Teachers and staff officially return to school tomorrow on August 31st. First, second, and third grade students will be returning to school this Wednesday September 2nd. Kindergarten and PreK students will be returning to school on Tuesday, September 8th.
JCS teachers and staff are excited to welcome back students we’ve worked with in prior years and to meet our newest students and their families!
First Days of School
School hours for students in Kindergarten through 3rd grade are 9:15am to 3:35pm.
The first day of school for students in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades is Wednesday, September 2nd.
The first day of school for students in Kindergarten is Tuesday, September 8th.
School hours for students in the Little Lancers PreK program are:
Full day program is 8:30am to 2:30pm
AM program is 8:30am to 11:00am
PM program is 12:00pm to 2:30pm
The first day of school for all Little Lancers is Tuesday, September 8th
If your PreK-3 child is registered to take the bus to and/or from school, you should have received a message from the district office with that information. If not, please contact transportation@norton.k12.ma.us for assistance.
Open House
We welcome everyone to come visit JCS before the school year begins at our annual Open House on Monday, August 31st. Here are the times for the various grade levels, including our Little Lancers:
4:00 – 4:30pm, All Little Lancers (PreK) and Kindergarten
4:30 – 5:00pm, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades
Open House is an opportunity for students and families to visit our school and say "hi" to teachers and staff. Because the school year has not yet begun, Open House is not an appropriate time for parent conferences or curriculum discussions. We will be having a separate opportunity during the month of September for families to hear about this school year’s academic and curricular programs.
Kindergarten through 3rd Grade Arrival and Dismissal Schedules and Procedures
Morning arrival begins at 9:05am
Afternoon dismissal begins at 3:35pm
Timing
Please do not arrive more than 20 minutes before your child’s drop-off or pick-up time. We need to keep traffic on the school campus to a minimum for the safety of all students and staff. For everyone’s safety, all students must remain in their own vehicles while waiting for morning arrival to begin. The playground is not open to students prior to the start of the school day.
Traffic safety and overall kindness to each other
Please be patient and understanding with other drivers. It will take everyone a little while to get used to the drop-off and pick-up routine. For everyone’s safety, do NOT pass other cars, vans, or buses in line at ANY time. Please stay in your car at all times when in line. A staff member will come to your car to assist your child into or out of the car in the drop-off and pick-up areas.
Parking
If you need to park for any reason (e.g. your child needs to be walked into school, you need to drop off an item for your child, etc.), only park in the visitor parking spaces under the solar panels. Please do NOT park in the front loop or on any of the driveways.
Pick-up passes
ALL adults picking up students MUST have a large, yellow “Pick Up Pass” displayed in their car window. Pick Up Passes will be available for parents to pick up during Open House. For the safety of all students, any adult that doesn’t have a pass will need to come into the school office and show ID in order to pick-up a student.
Drop-off and Pick-up Traffic Pattern
Enter the campus from either W Main St. or from N Worcester St. and split into 2 lanes at the first parking lot.
Both lanes proceed past the solar panels and zipper merge back into one lane.
Continue around the rear of the school following the driveway. Pull forward as far as possible into the drop-off area. Please stay in your car. A staff member will come to your car to assist your child out of the car.
Pull forward out of the driveway while staying in line (do not pass) and pull out of the driveway to the right.
Little Lancers PreK Arrival and Dismissal Schedules and Procedures
Little Lancers AM program
Morning drop-off is at at 8:30am
Morning pick-up is at 11:00am
Little Lancers PM program
Afternoon drop-off is at at 12:00pm
Afternoon pick-up is at 2:30pm
Little Lancers Full Day program
Morning drop-off is at at 8:30am
Afternoon pick-up is at 2:30pm
Timing
Please do not arrive more than 20 minutes before your child’s drop-off or pick-up time. We need to keep traffic on the school campus to a minimum for the safety of all students and staff. For everyone’s safety, all students must remain in their own vehicles while waiting for arrival to begin.
Traffic safety and overall kindness to each other
Please be patient and understanding with other drivers. It will take everyone a little while to get used to the drop-off and pick-up routine. For everyone’s safety, do NOT pass other cars, vans, or buses in line at ANY time.
Pick-up passes
ALL adults picking up students MUST have a large, yellow “Pick Up Pass” displayed in their car window. For the safety of our students, any adult that doesn’t have a pass will need to come into the school office and show ID in order to pick-up a student.
Helping Students Feel Ready for the First Few Days of School
Drop-off, Pick-up, and Riding the Bus
If families will be dropping off students in the morning, it’s very helpful to practice with students how to independently gather their belongings and exit the vehicle. Because we have so many cars to get through the drop-off line each morning, we respectfully ask that adult families stay in the car to make the drop-off process go smoothly and quickly. Staff members and teachers will be outside at morning drop-off to assist students.
If your child will be riding the bus, help them memorize their bus number so that they will feel comfortable knowing which bus they will be taking to and from school. Teachers and staff will of course assist students at dismissal, but it can help students feel more comfortable and confident when they know their own bus number.
Opening Snack and Lunch Items
Classroom teachers will be communicating with families about how snacks will work in the classroom for the year. One of the things that is VERY helpful is to practice with students to help them learn how to independently open their own snack and lunch items, including drinks. Teachers and staff will of course assist students if they simply can’t open an item or drink, however there can be 100+ students in the cafeteria during lunch and it can take teachers and staff a while to assist everyone. If students have practiced how to independently open their own items and drinks, they won’t need to wait for the next available adult to help them. The things that students often need the most help with opening and practicing will help are Lunchables, cheese/meat sticks, juice pouches/boxes, and any sealed bag/pouch of snacks (chips, Goldfish, fruit snacks, etc.)
Please Leave Technology and Personal Items at Home
We know that some students have gotten used to playing with specific personal items or using pieces of technology during the summer. As stated in the NPS Elementary Handbook, we respectfully ask that students do not bring extra money, expensive items/clothing, or “fad” items to school with them. We also ask that students leave all personal technology devices and/or accessories at home, including cameras, game consoles, tablets, cellular phones, and smartwatches/wearables. The school is not responsible for any lost, stolen or damaged devices or personal items.
Upcoming Dates and Events
View and subscribe to the JCS Public Events Calendar at https://bit.ly/jcspubliceventscalendar. Click "Add to Google Calendar" in the lower left corner to subscribe to the calendar using your own calendar app. Events from the JCS Public Events Calendar also appear on the JCS website.
Open House, Monday, August 31st
4:00 - 4:30, All Little Lancers (PreK) and Kindergarten
4:30-5:00, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades
First Day of School for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders, Wednesday, September 2nd
NO SCHOOL, Friday September 4th
NO SCHOOL, Labor Day, Monday September 7th
First Day of School for all Little Lancers (PreK) and Kindergarten students, Tuesday, September 8th
