JCB Christmas Parties

Thanks to all of our parents and staff who helped put together some very fun classroom parties for our students. And thanks to the many parents who contributed food, drinks, activities, and goods to make the parties a great experience for everyone.

5th Grade Weather Day

Students in Mrs. Barger-Ancog's 5th grade class did research, created, and presented weather maps the last week of school before break! Nice job, students!

Pajama Day a Success!

Our first JCB Pajama Drive was a huge success! We collected over 100 pairs of new pajamas in all sizes in conjunction with a program sponsored by Scholastic--Pajama Program--Great Bedtime Story. Scholastic will donate a new book for each pair of pajamas. This year, we were fortunate enough to be able to donate these new pajamas to Turning Point, a domestic violence agency whose mission is to confront violence against women and children in McHenry County, Illinois. The staff and students were so pleased to know that our donations are going to support people in our very own backyard.

On Thursday, December 17, students and staff celebrated our donation with our own pajama day, accompanied by guest readers who brought us delightful stories. Thanks to Anna Wolk with FoodServices for the donation of milk for our students to enjoy during story time. Thank you again to everyone who participated and donated. Guest readers included Dr. Dan Johnson, Anna Wolk, Mrs. Barger, and lots of high school mentor students.

Check out some of our pictures of story time.

JCB Math Team News

This year the James C. Bush Elementary School Bloodhounds started a math team. The Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics sponsors math contests for teams in grades 3-8 and high school. Schools can participate in the contests with grade level teams of up to 5 students and/or as individuals. For our first year, we chose to participate as teams. Students with above grade level scores on the MAPs math tests taken in the fall were invited to participate. To get ready for the first competition, students practiced twice a week with grade level coaches during recess. The scores of the top two teams in each grade level will be submitted to the ICTM to compete against other elementary schools. Results should be posted shortly after the winter break. Our next competitions will be in February and March.

The first contest of the year was held this week during recess. As a reward for their participation, students were treated to a pizza lunch. I overheard one student say, "I get to do math AND have pizza!! This is the best day of my life!" I loved watching all of the students demonstrate problem solving skills, collaborative skills, and outstanding math skills. They were truly excited about being a part of this group.

Congratulations to our JCB Mathletes!

Third Grade

Third Grade

Fourth Grade

Fourth Grade

Fifth Grade

Fifth Grade

Nurse's Corner

Over the past few days, we have had some difficulty reaching parents with questions about a student’s health concerns or when it is necessary to contact a parent if a student needs to be sent home. The difficulty usually occurs when a parent or parent’s phone number has changed or when the number for an emergency contact is incorrect. Please make sure that the school is notified of the need to update contact information within our system if either parent has changed a home or mobile number or there are changes or new emergency contacts the office.

Thanks so much for your help with this important request.

5th Grade Concert

On Wednesday, December 9, 2015, the 5th grade students performed A Pirate's Christmas to a standing room only crowd at Johnsburg High School.

The elves were exhausted after getting ready for Christmas, and they were tired of the cold. They needed some rest and relaxation. But just as they were getting ready for the beach, they were stopped by a band of pirates. White Beard (aka Santa) and the elves taught those pirates all about true treasure and the meaning of giving--instead of taking!

Congratulations to our students on their hard work!

JJH Advanced Band Performs for 4th Grade

On Friday, December 11, 2015, the 4th graders were treated to a special concert by the Advanced Band students from Johnsburg Junior High School. Our students were excited to walk across the street to hear them. They were entertained by a variety of songs that included many holiday favorites along with some fun songs like "Uptown Funk" and "Smoke on the Water."

JCB students also learned about the various instruments that make up the school band. Mrs. Beernink talked to them about how band students find time to fit band into their busy schedule that includes not just keeping up with their homework so they can stay on the honor roll but also sports and other extracurricular activities. She also encouraged them to talk to their parents and teachers, many of whom were in the school band themselves.

Students were told that they would have an opportunity to sign up for 5th grade band and select an instrument toward the end of the school year. Thanks again to the Advanced Band students from the Junior High. Our staff and students were very impressed!

November Box Top Winners!

Congratulations to our box top winners for the month of November!
Caden Comstock won the Scholastic Book Bundle.
Adam Freihage won the lunch treat with the principal and 5 friends.
We are so grateful for all of the families who send in their box tops. We use those to help fund our library and special projects here at JCB. We will have our next drawing on February 1 for the months of December and January.

Last Call for Pajamas!

This year, James C. Bush Elementary School has been participating in the Scholastic Reading Club Great Bedtime Story Pajama Drive benefitting Pajama Program, a nonprofit organization that provides new pajamas and books to children in need—especially those living in group homes, shelters, foster care, and orphanages. A letter was sent home with students before Thanksgiving Break. So far we have collected over 70 pairs of pajamas! Thank you for your generosity. We are collecting pajamas until next week Tuesday, December 15. Let's see if we can get to 100 pairs. 

Since 2009, caring classrooms across the country have risen to the challenge and donated nearly 350,000 pairs of new pajamas. The Scholastic Reading Club has more than matched those numbers with nearly 7000,000 new books donated directly to Pajama Program headquarters, where they are then distributed across the country by Pajama Program.

