Each event is listed with the date and time on the first line, and the event name appears on the second line. Click on the blue event name for event details.
If for some reason you have missed the weekly email, you can always find that information here. If you are not receiving our weekly email for parents and families, but would like to, you may subscribe at the bottom of this page.
Current JRDS Parents, if you have children that will be applying for the kindergarten 2011-2012 class, please contact Kirstin McHenry by email or at 384-7385. We have received several applications for Fall 2011 and would like to make sure we have accounted for all siblings.
RE-ENROLLMENT CONTRACTS Due Friday, March 12!
Eighth Grade Girls' Sleepover at Ms. Stinnett's house on Friday, March 12.
Test Run of New Bus Route begins Monday, March 15 and goes through April 2nd. Running only in the mornings, the JRDS bus will begin its run by departing from the parking lot next to Sweet Briar's guardhouse at 7:20 a.m. The bus will stop in Madison Heights at the Goodwill Store at the corner of Elon Road (Rt. 130) and South Amherst Highway (Bus. 29) at 7:35 a.m., and then continue on to James River. Since this is a test run to gauge interest, there is no charge for this service at this time. Please contact Peter York with any questions.
March 15-19 is Spirit Week! Sponsored by the SGA, Spirit Week for grades K-8 will include: Monday = Decade Day Tuesday =Spring Picture Day Wednesday = Crazy Hat/Hair Day Thursday = Twin / Triplets / Multiples Day or Favorite Team Day Friday = P.J. Day On Friday, March 19, grades 5-8 will also have a SGA sponsored Fun Day activity. Students in grades 5-8 will leave school around 10:40a to have lunch at La Carreta, and then go to Funquest for the rest of the afternoon. Please watch for these permission forms to come home.
Get Your JRDS Wine Glasses! Pre-Order Sale Begins Monday - Support your school in style with a set of JRDS wine glasses! Each 15 oz. stemless glass comes engraved with the white JRDS logo and is on sale for just $5. Pre-orders begin Monday, March 15th, through Friday, April 2nd, with forms available at the Front Desk. Glasses should arrive within two to three weeks and will be available for pick-up at the school. All proceeds benefit the Cardinal Fund!
James River Day School is pleased to announce the award of several scholarships and grants to some of our eighth grade students. Virginia Episcopal School representatives came to JRDS on Wednesday, March 10, to celebrate the acceptance and awarding of nearly $50,000 in merit scholarships and grants to the following students: John William Barnard, Carter Bowen, Harrison Cash, Jack Edmunds, and Katie Zwetolitz. These students were celebrated in honor of their academic performance and contributions to programs beyond the classroom. The grants and scholarships are renewable each year that the students attend Virginia Episcopal School.
Amazement Square will film a TV commercial next Thursday, March 18, 5-7pm. Students and parents are invited to come, and admission is free with signed consent form. Go have fun, and wear your JRDS t-shirt, so we'll see you on TV.
JRDS families have the opportunity to participate in the fall 2010 Faces & Our Cultures Program. This is an ambassador program through which your family can host a child the same age and gender as your son or daughter. If you have a child age 11 or older and are interested in more information please contact Kirstin McHenry before March 22.
Career Shadowing Permission Forms from parents and mentors are due on Tuesday, March 23, to 8th grade students' advisors. Forms are available on the school website's Forms page.
JRDS Science Day will be Friday, March 26. This celebration of science includes students in grades K-8. Students will use this opportunity to share their learning through various activities and presentations. All presentations are open to parents. To find out when your child's class is presenting, please email your child's science teacher. A Cardinal Buddy lunch is also planned, so students may share one-on-one what they've learned.
Grandparents' Day is Coming Soon on April 2nd! Do we have the mailing or email address for your child's grandparents, so we may invite them? Please call (384.7385) or email Ann Parker with updates to grandparent addresses. Changes to School Schedule To make up a portion of the instructional time lost to snow days, April 12 and May 5 are now regular school days. (They had been a teacher workday and a conference day, respectively.) Any parent wishing to schedule a conference is welcome to contact the teacher(s)/advisor(s) involved. Many thanks for being flexible with changes to our schedule. We appreciate your understanding.
