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4130 Albemarle St. NW
Washington, DC 20016
202-282-0110
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| Calendar |
Wed, Feb 24, 6:00 pm: OPEFM modernization meeting, Brent Elementary
Thurs, Feb 25: REVERB A Cappella Group Performs
Mon, March 1: NO SCHOOL: Parent-Teacher Conferences
Tues, March 2, 6:30 pm: Chancellor Rhee Information Session, Hart Middle School
Tues, March 2, 7:00 pm: Read Across America Read-In Wed, March 3, 8:00 am:
Principal's Coffee
Fri, March 5, 3:15 pm:
Lost & Found Emptied Tues, March 9 - Thurs, March 11:
DC BAS Testing for Grades 3-5 Fri, March 12, 9:15 am:
Janney Spring Open House for Parents Sat, March 13: Janney Used Book Sale
Tues, March 16:
Notebusters Starts
Editors
Gretchen Cheney
Karen Mandel
Amanda Orr
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Principal's Letter
 Dear Janney Parents:
Parent/Teacher Conference sign-ups are out (first floor
hall) as the big day approaches on March 1st. In response to feedback from the first conference surveys,
we have slightly altered the way we will use our time. Unfortunately we cannot extend the time
slots because of the number of families ready to meet with teachers and
paraprofessionals; however, we can augment the productivity and focus of our
conversations. The time for which
you sign up will be your meeting time.
Fifteen minutes prior to the meeting, a folder with your student's key
information will be placed in the hallway. By taking the fifteen minutes to browse this folder you will
be able to explore important assessments, classwork, anecdotal notes and/or
data, and will arrive to the meeting familiar with those elements of you
student's school experience that their teacher feels most critical. Of course you are welcome to extend
your discussion beyond this folder, but the contents of the folder will be
individualized for each student and will provide a purposeful foundation to the
conference. Please also feel free
to sign up for conferences with special subject and special education teachers,
which should be done separately from classroom teacher sign-up. We look forward to sharing what we have
come to know and appreciate about your children.
Beyond conferences, there are a few other upcoming dates to
note. Chancellor Rhee will host
two information sessions on the DCPS Teaching and Learning Framework, the first
today (6:30 pm) at Oyster Adams Elementary and the second on March 2nd
(6:30 pm) at Hart Middle School. This
framework drives planning, instruction and assessment at all district
schools. The Office of Public
Education Facilities Modernization will hold a meeting at Brent Elementary on
February 24th (6:00 - 8:00 pm) to discuss the state modernizing DCPS
buildings. Janney is likely to be
one of the schools discussed as construction is slated to begin during spring
break. I will hold a principal's
coffee on Wednesday, March 3rd at 8:00 am to discuss specifics around
the staging and phasing of construction. The Reverb A Cappella Group visits this Thursday with a Black History
Month performance, and we will celebrate Dr. Suess' birthday with our younger
students on March 2nd.
As I reflect on last week we have much to celebrate. Our custodians, several parents and the
PTA chipped in to make sure our paths and greentop were cleared for our
students. Over 175 students
participated in the Snow Sculpture contest, and we were able to recognize their
creativity and teamwork during Monday's Jamboree. Our Jungle Book actors put on two fabulous shows and our
Scrabble Club (under the tutelage of Stefan Fatsis) showed their finesse with
tiles and triple-scores at a competition over the weekend (both will be
celebrated during Tuesday's Jamboree). Pictures of all the aforementioned feats will be on the Janney website
soon.
Finally, thanks to those of you who responded to the
paper/electronic newsletter survey. While we are likely to stick with the electronic version, please note
that paper copies are always available in the main office. If you have any suggestions as to how
we can better communicate school news and events, please let me know: norah.lycknell@dc.gov.
