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Family Info: ESSC Snow Day - Wednesday, March 12, 2025!
ESSC Snow Day is the season wrap-up of JGS’s Alpine ski program with ESSC. All first through sixth graders will return to Black Mountain Ski Area to ski/board for the day. This will be our last downhill ski/board day of the 2025 ESSC season.
JGS will leave at 8:50 AM to travel by JGS bus to Black Mountain Ski Area. The ski/board day ends at 2:50 pm with the bus leaving at 2:55 PM to return to JGS for students registered for OM, or to return students to their home bus stops. Pick up at Black is by 3:00 PM. Please complete the Dismissal Plans form online, or complete the one below, and return to JGS by Tuesday, March 11.
Students need to arrive at school in ski layers, bring their Friday downhill ski gear, and filled water bottle. Just like skiing on Fridays, students will need:
Helmet
Goggles
ski boots
Skis and poles (if using poles)/snow board
ski jacket
snack for pocket.
dry mitts/gloves
dry ski socks
dry snow pants
neck gaiter (buff, neckie, neckie up)
Students should arrive at school wearing a warm shirt and pants appropriate for downhill skiing underlayers.
JGS and the PTO will be providing a pizza lunch for students and vols. Please indicate on the dismissal form any dietary information we’ll need to feed your skier.
Rental equipment must be returned to Bernie Auth at the end of Snow Day .
If you are picking up your child, please leave your child’s rental gear with Bernie at pick up time.
If your child is taking the bus home, please remind them to give their rental gear to Bernie.
If your child is taking the bus back to JGS for OM and you need their skis to go to JGS (or be returned to ESSC) , remind your child to give their skis to Bernie.
Dismissal Form HERE, and attached!
2025 JGS Jan-Feb Fridays: ESSC Downhill Skiing at Black Mountain & Ks Rule the School
~New for 2025: ski cards for each student and vol instead of stickers and wickets! (more info to come)
Hello JGS Skiing Families and Support Crew!
First, if you are a volunteer - THANK YOU! If you are Support Crew, ie., not skiing but sending your JGS skier ready to ski, THANK YOU, TOO!
Here is an overview of Winter Fridays and the expectations of vols and support crew:
Weather permitting, Friday, January 10 , 2025, will be our first ESSC Friday downhill ski day at Black Mountain Ski Area and our first Ks Rule the School Friday. The following routine holds for all ESSC/Krules Fridays.
In the morning we have regular classes. We eat an early lunch and ski/rule in the afternoon.
Kinders - will dismiss to Mrs. Tower and Miss Susan to help rule the school - skip to the last page!
1st - 6th graders - skiing in skill-level groups with vols and staff - keep reading!
Dismissal is at about 2:45 PM from Black Mountain Ski Area. The bus is available to bring students to their bus stops. Please complete the attached ESSC Friday Routine Dismissal Plan and return it to JGS by Monday, Jan. 6 , 2025.
Before Jan. 10th: Label each ski, pole, and boot with your child’s name and grade!
Each Thursday: if there is a change of routine dismissal plans, inform Susan.
Fridays Before school:
Pack 2 bags:
#1 with school gear, snack, and lunch (if your child isn’t getting school lunch.) Students will have school in the AM and an early lunch. They may have recess and they may get their outdoors clothes wet. This bag will go with your child to Black and will be on the tarps near the pick up zone.
Pack bag #2 with ski gear:
Helmet
Goggles
neck gaiter (buff, neckie, neckie up)
dry mitts/gloves
dry ski socks
dry snow pants
ski boots
ski jacket
ski card in ski jacket pocket
snack for pocket.
Your child should already be wearing a warm shirt and pants appropriate for downhill skiing underlayers.
SKI CARD
Students will be getting on ALL their ski gear before going to Black. Ski bags and school bags will be left near the ski cans on the tarps at Black. Students will have limited access to them during the afternoon.
Prepare to leave skis and poles either at Black after 9 AM or drop at the WCC with Bernie at drop off time. Of course, you have labeled each ski and each pole with your child’s name and grade!
