2019-20 JLS Site Council Seeks New Parent Representatives

JLS is looking for additional parents to volunteer for the Site Council. The Site Council is a representative body made up of parents, staff, and students. It is responsible for developing and monitoring the Single Plan for Student Achievement, allocating resources to meet the goals identified in the plan, and providing broad-based input on school effectiveness. Membership on the Council consists of four parents, four students, and eight staff members. Parent membership consists of three elected positions and one position appointed by the PTA. Elected parent members of the Site Council hold office for two years, provided that they continue to be a parent at JLS; otherwise the term of office is one year. If you have questions about the Site Council and/or are interested in serving, please contact Judy Lukensmeyer, Site Council Coordinator.

8th Grade Promotion Party

Friday, May 31

The Promotion Party, after the Promotion Ceremony, is an 8th grade tradition at JLS. Typically, 6th and 7th grade parents sign-up to help since 8th grade parents are at the ceremony. When your child is in 8th grade, the 6th and 7th grade parents will return the favor. It's also your chance to preview what's in store for your child at the end of 8th grade. 8th grade parents are welcome to volunteer if they like. Volunteers are needed to help this event run smoothly. Short on time but want to help? You can also sign-up to bring strawberries, marshmallows, etc. for the chocolate fountains, for example. Please sign-up here.

This year's theme is Willy Wonka. To help bring the Willy Wonka theme to life, go to Amazon to purchase candy complimenting the Willa Wonka theme. Drop off candy at JLS before the event. Please label "2019 8th Grade Promo Party Donation." Questions? Contact the promotion party team, Mayma Raphael & Kyle Edwards, at JLSpromteam@gmail.com.

8th Grade Promotion Flowers 

Help Needed Thursday, May 30 (evening, after 8 pm) 

We are looking for someone to pick up flowers after the Gunn High School promotion on Thursday, May 30 and transport them over to JLS. Volunteer will need a large vehicle like a minivan. Available? Please contact Joan Scherer, subject line: promotion flowers.  

Middle Schools Bicycle Skills Classes

Would you like to help your student join the huge numbers (over 50%!) of middle schoolers who bike to school? To ensure students acquire the bike handling skills needed to safely navigate the roadways, Wheel Kids Bicycle Club, Inc. has teamed up with the City of Palo Alto’s Safe Routes to School Program to offer a Middle School Bike Skills Class. Among other topics, students (and accompanying parents) will learn: basic traffic laws, how to navigate busy intersections, the most common types of bike crashes and how to avoid them, and how to position yourself on the road. This half-day class is offered in June, July and August. Registration is open; click here for details. Space is limited. Sign up today!

Back to School Helpers Needed

July-August 2019

It’s the strong community of volunteers that helps make JLS a great place for our children to feel safe, happy and welcome, and for the staff to feel appreciated. A new school year is right around the corner, so we need many hands to get the ball rolling! JLS is looking for parent volunteers to help with back to school (BTS) events, such as form sorting, Jump Start Day, etc. If you'd like to join the team, please let us know by signing-up. Once the BTS event coordinators have the event sign-ups ready, they will reach out to you so you can select specific shifts. Thanks for helping us plan ahead!

Help Wanted: JLS eNews Co-Editor and Webmaster for 2019-2020

JLS PTA is looking for a volunteer familiar with Constant Contact who is willing to share editor responsibilities of the weekly JLS PTA eNews for next year. If you are interested, please contact VP Communications, Anjani Sarma. JLS PTA is also looking for a new webmaster to implement various updates to the JLS PTA website throughout the year. If you are interested, please send an email to jlsptaemail@gmail.com.

Summer Camps Info Now Available on PTAC Website

Looking for a summer camp in your neighborhood or at one of our Palo Alto Unified school sites? Now you can find it at the PTAC website. Camp providers listed on this page host activities/summer camps at PAUSD Schools, and pay rental fees to our district. These rental fees help to defray the cost of running our schools while providing local opportunities for our kids. PTA Council does not endorse one camp over another. This service is offered to give parents an easy way to find out what is being offered and where. Please contact the PTAC Webmaster to recommend updates to this information. There is no charge to providers to be listed.

Commuters' Corner

If your student isn't currently walking or biking to school, summer is a great time to try out the best route to give active commuting a try. Walking or bicycling to school gives children a sense of responsibility and independence, as well as time for physical activity which is associated with improved academic performance. The JLS Walk and Roll Map has the best suggested routes, shows crossing guard locations, and estimates the time it takes to get to JLS from various locations.

For our soon-to-be high schoolers, the Gunn and Paly websites have lots of information about walking and rolling to school, as well as VTA transit and shuttle services. Our school commutes are quite congested, and getting any single occupancy vehicle off the road makes a difference. Active commuting, transit, and carpooling are great solutions to congestion and pollution. For commuting safety tips, including lots of new information, please visit the Safe Routes to School Educational Resources page.