8th Grade Career Shadowing Day will move from April 13 to April 12 - we will not hold classes for eighth graders on the 12th, but we will on the 13th. Any eighth grade students who have already scheduled to shadow their mentor on April 13, please contact Mary Riser to let her know.
Get Your Disco Moves Ready for the Best Party In Town! Bird Bash is right around the corner and party invitations are in the mail. Don't miss the best event in town on Friday, April 16th in the Carrington Field House. Food, drinks, great auction items and groovy disco duds all for a good cause, your children. Make your reservations by returning the response card no later than April 5th.
Cardinal Fund Update - Spring is in the Air Our fund raising efforts are going strong with us growing closer to our goal each and every day. Currently, 77% of our parents have made a gift or pledge to the Cardinal Fund and we have raised 75% of our total fundraising goal. Thank you to all of our donors who have made this commitment to our children's education. For those still considering a gift, remember that your gift immediately benefits the education of our students. All gifts to the Cardinal Fund are tax-deductible.
Congratulations to our 3rd grade families who have risen to your class challenge! Class participation is now at 78%. Make your gift or pledge by the end of the 3rd grade play on March 18th and help your grade be the next to reach 100%.
Current class participation rates: K-100%; 1st - 94%; 2nd - 81%; 3rd - 78%; 4th - 92%; 5th - 81%; 6th - 50%; 7th - 63%; and 8th - 52%.
Help JRDS! Send in your Box Tops (from Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, & General Mills products) and your Campbell's Labels for Education (from Campbell's soups, Pepperidge Farms products, and Swanson products.) You can also send in the lids from V8 juices and Prego spaghetti sauces.
Athletics Boys' Lacrosse plays Lexington, Thursday, 3/18, in their first home game. JV plays at 4:30p and Varsity begins at 6:00p. See you there! JV Boys' Team practices M,W,F from 3:30p to 4:30p, while Varsity Boys' Team practices M,W,F from 4:15p to 5:30p. Girls' Lacrosse practices only Tuesday this week, 3:20-5:00p. Spring Sports Picture Day is March 24. Order forms and information will be sent home soon.
St. John's Preschool Open House - March 19 - See flyer on My JRDS Forms page for full details. Searching for Summer Camps and Programs?
A Guide to Summer Camps and Summer Schools: An Objective Comparative Reference Source for Residential Summer Programs, 2010/2011 is available in the Taylor Media Center. Feel free to come by and take a look.
The slate of JRDS Summer Camps is now available on the school website. Take a look! We have some fabulous camps available.
Hollins University offers an exciting summer program for rising 7th and 8th grade girls. If you are interested, visit their website at www.hollins.edu. Technology Summer Camps: ID Tech Camps offered at colleges and universities around the US, including the College of William & Mary and UVA. Offerings include video game design, digital photography, programming, robotics, and more. Save $50 if you sign up by March 15 (visit internalDrive.com/promotions), or a friend also goes with you (visit internalDrive.com/referafriend), or sign up more than one child. See their web site at internalDrive.com; savings code: FD47
Girls' Summer Camps at Chatham Hall: Camps available for science and horseback riding. See the Chatham Hall website for details.
Spring Sports Picture Day is March 24. Order forms and information will be sent home soon.
Lacrosse 2010
Welcome to another exciting season of lacrosse at JRDS. We are happy to announce that Jerry Padgett will be leading our junior varsity players through their season this year. We would also like to welcome Whitt Johnsen, a senior from Glass, as our student assistant coach. Please note, all Lacrosse practices and games are subject to change due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances. Please contact the Athletic Director if you have any questions or concerns.
