Mariah works well with her peers during class projects, group discussions, and in other school activities. She has a positive attitude and always puts forth her best effort. Even when others around her are not always doing the right thing, Mariah holds firm with her respectful attitude.
Congratulations, Mariah, for being recognized as the November Character Ed Student for East Clayton Elementary! 👏
Starting tonight, at 5:30pm, we will host our Hispanic Heritage School-Wide Celebration. Upon arrival, students & families will sign in and be given a passport to visit each area of the school to learn about countries presented by our students and to include student work on display. After getting their passport filled with a stamp for each country, return it to the cafeteria for a free snack and to prepare for the presentation. The presentation will begin at 6:15pm, and we have students who will be participating in a short program to include a song with . Additionally, the Book Fair will be open for families to shop, and we will have a Food Truck for your family to purchase dinner. You do not want to miss this fun.
Tomorrow, at 9:30am, our Kinder and 1st grade students will participate in a costume parade in our carpool area. Families who wish to cheer on our students should gather around the carpool circle beginning at 9:15am. We will also host our Explorer Experiences tomorrow for all grades. Grades 2-3 will be at 10:15am, Kinder and 1st grade at 2pm, and 4th and 5th grades at 2:45pm. We ask all students to wear these Explorer shirts for these activities and to wrap up our Red Ribbon week.
We are looking forward to celebrating with all of you, and hope you join us tonight beginning at 5:30pm as we honor the Hispanic Heritage present within our school.
During its October 28, 2025, Special Session meeting, the Johnston County Board of Education voted unanimously to approve the plans for the highly anticipated Clayton High School rebuild, which is a project that marks a new era for education in Clayton and surrounding communities.
The new 278,000-square-foot facility will serve as a cornerstone for 21st-century learning, designed with a focus on safety and security, state-of-the-art learning environments, athletic and fine arts spaces, and innovative technology and learning labs. While the design embraces modern educational needs, it also preserves elements of the school’s historic culture that have defined generations of Clayton Comets.
The new school will accommodate 2,000 students in grades 9–12 and feature a three-story academic wing alongside a two-story arts and athletics wing. Its open-concept design will promote flexible, collaborative learning spaces that foster creativity, innovation, and teamwork. The building itself is expected to be completed by December 2027, with the entire campus slated for full completion in Fall 2028.
“This is more than a building, it is a commitment to the future of our students and our community,” said Dr. David Pearce, Superintendent of Johnston County Public Schools. “The new Clayton High School will reflect the academic excellence, pride, and unity that have always defined the Comet spirit. It’s a testament to what can be achieved when a community comes together around a shared vision for its children.”
Learn more about the Clayton High rebuild project here: https://bit.ly/47eA9xf
Check out our Explorer News for lots of details!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lr6B2-9H4lXIhWamTPzdHu4VCLz5i1CBtp9bAuStKoU/edit?tab=t.0
Due to the Castleberry Road closure that may still impact traffic tomorrow morning, I wanted to update you on some changes to our field trip processes for tomorrow.
Please drop your students off at 7am in the regular carpool circle off of East School Road. This is a change from the original process due to the road closure. We will have staff in place to meet them in the front. Keep in mind that Castleberry Road is still scheduled to be closed, so please leave enough time to get to school in enough time. The charter buses are leaving promptly at 7:30am, and will need to keep on that schedule.
Happy Friday, Explorer Families! Our Family Explorer News has been updated for the week.
This week we will be celebrating National School Lunch Week and will have group and retake pictures. Please see the document for more information.
We have also had an issue with students in carpool getting picked up past our dismissal time. Dismissal time begins at 3:55pm. Parents utilizing carpool should be in line by 4:10pm. If your students are not picked up by the time carpool ends, they will be sent to after-school care where a drop-in fee of $10 per child will be accrued. We have had several students left behind after carpool ends, and the school is required to pay staff to stay with them. Please help us out and avoid accruing these costs by getting to school on time to pick up your child. If you are unable to get here on time, we can provide afternoon bus transportation for you. Thanks for the help.
Have a great weekend!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lr6B2-9H4lXIhWamTPzdHu4VCLz5i1CBtp9bAuStKoU/edit?usp=sharing
Coming up this week, we will continue with MAP testing. On Monday, 3rd and 4th graders will complete the Math Assessment. On Tuesday, 4th and 5th graders will complete MAP Reading. On Wednesday, 5th graders will complete MAP Math, and on Thursday we will complete any makeup testing.
On Friday, students are encouraged to wear college shirts as we celebrate AVID day. We are an AVID elementary school-wide program, and we are proud to show our college spirit.
Keep your eyes open for School Store information coming home with your child. School Store is a fundraiser for our PTA which allows you to help us earn money as you shop. On Tuesday at 5:30pm, please join us in the Media Center for the PTA meeting.
Have a wonderful weekend!
It was great visiting South Johnston High, Meadow School, Innovation Academy, Selma Elementary, East Clayton Elementary, and West View Elementary today as we recognize them each as a school moving forward!
These schools received this acknowledgment for their outstanding performance in the 2024-2025 school year!
#GreatThingsAreHappeningInJCPS
#JCPSForward
JCPS continues to shine! 🌟
We are excited to announce that Johnston County Public Schools has continued its journey to becoming one of the best districts in the state, according to 2024-2025 data recently released by NCDPI.
A few of the district highlights included a significant increase in student proficiency scores and school performance grades, with 93% of our schools having a school letter grade of A, B, or C! 75% of our schools met or exceeded growth, which is well above the state average.
