Family Update - October 27, 2024

Dear Families,

This Tuesday evening we will have a community engagement session with Dr. Hunt to begin discussion about the next phase of our district's facilities plan. Because Jones is part of this phase, I hope that many of you will be able to attend. We will meet in the cafeteria at Jones from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. If you are interested but unable to attend, there is another opportunity Wednesday morning from 9:00 to 10:30 at The Graf. I look forward to seeing many of you at these events!

Students are permitted to wear costumes on Thursday for Halloween if you are comfortable with them doing so. Please keep fake weapons and scary masks at home -- thank you! Please be sure that your student is recognizable to adults as that helps us to know who is entering the building. If you do not participate in Halloween, please know that many students do not dress up at school. As an alternative, students can dress as their favorite book character or wear swag for their favorite professional athletic team.

We are looking forward to another productive and happy with with your students!

Warm regards,

Aimee White, Principal

Keona Walker, Assistant Principal

To register for Ski Club fill out this Form:

https://forms.gle/JThtHiZvz7gkLBYA9

Ski Club has 5 sessions and the dates are: 1/17, 1/24, 1/31, 2/7, 2/14

If you missed the meeting you can see my slide deck here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ojPVBQPVvlbcX3XtmeDTEBdsZdM4GgWq/view?usp=sharing

There is updated information for people buying a Slope Days Pass

There will be a parent & athlete meeting for the JMS wrestling team on Wednesday Oct. 30th at 6pm in the Learning Center at Jones M.S. All information will be shared with parents and athletes. Any athlete interested in looking for a more competitive edge in any sport, this is an opportunity to earn it. See Mr. Trace or Officer Goodman with any questions.

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.

We are excited to announce that in honor of Red Ribbon Week, we will be hosting a Wellness Week from October 28 - November 1! This initiative aims to promote healthy habits and empower our students to make positive choices. Throughout the week, various community organizations will set up booths to share valuable information and resources on how to stay healthy. Students will have the opportunity to explore these booths during their recess and part of their lunch each day.

We’re thrilled to have participation from organizations including:

• Franklin County Public Health
• Upper Arlington Police Department
• Upper Arlington Parks and Recreation
• JMS Counseling Department
• JMS School Nurse
• JMS Media Specialist
• JMS Health Students from Mrs. Gill's classes
• JMS Sources of Strength students
• Upper Arlington Nutrition staff
• And more to come!

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.

As we prepare for the upcoming winter sports season, we are excited to announce that all registrations will be managed through FinalForms, our new online platform. This system replaces the previous 8to18 platform and is designed to simplify the registration process for our student-athletes and families.

Steps to Register for Winter Sports:

1. Create or log in to your FinalForms account: Visit FinalForms Registration to create an account if you haven't already or log in with your existing credentials.

2. Register your student-athlete: After logging in, please select the winter sport(s) your child wishes to participate in for the 2024-2025 season. This helps our coaching staff gauge interest ahead of time.

3. Upload a current physical form: If your child’s physical is not already on file or needs to be updated, upload the new form directly into FinalForms. Physicals are valid for 13 months and are required for participation. If you’ve already submitted a current physical, it will be transferred from our previous system after registration.

For step-by-step assistance, feel free to refer to the Parent Playbook for detailed instructions on how to set up your FinalForms account.

We encourage you to complete this registration process as soon as possible so that our teams are fully prepared for the winter season. If you need further assistance, please reach out.

Thank you for your continued support of our student-athletes and athletic programs!

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.

The Tri-Village Packers (community volunteer group, TVP) are preparing to provide another round of food support for district families during the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.

You may remember their Thanksgiving 2023 and Spring Break 2024 projects that provided the same support to our community.

I am sharing two items with you today, hoping that PTOs can help get the word out to families:

• I have attached a flyer with a QR Code to the registration form. Please post, forward, and share in your community networks.
• Here is a link to the registration form. It will be open through November 8th. Again, please feel free to share.

Nearly 10 years ago, the Upper Arlington community began working together to plan for the future of our schools, leading to a new high school and all new or renovated elementary schools. Now, it’s time to come together again — to determine the best path forward for the aging middle schools and Burbank Early Childhood School. Join us for the community kickoff to phase two of facilities master planning:

• Tuesday, October 29 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at Jones Middle School, 2100 Arlington Avenue

• Wednesday, October 30 from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. at the Graf Center, 2020 Builders Place

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.

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.

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