Bates Elementary School - JPS

09/07/2026

💙🐬 Calling All Bates Grandparents! 🐬💚

In honor of National Grandparents Day, we are excited to celebrate the wonderful grandparents who make such a special difference in the lives of our scholars! 💐

🍽️ Grandparents Day Luncheon
📅 Friday, September 11, 2026
📍 Bates Elementary School
Be sure to RSVP on Parent Square!
Feel free to message your child’s teacher about specific lunch times via Parent Square.

We invite our scholars’ grandparents to join us for a special luncheon filled with love, laughter, and lasting memories. 💙💚

There’s nothing quite like the love of a grandparent, and we can’t wait to welcome our Grand Dolphins to Bates! 🐬💕

Making Waves, One Dolphin at a Time! 🌊

09/03/2026

➗✖️ MAKING MULTIPLICATION MAKE SENSE! 🐬💙💚

Our 5th Grade Dolphins are making waves in math! 🌊 Today, scholars practiced multi-digit multiplication using the standard algorithm with a color-coded place-value strategy to help them keep their work organized and properly aligned.

🔵 Blue = Ones Place
🟣 Purple = Tens Place
⚫ Black = Final Addition

By changing colors as they moved through each step of the standard algorithm, scholars were able to visually track their place value, properly align their partial products, and better understand WHY each step works—not just memorize a procedure! 🧠✏️

And judging by the work happening in this video… the strategy was working! 🙌🏽💡

👏🏽 BIG shout-out to Mrs. McLaurin for going above and beyond to find instructional strategies that meet scholars where they are and ensure ALL scholars have an opportunity to master the skill!

This is what intentional instruction looks like—when they don’t get it one way, we find another way to make it CLICK! 💙💚

🐬 Making Waves, One Dolphin at a Time!

09/03/2026

🐬🌟 MAKING WAVES: AUGUST STUDENTS OF THE MONTH! 🌟🐬

Help us give a BIG Bates congratulations to our August Students of the Month! 💙💚🎉

These outstanding Dolphins were recognized for starting the school year strong and demonstrating the positive behavior, effort, character, and leadership we expect from our Bates scholars! 🌊✨

We are so proud of each of you for MAKING WAVES in your classrooms and throughout our school! Keep working hard, making great choices, and being an example for others to follow. 🏆📚

👏🏽 Parents and families, help us celebrate our August honorees by showing them some love in the comments!

💙💚 Congratulations, Dolphins! Keep making us proud!

🐬 Bates Elementary School
🌊 Making Waves, One Dolphin at a Time!

09/02/2026

📚 Progress Reports and MAAP Score Reports were sent home today!

Parents and guardians, please check your scholar’s backpack and take time to review their academic progress together.

If you see grades that are not quite up to your expectations, please do not become discouraged! We are only halfway through Term One, and scholars still have the rest of September to make gains, improve their averages, and finish the term strong before report cards are released. 💪🏾📈

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact your scholar’s teacher through ParentSquare. Please allow teachers up to 24 hours to respond. If you have not received a response within that timeframe, please contact the school for assistance.

Thank you for partnering with us to support your scholar’s success! 💙💚🐬

Making Waves, One Dolphin at a Time!

09/01/2026

🐬💙💚 BATES FAMILY, IT’S TIME TO MAKE SOME WAVES! 🌊

Voting is officially open for the Caring4Community: School Edition, and of course, we’re not just participating… WE WANT 1ST PLACE! 🥇😂💰

🥇 1st Place — $2,500
🥈 2nd Place — $1,500
🥉 3rd Place — $1,000

Let’s show everyone what happens when the Bates Dolphin Family comes together! 🐬💪🏽 Every vote counts, so VOTE, SHARE, and encourage your family and friends to vote too! Vote as many times as possible!

🗓️ Voting: August 31–September 21

We’re MAKING WAVES all the way to FIRST PLACE! 🥇🌊💙💚



You have until September 21 to vote daily at

At Mississippi Smiles, support for our community has always been an integral part of our mission. Therefore, we are pleased to sponsor Caring4Community!

08/21/2026

🏆🌊 TEAM OF THE WEEK SHOUT-OUTS! 🌊🏆

We have TWO incredible teams to celebrate! 🎉🐬

🥇 LAST WEEK’S TEAM OF THE WEEK: TEAM 3!

A huge shout-out to Team 3 for demonstrating what strong teamwork looks like! 👏🏽💙💚

Team 3 earned the title for:

* 🤝 Effective team collaboration and planning
* 💙 Providing strong mentor support
* ⏰ Meeting ALL deadlines
* 🥇 Being the FIRST TEAM to meet every deadline!

Way to work together, support one another, and GET IT DONE! Your teamwork did not go unnoticed! 🌊🐬

🏆 THIS WEEK’S TEAM OF THE WEEK: KINDERGARTEN!

