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4130 Albemarle St. NW
Washington, DC 20016
202-282-0110
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| Calendar
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Fri., May 2, 6-8pm:
Janney Spring Picnic and Vote for SIT Reps
Tues., May 6, 6pm:
Class Configuration and Space Discussion (Auditorium)
Tues., May 6, 8pm:
Open PTA Executive Board Meeting (Library)
Tues., May 13, 7:15pm:
Regular PTA Meeting (Multi-Purpose Room)
Editors
Gretchen Cheney
Jenny Kletzin DiBiase
Elizabeth Levenson
Karen Mandel Muoio
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A Note from Your PTA Co-Presidents
Last Tuesday was Earth Day and many of the kids were involved in special activities last week to mark the day and learn about caring for our environment. Hope everyone had a chance to do something just a little GREEN!
The Spring Picnic is coming up on Friday, May 2nd, 6:00. Don't forget to bring a dish to share. We still need volunteers for clean up, cashiering and set up. Please e-mail Leslie Dembinski at Leslied@mcnearney.com if you can help. Please come and enjoy a great Janney community event.
At the Spring Picnic, you will have an opportunity to vote for three new SIT representatives. The SIT is an important school body, responsible for advising the principal on matters of school policy including (but not limited to) allocation of resources; school organization; curriculum options; maintenance and improvement of buildings and grounds; funding of equipment and supplies; priorities for staffing patterns; and monitoring student progress. Short bios on each of the terrific candidates are included below. Please read them and be sure to vote on Friday.
Finally, the raffle drawing this year will be held at the picnic. Who will be the lucky one to win a flat screen TV, a new laptop, or an iTouch!? We can't wait to see!
The PTA Executive Board Meeting will be held in the library on Tuesday, May 6. We are inviting all PTA members and especially those interested in joining the PTA executive board in future years to come and observe at 8:00. The regular PTA meeting will be held the following week in the multi-purpose room at 7:15.
Thanks and have a great week!
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SIT Candidate Bios
Allison Feeney
A product of excellent public schools, Bill and I have always put a high value on the strong sense of community that comes along with a public school education. We selected our home because of Janney's reputation and also the energy, creativity and commitment of a tradition of parents who had leveraged DCPS' meager resources to enrich the school community. Now we are experienced Janney parents with a 5th grader and a first grader. We are committed to building on the legacy we've inherited. I've served in several capacities in the PTA. I was co-President of the PTA last year, and PTA-SIT liaison this year. I have worked to make the Janney community more aware of issues that affect DCPS and our local school. I believe it is important for our school community to engage in the public debate that will shape the learning environment for all our city's children. Next year holds much potential for positive change. I'm looking forward to a great year and would be honored to serve as a member of the School Improvement Team.
Matthew Nicholson Beer
A certain PTA member has started introducing me as
the only regular attender of PTA meetings who does not currently sit on
a school committee, board, or team. My name is Matthew Nicholson Beer
and I would be happy to alter that introduction by serving on the
School Improvement Team (SIT). My older son Seth is completing first
grade and he will be accompanied next fall by his younger brother
Avery, who will be starting kindergarten. I have lived in AU Park since
1998 and have been active in neighborhood development issues, attending
community meetings for the Katzen Arts Center and American University's
10 year plan, the Cityline at Tenley project across the street from
Janney, and other local projects. I have also served a year as a Janney
Room Parent. During the day, I develop software, with 20 years of
experience managing complex and fast-paced projects. I have a Masters
Degree in Information Science and have also taken graduate level
courses in Urban Planning. Managing overcrowding, monitoring the
continuing saga of the potential public/private development
partnership, preparing for the Master Facilities Plan, working in an
atmosphere of increasing standardization and testing, and anticipating
changes brought about by the change in DCPS governance make this a
challenging and hopefully beneficial time for the Janney community. I
hope to lend my time, energy, knowledge of our neighborhood, and what I
believe are good listening and consensus-building skills to the SIT and
the Janney community in coming years.
