Family Update - December 8, 2024

Dear families,

We enjoyed the choir concerts last Monday evening and are looking forward to the orchestra concert tomorrow evening. We have such talented students, and the rate at which they grow in our music programs is fun to witness - very impressive!

Speaking of our music programs, we are excited to welcome the UAHS Vocal Ensemble this Friday during Advisory. Their annual performance of holiday and winter songs is always festive. We hope to see former Jones students on stage, too!

We have many of your students' belongings in lost and found. Please encourage them to check for personal items on the tables in the cafeteria during lunch. Any items that remain at winter break will be donated.

We hope that you and yours are enjoying the weekend!

Warm regards,

Aimee White, Principal

Keona Walker, Assistant Principal

Please go this link for this week's Jones Weekend Update: https://youtu.be/SbXynk1XOj0

Ron Clark and his dancers are back for another fun session of Dance Club! We can't wait to see the kids all dressed up and ready to learn a few new dance moves. Dance Club is a great opportunity for 7th and 8th graders from Jones and Hastings middle schools to get together with classmates while learning some important social skills. 7th Grade meets from 7:30-8:20pm. 8th grade meets at 8:30-9:20pm. The cost of Dance Club is $40 (plus a $2 processing fee) and proceeds stay with UA Class of 2029 and UA Class of 2030 to fund their class accounts. The classes use these accounts to pay for high school activities including graduation celebrations.

*Dance Club is a dressy occasion and we request kids dress up.

*If cost is an issue, please contact the principal at your school.

*Attendance at each session is not required, as we know kids have a lot of activities. Students can come to as many sessions as their schedule allows.

*Cancellations/refunds will be honored up until the first session meets.

REGISTRATION and PARENT VOLUNTEER INFORMATION:

2025 Dance Club Registration

2025 Parent Volunteers Dance Club

Parents, please sign up for one volunteer shift per family to allow as many parents as possible the opportunity to experience Dance Club. Please encourage dads to sign up too!

Questions about Dance Club? Please email us at uajuniordanceclub@gmail.com. We can't wait to see everyone at Dance Club 2025!

The 2nd installment date for your DC trip originally fell on Friday, November 29th. The tour company pushed back the 2nd installment date to Friday, December 6th. You should have received an email on Friday (November 22) informing you of the change. If you did not receive it, please check your spam folder, and if it isn't there, please let the company know or contact Christy Charlton. (ccharlton@uaschools.org)

We are hosting a zoom parent session about risk factors and how to address concerns regarding your child's well-being through a virtual meeting on December 11th from 12 PM - 1 PM. Here is the Zoom link.

Registration for ski club is closed. You should have a $100 fee for each child you registered for Ski Club in your EZPay. All fees must be paid by Wednesday 11/20 to be part of Ski Club.

• If you have not purchased an Epic Day pass, Ohio Pass, or Epic Pass please do so ASAP. Prices go up weekly. Last day to purchase a multi-day ski pass is Dec. 10th. After that you will have to pay full lift ticket prices!!!! (Bummer)
• Bus Food sign-ups will be emailed to you to the email you in the coming week and Chaperone sign-ups shortly afterwards.
• Any questions email jonesskiclub@gmail.com

Between December 2 and December 13, 2024, all students in grades K-12 will have an opportunity to complete an online survey during the school day to provide us with information to better understand the culture and climate of our buildings. Our Culture and Climate Survey aligns with the priorities identified for our upcoming 2025-2030 strategic plan. Developed by UA Schools’ educators with feedback from students, teachers and caregivers, the strategic plan identifies Culture and Climate as a priority area.

This survey is designed to collect building and district-level information. While the fall and spring Engaged Learner Survey provides us with individual student responses, the winter Culture and Climate survey results cannot be viewed individually; the responses are only available as collective feedback.

• Grades K-2: Teachers and school staff members will support students as they take a brief online survey, using emoji images for their responses. The three-question survey will cover the following topics related to Culture and Climate: school climate, school safety and teacher-student relationships. You can preview the questions using the following link: Grades K-2 Survey.

• Grades 3-5 and 6-12: Students will independently take a longer online survey, with age-appropriate questions based on grade band about these Culture and Climate topics: school climate, school safety and teacher-student relationships. The 6-12 survey also includes the topic of cultural awareness and action. (This topic is only available for grades 6-12.) You can preview the questions using the following links: Grades 3-5 Survey and Grades 6-12 Survey.

We are using the Panorama platform to administer our Culture and Climate Survey. This survey will provide information at the building and district levels to help the school counselors, teachers and administrators understand how to best support their school community.

We hope all students will participate so that we have a clear picture of our school-community needs. If, however, you would like to opt your student out of the winter survey administration, please complete and submit this form by November 28, 2024.

If you have any questions, please contact wellbeing@uaschools.org. Thank you for your continued support of our students and our schools.

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 needing support with meals or gifts this winter/holiday season?

Please click here to request support for Holiday Gifts. The support will remain confidential; 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.

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.

Global Education Feedback Opportunity for Students and Families in Grades 5-10

Upper Arlington Schools is proud to offer students the ability to travel abroad with their teachers and peers as part of our Global Education Program. As we begin to think about future opportunities within this program, we are inviting students and families currently in grades 5-10 to share some thoughts to inform our travel selections. Students in these grades will be eligible for school-sponsored global travel opportunities in the 2025-2026 school year. Parents/guardians may complete this survey. We invite parents/guardians to preview the student survey before asking your grade 5-10 student(s) to take it at home to share their feedback.

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

DECEMBER & JANUARY

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 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