Sincerely,
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A Cappella Comes to Janney
This week, Janney students will enjoy a school assembly performance by Reverb, a wonderful all male a cappella group. Reverb's show, Black History in Harmony, uses song to take students on an a cappella musical
journey through African-American history, focusing on the social issues
of 1619, 1866, the 1960s, and today. Students will participate in a school assembly by answering
and asking questions, singing, and playing hand-held percussion
instruments. This performance is made possible by the support of the Washington Performing Arts Society.
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Read Across America is Coming Tuesday, March 2
Next week, we'll celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday AND our love
of reading at Janney with our annual observance of Read Across America Day on
Tuesday, March 2nd. Make sure you get to Jamboree on time that morning,
or you will miss a VERY special guest (or two, or three...)! Please wear
red, white, or blue-or your favorite Seuss shirt, if you have one!
Starting this week, please bring in a book for the annual Book
Swap. Books should be placed in the bag or box in your child's classroom
marked "READ ACROSS AMERICA." Please make sure that the book your child
brings in is reading level appropriate for his/her age. Each child
who brings in a book gets to swap it for another book! (Any books
leftover at the end of the day will be donated to the Janney Used Book Sale to
be held on March 13th.)
Don't forget to join us at Janney the evening of March 2nd
for our annual "Read In" and pajama party! Bring your favorite book, wear
your p.j.'s and bring a pillow or blanket so you're comfy! The "Read In"
will be from 7:00-8:30 pm in the Multipurpose Room.
If you'd like to help out with Read Across America events in
your classroom, please contact Lisa Wackler at gatorwack@yahoo.com,
your child's teacher, or your class' Room Parents.
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Janney Used Book Sale - March 13
The Used Book Sale is set for March 13! Start your spring cleaning early by clearing out your old books (and making space for some new ones).
We will collect items from February 22 through March 12 at Janney (see the bins to the right of the guard's desk). We are looking for the following in good to excellent condition:
* Children's books (soft and hard cover)
* Adult soft and hard cover fiction
* Adult soft and hard cover non-fiction
* DVDs in case and in working condition
* Computer games and educational CDs in case and in working condition
Please try to sort your donations into these categories, if possible.
We do not need:
- Yellowed or damaged books
- Magazines
- Outdated books travel guides/books published before 2005
- DVDs or CDs without their original cases and/or not in working condition
If you have questions or would like to volunteer, please contact Jenny Craig (mikeandjeneva@verizon.net) or Marjie Thompson-Longshore (marjietl@gmail.com).
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The Jungle Book Soars...and Roars "Thanks!"
As
those of you who took a safari to Hardy Middle School this past weekend can
attest, we have a whole jungle full of talent right here at Janney
Elementary! The Janney Players sang, danced, and acted their hearts out
in back-to-back performances of The Jungle Book, directed by
Ginny Curtin. The kids worked incredibly hard and deserved the thunderous
applause they received. The Janney band, led by Sterling Scroggins,
kicked off the show with a terrific overture as well. If you happened to
miss the show (or want to relive the magic!), rest assured that we'll
announce when DVDs are available!
Behind
the scenes, many, many people pitched in to make this production such a big
success. We would love to mention each and every person who painted trees
(and faces), sold concessions and tickets, lugged scenery, threw the fabulous
cast party, and in all ways big and small contributed time, energy, resources
and support - and I hope we have told each of you individually how much
we appreciated your efforts - but the list might threaten to take over
the newsletter. The point is, the Janney Community showed itself once
again to be tremendously generous, hardworking, creative and thoughtful. As the Jungle Book song goes, "that's what friends are
for." So we would like to extend a roar of thanks to our Janney
Jungle Book families and friends. And a great big Janney paw print goes
to the two wonderful principals who were wonderfully helpful, supportive and
accessible to us: Norah Lycknell of Janney and Patrick Pope of
Hardy. THANKS!
--Erica
Perl and Kate Laguarda
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2009-2010 Yearbooks Coming in May
Reserve Yours Now!
Silly Halloween costumes, crazy hair day, Jamboree, PE, Music
and Recess. Not to mention favorite teachers and friends, lunchtime antics, and
the last year of our school building as we know it and love it, before the new
addition.
