The Jaguar Journal
May 2026
Email: jamessales@fpschools.org
Website: jamessales.fpschools.org
Location: 1301 113th St S, Tacoma, WA, USA
Phone: 253-298-4200
FAX: 253-298-4215
May 5 ~ Girls on the Run - 3:45-5:15
May 6 ~ EARLY RELEASE - 1:55
May 7 ~ Girls on the Run - 3:45-5:15
May 8 ~ Last Day to Order Yearbooks! Orders accepted online only.
May 11 ~ 5th Grade Testing
May 11~ 1st Grade Field Trip to Toolbox Laboratories
May 12 ~ 5th Grade Testing
May 12 ~ Girls on the Run - 3:45-5:15
May 13 ~ EARLY RELEASE - 1:55
May 14 ~ 5th Grade Testing
May 15 ~ 5th Grade Testing
May 16 ~ Adventure Club, Snoqualmie Tunnel
May 18 ~ 3rd, 4th, & 5th Grade Testing
May 19~ 3rd Grade Field Trip to Toolbox Laboratories
May 19 ~ 4th & 5th Grade Testing
May 19 ~ Girls on the Run - 3:45-5:15
May 20 ~ 3rd, 4th, & 5th Grade Testing
May 20 ~ EARLY RELEASE - 1:55
May 21 ~ 3rd, 4th, & 5th Grade Testing
May 21 ~ Girls on the Run - 3:45-5:15
May 21~ 1st Grade Concert at 5:30
May 22 - 25 ~ NO SCHOOL - Memorial Day
May 26 ~ 3rd & 4th Grade Testing
May 26 ~ Girls on the Run - 3:45-5:15
May 27 ~ 3rd & 4th Grade Testing
May 27 ~ EARLY RELEASE - 1:55
May 28 ~ 3rd & 4th Grade Testing
May 29 ~ 3rd & 4th Grade Testing
June 1 ~ 5th Grade Testing
June 2 ~ 5th Grade Testing
June 2 ~ Girls on the Run - 3:45-5:15
June 3 ~ EARLY RELEASE - 1:55
June 4 ~ 2nd Grade Field Trip to Northwest Trek
Hello James Sales families,
Our state test, The Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) will start at the beginning of May. Third, fourth, and fifth grade students will be taking the Smarter Balanced English Language Arts (ELA) and Math Assessments this spring. Students are encouraged read the tests carefully and to focus on reading and math skills.
Please make sure your students are here on the following testing days:
Third graders will test May 18th, 20th, 21st and May 26th through May 29th.
Fourth graders will test May 18th through May 21st and May 26th through May 29th.
Fifth graders will test on May 11th & 12th, May 14th & 15th, May 18th & 19th, May 20th & 21st and June 1st and 2nd.
Families can support their students during testing time by:
- Making sure your child gets a good night sleep the night before testing.
- Making sure your child attends school on testing day. Please avoid scheduling appointments on testing day.
We appreciate your help and support during this important time!
Please continue to make sure your student is at school everyday and on time. We continue to track and watch student attendance! Thank you for making school attendance a priority!
Sincerely,
Brandy Nelson
Principal - James Sales Elementary
Our Franklin Pierce Schools calendar for the upcoming 2026-27 school year has been published! Please open with the link below for important dates that can help you schedule your vacation plans around your students school days. https://www.fpschools.org/about/calendar
We are preparing for the 2026-27 school year! New Student Enrollment for Kindergarten through Grade 5 students who live within our attendance boundaries is now open! Students enrolling for kindergarten must be five years of age on or before August 31, 2026 to be eligible to enroll. Please prepare to register by obtaining medically verified immunization records, birth certificate, and a proof of residence (utility bill, lease/rental agreement, or mortgage statement). All enrollments are done online. Click here to access the enrollment application or go to fpschools.org and click on enrollment.
Current students who live within James Sales boundaries are automatically enrolled at James Sales for next year. Students who were overloaded to James Sales for the 25-26 school year will return to their home schools for 2026-27. Students living within our district but outside of James Sales boundaries who want to attend James Sales must complete a within-district transfer form online. Click on the Transfers and Homeschool link to access the correct form. Out-of-district students who wish to attend James Sales must complete a new out-of-district transfer (Choice Transfer) from their home district to be considered for enrollment at James Sales.
