St. James Episcopal School, Conroe

[03/23/20]   Dear St. James School families,

We have been working diligently with our School Board to make the best decisions for you and our staff as we make our way through the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In an emergency meeting this weekend to review all safety and financial factors related to this unprecedented situation, the School Board made the following decisions:

 Extended Care charges will be waived for the month of April in order to help relieve the financial pressure of school families during this uncertain time.
o Because Extended Care typically is included in tuition for Infant and Tiny Tots classes, the full-time rate for those classes will be reduced by $350.

 Hot lunch payments for March 2020 will be refunded.

 Parent Association Spring Fundraiser ticket sales and childcare expenses will be refunded (the fundraiser has been cancelled).

Adjustments stated above will be reflected in the FACTS system on your next processing draft date (April 5 or April 25); Hot Lunch and PA Spring Fundraiser payments via FACTS also will be reflected in your FACTS account. Refunds for payments made by check/cash will be made no later than April 1.

In order to meet ongoing operating expenses (including payroll) and to help ensure we are prepared for re-opening, tuition payments will continue to be processed in April. This will be reviewed on a month-to-month basis. If your family is experiencing a financial hardship during this crisis, please contact me directly. As stated in our parent handbook, we make every effort to accommodate families who find themselves in a difficult financial situation, and the current crisis is no exception.

If your family would like to forgo the reduced fees above, please contact me directly.

Meanwhile, please know that the entire school staff continues to make efforts to connect with your children even while they are off campus, including:

 Lead Teachers have been working to create a plan of action/system specific for their individual class/age group. The plan will include items such as live videos (for story time, circle time, science experiments), art/crafts that can be done at home, activity guides for easy access, etc. The goal is to provide our students/families with items to keep them busy with educational tools in a fun manner while at their leisure within their home. We also aim to help you keep some level of “normalcy” for your children. Lead Teachers will be reaching out to you with more details.

 Ms. Mary Kay is creating a music and movement plan for each of our age groups similar to the one listed above. We all know our children are active and love to express themselves through song and play. Our goal is it to provide resources to get them up and moving.

 Additional resources and support also are being planned for the Infant and Tiny Tots class, as we recognize that many of the items outlined above may not apply to these classes. More information to be communicated in the coming days.

 Questions or concerns about payments/services related to Giggle Bus or Soccer Shots must be directed to those organizations; SJES is not affiliated with their business process/operations.

As you know, the school will continue to follow the Conroe ISD protocol for closings and therefore will be closed through April 10. Please be aware that the school also falls under the authority umbrella of the Episcopal Dioceses of Texas. As such, we will continue to follow safety and closure protocols directed by the diocese as well as federal and state officials, including Conroe ISD.

Finally, thank you for your patience and understanding as we make our way through this stressful time together. As always, our goal is to meet the needs of everyone in the St. James School community as best we can, with everyone’s safety as our top priority. If at any time either of us can be of help in any way, please don’t hesitate to let us know.

Know that you are in our prayers, and while so much remains uncertain still, we continue to pray for the end of this global crisis so that we can resume caring for your children directly and in person as soon as possible.

Peace,

Rachel Rhodes, Director
St. James Episcopal School
[email protected]
(936) 520-2443

The Rev. Jerald Hyche, Rector
St. James the Apostle Episcopal Church
[email protected]
(936) 525-7799

Easy game for the little ones: draw different colored shapes and call out a color and shape and have your kid run to it and stand on it. Same can be done with letters. If indoors, draw shapes on pieces of paper to play.

✅ educational
✅ burns their energy
✅ allows for you to sit for a few minutes and enjoy a beverage of choice.
✅ simple set up so if they lose interest two minutes in, it’s not a big deal. 😉

I got this idea & pics from a mom in our neighborhood.

[03/18/20]   In response to the ongoing Coronoavirus crisis, St. James Episcopal School will continue to be closed through April 10, in line with our standing policy of following the Conroe ISD school calendar, including its protocol for closures.

The safety of our children and their families, as well as school staff, always is the No. 1 consideration at St. James School, and especially during a pandemic sweeping across the nation and around the world. In the weeks to come, we will continue to follow protocols of Conroe ISD as well as guidelines set forth by the government officials.

[03/17/20]   SJES Families,

Good evening! I wanted to follow up with the Coronavirus’ growing impact over recent days. We have been faced with a situation that brings with it uncharted territory and many unknowns. I am working closely with Jerald Hyche, Rector of St. James Episcopal Church and our SJES School Board to work through details and answer many questions we all have. As we do this over the next few days, I would ask for your patience and prayers. Our commitment to our students and families is our top priority along with everyone’s safety and health.

Thanks,
Rachel Rhodes
Head of School
St. James Episcopal School

[03/12/20]   SJES will be closed next week in conjunction with the decision made by Conroe ISD. We will continue to keep everyone updated as we can.

This week we showcased Tiny Tots, using their fine motor skills to make sea turtles. Next week will be our Beginners!!

Check out our new board in the main building that will feature the extended care students' artwork, photos, coloring, and crafts. Tiny tots will be showcased next week, with beginners, intermediates and Pre-k the following weeks.

Friendly reminder!!

Luzma

❄️☃️❄️ Snow day fun! Parents, please feel free to tag yourselves. Thank you St. James P.A.!!!!

From someone who is from the Northeast, this was a special day. So glad this school and parents make Snow Day happen for these kiddos! Pure joy in their faces. Thank you to all. Chris

SNOW DAY has been rescheduled.

[02/02/20]   SNOW DAY~Wed. 2/5

Infants & Tiny Tots: 9-9:30
Beginners(Brenda): 9:30-10
Beginners(Mrs. Park): 10-10:30
Intermediates (Laura & Cindy): 10:30-11:15
Pre-K (Allison & Heemann): 11:15-12:00

***feel free to send your child and extra set of clothes for after our fun, they will get wet from the snow and all the playing we will enjoy ☃️

Photos from St. James Episcopal School, Conroe's post

We hope all of our SJES families have had a wonderful break and a Happy New Year! We are excited to see everyone back on Wednesday, 1/8/20!

🎄Merry Christmas Eve to all our St. James Families! 🎄

This Thursday, Family Movie Night 🍿🎬🍿 Contact the school office for tickets!

[12/15/19]   Free Dress this week!
🎅🏼 Merry Christmas 🎄

Hot Lunch♨️ Reminder

[12/08/19]   ***************** HELP NEEDED *******************
We need help with setting up and taking down the risers for our Christmas Pageant. If any dads/males could help the following days, we need at least 1truck.
Sunday, December 8th @ 3:00pm
Friday, December 13th @ 9:00am
Please contact Rachel Rhodes @ [email protected] if you are able to participate and help with this need!

[11/26/19]   🦃 SJES is closed 11/25-11/29 for Thanksgiving! Hope everyone has a safe & wonderful break. 🦃

[11/11/19]   SJES is open as normal tomorrow, 11/11/19...we do have school 😊

[10/31/19]   Free Dress tomorrow! No costumes please...Halloween themed attire is fine!

Let's continue to support our Astros!!! Wear your Astros gear tomorrow, Tuesday 10/28!

Don't forget to turn in your hot lunch forms.

We are looking for parents who want to participate in Trunk or Treat.

Let's support our Astros and hope for another World Series win. Wear your Astros gear this week !