School phone number: (540)828-6081

Good evening, John Wayland Elementary School!

This edition of the Jaguar Jiggy Journal is packed with good news and helpful updates from around John Wayland!  You’ll find a recap of our recent Fun Run, a celebration of National School Lunch Week, and reminders about School Bus Safety Week coming up October 20–24.  We also have details about our new bike rack, growth assessments for 3rd–5th graders, and our regular Book Nook featuring information about NFL Night (Night of Family Learning) next Thursday, October 23.

Be sure to check out the Special for details on our Family Life curriculum and the upcoming Book Fair (October 23–November 3).  We’re excited to introduce a brand-new section called the Teacher Feature, where students help us spotlight a valued staff member.  You’ll also find helpful insights in the Counselor Corner as part of Bullying Prevention Month and Unity Day, plus PTO news, spirit wear info, and a full list of upcoming dates and events. There’s a lot happening at John Wayland, and we’re glad to share it with you!

Doug Granger, Principal

Last Friday was our annual PTO Fun Run, and what a great day it was!  We are so proud of all of our students for their enthusiasm that helped make this year’s Fun Run a huge success!

After each lap around the track, runners earned a mark on their bibs.  Our farthest runner logged an impressive 3 1⁄2 miles, and a handful of students were clocked running over 13 MPH by the Bridgewater Police Officers who volunteered their time and speed detector!

Dear John Wayland Elementary School Families,

We are excited to share this fun news with you!  After the votes were tallied, Fourth Grade earned the “Most Spirited” trophy and will enjoy a PTO-sponsored Kona Ice celebration as their reward! Way to bring the Wacky Tacky spirit! The class that raised the most money was Mrs. Logan’s Second-Grade Class with $530!  We will celebrate them with a PTO-sponsored pizza party! In addition to these two groups, we want to recognize Third Grade for their incredible effort with donations totaling $1,807! Their grade raised the most money collectively and will get to enjoy a PTO-sponsored Cookie Palooza! All dates will be announced soon. Altogether, $7,201.91 was donated to the PTO! This money will go directly toward enhancing and supporting the educational experience at JWES and improving the environment for our faculty, staff, and students.

Thank you, families, for your incredible generosity and continued support to make JWES such a wonderful place for our students to learn and grow!

With gratitude,

The JWES PTO Executive Board

This week we have been celebrating National School Lunch Week! It’s a great time to recognize the nutritious meals our cafeteria team serves every day—and the laughter, stories, and friendships that grow around the lunch table. Families are always welcome to come eat lunch with their children anytime. Just check in at the office, and join us for a meal and a smile!

A quick request: please avoid sending food in glass containers or items that need to be cut with a knife. This helps keep lunch safe and easy for everyone.

We’re grateful for the way our school community comes together each day—one tray, one lunch, one conversation at a time.

Next week we’ll celebrate National School Bus Safety Week! It’s a great opportunity to thank our drivers and remind everyone how important bus safety is for our students. Riding the school bus is not only the safest way for children to get to and from school—it’s also the best way to be sure they arrive right on time each day.

Please take a moment to talk with your child about safe bus behavior: waiting calmly at the stop, staying seated, and following the driver’s directions. Our drivers do an incredible job each morning and afternoon, and we’re grateful for the care and consistency they bring to every route.

Exciting news! John Wayland now has a bike rack! It is outside the playground fence on the left side of the parking lot. Students are welcome to ride their bikes to and from school with an adult. Students must be wearing a helmet and bring a bike lock to lock up their bike for safety.  Please get in touch with the PE teachers if you have any questions!

Students in grades 3-8 will be participating in the reading growth assessment.  This assessment, which is mandated by legislation, is not a SOL test.  Rather, this test will be used to determine a baseline for measuring academic progress during the school year.  This assessment is shorter than a SOL test and does not have a passing or failing score.  Most students in Rockingham County will be taking the reading fall growth assessment on October 28th or 29th. We look forward to using the information from this assessment to help create lessons to meet individual student needs.  

