Family Update - March 17, 2024
March 17, 2024
From the Principals
Dear Families,
We have been busy! We have had several special events at Jones recently - Belonging Week, guest speakers Jaren Woodland and Kevin Wanzer, and inclusion volleyball games! Monday we will celebrate the 100th year of our school building. Students will receive a special "birthday" treat during lunch (food allergies have been considered) -- thank you, PTO! We will have a celebration during Flex which will include teachers sharing memories, comments from Kristin Greenberg, Executive Director of the Upper Arlington Historical Society, and a performance by our choir students. We are looking forward to it! To continue the 100 year celebration, we will open the building to the community on July 5 from 9:00 - 11:00 am.
Thank you to all who were able to attend our curriculum night last Tuesday. It was great to see you! If you were not able to be there, here is the presentation. Math and science recommendation letters were sent last Friday for all 7th grade students as well as any 6th grade student currently taking Math 7. Also on Friday, school counselors sent scheduling forms to parents/guardians. Please discuss scheduling options with your students and make those selections by March 24 -- thank you!
Thank you to all of the parents and staff members who volunteered to chaperone the 8th grade dance. Many thanks to those who sent in gift cards and refreshments. It was a lot of fun! (See a few pictures below.)
As a reminder, students will not attend this Tuesday due to the primary election.
Warm regards,
Aimee White, Principal
Heather Markward, Assistant Principal
BELONGING WEEK PICTURES
LOST AND FOUND ITEMS
We have laid out lost and found items in the cafeteria. There are many coats, hoodies and water bottles. Please encourage your student to look for their missing items prior to April 5. At that time, we will donate what remains to "Resale for Research", a UA nonprofit. The funds raised go directly to life-saving research at Nationwide Children's Hospital and other hospitals around the country.
JONES WEEKEND UPDATE
Please go to the following link for the Jones Weekend Update:
JONES TALENT SHOW
The Jones Talent Show will take place on April 12 from 7-9 pm. Auditions will take place April 3 - 5 from 3:30 to 5pm.
Please sign up at the link at the bottom for auditions or if your student is interested in participating in tech crew. Please e-mail jagomez@uaschools.org if you have any questions.
8th GRADE CLASS PARTY - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
The events for our 8th graders keep on rolling! We are in need of 15 parent chaperones for their class party at Ten Pin Alley on April 5 from 10:00am-1:00pm. Teachers will be chaperoning as well. Thank you for your help in making this a fun, safe event for our kids!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080849ADA72BA02-48441388-8thgrade#/
7TH GRADE CAREER DAY
Call for Presenters!
7th Grade Career Fair
April 19, 8:15am-10:15am
Looking for parents and community members interested in sharing their career journey with our 7th-grade students. Volunteers will give several 15-minute presentations to small groups. If you are interested in volunteering your time, please let us know by completing the link below. We have such a wide variety of experts in all of you! Please consider sharing with our students.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSccsNcYTY3GvCEF67LZ7rta2HO2Gmziq5xneHzcypt_FJcfrQ/viewform
SPORTS EQUIPMENT COLLECTION
8th-grade Spanish students are collecting baseball equipment for their service learning project.
Gently used and cleaned baseball equipment (mitts, baseballs, any sports jersey/pinny & baseball/soccer cleats- No bats) to send to NPH orphanage in the Dominican Republic.
If you have anything to donate, please have your child bring items to school. There are boxes by the main office and on the 3rd floor by the Spanish classrooms. Items will be collected through April 12th.
PURPLE DAY
Jones Middle School will once again celebrate Eplispy Awareness this school year. Our Purple Day at Jones Middle School will be on April 24. Eplispy affects 3.4 million people nationwide and includes Jones Middle School students. We pick this day to honor students affected by this brain disorder. We will be selling Purple Day Gear to show support for these students. Jones Middle School students and families can purchase t-shirts or sweatshirts and wear them to school on April 24. You can buy these items by clicking on this link: https://jupiter.areswear.com/store/?storeName=Jones_MS_Purple_Day_2024. The store will close in 12 days (Tuesday, March 26) to ensure we have the gear for Purple Day. Please get in touch with Mr. Adam Oliver (aoliver@uaschools.org) if you have any questions.
YOU BELONG FAMILY BOOK READ EVENT
We're excited to share a new (optional) district-wide You Belong Family Book Read, a collaboration among PTOs and Upper Arlington City Schools to build community through shared experiences. During the month of April, families are invited to read Just Roll With It, a middle-grade graphic novel that focuses on themes surrounding mental wellness and belonging. On May 11, 2024, community members are invited to a celebration at Thompson Park from 12:00 - 2:00, featuring a discussion with the illustrator and author of Just Roll With It, Veronica Agarwal and Lee Durfey-Lavoie.