Boys' JV and Varsity LacrossePractices Both teams will practice Monday through Thursday during the week of March 1- March 4. JV will practice from 3:30-4:30 and Varsity from 4:15-5:30. Players should bring full gear. This should include all pads, mouth guard, and athletic support. Starting on March 8, JV and Varsity Boys will practice on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: JV at 3:30-4:30 and Varsity at 4:15-5:30. Monday, Wednesday and Friday will be the assigned practice days for the boys during the season, with JV practicing 3:30-4:30 and Varsity, 4:15-5:30.
Girls' Lacrosse will start on Tuesday, March 9 from 3:20-5:00 and the Girls will also practice on Thursday March 11 from 3:20-5:00. Tuesday and Thursday will be the assigned practice days for the Lady Cardinals during the season. ( 3:20-5:00)
The greenhouse is ready for spring, and classes are using the planting beds for spring crops. The begonia cuttings in the aquaponics tube are thriving and blooming, as are the smaller cuttings that were potted in the fall. Teachers are incorporating use of the greenhouse space into many of their classes.
Many of this year's fall and early winter crops had trouble thriving in the greenhouse. It wasn't that the temperature or watering was off. Rather, it was the light. When Mr. Oliver conferred with some master gardeners, they all stated that the "summer" crops that we were trying to grow "knew" that it was the wrong time of year. For that reason, their growth was not as strong and they were more open to attack from pathogens. The solution - grow early spring/late fall crops.
This year's third graders were recently introduced to an ancient art form, the mandala. According to The Mandala Project, "the word 'mandala' is from the classical Indian language of Sanskrit. Loosely translated to mean 'circle,' a mandala is far more than a simple shape. It represents wholeness, and can be seen as a model for organizational structure..."
Congratulations to all students who participated in the winter sports season. Your hard work and dedication were much appreciated by your teammates, coaches, and parents.
Our school will be having a Science Day celebration on Friday, March 26, and all students in grades K to 8 will participate. Science Day is an opportunity for students, individually or as members of a team, to show what they've learned. It is also a chance to show the students and the school community how important and useful science is.
Grade level teachers will set guidelines for their classes. Some examples that may be used are: learning stations, individual presentations, and small-group presentations. Students can create their own learning experiences and innovations, just as scientists do in the real world. In grades 5 - 8, science teachers will direct projects, and various classrooms in the middle school will be used as display areas.
One of the most valuable benefits of Science Day is the chance for students to show, explain, and talk about their projects with others. It's rewarding for the students to have other students, parents, and teachers to see and appreciate their work. A rotation schedule is in the process of being arranged for students to view each other's work, as well as a time for parents to attend. Visitations will take place in the classrooms. Additional details will follow in the coming weeks.
Our vision for this day is a Celebration of Science!
Address given January 28, by Head of School Mary Riser.
James River Day School cherishes children and challenges them to become scholars, leaders, and citizens for the 21st century, in a community of academic excellence.
A good education is the best gift you can give your children, one that will accompany them throughout life. I appreciate your support, your confidence, and your trust. I guarantee that the teachers do indeed cherish and challenge your children, every single day. They are completely dedicated to their work, and it shows. The State of the School today is that James River Day School is strong. We are strong in academics, admission, giving, and community service. I've been reading Daniel Pink's newest book, Drive, which is about motivation, and I am delighted to work in a school where we seek to develop intrinsically motivated students. We want to help your children find their passions and build the learning skills they need to follow those passions.
As a community, we value: safety, academic preparation, character education, service to the community, and the joy and wonder of learning. We want our children to be safe. We want them to have a strong academic foundation. We want them to develop integrity, humility, respect for all, and courage. We want them to believe that it is their responsibility to serve others. We want them to sustain their capacity for curiosity, awe, and wonder, through adolescence and into adulthood. Our mission of cherishing and challenging children to become scholars, leaders, and citizens, is founded on and supports these core values.
Scholarship Strong academic preparation is our signature. It takes great teachers to create great scholars, so we have continued to make professional development for teachers a priority. We had a rich professional development day in November, with workshops for teachers on creating web pages, using Google Earth, using the results of our new computer adaptive achievement testing, and teaching with SmartBoards. At faculty meetings, teacher experts present teaching strategies and timely research. We take advantage of teacher expertise to stretch our professional development dollars. Whenever a teacher attends a conference or workshop, he or she is expected to present to the faculty something useful from that conference or workshop. At almost every faculty meeting we have teacher presentations as part of our agenda, and we are building a culture that values professional growth.
