Panda Families,
Please see a few announcements and September happenings below:
WEEK AT A GLANCE
Sunday, September 15
We kick off Hispanic Heritage Month! Consider encouraging your child to participate in the district contests below. If you are interested in having your child participate, let us know. We are more than happy to support!
Florida "Honoring Hispanic Contributions to Florida's Success" Contest
(K-12) In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, please encourage your students to participate in Florida’s art and essay contests based on this year’s theme: “Honoring Hispanic Contributions to Florida’s Success.” Students in grades K-3 are invited to participate in an art contest, while students in grades 4- 12 are invited to participate in an essay contest. Additionally, students, parents, teachers and principals are invited to nominate full-time educators of all student grades for the Hispanic Heritage Month Excellence in Education Award. For more information about the contests, please visit www.FloridaHispanicHeritage.com.
DCPS Hispanic Heritage Month Essay Contest
Monday, September 16 - Friday, September 20
Please see the state testing calendar for San Jose Elementary. It is very important that your child is as school every day so prepare for testing and ensure that tests are completed within the state window. 
Tuesday, September 17
Mayor Deegan Visits - Mayor Donna Deegan is visiting San Jose in support of Duval Reads, a literacy initiative. Students will have an opportunity to listen to Mayor Deegan read a book in English and Spanish. We are encouraging students to wear cultural dress/attire to embrace the Hispanic culture. Any cultural dress/attire is welcome!
Tuesday Folders - Please plan to check your child's backpack weekly. Every Tuesday, teachers will send home a red "Tuesday Folder" with important information such as flyers to events, permission slips/opt out forms, and weekly homework. This week, be on the look out for the Family Conference Night form!
Thursday, September 19
Auditions for the Panda Drama Club
We are thrilled to announce that our Panda Drama Club is kicking off for students in grades 3 through 5! This is a fantastic opportunity for young performers to get involved in the arts and showcase their talents.
Auditions for the Panda Drama Club will be held on Thursday, September 19th, with makeup auditions available on Thursday, September 26th. To participate, students must sign up with Ms. Pelgar in Room 76 before 8:30 am during morning arrival.
Our Drama Club will be performing "Schoolhouse Rock Live!" on April 25th and April 26th, offering students a chance to shine on stage and be part of a memorable production.
We encourage all interested students to audition and be part of this exciting theatrical journey. It’s a wonderful way for students to develop their acting skills, build confidence, and make new friends.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to email Ms. Gomez at esparzaj@duvalschools.org. We look forward to seeing many of our talented students participate!
Friday, September 20
Panda Store Kick Off - We will host our first Panda Store on Friday, September 20! Please consider sending your student with a dollar or two so they can purchase from the store and support San Jose. Each item is $1.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Tuesday, September 24
Club Try Outs! Interested in Dance/Cheer Club or Soccer Club? Our City Year members will be hosting tryouts on September 24. If you know any students interested in any of these clubs please help spready the word! We will also be hosting an Art Club this year. More information to come!
Wednesday, September 25
Early Release - Dismissal begins at 1:00pm.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Panda Store
Donations Needed! - Please support our Panda Store. We are encouraging families to send in donations of chips, juices, popsicles, and individually wrapped candy to help raise funds for our schoolwide incentives this year. All donations can be brought to the front office or sent in with your student labeled Panda Store Donations. We appreciate your support!
Volunteer Opportunities
Classroom Champions - Help make a difference in our 3rd-5th grade classrooms! 🌟 Sign up to be a Classroom Champion and assist with decorating, organizing, and more. Join us in creating an engaging learning environment by visiting: https://dcps.samaritan.com/custom/506/volunteer_registration.
5th Grade End of Year Celebrations
Operation Homefront
Every year Operation Homefront does a Military Child of the Year® Award. We (through volunteer judges) pick 1 child from each branch (7 recipients in all) of the services and each recipient receives $10,000 CASH, a laptop, other donated goodies, and a 3-day trip to Washington, DC with us and their families.
Children are entered by nominations. Anyone that knows a military child can nominate any military child. So, you may nominate your students, your children or friend’s children and so on. The program is entirely FREE and exclusive to military children. Nominations opened on September 10th.