Thanksgiving Elementary School

Good evening parents and students! This is Mr. Jewett, principal of Thanksgiving Elementary School, with some important information. Tomorrow, Wednesday, January 29th is an early release day for students. Our dismissal for buses and carpool will be at 1:55pm. Like all early release days, we do not have afterschool care tomorrow. I hope all of you have a wonderful evening and thank you for your time!

Mrs. Angela Betterton is the JCPS Certified Employee of the Month for January 2025! Betterton is an Exceptional Children’s teacher at Thanksgiving Elementary School and has been with Johnston County Public Schools since 2000. In those 25 years, she has also been a curriculum coach and an after-school coordinator. She provides exemplary leadership and guidance to colleagues, ensuring the implementation of best practices in teaching and classroom management. As part of her recognition, Mrs. Betterton answered a few questions about her career, and how she builds relationships with her students. Read the full Q&A here: https://bit.ly/40Brxw7

Due to the hazardous road conditions caused by the recent winter weather event, Johnston County Public Schools will be closed for all students tomorrow, Friday, January 24, 2025, as well as all extracurricular activities. The district will operate under Condition 3 of the inclement weather plan. For JCPS staff, this day will become an optional teacher workday. Schools and county offices will open at 10 AM. As always, safety is our primary concern and after driving our roadways and receiving guidance from local safety officials and NCDOT, we have been advised that though the main roads within high-traffic areas may be clear, many secondary roads within the rural areas of the county are expected to still have hazardous conditions through Friday, making them unsafe for JCPS transportation use. In addition, many of our campuses have shaded walkways, parking lots, and areas that must continue to be assessed by our operational staff before students may safely return. Extracurricular activities and community facility use will resume on Saturday morning, however, we still encourage site visitors to travel safely and be cautious while on campus, particularly in shaded areas. Have a great weekend everyone and make the most of what is left of the snow!

Due to the hazardous conditions caused by the recent winter weather, all JCPS schools and office buildings will be closed for students and staff on Thursday, January 23, 2025, as well as all after-school activities and events. JCPS will operate under Condition One of the Inclement Weather Plan. Please view the details of the plan by visiting the JCPS website at www.johnston.k12.nc.us/weatherconditions.

Good evening parents and students! This is Mr. Jewett, principal of Thanksgiving Elementary School, with some important information. Johnston County Public Schools sent a message earlier that all afterschool activities and events after 5pm will be canceled due to the threat of inclement weather. That will include afterschool care. Parents, if your child is going to be in our afterschool care program tomorrow, please pick them up no later than 5pm so we can get our staff home before any inclement weather. We will also be postponing our PTA general meeting that was scheduled for tomorrow evening at 6pm. We will reschedule that meeting and share that date and time with you as soon as possible. Thank you for your time and I hope you all stay safe and warm!

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Arianna Rubio-De Casa is our final and fabulous Character Education Award recipient for January 2025!😎 She is a fifth-grader at Thanksgiving Elementary School, where her attitude and behavior within the school and the classroom always exudes respect for her teachers and classmates. She treats everyone with a kind spirit and is always willing to help others. Ariana sets a wonderful example of what it means to be a Buffalo and the ROAM expectations: be Respectful, Offer kindness, Act responsibly, and Make a positive difference. Way to go!👏 #GreatThingsAreHappeningInJCPS

Good evening parents and students! This is Mr. Jewett, principal of Thanksgiving Elementary School, with some important information. I forgot an important reminder in my last phone message. This Friday, January 17th is our class picture day. This will be a photo of the whole class and teacher together. We have not received order forms from Lifetouch as of yet, but we will send them home as soon as we receive them so you can order a picture if you're interested. I also wanted to remind all of you that our students and staff do not have school on Monday, January 20th in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday. Thank you for your time and I hope you have a great evening!