Our students continue to achieve at very high levels. We have six 8th graders enrolled in Hon. Algebra II this year. Some of our 6th graders are on track to finish French II or Spanish II in 8th grade. We are moving to a 5th grade textbook for 4th grade math, because our 4th grade students need this challenge.
Current educational theorist, Sir Ken Robinson, in his new book The Element, claims that creativity will be as important a skill as literacy for the children we are educating today. Because of our flexible curriculum, teachers are able to nurture their students' creativity, rather than only teaching to an SOL test. We provide opportunities for creative enterprises in all areas of our curriculum. A side note on literacy - the more time children spend on reading outside of school and school assignments, the higher their test scores. Additionally, schools with the best libraries have the best reading scores - access to good books is so important, and we are so proud of our strong collection and our parent support for our library. Thanks for supporting our book fairs, which contribute directly to library collection development.
We continue to expand the use of our outdoor classroom. Here a 7th grader works on building a shelter from native materials for Mr. Oliver's geopolitical studies class. Our 5th grade Earth Project includes composting, recycling, and gardening, as we make sustainability a part of our curriculum. This spring, each grade will have a garden project. We're planning a school-wide Science Day for March 26. Every grade will participate in hands-on science projects that will be on display for the entire community. First grade is planning Reading Rodeo for February. Second, third and fourth grades are all rehearsing for individual grade-level plays to be presented this spring. Creative enterprises surround us!
We know that perseverance is as important as aptitude for academic success, and because of the individual attention we are able to give our students, each child is able to meet the high standards we set. For an interesting read on the importance of effort, relative to talent, see Mindset by Carol Dweck. She explains that believing you can accomplish something difficult if you will only stick with it is a much more effective mindset than believing that you're naturally smart. People who aren't discouraged when things don't come easily to them tend to be more satisfied and more successful. At James River we expect all of our students to be successful, knowing that with sustained effort, they will be.
Leadership All of our students are expected to be leaders every day in the classroom, in the lunchroom, on the playground, in the halls, in music rehearsal, and on the athletic field, by being respectful to each other, to teachers, and to staff. Our honor code teaches students to build integrity and to cultivate the ability to "do the right thing." Our career shadowing program asks eighth graders to take the initiative to find an adult professional mentor to shadow for a day and then to create a presentation for the rest of the school to share what they have learned. Our teachers provide public speaking, drama and debate opportunities on a regular basis. Watching fourth graders debate the merits and drawbacks of indentured servitude will amaze you.
When the recent earthquake devastated Haiti, student leaders proposed ways to provide relief, including "Do Without Day" - a day when middle school students gave up their snacks and dessert and contributed the money they would have spent to our collection for relief to Haiti. When our cafeteria worker DeShawn Akins' home burned, students who heard the news kept coming to me all day, to say, "we have to do something!" DeShawn and his family were overwhelmed by the generosity of our community.
Monthly Cardinal Buddy events give older children opportunities to mentor younger children. Last fall, we enjoyed our Cardinal Buddy picnic at Riverside Park that followed the Peter and the Wolf concert at the Academy of Fine Arts. Our students made the illustrations for that concert - a great way for them to expand their creativity! Each day, the warmth and joy in our building encourages students to take risks to lead. Every time a student takes a chance to ask or answer a difficult question, that child develops as a leader.
Citizenship A strong focus of our history and social studies curriculum is teaching our students about democracy and citizenship. We send our graduates into the world believing they can make a difference. When our middle school students distribute canned food to local charities, they have visible evidence of how we can help others. One example of many I could share is a middle school writing project in which students wrote "dear Scrooge" letters - they researched local charities and then used their persuasive writing skills to convince Scrooge to support their cause. Their creative letters included interesting ways that Scrooge could help, beyond simply giving money.
