Colonel Johnston Elementary School

October is here, and we’re embracing the season with excitement and pride! Our students have truly settled into their routines, and it’s been such a joy to watch them grow in confidence, curiosity, and connection. There’s so much to celebrate this month at Colonel Johnston!

September Highlights
We’re thrilled to share that Picture Day was a huge success—our students looked absolutely wonderful, and we can’t wait to see those precious photos!

A special shout-out goes to our amazing first-grade team for putting on a heartfelt and educational Constitution Day program. It was a beautiful reminder of the importance of community, citizenship, and celebrating our country’s history—thank you for making it so memorable!

And in Kindergarten, it was all about apples this month! Our littlest learners explored the world of apples through science, stories, and hands-on activities—and wrapped it all up by making a special apple pie to celebrate everything wonderful about this fall favorite. It was a delicious and educational! Way to finish up a wonderful unit of study.

Meanwhile, in Second Grade, students dove deep into a unit on landforms. They learned about the different types of landforms—mountains, valleys, plateaus, and more—and even created their very own 3D models to show what they learned. It was a fantastic hands-on way to connect science, geography, and creativity!

Thank You, Families!

A big thank you to all of our parents and guardians who joined us for Parent-Teacher Conferences. Your involvement means the world to us, and it plays such a vital role in your child’s academic and personal success. Strong home-school partnerships make a lasting difference, and we appreciate you being part of our team.

Rock Your School Week
We’re so excited to kick off Rock Your School Week, starting Monday, September 29th through October 3rd! Get ready for a week full of creativity, energy, and joyful learning experiences that will have our students totally engaged and inspired.

CJES Title I Night – October 2nd
Mark your calendars! Join us for our CJES Title I Night on Wednesday, October 2nd from 4:30-5:30 PM. This special event will be held in partnership with GMES and is a great opportunity to learn more about how we support student achievement and family engagement. We hope to see you there!

Upcoming Dates to Remember:

• September 29-October 3: Rock Your School
• October 10–13: Columbus Day Holiday – No School
• October 27–31: Red Ribbon Week – Celebrate making healthy, safe choices!
• October 31: Half Day for Students – Early Dismissal

We’re so proud of all that our students, staff, and families have accomplished so far this year. Thank you for your continued support and for being an important part of the Colonel Johnston community.

As always, please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or concerns. It’s an honor to serve as the principal of this wonderful school!

Very Respectfully,

Dear Colonel Johnston Families,

This month, we are focusing on a very special word: Compassion. At our school, we define compassion as: empathy + action = compassion This means walking in someone’s shoes and performing an act of kindness.

Teaching compassion helps children grow into caring, thoughtful individuals who make a positive difference in their communities.

Sing Along Together!

Our school is learning a heartfelt song to help students understand and practice compassion. We invite you to enjoy it with your child at home too!

Watch and sing along to The Compassion Song here.

What We’re Reading
This month, we are reading The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig. It’s a touching story about noticing those who feel unseen and including them through kind actions. This is a perfect resource for helping our young learners in Kindergarten through 2nd grade understand compassion.

Tips to Grow Compassion at Home
Here are some simple ways families can nurture compassion every day:

• Notice others: Ask your child to look for when someone might need help or comfort.

• Show kindness: Model compassion by helping others and using kind words.

• Read together: Pick stories that show caring and helping others.

• Talk about it: Discuss ways your family can show compassion in everyday life.

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Family Fun: Compassion Scavenger Hunt
Try this game to practice noticing and showing compassion:

• Make a list of compassionate acts (helping a friend, sharing a toy, saying something kind).

• Look for or do these acts during the week.

• Share your stories at the end of the week and celebrate your kindness!

Thank you for partnering with us to help our children grow into caring and compassionate individuals!

Pawsitively yours,
Jacqui Arrieta
School Counselor
Go Jaguars!

Please, be on the lookout for Book-tober sign-ups.

Please check with your child's teacher about specific classroom party information.

Find us on Facebook and Instagram.

If you feel your family would qualify for free or reduced lunch, please apply here.

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!

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.