Congratulations to Gabrielle Orr for her winning entry in the JCS Attendance Awareness Poster Contest. Gabrielle was recognized at the November 13 Jefferson County Board of Education meeting. Read more here at http://rb.gy/aayc2w!
As we kick off American Education Week, we're excited to highlight and celebrate the incredible people in our JCS community who contribute to public education! Our staff, students, and families are the heart of our community, and we're grateful to each of you for your role in creating and maintaining a safe, enriching, and fun learning environment. Keep an eye out this week for #AEW2023 celebrations throughout our JCS community!
Today we take time to recognize Veterans Day with respect, honor, and gratitude to all who serve or have served in our nation's armed forces. Thank you!
A reminder that all Jefferson County schools and offices will be closed on Friday, November 10, in observance of Veterans Day.
This week the SMS Cardinals honor all those who have served in the US Armed Forces. We appreciate their sacrifices and are thankful for their dedication to our nation. We especially celebrate three of our staff who are veterans - Mrs. French, Major Short, and Ms. Knight. Thank you for your service!
Ms Kessler's 6th grade science classes continued their unit on understanding the solar system with a Cheerio lab. They found a scale that worked (1 Cheerios equals 5,000 kms) across the vast size differences and created a model of planets from smallest to largest. Great job, Cardinals
Congratulations to Gabby Orr on being named a finalist in the district-wide Attendance Matters Poster Contest! Contest winners will be announced on Monday, November 13, during the regular meeting of the Jefferson County Board of Education. Visit http://rb.gy/7uqc7 to view all our student finalists!
#TGIF! JCS students across the district celebrated Red Ribbon Week with fun themes and activities related to this year's theme, "Be Kind to Your Mind." From "decade day" to "super training" their brains with crazy hairstyles to simply wearing as much red as possible, students had a great time showing their school spirit during this annual celebration of health and wellness!
Jefferson County Schools appreciates everyone's hard work during the first nine weeks of the 23-24 school year. As we calculate final grades, we want to inform you about a change in schedule. Report cards will go home on Monday, October 30, 2023, NOT this Friday as previously planned. Grades will also be available in Canvas. We appreciate your patience while we ensure all grades have been assessed and calculated.
Jefferson County Schools invites you to an informational meeting on Oct. 23 about the Standard Response Protocol we use in our schools and ways you can support student safety at home. Lt. Ben Williams from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department will present the information and answer questions. The event takes place at 5:00 p.m. in the Washington High School auditorium. https://www.jcswv.org/events?id=23365841
Thanks to the JCS community for supporting our teachers and staff as they worked to learn new skills and classroom techniques on this day of staff development!
REMINDER: Tomorrow, Oct. 20, is a staff development day for Jefferson County Schools. There will be NO SCHOOL for students while our staff take advantage of training opportunities to continue supporting students. Thank you, and have a great weekend!
We are experiencing issues with the phone lines at Shepherdstown Middle School this morning, Oct. 19, 2023. If you need to contact the office, please call (304) 671-7436. We have reported the issue to the phone company and are working with them for a quick resolution.
This is a reminder that Friday, Oct. 20, 2023, is a staff development day for Jefferson County Schools. Students will not be in school to provide our staff with training opportunities to help them continue serving kids. Thank you.
MAJ Short's STEM class spent the week creating robots that could grasp, lift and stack blocks. Students start from a thinking in their engineering notebook, then building the bot and finally test out its capabilities with a controller on the board. Very cool stuff, Cardinals!
Today kicks off National School Bus Safety Week, an opportunity to focus on safe practices around school buses. We want to start by acknowledging the JCS bus operators, aides, mechanics, and transportation administrators responsible for safely transporting our students to and from school each day. These individuals are a direct link between the home and the classroom, and they play a pivotal role in the education and care of our students. Thank you to our Transportation team for keeping our kids safe on the road!
10/13/23: Jefferson County Schools prioritizes safety in all that we do. Thursday afternoon (10/12), we received a notification about a widely shared message calling for violence. We consulted with federal and local law enforcement agencies and found no immediate danger connected to the non-specific threat. The threat level did not change as a result of the message. In an abundance of caution, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department is conducting extra patrols around our schools. We are grateful for their partnership and dedication to protecting our children. If you see something, say something. You can report suspicious activity by calling 866-WVWATCH (866-989-2824).
Proper nutrition plays an important role in learning. That's why JCS staff work to develop daily menus that offer delicious, nutritious options for our students! Plan ahead with regularly updated breakfast and lunch menus, available on your school's website and the JCSWV app (on Google Play and the App Store).
Join us TODAY, October 12, at the JCS Operations Facility, located at 635 McGarry Blvd. Kearneysville, for our next hiring event exclusively for school service personnel! JCS staff will be on hand to conduct onsite applications, screenings, and interviews for all service positions. Plus, a representative from WV Adult Education will be available to answer your questions about their new self-paced preparatory course for the state's Service Personnel Competency Test! Visit www.jcswv.org/careers for a complete list of job openings. JCS offers service positions with the flexibility to meet your needs as a busy family, so join us today and learn how you can make your mark in our caring community of educators!
A Shepherdstown Middle School eighth-grader is using her passion for powerlifting to lift up others! Brynlie Austin has raised funds for the American Cancer Society and the Special Olympics through Lifting for Loved Ones, a fundraising initiative she created with the help of her family. Read Brynlie's story here 👉 http://rb.gy/qswfx.
