John Jay is happy to host Ms. Florencia Perez from Uruguay.  Along with John Jay’s teacher Mrs. Pam Rogers, Ms. Perez is participating in the 2012 Uruguay Educator Exchange Program.  The U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs is the primary sponsor of the program. Ms. Perez will be here for two weeks and Mrs. Rogers will have the opportunity to visit Uruguay over the summer.

Ms. Perez has already helped lead a successful family reading night at Jay, where both students and their families learned more about her native country. Students were then able to use that newly gained knowledge to form facts and opinions about both the United States and Uruguay. The highlight of the night was getting to try a sample of Dulce con Leche, which Ms. Perez shared from Uruguay. Ms. Perez will also have a chance to visit other schools within District 59 while she is here.

Ms. Perez splits her school day between ESL and English instruction in her nation’s capital, Montevideo. We are thankful for the time we have with Ms. Perez, and the opportunity to learn more about Uruguay and make a connection with the students there.  We also look forward to gaining the insight Mrs. Rogers will share with us after returning from her visit to Uruguay.

Last spring the School District 59 Board of Education approved an agreement between administration and the District’s teacher/support staff association (DEA) to bring about instructional improvements at John Jay School.

On August 16, 2011 the John Jay community began a new journey toward excellence by kicking off a three-day John Jay Star Academy for all school staff. District administrators, DEA leadership and Board of Education members joined the Jay staff to celebrate this new beginning. Grade level teams, resource team, “specials” team (PE, fine arts, music, etc), custodial team and office team met together to become acquainted, to share ideas, and to undergo staff development.  Some of the topics covered during the academy were: roles and responsibilities of team members: the RtI (Response to Intervention) process; team data analysis; balanced literacy; small group instruction; planning focused instruction; and language allocation.

John Jay principal Dr. Thomas Seaton and members of the District’s Instruction Department led the John Jay Star Academy.  The staff is excited and ready to begin a new school year that will surely improve the life chances of all the students at John Jay School.

BUILDING A COMMUNITY OF LEARNERS!