Our school wants to be part of this drive so that we can help make a better bedtime for these children. Together we can help the Great Bedtime Story Pajama Drive reach even more kids with pj’s and books. To celebrate this pajama drive, JCB will have our own Pajama Day on Thursday, December 17, 2015. Classes will have story time with guest readers throughout the day and special treats. All staff and students are welcome to participate in the Pajama Day.

If you and your child are able to participate, please have your child bring in a new pair of pajamas to school by December 15. Here are some simple guidelines for the pajamas:

·      Pajamas must be brand new.

·      Pajamas in all sizes are needed—from newborn to adult.

·      Pajamas must be in complete sets or nightgowns.

·      Pajamas in children’s sizes must be manufactured as pajamas—this ensures that they are flame-retardant and safe.

Thank you for helping us share the gift of a good night’s sleep and a sweet bedtime story!

Mrs. Heinz's 4th Grade Donates Items for Pets

I am very proud of Mrs. Heinz and her 4th grade homeroom. This year, students brought in a variety items from toys to food to treats for pets. Her class brought in 50 items to donate to Save-A-Pet. Mrs. Heinz received the following message from Heather Friedrich, a staff member at Save-A-Pet Adoptions.

We at Save-A-Pet appreciate all the donations you and your students have given to us for the dogs and cats.  We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

JCB Participates in Hour of Code

The Hour of Code is a national program that anyone can participate in. It is a one-hour introduction to computer science and is designed to demystify code and show that anybody can learn the basics. Schools can host it at any time; however, the campaign is specifically designed for this week--the week of December 7-13 as part of the celebration of Computer Science Education Week. Computer Science education is important because it helps nurture problem-solving skills, logic, and creativity. It also helps develop a foundation for success in any career path that requires 21st-century skills.

The Hour of Code is organized by code.org, a public 501c3 non-profit dedicated to expanding participation in computer science by making it available in more schools, and increasing participation by women and underrepresented students of color. Many partners have dedicated support to code.org--including Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Boys and Girls Clubs of America and the College Board.

James C. Bush Elementary School participates each year in the Hour of Code. Each grade level does something different with their students.

Third Grade--The students in third grade used the coding activities at code.org.

Fourth Grade--The 4th Grade Team has the Hour of Code website linked to the 4th Grade Virtual Website. During our Chromebook time, classes viewed an introduction to coding and were directed to the Hour of Code website. From there, they were able to write basic codes for popular game like Minecraft, Star Wars, Frozen, and Flappy Bird. If you are interested, the Hour of Code website will be linked to the Virtual Classroom all year. The students login with the J-ID as both the username and password with a few exceptions. Enjoy!

Fifth Grade--The students in 5th grade participated in a variety of activities regarding coding. Talk to your students about those activities. A big thank you to Mr. O'Donnell who came to talk to students in Mrs. Reith's class about more advanced coding concepts.

Spirit Wear

We have a few pieces of JCB Spirit Wear from our fall sale left! If you are interested in any of the items below, please email the principal, Dr. Belcastro, at bbelcastro@johnsburg12.org. All items have been discounted for quick sale! The items will be sold by the time stamp on the email. Once they are gone, they are gone!

JCB Loud and Proud Blue Hoodie--2 left. Youth Small and Youth Medium. Originally $19. On Sale for $15.

Pink Short Sleeve Bush Elementary Camo T-shirts--4-Youth Large Left. Originally $6. On Sale for $5.

Blue Long Sleeve JCB Loud and Proud T-shirt--1-XL left. Originally $9. On Sale for $7.

Red JCB Short Sleeve T-shirt. 3 Left. 1-Youth Large and 2-XLs. Originally $6. On Sale for $5.

Blue Short Sleeve Bush Elementary Camo T-shirts--3 Left. 2-Youth Large. 1-Youth XL. Originally $6. On Sale for $5.

These could make great Christmas gifts!

Shadow Shop

One of the fun things we have going on in our Learning Center this year is the Shadow Shop--the JCB School Store. Run by Mrs. Thompson and Mr. HarriSon, the Shadow Shop sells small items like pens, pencils, erasers, and pencil sharpeners to students. The items are all reasonably priced. Nothing is more than $2.00 and most items are less than $1.00. The store is open before and after school. Students are also allowed to visit the store after lunch on their way out to recess. Students are not able to purchase during their library time nor during other academic classes so as to not detract or distract students from their learning. The funds raised through the Shadow Shop all go to support fun things that we cannot budget for in our library. One thing we have already purchased is an account to glogster. This account is used in the LC to allow students to create interactive posters online. Mrs. Thompson also uses Glogster to present lessons to students using videos, pictures and other links in a highly interactive format.

The Shadow Shop has been very successful this year. We do encourage parents to talk to your students about making purchases in the school store. It is a parent's discretion whether or not your child should be bringing money for the school store and how much money is okay to bring. Many parents use Shadow Shop as an incentive for reaching goals set both at home and at school. For some families, this may be an opportunity to help students demonstrate responsibility with money and a level of independence and decision making abilities. 

If you have any questions regarding the Shadow Shop, please contact Mrs. Thompson in the Learning Center or myself, Dr. Belcastro.