Student Council Election Results

The speeches have been made, and the votes counted. Here is the slate of officers for Student Council for 2010-2011:

Mrs. Hamm's class:
President - Ramzi F.
Vice president - Katie R.
Secretary - Hanna G.
Treasurer - Taya E.

Mrs. Suslak's class:
President - Kevin S.
Co-vice presidents: Kareena S., Dominicque P.
Secretary - Ananta A.
Treasurer - Cole K.

Ms. Thompson's class:
President - Katie L.
Co-vice presidents - Gabbi P., Cole T.
Secretary - Jillian K.
Treasurer - Ansley B.

Congratulations to the new officers, and to every student who had the courage to run for office and make a speech in front of their peers and parents.

September 10
• PEP Traning, 8:30am
• Family Picnic, 5:00pm

September 14
• Parents' Association Meeting, 8:30am

September 15
• Student Council Meeting, 3:15pm
• Singapore Math Parents Training, 7:00pm

September 17
• PEP Training, 8:30am

September 21
•Preprimary Singapore Math
Parents' Workshop, 3:15pm

September 24
•Character Education Assembly, 8:30am
(wear 50th Anniversary t-shirts)
•Reading and Math Celebration

Sixth Grade Family Night

The sixth grade will have its own Family Night on Thursday, September 30, 5:30-9pm.

All participants will enjoy dinner by Chef Bryant in the Cool Caf.

Parents will attend an informational session, Everything You Need to Know About Your Pre-teen. Topics will include peer pressure, gossip, parties, Internet, telephone, and developmental changes between childhood and adolescence.

Meanwhile, the sixth-graders will dance to music with a live DJ during the evening. Extended Care will be available to non-6th grade siblings.

The cost is $10 per adult and $6 per child. Download the flyer and complete the form at the bottom. You may turn in the form and check (payable to JCDS) in the main office.

Contact Danese Tremble at trem365@aol.com or Grace Yu at gyu@me.com if you have any questions

The FAMILY PICNIC is tomorrow night
from 5:00-8:00pm.

Every parent MUST have a window name card to pick up a child from school.

Check out our e-store.

Swimsuit, towel, goggles, and sunscreen for PE.

Family Picnic is Tomorrow Night!

Don't forget that JCDS's 50th Anniversary Celebration continues with our Annual Family Picnic, tomorrow night from 5-8pm. You can still register online to attend.

Fifth and sixth graders, don't forget to show off your baking skills with a decorated cake for the Cake Walk. (Keep the beach theme in mind!)

Bake sale items are needed for the Bake Sale. Please pre-package items as follows: 3 cookies, 2 brownies, 1 bar, or 1 cupcake.)

Drop off all items in the cafeteria between 8am and 10am.

A barbecue buffet will be $10 for adults and $8 for each child. Fun activities include cakewalk, crab races, hula-hoop and limbo contests, DJ, swimming, and bounce house.

See you there!

Singapore Math News

Forty-four second grade parents attended the Singapore Math training session after school on September 7. At tables loaded with dics, charts, white boards, and number strips, parents learned about place value manipulatives and left to right mental math strategies.

Parents commented:

I learned a "new way to approach math problems for children which is different from the way we learned math in the past."

I saw "how my son is learning-- concrete, pictorial, abstract."

"It was amazing to know how quickly we can solve three digit addition using left to right strategies."

On September 15, Sarah Schaefer, Singapore Math Consultant, will train parents of all students in the fine arts auditorium from 7:00 to 8:00 PM. The topic is Computational Strategies and Mental Math.

On September 23, preprimary parents are invited to the library for the 3:15 after school session, Math Tubs, the Foundation to Singapore Math.

Please check the JCDS website to learn of other parent trainings this fall.

Relive Our 50 Years

As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, please stop by the Fine Arts Center and look at how it all began. There are pictures of the original 1964 groundbreaking of JCDS (originally known as Southside Day School).

JCDS E-store

Have you checked out our e-store? The 50th Anniversary Committee has made it possible for your family to purchase cool merchandise to celebrate the 50th year of JCDS.

Get your credit card ready and click the button on the right.

