Principal Update to JES Families

Friday, December 5, marked the mid-way point of the second quarter. The school year is moving quickly, and we are truly enjoying watching our students learn and grow daily. Please continue to check in with your children and pose a few questions that allow you to learn about their day. Also, please inspect their Take Home Folders for important correspondence, assignments, and work products.

We continue to celebrate our students through a variety of platforms: Virtue of the Month, Grade 4 SOAR Buck initiatives, Perfect Attendance, Grade 5 Science questions, and individual teacher and grade level recognition through classroom-related and department incentives and positive reinforcement. We are currently at 230 students who earned a Virtues Certificate during the second quarter with 4.5 more weeks to go. We are super proud of you. A very special congrats to third grade students, Madeline Moog and Eloise Kegel (pictured above), who were recognized for their artwork by the Baltimore County Fire Department.

Much gratitude and appreciation for our PTA and those families who donated and or participated in the Race For Education. We exceeded the 75K mark needed for a new playground and now are engaging with a Civil Engineer on the project. Our grant money becomes available in February at which time we will meet with vendors and work with our students and faculty to gain a better understanding on some of the features that we hope to see with the new playground. Anticipated groundbreaking on the project is this August.

We are looking forward to seeing many of you at the Winter Concert tomorrow and the various holiday parties leading up to our winter break. Kudos to our Grade 1 team for their recent classroom visits. Thanks to our Grade 2 team for their pre-Thanksgiving Cranberry Math activity in addition to our Grade 4 team in hosting their Shark Tank presentations. Please continue to check in with your children's teachers for upcoming events throughout their grade levels. Our Glow Night activity is scheduled for January 16. Please mark your calendars for this incredibly fun PTA-sponsored event.

🎉 Our current attendance rate is 97.10% This is such an exciting time! Every day is a new opportunity to learn and grow! 🏆

- Mr. Bayne, Principal

Please take an opportunity to preview the Jacksonville ES website. Thank you to Grade 3 teacher, Mrs. Champagne, for her years of service as School Webmaster. Taking the reigns for the 2025-2026 school year are Grade 1 teachers, Mrs. Kerbe and Mrs. Kwoka.

From Mrs. Kerbe and Mrs. Kwoka: We just wrapped up some updates to our school website. Moving forward, we will focus on adding helpful resources as needed. We have included many new tools for families. One highlight is a dedicated page with resources from our school counselors to support students and parents alike. Take a moment to explore the site and see what’s new. You might find something that makes your day easier!

Completion of BCPS volunteer applications for holiday parties is past due. Mrs. Mathis and I will be reviewing and confirming that applications have been completed and verified before each grade-level holiday celebration. Unfortunately, we are only able to welcome guests who have a completed and verified volunteer application on file with BCPS and a confirmed RSVP with the teacher. Thank you for helping us ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all students!

Each week, JES faculty and staff share “Shout Outs” to recognize one another’s hard work and dedication. We would love to give parents and guardians the same opportunity! This is your chance to celebrate a teacher or staff member with a short note of appreciation. Just a couple of sentences acknowledging their commitment to students or the school. Example: "To Mr. Hurley. From Mike and Kathy Winchester. Thank you for making Caroline feel welcome each day in your classroom through your sense of humor and passion for teaching."

Send your “Shout Outs” to mbayne2@bcps.org and help us spread positivity throughout our school community every month.

With the weather changing, just a reminder that students need to wear sneakers to participate in Physical Education.

Students in Grades 2-5 are doing a great job in their floor hockey games. They are using all their skills and working as a team when playing. Well done!

Kindergarten and Grade 1 will be playing games that practice overhand throwing for the next few weeks before winter break.

Ms. Lee and Mrs. Springer

A big thank you to our Grade 5 Library Helpers for their leadership and dedication each week! Their support keeps our library running smoothly, and we are so grateful for their hard work.

During their final library visit before winter break, students will be allowed to check out one extra book to enjoy over the break. We love seeing students excited about reading—thank you for supporting independent reading at home!

And remember—if your child forgets their library books on their assigned day, they can return them anytime using the Book Return cart (see picture to the right) located just outside the library doors.

Mrs. Stewart

This is the time of year for art shows in and around Baltimore County!

Two Grade 3 students, Eloise Kegel and Madeline Moog, were recognized for their outstanding artwork by the Baltimore County Fire Department. Hundreds of Baltimore County third graders entered this annual contest. Forty students received recognition and prizes at a special ceremony. Eloise and Madeline each earned an award of Honorable Mention and received a cash prize. Way to go Madeline and Eloise!

All Grade 5 students and one Grade 3 class participated in the 20th Annual Conflict Resolution Day Bookmark Art Contest created by the Maryland Judiciary’s Mediation and Conflict Resolution Office. Although Jacksonville did not earn any awards, the submissions were excellent!

The following students were selected to have their artwork showcased in the 2025 BCPS Winter Art Digital Exhibition:

Grade 1 - Rose D.

Grade 1 - Gavin R.

Grade 4 - Blake F.

Congrats Rose, Gavin, and Blake!

You can check out their artwork at the link below!

https://new.express.adobe.com/webpage/yor4OGxqlfmuQ

Ms. Barton

Kindergarten and Grade 2 loved their visit to the BSO on December 3. They were excited to hear the music that they had studied in class and to see the dancers, as well. They especially loved the “snow” that arrived near the end of the concert. They did such a great job of representing Jacksonville!

All classes are studying various parts of the Nutcracker now, diving into which instruments are used and how Peter Tchaikovsky, the composer, added expression to the music to help tell the story. Each grade has its own new section of music to hear, examine, and in which to move.

Mrs. Tice

Don’t forget! After the winter concert, the Grade 5 instrumental students will be preparing for smaller in school chamber concerts, the solo and ensemble festival, and the spring concert. This is a great time to make sure string students are on the correct size instrument, that wind and percussion students have all the supplies they need, and that all instruments are in good working order. Please reach out with any questions.

Mrs. Russell

December 9 -- Winter Concert at 6:30 (Chorus and Instrumental)

December 18 - December 23 -- Holiday Parties

(Please confirm dates and times with classroom teacher)

December 23 -- Winter Break Begins at the End of the School Day

(Schools and Offices Closed)

January 5 -- Schools Reopen

Principal: Matthew Bayne mbayne2@bcps.org

Asst. Principal: Marlana Mathis mmathis2@bcps.org

Main Office: Jackie McElduff; Kim Campbell

Website: jacksonvillees.bcps.org
Location: 3400 Hillendale Heights Road. Phoenix, MD 21131
Phone: (443) 809-7880

School Hours: 9:05 a.m. - 4:05 p.m.
PTA: jacksonvillees.bcps.org
Instagram: jacksonville_elementary_