December 18, 2012

Dear Jordye Bacon Elementary Parents,

In light of recent news events, we want to reassure you that JBE has a School-wide Safety Plan in place. It has been reviewed and approved by the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA). Local first responders also have a copy of it. We conduct monthly fire drills as well as periodic intruder drills, tornado drills, earthquake drills, suspicious package drills, etc. While no plan is a complete guarantee, we are confident JBE students are being educated in a safe and secure environment.

Thank you for being supportive of the new visitors on campus policy as well as the other policies currently in place. We ask that you take time during the break to speak with your child about taking all drills seriously and listening to and obeying the adults in charge of their protection. It is crucial that students go, move, crouch down, be silent, etc. when they are told to and without delay.

With home and school working together we can continue to keep JBE a safe place to learn. Enjoy the winter break and we look forward to a great new year!

Respectfully,

James M. Johnson

New LCSS Elementary School Zones 2013/ 2014 School Year

Dear Parent/Guardian,

On October 23, 2012, the Liberty County Board of Education approved the proposed rezoning of the Liberty County School System (LCSS) elementary schools. The rezoning was necessary due to the closing of Jordye Bacon Elementary School (JBE) at the end of the 2012/2013 school year.

In order to inform parents of where their child will attend school for the 2013/2014 school year, I am sending home a street list with your child today to let you know what school he/she will attend next school year.  I am also going to ask the LCSS Technology Department to add the list of streets and the school that is zoned for that street to JBE's web site. I will also post the zoning list and map in the main office and in the lunchroom at JBE. Keep in mind that the rezoning will not go into effect until August of 2013.

In addition, the Liberty County Board of Education members wanted me to inform you of the different color shirt each school has as part of the dress code;

Red: Button Gwinnett Elementary, Joseph Martin Elementary, Lyman Hall Elementary
Burgundy: Frank Long Elementary
Gold: Liberty Elementary, Waldo Pafford Elementary,
Baby/Light Blue: Taylors Creek Elementary

If you have questions please call me at school.

Respectfully,
Mike Johnson

Dear Parents,

I want to welcome you to Jordye Bacon Elementary School (JBE). Our staff has been working hard all summer to prepare for the new school year. As always our focus is to improve the instruction by our teachers and the achievement of our students. Please remind your child that we have high expectations concerning their academics, attendance, and their behavior.

I want to bring to your attention the policies we have concerning parent visitations and conferences, dropping off students at school, and afternoon pick-up.

Please do not drop your child off at school before 7:20 a.m. we have no one at school to supervise these students. Students are counted tardy after 7:40 a.m. Classes begin at 7:40. Breakfast will not be served to students after 8:00 A.M. If you want your child to eat at school they must get to school before 8:00 A.M. This year dismissal will be at 2:15 P.M.

1. Parents will not be allowed to walk their child to his/her classroom in the morning.

2. If you are on our campus without a pass we will require you to go to the office and get a pass. You must schedule a conference to meet with a teacher. If you need to give your child a message, supplies, homework, or have questions for the teacher, please go to the main office and we will provide you with assistance. You cannot go directly to the classroom during the school day.

3. If you are picking up your son or daughter you may be asked to show a picture ID. Your child can only be picked up by a person you designate on the registration card.

4. If you plan on your child being parent pick-up on a consistent basis, ask for a JBE hang tag. If you do not have a JBE hang tag you will have to go to the main office to sign your child out of school.

5. If there are any changes in the way you want your child to leave school at the end of the day please write a note to the teacher. We will not change a child’s regular transportation by phone.

6. Please inform the school of changes in home, work, cellular, or emergency contact numbers.

7. The safety and education of your child is our utmost concern. Please help keep our campus safe by following these guidelines. With your assistance and cooperation we can make Jordye Bacon Elementary one of the best schools in the state.

Thank you for your continued support. I know this will be a great school year for all of us.

Sincerely,

Mike Johnson

March Events

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Just a short note to let you know that on the school's website there is a section that list all JBE's upcoming activities for students and parents. We get many calls each day asking about upcoming events. Now you can tell your neighbors that if they go to JBE's web site they can get a list of events. Please remember to utilize JBE's website to get information about the school and communicate with your child's teacher.
Thanks for all you do to support our students and staff.

