Comet families! We have great news for our elementary students for the 2022/23 school year! We will be picking up elementary students at select stops south of 12. We know for some families this was a barrier and hope this helps you out.
I know it's not even July, but we continue to enroll students for the upcoming school year. Get your slot as soon as possible! I Hope you are all enjoying your summer and go Comets!
Good morning Comet families, staff, students, and community members. Last night, the JCS school board voted unanimously to move our athletics to the Cascades Conference beginning the 2023/24 school year.
This was not an easy decision given the history that JCS has had with the Big 8 but it is the right one for our students. It provides them more athletic opportunities, including JV. This will be especially true for our lady Comets. It will allow our bowling team a shot at winning a league championship. It will provide our football team points to be eligible for the postseason. There are some challenges but they are not insurmountable. The average distance to a Big 8 school is 21.1 miles. The average distance to a Cascade Conference school is 29.6 miles. We think the benefits outweigh the distance.
We are excited to provide this new opportunity to our Comet athletes and we look forward to what the future will bring. Go Comets!
The Jonesville Community School Board will have four openings this year. There are two six year terms, one four year term, and one two year term available. Please be sure to specify which one you are running for. The deadline is July 26th by 4:00 pm. You can either come to JCS central off at 115 East st. to get a petition for signatures, or go to the county clerk's office and pay $100. Come be a part of the Comet community!
Comet families! As you have probably heard, we have been in talks about a potential athletic conference change to the Cascades conference. This is something that has been, loosely, discussed for years but a formal invitation was sent out to JCS on June 10th. We have had committee meetings that included community members, coaches, board members, principals, etc. so that we can hear all the perspectives. We also held a community engagement meeting last night.
We know the history of the Big 8 goes back many decades and has a proud tradition, so why even have this discussion? With declining enrollment amongst schools, other Big 8 schools have had to cut athletic opportunities altogether whether it's golf or JV sports to name a couple. This has limited the opportunities for our students and has made finding make up games very challenging. In meetings with the Big 8, they have said they will work to bring those programs back but there is uncertainty with that due to enrollments and budgets. Please take a look at the attached form to see offerings of the Big 8 and Cascades to get a better idea.
A couple of questions from the community have been about the history and the distances. History is important and tradition matters no doubt about it. However, it doesn’t solve the opportunity issue for our kids today. If that history deprives our kids of what could be a better future then we have to think about that. As for the distance difference, the average distance increases from 28.71 in the Big 8 to 37.2 in the Cascades Conference.
I know this is no small decision for our community. The other schools in the Big 8 have good people and kids and want what is best for their students. This is not a reflection of them at all. However, we also have to advocate for our kids and when you remove all other aspects, this is what is best for them. The coaches, JCS staff, and community members we have engaged with have all been supportive but with good questions. The board will vote on whether to make this switch on Monday, June 27th. If it passes, this will take effect in the ‘23/24 school year. Whether it passes or not, we look forward to great things from our Comet athletes. Go Comets!
The Jonesville Community School Board will have four openings this year. There are three trustee positions and one secretary position. The deadline is July 26th by 4:00 pm. You can either come to JCS central office at 115 East st. to get a petition and signatures, or go to the county clerk's office and pay $100. Be sure to check the terms because they are different. Come be a part of the great things going on in JCS! Go Comets!
Comet families! Jonesville Community Schools has been in conversations with the Cascades Conference about moving to their league. Last week, they extended a formal invitation to the Cascade Conference. I am well aware of the history that Jonesville has with the Big 8 and this is not a decision to be taken lightly, so we have had small committee meetings with community members and staff about this potential move.
We would now like to extend an invitation to the larger community about this. We will be holding a Q&A on Tuesday, June 21st for families interested at the Jonesville High School at 6:00. Please come with any questions you may have.
This is an exciting opportunity for JCS, but I want to be sure that all questions and concerns are answered before a formal decision is made. We hope to see you then! Go Comets!!!