Our Kindergarten Team is MAKING WAVES! 🌊🍎🐬

This team earned the title for:

* 🌱 Being coachable
* 🧠 Demonstrating a growth mindset
* ⚡ Applying feedback INSTANTLY
* 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Having the HIGHEST PARENT TURNOUT at our Meet the Teacher/Back to School Night!

That is what growth looks like—receive the feedback, make the adjustment, and keep moving forward! 💪🏽

🎁 TEAM REWARD:
Each Team has earned a special teacher coupon AND a special lunch sponsored by our amazing PTA! 🍽️🎉

Keep collaborating. Keep growing. Keep showing up for our scholars and families.

That’s how we MAKE WAVES, one Dolphin at a time! 🌊🐬💙💚

08/20/2026

🌊💚 WHAT A NIGHT AT BATES! 💙🐬

Our Back-to-School Night was a HUGE success, and we are so thankful for every family who showed up, showed out, and spent the evening with us! The Bates atrium, hallways, and classrooms were filled with our scholars and families—and we loved every minute of it! 🥰

Our families had an opportunity to:

📊 Learn more about Title I and how it supports our scholars
🎯 Celebrate our 2025–2026 successes and hear about our 2026–2027 data goals
👋 Meet our amazing Bates staff and administrative team
🍎 Visit classrooms and hear directly from teachers about academic and behavioral expectations for the year
👕 Purchase Bates T-shirts and get ready to show that Dolphin pride
💚 Join our PTA and become even more involved in the Bates community
🍿 Fellowship in the atrium while enjoying our $1 concession stand
📚 Select FREE books to take home and continue building those at-home libraries!

We are especially grateful for the opportunity to connect with our families beyond arrival and dismissal—to talk, laugh, learn, fellowship, and strengthen the partnership between home and school. 💙💚

Thank you to every parent, grandparent, guardian, family member, scholar, teacher, and staff member who helped make tonight special. Your presence matters, your partnership matters, and our scholars benefit when we work together!

The 2026–2027 school year is officially making some BIG waves! 🌊🐬

Bates Elementary School
💙💚 Making Waves, One Dolphin at a Time! 💚💙


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08/13/2026

🍧🌴 KONA ICE IS COMING TO BATES! 🌴🍧

Our first Kona Ice Day is almost here! 💙💚🐬 Scholars can cool down with a sweet treat while helping us raise funds for staff and student incentives at Bates Elementary!

📅 Kona Ice Visit: Friday, August 14
⏰ ONLINE ORDERS MUST BE PLACED BY 8:00 PM TODAY, August 13!

💳 Pre-Pay Online by scanning the QR code on the flyer.

🍧 Kona Ice Options:
• King — $5
• Color-Changing Cup — $7
• Sour Powder — $1

⭐ DON’T WANT TO WORRY ABOUT ORDERING EACH TIME?
Grab the Kona Ice Annual Pass for $52! The pass covers 10 visits this school year and includes a color-changing cup on the first visit plus a refill at each following visit. 🙌🏾

🚨 The Annual Pass is only available at the beginning of the year, so don’t miss it!

Thank you for supporting Bates Elementary as we continue Making Waves, One Dolphin at a Time! 🌊🐬💙💚

08/12/2026

🚨 Parents… we heard y’all LOUD and CLEAR! 😂💙💚

Remember that viral post that said…

“While y’all are sending out school supply lists, go ahead and send those dress-up days too so we can be ready!” 👀📅

Well… Challenge Accepted! ✅😄

We’re giving our Bates families almost THREE MONTHS to prepare for our very first dress-up week of the school year—🎀 Red Ribbon Week: October 26–30!

No last-minute midnight Walmart runs… 😅
No “Mama, I forgot to tell you!” conversations… 🤦🏽‍♀️
No searching the house at 6:30 a.m. for a neon shirt! 😂

We’ve got you covered!

Our 2026 Red Ribbon Week theme is:

🦸 BE A HERO! 💥

Check out the flyer, mark your calendars, and start planning those outfits now. We can’t wait to see our Dolphins show their school spirit while making a commitment to making healthy, drug-free choices!

💙🌊 Bates Elementary School
Making Waves, One Dolphin at a Time.

08/11/2026

🌊💚💙 BATES FAMILIES, SAVE THE DATE! 💙💚🌊

Join us for Back to School Night on August 19th at 5:30 PM! 🐬📚

We’re excited to welcome our Dolphin families back into the building for an evening of connection, information, and FUN!

✨ During Back to School Night, families will have the opportunity to:
👩🏽‍🏫 Meet your child’s teachers
💚 Join the PTA
📚 Receive important Title I Parent Meeting information
🎟️ Receive student incentives, including a Homework Pass and Dress Out of Uniform Coupon
🍿 Purchase goodies from our Concession Stand
📢 Receive important school updates and information for a successful year

We want ALL of our families in the building! Your partnership makes a difference, and we’re looking forward to seeing you there! 💚💙

📅 August 19th
⏰ 5:30 PM
📍 Bates Elementary School

🐬 Making Waves, One Dolphin at a Time! 🌊