Once each semester, the JWES Reading team plans a fun night to celebrate learning with our community.  We really hope you and your family will join us for a Night of Family Learning (NFL) on Thursday, October 23, 2025, from 5:30-7:00.  Wear your favorite football jersey, team colors, or cheer outfit, and bring the whole family!  (Don’t forget to celebrate with some ice cream at Smiley’s afterward to support our PTO!)

You and your family can look forward to:

• Pizza

• TA Marching Band music

• Spelling with the TA cheerleaders

• Reading books with Bridgewater College football players

• Visit with our local public librarian

• Foam finger reading fluency

• Football Toss math

• Photo Booth fun

• Book Raffle prizes

And more!

Watch out this week for our NFL flyer to come home in backpacks, and return your RSVP to school as soon as possible so we know how much food to purchase.  We are excited to see you on Thursday, October 23, at 5:30!

Every year we are required to teach Family Life standards. Each grade has its own standards that classroom teachers will send out on or before October 24th. We will also have the standards available for viewing in the gym on conference day. Students in grades K-3rd grade will cover the standards in the classroom or with guidance. 

Students in 4th and 5th grade will receive three lessons in January taught by Mrs. Sanders or Mr. Eby (separated by gender). All of this material, including the videos and slideshows, is available for viewing during the conference day on November 3rd. We cannot share this material online due to copyright restrictions, so it must be viewed in person on conference day or by appointment.  

Please review the standards that will be covered for your student(s). If you would like to opt out of any or all of the standards, please fill out the form that will be attached to the email from your classroom teacher. Please note that this is an Opt-out program, which means that if you would like your student to participate, no action is required. If you have any questions, please reach out to Mr. Eby at ceby@rockingham.k12.va.us or Mrs. Sanders at csanders@rockingham.k12.va.us or stop by the gym on conference day. 

Get ready—the Scholastic Book Fair is coming to our school! This is a great opportunity to build your child’s home library with new books they’ll dive into again and again. 

The easiest way to let your child shop the Book Fair independently is by creating an eWallet. It’s easy to set up and easy for others to add funds. 

Create an eWallet, and you’ll also have the opportunity to contribute to Share the Fair - the giving program that supports students at our school who need help buying books. Consider participating so that no child leaves the Book Fair empty-handed!

More than ever, we need to get students reading. Studies prove* that children with more books at home have higher-level reading skills, and attain more years of education overall. 

New for this issue is what we hope will become a great John Wayland tradition.  We would like you, on occasion, have a student interview a teacher (or other great adult) from our school and share the interview with our community.  This first ever Teacher Feature is on Ms. Judy, our school custodian.  Arra McCall conducted this interview and we're pleased to share it with you below.

What did you want to be as a child?  When I was a child I wanted to be two things, a singer and a model. 

What's something funny or embarrassing you remember from school? When I was in school I remember learning division. I was always a good student, but division, I just didn't get what they were saying. My teacher was really frustrated at me. I remember staying in during recess, and I was just so embarrassed.

How long have you been a custodian?  If being a custodian wasn't a job, what would you be?  I've been a custodian for 14 years, and if I couldn't be a custodian I would go to college and become a teacher. 

What's something that makes you laugh at our school? Something that made me laugh at our school is Ms. Smith's class three years ago. Her students once asked me a joke, “What does the janitor say when he comes out of the closet?” “Supplies!” Then whenever they would see me go in the closet they would whisper, “I wonder if she's gonna do it!” Then I would jump out of the closet and say… “Supplies!”

What's something that has surprised you at work? I am surprised that at our school everyone is just so kind and appreciative, and when I had surgery there were so many cards.

What's the hardest and/or grossest part of your job?  THE hardest part of my job has got to be cleaning up vomit! You get used to it, but it's still just, you know, BLEH!

If you could change something about your job, what would it be?  My least favorite part of my job is cleaning up snow.

What are you looking forward to in retirement?  When I retire I'm looking forward to drinking a warm cup of coffee or maybe two cups, and I might go on a cruise. I will also volunteer and probably take on another job, completely different from custodial work.