8:15-8:25 - regular arrival at JGS:
Drop kids and/or skis and poles at the WCC. Parents can also drop off skis at Black Mountain Ski Area - Bernie should be there by 9:15 AM. There will be trash cans (better known as ski cans) labeled with each grade/classroom. Place skis in the appropriate can. School bag and ski bag go into school with students!
11:00 am:
At JGS: Early lunch and then students dress fully at school in order to arrive at Black ready to ski.
At Black: Bernie sets up JGS ski area with skis
11:30-12:00: Skiers will board the bus and leave ASAP.
Volunteers: On-Snow Ski clinic (if you still need it) on Day 1 - 9-10:30 at Black Mountain Ski Area
Bernie will be expecting volunteers each Friday at 11:30 and will give them tickets for their groups and any updates. Vols wait in their group area for kiddos outside of the lodge.
At Black: Students will get on their skis immediately as they come off the bus.
Skis for each grade will be stored in trash cans (ski cans) with a volunteer assigned to hand out skis. Students will leave any packs on the tarp near their class ski can. They will have limited access to the bags during the afternoon.
Students will be in their ski groups with their volunteers for the afternoon.
Snacks:
Vols are not expected to provide or buy snacks for skiers, so please provide for a snack for your child. The snack bar may be open and time for a snack will be at the group leaders’ discretion. Please don’t send lots of money - we’re there to ski, so a quick snack is all they need.
School ski day is over at 2:45 - return to the ski can area.
Dismissal - Parents have informed the school on Thursday if their child’s dismissal is different from the routine.
One bus will be available at 3pm to take children home. Parents are responsible for picking up ski gear at Black Mountain or making arrangements with the school office for the gear to be stored at school until the next ESSC Friday. Skis are not permitted on the bus.
Vols return to the ski can area and stay with their group until parents come to pick up students.
Skis that are not going home should go in class ski can.
Vols: do not leave the group until the parents have come and your group is gone.
Parents - please pick up your skier by 2:45.
Please check out your student with the JGS staffer with the clipboard!
Friendly reminder: If your child plans to do a few runs after dismissal, you or a designated adult are expected to ski with your child.
Dates to Remember
Monday, Jan. 6 - first day of cross-country skiing in PE class. Students will need their cross-country ski gear. Please bring this to JGS by 8:35 AM. Drop off at WCC.
After School Enrichment starts Monday, Jan. 6, with White Mtn Science.
ESSC Ski Vols meeting with Bernie, 3:05 PM, WCC UA room
Thursday, Jan.9 - After School Nordic (cross-country skiing) Volunteers! 2 PM meeting at Jackson Ski Touring.
Friday, Jan.10 - ESSC downhill skiing starts. See attached, and below.
Please pay attention to today's attachments, in particular the 2025 ESSC routine parent letter. This contains very important info about our Friday downhill ski routine. There is a form that all families, K-6, MUST RETURN TO ME ON MONDAY.
This information was also sent home on pink paper with at least 1 of your children. Please read it, complete the last page, and return the last page to the school office on Monday.
ESSC ski Fridays info for Families of First-Sixth Graders:
2025 JGS ESSC at Black Mountain Ski Area Updates (also attached)
The biggest change in our Friday ski routine is how we get ski tickets. Black Mountain Ski Area will be using refillable ski cards, called rfid ticketing/pass, instead of stickers and wickets. we do not have all the information, yet, but please be aware: there is a 2-step online registration process that parents need to complete.
Step 1 - set up an account with Black Mountain Ski Area. Parents will need to go online to set up an account with Black Mountain for your JGS skier and yourself, if you are a volunteer. You can set up your account now at this link: https://estore.blackmt.com/register Uploading a photo of your skier and volunteer will expedite the handing out of cards on Friday.
Step 2: Once we have more info from the folks at Black Mountain you will need to go online to this account to sign a waiver and enter other info pertinent to the JGS ESSC program. This online ski card registration is specific to Black Mountain for our use for ESSC and separate from the (great) online work you did for signing up your kiddo with ESSC.
Please note:
Students will need to have this card with them for every Friday we ski. The card can live in their ski jacket. The school will be charged for replacing every forgotten or lost card, so please help your child keep track of their card.
Our plan is to have the cards ready for the kids on the 10th. As soon as I have the second set of info from Black Mtn I will send it to you. Please complete it as soon as you can, knowing that we will be using it on Friday, Jan. 10.