Dr. Johnson

Christmas and New Year

Dear parents and guardians,

Just wanted to take time to thank everyone for all the support you have given JBE the first semester. We have had a super first semester. We can not be successful without the support. I hope you have a great break and I know everyone will be ready to work hard when they return January 5, 2012.

Dr. Johnson

Red Ribbon Week

Dear Parents,

Today begins JBE's Red Ribbon Week. Our committee has put together activities every day with a rally Friday, October 27, 2012. Tuesday is "Lets put a cap on it or sock it to drugs" Wear hat or crazy socks (uniform day), Wednesday is "Smarties don,t do drugs" everyone gets smarties( uniform day), Thursday is Black out drugs, wear black (dress down day), and Friday is wear Red Day (dress down day) with a rally in the gym.

Dear Parents,

We are off to a great start. Our staff is working hard to keep our focus on improving the instruction of our teachers and the achievement of our students. Please remind your child that we have high expectations concerning their academics, attendance, and their behavior.
I want to bring to your attention the policies we have concerning parent visitations and conferences, dropping off students at school, and afternoon pick-up.
Please do not drop your child off at school before 7:20 a.m.; we have no one at school to supervise these students. Students are counted tardy after 7:40 a.m. Classes begin at 7:40. Breakfast will not be served to students after 8:00 A.M. If you want your child to eat at school they must get to school before 8:00 A.M.
1. If you are planning to visit your child’ s classroom please schedule the visit in advance and make sure you stop by the main office for a visitor’s pass. If you are on our campus without a pass we will require you to go to the office and get a pass. I have told my teachers not to stop instruction to meet with a parent.
2. If you need to give your child a message, supplies, homework, or have questions for the teacher, please go to the main office and we will provide you with assistance. Please do not go directly to the classroom.
3. If you are picking up your son or daughter be prepared to show a picture ID. Your child can only be picked up by a person you designate on the registration card.
4. If you plan on your child being parent pick-up on a consistent basis, ask for a JBE hang tag. You do not have to sign your child out if you have a JBE hang tag.
5. If there are any changes in the way you want your child to leave school at the end of the day please write a note to the teacher. We will not change a child’s regular transportation by phone.
6. Please inform the school of changes in home, work, cellular, or emergency contact numbers.
The safety and education of your child is our utmost concern. Please help keep our campus safe by following these guidelines. With your assistance and cooperation we can make Jordye Bacon Elementary one of the best schools in the state.
Thank you for your continued support. I know this will be a great school year for all of us.

Sincerely,


Mike Johnson

CRCT

I want to let every one know that CRCT testing has been going great. We have had perfect attendance everyday except Wednesday. Our students are working hard and I am very proud of them. Thank you teachers and parents for preparing our students for testing. I know they are doing well.

SACS Visit

Dear Parents, students, and staff,

The visit from the SACS review team went great for JBE and the Liberty County School System. The system has been recommended for accreditation and the visiting team was impress with JBE and the entire school system. Thank you for your support.

I want to thank Mr. Harley Grove and Mrs. Carol Spurlin for their leadership from the central office. Their hard work to prepare the system employees and parents for the visit paid off. We are lucky to have their expertise.

The team that visited JBE commented that this was a very safe and calm campus and it seemed everyone was happy to be a part of JBE.

Just a short reminder to our staff and parents that the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Quality Assurance Team will visit Jordye Bacon Elementary School March 1, 2011. I look forward to talking to them about the great things that are happening at JBE.

Happy Holidays

Dear students, parents, and staff,

I want to take this opportunity to express my thanks to all of you for making the first half of the school year great. We have had many exciting and fun activities and teaching and learning has been exceptional.
Please have a safe and enjoyable winter break and come back to JBE ready to begin the second half of the year.

