Good Afternoon, Warriors!

I hope you’re enjoying a wonderful weekend!

A huge shout-out to our amazing PTA and all the families who joined us for BINGO Night! It was such a fun way to end the week, and we are so grateful to our PTA for organizing such a fantastic event.

This month, we are focusing on the character traits of Caring and Kindness. At school, students are engaging in meaningful conversations about showing kindness and participating in random acts of kindness for others. We’d love to extend this spirit into our community as well! All students are invited to complete the attached Kindness BINGO Board, spreading kindness both in and out of school. Imagine the impact if every student participated—what a wave of kindness that would be!

Students who complete a BINGO will receive a prize. Completed boards are due Friday, February 27th. Let’s spread kindness and make our world a better place!

This week, we are also recognizing and celebrating our school counselors for everything they do. We appreciate and admire Mrs. Posey and Mrs. Burkhart so much. Help us honor them by writing a letter, sending an email, or sharing a small token of appreciation to thank them for their hard work and dedication. We are lucky to have them.

Below are the updates for the week. As always, if you have any questions or need anything, please reach out.

Wishing you a fantastic week!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Casey Brownsberger

This month, our school is focusing on the character traits of Caring and Kindness, and we invite all families to join us in nurturing these values beyond the classroom. Kindness doesn’t require grand gestures—small, everyday actions can create a powerful ripple effect. Below are some meaningful and practical ways your family can spread kindness at home and throughout our community.

Set a daily or weekly goal: doing something kind for a family member. This could be making someone’s bed, helping with chores, or offering a simple compliment. Track progress on a chart or through the school’s Kindness BINGO Board.

Place a jar in a central spot and encourage family members to write positive notes to each other. These can be messages of appreciation, encouragement, or gratitude. At the end of the week, read them together.

Choose a “phrase of the day” such as “Thank you,” “I appreciate you,” or “Can I help you?” These small expressions build a habit of empathy and respect.

Encourage your child to surprise someone at home—fold a sibling’s laundry, leave a sweet note on someone’s pillow, or tidy a shared space without being asked.

Children learn best by watching us. Using calm words, offering apologies, and showing patience during tough moments helps them understand that kindness is a choice we can make every day.

A simple card can brighten someone's day. Families can create thank-you cards for firefighters, police officers, mail carriers, or elderly neighbors.

Invite your child to choose toys, books, or clothes they’ve outgrown. Delivering these items to shelters, community centers, or local donation drives teaches generosity and gratitude.

Take a short walk with a trash bag and gloves to pick up litter in your neighborhood or a local park. Kids love seeing the immediate difference they can make.

Let children draw uplifting chalk messages on the sidewalk or create window art for people who pass by. Bright colors and positive words can bring smiles to strangers.

Bake cookies for a neighbor, bring a small treat to the school office, or leave a thank-you note for your crossing guard or bus driver. Simple gestures remind community helpers that they are valued.

Acts of kindness—big or small—help children build empathy, strengthen relationships, and understand the importance of being part of something larger than themselves. When families model and practice kindness together, children internalize these habits and carry them into school and bey

At JWE, you may often hear us refer to BIST, which stands for Behavior Intervention Support Team. This approach is grounded in trauma‑informed practices and is used to support students as they develop emotional awareness, positive coping strategies, and responsible decision‑making skills. BIST focuses on building strong partnerships between educators, students, and families to help children succeed both inside and outside of the classroom.

Below you will find a letter from the Director of BIST inviting parents to participate in an upcoming Zoom session designed to provide practical strategies that can be used at home. I truly cannot say enough positive things about the training, guidance, and support this program offers. If your schedule allows, I strongly encourage you to attend—these strategies are incredibly valuable and can make a meaningful difference at home and at school.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As part of ongoing support for families, your child’s school is offering a series of classes for parents and guardians through a partnership with the Behavior Intervention Support Team (BIST). These training sessions are designed to provide ways you can support your child’s developing academic and behavior skills, as well as increase consistency between home and school. 

 

These classes are designed to:

·      Create consistency between school and home

·      Provide language for adults to use when redirecting children

·      Share ways to problem solve to increase your child’s success

·      Increase generosity and kindness in your children

·      Bring a sense of calm to your home

Please join us for any or all three sessions!

These virtual classes are provided free of charge, however, we do ask that you please register through our website on or before Tuesday, February 3rd. Instructions for registration are on the page below.

We are excited to offer this opportunity to you!

