JLS PTA eNews
August 27, 2018
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Important Dates:
August 29 - Back to School Pizza Dinner
August 31 - Minimum Day (12:25 Dismissal)
September 3 - Labor Day - No School
September 4
- PTA Executive Board Meeting
September 5 & 6 - 6th Grade Math Night
September 11
- PTA Association Meeting
Calendar corrections in italics.
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2018-19 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 placing your name on the ballot, please contact
Judy Lukensmeyer, Site Council Coordinator.
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JLS Back to School Pizza Dinner
Wednesday, August 29, 6:00-8:00 pm
Join us at the JLS Cafetorium for pizza, salad, and dessert! See old friends and make new ones at this casual, fun kick-off to the school year. This event is FREE! Help us make sure we order enough pizza!
RSVP online. We’d love volunteers to help us serve pizza!
Sign up to volunteer here. Questions? Contact
Janet Owen.
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Sixth Grade Math Nights
September 5 and 6, 6-7 pm, JLS Cafetorium
During these sessions we will talk about 6th grade math and how it flows to 7th/8th and beyond. We recommend that parents with students in Junod, MacMillan, Bettencourt, and Piedrahita come on Sept 5th and parents with students in Salzmann, Yribbaren, Constant, and Berghout come on Sept 6th. However, if the recommended night doesn’t work for your family, please come on the other night. The material is the same for both nights. We will have Mandarin and Spanish translators available at both sessions. Please note that we will not be discussing “skipping” grades in math at this session. PAUSD does not place 6th grade students into 7th grade math.
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UpToUs Online Directory
Looking to connect with an old friend, or a new parent you just met? JLS PTA is using UpToUs for its electronic Directory and community messaging (via grade-specific parent networks). More information about UpToUs
can be found here.
What about eNews? JLS PTA will continue to use eNews to push out school information, district and community news. UpToUs will serve as our eDirectory and (moderated) platform for our grade-level parent networks.
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Volunteers Needed!
Middle school is a period of significant change for our students and parents need support from one another. Volunteering can bring that much needed support and bring the community closer. Consider donating an hour or two and meet other JLS families and staff in the process. JLS is a large school and events cannot run smoothly without our valuable volunteers.
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Commuters' Corner
In case you missed it, Palo Alto is
switching to an online bike registration program (
Bike Index). If your student registered their bike at Jump Start Day, please be sure to complete the process by signing up for a free Bike Index account. We encourage all families to sign up for an account and register all bikes in their household. Stickers (and instructions for linking them to a bike) are available for JLS students in the office. Questions? Email
BikeIndexJLS@gmail.com.
The City of Palo Alto has a new online tool that gives real-time construction information on streets that are closed for four hours or more. The
Heads Up! tool is in beta launch mode but you can try it out now.
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Community Contributions to PiE Make a Difference
Support Our Students and Teachers - Pledge to PiE Today! Double your Donation Now through September 4th!
The PiE 2018-2019 fundraising campaign is happening now. Your support makes a huge difference to our school community. PiE funds go to every PAUSD school and help principals to staff programs that deliver a well-rounded education. PiE's funding provides enrichment and support in the areas of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), the Arts, and Wellness and Support. PiE-funded staff make a positive impact on our kids every day. Double your impact. Between now and September 4th, gifts and pledges will be matched by a $500,000 Back-To-School Challenge Grant.
Please donate today!
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Measure Z – School Improvement Bond Measure
The PAUSD Board of Education has placed a $460 million school improvement bond, Measure Z, on the November ballot to support the District goals of high-quality teaching and learning, equity and access, and student wellness and safety. When the Palo Alto Strong Schools Bond was approved ten years ago, it was only estimated to address approximately half of the facility needs identified at that time. Since that time, new projects have been identified resulting from changes in learning technology, educational curriculum, and student enrollment trends. As the Strong Schools Bond upgrades are being completed, PAUSD is planning the next phase of improvements to enhance school security and upgrade classrooms and labs to meet 21st-century instructional standards. Measure Z will provide funding for school improvements, including:
- Ensuring school facilities are accessible for students with disabilities and equitable for all
- Upgrading schools to current seismic safety standards to help keep students safe in the event of
- an earthquake
- Completing needed repairs at school facilities
- Increasing school safety and security, such as fire alarms, door locks and emergency communications systems to bring security systems up to current standards
- Providing classrooms and labs to support up-to-date science, technology, engineering and robotics instruction
- Providing up-to-date facilities to maintain outstanding performing and visual art programs
More information will be shared at the upcoming PTA meetings throughout the district. Please make an effort to learn more about Measure Z and how you can help support our schools.