It's not too soon to start thinking about preserving those cherished memories
from your Janney school days. Pre-Order forms will be in your Take Home Tuesday
envelopes to make sure you don't miss out on the fun. Last year we ran out and
many people were disappointed. Don't let that happen to you. Order now!
Order
more than one and get a discount on your additional copies. $25 for the first
copy and $20 for additional copies. Orders are due by March 1. This is your chance to guarantee your copy; only limited copies will be available
for sale in May.
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Janney Rocks the Virginia School Scrabble Championship!
Teams from the Janney and Deal Scrabble clubs captured first place in the Virginia School Scrabble Championship last Friday (Feb. 19).
The
clubs sent 14 players -- two per team -- to the event at the Alfred T.
Binns Middle School in Culpeper, Va. A total of 28 players from five
schools were divided into two divisions according to experience.
Everyone played four games.
The
team of St. Ann's 8th grader and Janney alumna Lily Gasperetti and Deal
7th grader and Janney alumnus Isaac Sarnoff took first place in the top
division with a perfect 4-0 record. Janney fifth graders Sam Radack and
Calvin Wagner took third place in the top group with a 3-1 record. Both
teams received big trophies that will be displayed at Janney and Deal.
Janney's
powerhouse fifth graders captured the top spots, and plaques, in the
second division. The teams of Sam Masling and Sammy Levenson and Ben
Schwartz and Brian Keyes both finished with 3-1 records. Sam and Sammy
took first place thanks to a better "spread," the difference between
their total points scored and points allowed.
Deal
7th graders Emma Keyes and Max Mellott and 6th graders Christopher Bock
and Jake Radack also played in the top division. Janney 5th grader
Dillon Clary and 4th grader Nathan Wagner competed in the second
division.
The
level of play was high in both groups. Lily and Isaac posted scores of
401, 390, 388 and 301 points in their wins, while Calvin and Sam
averaged a total of 380 points per game. Sam and Sammy had high games
of 406 and 397 points, while Ben and Brian posted the highest-scoring
play of the tournament: HOWLING on a triple-word score for 112 points!
Some
other nice plays: TINTERS by Christopher and Jake; UNBARRED and
ADORNERS by Lily and Isaac; SMELLER (using both blank tiles) by Sam and
Calvin; and the very creative RETIRED by Sam and Sammy -- adding the RE
in front and the D in the back of the word TIRE already on the board.
Next up for the D.C. Scrabblers: a home tournament sometime in March and the National School Scrabble Championship in Orlando, Fla., on April 9-10. The clubs will be represented at the national event by the teams of Lily Gasperetti and Maret School 7th grader
and Janney alum Charlie Williamson; Emma Keyes and Max Mellott;
Christopher Bock and Jake Radack; Sam Radack and Calvin Wagner; Sam
Masling and Sammy Levenson; and Ben Schwartz and Janney 5th grader
Patrick Mulderig. More than 200 5th through 8th graders from around the
country will compete for a $5,000 first prize.
For more information about the Scrabble club, please contact club director and Janney parent Stefan Fatsis at sfatsis@gmail.com. |
Janney's Wild! is Friday, April 16
Find t hat babysitter, polish up your good luck charms, and
get ready to party...the 2nd annual Janney's Wild! is Friday, April 16th at the House of Sweden in Georgetown (see photo).
Janney's Wild! is a fun evening of casino-gaming,
auction-bidding, food, drink, and dancing. Most importantly, it is Janney
Elementary's biggest fundraiser of the year, so you don't want to miss it!
The Janney's Wild Committee is looking for volunteers to
help make this event a success. Please contact Dianne Bock (dibock@starpower.net)
or Karen Harris (Karenh@gmail.com) if you can help with party planning/set-up or with the procurement of items for
the auction. The committee is especially interested in high-end,
luxury items for the silent and live auctions.
Check the Janney newsletter every week for more information and
updates about this incredible evening. We look forward to seeing you there!
