Principal's Newsletter

National School Counseling Week begins on Monday. Along with assistant principals, school counselors are one of the most misunderstood roles in a school. Many of us have had contact and interactions with school counselors, but defining their specific role in a school can be a challenge. For the past decade, we have seen the expectations for this position shift.

One could argue that the school counselor's focus is post-secondary opportunities, and counselors should only focus on seniors. However, our students have a wide variety of opportunities after graduating from JHS. Additionally, our underclassmen prepare for college, military, and the workforce well before their senior year with AP classes, New Horizons, internships, and other experiences.

Even before the pandemic, our school counselors worked with students individually and in small groups to provide behavior and organizational supports to our students. School counselors also help bridge the gap between mental health services, families, and our school.

While I can download the specific job description for school counselors, I am hard-pressed to tell you what they do other than to acknowledge I appreciate that they are on the job at JHS. Please take few moments to leave an appreciative message for our counseling team in this newsletter.

Let's go to work,

H.E. Townsend, IV
Principal

FEBRUARY 5

Kindness rock painting event at 2:00 PM in the Cafeteria

FEBRUARY 8

ASVAB testing in the Cafeteria at 8:00 AM

FEBRUARY 10

Valentine's Day Dance 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM

FEBRUARY 12

School-wide Expectations Meeting (GRADES 9 and 10) at 8:55 AM in the JHS Auditorium

FEBRUARY 13

School-wide Expectations Meeting (GRADES 11 and 12) at 8:55 AM in the JHS Auditorium

ASVAB TESTING INFORMATION

Are you interested in joining the military? Not sure what you want to do after high school? The Armed Forces Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) is a comprehensive career assessment that can help you find your areas of strength and predict future academic and occupational success in the military. The ASVAB will be given on February 8th here at Jamestown High School for students in grades 10 - 12. Any student interested in taking the assessment should use the link below this message to register. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Corson, School Counselor at catherine.corson@wjccschools.org.

AP POTENTIAL INFORMATION

Students can discuss their detailed AP Potential recommendations with their school counselor. Students age 13 or older can also choose to visit the student score report portal to personally find out this information.

Note: Ninth-grade students who took the PSAT/NMSQT or PSAT 8/9 will only see AP Potential feedback for AP Art History, AP Computer Science Principles, AP European History, AP Human Geography, AP Seminar, and AP World History: Modern.

COUNSELING DEPARTMENT INFORMATION

Kirsten Daisley: Students with last names that begin with T – Z

Chelsea Hilliard: Students with last names that begin with A – C

Leigh Pottle: Students with last names that begin with D- I

Catherine Corson: Students with last names that begin with J- N

Robert Hill: Students with last names that begin with O- S

Congratulations to Ms. Lyn Whitt, the WJCC High School Teacher of the Year. Ms. Whitt was selected as one of the finalists for WJCC Division Teacher of the Year. Central Office staff joined our students and faculty in honoring Ms. Whitt's dedication to student achievement and progress.

In the coming weeks, the WJCC Division Teacher of the Year will be selected from the Elementary, Middle, and High School Teachers of the Year. Ms. Whitt exemplifies the WJCC motto Elevate Beyond Excellence. Take a look at one of her colleagues said of Ms. Whitt's contributions to our school community:

"Ms. Whitt creatively and collaboratively works with teachers in multiple disciplines to best meet the needs of multilingual learners. She is willing to try new things and experiment with teachers to find new ways to promote student success. She happily supports teachers by finding and modifying materials while integrating into the classroom environment. On top of her work supporting students and teachers during the school day Ms. Whitt engages in outreach to the families of our multilingual learners, organizing events in community centers and other locations to inform and welcome these families into being part of the support system for the students. Ms. Whitt is passionate about finding ways for multilingual learners to succeed and develop."

National School Counseling Week begins on Monday. Our school counseling team brings a wealth of knowledge from their previous experiences elementary school to post-secondary roles. Did you know...

1. Our school counseling team met with EVERY freshman during the first semester to check on their progress.

2. Our school counseling team visited classrooms to review the course scheduling process.

3. Our school counseling team created lessons with classroom teachers and provided direct instruction to those classes.

This week, please use this link to write a short message of support for our school counselors. On Wednesday, school administration will collect the comments and share them with the team.

WJCC Schools and Care Solace have partnered to provide our students with mental health and substance use challenges.

