Principal Update to JES Families

Dear Jets Community,

We are off to an outstanding start to the school year! Thank you for helping your child make a smooth transition by ensuring they get a good night’s sleep, eat a healthy breakfast, engage in reading and math activities at home, and attend school each day.

Our classrooms and hallways reflect a vibrant, student-centered learning environment. Student work is proudly displayed throughout the building, and many students have already been recognized for demonstrating our Virtue of Kindness. These students have received certificates and prizes, and their photos are proudly displayed in our main hallway.

We are excited for Outdoor Movie Night this Friday! The event begins at 6:00 p.m., with the movie starting at 7:00 p.m. This is just one of many opportunities for students and families to connect and have fun together throughout the year. Our clubs are also getting underway, offering a variety of options for students. Please watch for information from teachers, the PTA newsletter, Talking Points, and School Messenger.

In addition to email, phone calls, and in-person conferences, Talking Points and School Messenger serve as primary communication tools for our faculty and school.

Thank you for your continued support of our students, staff, and school community. We value our partnership with you and look forward to a year filled with meaningful learning, memorable experiences, and opportunities for every child to thrive.

🎉 Our attendance rate for the year is 98.16%. Our strong attendance rate to date reflects the commitment of our families to student learning. Thank you for ensuring your child is present, engaged, and ready to learn each day. 🏆

- Mr. Bayne, Principal

- Ms. Mathis, Assistant Principal

School Picture Day is scheduled for Monday, October 19. Pre-orders can be made at mylifetouch.com. Please use the code EVTNBB372.

We are excited to share that Jacksonville Elementary has been selected to receive a STEM Center for permanent use in our school. Only a small number of BCPS elementary schools were chosen for this opportunity.

After completing the application during the 2025-2026 school year and renewing it for 2026-2027, we were recently notified that our school has been selected to receive a significant investment of STEM resources and materials to support student learning and exploration.

More information is forthcoming. Delivery of equipment is scheduled for late October, early November. Materials and curriculum appropriate for Pre-K through Grade 5 students.

Grade 5 Magnet School Information

Middle School Magnet Program flyers were distributed to all 5th grade students during the first week of school. Please be on the lookout for them! All applications MUST be submitted by the application deadline, Tuesday, October 20, 2026 @ 1:00 pm. Applications are submitted ONLINE through the BCPS Magnet Programs’ Web Site (link: Magnet Programs). If you have questions about the Magnet Program, feel free to reach out to the Magnet Office at 443-809-4127 or email magnet@bcps.org.

During the month of October, students will discuss the topic of bullying prevention. School counseling lessons will help students understand what bullying is, how it can affect others, and—most importantly—how they can stand up for themselves and support their classmates in positive ways.

We will celebrate kindness by having a “Kindness Spirit Week” during the week of October 5-9. Please see the picture below. We hope that your child/children will join us!

Schoolwide, we will continue our Virtues Program by focusing on the virtue of Respect. We will be encouraging students to treat everyone like they would want to be treated; focusing on being polite and using kind words; and discussing what respect looks, sounds, and feels like. In addition, we will talk about why being respectful is important and strategies that help us be respectful. Thank you for reinforcing these ideas and actions at home and in the community, as we promote them at school.

Our projects during the first quarter will focus on the Elements of Art, specifically; line, color, and value for K-4 students and form for 5th grade students.

The project and skills we are working on by grade level:

Kindergarten: Mouse Painting, identifying primary colors, exploring how to mix secondary colors.

First Grade: Donuts, achieving different values with crayons, designing donuts to show a variety.

Second Grade: Waterfalls, using lines to show movement, overlapping to create depth, blending watercolors.

Third Grade: Umbrella Pictures, identifying primary and secondary colors, creating secondary colors using only primary colors, designing a raincoat, learning splatter painting techniques.

Fourth Grade: Color Wheel Eyes, identifying primary, secondary, and tertiary colors, creating secondary and tertiary colors, designing a unique eye.

Fifth Grade: Activity Sculptures, making armatures, exploring Plaster of Paris, forming our sculptures to show implied movement, using colors intentionally to paint our activity sculpture.

Library readers are off to a fantastic start this school year! Students have already circulated 2,528 books, demonstrating a strong enthusiasm for reading. In library class, students are building important digital citizenship skills as they learn how to navigate the online world safely, responsibly, and respectfully.

Thanks to funds raised through last year's Scholastic Book Fair, over 300 brand-new books have been added to the library shelves. Students will have the opportunity to shop at this year's Scholastic Book Fair when it returns in early December.

One quick reminder: our biggest causes of book damage continue to be pets and water bottles, so please help students keep library books in a safe, dry place at home and in their backpacks.

What We Are Learning : Students are currently working on their locomotor movements during fleeing and chasing games. We have also played some target games that involve overhand throws and rolling.

Student Showcase: We recently played a game called Hungry Monsters, a throwing game, and Mr. Hurley's class set a school record! They were able to throw 17 balls into the other team's buckets.

Upcoming Units/Events: We will continue to work on Spatial Awareness games, fleeing and chasing games, and target games.

Family Connections (simple activities families can do at home): Families can encourage their child to stay active by going outside and playing! This is also a gentle reminder that tennis shoes are required for PE class. Crocs and Kanes cannot be worn.

Principal's Connection: PE classes have been working on providing a welcoming and safe environment where students feel comfortable playing and being active. We have been incorporating Math and ELA into our lessons by having students work on their counting and addition during games, as well as reading task cards during activities.

All students at Jacksonville are currently learning about rhythm by speaking, moving, writing, performing, playing instruments, and composing.

Kindergarteners perform the steady beat and long/short sounds, while other grade levels review what they have previously learned and add on new rhythmic elements.

Grades 2 and 3 will be preparing for a field trip to the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at the end of October, so keep an eye out for permission slips that will be coming home soon!

Principal: Matthew Bayne mbayne2@bcps.org

Asst. Principal: Marlana Mathis mmathis2@bcps.org

Main Office: Laura Rodriguez; Kim Campbell

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

Hours: 9:05 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
PTA: jacksonvillees.bcps.org
Instagram: jacksonville_elementary_