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International Night:
Volunteer Coordinators Needed
Janney's International Night has been a wonderful tradition and community-building event for a number of years now. We always enjoy the opportunity to learn more about the countries and cultures of our students and their families, enjoy tremendous cooking and treats, and strengthen Janney's sense of togetherness.
We are looking for 2-3 volunteers to lead this year's International Night festivities (date to be determined). We have all the notes, tips, and plans from previous years, and can muster a good group of volunteers to help the night of the event. We just need a few fearless leaders to make the event a reality.
If you are interested, please contact Jelena Kecmanovic at jelena_115@hotmail.com, or Scott Cheney at scottlcheney@gmail.com.
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Notebusters Will Perform "The Jersey Boys Love Hairspray"
The students of Janney, Horace Mann, and Lafayette Elementary Schools will come together to perform "The Jersey Boys Love Hairspray, " the music of a musical within a musical and its music. Mark your calendars for the show Sunday, May 23 at 3:00 pm in Lafayette Park.
Notebusters is open to students in grades 1-5. Registration forms will be distributed next week. After school practice begins Tuesday, March 16.
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Janney Small Grants Program: Use It or Lose It!!
We are still waiting to hear
from teachers, families and students with great ideas that need small level
funding! Be it funds for a small
gathering, a performing group, a terrarium, or a project that can be shown to
benefit the school and its students, find the application form at www.janneyschool.org and send it in. The SGP funds projects from as
little as $25 to up to $750. SO
get those creative juices flowing and we look forward to hearing from
you!! For information contact
Pippa Trench (ptrench@mac.com) or Tawana
Franklin (tawana.franklin@dc.gov).
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We Want Your Feedback on School Drop Off
We are getting closer to
construction starting on the new school building, which is very exciting but
will present challenges, one of which is a reduction in the already limited
amount of parking around school.
Janney is joining the Safe
Routes to School Program that aims to reduce the number of cars at drop off and
pick up by promoting walking and biking to school (more on that soon!).
At the same time we are reviewing our
drop off procedures for those people that are arriving at school by car to make
the process safer for our children and more efficient. We want to hear from
you! Please send your comments and
suggestions about how we could make the system better to janneysaferoutes@gmail.com
- today! Don't wait or you may miss your chance!
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 Safety Patrol Tip of the Week
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates
that 100,000 police reported crashes are the direct result of driver fatigue
each year. 60% of adult drivers, about 168 million people, say they have driven
a vehicle while feeling drowsy.
--Frannie
Sewell, Junior Officer
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Janney Shopping at Amazon!
Do you shop through Amazon? Earn money for Janney by clicking on this link or starting your search in the Amazon Search box on the Janney Homepage. Janney will earn up to 6 percent of your order every time you begin your search on the Janney site. Just think, no additional cost to you, lots of additional funds for Janney.
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Contributing to the E-Newsletter
All submissions to the PTA newsletter should be emailed to Janneynewsletter@yahoo.com.
The deadline for submissions is Friday at 3:15 pm. Because the
newsletter is reviewed by several individuals before distribution, we
must adhere to this deadline.
Material in the newsletter must be:
1) For the benefit of Janney students;
2)
Related to activities or programs that take place on Janney school
grounds, or for specific Janney-sponsored events or programs;
3) From and for not-for-profit organizations (unless #1 and #2 above are satisfied, and approved by both PTA presidents); and
4) Submitted by an official representative of the organization or program referenced.
Inclusion
in the newsletter is at the discretion of the newsletter editors, the
PTA presidents, and the principal. Please include all text in the body
of the 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).
If a notice should be run for more than one week,
please indicate the dates the notice should be run, or resubmit the
notice by the Friday deadline for each week.
Please note there
is no longer a box in the Janney office where hard copy newsletter
submissions can be turned in. Prepared fliers to be included in the
Take Home Tuesday envelope should be turned into the school office by
COB Monday.
Thank you for your cooperation.
The Editors
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