If you or a family member are looking for help with mental health or substance use, Care Solace can help you quickly find treatment options matched to your needs regardless of the circumstance. CareSolace is a complimentary and confidential service provided to students, staff, and their families by WJCC Schools.

Care Solace’s team is available 24/7/365 and can support you in any language.

If you would like to use Care Solace to help you find a provider:

• Call 888-515-0595 (available 24/7/365)

• Visit caresolace.com/wjccschools to search on your own OR click “Book Appointment” for assistance by video chat, email, or phone

The Let Freedom Ring (LFR) scholarship hopes to advance applicants' knowledge regarding African American history through an essay utilizing your own prompt. Creating your own prompt allows you to write more freely, add a more personal aspect to your application and gives you a chance to show creativity and interests. Our mission is to support applicants' post-secondary educational pursuits and provide life-long opportunities for students. Please review the eligibility criteria and complete the application requirements. If you have any questions or concerns throughout the application process, please do not hesitate to reach out to the foundation scholarship.letfreedomring@gmail.com. The group looks forward to reading your application and getting to know you!

Jamestown High School will host a Valentine's Day Dance on February 10th from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM at our school. Tickets will go on sale on February 1st to the 9th. Students from other schools may attend this dance with a Jamestown student if they complete the signed waiver.

The WJCC Code of Conduct will apply to this event.

All students who purchase a ticket must sign the dance expectations.

The PTSA will support the dance with treats, water, and volunteers. If you would like to donate items or your time, please "click" on the link below this message to register.

Jamestown High School will honor the Class of 2024 on June 5th at 6:00 PM in the JHS Auditorium. We will honor student scholarships and awards. However, we will not know the student awards without the help of the students and their families. All seniors should login to Schoollinks to update their scholarship, award, and recognition information so that we can recognize the accomplishments of this class.

If you have any questions, please contact your school counselor.

GENERAL INFORMATION

• Final exams must be administered for every high school course.

• Teachers will plan a final exam for each course, and plan appropriate review opportunities for students, including reminders on how to appropriately study and prepare for courses.

• Some students will be eligible for exam exemptions based on a specific criteria and guidelines.

The K-12 Open Gifted Referral window for the Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools Gifted Program for General Intellectual Aptitude is February 12-February 26, 2024. To help decide if submitting a referral might be a good choice for your child, you may discuss this option with your child’s classroom teacher and visit the WJCC Gifted Education and Talent Development webpage.

Referral and Consent for Evaluation forms are due to each building-level Gifted & Talent Development Resource Teacher (GTDRT) by the referral deadline of February 26, 2024.

Please contact Mr. Lampert at Richard.Lampert@wjccschools.org for form submission and any questions.

This year’s national theme is "African Americans and the Arts,” celebrating the influence and impact of Black Americans on visual arts, music, cultural movements, and more.

1. JHS will have a door decorating contest. Doors will be judged on FEBRUARY 9th during 4th block. This allows us to enjoy the doors for the majority of the month of February. Three winners will be chosen. Best overall, best incorporation of curriculum and best incorporation of the nests. A treat will be provided to the winners.
2. In collaboration with the SCA, we will have short daily facts read over the announcements about black Artists and their impact on American culture.
3. There will be daily nest competitions coordinated through Eagle Landing that ask questions about each day’s artist.

WJCC Schools joins with the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) to recognize Career and Technical Education Month from February 1-29, 2024. Career and Technical Education (CTE) offers students the opportunity to gain the academic, technical and employability skills necessary for true career readiness. Students in CTE programs participate in authentic, meaningful experiences that improve the quality of their education and increase their engagement and achievement.

On February 5 at 2 pm we will be having our student Nest leaders and MTSS team stay after to paint kindness rocks that we will be hiding around the school during kindness week. We will use this activity as one of our Nest competitions for students. During Virginia Kindness Week (February 11 - 17), students who find these rocks will garner points for the Nest! The goal is to get students participating in a whole school event, spread some kindness and get them the chance to earn points for their nest.

Make sure to save the date for the 2024 JHS Prom on May 18th at the Williamsburg Lodge. Next month, we will share the theme and ticketing information with our families and students.

Thank you to the families who braved the cold weather to join us last week for our first FLIGHT Plan meeting. If you were unable to attend the event, you have no need to worry. The links to the presentations are below this message. Additionally, you can contact our school counseling department if you have any questions.

