Justus Gage Elementary

Good evening Justus Gage Families, As a reminder, all of our AM ECSE and K-5 students will begin Distance Learning tomorrow morning @ 9:00 AM virtually unless they have been notified by their teacher for a different start time. Please make sure your student(s) is set up and ready to go with their QR login codes, Chromebook and all other necessary materials needed. It's also very important to have your student login during their Special Time(PE, Music, Art, Library and Keyboarding). As we move to Distance Learning from home, we want to continue to do our best to educate the whole child. We will also have semester grades for specials. Good Luck and get an appropriate amount of sleep as we have lots of meaningful and beneficial lessons planned for our students the next 2 1/2 days before Thanksgiving break! Mr. Henry

Parents, as we prepare for virtual learning next week, teachers will be sending home at least one QR code that will serve as a login badge for kindergarten-5th grade students to get into Chromebooks. This will help in the login process for the devices. Teachers will be practicing this with students to ensure they are ready. If you have questions, please contact your building office. The following link will give you video instructions: https://www.loom.com/share/ac1244e1259c48189eb6e5a45cebde52?sharedAppSource=personal_library

Parents, as we prepare for virtual learning next week, teachers will be sending home at least one QR code that will serve as a login badge for kindergarten-5th grade students to get into Chromebooks. This will help in the login process for the devices. Teachers will be practicing this with students to ensure they are ready. If you have questions, please contact your building office. The following link will give you video instructions: https://www.loom.com/share/ac1244e1259c48189eb6e5a45cebde52

Good evening Justus Gage Families, Incase you did not receive the following message via email yesterday, here is the link to the following letter addressing the HS mandate to distance learning effective today and the BOE's decision Monday night regarding K-8 going to distance learning effective on Monday, November 23. Justus Gage teachers will be sending home all necessary text, materials, logins and Chromebooks that will be needed for distance learning this Friday. Please reach out if you have any questions. Be Safe! Mr. Henry https://drive.google.com/file/d/10e7z7sD7gczvt2Wqz1jg8l-pbjqcGNgq/view?usp=sharing

The Dowagiac Union Schools announces the sponsorship of the Extended Summer Food Service Program for children. Free meals will be made available to children 18 years of age and under or persons up to age 26 who are enrolled in an educational program for the mentally or physically disabled that is recognized by a State or local public educational agency. The meals will be provided without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, or disability, and there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service. Meals will be provided at the site(s) listed below: The buses will be running on the following days!! November 23-24 (the 24th will be a 2 day bag), November 30-December 9th. We will be delivering daily breakfast and lunch bags. Please follow the link for detailed sites, info. and time: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wJs0t9EF150kyXa_rSa2htJj26r37syLSD6m6bN2NPM/edit?usp=sharing

Here's a picture of our 5th Grade October Student of the Month, Lily Lebeda. She's posing with her certificate, SOM t-shirt and teacher, Mrs. Hannapel! Congrats once again and well deserved!

Education is a team effort. It takes the leadership of the district, the support of the family, the guidance of the teacher and the effort of the student. When looking for a student of the month if one of these team members is not doing it’s job you will be hard pressed to find a successful student. My student of the month is fortunate to have all the components for her to be a successful student. I truly am one of the luckiest teachers in Dowagiac to have the honor to work with Lily Lebeda and her family. Lily is the child of April Steward and Brandon Lebeda. Liam is her third grade brother and also attends Justus Gage. Lily is one of my fifth graders at Justus Gage Elementary. However, I have had the pleasure of knowing her for much longer than just the 2020-2021 school year. When I think about this inspiring young person, the words that come to mind are: hard working, focused, cooperative, honest, kind and appreciative. She is a model student. As a teacher, I truly appreciate the fact that even when concepts are difficult, she will ask questions and work on assignments at home. She does not quit until she has an adequate understanding of the material. It also makes me feel so good to know she loves to read. It is so fun to have conversions with Lily about the books she is reading. Any of us in education know that reading is the one true predictor of future success. It is great to know she is on the right road. Lily has impressed me with her dedication to her education. Whether face to face or while working from home, she is quick to ask for more clarification if something doesn’t make sense. Lily is always respectful and understanding. Lily shows incredible kindness toward her classmates as well. I often see her checking on a person who is alone on the playground or inviting someone to join her on the swings. She shows excellent citizenship too! She is willing to pick up trash around her desk and wipe up messes she makes in her work areas. She waits patiently if others have needs that outweigh her own, and offers help to those who are struggling. I am comforted to know that no matter what, Lily is going to make her community proud!

