Week of January 3rd
NEWS & UPDATES
We hope you all had a wonderful holiday season with your families and are as excited as we are to ring in 2023! We are looking forward to seeing students back at school on Wednesday, January 4th.
January 3: No School for Students
January 11: Author Stan Tucker visits WJES
January 16: MLK Holiday (No School for Students)
January 26: All Pro Dads Meeting
January 31: Chick-fil-A Spirit Night
Check out the Breakfast & Lunch Menus HERE.
Upcoming Staff Birthdays:
Jan. 6th: Lori Reinhardt
Jan. 11th: Kathryn King
Jan. 16th: Jennifer Lord
Jan. 20th: Rebecca Norris
Jan. 24th: Angie Konarski & Tammy Latty
Jan. 27th: Diane Mergele
spotlight: 5th Grade CHAMPS Graduation
The annual 5th grade C.H.A.M.P.S. graduation ceremony was held December 19th at WJES. Choosing Healthy Activities and Methods Promoting Safety (C.H.A.M.P.S.) was founded in 2003 by the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association to teach students about safety and the importance of making good life choices. Students learn about topics like drugs, alcohol, Internet safety, peer pressure, and much more in the 12-week course taught by trained local officers. We are so thankful for Deputy Scott Frazier and Deputy Joy Parson who have been this year's instructors. In addition to the great curriculum the course covers, we are also thankful that the C.H.A.M.P.S. program gives our students the opportunity to connect with local law enforcement on a personal level and realize the community champions who are here to support them as they grow up.
A few special awards were presented during the ceremony. Congratulations to our C.H.A.M.P.S. Students of the Year Jordin Lemon and Cooper Philips who were selected from among all 5th graders at WJES to receive this honor. Mia Buffone was recognized for winning the C.H.A.M.P.S. Essay Contest and and Elizabeth Neikirk placed 2nd.
Special thanks to Sheriff Janis Mangum and the Jackson County Sheriff's Office for sponsoring this program and always being such great supporters of our students and school. We were excited to have a team of JCSO officers at our ceremony to recognize this year's graduates. Congratulations, 5th graders!
spotlight: FIRST Lego League team
We are so proud of these WJES students that competed against 18 other schools in the FIRST LEGO League competition on December 17th! Even after having a major technical difficulty that caused them to lose all of their previously written code early in the day, they never gave up! They worked to rebuild their programs and still managed to finish in the top half of high scores. Way to go, Panthers!
The 100% Accountable mindset teaches the importance of being responsible for our own happiness and success. Being 100% Accountable means deciding not to be victims of the past and recognizing that the future is not predetermined, so our lives are what we choose in the present moment and each one moving forward. In these lessons, we help students focus on recognizing our fears and excuses. This mindset is about the importance of breaking down barriers and taking responsibility for our thoughts and actions. It also allows us to free our minds and focus our energy on taking the critical steps towards our goals.