All seniors who have ordered a 2023-2024 yearbook will receive a yearbook from their freshman year free of charge. While supplies last, we will honor future purchases from seniors of the 2023-2024 yearbook with the same deal.

Ordering Instructions:

1. Visit webpage by "clicking" the JHS CREST next to this message and enter the JHS access code: JAMYBK24

2. Select the quantity of books to purchase. Add the yearbook to your cart. Click "view cart" or "checkout" to verify your order and continue.

3. Fill out your student's information. Enter your billing information and pay by credit card.

The 2nd of this year’s 3 deadlines to apply to the WJCC Honors Program is Tuesday, February 6. Different than Honors classes, the Honors Program requires community service, deep World Language study, 5 different AP classes and exams, and most importantly an intense independent learning project. Interested students should not apply on their own, but instead firstly contact Mr. Lampert at richard.lampert@wjccschools.org and read Honors Program – WJCC Schools to get more information and ask questions before applying.

Planning for the 2024-2025 school year is underway. The course request process is an important step as it drives staffing and programming decisions. For the next few months, students and families will choose their classes for the 2024-2025 school year. Below this message is a link to the course scheduling timeline. Though students and families make the decisions for course schedules, our school counselors provide guidance and information throughout the process.

The WJCC Scholarship Fund will award over 60 scholarships in 2024 to graduating seniors from Lafayette, Warhill and Jamestown High Schools. The application is now available online.

These scholarships are one-time awards of $1,500 up to $5,000. Students submit just one application and will be considered for all scholarships for which they are eligible. The process is simple and is completed online.

Scholarships are awarded without discrimination, in consideration of these factors: curriculum difficulty, academic achievement, extra-curricular activities, application essay, and financial need. Please review the list of scholarships available via the link below this message. There are scholarships for academics, athletics, the arts, community service, and many others.

Students must submit their application by March 10, 2024.

WJCC Schools will recognize our Class of 2024 graduates on June 14, 2024, at Kaplan Arena on the William & Mary campus.

School ceremony times are:

· 9:00 a.m. – Lafayette High School

· 1:00 p.m. – Warhill High School

· 5:00 p.m. – Jamestown High School

Doors open to ticketed guests one hour before the ceremony begins. Specific ceremony information, as well as other details to celebrate the Class of 2024, will be provided to families of graduates in the coming months.

Families are invited to attend any of the four following information sessions about the family life curriculum. The 90-minute sessions allow families to come at a convenient time to ask questions and receive answers. All Q&A sessions are identical and held from 4:30 to 6:00 PM at the WJCC School Board Office Room 116 or virtually via this zoom link. For more information about our health and physical education curriculum, please visit our website.

Wednesday, February 21

Monday, April 15

The Weekly Wrap-Up allows our teachers and staff to incorporate remediation, coursework completion, and small group instruction into the instructional week. Every Thursday and Friday, all classes will reserve the final 20 minutes of class for the above written activities. As we move closer to the interim for Marking Period 1, students may find they need additional support and time to complete assessment. The Weekly Wrap-Up will give students this time. Because we reserve this time every Thursday and Friday, every student will this opportunity in every class once a week.

PURPOSE

The purpose of the WEEKLY WRAP UP:

- Provide students with an opportunity to make up work that was missed.

- Provide an opportunity for students to review their CANVAS and VUE pages for missing work and organize themselves for the coming week.

- Allow teachers an opportunity to provide small group instruction/remediation within their classes.

EXPECTATIONS

Students are to stay in their assigned blocks. There will be no passes to other classes during the WEEKLY WRAP UP.

Students are to be working on their content. This is NOT free time. Teachers are to continue their skill and content instruction. However, the instruction will be:

1. Review

2. Small group instruction

3. Organization time for students to review their grades or missing assignments

If you still haven't joined please click the link below to go to our online store. We are a ptSa so be sure to have your students join! They will be eligible for some new events this year such as stickers and premiere access to some of our new functions.

jhsptsa@gmail.com

ADDRESS:

Jamestown High School

3751 John Tyler Highway, Williamsburg, VA 23185

(757) 259-3600

INTERNET/SOCIAL MEDIA:

WEBSITE: www.wjccschools.org/jhs

INSTAGRAM: @jhs_wjcc
TWITTER: @JamestownHigh