Happy Sunday Warriors!

This past week we had our building spelling bee. Congratulations to all of our contestants. You were amazing! A big congratulations to Maxwell Minshall our first-place winner and our runner up Byron Enriquez Cortez.

This week we are celebrating World Kindness Week! Below are our spirit days. We hope everyone participates as we help spread kindness throughout our building and into our community.

Have a great week!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Casey Brownsberger

·        November 17th—PTA’s Zarda’s BBQ Night from 5-8pm

·        November 18th—MidTerm

·        November 24th—PTA’s Skate Night from 6-8pm. Students are encouraged to wear JWE Spirit Wear to get a free drink.

·        November 26-28th—Thanksgiving Break-No School

·        December 1st -5th—PTA’s Santa Shop

·        December 2nd—Mayor’s Christmas Tree Lighting at 6pm

·        December 4th—PTA’s Santa Shop Open Late for Families to Shop from 4-6pm

·        December 5th—Attendance Awards

·        December 5th—BHMS Choir Performance at JWE

·        December 5th—Growth and Development for 5th graders

·        December 8th—PTA’s Skate Night at Rink Ratz 6-8pm

·        December 9th—BSSD’s Spelling Bee at 6pm

·        December 11th—5th Grade Performance at 7pm at JWE

·        December 18th—Student Holiday Luncheon

·        December 19th—End of 2nd Quarter

·        December 22nd-January 5th—No School

·        January 6th—Students Return

·        January 8th-District Reflections Showcase at Blue Springs High School from 5:30pm-7:00pm

Establishing a consistent routine is essential for children's academic success and well-being. Children aged 5–11 need between 9 to 11 hours of sleep each night to thrive.

I.                 🕒 The Power of Routine: Why It Matters for Students

Creating a daily routine for children isn't just about keeping things organized—it's a powerful tool that supports their emotional, cognitive, and academic development. For students, especially those between the ages of 5 and 11, routines help build a sense of security, reduce anxiety, and foster independence.

II.              📚 Why Routines Matter for School Success

III.            😴 Sleep Needs for Ages 5–11

Sleep is a cornerstone of a healthy routine. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and other pediatric health experts:

IV.            🛏️ Tips for Building a Healthy Routine

Here’s how parents can create effective routines that support sleep and learning:

V.               🧠 Long-Term Benefits

Children who grow up with structured routines tend to develop stronger executive functioning skills—like planning, organizing, and self-control. These skills are directly linked to academic achievement and emotional resilience.

By prioritizing routines and sleep, parents can set their children up for success both in and out of the classroom. It’s not just about structure—it’s about nurturing their potential.

·        Lynch Creek Farms Fundraiser… We’re thrilled to kick off our holiday fundraiser in partnership with the beautiful Vermont-based Lynch Creek Farms! From now through the season, you can order gorgeous, fresh wreaths to brighten your home or send as thoughtful gifts to loved ones. These handcrafted wreaths are not only stunning—they’re also a wonderful way to support our school, with 10% of every purchase going directly back to JWE! These wreaths make the perfect gift for those hard-to-shop-for family members and friends, and they’re ideal as hostess gifts too! Plus, you can schedule your delivery to arrive closer to the holidays or your next special event. Feel free to share this fundraiser with friends and family—every order helps! Don’t miss out on this festive opportunity to spread holiday cheer and give back. Click the link below to shop now, and thank you for your continued support! https://lynchcreekwreaths.com/?campaign_id=4927304

·        JWE’s Veteran’s Day Parade… JWE would like to invite all moms, dads, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and siblings who have served or are currently serving in the military to participate in a special event on Tuesday, November 11th. We will be honoring them in a drive through parade in JWE’s Parking Lot. Students will be lined up on our sidewalks outside honoring our Veteran’s as they drive though our parking lot. Veteran’s need to line up at the north entrance driving south on Sunnyside School Road. We encourage our Veteran’s to decorate their cars in patriotic attire that includes a sign with their name and branch of service.

9:30—Veterans Can Line up on Sunnyside School Road starting at the car rider entrance.

o   9:45—The Parade Starts

If you are interested in participating, please fill out the attached form to RSVP. We look forward to honoring our countries and families heroes!

·       Hearing Screenings at JWE...ATTENTION PARENTS: A routine hearing screening will be conducted at school for all Kindergarteners, 1st graders, 3rd graders, and students who are new to the Blue Springs School District. These screenings will be conducted the week of November 10th. You will receive notification if there are any concerns with your child’s hearing. If you do not wish for your child to participate in the hearing screening, please contact the school. Thank you!

Heather Crump, Speech-Language Pathologist

James Walker Elementary

hcrump@bssd.net   816-874-3660

Be sure you talk with your child before they go to school if they need to eat breakfast at school or not. 

To put money on your child's lunch account please visit: www.schoolcafe.com.

To apply for free or reduced meals, please complete the appropriate forms ASAP on www.schoolcafe.com. The grace period for free/ reduced lunches is approaching. If you had free or reduced lunches last year and have not yet re-applied, you could be dropped from the program after 10/1/25. 