PEP Training

PEP training is tomorrow, September 10 and on September 17 (choose one).

PEP training is for parents—new or returning—who would like to be a part of the Parents' Association PEP program to volunteer in various areas around the school. The PEP training is mandatory but if you have gone through the training once, you don't need to do it again.

If you are interested in volunteering, please come to one of these sessions. Both are at 8:30am in the Fine Arts Auditorium.

PEP Volunteers Needed
for Lunch Duty

We are in need of more PEP volunteers, particularly at lunch time! The commitment is 11:30am-12:30pm. Come and see the awesome new lunch program and have lunch with your child in the Cool Caf.

If you are interested please contact Darsi Edwards (mrsdarsialisha@aol.com or 302-2218) or Charrell Thomas (cwtmd@yahoo.com or 314-5256).

Music Notes

All music activities have now begun! Last chance to still sign up for
the following programs:

JCDS Band - for Grades 3-6. Contact Chrystal Staples at 716-0928!

JCDS Chorus - for Grades 4-6. Audition with Mrs. Dickert during September!

Upcoming Event:
Fourth Grade Program, "Feelin' Good At JCDS!" will be presented
on October 21st at 9:00 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. Mark your calendars!

Please see Mrs. Dickert for more information.

Dance News

There are still some limited openings in Hip-Hop classes. See Ms. Emily if you are interested!

Brush Strokes

All art students are using "Nature to Inspire" them to create many different forms of art. Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd graders are using their new "Discoveries from Nature" to draw a picture of themselves with their new discovery. All artwork will be displayed outside the art room. Be on the lookout for the "Nature Inspired Art."

Parents should read the letter from Mrs. Lane about your child's art classes this year.

ART SHARKS for 1st and 2nd grades begins next week:
1st grade - Monday, Sept. 13
2nd grade - Tuesday, Sept. 14. Class time is 3:05 - 4:15 pm.

Please email Stacy Bowen (sbowen@jcds.com) for more information.

Parents' Association Meeting

All parents are invited to attend our first general Parents' Association Meeting of our 50th year here at JCDS. The meeting will be on Tuesday, September 14 at 8:30am in the  Fine Arts Center.  If you've never attended a Parents' Association Meeting in the past, now is the perfect time to start!   We have so many exciting things happening during this year and this is a great place to hear all about them!

If you have any questions, please call Pam Steitz at 534-5546. We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday!

Specialists' Corner

Mrs. Johnson's students have planted vegetable seeds for our school garden in the science lab. They will soon transplant the seedlings outside to a new school garden. The plan is to serve the vegetables in the school cafeteria!

In the library, kindergartners have been discussing book care with the help of a bookworm named Mr. Wiggle. This week they began checking out their first books from our school library!

In the computer lab, kindergarten and first grade students are working on mouse control. Second graders are learning the basics of Pages. Third graders are creating a menu of three healthy meals in Pages.

Fifth grade students in español are singing a Spanish Countries song and playing games on the computer to learn geography.

After School Sports begin September 13. If you haven’t signed up please see the P.E. staff.

Corporate Fundraising

Are you tired of losing your children's belongings? Start the year off by ordering personalized sticker labels from Lovable Labels. They are easy to apply to clothing, shoes, backpacks, lunch boxes, sports bottles, and more. JCDS receives 20% of the purchase price.

Gala Committee Meeting Schedule

The Gala Committee will meet on the following dates:

September 17, October 15, November 19, December 10, January 21, February 18, March 18, and April 1.

Each meeting will be at 8:30am in either the auditorium or the band room.

In the Community

JCDS supports the efforts of non-profit organizations in our community.

Save the date for ZOObilee, Saturday, September 11. ZOObilee is a casual, family, after-hours fundraising event. All proceeds will fund the care and feeding of the animals, educational programs and conservation initiatives at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens.

Do you know a child who loves to sing? The Jacksonville Children's Chorus is now auditioning grades 1-12. There is no fee to audition, and need based scholarships are available. Rehearsal sites are now in Mandarin, Riverside, Downtown, Orange Park, and the Beaches. Call 353-1636 or email info@jaxchildrenschorus.com.