Cheryl Ohlson
My name is Cheryl Ohlson, and I have been a Janney parent for five years. (Devin - 4Y, Quinn - 1-M). I have decided this year to run for parent representative to the SIT because I believe that Janney is a very unique and exceptional school, and that I am in a position to offer positive contributions to the broader school community as Janney moves into the future. Since arriving at Janney, I have served the Janney community in various roles, including assisting with the brick fundraiser, coordinating the mentoring program, helping with the auction, and serving as room parent. I feel that these experiences would allow me to effectively represent the many parents I have met and worked with over the years. I also bring to the SIT a career in early childhood, elementary, and special education. I was a teacher in a DCPS elementary school for six years; on the faculty of the School of Education at The George Washington University; and have served as a consultant working with early childhood and elementary school programs across the city. Having worked within schools and classrooms all over the Washington DC area, I truly appreciate the qualities that make Janney a unique and special neighborhood school, and I look forward to the opportunity to help Janney address the challenges that it will encounter in the near future.
Gretchen Rhines Cheney
I am the parent of a Kindergartner with a second child who will enter Janney in 2009. I have a background in education policy and for the last 10 years have worked for a national school improvement organization. I have consulted with multiple schools and districts, including a number of DCPS schools, on the best ways to improve their overall performance, and ultimately student achievement levels. Because of these experiences, I am very familiar with the role that SITs should play in setting school policy and reviewing data to determine the best way to meet school goals. I would very much like to put my expertise to use at Janney for the benefit of our students, teachers, and staff.
Allison Scuriatti
Allison Scuriatti is mother of Niccolo, in Ms. McCrackin's class. She is a corporate communications professional with 15 years experience in the international development, technology and non-profit sectors. Her background includes experience on two non-profit boards, including a public-private partnership at Bell Multicultural High School during the planning and fund-raising period for Bell 's new campus on 16th Street NW. Allison is deeply interested in public school advancement in the District of Columbia. She also loves to build gingerbread houses and promises a scale-model rendition of the new Janney building when it finally comes along!
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Janney Spring Picnic - Volunteers Needed!
Please plan to attend the annual Janney Spring Picnic this Friday, May 2 from 6:00-8:00 on the playground. We are still in need of volunteers to help set-up, clean-up. grill, cashier and serve drinks. PLEASE email Leslie Dembinski today at leslied@mcenearney.com. There are 1 hour shifts that need to be covered.
Each family is asked to contribute according to family last name:
A-K -bring a salad or side dish
L-Z -bring a dessert
Hot dogs, veggie dogs, chips and drink will be sold.
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In the Neighborhood
Get a peak at the music program at Deal Middle School May 8th
The Deal Middle School Music Department will hold its annual spring concert on Thursday, May 8. Everyone, mark your calendars and plan for a night of excitement and outstanding music. There will be a special appearance by Deal's own Alumni Band. The program will begin at 7 p.m. in the auditorium. The cost for adults is $3 and for students it is $2.
Friends of the Tenley Library Annual Meeting May 10th
All are welcome to attend the Friends of the Tenley Library Annual Meeting, which will be held at the Interim Library, 4200 Wisconsin Avenue NW, at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 10th. Committee Reports, including that of a Nominating Committee, will be on the agenda. Election of an Executive Board for the coming year will be held; additional nominations may be made
from the floor.
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 Safety Patrol Tip of the Week
Teach your child to look all ways (left, right, behind and ahead) and to walk cautiously when crossing the street. Stress the importance of always using crosswalks.
--Charlie Feller, 1st Sergeant
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 Principal's Letter
April 29, 2008
To the Janney Community:
Don't forget the Spring Picnic is this Friday, May 2nd, on the blacktop from 6:00-8:00 p.m. If you're last name begins with the letters A-K, please bring a salad or side dish and if your last name begins L-Z, please bring a dessert. If you'd like to volunteer, please contact Leslie Dembinski at leslied@mcenearney.com.