Sincerely,

Marty Huitt, Director

Behavior Intervention Support Team/Cornerstones of Care

8150 Wornall Rd

Kansas City, MO 64114

@MartyHuitt

1.     Go to http://BIST.org

2.    Click Log In on the home screen.

3.    If you already created a username by previously enrolling in a BIST class, just log in on this screen.

4.    If you have never registered for a BIST class, enter your information (Name, Email, and a Password). This will register you on the website, but not for the class.

5.    At the top of the page, use the dropdown menu called “Classes.” Click “Training Calendar.”

6.    Select the class you wish to attend (Parenting with BIST). Click “Register” under your preferred class.

7.    Fill out the required questions and click “Register.”

8.   On the checkout screen, complete the billing details even though this is a free class.

9.    Click “Place Order.” The Order Details page is your confirmation of registration.

10. You will receive an email containing the Zoom link for the training sessions on Wednesday, February 4th. 

If you have not received an email containing the Zoom link by noon on February 5th, 

·       JWE Literacy Night… Calling All Junior Detectives and Their Families!

Family Literacy Night: “The Case of the Missing Book” A mysterious book has vanished… and we need your help to crack the case! Report to JWE Headquarters on Thursday, March 5th from 5:30–7:00 PM to join our team of investigators. Families will search for clues by exploring interactive reading and writing stations, browse for new reads at the Scholastic Book Fair, and refuel with pizza, water, and cookies. Every JWE student detective will receive a free book to take home as evidence. And for an icy treat, the Kona Ice truck will be stationed outside. If your detective team plans to join the investigation, please sign up using the link below: www.jweliteracy.com. Case closed—we can’t wait to see you there! 

·       BSSD’s 2026-2027 Kindergarten Screening and Enrollment Information… Do you have a child who will be 5 years of age before August 1st, 2026? If so they are eligible for kindergarten enrollment! Call the office at 816-874-3660 to schedule an appointments for anytime on Monday, March 9th noon-7pm or Tuesday, March 10th from 9am-3pm.

·       JWE Yearbooks are now on sale!...visit ybpay.com to order your yearbook today. Use yearbook ID Code: 14150226. Order deadline is March 14, 2026.

·       JWE’s Mavericks Night… JWE will be hosting a Maverick’s Night at Cable Dahmer Arena in Independence on Wednesday, March 4th. Our very own JWE’s Honors Choir will be performing the National Anthem. To purchase tickets, use this link: https://www.gofevo.com/event/2526james2. This event is open to all of our JWE families. We hope to see you there.

·        JWE’s Mitten Tree….Thanks to all that have contributed! You guys are amazing! We have one more week left of collecting new mittens or gloves, hats, and scarves to give to those in need during the winter season. It is our hope that we can collect hundreds of mittens and other items to share with others. We would appreciate your help in making this project a success! Please have your child bring a pair of NEW mittens or gloves and/or a hat to school to add to our collection. We will be hanging the items on the tree in the front hallway of JWE. Thank you so much for your help! Sincerely, JWE’s Student Council

·       Family Resource Assistance…Looking for additional support with school supplies, clothing, counseling, or community resources? We can help! Fill out this link and we will be reaching out soon. Fall 25-26 Resources for JWE Families – Fill out form

·       Difference Makers-Difference Makers is a Blue Springs School District mentoring initiative that connects K-5 students with caring adult volunteers. Difference Makers mentors are positive role models who give their time, energy, and talent to build positive relationships with students and to promote student literacy. If you are interested in being a Difference Maker at James Walker Elementary, please contact Lyda McMurray at lmcmurray@bssd.net or 816-874-3660.

·       Lunch Accounts/Free and Reduced Lunch Applications- It is not too late! You an apply for this at any time.  To enroll, you 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. 

·       Want to opt in on School Text Messages…If you opted out of text communication and want to opt back in, text "START" to 66458.

·       Visions of Peace Art Contest Grades 2-5…See the Attached Document on Visions of Peace Contest Details and Visions of Peace Contest Entry Form

·       Elks Lodge Poster Contest Grades 3-5… See the attached Elks Lodge Poster Contest Details

·       Letters to the Lieutenant Governor Project Grades K – 5… See the attached Letters to the Lieutenant Governor Project Details 

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. You can apply for this at any time.

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.

·       Water Bottles…Just a friendly reminder that if you are sending your student to school with a water bottle, it needs to be filled with water only. Please do not send water bottles with juice, tea, soda, kool-aid, etc. Thank you for 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.

·       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!