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Welcome from the Head of School
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Dear JHCS Families,
I hope you are well as we wind down the month of July. If the summer months were a three-day weekend, then we find ourselves on the Saturday night of our summer, with Sunday (August) just around the corner. For teenagers, this means we turn our attention, albeit slowly, to the work ahead of us for the upcoming academic year. As JHCS enters its 22nd year, this is certainly not a typical August, as we welcome over 40 middle school students into our school community for the first time ever! This milestone is significant not only for our school but also for the larger Jackson and Teton Valley communities to whom JHCS offers another option for middle school education—one that will be an extension of the excellent experience we have offered high schoolers for the past two decades. While the core values, goals, and philosophies of each division will be identical, there will also be nuanced differences between our middle and upper schools, and we are thrilled to take this next step in a few short weeks.
We are eager to welcome all upper school students to campus for the first day of school on Thursday, August 20, at 8:30 am, while middle school students will start the following Monday, August 24. On Thursday the 20th, all new upper school and middle school parents are encouraged to attend the final piece of our new family orientation, which will run from 8:30-10:00 am on campus. Before school opens, we will also be hosting casual student and family social events so that students can meet each other or re-connect and families can get to know each other on a personal level outside of school. Be on the lookout for invitations to those events in the next couple of weeks.
On Monday, August 24, upper school students and faculty will head out on Fall Trips, while middle schoolers will head into the woods the next day on Tuesday, August 25. These trips are an integral, community-building element of the start of school each year that date back to our founding; they will challenge us, putting us out of our comfort zones in a unique educational setting, which can be disconcerting for a teenager at the beginning of a new academic year. In partnership with the local outfitter Wilderness Adventures, the Upper School has designed trips at different levels to meet the needs and push the potential of our students and faculty alike. Middle school students will all stay together for a front country experience in Yellowstone National Park. We share gear lists for both divisions below, and more detailed information regarding Fall Trip departure times and logistics will be sent in the coming weeks.
Take care,
Ted
Por favor, haga clic aquí para leer este boletín en español
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INFORMATION FOR THE START OF SCHOOL
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ESA Application Deadline Today
TODAY (7/31) is the deadline to apply for a WY Education Savings Account (ESA). Please review this ESA document for summary information and a link to the WY ESA website to apply. Each student is eligible for $7,000 in an Education Savings Account to be used for education-related expenses, including private-school tuition.
Summer Reading Assignment (Upper School)
Students, please review the reading assignment for your grade and be prepared for an assessment in your first English class sessions on August 31. Please direct any general questions to Drew Higgins (dhiggins@jhcschool.org).
Student Schedules
Student schedules and advisor assignments will be available in Grizzlink next Friday, August 7. As a reminder, you can access Grizzlink from the top right-hand corner of the JHCS homepage. If you have any questions, Upper School families should contact the 9-12 Registrar, Dave Baczko, and Middle School families should contact the MS Director, Bill Waskowitz.
Textbook Purchase
JHCS families purchase their student's textbooks with two exceptions: first, there are a few books for which only an educational institution can purchase from the publisher; second, JHCS purchases all books for English (9-12) and Humanities (6-8) courses in order to ensure that students have a clean copy of the correct edition for consistent pagination. Families will see a charge for any JHCS-purchased items on their next account statement.
We will share the Textbook List for Family Purchase in our next mailing on Friday, 8/7.
School Supplies
Each course syllabus includes a supply list that students will see on the first day of school. Generally recommended school supplies include
- Graphing calculator (preferably a TI-84 Plus CE)
- Notebooks/composition books
- Binders/folders based on your preferred organization
- Pencils
- Colored pencils/pens
- Highlighters
Computer Policy
All JHCS students are required to have their own laptop computer. Most students and staff use MacBooks, but any laptop is acceptable.
Idaho Shuttle: Daily Transportation to/from JHCS
JHCS will offer daily shuttle transportation between the Victor Transit Center and the JHCS campus for the 2026–27 school year. With both middle and upper school students traveling from Idaho, we recognize how valuable a reliable transportation option can be for families. To learn more and to indicate your interest in this service, please refer to this linked document.
JHCS Calendars and Daily Schedules
Please note that the annual calendars and schedules live on and are linked below to the JHCS website.