We teach our students how government works. We expect them to support each other and to participate fully in the life of the school. We expect them to pick up after themselves and to offer to help others. We expect them to use good manners. We do explicit character education with the pillars of good character included in our character pledge: responsibility, respect, caring, citizenship, trustworthiness, fairness. We say the pledge of allegiance and character pledge every day, and we honor our country.
We teach our children about the importance of service by doing service projects. Our second graders visit a local adult day care center several times a year. We will participate again this year, for the third year in a row, in the Books of Hope program. Our students will make nonfiction books for orphans and refugee children in Africa. These books will become textbooks for children who have no books.
Traditions JRDS traditions remain strong: the Halloween Carnival, the PTO Yard Sale, the 4th grade One Miler, the 6th grade trip to Sheridan Mountain, the 4th grade trip to Jamestown, the 3rd grade trip to the Taubman Museum, the 2nd grade Hall of States, the Geography Bee, middle school dances, the Thankful Hearts feast and canned food drive, Hanging of the Greens, the holiday sing-a-long, Career Shadowing, James River Reflections, grade-level plays, Grandparents Day, Field Day.
This spring we welcome back the Bird Bash, our auction to benefit the JRDS Cardinal Fund! If you register tonight, for the April 16 event, your name will be entered into our raffle for a great leather bag offered by Moore & Giles and valued at over $1,000. The Bird Bash will be the best party in Lynchburg this spring!
JRDS teachers Jasper Oliver, Naomi Amos, Jana Ross, and Richard Wroncy, join Ralph Jaxtheimer and Joe Nigro for the annual benefit concert, Sunday, February 21, 3 p.m., in Presser Hall. Ms. Amos and Mr. Wroncy are enjoying giving piano lessons on the new piano purchased with funds raised at last year's concert, and we have enjoyed several programs that used the piano. It's a beauty!
Sports and Physical Education Sports and physical education continue to be essential ingredients of life at JRDS. We recognize that outdoor play and physical fitness promote memory and learning. We know that team sports give students opportunities to work collaboratively and to enjoy challenging themselves in a competitive arena. Our fall teams - volleyball, soccer, and cross country - and our winter teams - boys and girls basketball - have thrived. We're excited about the upcoming lacrosse season. For many of our students, a JRDS team may be their best chance to play on a sports team for their school, and we are proud that we make it easy for our middle school students to join teams, learn the basics, and contribute. I am personally dedicated to ensuring that our athletic program fields competitive teams and provides a developmentally appropriate experience for all of our students.
Fine Arts We have expanded our students' exposure to the arts this year. Dance, visual art, and music inspire creativity and imagination. We enjoyed programs by the Virginia School of the Arts, Opera on the James, St. Anne's-Belfield Counterpoints Chamber Orchestra, and Lynchburg College music education students. Our seventh grade art class visited the Academy to work in the ceramics studio.
Music We are excited about our new middle school orchestra. To jump start our strings program, all our third graders are studying violin this spring. Next fall, they can choose to continue strings or return to our general music course. We are proud to offer middle school band, choir, and guitar class. Playing an instrument contributes to improvements in students' reading and math skills, as they learn to read musical notation and count rhythms. Ensemble music teaches so many of the same skills as team sports - paying attention to everyone on the team, not hogging the spotlight, using your skills to support the group.
Resources People are always a school's greatest resource. Our teachers and our families are the heart of our school. As you know from past State of the School addresses, faculty salaries and benefits make up about three-quarters of our annual operating budget. The Board of Trustees has committed itself to improving faculty salaries to be competitive with faculty salaries of other local schools, and I commend them! Last year, despite the economic downturn, which resulted in a slight decline in enrollment, careful planning allowed us to give our teachers raises. Many good independent schools suffered serious drops in enrollment, resulting in lay-offs of faculty and staff. I was very glad that did not happen to JRDS.
We have continued to pay down our debt, a construction note from our last building project.
