Family Update - January 19, 2025

Dear families,

Students earning the Honor Roll designation for Quarter 2 received a certificate and a water bottle sticker last week in recognition of their hard work and resulting success. We hope they showed those to you!

This Wednesday is an early release day. Jones teachers and staff will receive professional development in strategies to disrupt the brain's automatic stress responses, using dialectical behavior therapy to foster better resilience and communication, and building stronger, more effective relationships through assertive communication. We look forward to applying these strategies in ways that positively impact students.

On Friday we will recognize winter season athletes during a Flex pep rally. Go Bears!

We hope you are enjoying the extra time with your student. Stay warm!

Warm regards,

Aimee White, Principal

Keona Walker, Assistant Principal

Here is the link to Jones Weekend Update:

https://youtu.be/wGPKL-xfCMo

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

When we experience inclement weather during the school week, we have two options. The first is closing school, which is known as a calamity day. The second is using a two-hour delay schedule. We haven’t used a delay in recent years, so here are some reminders:

• As you might expect, our K-12 schools start two hours later than the normally scheduled times.

• Burbank Early Childhood School’s tuition-based program would open at 11:00 a.m. The morning intervention program, including peers, would be canceled, and the afternoon intervention program would begin as scheduled at 12:45 p.m.

• Morning sessions of School-Age Child Care (SACC) are canceled.

• Students who use school transportation can expect their bus two hours later than the normal pick-up time.

• Dismissal times remain as usually scheduled.

Please refer to the cancellations and delays information on our website for additional information.

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.

8th Grade Washington, DC Trip Information

Preparations for the DC trip are starting to ramp up a bit, so be sure to check the weekly update, pay attention to reminders from the tour company, and touch base with your child.

Two items that need to be checked off are rapidly approaching.

First of all, students are in the process of selecting roommates. The process was explained to the students at a meeting during their flex period on January 9th. The cards on which the students will indicate their roommates will be due by this coming Tuesday (January 14th) at 3:20, and I will not accept any card before Monday (January 13th) at 8:05. I give them some time to discuss the roommate choices and make good decisions. Please be involved in this process. We want the students and parents to feel comfortable with decisions that are made as they will be committed to them. Because rooming changes inevitably impact many other students and families, no requests for changes will be granted after January 14.

We understand that this can be tricky for some kids, but we are here to help, and after being involved with the trip for over 30 years, I can honestly say that it has always worked out and the kids have had a wonderful trip.

Secondly, the next payment for the trip is due on Friday, January 17th. If you did not get an email reminder and/or a text about this, please let me know.

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. ccharlton@uaschools.org

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