Our Mrs. Fields Cookie dough fundraiser was a great success! Our students raised $3,000 to help fund future field trips and other events here at James Sales. Thank you to all our students and families that helped with this fundraiser, we greatly appreciate all of your support!
Congratulations to our Top Sellers!
Jaycen H., 32 Boxes
Braxton P., 31 Boxes
Liam A., 25 Boxes
Congratulations to April’s students of the month who were honored at an assembly on May 1st!
These students were selected by their teachers for showing Advocacy and Respect:
Montarius A., Madelyn M., Serenity A., Daedric D., David A., Miles W., Ze'chariah R., Ayla V., Brian M., A'nika M., Bernard D., Alexander V., Lila L., Paityn T., Zelma T., Kainalu K., Keisha M., Mi'kcael S., Anamaria S., Giana J., Selah P., Sebastian S., Jeremiah K., Beverlyann H., Asiah E., Khloe F., Emmanuel H., Alimamy K., Ezra N., Maiko P., Xeranna T., Violet M., Eleni T., Kolone A., and Bently B.,
Hazel O., Jaxon M., Rhys J., Xeranna T.
If you are struggling to feed your family, you can check for availability of food resources on this district webpage . The district will update the webpage as they learn of more resources.
Also, Emergency Food Network’s website is also a great resource as EFN supports over 75 food pantries in the county.
May Junior Adventure Club Activity
Adventure Club is heading to Snoqualmie Falls on
Saturday, May 16th! Our Adventurers will depart
from James Sales at 9:00am and return about 3:30pm.
Please remember, students must have a parent/guardian attend with them. Any adult accompanying a student on the adventure must complete a volunteer application at: https://www.fpschools.org/get-involved/volunteer and pass the background check to attend.
Also, all students must return his/her permission slip to Mr. Horak before the adventure, in order to participate.
Please contact our PE Specialist, Colin Horak at: chorak@fpschools.org if you have any questions.
Mark Your Calendars!
If you have a 1st grader, be sure to mark your calendars!
Our 1st graders will be performimg for their families on Thursday, May 21st at 5:30pm in the James Sales gym. Please have your student at the school by 5:15pm so they have time to prepare for their performance.
If you wish to give permission or decline permission for your child to be included in pictures for publication in our newsletter, in our James Sales social media, and on our website you can indicate your wishes by going to this form. If you give your permission for your child to appear in pictures, we can include them in photos from Adventure Club trips, activities at school and on field trips, etc. You can access the form here.
Teacher Appreciation Week is May 4th - 8th. We are fortunate to have the finest teachers around! Our teachers provide James Sales students with a safe environment where they can learn and grow. In addition to the daily responsibilities of running a classroom, our teachers spend countless hours outside of the school day planning and preparing for their students. Please make a special effort to show our teachers how much you appreciate what they do every day!
Kay Barrett, Brittany Behrer, Melia Benjamin, Ciarra Bernhoft, Jennifer Bruce, John Caillier, Britney Callaghan, Lani Cohen, Emily Cordell, Joseph Delgado, Hallie Fortt, Glynn Gibbs, Erica Gott, Danielle Harro, Colin Horak, James Ingram, Polly Lutz, Amber Marquez, Cindy Miller, Jennifer Penaloza, Shana Simms, Teri Soholt, Ella Spencer, James Straub, Vanessa Tugman, Gwendolyn Turla, Rose Vandiver, Janna Webber, and Taylor Wilkinson.
School Nurses Day is May 8th. Our school nurse, Tylah Yazzie, is an indispensable part of our school. She takes care of our students' health needs while they are at school. Please express your appreciation to her on May 8th as we recognize her for all she does to take care of students here at James Sales.
Principal Appreciation Week is May 18th - 22nd. Lets give a BIG Thank You to our Principal, Mrs. Brandy Nelson, and our Assistant Principal, Mr. Ryan Moore. They spend many hours working hard to make sure our school runs smoothly so that our students have a safe and caring learning environment. When you see them, please extend your appreciation to them for all they do for our James Sales community!
