MUST complete the WCPSS registration. Just stop by the media center (or any Wake County public school) and fill out the online form — it’s really quick, especially if you’ve registered in years past. You must complete and be approved (which takes additional time) before being allowed to work alone with groups of Joyner children.

 

Calling All Scientists!

JYJ’s annual Science-Go-Round is coming Nov. 9, and we are in search of some exciting new presenters! Know any engineers, pilots, doctors, dentists, veterinarians, chemists, physicists, health and wellness experts, or scientists from other fields who would be willing to share their knowledge and passion with our students? If so, please contact Leigh Wolitski at leigh@etelli.com for additional information.

 

Odyssey of the Mind General Interest Meeting

Come learn about Odyssey of the Mind at 6 p.m. in the media center on Tuesday, Sept. 19. The meeting will include a short presentation and Q&A session. Joyner has a rich history of creative problem-solving, and we invite all K-5 students and parents to participate in this year’s program. Email joynerom@gmail.com for more information.

 

Fall Picture Day is September 22

Start practicing your picture smile! School pictures are next Friday, Sept. 22. Order forms will come home with students this week, so go ahead and make those haircut appointments. (Note: Earlier schedules listed picture day as 9/27 — the correct date is 9/22.)

 

Pre-Order Joyner Spirit Wear

Show your school pride and support the PTA! Pre-order forms for Joyner Spirit Wear should have come home with your student. Orders will be accepted through Sept. 29 and this is the only Jagwear sale for the school year. Click to view the options: short-sleeved teelong-sleeved tee, and sweatshirt. You can click here to download an order form, if your child’s form gets lost in the twilight zone between school and home.

Kiwanis Park Volunteer Opportunity

Kiwanis Park is a huge asset to Joyner Elementary as we use it for recess, special events, field day and the 5th grade kickball game. There are exciting plans for a major renovation this year, but the funding has fallen a bit short. You can pledge to help by converting volunteer hours into savings for the project!

Joyner parent Jen Schrage is partnering with Kiwanis to help raise the additional needed funds via cash or volunteer pledges, and pledges must be in by October 1. Pledges to volunteer count at $23.56/hour. Go to  http://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040c4cabaa29a13-pledge to sign up or donate. Contact Jen at theschragefamily@yahoo.com with any questions.

 

School Performance Grades Released

Joyner received a “B” for the 2016-17 school year, according to accountability data released last week to the State Board of Education. Joyner is among the one-third of schools in the state that received an “A” or “B” grade. School Performance Grades are generally based 80 percent on the school’s achievement score (how well 3rd-5th graders did on the tests) and 20 percent on students’ academic growth (how many months of progress they made over the course of the year). Joyner was also among the 80 percent of elementary schools that met their growth targets.

 

Quick Links

Calendar Items

  • Sept. 15: Summer reading celebration during school
  • Sept. 19: Odyssey of the Mind general interest meeting, 6 pm
  • Sept. 21: Teacher workday (no school)
  • Sept. 22: Fall picture day
  • Sept. 27: Joyner Spirit Night at United Skates of America, 6-8:30
  • Sept. 29: Early release and Teacher Appreciation
  • Oct. 13: Joyner Jamboree
  • Oct. 20: Early release and Teacher Appreciation
  • Oct. 31: Teacher workday (no school)

The NewsFlash is produced (almost) every week by the Joyner PTA communications chair. Have an announcement to include in a future edition of the NewsFlash? Submit your article via this form. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @pta_joyner.

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