Johnston City CUSD #1 is closely monitoring an evolving winter weather system expected this weekend. In anticipation of possible school closure, we want to ensure all families are prepared for potential e-learning days next week.
What to Expect if E-Learning is Utilized:
JCHS and WMS Students: Teachers will be available via school email and/or Google Classroom from 8:00 am - 1:00 pm. E-Learning Packets have already been sent home. If you have any questions, please contact your student's school.
Lincoln and Jefferson Students: Teachers will be available via school email and/or ClassDojo from 8:00 am - 1:00 pm. E-Learning Packets have already been sent home. If you have any questions, please contact your student's school.
Dental Safari is returning to Washington School on February 12th! If you would like your student to be seen, please ensure you have a consent form on file.
To participate:
Sign up online (info attached).
OR pick up a paper form in the office and return it immediately.
Note: This visit fulfills the State of Illinois dental exam requirement for all Kindergarten, 2nd, and 9th-grade students.
This Wednesday, Jan 21, is Meet the Advocate Night at the WMS Boys Basketball game. We’d love for you to meet Ms. Chamness from the ROE #21 ALOP program!
Ms. Chamness plays a huge role in our school by offering personalized guidance, resources, and social-emotional support to help our students thrive. 💪📚
Come say hi, ask questions, and cheer on the team! See you there!
#WMS #CommunitySupport #StudentAdvocacy #ROE21 #BasketballNight
Celebrating Our 7th & 8th Grade Brain Games Teams! 🧠✨
We are so incredibly proud of our 7th and 8th Grade Brain Games teams for their outstanding performance today at John A. Logan! Both groups showed fantastic teamwork, critical thinking, and school spirit while competing against some tough competition.
A huge congratulations to our 8th Grade team, who secured 3rd place overall! 🏆 Because of their hard work and dedication, they will be advancing to the Regional competition in April! We can’t wait to see what they accomplish next.
We also want to give a massive shout-out to our 7th Grade team. We are so proud of the way they collaborated and represented Washington Middle School today. Their determination and problem-solving skills were on full display, and they truly did an amazing job.
In three years of competing, our students continue to impress us with their collaboration and heart. Congratulations to all our competitors for another successful day of Brain Games! 👏📚
Celebrating Our Brain Games Teams! 🧠✨
UPDATE: Our 5th Grade team will now also be advancing to the Regional competition! Way to go!!
We are so incredibly proud of our 5th and 6th Grade Brain Games teams for their outstanding performance today! Out of 17 competing teams, both of our groups showed incredible teamwork and determination, finishing in a tie for 6th place overall.
Due to tiebreaker rules (specifically the trivia round), our 6th Grade team officially secured the 6th place spot and will be advancing to the Regional competition in April! 🏆
Our 5th Grade team finished as the first alternate —an amazing achievement that shows just how bright our students are.
In three years of competing, we have never seen better collaboration and school spirit. Congratulations to all our competitors for representing Washington Middle School so well! 👏📚
From Washington Middle School to Hanoi, Vietnam—our 7th graders are making world-wide connections! After a virtual "meet and greet" with the Xanh Tuệ Đức School in November, our students began reading Right Back at You and sent off their first round of pen-pal letters.
The best part? A delivery of responses arrived just in time for the holidays! Now, the pens are moving faster than ever as our students prepare to send off their next round of letters this week. Stay tuned as these international friendships continue to flourish!
Fundraisers like this allow our students to give back to the community, including sponsoring local children from the Angel Tree.
Those interested in supporting this cause can use the link below to order your shirt(s). The last day to place an order is 1/4/26. All orders will be available for pickup or shipped on 1/15/26.
https://shopsilkworm.com/jcms
We wanted to check in with our Johnston City Schools families and students to see how your time off is going! Whether you’ve been relaxing at home, traveling, spending time with family, or enjoying the cooler temperatures outside, we’d love to see it.
📸 Post a photo of your favorite moment from break so far in the comments below!
Wishing our students, families, staff, and community a joyful day filled with peace, warmth, and holiday cheer.
Best wishes for a happy, healthy New Year!
And.. the winner is... Mrs. Kerley's home base, who enjoyed Christmas-themed donuts! It's a pretty sweet way to end their 1st semester.
