Family Update - February 23, 2025

Dear families,

We look forward to showcasing the talents of our students this week with the 8th grade orchestra concert at UAHS on Thursday at 7:00pm and our annual Jones Talent Show on Friday at 7:00pm. Students must pre-register to attend the talent show to ensure that we provide adequate supervision. Please see additional details below.

To kick off our annual Belonging Week at JMS (March 10-14), school counselors will be visiting social studies classrooms one day this week for interactive and engaging discussions. Students will explore their strengths, learn how to harness them during challenging times, and build meaningful connections to foster a strong sense of belonging at JMS.

We continue to have traffic concerns both at arrival and dismissal. Please do not block the movement of traffic. Instead, please consider circling back around, or pulling into the parking lot. Thank you for your help in keeping everyone moving!

We hope you are having a great weekend!

Warm regards,

Aimee White, Principal

Keona Walker, Assistant Principal

Here is the link to Jones Weekend Update:

https://youtu.be/3HTyDYAMBjA

The Jones PTO is looking for a President and President-Elect for the 2025-2026 school year. At this time, we do not have anyone to lead our PTO next school year. We want to be able to continue the work the PTO is known for. This year we have supported teacher mini grants, an author visit, transportation for class parties, meals for teachers on conference nights and more! If you are interested in either position, please reach out to jonesschoolpto@gmail.com or attend our next meeting on March 3rd at 8:30 am in the Jones Learning Center.

We are going to complete a Safety Drill at Jones Middle School during the week of February 24th. We will work in cooperation with the Upper Arlington Schools Resource Officers, Upper Arlington Police Department and other safety officials to make the drill a success.

We will review expectations for the safety drill before it takes place. While students will know this is a drill, we take the safety and security of everyone involved very seriously. This safety drill is an important step to establish a safe, respectful and caring environment in our building. We encourage you to speak to your students, that if they see something, that they should say something to a staff member, SRO, cook, custodian or other trusted adult. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions. Thank you for your support and helping us to make Jones a safe and kind place to be!

Ramadan will begin on February 28 and last through March 29 this year. We understand that some aspects of the regular school day are more challenging for students who are fasting in observance of Ramadan. Please contact your student's school counselor if support is needed for your student during this time.

Our second evening conference opportunity is on Thursday, March 6th from 4pm-7:30pm. If your child’s teachers have concerns about the progress they are making, they will reach out to schedule a time with you. If you do not receive an invitation, your child is progressing as expected, and there are no concerns at this time. If you have questions, families are always welcome to communicate with teachers via email, as this is the quickest way to share information.

This semester, we are thrilled to introduce the Career Explorations Speaker Series. This optional program will take place during Flex in the JMS cafeteria, providing students with the chance to learn from professionals in a variety of fields and gain insights into potential career paths. Students can sign up for sessions with speakers that interest them by visiting this link: Career Explorations Speaker Series Sign Up. Here's the dynamic list of our JMS speaker series open to all grade levels:

• February 24, Angie Theaker (Director, Strategic Project Management Advancement Information Technology, The Ohio State University)

• March 4, Dr. Corey Stiver (Pediatric Cardiology)

• March 5, Kari Mazzaferro (Product Developer Manager/Horticulturalist)

• March 26, Meghan Moledor, PMP (Pharmaceutical Scientist)

• April 1, Dr. Kelly Tyler (Dermatologist/Physician)

• April 2, Angela Morelli (LISW-S; Clinical Social Worker)

• April 14, Dr. Elizabeth Griffith (Professor of Earth Sciences at The Ohio State University)

Students planning on attending the Jones Talent Show, must register here.

Students will not be allowed to attend without a pre-registration. The reason for this is to be sure that there is adequate student supervision. Registration closes at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 26th. Otherwise, students must be accompanied by a parent or adult.

Seats are general admission which means first come first served. Coventry doors will open at 6:30 pm. The show starts promptly at 7:00 pm and will end around 8:00 pm.

We are excited to announce one of the international educational travel opportunities that will be offered in 2026. Senora Patricia Mendoza from Jones Middle School and Senora Allison Weise from Hastings Middle School will be leading a Costa Rica: A Touch of the Tropics tour, which will be traveling in June 2026.

We will be offering a parent information session where you can learn all about this tour including itinerary specifics, academic opportunities, costs and enrollment options — and meet the teachers! The session will be held Tuesday, February 25 at 7 p.m. at Jones Middle School. Please RSVP for the session here: https://bit.ly/4aJg9CU.

Keeping your student healthy and safe is our priority. Please complete the DC Health Form for the school nurse to prepare for your student’s well being:

1. Log into your Parent PowerSchool account

2. Navigate to Student Forms

3. Ensure that 2024-2025 Enrollment forms have been submitted (DC Health Form cannot be accessed until this information has been completed)

4. Scroll down to DC Health Form to complete the form and submit ** you will need all your child’s medication information to complete this form** (you will no longer need to provide insurance information). Please note: you must indicate ‘yes’ your child takes medications outside of the school day for the section to open up to be completed. The prescription medication form is hyperlinked in this section.

5. This form opens Friday, February 14. Please complete one form for each student as soon as possible. It will close prior to Spring Break on Friday, March 14, to allow the nursing staff time to organize and process this important information. You will receive a weekly reminder to help with this first step of preparation for our trip.

6. If you are having technical difficulties, you may contact familytechhelp@uaschools.org

7. Any other questions, please contact your school nurse Shannon Johnson at snjohnson@uaschools.org

If your baby is graduating 8th grade this year, send in a photo and some words of encouragement for the Jones yearbook! The cost is $20, and the funds raised go towards scholarships for camps and school trips for Jones students.

The deadline to submit is March 15th, but we do have limited space in the yearbook pages, so don't delay!

*Please send in only one tribute per student to allow for as many students as possible to get a spot.

Link to our page on Local Level Events

If you have any questions, email Alice Speegle at aspeegle@uaschools.org

iPad Parent Control Information

The UACS Technology department provides 2 ways for caregivers to manage screen time, review web history, manage apps and internet access after school hours. The typical built-in Apple ScreenTime and Parental controls do not work because the district manages iPads for school use at a district level - the typical consumer level settings are not available. Caregivers can review web activity and disable internet access through the Lightspeed Relay Parent Portal. Additionally, caregivers can control app access and set rules through the JAMF Parent app. Questions may be directed to FamilyTechHelp@uaschools.org.

JAMF Parental Controls Manual

JAMF Parental Setup and Guide Videos

Lightspeed Parent Portal

Transportation Questions: schoolbusquestions@uaschools.org or call 614-487-6477

Upper Arlington Schools Lunch Information link: https://www.uaschools.org/NutritionalServices.aspx

PowerSchool Parent Portal: https://ps-uar.metasolutions.net/public/home.html

If you need assistance logging into PowerSchool, you may reach out to: Building Secretary Melissa Thien at mthien@uaschools.org or familytechhelp@uaschools.org

Student Fees/SPS EZpay: https://www.spsezpay.com/upperarlington/login.aspx

FEBRUARY

February 17 No School – Presidents’ Day

February 20 Talent Show Auditions, 3:30 - 5pm

February 20 Middle School Band Festival @ UAHS, 7:30pm

February 21 Hour of Code, Advisory

February 21 Rotation 4 Ends (Global Language)

February 21 Ski Club Makeup, if needed

February 26 Talent Show Tech Crew Rehearsal, 3:30 - 5pm

February 27 DC Bus Meeting, FLEX

February 27 8th Grade Orchestra @ UAHS Orchestra Concert

February 28 Talent Show, 7pm