Happy Spring Jaguars!

Last weekend brought us more beautiful weather and a Scrabble tournament at Janney. The playground was full as our many of our Scrabble club participants spelled their way through a competition with students from the mid-Atlantic region. We extend our gratitude to Stefan Fatsis and his team of parents and coaches for leading this special event.

This week the countdown to DC-CAS testing has begun - 144 school days and counting! Our third-fifth grade teachers are hard at work, utilizing the most recent DC-BAS C results to plan targeted review and enrichment around "power standards" (those learning standards that the State Superintendent has identified as the key learning points for each grade level). This process allows us to identify focus skills and thinking objectives, injecting lessons with the energy and creativity that Janney teachers bring to the classroom. We are also providing extra personnel - in the form of administrators, coaches, substitute teachers and tutors - to all grade levels to support interventions with small groups and individual students. It is all hands on deck at Janney!

As I move into some housekeeping and procedural items:
-       I would like to thank parents for responding so quickly to the clarified attendance policies outlined in the last two newsletters. We do have one update for the sake of expediency: please email Laverne.green@dc.gov with notices of vacation/trip-related absences and they will be forwarded to me for approval.
-       I remind those families that have a PreK or additional out-of-boundary student joining us in the fall, please remember that intent forms are due on April 1st. Timely submission of intent forms helps us to plan for the coming year and assist us in keeping those families on the wait list informed.
-       Our pilot of the new and improved drop-off plan begins this Wednesday, March 24th. We will establish our drop-off lane for cars, while we continue to encourage walking/biking/public transportation. Please see the description of the "Walk and Roll" program included in this week's Take Home Tuesday folder and the full delineation of the plan sent home in last week's folder for more information. Your ongoing feedback is welcome as we iron out the kinks and work to keep our students safe as they enter and exit the school.
-       There are two DCPS opportunities to provide feedback. The first solicits comments on the proposed 2010/2011 school year calendar: http://dcps.dc.gov/DCPS/About+DCPS/Calendars/Proposed+DCPS+Calendar+for+School+Year+2010-2011. The second provides space to comment on the structure and purpose of Local School Restructuring Teams (LSRT) found through the main DCPS page: http://dcps.dc.gov.

Finally, I have included a "Construction Updates" section in this week's newsletter. This section will provide weekly information about construction plans and schedules to keep our community informed as we embark on the modernization.

Please remember that this Friday is a half-day (and Paw Prints celebration day) for our students. Have a safe, restful and happy Spring Break and we will see you on April 6th!

Sincerely,

Sincerely,

Norah Lycknell
Principal

Construction Updates

books

This new, weekly newsletter column will serve to inform the community about construction plans and schedules, seeking to bring families up to date as we act as partners in ensuring a safe and minimally disruptive process.

-       Please remember to visit the FAQ link on the Janney website with some frequency. This comprehensive document will be updated regularly to reflect any changes or new items related to construction.
-       On Friday, March 19th, the construction team deviated from their published plan and began routing equipment and concrete through the greentop (the stated plan had them going directly through a fence cut in the parking lot). This deviation meant that heavy equipment traveled through the eastern greentop area, a space frequently trafficked by our students during the day and at dismissal. I addressed the issue with the construction project manager and with OPEFM and have received assurances that such a departure will not occur again. Thanks to the parents who were aware of the construction plan and who immediately addressed the construction team to keep our students safe; your partnership in monitoring our student safety is essential.
-       There will be minimal construction work this week, with finishing touches put on the foundation work. The focus will be on packing and readying demountables for movement to the field.
-       Over Spring Break, the demountables will be moved to the field. Upper playground equipment will be moved to its new location (lower playground equipment, because it is owned by DCPS through the PTA donation, will be moved to another DCPS site). Although the construction team originally planned to set up the length of the fence on the west side, permits have yet to be secured. The former upper playground area will be fenced for construction trailers, but the west side of the campus will be open until those permits are issued.

Janney's Wild!

Janney's Wild! is coming--April 16th, 2010!

Are you ready to party for a good cause? Friday, April 16th , is Janney's Wild!, the biggest fundraiser of the year for our incredible Janney School. Join us for a night of entertainment-gaming, bidding, eating, drinking, and dancing! You'll want to hire your babysitter NOW, because you don't want to miss this fun-filled evening for the parents, teachers and staff of Janney.

Tickets are $75 per person, and include chips for the gaming, food, drink, and entertainment. (The chips are for entertainment only; they have no cash value.) There will also be opportunities to become an event sponsor, or to sponsor a staff member's ticket.

Your invitation should arrive this week. You can also go online at http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e2t40uzu6ef77d60 to RSVP for the party and purchase your tickets, if you desire. The Janney website will have other great links about the party, including information about the House of Sweden, a chance to hear the music of entertainment guests H�s Band, and tantalizing info about our auction items.

It's going to be a great evening. Don't YOU spend it at home! We'll see you at Janney's Wild!

Janney Healthy Food Project

Green Day/ St Patty Day Tasting a Success!