Each trimester our students have the opportunity to earn a special treat reward for meeting the following goals:
- Behavior - One or fewer Write -ups
- Attendance - Three or fewer absences and/or tardies
We hope all of our Jaguars will be able to meet these goals!
Join your friends from James Sales on Friday June, 12th for an evening of food, fun, and baseball at Cheney Stadium when the Rainiers take on the Alburquerque Isotopes! Stay until the end for Friday night fireworks.
Group Double Play tickets are $25.50 per person and include a reserved seat ticket, ballpark meal (hotdog, snack, water), and a limited edition Tacoma Rainiers hat.
Group Express tickets are $15.50 per person and include a reserved seat ticket and a ballpark meal (hotdog, snack, water).
Last day to order and pay for tickets is Friday, May 29th!
For more information, contact Ms. Bruce - jbruce@fpschools.org.
From the Health Room
It's allergy season! If your child has allergies, please make sure to give them their allergy medication at bedtime or before school so they can get through their day comfortably. We are unable to administer allergy medications here at the school.
Change of Clothes
It is a good idea for younger students to bring a change of clothes in their backpacks just in case of a bathroom accident or a particularly wet day outside. Put the clothing in a plastic bag into their backpack, then when the clothing is needed, they can put the wet clothing into the plastic bag and bring it home to be laundered. If we have lent your child clothes, please wash them and return them to the health room. Thank you!
Return Library Books
The end of the school year is quickly approaching! It is time to look under beds, in closets, and other hiding places for those overdue and lost library books. Students who have overdue books or unpaid library fines will be excluded from participation in field trips or field day unless these books are returned or fines paid before these events. Our goal is to have all books turned in so every student can participate in field day. Please help us out! Last days for library book check-out are the week of May 18th. Books must be returned by May 29th or fees will be assessed. Questions? Email Mrs. Bruce – jbruce@fpschools.org or call 253-298-4200.
Health Issues
Healthy students are more successful learners, and our philosophy is to work cooperatively with parents to provide a healthy and safe environment for learning. If your child has a special health condition, please notify the teacher and the school health office (298-4208). Health conditions may include chronic asthma, food allergies, bee sting allergies, or any condition that will affect your child during school hours. Should your child take daily medication at home, please notify the health office so any side effects can be recognized and treated. It is also essential to notify the health office if there is a medical condition that impacts your child’s regular attendance.
In case a student has an accident or becomes ill at school, the following steps will be taken:
1. First aid will be administered.
2. If serious, the parents/guardian will be contacted. Please be aware, a school nurse may not be on site to make a diagnosis. In those cases, office personnel will exercise their best judgment in determining whether the situation is serious and if emergency personnel need to be contacted.
3. If the parent cannot be reached, the emergency contact provided by the parent will be called. Please ensure that the school has at least two emergency numbers to call in case you cannot be reached. Persons listed on the emergency card will be considered to have your approval for temporary care.
4. Children leaving school during the day for health or other reasons, must have a parent or authorized guardian sign them out through the school office.
The end of the day at James Sales is a hectic time! If you forgot to send a note in the morning and need to call the office with a change to your child’s schedule, please do so before 2:40 so the office can get a message to your student before they leave for the day. All end of day schedule changes must be made through the office, not with the classroom teacher. The office will ensure the teacher is informed of the change. If you need to pick up your student early from school, please do so before 2:40 as well.
We anticipate the need for volunteers for field trips and other occasions. If you are interested in volunteering as a chaperone for field trips or in any other capacity that may come up, please complete the volunteer application as soon as possible. It may take two weeks or more to process an application and we don't want you to be left out of a volunteer opportunity because you are not approved yet! Click here to begin your volunteer application. If you need assistance with your application please come to the office, call 253-298-4200, or email Linda Morrison - limorrison@fpschools.org .
James Sales houses a before and after school care program on-site for our students. The care is provided by Right at School. Right at School provides a safe environment to learn, to play, and to grow. Click here for more information and to register.
Franklin Pierce Schools has a resource center for our families. You will find information and help for all sorts of situations and needs - food, diapers, formula, community referrals, and more. Click here to access the Family Resource Center website.
