Colonel Johnston Elementary School

We’re off to a fantastic start at Colonel Johnston! It’s such a joy to see our kindergarteners settling in, making new friends, and building strong connections with their teachers. Our kindergarten team is especially grateful for the continued communication and support from our families.

We’re committed to working closely with you to make this school year a great one for your child. No matter the grade level, our goal is to support each student’s growth and success. The staff at Johnston truly cares about your children and consistently goes the extra mile to make sure they’re learning, thriving, and feeling supported every day.

We also want to thank you for your flexibility and for embracing ParentSquare as our new way to communicate. Your willingness to adapt and stay connected through this platform has made a big difference in supporting smooth communication between home and school.

Upcoming Parent-Teacher Conferences

Just a friendly reminder—Parent-Teacher Conferences are scheduled for September 11th and 12th. Students will be dismissed early at 11:50 AM on both days, and lunch will be served before dismissal.

If you're not able to attend during the scheduled times, please reach out to your child’s teacher—they’ll be happy to work with you to find a time that fits your schedule.

Labor Day Weekend

Enjoy the Labor Day weekend from August 29th through September 1st! We hope you have a restful and fun-filled four days with your family. We look forward to welcoming everyone back to school on September 2nd.

I feel truly honored and fortunate to serve as the principal of Colonel Johnston. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Very Respectfully,

Mrs. Liesmann

Dear Families,

This month, we are focusing on a very special word: Empathy. Empathy means putting

yourself in someone else’s shoes and understanding how they feel. Teaching empathy helps

children build kindness, strong friendships, and positive community connections.

Sing Along Together!

Our school is learning a fun and catchy song called Hop on the Empathy Bus to help

students understand and practice empathy. We invite you to enjoy it with your child at

home too!

Watch Hop on the Empathy Bus

What We’re Reading

This month, we are reading A Wrinkled Heart by Kallie George. It’s a beautiful story that

explores feelings, healing, and caring for others, perfect for helping our young learners in

Kindergarten through 2nd grade understand empathy.

Tips to Grow Empathy at Home

Here are some simple ways families can nurture empathy every day:

● Talk about feelings: Ask your child how they think others might feel in different situations.

● Model kindness: Show empathy in your actions such as listening carefully and helping others.

● Read together: Choose stories that highlight emotions and caring behaviors.

● Encourage sharing and cooperation: Play together and talk about how others feel during the game.

Family Fun: Empathy Charades

Try this game to practice understanding feelings:

1. Write different emotions on slips of paper (happy, sad, scared, excited, etc.).

2. Take turns acting out an emotion without words.

3. The others guess which feeling it is.

4. Talk about times when you’ve felt that way and how you can help others who feel like that.

Thank you for partnering with us to help our children grow into caring and empathetic

individuals!

Pawsitively yours,

Jacqui Arrieta

School Counselor

Go Jaguars!

If your child will be absent from school due to illness, appointment, etc., please call the office at 520-459-8798 ext.#1. If no one answers, please leave your child's first and last name, grade level and the reason for their absence. Thank you!

Find us on Facebook and Instagram.

If you feel your family would qualify for free or reduced lunch, the instructions to apply can be found on the link below.

https://www.fhasd.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1522191&type=d&pREC_ID=1707905

We would prefer all applications to be completed digitally, however, a paper copy is also available in the front office. If you have questions regarding the application process or would like to have a paper copy of the application, please reach out to Ms.Jessica in the front office and she will be happy to assist.

Also, please remember the number of students that qualify for free and reduced lunch is tied to many of our funding sources so we highly encourage families to apply even if they think they might not qualify.

• Students will have lunch (in the cafeteria) and recess (outside, weather permitting) as a grade level.
• They can bring a packed lunch from home or get a school lunch.
• MySchoolBucks.com is a convenient way to deposit and monitor your student’s lunch account. You can set this up using your student’s ID number located in PowerSchool or by calling the school office 520-459-8798.
• If you choose to send a check or cash with your child, that money must be taken to the cafeteria first thing in the morning and cannot be paid at the register at lunch time.

We work very closely with the Army when storms are in the area that makes normal

dismissal a safety concern. Delayed dismissals are the most common right as the school year begins and in the spring. If we have to delay dismissal due to lightning the following

procedure will be followed:

• At 10 miles, a warning will be given that there may be a late dismissal since lightning is in the area.
• If lightning is within 5 miles, everyone is in the building sheltering in place.
• A decision will be made 30 minutes before dismissal if there will be delayed dismissal. Busses will be delayed as well. This will be communicated via PARENTSQUARE. If the weather turns within 30 minutes, delayed dismissal will still be called.
• 1 hour out from dismissal, if lightning is 10 miles out, families will receive a warning that there MAY be delayed dismissal due to lightning in the area.
• Families will continue to be updated during the duration of the shelter in place and messages will include the distance of the lightning along with a message that says regular dismissal will continue when it is safe to do so.
• As soon as the weather has cleared enough to dismiss, another message will be sent out letting parents know that regular dismissal has started. If for some reason you cannot pick up your student(s) when regular dismission continues, your student(s) will be kept in the office until you or an individual designated on the emergency list can pick up the student(s).
• You are welcome to pick-up children from the front office should you deem it necessary during the delayed dismissal time.

If you haven't already, please be sure that you have accepted the invitation to join ParentSquare. This is the app we will be utilizing for communication.

We ask that you keep a change of clothing in your student's backpack. The school has a very limited supply of clothing. All types of accidents do occur including spilling of food, nosebleeds, and bathroom accidents. This will save you an unnecessary visit to school.

If your family lives in any of the following situations, your school-aged children may qualify for certain rights and protections under the federal McKinney-Vento Act: in a shelter, a motel, or campground due to the lack of an alternative adequate accommodation, in a car, park, abandoned building, bus/train station, or doubled-up with other people due to loss of housing or economic hardship. Contact the local liaison to find out what supports and services may be available. Contact the District Office at (520) 458-5082.

One-to-one homework help from Tutor.com

Tutor.com for U.S. Military Families is funded by the U.S. Department of Defense and Coast Guard Mutual Assistance and is a program that provides on-demand, online tutoring and homework help at no cost to eligible service members and their dependents. With live, expert tutors available 24/7, military-connected students can receive academic help at their moment of need—anywhere they have an internet connection. To get started go to Tutor.com, click on the for US Military Families, then click on your branch of service and it will take you to a sign up screen.