Important Update on School Closings
SUMMER SCHOOL INFORMATION
May 18, 2020
Dear Parent/Guardian(s):
Your child has been selected to participate in our 2020 Virtual Summer Camp. Based on a review of your child’s academic performance and/or chronic absenteeism for the 2019-20 school year indicates that your child will benefit from this four-week academic support starting June 29, 2020and concluding on July 23, 2020. Please note that the 2020 Summer Camp Program is held Monday through Thursday from 9:00 am until 12:00 pm.
It is our goal to work with you to help assure your child’s academic success. Children can benefit from summer school instruction that focuses on core academics through an online format. Laptops will be distributed to students that will be participating in the camp. Therefore, it is necessary to fill out the Google Form: https://forms.gle/SsLaQsb6xG2872Vy6 , indicating your intent to participate. Therefore, parents should expect a strong emphasis on academics throughout the summer program. However, it is important for those children to receive additional instruction that will reinforce essential academic skills.
We ask you to assist us by having your child in designated place for the camp each day of the summer session. Good communication enhances the learning environment for everyone involved. A Class Dojo Page will be developed for two-way communication between parents and teachers. Once this has been established, you will receive a link to connect,
Virtual Summer school classes begin on Monday, June 29, 2020
Sincerely,
Mrs. LaKesia D. Jolley-Foster,
Principal
4/26/2020
Memorandum
To: Parents & Guardians of James Hurst Elementary
From: Mrs. LaKesia D. Jolley-Foster, Principal
Re: Medicine Pick-up & 6th Grade Middle School Registration
Date: April 27, 2020
Greetings, Eagle Nation!
• Tuesday, April 28th, parents/guardians will be able to pick up student medication(s) from the school nurse 10:30am – 12pm at the front entrance. Nurse Knox will disseminate medication to parents and guardians and acquire a signature of receipt. For continued safety of our school community, parents will not be permitted to enter the building.
• Just a reminder to sixth grade parents that the time has come to select the courses your student will take as a 7th grader. Please use the following link to select courses for your student: https://forms.gle/NmiMg7m1E87iZspm7. At the conclusion of the survey, you will have the option of requesting a school counselor contact you to discuss these options. The survey was to be completed by Friday, April 10to ensure your student is registered appropriately for the 2020-2021 school year.
• If you are still in need of the 2nd instructional packet, you may pick up packets at one of the eight feeding sites. Craddock Middle and IC Norcom High Schools are two of the closest sites. The new instructional packet is not ready for distribution yet.
Please contact the school between 10:30am – 12:00pm on Tuesday if you have any additional questions.
Stay well!
Office of the Principal
James Hurst Elementary School
18 Dahlgren Ave ● Portsmouth, VA 23702
Telephone: (757) 558 – 2811 ● Fax: (757) 558-2812
3/29/2020
PPS Families,
Our Curriculum and Instruction team has been hard at work developing new lessons for students. We will be delivering families monthly instructional guides that will have activities and lessons specifically geared for each grade level and content area. In addition, our high schools have been continuing to update students’ digital lessons, which can be accessed through their Chromebooks. The next set of lessons will be available this Wednesday, April 1. We will have these guides in print format and available at all of our feeding sites beginning Monday, April 6. We are encouraging all families who have access to the internet to access the packets online and allow us to distribute the printed packets for families in need. In the months to come, we will also provide new guides for both May and June.
3/23/20
Good evening, PPS families -
To help support as many of our families as possible, Portsmouth Public Schools will be expanding the number of our feeding sites from three to eight of our schools during this school closure.
Beginning Monday, children 18 and under can pick up both breakfast and lunch at Churchland High, I.C. Norcom High, Wilson High, Cradock Middle, Waters Middle, Churchland Elementary, Churchland Primary and Intermediate, and John Tyler Elementary.
Please note children still must be present to pick up meals. Pick up times will remain from 10 a.m. to noon at the high schools; all other schools will have pick up times of 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
In addition, PPS has continued to work with the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. The division’s Food Services team will be preparing meals to go for more than 60 city sites that will serve lunches and dinners for residents in need. For a full list of all these sites, visit ppsk12.us.
Thank you.
Memorandum
To: Families of James Hurst Elementary
From: Mrs. LaKesia D. Jolley-Foster, Principal
Re: Extended Closure Update
Date: 3-23-2020
As you have likely heard by now, Governor Ralph Northam has mandated that schools remain closed through the end of the school year in June.
We know you have so many questions. Having my own children in our schools, we want you to know that I am right there with you. We can assure you that, as you read this very message, we are working with the entire team here at JHES, as well as with city and state officials, to get answers to your questions. The Admin Team and other committees have been meeting today to come up with innovative ways to stay connected. The Leadership Team of Portsmouth Public Schools will be meeting to develop a plan of equity and extended learning for the remaining instructional time.
We ask for your patience and understanding as we work through the logistics of this closure. There are so many moving parts and pieces, and we want to make absolutely certain that they all fit and work smoothly together during this unprecedented time. In the meantime, the rest of this week will go on as planned with our continuity of learning and food service for students. We expect to have more information for you in the coming days.
We’re in this together. Be sure to practice our new social norms. Please take care of yourself and your family.
Be well,
~Mrs. Jolley-Foster,
Principal
♥♥♥
Important School Closure Memorandum Concerning
Free Breakfast/Lunch, Instructional Packets & Online Resources
To: Parents & Guardians of James Hurst Elementary
From: Mrs. LaKesia D. Jolley-Foster, Principal
Re: Free Breakfast/Lunch, Instructional Packets & Online Resources
Date: March 16, 2020
Thank you for your patience today as we navigated the first day of our school closure.
If you were unable to come to James Hurst today to pick up an instructional packet for your child(ren), you can download them at any time on Portsmouth Public School’s website at ppsk12.us. We also uploaded the instructional packets to Class Dojo, along with online resources for additional support.
Scholastic, Inc. is also offering free supplemental work by grade levels. Students can take virtual field trips, as well as work on relevant, engaging activities. Please also refer to the list of free websites on Class Dojo and distributed with instructional packets. If you do not have access to internet Cox Cable and Spectrum are offering free internet services during these times.
We also want to remind you that free meals will continue to be provided throughout our school closure. Beginning tomorrow, children can visit the three feeding sites (Churchland Middle, Wilson High and I.C. Norcom High) anytime from 10 a.m. to noon and pick up both breakfast and lunch. We hope this will help families from having to make duplicate trips within the same day. In addition to the meals, families can also pick up copies of their instructional packets at these sites as well during this time.
Finally, please also be reminded that the City of Portsmouth will have free lunch and dinners available from 12-2 p.m. and 5-7 p.m. at the following locations Social Services Building (1701 High Street), Neighborhood Facility Recreation Center (900 Elm Ave.), Cavalier Manor Recreation Center (404 Viking Street), and J.E. Parker Recreation Center (2430 Turnpike Road).