The Thursday Know

September 3, 2015

AND THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS...

The Journey Family welcomes fresh and familiar faces as we kick off a spectacular new year! Grades students launch the first day on Wednesday, Sept. 9th with our beloved Rose Ceremony. The first bell rings at 8:25, instruction starts at 8:30, and festivities run from 9:00-10:00. Parents may sit with their class on the grass, so please bring blankets, chairs, and water. Kindergarten parents are to escort students to class per the Bell Schedule.

After-School Picnic: It's a Journey tradition to eat together on the 1st day of school. Grab your lunch and a blanket and join us to catch up with returning families and meet new ones.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR MANY HANDS

Thank you to the 120 families who rolled up their sleeves on one or both Work Days to get the campus ready for our kids. Weeding, painting, sanding, digging, building, planting, cleaning, and more was accomplished by our amazing Journey Community! A few items still remain on the task list. Click here to help tackle them over the coming days.

SNACK & LUNCH GUIDELINES

Nurturing our bodies as well as our minds is important at Journey School. Families are asked to support school policy and healthy eating by following these guidelines:

Lunch drop off/delivery is not supported at Journey School. Please send your child to school with his/her lunch and snack packed for the day.
Send snacks and lunches to school that use wholesome ingredients, fruits and vegetables. Gum and candy are not allowed.
Pack only water for your child. Drinking fountains and purified water are available on campus.
Send snacks and lunches in reusable containers with reusable utensils. In our commitment to environmental consciousness, we strive to be a zero waste school and encourage you to avoid excessive food packaging.
Occasionally, celebratory treats/foods are permitted with teacher and administrative approval.
Journey School is an "Allergy Aware" campus. Nut free snacks and lunches are encouraged in order to decrease the likelihood of allergen exposure on campus for students with life threatening allergies.

PARKING LOT PROTOCOL & CARPOOLS

In our efforts to ensure safety and efficiency in our parking lot, we have updated the drop-off and pick-up protocol. Click here to download Journey's parking lot procedures. Looking for a carpool? Sign-up here.

HOT LUNCH ON CAMPUS

Green Apple Lunch Box will continue to provide local, healthy student meal options at lunchtime for students. Order this month's lunches now.

NEW STUDENT SUPPORT TEAM

We are pleased to announce that Evelyn Yousef, CUSD Ed. Specialist, will assume the lead role in our Special Education Department. Joining Evelyn is Heather Stevenson who will support students in grades 6-8. We want to thank Stacey De Salvo for his years of service and wish him well in his new placement at CUSD.

CLOSE THE GAP REMINDER

Journey School depends upon the generosity of parents to balance the yearly operational budget. This initiative is called Close the Gap. A donation from each family allows Journey to cover the high cost of tuition-free Waldorf Education. Our goal is for ALL families to donate by the end of September. Your generous contribution ensures small class sizes, Kindergarten and Grade 1 Assistants, Middle School Math/Science Specialists, and Music, Art, Woodwork, Spanish, Handwork, and PE specialty classes. Make your annual pledge now on our website or contact Cindy Barry to work out special arrangements. Thank you for supporting your child's education.

AFTER SCHOOL OPPORTUNITIES

Journey's affordable and fun aftercare classes start Monday, 9/14. Visit our After Care page for more information and to sign up directly with the providers. Be on the lookout for new classes soon!

1ST SATURDAY WORKSHOPS

The Oak and the Acorn will launch their "First Saturday" Workshops on September 3. Here's the line-up:

Felt Wee Folk Doll-making with Johanna, 9:30-12:30 ($25)
Fairy Garden Making with Helena, 9:00-2:00 Drop-in Class ($45)

Visit the store website for photos of previous Saturday Workshops. Hand-woodblocked flyers will be available on campus soon!

Save the Date: Parent University will present Herbs and Nutrition for Immunity to take place on Tues., 9/29. Details to come!

"THRIVE JUICE LAB" WEDNESDAYS

Please help us warmly welcome Thrive Juice Lab as our new smoothie option on campus THIS Wednesday and every Wednesday after school. Parent Cabinet is excited to have a local vendor provide locally-sourced 100% organic, gluten-free, dairy-free smoothies (9 oz for $3) and organic raw, cold-pressed juices (8 oz for $5) with a portion of sales going back to PC to fund exceptional experiences for our students. Smoothies and juices will be provided in compostable packaging to support our zero waste efforts. We hope Journey families will be sure to thank Jamba Juice for their many years of support when visiting them off-campus.

COSTUME RENTAL PROGRAM

Clear up some space in your closet by donating used Halloween and Class Play costumes to the school store during the month of September and you'll receive a $5 gift certificate for each gently used and curriculum-appropriate costume. The Oak and the Acorn will rent the costumes to Journey families for Halloween and Class Plays. All proceeds will support the JS Foundation.

A HEADS UP ON HEAD LICE

As students return from the long summer, please remember to check your child for head lice. Head lice are small wingless insects that lay eggs on the hair shaft and spread through close head-to-head contact. Contrary to common belief, head lice do not jump! Anyone can get head lice, although they are most common in young children due to close physical contact with peers. Download our head lice policy (PDF) or lice flyer (PDF).

BACK TO SCHOOL READINESS

New inventory of Journey Spirit Wear--including t-shirts, totes, hoodies, stainless steel bottles, and U-Konserve reusable lunch containers--will be for sale at pick-up on the first day of school.
Sign up and shop at participating retail stores and let your back-to-school purchases give back to Journey.
Read Journey's Dress Code Guidelines (PDF).

DATES TO CALENDAR