Amazingly, 15 of our schools rank in the top 20% statewide, with seven schools in the top 10% for growth! Graduation rates for JCPS schools continue to rise, with JCPS reaching 92.5%, which is significantly higher than the state average of 87.7%
A huge thank you to our incredible educators, hardworking students, and supportive families for helping drive this success forward! 📈
Find more data and details here: http://bit.ly/3JPzfhi
#GreatThingsAreHappeningInJCPS
#JCPSforward
This has been a wonderful week of welcoming back all of our Explorers. Students did a great job of practicing processes and procedures, and we are ready to get deeper into learning next week.
As a reminder, there is no school on Monday in observance of Labor Day. mClass testing will begin this week for our K-2 students. mClass is a state assessment that students complete 3 times per year; it evaluates how well students understand the foundational skills of phonics, fluency, and comprehension. We will share these results with you during the first progress report session, and at Curriculum Night on September 23rd. 3rd grade students will complete the BOG assessment on Thursday. This test is a Beginning of Grade Reading state level EOG for 3rd graders.
On Saturday from 10am-1pm, please join our PTA at East Clayton for Kid Entrepreneur Market. This event will feature kid vendors and food trucks in the East Clayton parking lot.
Have wonderful, long weekend, and we will see you on Tuesday!
Carpool morning drop off will begin at 8:25am. Prior to 8:25am, cars should stop to wait at the marked sign so traffic into the parking lot is not blocked. Once staff arrives, cars will be moved forward to begin carpool. Students should exit carefully out of the passenger side door onto the sidewalk. Please note that carpool ends at 8:50am. Please plan to arrive before 8:50am or you will need to walk your child inside to sign them in as tardy.
Parents will be able to walk students to their class this week. Our PTA will host a Boo Hoo breakfast in our courtyard as you leave. Please stop by to see how you can get involved at our school.
Dismissal will begin at 3:55pm; please help by making sure your child knows their carpool number. For bus transportation, download the EduLog app to track your child's ride.
If you have transportation changes, these should be provided in writing to the teacher in the morning. For late transportation changes, please call the front office as the teachers may not receive the message. Transportation changes or pickup cannot be accepted past 3:15pm.
Our teachers will utilize Class Dojo for communication this year. Please be sure that you have received the class code from your child's teacher.
As a reminder, breakfast and lunch is free for all students this year. Students may also bring a lunch and snack from home, as snack time will be provided each day.
Be sure to keep up with your child's Dragonfly Binder for daily communication with the teacher.
See you all tomorrow!
Carpool morning drop off will begin at 8:25am. Prior to 8:25am, cars should stop to wait at the marked sign so traffic into the parking lot is not blocked. Once staff arrives, cars will be moved forward to begin carpool. Students should exit carefully out of the passenger side door onto the sidewalk. Please note that carpool ends at 8:50am. This is a change from last school year. Please plan to arrive before 8:50am or you will need to walk your child inside to sign them in as tardy.
Parents will be able to walk students to their class on the 1st day of school only.
Dismissal will begin at 3:55pm and typically will end by 4:20. Please be patient the first couple of weeks as carpool is sometimes slower. Please help by making sure your child knows their carpool number.
If you have transportation changes, these should be provided in writing to the teacher in the morning. For late transportation changes, please call the front office as the teachers may not receive the message. Transportation changes or pickup cannot be accepted past 3:15pm.
Our teachers will utilize Class Dojo for communication this year. Please be sure that you have received the class code from your child's teacher.
As a reminder, breakfast and lunch is free for all students this year. You may access lunch menus at the site below:
https://linqconnect.com/public/menu/EFH93E?buildingId=73a35de8-5ed4-eb11-a2c3-c77db6a19b8a
Additionally, students may bring their own lunches and water bottles for the year. We do ask that all bottles brought from home are closed-top, not cups with straws to prevent spills.
For all other information be sure to visit our Family Handbook at
https://bit.ly/ECESfamilyhandbook
See you all on Monday!
We ask that you fill out required paperwork before leaving. You may get a head start by visiting:
https://bit.ly/ExplorerPaperwork
Just a reminder that Kindergarten Open House will be on Tuesday, August 26th.
We look forward to seeing you all tomorrow evening! This year, we are building our community strong because, "Together We Can! "
Click here: www.johnston.k12.nc.us/beginningoftheyeardocuments
📢 Documentos de inicio de año deben completarse antes del comienzo del año escolar. ¡Haga clic en el enlace a continuación, tómese unos minutos y complete estos documentos hoy mismo!
Haz clic aquí: www.johnston.k12.nc.us/beginningoftheyeardocuments
Click here: www.johnston.k12.nc.us/beginningoftheyeardocuments
Documentos de inicio de año deben completarse antes del comienzo del año escolar. ¡Haga clic en el enlace a continuación, tómese unos minutos y complete estos documentos hoy mismo!
Haz clic aquí: www.johnston.k12.nc.us/beginningoftheyeardocuments
Johnston County Public Schools is committed to providing quality education to its students and professional learning environments for its staff, free of distractions, and supporting high-quality teaching and learning, enhancing student well-being, and maintaining a safe and focused school environment.
Recent studies indicate that cell phone use, particularly for social media and interaction, can interfere with students' ability to focus on learning and negatively impact students in many ways. Excessive use of cell phones and social media has been linked to lower academic performance, increased behavioral issues, and other conditions that hinder students' ability to excel.
In recent legislation, House Bill 959, Session Law 2025-38, revisions were made addressing clear guidelines for the use of cell phones to include educational purposes. The Johnston County Board of Education has adopted Policy Code: 4318 Use of Wireless Communication Devices.
Families are strongly encouraged to review the policy in its entirety.
Visit the JCPS website for more information and links: HERE.
