Good Afternoon, Warriors!

I hope you are enjoying a wonderful weekend and soaking up this beautiful weather! We have several exciting celebrations and important updates to share with you.

First, congratulations to our Chess Club, who participated in a tournament this weekend and did an outstanding job! A special shout‑out goes to Haygan Yuvallos, who earned 1st place in the 1st‑grade division—way to go, Haygan!

We also extend a huge congratulations to Coach Chris Small, who has been named May Employee of the Month for the Blue Springs School District. This is a tremendous honor, and we couldn’t think of a more deserving educator. Coach Small consistently goes above and beyond for our students, and we are incredibly proud to celebrate him!

We would also like to share a few staffing updates. At the end of this school year, our beloved librarian, Mrs. King, will be leaving JWE. While this was a difficult decision, please know that JWE will always hold a special place in her heart—and in ours. Mrs. King has made a lasting impact on our students and staff, and she will be greatly missed. We wish her nothing but happiness and success as she begins her next chapter.

We are excited to share that Mrs. Christina Hanes, our current librarian aide, will be stepping into the librarian role. Mrs. Hanes has already been a wonderful part of our school community, and we are confident she will continue to bring enthusiasm, care, and dedication to our library.

Additionally, as this school year comes to a close, Mrs. Lloyd will be retiring. We appreciate her years of service and commitment to our Warrior family and wish her a joyful and well‑deserved retirement.

Finally, we are thrilled to welcome Mrs. Kelsey Martin as our new Assistant Principal. Mrs. Martin is currently serving as assistant principal at Cordill Mason and was previously a literacy coach at Daniel Young. She brings a wealth of experience and a strong passion for student success. We are excited to have her join our Warrior family!

Looking ahead, MAP testing begins this week for our students in grades 3rd–5th. This state assessment is very important, and our students have worked hard to prepare. We are excited for them to show all that they know! Please help by ensuring your child arrives at school on time each day and gets a good night’s sleep before testing. The testing dates for each grade level are listed below. Thank you for your support in helping our students succeed.

Summer School enrollment is now open, and the deadline is approaching quickly! The Blue Springs School District Summer School Program will run June 1–June 25. Parents of incoming kindergarteners through 5th graders should enroll through the Parent Portal (Forms → Summer School 2026). Please be sure to register by April 25 to reserve your spot. Blue Springs School District - Summer School 

Summer School offers wonderful opportunities for learning and fun—including making new friends, exploring animals at the KC Zoo, enjoying exciting KC events like the World Cup, and of course, cooling off with Kona Ice on a warm summer day!

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Have a wonderful week!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Casey Brownsberger

In the coming weeks, students will participate in state assessments. These tests help schools understand how well students are learning important grade‑level skills and guide teachers in supporting student growth. While tests are only one part of a child’s education, feeling prepared and confident can make a big difference.

Children learn best when they are well‑rested and well‑fed. A consistent bedtime, healthy meals, and daily physical activity support focus and learning.

Talk about testing as a chance for students to show what they know. Avoid pressure, and remind your child that doing their best is what matters most.

Reading together—even for 15 minutes—builds vocabulary, comprehension, and confidence across all subjects. Ask your child to talk about what they read or learned at school.

Celebrate hard work and persistence. Let your child know it’s okay to make mistakes—learning happens when we try, practice, and keep going.

A test score does not define your child. Your encouragement and support help children feel safe, confident, and ready to learn.

Thank you for partnering with us to support your child’s success during testing season and beyond!

·       MAP Testing…Our testing window for grades 3rd-5th is April 14th-May 1st. This is an important time for our students and need your help during this window to have our students here at school on time. Please try avoiding scheduling doctor’s appointments and trips during this time. We need students at school!! If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our office at 816-874-3660. THANK YOU for your help with this.

·       Summer School Enrollment…Summer School Enrollment is open. Enroll your child in the Blue Springs School District (BSSD) Summer School Program June 1st – June 25th. Parents of children that are incoming kindergarteners through 5th grade should enroll their child through the Parent Portal (under Forms, Summer School 2026). Blue Springs School District - Summer School Be sure to sign up by April 24th to reserve your spot

·       Parent Input Form… We are in the beginning phases of planning for the 2025-26 school year. In order to place your child(ren) in the best learning environment, we are offering each family to fill out the following questionnaire to gain valuable insight about your child from the parent's perspective.  Your feedback is incredibly important to us as we strive to meet the unique needs of each student. By participating, you provide us with helpful information that will assist in making informed decisions about teacher placements and classroom settings. We appreciate your time and input in helping us ensure a successful and enriching school year for all our students. Please note that we cannot guarantee specific teacher requests 2026-2027 JWE Parent Input Form – Fill out form

·       Walk-A-Thon Volunteers… We need you! Please help us out with our school fundraiser!! It is right around the corner. To help make our event we are needing 4 volunteers per grade level to help with lap counting and managing our walk a thon. To sign up go to: Walkathon: Copy - JWE Walkathon. Just a reminder that you will need a background check filled out. Thanks Warriors for your help making this a success!

·       Field Day Volunteers….It is getting close to that time…FIELD DAY!! This is Coach’s Olympics. He lives for this day and needs your help to make this a success! We seriously cannot do this without your help. If you are interested, you need to have a background check on file with JWE and sign up here using this link: Field Day: Copy - JWE Field Day. Just a reminder you may not bring siblings to this event as we need your help with the stations and helping our students. Thank you Warriors!

·       JWE’s Legacy Walk…Calling all former JWE Seniors! Come walk the halls of your former elementary school one last time on Monday, May 18th at 2pm. Wear your cap and gown, our Warriors will be lining the hallways to cheer you on as you embark on your next adventure. Please RSVP here: JWE Alumni/Legacy Walk 2026 – Fill out form to let us know you are coming! Plan to arrive at 1:45pm. See you soon!

·       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.

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!