From Williams Elementary-
Summer School Information for students who were invited to attend:
School hours are 8:00 am -12:00 noon
Monday-Thursday: Weeks of June 13, June 20, & June 27
Breakfast & lunch will be served.
Please use the front drive and doors by the office.
An assembly was held yesterday, the last day of school, for all Williams Elementary students and staff to celebrate the money raised for the American Heart Challenge earlier in the year.
As a "reward", any student who each raised over $100 was able to put a pie in the face of a principal.
Mr. Grimm and Mrs. Crabill were the recipients of 24 pies to the face with the 25th pie going to Mr. Stroble!
Williams Elementary staff held a reception Monday after school to honor their retirees. After a collective 65 years at Williams, Mr. Shaffer, Mrs. Bernklau, and Mrs. Cooley are now ready to embark on their next adventure.
They will be greatly missed, and we wish them the very best!
From Williams Elementary School:
Today we were able to recognize our final Students of the Month for the 2021-2022 school year. These students were nominated because they are dependable.
It is so nice to be able to recognize those students we can count on no matter what!
Congratulations to these 3rd-5th grade students!
From Williams Elementary School:
Today we were able to recognize our final Students of the Month for the 2021-2022 school year. These students were nominated because they are dependable.
It is so nice to be able to recognize those students we can count on no matter what!
Congratulations to these KP-2nd grade students!
Students at Williams Elementary School were able to participate in Field Day last week.
Mr. Stroble, with the help of many volunteers (Thank You!), pulled off a couple of amazing days! There were smiles and laughter all over and it is safe to say that the students had a great time!
Recently 5th grade students enjoyed a fun filled day exploring the Historic Sauder Village. Students had the opportunity to visit a 1920’s Main Street with shops and attractions. They explored native and early colonial settlements, along with learning about different trades from the printing press, blacksmith, tin maker, and so much more.
From Williams Elementary School:
Our 5th grade students recently learned "hands-on" by using the Engineering Design Process with the goal of building miniature boats.
Making science and engineering fun, in collaborative groups of three, students learned the science behind what makes crafts float and then designed and built either a paddle boat or a sail boat.
Using the St. Joe River as our race venue, all boats were launched in heats. After the raft races, finalists of both sailboats and paddle boats were determined and then the boats raced again for final standing.
The winners were:
Paddle Boat- 1st place: Alanna Burrece, Daisy Dihle, & Carter Wagle 2nd place: Adaya Anglin, Fallon Meyer, & Harrison Green 3rd place: Briggs Baker, Tyler Robinson, & Nora Zimmerman
Sailboat- 1st place: Blayke Nichols, Olivia Babcock, & Miah VanSickle 2nd place: Mariah Blaker, Jordan Duque, & Taylere Seiy 3rd place: Alaina Griva, Alaina Wert, & Hailey Milligan
This week students in Mrs. Snyder's 3rd grade class participated in a fossil dig. The dirt from the Aurora Fossil Museum had A TON of fossils in! The kids found a variety of teeth, shells, coral, and other indistinguishable fossils/fossil parts. They really had a fun time at the miniature dig!
Jonesville Mission will be providing their fresh food boxes tomorrow at the Carl Fast Memorial Park at 4:00.
We were able to host a Family Literacy Night in conjunction with a Parent Night at our Spring Book Fair last week. It was nice to have families back in the building! We look forward to hosting additional activities in the future!
Our 3rd-5th grade April Student of the Month nominees were chosen for their display of integrity. These students know what it is to do the right thing, all of the time!
We are very proud to recognize them as an April Student of the Month.
Our KP-2nd grade April Student of the Month nominees were chosen for their display of integrity. These students know what it is to do the right thing, all of the time!
We are very proud to recognize them as an April Student of the Month.
The Jonesville Mission Church will have their fresh food giveaway at 501 Olds St. tomorrow (4/27). All community members are welcome!