How wonderful it was to see Janney come to life with the return of our students and families this past week! As our students and teachers oriented to their classroom, I had the pleasure of witnessing as classroom communities were built, routines practiced, names learned, self portraits drawn, journal reflections written, and music created. And at this very moment, a Metropolitan Police Department should be landing their helicopter on the Janney field as a Homeland Security Test and a community event.

I hosted a principal's coffee on Monday, August 31st from 8:00am - 8:30am, discussing the Responsive Classroom and Positive Behavior Supports (PBS or Paw Prints) models. For Spirit Day on Friday, all students and staff are invited to show their Janney pride by wearing our school colors, blue and white. Just as advanced notice, next Tuesday, September 8th, is quite a busy night - the School Improvement Team (SIT) will meet at 5:45pm in the library, Room Parent Orientation will take place at 6:45pm, and the year's first PTA meeting will take place at 7:30pm in the multipurpose room.

For the past week, the gate to the Janney staff parking lot has been closed at 8:15 in effort to prevent the campus being used as a cut-through when our students are present. As the gate is not locked, a staff member will be posted at that gate beginning at 8:30 every morning to invite Janney families through and to discourage those who are not part of the Janney community from entering the campus. Particularly as surrounding schools begin their year, please be cautious of the cars in the alley, and thank you for parking before the alley to keep our pedestrians safe.

As many of you have seen in person, the Janney Jamboree began this week. Although I briefly explained the gathering in last week's newsletter, I want to use this opportunity to provide greater clarity and to share some reflections.

As I have mentioned before, I had many conversations with teachers, staff, students, and parents over the summer. Although Janney's strengths dominated most discussions, I also asked that everyone identify growth areas for the coming year. Concerns abounded that not all stakeholders felt like part of the community; there seemed to be a lack of efficient communication; tardiness rates were high and growing; announcements interrupted the learning day; parents who could not attend PTA meetings or other evening events felt isolated; increased connections between older and younger students were desired; some students were struggling to make friends and feel part of Janney; students were not aware of the work that their peers were doing; the morning arrival time was chaotic and disconnected; and celebrations of good work were limited. Each of the previous sentiments arose repeatedly. It was not my intention to make value judgments about their validity, but rather to hear the concerns and how they could be ameliorated, whether for the sake of the important minority or for the majority. Through personal experience, research of best practices, and a study of the work on experts on building school community, a common thread emerged: starting the day with a community gathering. Thus, the Janney Jamboree began to take shape.

I have received varying feedback on success of the Jamboree across all grade levels. To this point, feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with several suggestions for improvement. As is often the case with something new, I also want to acknowledge the discomfort and problems that the Jamboree has surfaced. We have improved the process each day, many suggestions have already been incorporated, and solutions will continue to be implemented in the areas of time, opportunities to communicate with teachers, supervision and structure, weather (the Jamboree will be cancelled for inclement weather, in tandem with recess moving indoors), and content.

The Jamboree and its content serve to promote four core values at Janney: equity, collaboration, reflection and experimentation. As the Jamboree committee plans future meetings, there will be increased teacher leadership, student involvement, and opportunities for parents to contribute. Although Mondays will always serve as a welcome day, and Fridays will be reserved for celebrations, the middle of the week might include song, team building, performances, sharing, presentations, thought questions, etc. This first week represented a foundation only, and in the spirit of experimentation and reflection, the Jamboree will grow into a more interesting and useful event each week. In fact, this week (please see the schedule in advance on the Janney website and in the weekly newsletter) we will hear from all three of our major stakeholders: staff, students and parents.

As the Jamboree begins to be led by different members of our community, I am excited to see the interpersonal connections that will be made. Students have been respectful, responsible, safe and focused in their classrooms and in conjunction with classroom lessons, have a clear understanding of the expectations at Janney. Most of all, I hope you will agree that the Jamboree has become more efficient each and every day and that it has been increasingly evident how the event supports our vision and values.

I am excited for the week ahead as our students and staff continue their pursuit of learning! As always, please feel free to contact me via email norah.lycknell@dc.gov or phone 202-282-0110.