In what ways have you enjoyed working at this school?  The best part of my job is again just the people at our school are amazing. 

October is Bullying Prevention Month, and we are excited to focus on kindness, defining and responding to bullying, and how to be an upstander to prevent bullying. Our school will celebrate Unity Day on Wednesday, October 22nd. Unity Day represents the power of coming together as a community to make a positive difference in standing up against bullying.  We encourage our students and staff to wear orange on this day as a message of support, hope, and unity to show that we are together against bullying. 

Ms. Long & Mrs. Strite are both incorporating these themes into regularly scheduled classroom guidance lessons for all students. Here's what we're learning and reading:

K - Llama Llama and the Bully Goat by Anna Dewdney

1st - Being assertive to others' mean behavior: One by Kathryn Otoshi

2nd - Upstander vs. Bystander & Stop Bullying craft

3rd - Bully Beans by Julia Cook and ways to stop bullying

4th - See Something, Say Something & Kindness Quilt

5th - Stopping rumors: The Iheards by Emily Kilgore; Learning the dynamics surrounding bullying and upstander behaviors in an escape room activity

What is bullying? Bullying is unwanted, repeated, and aggressive behavior towards others that involve a real or perceived power imbalance. Bullying can take many forms including teasing, name calling, spreading hurtful rumors, physical harm, or cyberbullying. 

What is not bullying? Mean and rude behavior and conflicts can sometimes be confused with bullying. One-time conflicts, mutual disagreements, accidental actions, and assertive communication is not bullying. It’s important to understand the difference between one-time conflict and repeated bullying incidents. 

How to help: If you know someone who is experiencing bullying it’s essential to report as soon as possible. Students are encouraged to report bullying immediately by talking to a trusted adult such as a teacher, administrator, school counselor, caregiver, etc. 

See Something? Say Something! Encourage your child(ren) to use their voices when they see bullying, conflicts, or mean behavior. This could include using their words to set boundaries such as “please stop”, or by seeking help from a trusted adult. 

We are encouraging all grade levels to "See Something, Say Something" to improve safety, belonging, and kindness here at JWES. Thanks for your support of our messages at home!

For additional resources on bullying prevention, check out StopBullying.gov.

Our next PTO meeting will be on Wednesday, November 5, from 6-7pm. This meeting will be hybrid, with an in-person option (meet in the JWES library) as well as a Zoom option (link below).  A meeting agenda and Zoom link will be sent out prior to the meeting.  We hope you can join us! If you have any questions, please email jwesptova@gmail.com.

Breakfast and lunch are available for purchase to every student at John Wayland Elementary School each day.  Daily menus and information about the cost of each meal can be found at:https://www.schoolnutritionandfitness.com/index.php?sid=1496945305215 

Wednesday, October 22: Unity Day (wear orange)

Thursday, October 23: 

• Title 1 “NFL” Night & Book Fair Opening, 5:30-7:00

• Smiley’s Fundraiser, 5:00-9:00

Friday, October 24: No School -  Teacher Workday

Monday-Friday, October 27-31: Book Fair

Monday-Tuesday, November 3-4: No School  

• Monday - Family Conferences (Book Fair Open)

• Tuesday - Teacher Workday 

Need a new t-shirt?  Looking for a nice fitting hoodie?  Wondering where all those great looking John Wayland clothes come from?  Look no further.  The University Outpost has created a site you can use to order a number of great items that not only look great, but support the school as well.  The University Outpost will donate 15% of every purchase back to the school.

You can find t-shirts, hoodies, polos and more at this site: https://stores.inksoft.com/john_wayland_elementary_school/shop/products/all?page=1

We are working hard to make sure this year is a great one for your child. I’m energized by the opportunity to partner with you to support your child’s growth—academically, socially, and emotionally.

For updates, reminders, and celebrations throughout the year, be sure to follow John Wayland Elementary School on Facebook.  Also, Rockingham County Public Schools has an incredible new app called the RCPSAppthat allows you to stay connected to the latest news and information about our school and the division.