PTO

Hello all,

Just wanted to let every one know that JBE now has a Parent Teacher Organization (PTO). Ms. Karen Carter is the President of the PTO. Ms. Carter has organized the meetings and is in the process of creating a PTO Board of Directors. I am very excited about the number of parents that have attended the meetings and volunteered to help our students through the PTO. Thursday, October 27, 2010,at 9:00 am in the gym the PTO is sponsoring an assembly to have a Hinesville police officer speak to our students about safety during fall celebrations. If you would like to offer assistance to our PTO, you can contact Ms. Carter at Jbe_president@yahoo,com.

Dear Parents,

I want to welcome you to Jordye Bacon Elementary School (JBE) and congratulate you and your child for helping JBE make the required Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) for the eighth straight year. Without your help our school could not have accomplished this milestone.
Our staff has been working hard all summer to prepare for the new school year. As always our focus is to improve the instruction of our teachers and the achievement of our students. We cannot do this without your continued help and cooperation. Please remind your child that we have high expectations concerning their academics, attendance, and their behavior.

JBE's Gardens...

Take a look at what's growing on our campus...lots of delicious vegetables and beautiful flowers!!

Read Across Liberty Day

On Wednesday, March 31st, several community members visited our school and read some favorite stories to the classes.  Thanks to everyone who participated in this special day!

CRCT

Dear Parents,

All first through fifth grade students will be taking the CRCT (Criterion-Referenced Competency Test). * First and second graders will be testing April 19th through April 21st. *Third through 5th graders will test April 19th through April 23rd. The purpose for this test is to obtain information that will help us diagnose individual student strengths and weaknesses, and to gauge the quality of education throughout Georgia. We have been working very hard this year preparing your child to do his/her best. There are several things you can do to help us.

You can contribute to good test performance. Please help us with the following:

• Make sure your child arrives on time for school. Try not to schedule any appointments for your child the mornings of the test.
• Make sure your child is well rested. During testing, it might be a good idea that they go to bed earlier. Children who are tired are less likely to pay attention in class or to handle the demands of a test.
• Make sure your child eats a good breakfast. A healthy body leads to a healthy, active mind.
• Make sure your child feels your support. Encourage them to do their best. But try not to be overly anxious about the test scores. Too much emphasis can be upsetting to children.
• If your child wears an assistive device, such as a hearing aid and/or glasses, be sure he/she remembers to bring it and wear it during all testing sessions.
• Lastly, please be mindful that testing sessions cannot be interrupted. If a student arrives after testing has begun, they will have to remain in the office until the session is over. Also keep in mind that a student may not be signed out during a test session.

We have very high expectations!! I know if we work together, we will excel. Remember, “Jordye Bacon Always Buzzes With The Best!!”
Thanks for all you do.


Dr. Mike Johnson
Principal


Mrs. Susan Purser
Curriculum Coordinator

Celebrating Read Across America

Cat in the Hat visited JBE and read many of Dr. Seuss' great stories.  The students enjoyed reading many of his great books as well and participating in the AR challenge for the week.  Everyone did a great job ~ the total AR points for the week was 653.5 points with an average of 80.1%.  Way to go students!!  Keep up the great work!!

Read Across America ~

Read Across America ~

March 1-March 5, 2010

Story Time in the Media Center ~ students will have a chance to hear some of Dr. Seuss' stories.

Tuesday, March 2 ~ In Honor of Dr. Seuss' Birthday, students and staff are encouraged to wear red, black and white, as well as their favorite Dr. Seuss Hat.

AR CONTEST ~ the class on each grade level with the highest AR points for the week, as well as an 85% or higher class average, will receive a pizza party!!

During the week, students who take an AR test on a Dr. Seuss book and make an 80% or higher will receive a special treat.

JBE Receives $5,000...

On February 2, 2010, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation awarded JBE $5,000 as a part of a their program to give back to the educational community.  Ralph Parker, the district manager, Margie Meneley, the local manager, and Brenda Dent presented the check to Dr. Johnson.

Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl

We had nine 5th grade students who participated in the Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl last week.  They did an excellent job in preparing for this big event.  Our school competed against the other 7 elementary schools in our county.  Keep up the good work and keep on reading!!