Family Update - November 3, 2024

Dear Families,

Last week was great! We celebrated Red Ribbon Week and enjoyed Halloween festivities. We enjoyed the beautiful weather during lunch periods, and students worked hard in their classes. Students who made the Honor Roll for the first quarter received a certificate and a water bottle sticker.

This week, we are looking forward to meeting with parents during conferences on Thursday evening. Friday, we will celebrate our veterans -- one of our best days of the year!

As a reminder, students will not report to school on Tuesday. It is Election Day, and Jones is a polling location. We hope you enjoy the extra time with your student!

As architects from Perkins & Will develop options and recommendations for phase two of the district's facilities plan, they would like to speak with students. If your student would like to participate in a focus group during Flex on November 18, please send an email granting permission to acwhite@uaschools.org at your earliest convenience. Thank you!

Students in grades 7 and 8 will have the opportunity to participate in the Ohio Youth Survey, or OhYes!, on November 26 during Flex.

Please use the link below to learn more about the survey:

Congratulations to all of of our athletes who made the basketball and wrestling teams! We look forward to seeing you in action soon!

Warm regards,

Aimee White, Principal

Keona Walker, Assistant Principal

Please go this link for this week's Jones Weekend Update: https://youtu.be/QarUReAI5RA

We invite all 8th-grade band families to attend an important Winter Informational Parent and Student Meeting regarding the Upper Arlington High School Marching Band for the 25-26 School year.

• Jones Middle School (JMS): November 14th at 6:45 PM (45 minutes before the concert)

This meeting is an excellent opportunity to learn more about what to expect as your student transitions into the Upper Arlington High School Marching Band for the 2025-2026 school year. We’ll cover important dates, expectations, and answer any questions you may have. If you can’t make the date listed for your school, you can attend at the other as the information is the same.

We look forward to seeing you there!

JMS will be holding their next Packing for the Streets on Monday, November 4th for students to earn 30 minutes of service hours. During this event we pack bagged meals for nearby homeless shelters and Heart to Heart Food Pantry. There is a QR code posted in the hallways for students to sign up if they are interested. Your student can also use this link but needs to be signed in with their school gmail address so we can take accurate attendance.

They will be held the 1st Monday of every month from 3:30-4:00 pm in room 104 and we can accommodate around 30 students each time. Students at every grade level are asked to complete 5 service hours this school year and log them with their school counselor.

*Allergy Safety disclaimer: peanut butter will be used at this event*

Registration is now closed. You should see fees showing up in your EZPay in the coming week. If you have any questions please reach out to Todd - jonesskiclub@gmail.com

THINK SNOW! (or at least cooler temperatures)

Gobble Gobble! It’s that time of the year again for Thanksgiving in a Bag. For over 15 years now Jones Middle School has created Thanksgiving meals in a bag for families in need during the holiday season. Each advisory at Jones is tasked with collecting the items needed for a Thanksgiving dinner to donate to families in need this time of year. We partner with the YMCA to give the bags to families at Watkins Elementary School.

Attached to this email is a checklist of items needed for the bag. The bag includes everything a family needs to cook a Thanksgiving meal minus the turkey for obvious reasons. Instead of putting an actual turkey in the bag, we provide the families with gift cards. We give each family a $20 gift card to Kroger to purchase their turkey. This amazing tradition is a great way to show students how when everyone does just a little, we can make a big difference. Please ask your son or daughter what item they signed up to bring in and have them bring that item to their Advisory teacher's classroom by Friday, November 15th.

We greatly appreciate your support!

Sincerely,

Jones Student Council

8th-Grade Student Presentation

Upper Arlington Schools partners with Nationwide Children’s Hospital to implement the Signs of Suicide (SOS) program for students in grades 8 and 10, aimed at preventing suicidal behavior and supporting mental health. On November 20 and 21, 8th-grade students at Jones Middle School will participate in an in-school presentation led by staff, learning to recognize warning signs of suicide and appropriate responses through video-guided discussions. They will also have the chance to take an electronic screening for depression and suicide risk, with results reviewed by counselors. During the program, mental health professionals will be available for support. The SOS program aligns with Ohio's House Bill 123 criteria and is designed to reduce the stigma surrounding depression, enabling students and adults to provide help. For any inquiries about the program, parents can contact Cathy Ely, Director of Well-being, Prevention and Intervention. If 8th-grade parents wish to opt their child out of the program, they should complete the opt-out request by November 4, 2024.