Each Friday! Superintendent's Weekly Board Update

Read Dr. Don Austin's Weekly Board Update, published new each Friday on the District website.

PAUSD Annual Update/Registration

All parents were sent instructions on doing their annual update and registration. These were sent via Infinite Campus to the email you have on file with the district. If you have not completed your update, please look in your email inbox/junk/spam for an email with the subject line "Single sign-on, Annual Data Update, & CAASPP Score delivery" dated Monday May 6 from Derek Moore. Parents/caregivers must complete this process by June 30, 2019. If you need assistance with this, please submit a request via Let’s Talk on our website or leave a message at 650-665-5320, or contact Derek Moore.

PAUSD Climate Survey

All parents were sent an email encouraging them to participate in the2019 PAUSD Family Climate Survey. This email was sent through by Don Austin (via Qualtrics) to the email address you have on file with the district. This survey is different from surveys in the past, and we ask that you take the time to fill out the survey; it should take about 10-15 minutes. The survey can be taken in Spanish and Mandarin as well. Follow this link to the take the Survey.

PTAC - Final General Association Meeting & Spring Training  

Wednesday, May 22, 9 am, District Office

PTAC will have its final meeting for the general association at 9 am on May 22nd, followed by Spring Training 10:30 am. Congratulations to all our 17 PTAs for electing their new members to serve and to the new members for their willingness to step up. All 17 unit PTA Presidents, EVPs, Secretaries, VPs and Collaborative Committees will have an opportunity to meet in small groups and learn about important items for their office and roles for next year. Please join us for a group photo under our new PTAC banner at the front of 25 Churchill Ave. District Office.

Mondays at Tacolicious

Didn't get enough Tacolicious earlier in the year? Monday nights in May benefit Greene Middle School and PTAC. PTAC (which includes all the schools, so please go eat!) and Greene Middle School get a percentage of cash totals from customers who eat out on Monday nights at Tacolicious Palo Alto (632 Emerson Street). Help support our schools and local businesses -- it's now so easy to get a quick Monday meal (eat in or take out). Thank you to Audrey Gold and Kory Cogdill and the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce (Iris Chen) for putting this together.

2019 Palo Alto Speech and Debate Camp

Program Dates: Session 1: June 3–June 7, 2019; Session 2: June 10–June 14, 2019

Registration for the fifteenth annual 2019 Palo Alto Speech and Debate Camp is now open! Year after year, students leave Palo Alto Speech and Debate Camp with improved public speaking, research skills, critical thinking abilities, and self-confidence. Taught by Palo Alto’s nationally ranked high school Speech and Debate team, our unmatchable 4:1 student-to-counselor ratio provides students with individualized attention and support. Whether a student is a first-time camper with a fear of public speaking or a seasoned competitor, PASDC offers customized curriculum for campers of all experience levels with our basic and advanced tracts. This year, look forward to a new-and-improved curriculum which blends quality instruction with fun camp activities. We have revamped our Advanced Speech and Debate content to better engage returning campers and help them move beyond foundational skills to prepare for competing at the high school level. Students come away with not only with a newfound confidence in their own abilities but also with public speaking and research skills that will equip them for success in high school and beyond. We also make sure that our counselors engage the campers and encourage them to make friends and enjoy their time at camp through camp-wide games in the afternoon that allow campers to build bonds with one another in a fun environment.  Visit our website to see full course offerings and other program details. Please contact palyspeechanddebate@gmail.com with any questions you may have.

Gunn Choir Spring Concert and Awards

Thursday, May 23, 7:30 pm, Spangenberg Theatre, Gunn High School

In a concert of works by Palestrina, Duruflé, Bardos, Stephen Paulus and Moses Hogan, the Gunn choirs serenade the graduating class of 2019 as they prepare for their upcoming singing tour of Rome and Florence. Tickets at door: $7 Adults, $5 Students.

Help Kids in Grades K-5 with Reading, Writing, Math Next Year

Sign up to volunteer in September to work with K-5 students attending school in East Palo Alto and eastern Menlo Park. Just an hour a week, and you can make a real difference in a student’s life. You’ll go to the same classroom for an hour every week during the school year to help with reading or math. Studies show that you will make real change in a community where over 80% of students are performing below grade level. We provide training and coordination. Info and sign up, visit allstudentsmatter.org or email Director Keri Tully.

Palo Alto Art Center Offers Art Camps for All School-Aged Children K-12th

Unleash the creativity in your child by signing up for one of our week-long summer camps. We offer camps in painting, printmaking, mixed media, photography, and sculpture, starting June 10.  Camps are held Monday through Friday from 9-11:30 am and 12:30-3 pm at the Art Center (1313 Newell Road) and the Mitchell Park Community Center (3700 Middlefield Road). Please review the Enjoy! Summer Camp catalog for camp schedule and information. Questions? Please contact Rebecca Passarello (650-617-3509). 

Quick Links

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.