We also recognize that some of our families have come under economic pressure. The Board has balanced the tuition increase this year between the need to keep tuition as affordable as possible and to achieve our goal of competitive faculty salaries. By the way, the Commonwealth of Virginia spends $9500 per year per student for public education. Our tuition is about 15% LESS than what is spent per student in public school. We have increased our need-based financial aid budget, and the process for applying for financial aid is streamlined and confidential. Check with the business office for details.
Our tuition does not cover the cost of running our school, and we are too young a school (less than 40 years old) to have built a large endowment, so we depend on annual giving to our Cardinal Fund to balance our budget. Every gift, no matter how large or small, brings us closer to that goal. Last year, 93% of our parents contributed to the Cardinal Fund - unprecedented participation - most independent schools are proud of 60% parent participation. This year, just over halfway through the fiscal year, we have achieved 62% of our fundraising target. Our parent participation is at 61%, and we have 100% participation in the Cardinal Fund by the Board of Trustees. The fiscal year ends in June, and we anticipate that the Cardinal Fund and the Bird Bash will result in our reaching our annual fundraising target of $225,000. I'm hoping that we will exceed last year's 93% in parent participation - wouldn't it be awesome if every single family contributed to the Cardinal Fund? Remember, every gift, no matter the size, brings us closer to our goal of fully funding our program. Check with your human resources office at work to see if your gift is eligible for a matching corporate gift - an easy way to double your gift! Thank you, thank you, thank you for your generosity!
I work in a small independent school because I like knowing all the students and families in the school. One reason our school is successful is that our parents are dedicated to and invested in their children's education. All our parents come to parent conferences! Our parents make sure their children do their homework. Our parents teach their children good manners. I will continue to schedule grade-level parent coffees to share information about child development and our academic program, to get to know our parents better, and to answer any questions parents may have. It's a great way for me to learn what's on our parents' minds and what they hear from the children on the other side of the carpool line.
Our admission office thanks parents for their overwhelming support - you have opened your homes, talked until your jaws are tired, and baked up a storm. We are realizing the results of your efforts, with a waiting list for 4th grade, 36 kindergarten applications, and a 6th grader, Ben Sullivan, who joined our middle school this week. We know that if a prospective kindergarten family tours our school, we will receive an application from that family 85% of the time. Sometimes bringing a friend on a tour is all it takes for them to see what a great place this is! Parents are our best marketing tool. People choose James River Day School primarily because they have heard good things about us from parents, students, and graduates. If you are satisfied with the education your child is receiving, tell your friends and neighbors!
The Future What do children need for a healthy learning environment? The Alliance for Childhood, a non-profit organization dedicated to healthy childhood, has developed the following guidelines through eight years of study with educators, children's health professionals, researchers, and technology experts. Children need: Close, loving relationships with responsible adults; outdoor activity, nature exploration, and gardening; time for unstructured play; music, drama, puppetry, dance, and painting; hands-on lessons in science and mathematics; and, conversation, poetry, storytelling, and books read aloud with beloved adults. All of these are real-time experiences, and all of them happen on a daily basis in our school. They are the source of joy and wonder at James River, and our current academic program and strategic plan for the future support them. They are the parts of education that you can't get on the Internet, the parts of education that a small school with small classes and excellent teachers is singularly well equipped to provide.
We are in the second year of a five-year strategic plan, and the Board of Trustees is pleased with our progress to date. In the past year, we have improved our traffic pattern, increased world language instruction time in the middle school, expanded the music program, reviewed and improved reading and math instruction, expanded teacher professional development, improved the website, added class web pages for K, 1, 4, Spanish, math, music, library, technology, and science, added narrative academic comments, added a middle school study hall, and expanded environmental instruction. The Board reviews the strategic plan annually, to incorporate newly identified needs and to check that strategic targets are met. Two new needs we've identified this year are expanding available parking and improving security - we are in the process of acquiring and installing security cameras, and we are working on a plan to create more parking behind our buildings. Read More ...