Good evening parents and students! This is Mr. Jewett, principal of Thanksgiving Elementary School, with some important information. I wanted to remind all of our families that our students and staff do not have school next Monday, January 20th in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday. I also wanted to let all of you know that we have a PTA general meeting next Tuesday, January 21st at 6pm. This is open to all of our parents to get an update on PTA activities, budget, and goals for this school year. I will also be reviewing our school data so far this year and how we are progressing toward our school goals. Please come join us for some great information. Thank you for your time and I hope you have a wonderful evening!

Over the break, staff at Thanksgiving Elementary and Riverwood Elementary participated in Stop the Bleed training provided by Kristi Blankenship, Trauma Program Manager of WakeMed Cary Hospital. Stop the Bleed is a national initiative that helps teach the public how to use three basic techniques to stop bleeding during potential life-threatening emergencies. This type of training is important because blood loss is the #1 cause of preventable death following an injury and learning the three simple techniques involved can help save a life. During the training, participants participated in a brief lecture portion to be taught the use of direct pressure, packing, and applying tourniquets to stop bleeding. They were then able to engage in a demonstration of the three techniques taught. We are extremely grateful for community volunteers who help us continue to improve the safety and performance of our students and staff. For more information on Stop the Bleed, you can visit www.stopthebleed.org.

Good evening parents and students! This is Mr. Jewett, principal of Thanksgiving Elementary School, with some important information. I know you all have received the message that we have a 3-hour early release tomorrow for the impending winter weather. Our carpool and buses will be dismissed at 12:55pm. Also, we do not have after school care tomorrow. Tomorrow is also our next TES school spirit day. Please wear your TES gear or school colors (maroon and orange). We will have spirit sticks and stickers on sale tomorrow morning during our arrival time (between 8:30am and 8:55am). Our students will be receiving their 2nd quarter report cards tomorrow. Please make sure you review them and please contact your child's teacher if you have any questions. Our PTA sponsored VIP Carpool Raffle has begun. Information will be coming home with information on how to purchase a raffle ticket. The raffle will last through January 18th. We will have the drawing on January 21st and if your child's name is drawn the VIP carpool will begin on January 22nd. I hope all of you stay safe tomorrow from whatever falls from the clouds. Have a great evening!

Good evening parents and students! This is Mr. Jewett, principal of Thanksgiving Elementary School, with an important announcement. I wanted to send this quick reminder that we have an Early Release day tomorrow, Friday, December 20th. Our buses and carpool students will be dismissed at 1:55pm, so buses will be dropping off students about 2 hours earlier than usual. We also do NOT have afterschool care tomorrow or on any early release days during the school year. Our Christmas Break begins on Monday, December 23rd and will last through Friday, January 3rd. Students will return to school on Monday, January 6th. I hope all of you have a wonderful and safe Holiday with your friends and family!

Good evening parents and students! This is Mr. Jewett, principal of Thanksgiving Elementary School, with some important information. It has been great seeing our staff and students dress up for the different themed days this week. We had a lot of elves running around today. Tomorrow is Ugly Christmas Sweater Day, Thursday is Whobilation Day (based on the Grinch Who Stole Christmas), and Friday is Polar Express Day. With tomorrow being ugly sweater day, if you don't have an ugly sweater, we can county UNC attire as an ugly sweater :) Our next Buffalo Bash is this Friday, December 20th. Students who do not have an office referral, a bus referral, or a minor referral are eligible to attend. If a student is not eligible they will be participating in a lesson with Mrs. Druzak and she has done a great job with helping them work towards being eligible for the next Bash. And finally, this is a reminder that this Friday, December 20th is an early release day. Students will be dismissed at 1:55pm. We do not have afterschool care this Friday or on any early release days this school year. Thank you for your time and I hope you have a great evening!

Good evening parents and students! This is Mr. Jewett, principal of Thanksgiving Elementary School, with some important information. I wanted to remind all of our families that we have a Cookies with Santa event tomorrow morning (Saturday, December 14th) from 9:30am to 11:30am in our cafeteria. Please come out for a great and festive time. Next Friday, December 20th is an Early Release day. Students will be dismissed for carpool and buses at 1:55pm. We do NOT have afterschool care next Friday, December 20th or on any early release days during the school year. Our students will not have school from Monday, December 23rd through Friday, January 3rd for Christmas Break. Our students will return to school on Monday, January 6th. I hope all of you have a wonderful evening and a great weekend!

