Family Update - January 26, 2025

Dear families,

Please join us tomorrow, Monday, evening for Coffee and Conversation with Dr. Hunt at 6:00 pm in the LC. Hope to see you!

Wednesday evening at 7:00 pm, we will be offering a tour of the building for any community member interested in viewing our current facilities. We will gather in the front hallway for general information regarding facilities master planning and then walk the building together. All are welcome!

Thursday during Flex, UAHS counselors will meet with our 8th graders to share information about the transition to high school and to begin the scheduling process for their Freshman year. Class registration begins on February 7 and closes on February 13.

We are looking forward to warmer temperatures this week and hope to get students outside during the lunch periods if possible. As a reminder, students wearing shorts will not be allowed to go out if the temperature is below 40 degrees.

We hope you are having a great weekend!

Warm regards,

Aimee White, Principal

Keona Walker, Assistant Principal

There is not a new episode due to the short week. Stay tuned!

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 5, Bob Davidek (Computer Software Executive)

• February 6, Joshua Wright (Writer, Marketing & Communications for The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center)

• February 10, Max Morlocke (Software Engineer/Startup Cofounder)

• February 11, Jon Williams (Video Game Design)

• February 18, Ryan DeMay (Sports Fields: Design, Build, and Maintenance as a STEM Career)

• February 19, Erin Hoge (elh&co, 3D Modeling, Space Planning, Renderings)

• 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)

On Wednesday, February 12th, 2025, all students at Jones will take the second segment of the writing checkpoint assessment. The initial data point was collected from students in October. Staff will use the new results to assist students in refining their writing goals to enhance their skills. Furthermore, the results from this assessment will help students and staff prepare for the upcoming state assessments scheduled for April.

Please make sure your student gets sufficient rest and has their ipad fully charged for the assessment. We will run an adjusted schedule, so make sure students are at school on time to take the assessment.

Volunteer at Jmart during student lunch period. After eating students can stop by Jmart. This is a really simple and fun to see the students in their natural school environment while interacting with them.

Responsibilities include opening the lockers and setting out sale items, interacting with students, collecting cash and closing procedures for deposit. Cash box and key is kept with Melissa Thien in the office and opening / closing process are outlined in Cash Box.

Grab a friend or meet a new friend while you experience Jones Middle School and students in their own environment. If you have any questions or have a problem once you arrive please contact Annette Cullman 614.425.1605.

Thank you from Jones PTO!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0D4FABA62F4-47108672-jmart#/

Parents, if you are not getting ski club updates please email Todd LeVeck to be added to the list: jonesskiclub@gmail.com

If you still want to order food for the bus please do so immediately. Ordering closes for good on Tuesday. Here are the links:

Carsonie's

https://forms.gle/rFn3EysAAVAXTcb36

Jimmy Johns

https://forms.gle/WoDSh7waCkE3k1i16

Being of service to others is one of the tenets of Upper Arlington Schools’ vision. As such, students are charged to complete 5 community service hours each year as a middle schooler. Service hours can be tracked through the X2Vol application via Canvas. Service hours for 8th graders are due April 18, 2025. Students in grades 6 and 7 have until May 1, 2025 to complete their hours.

Registration is Now Open for the UA Volleybears In-House League

Grades: 4th - 6th

Date: March 26 - May 4th

Practices: Wednesdays 6:30-730pm

Matches: Sundays 10 - 11:30am or 12-1:30pm

Location: Upper Arlington High School

Early Bird Registration $169 until February 14th, 2025

Register at: https://playpass.com/volleybears/registration-now-open-spring-in-house-youth-league-4th-6th-AZVb7Dj

For all things Volleybears: https://playpass.com/volleybears

Jones Talent Show Auditions will take place after school on February 18, 19, and 20th. Rehearsals are after school on February 26th and 27th, with the Talent Show performance at 7 p.m. on February 28th.

Link to sign up for auditions

If you have any questions, please email either Julia Gomez at jagomez@uaschools.org or Alice Speegle at aspeegle@uaschools.org.

You may have fond memories of the Upper Arlington Optimist Club due to your experience with our K-12 basketball program, but the Optimists do much more in our community. We allow students to compete academically in essay and oratorical contests. We reward sportsmanship by recognizing athletes at our annual awards banquet. We work with the Upper Arlington Police Department to provide awards for young people who understand and adhere to the law. We foster service learning with a middle school awards program. We support the UAPD in arranging drug “take back” days to reduce the number of prescriptions sitting in medicine cabinets or being put into landfills and rivers. Lastly, we coordinate AED/CPR training classes with the UAFD to ensure the safety of our community.

We invite middle and high school students to participate in an essay contest each year. Entrants are asked to write an essay between 700 and 800 words. This year, students will respond to the prompt, "How Optimism Has Paved My Road to Success.” Essays must be submitted by midnight on February 12, 2025, to Deborah Tarr at uaoptimistessay@gmail.com. Please read through the application form to familiarize yourself with the rules for this contest. It is essential for you to adhere to these rules, so please reach out to Deborah with any questions. You must submit the completed application form, a copy of your birth certificate (proof of age to be considered for district competition should you win the local contest), and your essay - electronically to Deborah at the email address above. Incomplete applications may not be considered for the competition.

As a token of our appreciation for your hard work and dedication, we award cash prizes to our middle and high school winners separately. The first-place winner will receive $300, the second-place winner $200, and the third-place winner $100. The contest's overall winner will have the honor of representing us in a district competition, where they will have the chance to win a substantial $3,500 college scholarship. In fact, a UA student claimed this prestigious scholarship in 2023! All winners will be celebrated and recognized at our annual spring banquet in April. We hope these rewards and recognition will serve as a source of motivation and excitement for you to participate in the UA Optimist Club's essay contest.

Warm Regards, Deborah Tarr, Essay Contest Chairperson

Paul Boyer, President, UA Optimist Club

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.

Middle School Parents and students: are you interested in finding out more about the International Baccalaureate Diploma and Career-related Programs? It is never too early to plan ahead and consider either of these programs for your high school experience. There are some things that you can do now to guarantee your success. Start by attending our IB Information Meeting on Thursday, January 30th, at 7pm at Jones Middle School in the LC and be prepared to be amazed!

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

JANUARY

January 6 - No School - Teacher Work day

January 7 - School Resumes, Quarter 3 Begins

January 8 - District Spelling Bee, JMS, 9am

January 13 - Jones PTO Meeting, 8:30am

January 13 - Packing for the Streets, 3:30pm

January 17 - Ski Club, Week 1

January 20 - No School - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

January 22 - Early Dismissal Day, 1:30pm

January 24 - Ski Club, Week 2

January 31 - Ski Club, Week 3