We are celebrating our school leaders this month! Principals are among the hardest working, yet often least recognized individuals in education. Principals set the academic tone for their schools, and it is their vision, dedication, and determination that provide the mobilizing force for achieving student success. We are so grateful for our principals who step up every day for our students and staff.
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a time to highlight the importance of safeguarding online activity from harmful cyber attacks. Each Friday this month, we'll share tips to help our students, staff, and families secure their sensitive data and stay safe online. Tip #2: Don't click suspicious links. Sometimes you may get what seems like an email from a friend. But is your friend really the one sending the message? Always review the sender's email before replying to a message or clicking a link. Malicious files can extract personal data, monitor and transmit your activities, and even take over your device. Avoid suspicious or unnecessary downloads and scan documents with anti-virus software before opening. If you're still uncertain about a link, visit www.virustotal.com to check its safety. Visit www.cisa.gov/cybersecurity-awareness-month to learn more about Cybersecurity Awareness Month.
JCS utilizes Nutrislice as our menu partner to communicate daily menus providing nutritional information for each item and meal - it can even sort by allergens! Visit www.jcswv.org for daily menus from each school, or download the JCSWV app, available through Google Play and the App Store.
We had a great time at the inaugural JCS Opportunity Expo! Thank you to all of the students who shared their experiences, and to our partners at James Rumsey Technical Institute, Blue Ridge CTC, and WVU for showing our 9th Grade students all of the incredible opportunities they can take advantage of in high school!
Did you know that our child nutrition team serves more than one million student meals each school year? As we celebrate National School Lunch Week, hats off to the hardworking staff in our school cafeterias for keeping our students fed, focused, and ready to learn!
A reminder that all Jefferson County Schools will be closed on Monday, October 10, for a scheduled staff development day. Thank you for your understanding as we support student success. Visit www.jcswv.org/calendar for the complete 2022-2023 JCS Calendar-At-A-Glance.
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a time to highlight the importance of safeguarding online activity from harmful cyber attacks. Each Friday this month, we'll share tips to help our students, staff, and families secure their sensitive data and stay safe online. Tip #1: Protect your passwords! Be sure to secure passwords for your accounts and NEVER share them with others. Many platforms now allow you to enable two-factor authentication for added security to keep unauthorized users from accessing an account. Enable this security feature whenever possible. Visit www.cisa.gov/cybersecurity-awareness-month to learn more about Cybersecurity Awareness Month.
A reminder that there will be a two-hour early dismissal on for all Jefferson County School students on Friday, October 7. This change in schedule will accommodate an expansion of elementary school ELA and math programs. Thank you for your understanding as we work to support student success. For more information, please visit www.jcswv.org/expansion.
Congratulations to Washington High School's Marching Patriots on their recent win at the 43rd Annual Martinsburg High School Band Spectacular! Their performance of this year's half-time show, Camelot, earned them first place in their division. Way to go, Patriots!
The rain didn't dampen the spirits of those who gathered Sunday to celebrate the 155th anniversary of the founding of Storer College, including student volunteers from Black Student Alliance chapters across the district. Storer College opened in 1867 as one of the first schools in the nation to offer an education to formerly enslaved people. It operated until 1955 and is now part of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, which hosted the ceremony with the Storer College National Alumni Association. JCS is proud and honored to take part in this notable anniversary commemoration!
This is a reminder that next Friday, October 7, there will be a two-hour early dismissal for all Jefferson County Schools students. This change in schedule will accommodate an expansion of elementary school ELA and math programs. Thank you for your understanding as we work to support student success. For more information, please visit www.jcswv.org/expansion
Thanks to the Friends of Music for their recent gift to assist Charles Town Middle School music students! The Shepherdstown-based group donated four portable keyboards and accompanying stands, enabling CTMS to provide every music student with their own keyboard. Learn more about this gift and the grant that funded it here 👉 https://bit.ly/3LZEyrI. Thank you for supporting JCS students!
After many years of rising scores on the WVGSA test, JCS saw a steep decline during the pandemic, from which we have not recovered. The latest scores show staggering deficits in ELA and math that keep hundreds of children below the mark for proficiency. To ensure that our students are ready for academics and life beyond the classroom, we are adjusting our elementary education program for 3-5 grade students. Please visit www.jcswv.org/expansion to learn more. There will be a district-wide TWO-HOUR EARLY DISMISSAL for all students on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022, to support teachers as they prepare to make these adjustments. Thank you for your trust and support.
JCS is still hiring substitute teachers to fill short and long-term positions for this school year! Interested in substituting for JCS? Here's everything you need to know about the required training offered through our partnership with the Eastern Panhandle Instructional Cooperative (EPIC). EPIC offers the training you need to be eligible to apply for open positions. Visit www.epicresa8.org/subteachertraining to learn more, and follow our JCS Careers Facebook page at www.facebook.com/JoinJCS to learn about new positions as they become available!
Thank you to all the hardworking volunteers who helped make this year's Stuff-A-Bus a success! The JCS Transportation Department collected enough school supplies to distribute 140 bookbags to students throughout the district. Read on for more details 👉 https://bit.ly/3ByiY8G. And visit jcswv.org/careers to learn how you can make your mark as a member of our incredible transportation team!
On Friday, the C.W. Shipley family celebrated Logan Kenney, a classmate who passed away earlier this month. Students and staff wore red to honor Logan's legacy and ended the day with a schoolwide heart-shaped photo paying tribute to him. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Logan's family during this difficult time.
This week, JCS students from several schools across the district had the opportunity to participate in hands-on learning while also enriching our community through the United Way's Day of Caring. Students from Wright Denny Intermediate School and the Charles Town Middle School Builders' Club headed to Happy Retreat to assist with beautification projects and learn about history. Meanwhile, the Washington High School Key Club was hard at work installing a Story Walk and moving 80 tons of mulch (‼️) at Jefferson Memorial Park. A big shoutout to these hardworking students for their community service endeavors! 📣💪
🎉 HUGE congratulations go out to C.W. Shipley Elementary School for being named a 2022 National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education! The distinction affirms and validates the hard work of CWS students, educators, and families as they strive for and attain exemplary achievement. Visit https://bit.ly/3xROtd5 to learn more about the National Blue Ribbon Schools Award. Well done, Raccoons! 🏆
🎉 Once again, congratulations to Charity Marstiler and Wendy Dodson, who were both recognized as state finalists by the West Virginia Department of Education for 2023 Teacher of the Year and Service Person of the Year, respectively. Ms. Marstiler is an agriculture education teacher at Jefferson High School with a strong legacy in the JCS education community - her father was also a WV Teacher of the Year state finalist in 2004! Ms. Dodson is a secretary in the central office and an integral member of the Social and Emotional Support and Responsive Education teams. These exceptional ladies are trusted and valued employees, and we are incredibly proud to count them among our JCS staff! 😍
Several JCS teachers recently received much-needed classroom materials thanks to a generous donation by Horace Mann Insurance Co. The company has spent over 75 years financially supporting public educators, including its national sponsorship of DonorsChoose, a nonprofit classroom funding site. Horace Mann representative Casey Belzer personally delivered the donations to several JCS schools, including C.W. Shipley and T.A. Lowery Elementary, Wildwood Middle, and Jefferson High School. He's pictured here with Ms. Palmer's third-grade class at C.W. Shipley, whose "Fuzzy Feet for Floor Fun" donation through DonorsChoose has made for a much quieter transition between classroom activities. Thank you to Casey and Horace Mann for supporting JCS!
