Parent Teacher Magazine Union County Public Schools Sept/Oct 2017 | Page 19

A budding author: Kensington Elementary School student writes book to help other students Last year, Kensington Elementary School (KES) student Jaxon Glover, like many first-graders, had a nightmare about a monster hiding under his bed. But, unlike many first-graders, Jaxon had a plan to conquer his fear. “I wanted other kids to know how I changed one of the nightmares that I had,” he said. “So I wrote a book about my nightmare and gave it a happy ending.” Although illustrator Rayanne Vieira’s vibrant artwork helped bring Jaxon’s book, The Nice Monster Under My Bed, to life, his mother DeAundra Glover said her seven- year-old son spent months working on it and going back and forth with the illustrator to make sure that the monster and characters in the book looked exactly the way he envisioned them. “Our plan at first was to just stop the nightmares, but then it turned into something special,” DeAundra said. “I felt like I had to at least try to show him that there wasn’t anything he couldn’t do.” Since publishing his first book, Jaxon has donated 30 copies to media centers throughout Union County Public Schools. He signed every donated book with his pen name, J. Cruz. “Since he’s seven years old, he’s not about the money. He just thought that it was a great story that could help other kids,” she said. “For Jaxon, he wanted anybody to be able to check it out of the library and read it.” UCPS Library Media Services Coordinator Lisa Phillips said other media coordinators throughout the district have told her that their students love the story. “His book is an inspiration to the other students,” Lisa said. “Because he is so young, it lets other kids know that they too can be a writer or author of a published book if they work really hard.” Jaxon, who is already working on a sequel to the book, said he wants to be a chef when he grows up. When asked if he ever plans to write a cookbook, his eyes began to light up at the thought of the new idea. “Yes,” he said. “I think I could.” —This article was provided by the Union County Public Schools Communications Office. Bus tracking app is now available This school year, Union County Public Schools (UCPS) parents will be able to view the real-time location of their child’s school bus on their smartphones, tablets or computers. All UCPS families who have requested transportation services can access Here Comes the Bus through the free mobile app or website. Parents will be able to see the location of their child’s bus both before and after school as well as confirm that their child’s bus has arrived at the bus stop, at school or both. Additionally, parents can receive push notifications or email messages when the bus is near their child’s stop, has been substituted, or when UCPS has important information to relay. Available in three languages (English, Spanish and French), the Here Comes the Bus app can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play. Please note that push notifications are only available on iPhone or Android devices. Here’s how to get started: • • • • • • • Download the Here Comes the Bus app or visit herecomesthebus.com Click the Sign Up button Enter school code 74436 and click “Next” followed by “Confirm” Complete the “User Profile” box Under “My Students,” click “Add” Enter your child’s last name and student ID number Once you confirm your information, you’re ready to begin using Here Comes the Bus! Please be mindful that parents should still adhere to their child’s bus schedule. If you have questions about your child’s bus schedule or student ID information, please contact your child’s school. For more information, please visit the Here Comes the Bus website (www.herecomesthebus.com). Parent Teacher Magazine • Sept/Oct 2017 • 17