Sincerely,
Norah Lycknell

The Jamboree Schedule for the week is:
- Monday: Welcome
- Tuesday: Teacher-led Song
- Wednesday: Student Presentation
- Thursday: Parent Presentation: President Obama's Vacation
- Friday: Celebrations

A Note from Your PTA Co-Presidents

Hello Janney families! We hope everyone is settling into their school routine after a whirlwind first week of school. We wanted to thank all the parents for their feedback on a variety of issues this first week and are appreciative of the constructive and thoughtful suggestions and comments that are crucial to improving Janney's workings and our children's educational experience. Keep them coming, they are most welcome.

Please join us at the first PTA General Meeting on Tuesday, September 8th at 7:30pm in the Multi-purpose Room. Parents will meet our new Principal Ms. Norah Lycknell, learn more about the wonderful community and learning environment at Janney, the exciting events planned at Janney this fall, and opportunities to get involved in the school community. In addition, there will be reports from the PTA Treasurers regarding the PTA Budget, the status of Janney's Modernization from the SIT (School Improvement Team), and a report from the LSRT (Local School Restructuring Team).

If you are interested in serving as a room parent, which is a great way to get involved in your child's class, we encourage you to arrive at 6:45 PM for a brief information session prior to the meeting.

We'd also like to thank all the families who have completed and returned their All-in-One Fee form, and offer a gentle reminder/request to those who have yet to do so. The PTA helps pay for a wide range of important items, including some staff positions, books and supplies, maintenance of the field and grounds, and teacher professional development. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Thanks and have a great week!

Scott Cheney and Jonathan McHugh

Your PTA Dollars at Work

PTA funds have been used this year to ensure that Janney has a full complement of the most recent edition of "Everyday Math" books and resources, as well as for the purchase of various reading and writing assessment kits. Thank you for your continued support!

School Supply Drive a Success!

A huge thank you to everyone who contributed school supplies for Wheatley Education Center, and to all the Janney teachers who collected the supplies. Families were extremely generous, and we know that Scott Cartland and everyone at Wheatley will be extremely appreciative. This is a great beginning for our pilot project with the DC3 Collaborative, and we look forward to other opportunities throughout the school year. If you have any suggestions of projects we can do with Wheatley, or just want to get involved, please contact Sharon Masling or Julia Tillman.

Mentoring Thanks!

Thanks to all those new and returning Janney families who
participated in the Mentoring Program. We hope it helped ease the transition for new students and parents, and perhaps even launched a few new friendships! "Mentors" will continue to be available to new families throughout the year should there be any questions or concerns. If you have any comments about how the process worked, and how it could work better, please send them to Carola McGiffert.

Popsicles!

Enjoy a cool, refreshing treat, socialize and help the PTA fund all at the same time! We'll be selling popsicles for the bargain price of $1.00 after school on Friday (sunny, warm weather permitting). We'll start in front of school, then move to the JED area. Look for us next week, too!

If anyone would like to help for a very short 20 minutes, please contact Marie or Jeff Koczela . Thanks.

Janney Fall Picnic Request for Assistance!

The Janney Fall Picnic is fast approaching and we are in dire need of volunteers to pull off this event. If interested in setup, grilling, serving, cashiering or clean up, please email Julie Slattery. Families with last names A-K bring a side dish, L-Z dessert. See you September 25th!

Safety Patrol Tip of the Week

Slow down in or near school and residential areas.

Zoe Barnes, Safety Patroller

www.shoptoearn.net/Janney

In the Neighborhood

Moms (and Dads?) on the Run
Anyone interested in running on Friday mornings after drop off? I'm not a serious runner (just 3-4 miles). I've never run in a group before but it seems like it would be fun and motivating. Let me know if you want to join me. I'll wait in front of the main entrance to Janney on Albermarle. Jennie Bonney

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.

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 Thursday deadline for each week.

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 of interest to elementary school children as space permits. It is the PTA's policy not to carry for-profit advertisements or classifieds. Thank you for your cooperation.

The Editors