The following link is a tutorial of how to enroll: https://vimeo.com/280726060/a627865334. Please remember to include everyone in your household, even if they are not students as this can impact the application being accepted. 

Elementary Breakfast        $1.85

Elementary Lunch             $2.95

Milk Price                           $0.70

*Reduced Breakfast           $0.00 (must qualify)

*Reduced Lunch                $0.40 (must qualify)

·      School hours are 9:15am - 4:05pm. Doors open at 9am. Please do not send/drop off your student any sooner since we do not have supervision outside until then. The earliest that you can drop off your student(s) is 9:00am. 

·      Attendance- Please make sure your child is on time to school each day. Attendance matters and is important! Check out this attached article on attendance and how you can help improve this.

·      Parent Pick Up and Drop Off-If you are a car rider, please make sure you are going through the car rider line. Student may not be dropped off on Sunnyside School Road. Lastly, please remember that we need you to mindful of our neighbors and please do not block their driveways. Thank you very much for your help with these.

·      Dismissal-If your plans change on your pick up procedures, please notify your child's teacher and the office prior to 3:30pm.

·      Walking to School…Love the wonderful weather outside and seeing so many families walking to school. Just a reminder that pets are not allowed on school grounds. We appreciate your help with this.

·      Parent Square… Be sure to download this app. It is the best way to receive communication from your child’s teacher and our school.

·      PTA…Be sure to join PTA! The PTA consists of parents and teachers working together to support and best serve all students, the needs of James Walker Elementary and our community. PTA is a team effort and we would love to have your involvement anytime! We also have business memberships available as well. To sign up, click on this link https://linktr.ee/jameswalkerpta

·        Water bottles: We highly encourage you to send your child with a water bottle filled with WATER only, every day. We have water filling stations to refill their water bottles as needed. 

·        Food Delivery: We cannot deliver food orders sent to students at our school (ex. Door Dash, Grub Hub, etc). So please do not order them and send them to school unless they are addressed to Mrs. Brownsberger.

·        Birthday Treats: If you would like to provide treats for your child’s birthday, this must be pre-arranged with your child’s teacher at least 24 hours in advance. Also, all treats must be store-bought, individual (not whole cakes), and packaged.

·        Volunteer/Background Check Information:  Each year we need an updated background check if you plan on volunteering up at school. The Blue Springs School District uses DataSource to enhance and strengthen our current background screening process for Volunteer Guests. It is FREE, SECURE, and SIMPLE to register. Please visit: https://bssd.quickapp.pro to fill out an application. Once there you will see all Blue Springs School District schools will be listed. Click on the building in which you are planning to volunteer. (If you have students attending multiple buildings, you will only need to complete one application. After completing the application, please contact the Building School Resource Officer for the school you applied at and let them know you have students at additional locations). Volunteer applications MUST be submitted at least five (5) days before the event for which you are volunteering. After submission, please wait for an email from DataSource. The email will let you know whether you have been approved or denied.

·       Lunch Visitors… To eat lunch with your child, you will need to complete a background check prior to coming. To complete a free background check click here: https://bssd.quickapp.pro. Then you will need to sign up for a day to be a lunch guest https://jwelunchvisitors.youcanbook.me/. We need at least 24 hours notice when signing up. That means you cannot sign up on the same day you want to eat lunch. We appreciate your help and planning with this.

·       Family Resources or Assistance - If your family is in need of any assistance, please click this link to see what resources the school currently has available: https://forms.office.com/r/n6pLZdgVr2. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, please reach out to our school counselor at mburkhart@bssd.net — we’re here to help!

·       Lunch Accounts/Free and Reduced Lunch Applications- To apply login to school café, click here https://www.schoolcafe.com/. The following link is a tutorial of how to enroll: https://vimeo.com/280726060/a627865334. Please remember to include everyone in your household, even if they are not students as this can impact the application being accepted. 

·       Ronald McDonald House…Student Council is asking for your help! As part of a service project to help the families who belong to the Ronald McDonald House of Kansas City we are collecting pop tabs. These pop tabs support families with children in the hospital that stay at RMHC-KC or visit the Family Room. Advantage Metals, a local Kansas City recycler, buys the tabs at market rate and makes an additional charitable contribution to the Ronald McDonald House. They generously donate their pick-up and handling services, so the income from pop tabs is pure profit. Last year, this program brought in $20,000. We want to help them raise even more this year! WHAT CAN YOU DO? Collect pop tabs in zip-lock bags, cardboard boxes, coffee cans or plastic trash bags. Student Council will have a container set up in the office to collect the tabs. Your teacher will also have a collection “house” to keep the tabs collected. If you have a workplace that would be interested in collecting pop tabs for JWE’s Student Council please email Mrs. Hartstack at khartstack@bssd.net or Mrs. Horton ahorton@bssd.net and they will send some cardboard houses home with your child. Please do not use plastic soda bottles or milk jugs because they’re hard to empty! Thank you! 

Click on the link below to learn more about our school, available resources, and grade-level information. Inside, you'll find curriculum details that outline what your child will be learning this year, along with insights into their classroom experience. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher or contact our office at 816-874-3660. We’re here to support you and your child every step of the way!