Family Update October 4

Henrico County Public Schools is seeking input on the staggered start model used for the beginning of the 2026-27 school year. The survey is now open for staff and families to provide feedback through Sunday, October 4, to help us learn what went well and where we can improve as we plan for future years. Please share your thoughts using the English survey link or Spanish survey link. If you need assistance with completing the survey, please contact the Department of Assessment, Research, and Evaluation at (804) 652-3830. Thank you for helping us improve! We look forward to hearing your feedback.

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. 

October 19-23 is Digital Citizenship Week, but at JDES, we're extending the learning and celebrating Digital Citizenship Month! Throughout the month, we'll share a weekly Tech Tip with resources and strategies to help support safe, responsible technology use at home.

At school, we take protecting and educating students in the digital world very seriously. By sharing these tips, we hope to partner with families and provide tools that help you feel confident supporting your child's online safety and digital well-being at home. Together, we can help our students become responsible and empowered digital citizens.

Looking for guidance on apps, games, and online safety? Common Sense Media offers trusted reviews, family guides, and tips to help parents support safe and responsible technology use.

If your child plays Roblox, check out this helpful guide to setting up parental controls:

Working together, we can help students become safe and responsible digital citizens!

Working together, we can help students become safe and responsible digital citizens! 

We have many field trips happening in October. We know that our students love field trips and we are excited that our PTA has helped to supplement some of the cost of these trips for all children. As a reminder, even when field trips are located in a public place, field trips are reserved for staff, students and approved chaperones only. This allows us to maintain safety of our students while we are away from the school building. We thank you for your support and understanding that student safety is a main priority each day. 

THE DOLPHIN FUND IS HERE!  Our easiest fundraiser of the year—no selling, no products, just direct giving to JDES! Even better, 100% of every donation goes directly to our school to support our Dolphins.

Look for Dolphin Fund flyers and donation envelopes coming home Monday! Share with family, friends, neighbors, and employers who may want to support JDES.

Every donation, big or small, makes a difference. Thank you for supporting our Dolphins! Tax ID information is included for those who need it for their donation.

 PTA Dolphin Fund Promotional Video 2026

Oct 8th at 7 PM in the JDES Library: General Membership PTA Meeting

Oct 23rd-25th (In-store) and Oct. 26th-30th (online): Barnes and Noble Book Fair

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

October 13: KG field trip

October 14: 2nd grade field trip

October 15: 1st grade field trip

October 22: Fall picture day-all students photographed

October 23: 3rd grade field trip

October 28: Student half day-dismissal begins 11:35; Last day of quarter 1.