The Parent Calendar is a Google Calendar that includes school events for the entire academic year. We strongly encourage you to subscribe to this calendar to stay informed and for planning purposes:
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We have some very exciting things to look forward to in our Fall Trips Program! These trips have been a cornerstone of our culture and key to community building at the start of each academic year since our founding in 2004. Please read on for information for your student's division:
Upper School
JHCS is excited to partner with Wilderness Adventures (WA) again for an awesome time in the woods. Fall Trips run from August 24-27. Here are a few important items for you to know; more details will follow in August:
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Trip rosters and routes will be announced to students during school on Friday, August 21, but if you have any other general questions about the Upper School Fall Trips Program, you can reach out to Pete Ginsbury (pginsbury@jhcschool.org).
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The JHCS US Fall Trips Gear List is a useful resource to prepare for your student's trip. As you begin to compile your items, please notify Pete Ginsbury of any items, large or small, that you need. We strongly encourage you to reach out to Pete before purchasing new gear; we neither wish nor intend for families to incur costs around these trips and are happy to share the gear we already have in our community!
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Fall Trips Exemption and Make Up Program: Fall trips are a cornerstone of our culture; however, we understand that some students may have circumstances that do not permit them to participate in a given year. This year, we require Upper School families who seek an exemption to complete a Fall Trips Exemption Application; each situation will be evaluated and a response regarding exemption or make up provided to families. Please complete the Fall Trips Exemption Google Form no later than August 10 (2 weeks before the departure date of August 24).
Middle School
The Middle School Fall Trip will run from August 25-27. We remind MS families to review the MS Fall Trip Gear/Packing List. As noted above for the Upper School, we neither wish nor intend for families to incur costs around these trips and are happy to share the gear we already have in our community! Before purchasing anything, please reach out to Brendan Barnard (bbarnard@jhcschool.org) for any items you might need and we will do our best to accommodate you.
| | The most important document for you and your children to read (or review) together in August is the Student-Family Handbook. There are several minor changes, so we ask all families to review the Handbook, and we draw special attention to updates in Appendix E (p. 61) regarding Academic Eligibility: Academic Warning System for Student Performance and Extracurricular Eligibility (Green-Yellow-Red System). | | |
TCSD SPORTS AND ACTIVITIES REGISTRATION
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All JHCS students are eligible to participate on TCSD Sports and Activity teams; however, as part of our MOU with TCSD, JHCS pays a fee of $1,440 for each activity in which a student participates. Before you register for a Fall sport or activity, we ask that you carefully review this document, which explains the JHCS Upper School Activity Requirement for graduation and shares information about registering for 2026 TCSD Fall Sports, as well as start dates, coach info, and fees.
Thank you!
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NEWS FROM THE BUSINESS OFFICE
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Notice on staffing in accordance with the WY Department of Education:
As part of the Wyoming Department of Education’s Private School Licensure each year, private schools are required to report that they do not mandate their teachers to hold a state certification through the Wyoming Professional Teaching Standards Board.
As an independent school, JHCS has the autonomy and flexibility to select our faculty based on a range of criteria that we believe best serve the needs of our students. This flexibility allows us to recruit highly qualified individuals who bring a diverse array of experiences, expertise, and teaching methods to our classrooms. While some of our staff members carry this credential, priorities in our hiring process include looking for mission-aligned candidates with strong educational backgrounds, subject-matter passion and expertise, and experience working with adolescents. 65% of our staff hold advanced degrees, and 100% of our staff have extensive experience in their respective fields.
While state certification is not a requirement and allows us to remain flexible with our hiring and curriculum, we also are able to remain flexible with our professional development needs during any given year or at any given moment. Being able to pivot when needed allows us to create a unique and enriching educational experience based on student need.
Thank you for supporting JHCS and understanding the benefits of independent school education.
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IMPORTANT DATES AND EVENTS
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Thursday, Aug 20: First Day of School for Upper School, 8:30AM-3:10PM
Thursday, Aug 20: New Parent/Guardian Orientation, 8:30-10AM (JHCS Commons)
Monday, Aug 24: First Day of School for Middle School, 8:30AM-3:10PM
Monday-Thursday, Aug 24–27: Upper School Fall Trips
Tuesday-Thursday, Aug 25–27: Middle School Fall Trip
Friday, Aug 28: No School - Day After Fall Trips
Monday, Aug 31: Last Day to Drop a One Schoolhouse course with full refund
Thursday, Sept 3: Last Day to Drop a Global Online Academy (GOA) course without financial or scholastic impact
Friday, Sept 4: Add/drop Deadline for JHCS courses (Upper School)
Monday, Sept 7: No School - Labor Day Holiday
Thursday, Sept 10: Upper School Back-to-School Night and Senior Success Night, 5-7:30PM
Saturday, Sept 19: JHCS at JH Farmers Market on the Town Square
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