Parent Presentation - “Supporting Your Child’s Mental Health”

Additionally, a parent session on "Supporting Your Child’s Mental Health" will be held on November 13 at 8:15 AM in the Jones Middle School Cafeteria, inviting parents to learn about risk factors and how to address concerns regarding their child's well-being. Please note, that the student presentation is for 8th-grade students only and the parent presentation is open to all JMS parents/guardians. Please RSVP here to let us know you can attend.

Our first evening conference opportunity is on Thursday, November, 7th from 4pm-7:30pm. If your child’s teachers have requested a conference, invitations were sent out last week. If you did 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.

On November 19th, author Margaret Peterson Haddix is visiting Jones! As part of her visit, she will be autographing books. We have partnered with Cover to Cover to sell books by Margaret Peterson Haddix that she will sign during her visit. The Jones library will receive 20% of all sales. Books will be on sale from October 14 through October 28. All books purchased through the sale will be delivered to Jones. Families with financial need can reach out to any JMS school counselor or our media specialist to inquire about a scholarship to purchase a book. Scholarship funds are provided by the Jones PTO.

Click here to purchase a book.

Jones uses Jostens for our middle school yearbooks. Look for emails directly from Jostens for the information to order your yearbook if you haven't done so already.

We know the winter/holiday season can be challenging when finances are tight. Our Jones community does an amazing job of supporting one another to make the season joyful for all.

*Are you in need of some support with meals or gifts this winter/holiday season? Please click here to request support for Thanksgiving and Holiday Gifts. Please click here to request support with daily meals over Thanksgiving break by November 8th. The support will remain anonymous; we simply need information so we know whom to contact to collect items from and to whom those items should go.

*Would you like to support a family by providing meals or gifts this winter/holiday season? Please click here to provide support.

The Jones PTO is organizing a bake sale to be held at Jones on Election Day! Below is a signup to donate baked goods and to volunteer to work the bake sale. Students who volunteer are eligible for service credit.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080B4DA9AF2CA5F94-52644928-ptoelection

The Jones PTO is still looking for a President-elect for the 2024-2025 school year. If you would like to volunteer for this position and then be President for the 2025-2026 school year, please reach out at jonesschoolpto@gmail.com.

Strategic plan update town hall meeting

Learn more about the strategic planning process by joining district leadership for a town hall meeting on Tuesday, November 19 from 6 until 7:30 p.m. at Upper Arlington High School. Attendees will hear a review of the research and work done to date and then break into smaller groups to learn about the steps planned to implement each strategy during the next five years.

Your voice matters! Phase two of facilities master planning

It’s time to join your friends and neighbors and get involved in phase two of facilities master planning! Upper Arlington Schools officially kicked off this community-driven process, focused on the aging middle schools and Burbank Early Childhood School, with the first round of community engagement sessions this week. All Upper Arlington stakeholders will be essential to this process, exploring both the physical and educational needs of each building and helping to identify possible solutions.

Join a building team! Serve as an expert and committed stakeholder for your school(s) of choice by signing up to volunteer for one or more building teams — Hastings, Jones or Burbank. Each team will have three meetings between December 2024 and April 2025. To sign up and learn more, visit the Building Teams page on our website.

Progress Reports

For families with students who have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), progress reports are available to view in PowerSchool.

• Please follow the outlined steps to access your student’s progress report:Once you are logged into PowerSchool, please click on the green box labeled “PR”

• The icon should be at the top of the screen, but if you do not see it, please check on the left-hand side under graduation requirements.

• If the green PR box is still not available, please reach out to your student's case manager.

• IMPORTANT: If the progress report refers to an attachment, you must change the dropdown in the top right-hand corner next to your student's name from the progress report form to the attachment form.

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

NOVEMBER & DECEMBER 2024

November 4 - PTO Meeting, 8:30am

November 5 - No School - Election Day

November 7 - Parent/Teacher Conferences, 4 - 8pm

November 8 - 8th Grade Veteran's Day Celebration

November 14 - Band Concert, Grades 6 - 8, 7:30pm

November 27 - 29 - No School - Thanksgiving Break

December 2 - Packing for the Streets, 3:30pm

December 2 - 6th Grade Choir Concert, 7pm

December 2 - 7th/8th Grade Choir Concert, 8pm

December 4 - Spelling Bee Qualifier, 3:30pm

December 9 - Orchestra Winter Concert, Grades 6 - 8, 7pm

December 11 - 8th Grade Choir at UAHS, 7pm

December 20 - End of Quarter 2, Semester 1

December 23 - January 3 - No School - Winter Break

January 7 - School Resumes