Happy Fall, JCMES! There’s a lot happening around our school as we’re settling into strong routines and celebrating the new season.
RESCHEDULED: Fall Family Picnics are Sept 28-Oct 1!
We’re going to try again next week for our Fall Family Picnics and hope no rainy lunchtimes! Bring your lunch and eat outside with your child on their class's picnic day. You can sit at a picnic table or bring a blanket for the grass in front of the school. Your child's teacher will let you know which day your class is eating outside.
After lunch, students will go back inside to keep learning, so please remind your child ahead of time that you'll be saying goodbye when lunch ends. We hope to see you there!
The Jakes’ Store Is Here!
The Jake Store is open! Here is the Jake Store link for you to browse and place your orders. Ordering will be open through October 4th!
Picture Day
Mark your calendar for Fall Picture Day on Friday, September 25th! Send no money at this time. There will be information coming to your email regarding ordering online after picture day.
🍅 Study Strategy Booster: The Pomodoro Technique 🍅
Have you ever heard of the Pomodoro Technique? Pomodoro is the Italian word for tomato! It is a fun and easy way to help kids stay focused on homework or chores without getting overwhelmed.
How It Works:
Pick One Task: Choose one goal, like reading a chapter, doing math worksheets, or cleaning up toys.
Set a Timer: Set a timer for 15 to 25 minutes (10 to 15 minutes works great for younger kids).
Work hard: Focus ONLY on that task until the timer rings. No TV, phones, or distractions!
Take a Quick Break: Give your child a 5-minute break to stretch, grab a snack, or move around.
Breaking work into short, bite-sized pieces helps kids build focus, beat boredom, and get things done faster so they have more time to play! If you’re working on a big project, three cycles seems to be the right amount for most people before they need a longer break. Give it a try this week during study time or chore time!
Support the School Fundraiser!
Great news! Donations count toward some fun rewards for the Fundraiser.
For every $40 in donations collected, which is equivalent to selling 3 items, you will receive:
1 Panda Critter & lanyard & your name goes into the drawing for the Panda’s
Header: Save the Date: Reading Connection Night!
Reading Connection Night–October 8
Mark your calendars for October 8 from 6:00–7:30 PM! Join us at JCMES for an interactive evening designed to strengthen how we work together for your child’s reading success. You'll get hands-on tools to use at home, learn about grade-level reading expectations, and see how our reading programs support your student. Look for more details coming soon!
Specials Grading Series: Music
RCPS updated its grading policy over the summer. Here at JCMES we’re working hard to help students and parents understand the changes and expectations for each grade level and specials class. To try and help with that, we’re going to be sharing information each week for the next few weeks about grading in Specials–music, PE, and art.
First up, Mrs. Clemens shares some information about grading in music.
Grades in music class represent a picture of specific assessments of skills and concepts as well as an overview of how your child demonstrates attributes of an elementary musician. RCPS has developed an overview of what those attributes look like, described in this chart:
Attributes of an Elementary Musician
SOL Strand | The student consistently demonstrates that they |
Creative Process | Engage with the creative process: generate, develop, refine Create through composition and improvisation projects and activities Make choices of interpretation for musical expression |
Critical Thinking and Communication | Analyze music: [identify focus for the grading period] Develop and express musical preferences: [explore, describe, explain, or justify] |
History, Culture, and Citizenship | Form connections between music and a larger context Demonstrate respect for others and for diverse musical examples Work collaboratively to make music, offer and receive feedback |
Innovation in the Arts | Explore new sounds, technologies, and approaches to music making Connect music to other content areas and to problem solving |
Technique and Application | Demonstrate perseverance Develop musical literacy: [list notational elements studied] Apply taught musical skills: [list current skills] Use voice and instruments in a healthy and safe manner, with increasing technical control |
As I consider these strands with specific assessment tasks, I am using this rubric to guide my grading.
Exceeds Expectations (EE) | -shows confidence and independence with task -helps and leads -makes connections |
Meets Expectations (ME) | -demonstrates task with the full group -contributes to discussion and music making |
Developing Expectations (DE) | -demonstrates task with the full group with prompting or support -contributes to discussion and music making with prompting |
*Below Expectations (BE) | -does not demonstrate task -does not contribute to discussion and music making |
We had a discussion in all classes grades 1 - 5 about these levels and, as I told all the students, each of the levels EE, ME, and DE represent appropriate work. As Fine Arts Supervisor Becky Ford stated recently, it is worth saying out loud: there is no such thing as being bad at art or music at this age, and a Developing mark is information rather than a verdict.
If you have any questions about assessment in music class, please feel free to reach out. I’m happy to have conversations as we work together to help your children grow and thrive.
–Mrs. Clemens
Have a great week,
Liza Coffman, Principal – lcoffman@rockingham.k12.va.us
Jenna Rinker, Assistant Principal – jrinker@rockingham.k12.va.us