Congratulations to Leo Wackler, our safety patrol captain, who was selected as the "Outstanding AAA School Safety Patrol" for the entire DC area. This is a real credit not only to Leo but to all of our patrols as well as our safety patrol sponsor, Ms. Tawana Franklin. Way to go Leo!
The kids and the staff have done a great job surviving testing so far. By the time you get this note, we will be all done except for make-ups for kids who missed a session. Thanks for everyone's cooperation with sending kids on time and ensuring good attendance during the testing period.
I've had many questions about the portable storage unit next to the gym. DCPS has been busy the last two weeks installing new air conditioners in every classroom including the gym. Yay!! The storage unit is for their tools and equipment. The project should be done in a week or two. As of now, most of the units are installed and they are working on routing the electricity. The company that is doing the electrical work is the same group that worked on our system a few years back and with the heavy-up that DCPS provided this summer, we should be fine but let's all keep our fingers crossed just in case.
I took a little heat from the principal from Deal, Melissa Kim, regarding an entry last week in which I characterized the conversion of Janney from a PK-6 school to PK-5 being definite in 2009-2010 as a "mixed blessing". My intent was to validate families who would like their children to remain at Janney for as long as possible because they are happy with their current school environment. I meant no disrespect to Deal which continues to make great strides in providing wonderful learning opportunities for all of our Jaguars that move on. Sorry, Ms. Kim, I hope this was clearer.
Finally, I have some very difficult news to report. I will be leaving Janney at the end of this school year to take over another DCPS elementary school with high rates of poverty and low achievement scores. My new school hasn't been determined yet but I wanted to make my intentions known as early as possible to allow Janney time to find the right successor.
This is a difficult decision for me as I've been truly happy leading Janney for the last four years. I have learned tremendously from the staff and have appreciated the collegial atmosphere. We have some of the best teachers and aides that I've ever been around and it has truly been a pleasure working with them. Our children are incredible and make coming to work enjoyable every day. Finally, the parents of Janney are wonderfully supportive and I know that wherever I end up I'll wish for the same level of support and enthusiasm for public education that you provide. Janney will always have a special place in my heart.
My reasons for leaving are very simple. We live in a country that offers many wonderful opportunities, but until all of our children are offered an excellent, free, public education, we will never live up to our promise as a nation. Education should be the great equalizer but across our nation the students that need the most help are often found in schools that fall short of delivering a quality education. As a teacher, I worked in schools in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Compton, Los Angeles, and DC that had high rates of poverty and primarily served minority students. As a principal, I want the opportunity to lead a school through the process of becoming a high performing school. All of our children deserve access to the same rich instructional practices that is the norm here at Janney.
There will be communication coming out very shortly from our Instructional Superintendent, Francisco Millett as well as individuals from the Chancellor's office regarding the process for choosing my successor. The SIT will also take a leading role in ensuring that input from the school community is incorporated in the process.
Finally, I just wish to say "thank you" to everyone at Janney for making the past four years so rewarding professionally and personally. Janney is a wonderful school and as I go through the process I'm finding it increasingly difficult to say goodbye.
Sincerely,
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Contributing to the E-Newsletter
Submissions to the PTA newsletter may be emailed to Janneynewsletter@yahoo.com.
The deadline for submissions is Thursday at 3:15 pm. Because the newsletter is reviewed by several individuals before distribution, we must adhere to this deadline in order to get the newsletter to you every week on time.
Please make every effort to submit your notices by email for the electronic newsletter. Include all text in the body of your email (rather than as an attachment). Small jpeg thumbnails may be attached and can be included in the newsletter. All links or email addresses will be made active (clickable).
Prepared fliers should be turned into the school office by COB Monday for inclusion in the regular Take Home Tuesday envelope.
We will run notices about community or other non-Janney events as space permits. It is the PTA's policy not to carry for-profit advertisements or classifieds. Thank you for your cooperation.
The Editors
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