GSRP Rocks at Justus Gage! Congratulations to our Great Start Readiness Program Staff: Lead Teachers : Brooke Ward and Debra Luthringer and their Associate Teachers: Angela Mosier and Emily Mead. This Team is led by the Lewis Cass Early Childhood Director, Christine Whitmire and the team/program received Blue Ribbon status w/ a 5-Star Quality Rating for Continuous Improvement. Keep up the superb work GSRP Staff! Please follow the link that follows to learn more about the accreditation process and the GSRP Program that was aired on WSBT news. https://wsbt.com/life/moms-first/moms-first-blue-ribbon-and-prestigious-grant-awarded-to-lewis-cass-isd

Reminders for our Justus Gage Families. 1) 1/2 Day Thursday, November 12th. Dismissal 11:50 2) Parent Teacher Conferences also tomorrow from 1-4. Please sign up for a virtual conference if you haven't done so. 3) Don't forget about our Virtual Book Fair! Please follow the link if you would like to purchase a book: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/justusgageelementaryschool1 4)TOYS for TOTS SIGN UP We’ve been asked to announce that the sign up for Toys for Tots this year will be done ONLY at the following places. The Toys for Tots organization will NOT be sending home sign up forms like in past years. Saturday, November 14th are sign ups at: Cass District Library 9:00 - 1:00 p.m. Edwardsburg Library 9:00 - 1:00 p.m. Marcellus Library 10:30 - 1:00 p.m. MASKS MUST be worn and please practice social distancing. You MUST bring the following documents to the library on the day of sign up: Michigan identification (must show Cass County residence) Birth Certificate or proof of guardianship for each child (social security cards will not be accepted) Please stay warm and safe! Respectfully, Mr. Henry

Thrill Share Message # (Parent Teacher Virtual Conferences) Good afternoon Justus Gage Families, As a reminder we have virtual conferences coming up next week, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday November 10th-12th. Your child’s teacher will be reaching out to you via email or class DOJO. They will be inviting you to sign up for a virtual conference by using Calendly. Please click on the Calendly link to sign up for your preferred conference time if you haven’t already done so. It’s highly recommended that you have an email account and you share this email with the Justus Gage office staff if you haven’t already done so. We use parents’ emails for multiple reasons for both mass emailing and emailing to specific families. If you do not have an email account, here is a link on how to set up a gmail account. https://accounts.google.com/signup/v2/webcreateaccount?flowName=GlifWebSignIn&flowEntry=SignUp Please follow the link below to set up your virtual conference time slot: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YhqafwrWk8eVVDKcYyUvC5KsROhK5HrUro1qpTjRUNw/edit?usp=sharing Please contact your child's teacher or the Justus Gage office at 782-4460 if you have any questions. Enjoy the weather! Mr. Henry

Please visit the DUS Covid Page to read the memo from Superintendent Whan on a case at Justus Gage. http://bit.ly/duscovid

Thrill Share # Good afternoon Justus Gage Families Starting today, we will be sending home Chromebooks and chargers each Friday. It’s very important that you have your child bring back both the Chromebook and charger Monday morning. Please make sure that these devices have also been cleaned before they are returned Monday morning. We are doing this incase we ever have to shut down our elementary school over the weekend. All elementary schools are doing this! If your family chooses to Trick or Treat, have a safe and Happy Halloween. Here’s also a link to a Saturday morning community Halloween activity: https://5il.co/mnjs Reminder, don’t forget to change your clocks on Saturday before you go to bed… (fall back an hour) As a reminder, conferences have been pushed back one week. Parent teacher conferences will be virtual and will be held on November 10th - 12th. Half days will be on Wednesday, November 11th and Thursday, November 12th. Please anticipate an email and more information midweek. Have a wonderful weekend! I’m looking forward to seeing everyone Monday morning with a clean Chromebook, charger and smile on their face! Stay Safe and Go Chieftains! Respectfully, Bryan Henry Principal, Justus Gage Elementary

Thrill Share Message # Good evening Justus Gage Families, I hope this message finds everyone doing well! As a reminder, costumes and Halloween treats are not allowed to be brought in to school. Once again, we are being very cautious to prevent the spread of Covi-19 for all students, staff and Justus Gage families. Please stay tuned for more information on Halloween community events coming up this weekend. Time Change: Don’t forget to “FALL BACK” and turn your clocks back one hour Saturday night. Sunrise and sunset will be about 1 hour earlier on Nov 1, 2020 than the day before. There will be more light in the morning. Calendly: Please anticipate an email towards the middle of next week in regards to virtual conferences. Orange and Black Day Friday: This Friday, October 30th we will have “orange and black” day. Please have your student(s) show their Chieftain Spirit and wear their orange and black. Go Chieftains! Stay Safe and Mask up! Respectfully, Bryan Henry, Principal of Justus Gage Elementary