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Notice of Public Hearing: Sufficiency of Materials
Tuesday, September 4, 6:30 pm, Palo Alto Unified School District Office, 25 Churchill Ave
Board of Education Meeting: In accordance with Education Code §60119, the PAUSD Board of Education will receive input from the public relative to certification that students in the Palo Alto Unified School District have sufficient textbooks or instructional materials, or both, for the 2018-19 school year.
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Palo Alto Council PTAs Welcomes You Back-To-School
The PTAC welcomes you back to school. Each school's PTA/PTSA has been hard at work all summer in the behind the scenes work, e.g., back to school (BTS) packets. PTA volunteers are the strength of communities and you can be one, too. Thank you for your involvement, time, talent, or treasure. Come to our
first PTAC General Association meeting on Wednesday, September 12th. See you there! For details,
visit our website or email
evp@paloaltopta.org.
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Tacolicious Fundraising for Local Schools
Monday Nights (August-May)
Each PAUSD school and the PTAC have been busy working with Tacolicious to put together something that helps you and helps our schools. Your school's PTA has paired up with another school's PTA to get a percentage of cash totals from customers who eat on Monday nights at Tacolicious Palo Alto. Thank you to Audrey Gold and Kory Cogdill and the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce/Iris Chen.
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Addison/Duveneck - September 2018
Ohlone/El Carmelo - October
Nixon/Escondido - November
JLS/Palo Verde - December
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Fletcher/Juana Briones - January 2019
Paly/Fairmeadow - February
Gunn/Barron Park - March
Hays/Hoover - April
Greene/PTAC - May
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Palo Alto Council of PTAs - Looking for a Few Good Men and Women ...
If you have a desire to serve your community, want to know what is happening, enjoying meeting other like-minded seasoned PTA members, we have a suggestion for you. The Palo Alto Council of PTAs (PTAC) is looking to fill a
few remaining key volunteer and board positions. PTA Councils meets twice a month (September-October and January-March), once for the Executive Board and once for the general public. PTA volunteers also serve on PTAC committees, including but not limited those listed below. Please consider this an opportunity to be influential in our students' education with our strategic partners. All level of experience, expertise, and interest welcome. Please email us at
evp@paloaltopta.org. Join us!
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Open Positions:
Vice President of Advocacy
Vice President of Arts
Vice President of Parent Education
Vice President of Communication (Co-Position)
Parliamentarian
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Key Volunteers
Sponsorship Committee (3 members - Fall)
Elections Observers Committee (2 members - Fall) - this is a non-partisan group
Honorary Service Awards Committee (3 members - Spring)
125th Celebration Committee (3 members - Spring)
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Urgent: Speak Up Now for our Students - in Seconds!
The CA legislature is voting NOW on CA PTA approved bills, directly impacting our PAUSD students. It takes just two taps on your phones to make a difference:
- Pupil Suicide Prevention and Training (AB 2639)
- Invest in Pre-K (AB 1754)
- Increase K-12 school funding targets (AB 2808)
- Help for our Foster Youth (AB 2043)
- Help for our Homeless Youth (AB 1406)
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Bike Palo Alto 2018 -- Save the Date!
Sunday, September 30, 1-3 pm, Fairmeadow Elementary School, 500 E Meadow Dr
Bike Palo Alto is a free annual event that encourages more people to bike more places more often and kicks off PAUSD’s Walk & Roll Week. Bicyclists of all ages and abilities can explore Palo Alto’s bike-friendly routes and “secret” passageways that make getting around fun and easy! Choose from three self-guided routes; free treats are offered at rest stops along each route. For more information, visit
bikepaloalto.org. We’re looking for volunteers! If you’d like to join us
please fill out this form.
