Family Update - January 12, 2025

FROM THE PRINCIPALS
Dear families,
This Wednesday and Thursday, our 7th graders will take the IOWA Assessments. Students will be tested in the areas of science and social studies. Each assessment will take approximately 35 minutes to complete and will take place during your student’s social studies and science classes. Please find additional details below.
We are aware that some students use VPNs to side step the district's measures to maintain digital safety. Please discuss this with your student as this practice will give them access to content that all of us might find concerning. Any student who uses a VPN to access blocked content is in violation of the Technology Acceptable Use Policy which could result in school discipline and/or loss of athletic competition. The policy is included below and is always available in the Students' Rights and Responsibilities Handbook attached. Thank you for your support!
Many thanks to our PTO for bringing in DJ extraordinaire, Matt Ryan during our lunch periods on Friday! Our students had a great time! Congratulations to all of our student who participated in the Spelling Bee and represented Jones so well!
Warm regards,
Aimee White, Principal
Keona Walker, Assistant Principal
Aimee White, Principal
Keona Walker, Assistant Principal
PICS FROM THE WEEK
JONES WEEKEND UPDATE
Here is the link to Jones Weekend Update:
SKI CLUB
Ski Club starts this FRIDAY!!!!!
Some parents have informed me that they are not getting emails from Ski Club. Please be sure jonesskiclub@gmail.com is added to your contacts list. And if you have not gotten a Ski Club email and are in Ski Club please send me an email asking to be added to the list. I will also need your child's name and student number.
GOLDEN APPLE AWARD
We are excited to announce that the nomination period for the 2025 Golden Apple Awards is just around the corner. This prestigious award can go to any faculty or staff member in our schools. The nominee may be an outstanding teacher, administrator, nurse, custodian, secretary, aide, paraprofessional, counselor, resource officer, etc. They all make a difference in the lives of our children and are worth celebrating for their contributions to our community.
Nominations will run from Monday, January 6, to Friday, February 28, and can be submitted on the Upper Arlington Civic Association's website at www.uaca.org. Our site will be updated shortly to prepare for this year's awards and the submission form will go live on the morning of January 6. Looking ahead to the awards presentations themselves, we are tentatively aiming for the week of March 31-April 4. I will be in further contact about finalizing specific dates over the next few months.
PACKING FOR THE STREETS
JMS will be holding their next Packing for the Streets on Monday, January 13, for students to earn 30 minutes of service hours. During this event we pack bagged meals for nearby homeless shelters and Heart to Heart Food Pantry. There is a QR code posted in the hallways for students to sign up if they are interested. Your student can also use this link but needs to be signed in with their school gmail address so we can take accurate attendance.
TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY FOR STUDENTS
The Upper Arlington City School District (the "School District") is pleased to make available to each student access to interconnected computer systems, internal servers and networks, computer equipment, computer programs, the Internet, and other new technologies and devices within the School District (collectively, the "Technology").
Access to the School District’s Technology is provided as a privilege and as an educational tool. In order to continue enjoying access to the Technology, each student must take responsibility for appropriate and lawful use of this privilege. Students are responsible for their behavior with the Technology just as they are in a classroom, school hallway or other School District property. While the School District may make reasonable efforts to supervise student use of Technology, the ultimate responsibility for exercising and promoting responsible use of this access is that of the student, under the guidance of their parents.
This document shall constitute the School District’s Technology Acceptable Use Policy for students ("Policy"), and applies to all students who use or otherwise access the Technology either on-site or remotely. A copy of this Policy shall be provided to students and their parents.
Each student is responsible for reading and abiding by this Policy. If you (parent or student) have any questions about the provisions of these policies, you should contact the building principal or the principal’s designee. Any use of the Technology that violates these policies may result in your access being withdrawn and/or additional disciplinary action.
Violations of these policies are considered violations of the Student Code of Conduct and may result in disciplinary action up to and including suspension, expulsion, and/or referral to law enforcement if appropriate. The District reserves the right to seek reimbursement of expenses and/or damages arising from student violations of these policies.
(See Policy 7540.03 for complete language.)
DANCE CLUB 2025 - SIGNUPS
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 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!
TALENT SHOW
Start Practicing! 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. Audition sign ups will be available after Winter Break.
If you have any questions, please email either Julia Gomez at jagomez@uaschools.org or Alice Speegle at aspeegle@uaschools.org.
2024/25 JONES YEARBOOK ORDERING
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.
7th GRADE IOWA TESTS
About the Iowa Assessments
The Iowa Assessments are achievement tests that assess students’ skills in specific content areas. The tests assess both foundational skills and higher-order thinking skills and provide national and local comparisons. The Iowa Assessments is another measure which helps teachers identify a student’s strengths and areas that may need additional emphasis. The Iowa Assessments also measure student growth and progress in the content areas assessed from year to year. Results of these assessments are used to identify student strengths, areas of need, and gifted identification.
How your student can prepare for test taking and what you can do to help
A student who is well-rested, well-fed, has a positive attitude about testing, and has a fully charged iPad is best prepared for testing. You can help your student do their best by considering these tips:
- Make sure your student gets a good night’s sleep and eats a healthy breakfast before each day of testing.
Remind your student that these tests are only one measure of what they have learned. Emphasize that you have confidence in their ability to do the best job possible.
Remind your student to listen to the directions and read each question carefully during testing. Encourage your student to ask the teacher for help if they do not understand the directions.
Score reporting and how we use test results
The school will receive test scores approximately 6 weeks after assessments are complete. Assessment results will be shared with families.
8th GRADE DC TRIP
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
DISTRICT NEWS
SECONDARY Progress Reports- PARENTS
Unfortunately, the Progress Report icon for students with IEPs in PowerSchool has been eliminated. This was out of Upper Arlington’s control. In order to access your child’s progress report, your child’s intervention specialist or speech language pathologist will share the report via an email from Same Goal after each reporting period. You should receive the 2nd quarter progress report by January 9th for your student in grades 6-12.
TECH ASSISTANCE
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.
HELPFUL LINKS
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
This email has been sent to you by JONES MIDDLE SCHOOL. If you received this email in error, please contact allcall@uaschools.org.