While most of the kids wore green to school Wednesday, they were also eating green! On St. Patrick's Day the Janney Healthy Food Project gave out hundreds of fresh green beans and had a poster board showing what part of the plant they may be eating (the fruit, the seeds, the stem, the flower). Special thanks goes to HFP teachers Ms. Polk and Mr. Kovaks and also to Ms. Morning who helped promote the event and pass out fresh greens in the cafeteria during lunch along with Healthy Food Project parents Marjie Thompson-Longshore, Allison Scuriatti and Jane Malhotra. The Pre-K and K's didnt miss out as trays were brought into their classrooms as well. A special thank you to Ms. Hunter, also a teacher on the Janney's Healthy Food Project, who baked homemade Irish soda bread for the HFP volunteers. Yum!

The kids were thrilled! Almost everyone was ready to try the beans, a few students passed at first, but when they saw how much their friends were enjoying the fresh, crunchy treat, they asked if they could have a bean after all. Many kids asked for seconds or thirds.

So, its safe to assume your kids would welcome fresh green beans in their lunch box.

Stay tuned for the following Spring events sponsored by your Janney Healthy Food Project:
A Taste Test for JED in April
"Bring your Parent or Special Friend to Lunch Week" May 17-21. Bring your lunch to Janney and enjoy eating with your child one day that week.

Want to join in on the HFP fun? Email Janney Parent, Lucy Roberts at lucysmiles99@yahoo.com

Janney Flower Sale

Do You Have Spring Fever? Are you ready for Spring planting?

Support Janney while sprucing up your garden by purchasing your flowers this year from the Janney Flower Sale! You can choose from impatiens, begonias, marigolds and petunias!

Tell your neighbors, friends, and family members....anyone can place an order. Flats are $23. Extra order forms can be picked up in the front office in the bin marked "Flower Sale". Orders must be received and paid for by April 12th. Flower orders will be available for pick up on the green top on May 1, 9-12pm. Contact Sam Corrigan, scorrigan4@gmail.com or Kelly Lee, kellyoblee@gmail.com with any questions of if you need an order form emailed to you!

Nurse's Office

Spring has sprung...and with it comes allergies and allergy symptoms:

Allergy symptoms often consist of: a runny nose, sore throat, watery, itchy eyes and sneezing.

Unless you have medication in the health suite, we can do little to relieve your child's symptoms. Please remember:
Any medication that your child needs at school, prescriptions (inhalers, antibiotics, etc.) and non- prescription medications (Tylenol, Benadryl, etc.), must be brought to the health suite by an adult. Each medication must be in the original new packaging or pharmacy container with the students name clearly labeled and,
All medications must include a medication consent order that has been completed by your child's physician and parent/legal guardian (this includes non-prescription medications).
Please do not send any medication in a child's backpack or lunch bag for your child to take unsupervised. This is a danger to all students and is against our school policy.
If you would like a copy of our medication consent form, please stop by the health suite or the front office.

Janney Open House -- Thank you!

Janney's second open house of the year took place March 12, once again with a strong turnout. Many thanks to Janney parents and students who helped with the event. We had a terrific lot of parent tour guides: Elizabeth Vaden, Lucy Smiles, Rennie Anderson, Carola McGiffert, Kim Curtis and Cathy House. Carola also coordinated refreshments for the event. Our well-prepared student tour guides included: Schuyler Holleman, Sarah Thompson, Gabriela Anifantis, Elle Persson, Mabel Malhotra, Caroline Katzive, Samuel Alten, Tala Anderson, Nicole Davies, Jackson Todd, Elena Remez, Sarah Burch, Zoe Barnes, and Frannie Sewell.

We also owe thanks to Janney staff members for their help: Ms. Franklin (for safety patrol orientation and schedule coordination), Mr. Hillyer & Mr. Adams (for school and multipurpose room preparation), Ms. Green & Ms. Watkins (for preparing the folders), and Ms. Dixon (for her flexibility). Finally, thanks to Ms. Lycknell and Ms. Sell for their leadership, clarity of vision, and organizational skills.

Karen Garman and Julie Hamlin
Co-chairs, Janney Open House

Counselor's Corner

DC-CAS:
The DC-CAS (DC Comprehensive Assessment System) will take place the week of April 19th, for all students in Grades 3-5 at Janney.
The following week, April 24th, the 4th Graders will have an additional assessment in composition and 5th Graders will have an additional
assessment in Science. It is essential that all 3-5th Graders take this yearly assessment and that they be present for each day of testing.
Further information will be coming home for parents as we get closer to the testing dates.

Transportation:
Application forms for student travel on the Metrorail and/or Metrobus during the academic year of 2010-2011 can be picked up from Mrs. Leventhal. The applications are available to students who will be returning to Janney in the fall and it is to be used to commute to school. Apply now to have a transportation card ready for you at the beginning of school in August.

Deal Math Placement Test:
5th Grade students and parents, mark your calendars! The 5th Graders are scheduled to take the Deal Math Placement Test on
Thursday, May 6th at 9 a.m. Further information will be provided to 5th Graders and their parents closer to the testing date.

Safety Patrol Tip of the Week

During inclement weather remember to clear off snow and ice from your vehicle before starting out, switch headlights on low beam to avoid glare and leave earlier for your destination. Mica House, Co-Captain

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.

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