We are delighted to welcome alumna Meredith (née Pumphrey) Taylor to our 2010 Eighth Grade Graduation. Meredith will return to James River Day School to give the graduation address, Friday, June 4, 2010. Meredith has fond memories of James River, and she is very excited to visit and see all the changes and improvements that have been made since she graduated in 1991.
Brownie Troop 885 Went to 2010 Brownie Science Try-It Day
On Saturday, January 23, 2010, eleven Brownies from James River Day School’s own Troop 885 attended the 2010 Brownie Science Try-It Day at Sweet Briar College. Read More ...
Summer 2010 promises to be FUN, because James River Day School has lots of summer camps available! Most are week-long camps that occupy a morning or an afternoon, but we also have our Children's Center that runs all summer. If you're interested in any of the camps, please call the school at 434.384.7835. Details of the available camps are listed below. Reserve your child's spot early! These always fill quickly.
Please find the link below for the particular form you need. These are in .pdf format. You will need Adobe Reader to open them. It can be downloaded free of charge at http://get.adobe.com/reader/.
Some gorgeous spirit wear is now available in many wonderful styles. There are fleece jackets and vests, polo shirts, and sweatshirts in both youth and adult sizes from extra small youth to adult 2X. Take a look through the samples on display in the front lobby!
Spirit Wear Order Form includes details of what colors and sizes are available in each style as well as pricing. (This form is a pdf file, which you will need Adobe Reader to open.)
The Career Shadowing Experience is an off-campus learning project designed to expose each eighth grade student to a vocation about which the student expresses a high degree of interest.
Read More ...
As the flu season is underway, we remind parents that it is JRDS policy that children who have been ill may not return to school until they have been free of fever for at least 24 hours. Please do not send children to school if they are ill. If your child has a fever and is at school, we will call and ask you to take him or her home. If students miss school because of illness, their teachers will help them catch up when they return. Additionally, the Center for Disease Control recommends that if any family member has a confirmed case of influenza, that the entire family should stay at home for a week to avoid spreading infection. We will continue to encourage frequent hand-washing, which is the best preventive measure. The hand sanitizer at the cafeteria door is another step we are taking to discourage the spread of disease. Thank you for helping to keep our community healthy!
All parents and educators are understandably concerned about the possibility of a flu outbreak in the schools. James River Day School faculty and staff are doing all we can to ensure we are prepared for this possibility and to prevent the spread of germs. The following is taken from an article available from the Virginia Council for Private Education written by Deborah Zeller, BSN RN, NCSN.
Read More ...
At James River Day School, we value all of the friendships that have been made here throughout the years. We welcome you back to campus for a visit, to join us for reunion or to support one of our many programs.
Read More ...
Marty Wilmer, our technology teacher, has put together a page of fun and useful educational resources for students, teachers, and parents. Just use the guest access name, jrdstech, to access her page at portaportal. Mrs. Wilmer also recommends the following sites.
We have a very active PTO and encourage all parents (and even grandparents, aunts, and uncles) to participate. If you'd like to volunteer, please contact Kristin Dabney, our Volunteer Coordinator.
Please feel free to contact any of the PTO officers or committee chairs listed below with questions or suggestions.
Lunchroom volunteer schedule posted below. If you need arrange a substitute, please call one of the other volunteers. If you cannot find a substitute, please call Sarah Elizabeth Sterne or Robin Mays as soon as possible.
James River Day School cherishes children and challenges them to become scholars, leaders, and citizens for the 21st century, in a community of academic excellence.
The greenhouse is ready for spring, and classes are using the planting beds for spring crops. The begonia cuttings in the aquaponics tube are thriving and blooming, as are the smaller cuttings that were potted in the fall. Teachers are incorporating use of the greenhouse space into many of their classes.
This year's third graders were recently introduced to an ancient art form, the mandala. According to The Mandala Project, "the word 'mandala' is from the classical Indian language of Sanskrit. Loosely translated to mean 'circle,' a mandala is far more than a simple shape. It represents wholeness, and can be seen as a model for organizational structure..." 
Congratulations to all students who participated in the winter sports season. Your hard work and dedication were much appreciated by your teammates, coaches, and parents.