Volunteers, you can set up your account and complete the waiver once the info is available. For each Friday we ski, volunteers will need to check in with the ticket line to get their cards activated for the day. Bernie will be emailing volunteers to know who will be available on that Friday and will be forwarding Black Mountain the volunteer list every Thursday evening / Friday morning. More volunteer info, below!
If a student or volunteer already has a Black Mountain season pass (alpine with no blackout dates), they are exempt from all of this since they're already set up and will use their existing rfid card.
These cards can be loaded for ski tickets on days outside of our Friday afternoons and for use in the snack bar.
Rfid cards are required to access the mountain at all times so it’s important to help your skier pack it for Friday ski days. There is a $5 charge for replacement cards and the student’s (or volunteer’s) time skiing will be delayed while a replacement card is issued.
ESSC Volunteers! Thank you!
Monday, Jan 6. 3:05 PM: Bernie will host a meeting for ESSC Vols in the WCC Unified Arts Room. This should run under an hour and give you lots of info about the JGS program and how the staff will offer support.
Friday, Jan 10, at 9AM: on-snow clinic for vols at Black Mountain. Attending this will satisfy the 1 on-snow clinic to get your ESSC benefit card, give you pointers on teaching kids to ski, plus show you all the cool upgrades at Black!
ESSC Snow Day - This will be updated for 2025
ESSC Snow Day is the season wrap-up of JGS’s Alpine ski program with ESSC. All first through sixth graders will travel to Cranmore Ski Area to ski/board for the day. This will be our last downhill ski/board day of the 2024 ESSC season.
JGS will leave at 9 AM to travel by JGS bus to Cranmore Ski Area. The ski/board day ends at 1:50 pm with the bus leaving at 2 PM to return to JGS.
Students need to arrive at school in ski layers, bring their Friday downhill ski gear, bring a packed lunch and water bottle. Just like skiing on Fridays, students will need:
Helmet
Goggles
ski boots
Skis and poles (if using poles)/snow board
ski jacket
snack for pocket.
dry mitts/gloves
dry ski socks
dry snow pants
neck gaiter (buff, neckie, neckie up)
Students should arrive at school wearing a warm shirt and pants appropriate for downhill skiing underlayers.
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Please complete the form below to let us know we’re all on the same lift.
Child/ren’s name/s:_______________________________________________________
I will send my child to school with lunch from home.
Parent’s Name: _______________________________________
Please check and complete:
I will collect my child/ren at 3 PM at JGS.
Please send my child/ren home on the bus.
My child/ren will be picked up at 2 PM at Cranmore by:____________________________________________________
Phone:______________________________________
(JGS will contact you soon with pick up spot.)
Rental equipment must be returned to Cranmore at the end of Snow Day . If you are picking up your child, please leave your child’s rental gear with Neil Stokes at pick up time.
JGS first-sixth graders downhill (Alpine) ski on Friday afternoons (quick lunch at 11:25, on the bus at noon.) This is part of the school day and an all-valley, all-student (1st-6th) program hosted by Eastern Slope Ski Club, or ESSC. As of Dec. 8, 2023, we'll be skiing back at Black Mountain Ski Area! Rentals will be available from ESSC - make up day is Tuesday, Dec. 12, 4-6 PM for parents to bring their children to the Cranmore Arlberg Children's Center.
We will need volunteers! Registration information guides to the right!
Here are some dates to keep in mind:
ESSC ski sale at North Conway Community Center-
Drop off sale items Nov. 9th 5pm - 8pm
Sale Nov. 10th 2pm - 7pm & Nov.11th 9am - 12pm
Pick up unsold items/cash Nov.11th 4pm - 6pm
Volunteer appreciation party at Tuckermans brewery Nov. 16th
Rental collection
Friday December 8th 9.45am
Students will field trip from JGS on a JGS bus with JGS staff to assist.
Rental make up
Tuesday December 12th 4.00pm - 6.00pm
Parents will accompany student skiers to the Davis Building next door to the Arlberg Children's Center at Cranmore to pick up rental skis.
Snow day will be March 14th
make up date of March 19th - an all day ski!
Still waiting for schedule for o snow clinics - stay tuned!