Return to Headlines

February Principal's Message 2023

February 2023

Dear Holman Families,

Please look for the email blasts for HOPE’s Souper Bowl collection.  The Jackson Food Pantry could use our help to collect cans of food for those who may need some assistance.  Thank you for your generosity!

Even if you are not a Philadelphia Eagles fan or a Kansas City Chiefs fan, the games up to this point have been exciting to watch.  Let’s hope that the Super Bowl is as exciting as the playoff games. It’s hard to believe that football season is almost over. It is also hard to believe that half of the school year is over. As always, please be sure to contact your child’s teacher should you have any questions about their progress.   Additionally, it is important for students to arrive at school on time. The homeroom period provides students with a smooth transition to a day of learning. At this time, the students review the day’s schedule, copy homework assignments, listen to morning announcements, get breakfast and distribute notes and materials from home to their teachers.  To provide your children with a positive start to the day, please plan your morning so your child arrives at school at 8:35 a.m. After 8:45 a.m., students are considered tardy.

School will be closed for staff and students on Friday, 2/17 & Monday, 2/20 in observance of Presidents’ Day.

With the weather getting colder (then warmer), please visit the district website for all information involving school closings and delays.  You may find this information by starting on the district’s main site (www.jacksonsd.org), highlighting the “Calendars and Hours” tab and clicking on “School Hours”.  You can also find the newly added 2023-24 district calendar at this site.

 

Elementary Spelling Bee

Holman Elementary School held their Spelling Bee last week.  Thirty spellers from 4th and 5th grade showed their hard work and dedication throughout the entire process. The winner of this year's spelling bee is Amber Oexmann.  Congratulations to our runners-up: Bradley Karauseinov, Alison Hart, Devon Tureaud and James Mercer who will all represent Holman in our District Spelling Bee on Tuesday, March 21st at 6:00PM at Jackson Memorial High School.

 

HOPE Meeting will be on February 22 at 7:00pm

We invite all parents to attend this session. More information will be forthcoming in the February HOPE Highlights. 

 

Preschool Lottery Jan. 19th - Feb. 10th

The Jackson School District will be holding a Preschool Lottery to offer open spots to residents interested in the district's FREE Preschool program for the 2023-2024 school year. The preschool lottery form will be available after 9:00 AM on Jan. 19th on the district website at www.jacksonsd.org/preschool. The lottery sign up form closes at 4:00 PM on Feb. 10th. Residents will then be contacted according to their lottery positions to be offered a spot in the district’s preschool program.

 

A Note from our School Nurse

A student who becomes ill at school is sent to the health office.  If it becomes necessary to send your child home because of illness, you will be notified and requested to provide transportation. Please keep your emergency numbers current.   Photo ID is required to enter the building and sign out a student.

  • Observe your child for symptoms of illness before sending him/her to school.  If your child says they do not feel well, please consider keeping them home to feel better.  Also, if you do send them into school and they still do not feel well, please anticipate a call from the school nurse and plan to pick up your child at school.
  • Keep children at home who do not appear to be well, especially those with sore throat, cough, and runny nose. The presence of any rash excludes a child from school until a physician diagnosis is obtained.
  • A fever is defined by an oral temperature that is 100.4 F or higher.  Any student with fever is excluded from school until 24 hours after a normal oral temperature of 98.6 is reached.  In the case of a student absence, send a note explaining the absence to school.  An absence of 5 days requires a physician note upon return to school. We encourage parents to provide their child with tissues, should they be recuperating from a cold.
  • Lice or Pediculosis is a common pediatric problem. Should you see any signs of this problem, keep your child at home and notify the school nurse immediately.  Please discourage children from sharing articles of clothing, especially hats, brushes and headbands. 

 

Delayed Openings

In the event of a delayed opening, please remember that

  • School will start TWO hours later than the scheduled start time.
  • MORNING CHILDCARE is CANCELED when there is a delayed opening
  • Continue to check the district and school web page, as well as the Holman Student Handbook, for more information.  You can always call the school directly if you have any questions.

Remember, before sending your child out to the bus stop or dropping them off at school, please take a few moments to make sure that they are dressed appropriately for the weather.  Students should come to Holman School wearing clothing that keeps them warm during the school day. Dressing your child in multiple light layers is recommended so that they can remove the top layer if they get too warm while indoors.  As the temperatures get colder, please make sure that your child is also wearing the appropriate outerwear, such as a jacket, gloves, hat, etc.

 

Cold Weather

As colder weather approaches and winter is upon us, please pay careful attention to your child’s attire, as students will continue to go out, weather permitting.   Our lost and found grows by leaps and bounds.  One of the most “found” items are sweatshirts and coats.  Please label any items (coats, gloves, hats, etc.) that your child brings to school, so that we can easily return them. 

Please continue to be mindful of the icy conditions around the school when winter weather presents us with challenges.  Our district building maintenance department does a fantastic job of preparing our school grounds for school; however, there is no way to totally guarantee against blind slippery spots on the sidewalks, as well as in the parking lot.

Before sending your child out to the bus stop or dropping them off at school, please take a moment to make sure they are dressed appropriately for the weather.  Depending on the weather, students may go out for recess.  Dressing your child in multiple light layers is recommended so that they can remove a top layer if they get too warm while indoors.  When it gets cold outside, it gets cold inside the building as well.  

Don’t be afraid to ask your children whether or not they are comfortable while they are at school; they will often tell you if they are too hot or too cold in their classrooms 

With the weather getting colder, please visit the district website for all information involving school closings and delays.  You may find this information by starting on the district’s main site (www.jacksonsd.org), highlighting the “Calendars and Hours” tab and clicking on “School Hours”.  

Please review and update your emergency information contacts in the event that we need to use this information should we have an emergency early closing due to inclement weather.  You may do this in Parent Portal.

 

 

Food Services

You may apply for free/reduced price lunch benefits. Applications were sent home with students in September and are always available on our web site or at your child’s school. Please click this link to the Jackson Food Service Department to  complete your Free and Reduced Lunch forms.

 

Looking and Planning Ahead

On Wednesday, February 15th, the Board of Education Meeting will be held at 6:00 pm at the Fine Arts Building at JMHS.  At this meeting, all of our Teacher of the Year and Educational Service Professionals will be honored.

 

Sincerely,

Rich Karas

Principal, Lucy N. Holman Elementary