Panther Tracks
JLS PTA eNews
November 26, 2018
JLS News
Important Dates:
November 26 - December 14 - Holiday Book Drive
November 26 - Site Council Meeting
November 28 - Choir Concert
November 30 - Student Store Open
December 4 - PTA Executive Board Meeting
December 5 - Band Concerts
December 6 - Latte Cart | Connections Coffee | Orchestra Concert
For JLS Middle School Parents
New Date: Thursday December 13th, 2018 at 8.30am; Location/ Room 730
Join Principal Lisa Hickey for a Community Conversation with Special Education Director Alma Ellis. Do you have a child with an IEP or 504 or a child that needs a bit of extra help. Do you have questions about your child's progress at school? Curious about what social and emotional supports and interventions are available on campus? Join us for morning coffee and all parents are welcome, whether you just have a question or have a child currently receiving support. We hope you'll join us. Information/Questions contact: Yael Naveh or Christina Schmidt - Special Ed/ Inclusion Representatives or  PTA Special Education or CAC for Special Education website.

Para Los Padres de la Escuela Secundaria JLS
Fecha: December 13th, 2018. Hora- 8:30 am. Lugar: Salón 730 de la escuela JLS
Invitamos a los padres de familia a una conversación acerca de Educación Especial junto con la directora de la escuela, Lisa Hickey. ¿Tiene un hijo con un IEP (Programa Individualizado de Educación), o un Plan 504, o un niño que necesita un poco de ayuda adicional? ¿Tiene preguntas sobre el progreso de su hijo en la escuela? ¿Tiene curiosidad sobre qué apoyo e intervención social y emocional están disponibles en el plantel escolar? Únase a nosotros para tomar un café por la mañana y todos los padres son bienvenidos, ya sea que tenga una pregunta, o tenga un hijo que recibe apoyo educacional. ¡Los esperamos a todos! Desea más información o tiene preguntas, contacte a Yael Nave o Christina Schmidt o Representante de inclusión del PTA en Educación especial o la página Web de CAC (Community Advisory Committee For Special Education/ Comité Asesor para Educación Especial).

致JLS 中学家长
日期:December 13th, 日2018上午8:30 ; 地点:JLS 中学礼堂/MP Room
请加入我们和校长Lisa Hickey,与特殊教育主任Alma Ellis进行社区对话。
 您是否有IEP,504计划或需要一些额外帮助的孩子? 您对孩子在学校的进展有疑问吗? 想知道校园里有哪些社会和情感支持和干预措施吗?请来参加我们的早晨咖啡,欢迎所有的家长,无论您只是想了解信息还是有孩子目前接受支持服务, 我们希望您能参加。信息/问题,请联系:特殊教育/包容代表 Yael Naveh 或 Christina Schmidt  或PTA特殊教育: specialed@paloaltopta.org 或CAC特殊教育网站: https://cacpaloalto.org/.
Help Wanted: Staff Appreciation Latte Cart
1st Thursday: February - March 2019
JLS PTA hosts monthly staff appreciation latte carts. These events are organized by committee (ideally one coordinator per season). PTA is looking for someone(s) to help with the Spring Latte Cart(s). If you are interested in helping coordinate 1 to 3 morning event(s) in the Spring, please email jlsptaemail@gmail.com.
Tacolicious Restaurant Nights
Mondays in December
Tacolicious has partnered with all the Palo Alto schools this year to host weekly restaurant nights. For the month of December, Tacolicious will give 15 percent of proceeds from Monday sales to JLS and Palo Verde. More information to come!
Holiday Book Drive
The library at JLS is hosting a Holiday Book Drive for the non-profit organization Access Books Bay Area which uses the books it receives to establish school library collections in underfunded elementary and middle schools in the SF Bay Area. For their current drive, Access Books is asking for books for an elementary school library they plan to support in January. A PAUSD teacher librarian is the executive director of this organization in the Bay Area and a PAUSD parent is on the board. The upcoming book drive is for K-5 fiction and nonfiction books. In the past Access Books Bay Area has had success with book drives held at middle schools requesting elementary level books because a lot of students and their parents want to clean out the home library of all the picture books and early chapter books that their middle schoolers no longer look at. Please help us increase local schoolchildren’s access to books by dropping off your gently used K-5 fiction and nonfiction books at the JLS Library from November 26th - December 14th.
JLS Basketball Coaches Needed 2018-2019
We are in search of Girls Basketball Coaches for the 2018-2019 season. Practices have already begun and games will begin the week of November 26th. Two teams are in need of a coach and the open positions are for our JLS Girls 7B team and JLS Girls 8B team. Practices are approximately 1 hour and 30 mins Monday-Friday that can range from 3 pm - 7 pm. Games are after school on Monday-Friday. We are in urgent need to fulfill these positions so the girls on the team will be able to play this season. If interested please contact Kevin Virrey, JLS Middle School Athletic Director.
Commuters' Corner
If you notice an issue with our streets (potholes, street light out, debris in the bike lane) or have a suggestion for an improvement (more bike parking, new signage) the best way to reach the City is Palo Alto 311. You can make a request on the website, or download the app for iPhone or Android. Once you make a request, you can track it and will be notified of progress and resolution.