For more information, please visit https://youbelongua.org. For more information, please visit https://youbelongua.org. Check the website as more information becomes available. Questions may be directed to wellbeing@uaschools.org.
STRATEGIC PLANNING UPDATE
Work on the latest version of the district’s strategic plan is underway, with students, staff members, parents and community stakeholders coming together to envision the future of learning in Upper Arlington. You can learn more about the strategic planning process in this video.
Please mark your calendars for the following opportunity to learn more and share your thoughts.
Community Engagement Session on Strategic Planning
May 9 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
Upper Arlington High School, 1625 Zollinger Road
FOSTERING A CONVERSATION
Fostering a Conversation — a new speaker series led by Upper Arlington High School students in partnership with the Upper Arlington Schools, Upper Arlington Education Foundation and Upper Arlington Community Foundation — will welcome Dr. Laurie Santos for a community event on April 2 at 6:00 p.m. at UAHS. Dr. Santos is a psychologist and an expert on human cognition, its origins and the evolutionary biases that influence our all-too-imperfect life choices. As a professor at Yale, she teaches how behavioral change through positive psychology can lead to a happier and more fulfilling life.
Fostering a Conversation Series: Dr. Laurie Santos
When: April 2 at 6:00 p.m.
Where: Upper Arlington High School
Tickets: https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/82309
$25 for community
$10 for students
Free for Upper Arlington Schools staff members
ATTENTION - 8TH GRADE PARENTS OF STUDENTS GOING TO WASHINGTON DC
The Health Information Form for DC is live! To find it, log in the PowerSchool parent
portal, scroll down to Forms, and look for 8th Grade DC Trip-Health Information. There will be a
link to upload both sides of your health insurance card. Please make sure the copy of your
insurance card (both sides) is readable.
The Health Information form will need to be completed for your child to go on the trip. The
deadline to submit this form is Friday, March 22, the day before Spring Break!
Next month look for an important tip sheet with information to help everyone have a healthy and
comfortable trip experience.
Thank you for your cooperation!
Jane Mead, RN School Nurse
SUMMER ACADEMY 2024
Upper Arlington Schools is proud to offer an exceptional summer school program for our students for the summer of 2024. Course descriptions and schedules for Summer Academy 2024 will be available on our Summer Academy website beginning on Friday, March 8, and registration will open at 6:00 pm on Tuesday, April 2. Summer Academy 2024 will offer academic and well-being programming. All courses will be offered free of charge for 2024 thanks to federal funding. Please use this link to access the website:
https://www.uaschools.org/SummerAcademy.aspx
8th GRADERS - SAVE THE DATES
Class of 2028 Photo - Thursday, March 21 during student's flex period. Order forms will be sent home prior if you would like to purchase a Class of 2028 photo.
8th Grade Yearbook Tributes - Every year 8th grade parents have the opportunity to purchase a tribute for their child in the Jones Middle School Yearbook. This is usually wishing them well as they prepare to transition to UAHS in the Fall. The cost is $20 and all orders are ONLINE this year! We ask that you limit your order to one tribute per 8th grade child. The deadline to order is March 31, 2024 but don't wait because we do have a set number of tributes we can accept due to yearbook page restrictions.
Use this link to place your order: https://www.locallevelevents.com/events/details/31723
8th Grade Class Slideshow - In preparation for the 8th grade end of year celebration, we are beginning to organize the Class of 2028 slideshow. Here's how your child can be a part of the slideshow:
- A friendly reminder, the slideshow is optional and is shared with all 8th grade JMS families
- Please send 5-8 photos of your child that represent their middle school years (6-8 grade)
- Email pictures to jones8thgradeslideshow@gmail.com
- Subject line for email is your child's FIRST and LAST NAME/8th Grade Slideshow Pics
- Deadline for photo submission is 3/22/24
8th Grade Class Party - Friday, April 5 during the school day from 10:00-1:30pm.
8th Grade Shadowing Day - Upper Arlington Schools is committed to providing our students with career exploration opportunities. We will continue this commitment with our 8th grade students having the opportunity to career shadow on Friday, April 19, 2024 (excused absence). Shadowing Day is a dynamic opportunity for our students to spend a day observing and interviewing an employee in a career of special interest to your child. Career shadowing gives students the opportunity to explore a job in depth to gain valuable insight about the world of work. Students who have never spent a day at work with an adult may want to consider shadowing a parent, guardian, relative, or close family friend as a first experience. Please use this link to register your student for Shadowing Day:
https://forms.gle/HHL8f6ApP4BHzzam9
8th Grade End of Year Celebration - May 23 at 8:30AM (last day of school) - we will be developing a committee of 8th graders interested in planning the Class of 2028's Celebration. More to come!