Good Evening Justus Gage Families, As all of us anxiously await our 1st day of Face to Face (F2F) school tomorrow morning, I wanted to remind all of our families about a few things. 1) Please refer to this link for important documents issued by the district: Parent letter, Wellness Checklist and the DUS Wellness Agreement. Link: https://www.dowagiacschools.org/article/322411?org=district 2) It's very important that all students return their DUS issued Chromebook and charger tomorrow morning. Please make sure that it's been cleaned. All returned Chromebooks will then be sanitized tomorrow by JGage staff. Please have your child transport their Chromebook in their backpack to avoid damage. 3) Please refer to this link for important morning arrival information: Follow Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1l7yp0l-w2NfmEPUpeXWPS2h8AnrXbeUe7gDvM4eeUN4/edit?usp=sharing First - Fifth Grade students will be dismissed out of their assigned doors. This is the same door that they use for arrival. Kindergarten families have received specific information for arrival and dismissal on the first day. 4) Please remember to have your child bring a clean mask to school . Masks must we warn both in the building and at recess. 5) Students may bring a disposable bottled water or a water bottle to school. Water bottles must be taken home nightly for cleaning. Have a good night and Go Chieftains! Mr. Henry

Good evening Justus Gage families, I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every family member who has helped their child during the 5 week distance learning period. Each and every family member has contributed in so many ways. Your student has developed and learned many new technology skills. Most importantly, they have been introduced to grade level specific curriculum. Once we return F2F(Face to Face) Monday, our awesome teaching staff will continue to provide your student with grade level specific learning opportunities. The entire Justus Gage teaching staff/support staff has worked very hard during the Distance Learning Phase. As we shift to F2F, the entire staff has been committed to provide the best learning opportunity for each and every child, while also practicing social distancing. All of our Justus Gage students will grow academically and socially while maintaining "social distancing". We are excited to have student inside the brick and mortar of Justus Gage Monday morning. Please continue to refer to the district website and Facebook page for important updates. Links to important documents pertaining to social distancing and mask sharing requirements will be shared on Sunday to all Justus Gage Families. Please have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the weather. Go Chieftains. Respectfully, Mr. Henry

Kindergarten Families, Please follow the link below that explains the delayed drop off/early dismissal times and procedures for our kindergarten students. As a reminder, this is only for Monday, October 12th. :https://docs.google.com/document/d/1T_imRT94doZ3smSKmdOaV9e_eqDbFm37Ax6ZN7o5Tu4/edit?usp=sharing

Welcome Back Justs Gage Families: Message Home #2 Morning drop off will begin at 8:30. School will begin at 8:40 similar to last year’s start time. Please click on the link for important drop off procedures: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1l7yp0l-w2NfmEPUpeXWPS2h8AnrXbeUe7gDvM4eeUN4/edit?usp=sharing Students will not be allowed to enter the building until 8:30 Students will eat breakfast in their classrooms starting at 8:40. We have changed our drop off procedures to both improve safety and maintain social distancing. Go Chieftains!

Welcome Back Justus Gage Families. As a friendly reminder, we will be returning to school on Monday, October 12, 2020. We are so excited to begin our sixth week of school with our first day of (F2F) Face - to - Face instruction. Throughout the week, I will be sharing important information in regards to the first day of school and other specifics on Chromebook return, social distance procedures and processes for breakfast, classroom instruction, lunch/recess and dismissal. To Kick things off, we will begin with our Visitors’ Policy which will be in place to begin the school year. Please follow the link for this policy: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1g6W5ARb568ZjWhB8q_eKgPGCCL-LTiYYT01L_YQ63nw/edit?usp=sharing

Good evening Justus Gage Families, Please follow the link below about important reminders for Virtual Learning Meetings. Keep up the great work students and families. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1l5dAHa8LCJ2PqRyyc2hp8ueCsq_EGjtptgFqTsp4ywY/edit?usp=sharing Respectfully, Bryan Henry, Justus Gage Principal

Good evening, I hope this message finds everyone doing well. As a reminder school starts on Tuesday, September 8th. If you haven't picked up your child's Chromebook, please do so from nine to noon tomorrow. For help on logging in to Distance Learning, please follow this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tp1WbDUdyXsRyikDEhAIa0QpXK9PfhQ1/view?usp=sharing Respectfully, Mr. Henry