The program allows college students to live, learn, and work at Walt Disney World while gaining real-world job experience. There are a variety of roles available from attractions and entertainment to hospitality and food service. Plus, opportunities to build professional skills, network with Disney leaders, and attend educational seminars and career development workshops.
Abbie and Cara shared personal experiences from their time in the program, offering insight into how it helped them grow in independence, responsibility, and confidence.
Last Friday, members of our Washington Middle School boys’ basketball team visited Jefferson Elementary School to read Christmas books to our first-grade students. Afterward, Coach Chaney treated the team to breakfast at McDonald’s.
While there, the team noticed a gentleman who needed a little assistance getting from the parking lot into the restaurant. Without hesitation, one player stepped outside to offer his arm for support, while others held the door open to make sure he got inside safely.
As it turns out, the gentleman is a veteran who proudly served our country and previously worked for Johnston City Schools. Can you guess who it was?
It was Mr. Jim, the beloved custodian from Lincoln Elementary School! Coincidentally—or maybe fate—he had been featured as our Throwback Thursday just the day before.
Moments like these remind us that kindness, respect, and service are lessons that last a lifetime. We are so proud of our students for representing our schools and community so well this holiday season. ❤️🖤🎄
During this one-day program, participants will enjoy holiday-themed STEM activities and crafts!
It's taking place on Saturday, December 20th, at Jefferson Elementary School from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. This gives parents the perfect opportunity to finish last-minute shopping, get the house ready for guests, or relax before entertaining!
Walk-ins are welcome, but the club encourages families to sign up in advance. This will help ensure we purchase enough supplies for the camp.
Click the link to sign up now: https://bit.ly/4oAB28T
On Monday, December 15th, our boys' basketball team is hitting the road for a match-up with Carmi-White County starting at 6 p.m.
On Wednesday, December 17th, our boys' and girls' basketball teams will see some action. Our boys' basketball team stays home with a game against Anna starting at 5:30 p.m. While our Lady Indians travel to Herrin for a game against the Tigers, starting at 5 p.m.
On Thursday, December 18th, it's all about our girls' basketball team, who are hitting the road to take on Du Quoin with tipoff at 5:30 p.m. To wrap up the week, our Lady Indians will participate in the Vienna shootout on Saturday, December 20th.
We hope our student-athletes get plenty of rest and recovery time during winter break because we'll have several games left in the season when we return for 2nd semester!
The evening will include a FREE chicken and biscuits dinner, along with a kit of the ingredients to make the dish at home.
Other activities include a Christmas tree ornament station, a cookie decorating competition, and a holiday photo opportunity courtesy of Shooting Star Photography!
It's all taking place on Tuesday, December 16th, from 5 to 6 p.m. You can register by scanning the QR code or clicking the link below, so we can ensure that we have enough food and supplies at the event.
https://bit.ly/3XvdLdm
This week, there will be no tutoring or after-school clubs, but latchkey will still be available.
On Friday, December 19th, all schools will have early dismissal. Our elementary schools and Washington Middle School will dismiss at 1:50 p.m. Johnston City High School will dismiss at 2:00 p.m.
Christmas break will take place from Monday, December 22nd, through Monday, January 5th. Students will return to school for the start of the 2nd Semester on Tuesday, January 6th.
We hope this extended break provides a wonderful opportunity for our students and families to rest, recharge, and enjoy the holiday season! ❄️☃️
The evening will include a FREE chicken and biscuits dinner, along with a kit of the ingredients to make the dish at home.
Other activities include a Christmas tree ornament station, a cookie decorating competition, and a holiday photo opportunity courtesy of Shooting Star Photography!
It's all taking place on Tuesday, December 16th, from 5 to 6 p.m. We kindly ask that you register by scanning the QR code or clicking the link below, so we can ensure having enough food and supplies at the event.
https://bit.ly/3XvdLdm
This distribution will offer a variety of non-perishable items to help support families and community members during the colder winter months.
The mobile pantry is taking place on Friday, December 12th, at Washington Middle School from 1 to 7 p.m. Please remember to bring a school or government-issued ID to verify residency.
We hope this provides extra support and comfort as we head into the winter season. ❄️❤️🖤