8th GRADE DANCE PICTURES
JONES YEARBOOK
You can now place your orders online for a 2023-24 Jones Yearbook. Yearbooks can be purchased anytime between now and May 2024. They will be mailed to your house in mid July 2024 so please make sure we have a current home mailing address.
If you have any pictures of Winter JMS Sports, Ski Club, Dance Club, music concerts, etc. occurring at JMS please email them to Janie Greiner at jgreiner@uaschools.org.
Please go here to order your 23-24 Yearbook: https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/productBrowse/1049802/Jones-Middle-School/2024-Yearbook/20230801042909197104/CATALOG_SH
PTO BOOK TALK
This is a collaborative event supported by building PTOs and UA Schools.
Thompson Park North Shelter House on Saturday, May 11, from 12:00 - 2:00.
The book is Just Roll With It, and the author will be joining us at the event. For more information please visit:
ABOUT THE JONES PTO
Each year we strive to support our students and our school. With our annual Golden Bear Spirit fundraiser as well as generous donations, we look for ways to help enrich Jones as a whole in a variety of ways.
Some examples of our work include mini grants used by staff for programming and classroom needs, balls and equipment for students to use during their outdoor time, provide meals for staff events, distribute custom Jones planners for students at no cost, as well as plan class party events and give surprise treats to students such as popsicles and ice cream. These are just a few examples as we continue to evaluate and meet our schools needs in the best way possible. Please click this link for more information on the PTO ---> https://www.jonespto.com/about-us
How Can You Support the PTO?
We encourage every Jones family to become a PTO supporter. This one time fee ($25 per family) will help us off-set some of the expense in supporting our students and school throughout the year. Please consider becoming a Jones PTO supporter. The more involved we are together, the more we can work to build community and enhance our students middle school experiences.
Please click this link if you would like to support the PTO ---> https://www.jonespto.com/support-the-pto
Other Helpful PTO Information
- Please take time to follow us on Instagram at #jones_pto. We post lots of updates and helpful information all throughout the year.
- Our website also has a page that shows important dates throughout the year.
- Want to volunteer? We have lots of opportunities to volunteer at all levels of commitment. Please visit the Support the PTO page and fill out a Volunteer for PTO form if you are interested!
Family Connect Program
We are here to help connect new families who could use help navigating all things related to school and community (such as academics, sports, clubs, PTO, extracurriculars, community traditions and celebrations, etc.) to those families who have more experience. Our end goal with this program is to promote hospitality and friendship. If you are interested in learning more about being involved in this program, please email janina.fowler@gmail.com.
THE STAND PROJECT
The Stand Project is an Upper Arlington community action project focused on the prevention of youth substance abuse and committed to standing by students and families in finding help. While substance abuse prevention is at the core of our mission, we engage the community through education on a broad range of topics that impact young people's risk and protective factors.
Save the dates for these informative programs! Event details and additional resources can be found on our Spring 2024 Flyer and events calendar.
APR 4 ~ The Fentanyl Crisis with Beth Weinstock, MD of BirdieLight, 7-8:30pm at UAHS
APR 22 ~ Community Naloxone Training, 6:30-7:30pm at UA Public Library
STUDENTS RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES HANDBOOK
March 18 - 100 Year Celebration of Jones, Flex
March 19 - No School - Ohio Primary Voting Day
March 21 - 8th Grade Class Picture, Flex
March 25 - 29 - No School - Spring Break
April 1 - PTO Meeting, 8:30am
April 1 - Packing for the Streets, 3:30pm
April 3 - 5 - Talent Show Auditions
April 5 - 8th Grade Class Party, 9:30am to 1:30pm
April 6 - JMS Orchestra, Solo & Ensemble Contest
April 6 - 7th & 8th Grade Choir, Jr. High Solo & Ensemble Adjudicated Event
April 10 - Talent Show Tech Crew Rehearsal, 3:30 - 5pm
April 11 - Talent Show Dress Rehearsal, 3:30 - 6pm
April 11 & 12 - Language Arts Ohio State Test, All Grades, Special Schedule
April 12 - Talent Show, 7pm
April 19 - 8th Grade Shadowing Day
April 25 - Band Concert, Grades 6 - 8, 7:30pm
April 25 & 26 - Math Ohio State Test, All Grades, Special Schedule
April 26 - 6th Grade Class Party, 1:30 - 3:20pm
April 26 - Volley for a Cure, UAHS, 6 - 9pm
May 1 - Science Ohio State Test, 8th Grade Only
This email has been sent to you by JONES MIDDLE SCHOOL. If you received this email in error, please contact allcall@uaschools.org.