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Ride the Peninsula Interim Bikeway
Saturday, September 8, 10 am - 2 pm, Burgess Park, Menlo Park
Join us as Palo Alto teams up with Menlo Park, Mountain View, and Redwood City to celebrate the opening of an interim bikeway and begin planning for a future permanent Peninsula Bikeway. Elected representatives and staff from the cities will be on hand at this family-friendly event to hear from the community. The temporary bikeway route covers almost 16 miles in the four peninsula cities and runs from Evelyn Avenue in Mountain View to Warwick Street in Redwood City as it travels along California, Bryant, Oak Grove, Laurel, Elena, and Austin, among others. The route takes advantage of existing facilities with a focus on including low-stress bike streets. The event at Burgess Park includes: fun events for kids and families, a pop-up separated bikeway, and e-bike test rides. For more information and to view a map of the interim bikeway, visit
peninsulabikeway.com.
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Future of El Camino Real
Survey open through September 7th
Community feedback is sought on bicycle and pedestrian connectivity and safety enhancements along El Camino Real between Stanford Avenue and Lambert Avenue, including potential protected bicycle lanes, among other ideas. Please let the City of Palo Alto know your thoughts by
taking an online survey and signing up for future notifications on the
project webpage.
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Girl Code: Rising Together
Sunday, September 16, 6-7:30 pm, Performing Arts Center, Menlo Atherton High School
Five amazing women describe their paths to leadership. For students and parents. Speakers are Olympic runner Kim Conley; Steeplechase champ Stephanie Garcia; Engineer and Miss CEO founder Nita Singh Kaushal; Activist, filmmaker, and educator Ana Angel Avendaño; Singer, performer, teacher Molly Bell. Free;
Registration is required. Nonprofit supporting sponsor: Stand Up Eight Foundation
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Classes for Middle and High School Students
Saturdays, September 15 - November 10, Gunn High School, 780 Arastradero Rd
Outstanding high school students are teaching classes to raise funds for the Ravenswood City School District in East Palo Alto. For the seventh session, Silicon Valley Youth is offering classes in Intro to Java, iOS App Development, and AMC 8 classes.
Sign up online. Contact:
svyouth1@gmail.com.
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Seeking Participants for a Stanford Brain Imaging Research StudyThe Early Life
Stress and Pediatric Anxiety Program at Stanford is currently recruiting children and adolescents, both with and without a history of tics, for a research study exploring brain function. Youth between the ages of 9-17 who are right-handed and English-speaking may be eligible to participate. Participation involves two initial and two follow-up appointments that each last about 2 hours and include self-reports and behavioral tasks as well as brain imaging with fNIRS (functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy). fNIRS is a safe, non-invasive technique that uses infrared light to examine brain function. In addition, children with a history of tics will receive 8 weekly sessions of behavior therapy with a tic disorder specialist. All participants will receive access to ongoing updates about study outcomes and payment of $120 for involvement. For more information, or to enroll in the study, email
espil@stanford.edu. For general information about participant rights, contact 1-866-680-2906.
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Acterra Ride, Drive, and Be Green Event
September 16th, 1-4 pm, 3921 E Bayshore Rd, Palo Alto
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Golden State Youth Orchestra Endangered Instruments Program
September, Palo Alto
Palo Alto-based Golden State Youth Orchestra (formerly El Camino Youth Symphony) invites musicians ages 8-13 to learn an "endangered instrument!" GSYO Endangered Instruments Program (EIP) encourages young musicians to learn to play those instruments that are highly sought after by orchestras: Bassoon, Double Bass, French Horn, and Viola. If you’re a young musician who is interested in learning to play, and/or switching to an endangered instrument, join this unique program! Students enrolled in EIP receive subsidized group lessons (2-6 students per class), a free rental instrument, and placement in a GSYO orchestra or ensemble once their skills have reached a sufficient level.
Apply online. Call GSYO at 650-665-9046 for more information.
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Eleanor Roosevelt: The Power of Words
Sunday, September 9th, 2-4 pm, Media Arts Center of Palo Alto High School
Join us for a special Bay Area debut performance of Eleanor Roosevelt: The Power of Words as we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The show is sponsored by American Association of University Women of Palo Alto and co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Palo Alto and the United Nations Association. Tickets are $12.00
in advance or at the door. Recommended for adults and students, age 13 years and older.
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