Family Update - October 13, 2024

Dear Families,

We have had a productive first quarter with your students! We hope that you and your family are enjoying the long weekend. We look forward to welcoming students back on Tuesday!

We will have an adjusted schedule on Tuesday in order to administer a writing checkpoint assessment. This has been part of our universal screening for the last three years. However, this is the first time we have run an adjusted schedule to do it. Please find additional details below.

Warm regards,

Aimee White, Principal

Keona Walker, Assistant Principal

Please remind your student to charge their iPad before returning on Tuesday. Students will report to Advisory for attendance and then to their Flex classrooms to begin the assessment.

Please remember that the registration and first payment is due by October 18th!

If you did not attend the mandatory meeting and have not already contacted Frau (Christy) Charlton, please do so as soon as possible.

If you have decided that your son/daughter will not be joining us, I need to know that too. Thanks! ccharlton@uaschools.org

Please have your child check PowerSchool on October 15th and 16th for potential Flex schedule changes.

Tickets are now on sale for Footloose Youth Edition for October 18, 19, and 20. Please use this TICKET LINK to purchase your tickets online. All tickets are $10 and all seats are reserved. This production is a shortened, family-friendly version featuring our Jones students--100 on stage as Cast and 60 backstage as Tech Crew! Please send all questions to jonesfallprotickets@gmail.com.

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!

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

Enrollment is limited to 8 buses or about 425 students. Enrollment period is shorter this year and there will be no late enrollment. DEADLINE to register is: October 25th.

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

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nLy7mlLtEY38XnQdm8s-X3dRMLK--qLi/view?usp=drive_link

Info from Colorado Mountain Sports is here: (rental prices go up 11/3)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1r7P1UcFx46KGC4Ufg5zNI3TNJ81wtDQt/view?usp=drive_link

Info from Aspen Ski and Board is here: (rental prices go up 11/17)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JiKRqiLDCRD6z7973RZdHN9m6ZTQuZp1/view?usp=drive_link

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HxF7K9xuyFC6A5bvOHvRoVQhbicXbP8s/view?usp=sharing

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.

On Tuesday, October 15 will be the community showing of Screenagers from 6:30-8:00 PM in the UAHS Performing Arts Center. This free event will be followed by a panel discussion that includes local experts in the areas of children’s mental health, safety, district device management, and administrative and student perspectives.

School makeup/retake pictures have been rescheduled for Wednesday, October 23. School pictures that were taken in August were sent home this week through advisory class starting on Wednesday. If you plan to have your child's picture retaken, you will need to send in the original picture packet with them on picture retake day. Thank you!

Please go to: https://shop.hrimaging.com

If your student receives services based on an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) you can view their first progress report of the year starting on Wednesday, October 8th via PowerSchool. Click on the green box that contains the letters ‘PR’ at the top of the home screen once you are logged in.

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.

Every year, 8th graders at both middle schools honor Veterans during the month of November. Eighth grade students at JMS received blue invitation forms on Tuesday during their town meeting. If your 8th grade student wants to invite a veteran or active military member to our annual 8th-Grade Veterans Day Celebration on Friday, Nov. 8th, we need the form completed and returned. Veteran Invitation Forms deadline has been extended to Monday, October, 7th to your student's history teacher.

Once we receive the blue forms, we will send out a formal email invitation to your guest with times and information for the celebration. Any questions please contact Nicole Morgan (nmorgan@uaschools.org). We need the blue forms back in order to invite your guest and place them with students on November 8th.

Curious about ways to build your student’s confidence? Consider these tips…

1. Praise efforts, not just achievements. Focus on the hard work and effort they put in rather than just the outcomes.
2. Model positive self-talk. Demonstrate how to replace negative thoughts with positive affirmations. Encourage them to practice self-compassion and to speak kindly to themselves.
3. Allow them to make choices and take responsibility for their actions. This fosters a sense of control and confidence.
4. Create a supportive environment. Foster an atmosphere where they feel safe to express themselves, share their thoughts, and take risks without fear of judgment.

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

OCTOBER & NOVEMBER & DECEMBER 2024

October 14 - No School - Teacher Work Day

October 16 - Fall Athletic Recognition Night (see coaches for time and place)

October 18 - 20 - Fall Production

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