Jamaica Crocs Newsletter

Spring is here! The weather is warming up and brighter days are coming. This month we are celebrating reading. We hope to see you all join us in our Read-Across America Day on Friday, March 1st, 8:15 AM- 9:15 AM.

In only a couple of short weeks, we will be on Spring Break. Once we return, State Testing is underway and we head into the home stretch of the 2023-2024 school year.

Please take time to stop and smell the roses (or in Havasu the beautiful scorpion weed). Go for a hike, take a walk, and enjoy the beautiful lake and wonderful warm weather. Time goes by so quickly, enjoy it while you can.

Ms. Black

Principal

Jamaica Elementary School

Follow our PTSO social media pages for important updates! Facebook is "Jamaica Elementary PTSO" and Instagram is "jamaicacrocsptso".

PTSO Reminder Dates

3/1- Read Across America Day- 8:15 AM - 9:15 AM

3/1- Theatre Club Musical- 7 PM

3/2- Theatre Club Musical- 2:30 PM

3/4-3/15- APEX Fundraiser

3/7- 6th Grade Orientation Night at Thunder Bolt

3/15- 3RD OTR Awards Assembly

3/18-3/24- Spring Break

3/25- School Resumes

3/28- CROC Treats Begin (every Thursday after school)

Please check the lost and found in the front office. It's currently overflowing with jackets and water bottles.

It is our pleasure to announce Jamaica’s Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Kelsey Kendrick. Mrs. Kendrick is a 6th-grade teacher who instructs the students in math and science. She puts her heart and soul into teaching. At any given time, you can walk into her classroom to see students conducting science experiments or working collaboratively on difficult math concepts. Mrs. Kendrick makes learning fun and relevant. She is the advisor for the National Elementary Honor Society and JET Group. She is also actively involved in the community through theatre. We are proud to have Mrs. Kendrick represent our school as Jamaica’s Teacher of the Year.

Please follow the link to view our counselor's newsletter.

https://www.smore.com/n/zbt6y

Thank you to all the students for all their hard work throughout the year. I am very proud of them and appreciate the effort they give every time they are in my classroom. Thank you to the parents and families also for ensuring that the students have the proper attire and shoes to maximize their potential in physical education! I have just introduced disc golf to the students and a Jamaica family has donated a disc golf basket for the kids to enjoy and play during their recess time. The students seem to be really excited about this new activity! Coming up we have our jump rope (it will not be a fundraiser this year FYI), soccer, and baseball units for the students to enjoy. Again, thanks again for all your hard work in helping your son or daughter be successful in class. Please reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns.

Andrew Branchik

abranchik@lhusd.org

(928) 854-7280 X3926

Attendance Totals as of 2024

Tardy- 277

Absent- 681

Left early- 216

As the weather is ever changing, please be sure to follow the district dress code policy which can be found on page 11 of the student handbook.

https://content.myconnectsuite.com/api/documents/3f76cd2637e04576be4c008dc9c40556

Breakfast starts at 7:30 am, and students need to be finished eating by 7:55 am. Please remind your child that if they are having breakfast at school, they need to be coming in as soon as they arrive. Students who get to the office at 7:50 am with plans to have breakfast will not have enough time to eat.

Jamaica Elementary School is a PBIS school. Positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) is a schoolwide systems approach aimed at establishing positive student culture and individualized behavior supports necessary to create a safe and effective learning environment for all students.

PBIS is what we use to help students understand the rules, expectations, and consequences. We focus on positive behaviors and “catching” students doing the right thing. Some of the ways we recognize students include: Positive Principal Praise referrals, class compliment points, and quarterly PBIS Croc assemblies.

When students make a poor choice, they are provided warnings, redirections, opportunities to reflect on the behavior, and a chance to fix it before going to the next step. If a student is unable to correct the behavior after all these interventions, they could earn a referral.

At the end of each quarter, we celebrate all the positive behaviors with our Croc assembly for any student who has not earned a referral for that quarter. Students who earned a referral will not be eligible to attend the assembly and will be in an alternate location.

Thank you for partnering with us to help your child succeed an all areas.

If your student is tardy, an adult MUST come in and sign them in.

Please do not drop them off and have them come in alone.

Reminder that the first bell is at 7:55 A.M. daily and students must be in class by 8:00A.M to not be considered tardy. Safety is our top priority.

Please ensure your students are promptly picked up at the release of school.

If you are running late, please contact the front office immediately.

Each Monday we will randomly pick 2 lucky winners of an In-N-Out gift card based on perfect attendance from the week before. Will it be you?

This year, there has been an increase in meal prices due to USDA regulations.

Breakfast is now $1.60 at all LHUSD schools. Lunch is $2.85 at all elementary schools.

Households will need to re-apply for this school year, as a new application is needed each year. To apply for free or reduced-price meals please visit the new website LinqConnect.com.

A household can submit an application at any time of the year, if there is a reduction in household income.

Stop by the front office to get your school shirts. Please bring cash or credit card for payment. Don’t forget there is a Web Store found at: https://az-lakehavasu.intouchreceipting.com/

Short Sleeve Youth Shirts are $6.50

Long Sleeve Youth Shirts are $8.00

We welcome you to come to have lunch with your student. We even have a special table just for you to eat with them. Per district policy, you may only bring food for your student.

All visitors during school hours must sign in at the front office and also be issued a visitors pass. Please ensure that you sign out upon your departure.

PTSO is still offering the Birthday Marquee Fundraiser. $10 will get your child’s name on the marquee for their birthday week. We can also do ½ birthdays as well! Forms are in the office.

At Jamaica, we take the safety of our students, staff, and guests seriously; therefore we are a closed campus.

1. It is critical for safety that all guests, including parents and guardians, check in at the front office and sign in for a visitor’s badge. We ask that you do not go into the classrooms without an appointment.

2. The gates are staying locked in the mornings until 7:45 am. This is for the safety and security of our students in the mornings. Students should wait near the building and away from the drive-through lane. Parents, please drop off and pick up outside the gates.

3. In the parking lot, please use the crosswalk and do not walk in front of traffic. Thank you to our many parents who follow this rule to help model for our students. (This includes Jamaica Blvd. Please do not cross where there is no crosswalk)