Family Update September 27

No school on Monday 9/28. We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday!

We are excited to partner with the JDES PTA to sponsor a Digital Wellness Night on September 30th at 6:30 in the JDES cafeteria. We are excited to welcome our guest speaker Dr. Evan Anderson who is a pediatric psychologist and assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. He currently develops integrated behavioral health programming in primary care and serves on the Thriving Youth in Digital Environments (TYDE) committee. Dr. Anderson will be joining us during the school day in our 3rd-5th grade classes as we kick off Digital Citizenship month. Please see the attached flier for more information and details. 

Please join us in person on October 9, 2026, at 8:30 AM for a parent/guardian information session to learn more about the Gifted Identification Process and Gifted Services provided in HCPS. School staff will provide information regarding the referral and identification process via a division video and a question/answer session. The gifted referral window will be open from October 22 - November 12 and referrals may be made at that time. Please stay tuned for additional information in the coming weeks. Please contact GIC:  Roberta Hailstock: rmhailstock@henrico.k12.va.us Gifted Identification Coordinator, with questions.

If you plan to attend, RSVP using the link https://forms.gle/BuRJbxNJiyXAW7L19. Thank you

Earlier this week 5th grade students and families received information regarding the middle school program options in Henrico County for our current 5th grade students. All 5th grade students have the option to apply to one of the HCPS middle school programs. The programs being offered to our current 5th grade students are:

The application window is currently open and closes on October 5th. For questions, please reach out to our school counselor Misty Turner or visit the HCPS Speciality Center information page for more details. Please note any open house and information session is for current 5th grade students as program options may change from year to year. 

New designs are here! Show your Dolphin pride 

Join us in the JDES Cafeteria to hear from pediatric psychologist Dr. Evan Anderson and learn practical ways to help our kids navigate the digital world. Babysitting + light refreshments provided! RSVP HERE!

Get ready for the annual Dolphin Fund! This is a direct donation fundraiser which means no selling, no products –just direct giving with 100% of proceeds going straight to JDES! Keep an eye on your child’s class folder for more Dolphin Fund information and money collection folders coming home soon! Reach out to family, friends, employers - Tax ID included for those donating!

Join us for our next General Membership PTA Meeting! Whether you’re already a member, interested in learning more about the PTA, or ready to jump in and get involved, we’d love to have you! Babysitting will be available, or join us from home via Zoom 

We previously shared that JDES would not be holding our traditional fall book fair due to the potential school move–but we have exciting news! Thanks to our wonderful Book Fair Coordinator, Heidi, we’ve found a way to still bring our Dolphins a fall book fair through Barnes and Noble!

Shop In-Store: October 23rd-25th  **must present voucher which will be provided at purchase** 

Shop Online: October 26th-30th

A quick note about Scholastics: Some teachers may also send home Scholastic Book Club flyers throughout the year. These are classroom-based opportunities coordinated by teachers and are another great way to encourage reading and support classroom book needs! 

Oct. 24 at 2 PM: Dolphin Night Out — Richmond Spiders Football https://www.gofevo.com/event/Jacksondavis41

September 28: Student holiday; Teacher professional learning day