Good evening parents and students! This is Mr. Jewett, principal of Thanksgiving Elementary School, with some important information. Our kindergarten students have an exciting field trip this week. Parents, on the days that your child is going on the field trip and you are dropping them off at school, please drop them off at 8am by our flag pole (use the parking lot, not the carpool lane). I also want to remind all of our families to please have your school issued carpool tag for afternoon carpool. We can not take photos or student numbers verbally; you must have the tag. This is for the safety of all of our children. We will ask you to park and go to the office to present ID if you do not have your school issued carpool tag (I had a person last year try to take a picture of a tag in another vehicle and I will always choose safety and security over convenience). Our PTA is hosting a Cookies with Santa event at our school this Saturday December 14th from 9:30am to 11:30 am in our cafeteria and gym. Admission is free so please come and join us for a wonderful time. And finally, I wanted to let you know that Friday, December 20th is an early release day. Our carpool and buses will be dismissed at 1:55pm. We will not have afterschool care on Friday, December 20th. Christmas Break for students will start on Monday, December 23rd through Friday, January 3rd. Students will return to school on Monday, January 6th. Thank you for your time and I hope you have a wonderful evening!

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Good evening parents and students! This is Mr. Jewett, principal of Thanksgiving Elementary School, with some important information. Unfortunately, we are going to have to cancel our Turkey Trot this year. The weather is not looking good for the time we are supposed to be running; they are calling for rain and potentially some thunderstorms. I am so sorry, I was really looking forward to another year of exercise and fellowship with all of you. Hopefully, we will have better weather next year. I hope all of you have a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving Break and I will see everyone back here on Monday, December 2nd!

Good evening parents and students! This is Mr. Jewett, principal of Thanksgiving Elementary School, with some important information. I wanted to remind everyone that tomorrow is the last day of school for students and staff before our Thanksgiving Break. We will not have school Wednesday, November 27th through Friday, November 29th. I hope all of you have a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving Holiday with your family and friends. Secondly, the weather does not look like it is going to cooperate with our Turkey Trot. I will be making a final decision by tomorrow evening. If there is still rain in the forecast for Thursday, I will have to cancel our Turkey Trot. I am keeping my fingers crossed. Thank you for your time and I hope you have a great evening!

Today was all about giving thanks at Thanksgiving Elementary School!🥧🍂 JCPS School Nutrition Services created a homemade traditional Thanksgiving meal with all the fixins' for the students and their families to enjoy! Smiles were everywhere when the peanut and sweet potato showed up! What a wonderful way for the school community to gather together. #GreatThingsAreHappeningInJCPS

Good evening parents and students! This is Mr. Jewett, principal of Thanksgiving Elementary School, with some important information. We are excited that this is our Fall Book Fair week. Students will be able to shop our book fair one day this week during an enhancement time. We also have our Family Night tomorrow night (Tuesday, November 19th) from 5pm to 7pm. The Literati Book Fair will be open for shopping and Mrs. Barber has some exciting activities planned for families to enjoy in the gym. We will also have a food truck, Waffe Wagon, here if you would like to purchase food. We will be accepting cash or credit card, or you can order a Literati gift card through their website. It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is next week. Students will have school next Monday, November 25th, and Tuesday, November 26th. Students will be out of school Wednesday, November 27th through Friday, November 29th. Our 4th annual Thanksgiving Elementary School Turkey Trot is Thanksgiving Day- Thursday, November 28th. This is a free 5K run/walk on our campus. Please arrive at 8:30am to stretch and for a group picture. Our run/walk will start at 9am. We will have hot chocolate and water for you at the finish line. I also want to make sure you have the date of our next school event. Our PTA will host a Cookies with Santa on Saturday, December 14th from 9:30am to 11:30am in our cafeteria and gym. Thank you for your time and I hope you have a great evening!