PAUSD News
Each Friday! Superintendent's Weekly Board Update
Read Dr. Don Austin's Weekly Board Update, published new each Friday on the District website.
Stanford 2018 GUP - Development Agreement Community Listening Meeting
Thursday, November 29, 6:30 pm, City of Palo Alto Council Chambers 250 Hamilton Ave
Come share the community benefits you believe should be included in a Stanford University and County of Santa Clara Development Agreement. Come share your ideas with County staff, Supervisor Simitian, and Supervisor Chavez. They will be there to listen to your input!
2e2: Teaching the Twice Exceptional Film Screening
Thursday, November 29, 7- 9 pm, Gunn High School, Little Theater (Studio Theater)
Are you the parent of or do you know a “2e” child - one who is bright yet struggles with learning differences? Curious to know how we can better leverage these children’s strengths to develop their talents and reach their full potential? Join us for a free screening and discussion of the newly released film, 2e2: Teaching the Twice Exceptional. Director Thomas Ropelewski will be on hand for the post-screening discussion and Q&A, where we’ll explore how to bring some of these strategies to our Palo Alto community. Brought to you by the Palo Alto Educators Association (PAEA), the Palo Alto Community Advisory Committee (CAC), and Resilience and Engagement for Every Learner (REEL). All are welcome: parents, community members, and educators.  Please RSVP here.
PTAC News
Tell the County to Protect Our Schools
The Stanford General Use Permit will add hundreds of new students to our schools. Your voice is needed now to urge the county to protect our school quality in the new GUP.
  • Attend the November 29 (6:30 p.m., Palo Alto City Hall) County meeting. You do not need to speak - we have signs for you.
  • iPhone users: Message the county before the 11/29 meeting, with 2 taps on your phone via PTAC mobile alerts. To receive your mobile alerts, you MUST update your Click My Cause app or download the Click My Cause app (select Palo Alto PTA Council).
  • Android users: Message the county before the 11/29 meeting. Suggested email message and supervisors’ email addresses will be soon on the PTAC website.
Community News
Dance Connection Palo Alto's Nutcracker features JLS Middle School Students
Friday, November 30, 7 pm & Saturday, December 1, 4 pm, Smithwick Theater, Foothill College, Los Altos
Dance Connection Palo Alto announces its 20th Nutcracker performance featuring JLS Middle School students. Come and watch the magic of 100+ Dance Connection dancers as they perform this timeless holiday classic. Appropriate for ages 3 and up with a performance under 2 hours with one intermission.  Tickets are available online.
Talk to Me: What Do You Need to Feel Connected to School, Family and the Community?
Wednesday, December 5, 7-8:30 pm, Mitchell Park Library, Palo Alto - Midtown Room
A conversation with adults and youth to raise the awareness of the importance of youth feeling like they belong and building relationships that help youth thrive. To attend, please register. For more information, visit here. Questions? Please contact Youth Connectedness Initiative - Parent Program Coordinator.
Holiday Extravaganza with TwoSet Violin
Sunday, December 9, 3 pm, Smithwick Theatre 12345 El Monte Rd, Los Altos Hills
Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra (PACO) is thrilled to host TwoSet Violin, Brett Yang and Eddy Chen, whose hilarious skits and classical send-ups have garnered over 200 million social media viewings worldwide. Our Holiday Extravaganza includes all five PACO orchestras performing separately as well as together for some Handel favorites. You never thought classical music would be this much fun. This concert is PACO's only ticket event ($30 general / $40 preferred seating). For details and to purchase tickets, visit pacomusic.org.
The Paly Sports Boosters Holiday Tree Fundraiser
Get a head start on your Holiday preparations and support the Paly Sports Boosters at the same time! Beautiful Oregon holiday trees will be on sale in the Paly front parking lot:
  • Friday, November 30, 4-9 pm
  • Saturday & Sunday, December 1 & 2, 9 am - 6 pm  
Thank you for supporting the Paly Sports Boosters!
Creative Writing Club for Teens
Thursday, December 20, 4-5:30 pm, Rinconada Library, 1213 Newell Rd
End of year pizza planning party. Join us while we work on our writing contest entries and plan activities for the upcoming year. Grades 6-12.
Parent Ed Workshop: Building Healthy Relationships and Creating a Culture of Consent 
Wednesday, November 28, 7-8:30 pm, Board Room, District Office, 25 Churchill OR Thursday, December 6, 7-8:30 pm, PAC, Palo Alto High School
Whether your child is 5 or 15, it is essential that they are given the understanding, language and skills to appropriately express their own boundaries, and at the same time show respect for those of others. National expert Anea Bogue will provide workshop attendees with practical tips and strategies to effectively communicate with your child about affirmative consent and healthy relationships in an age appropriate manner. Our parent education workshop will focus on providing you with expert insight on how to effectively broach these subjects with your students in ways that minimize resistance, risk and instead promote mutual trust and greater connection. Sponsored by the PAUSD RISE Task Force. Appropriate for parents/guardians of students of all ages (TK through 12).
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eNews Publication Guidelines
JLS eNews is a publication of the JLS PTA. Previous editions and Publication Guidelines can be found at the JLS PTA website. If you have any questions or would like to make a submission, please contact Christy Moision, JLS's eNews editor.