JLS PTA eNews
April 15, 2019
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Important Dates:
April 15 - Site Council Meeting | 7th Grade Health Connected Parent Info Meeting
April 16 - PTA General Meeting
April 17 - PTA High School Transition Panel
April 24 - Spring Walk and Roll to School Day
April 25-27 - Drama Production
April 26 - Student Store Open
April 29 - May 3 - Staff Appreciation Week
April 30 - Parent Ed: Speaker Julie Lythcott-Haims
May 1 - 8th Grade "Getting to High School" Bike Safety Assembly
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Save the Date: JLS PTA Elections
Please join us for coffee and treats at the final JLS PTA General Meeting. We will be voting in the new Executive Board for 2019-2020, reviewing our financials, and more. This is a great opportunity to come and meet the incoming/outgoing board, check out the volunteer roster for 2019-2020 and get a sneak peak on back to school activities. We hope to see you there! The JLS PTA Nominating Committee submits its report of 2019-2020 Nominations for Office to the PTA membership:
President - Julia Jacobsen
Executive VP - OPEN
1st VP (Programs) - Janet Owen
2nd VP (Membership) - Suzanne Quo
3rd VP (Communications) - Anjani Sarma
4th VP (Community Service) - Bryna Chang
5th VP (School Support) - Tina Mondragon
Secretary - Claire Kirner
Treasurer - Maria Derrick
Auditor - Emily Jaquette
Historian - Melanie Gurunathan
Parliamentarian - Christina Schmidt
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International Dinner and Social - Thank you!
JLS PTA thanks all the student and parent volunteers for helping with the International Dinner and Social. This event simply could not have happened without you! Special thanks to PiE for the desserts; the JLS custodians; the student entertainers: Raices de Mexico (Mexican folkloric dancers: Clara & Sofia R., Sebastian & Xavier J., Maricarmen M., Jimena R., Melanie R.) and the Bharatanatyam dances (Indian Classical dancers: Ovia and Smriti K.); and finally, the JLS PTA International Committee: Anjuli B., Uma M., Charu G., Quiana W., Nieves P., Helen A., Gracie S., Chunlei L., Sarah C., Jannie O. & Lili NR.
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Earth Day Activities
To commemorate Earth Day with the community on
Wednesday, April 24, the Green Team Student Club has planned the following activities:
- Walk & Roll to School Day, a semi-annual event encouraging students to take an earth-friendly mode of transportation to school such as walking, biking, skateboarding, riding the bus, or carpooling. Walk & Roll participants will earn a sticker that they can trade in at the lunchtime Earth Day Rally later that day for entry into our raffle.
- “Living Green” Art Competition. Drop off entries in the Library on Monday, April 22 or Tuesday, April 23. For more information, please view the flyer.
- Earth Day Lunch Rally. Join us in the amphitheater at lunch to ride our bike-powered blender to make your own smoothie, watch our student/staff bicycle relay race, view the art competition entries, and more.
We hope you’ll celebrate Earth Day with us!
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PG&E Gas Pipeline Replacement Work on Loma Verde
Notice of Extended Hours: PG&E is going to be working extended hours on the gas pipe replacement on Waverly and Loma Verde from
April 15th through 19th from 9 am to 9 pm. Parent drivers are encouraged to take alternate routes as traffic may be impacted. Reminder: Student commuters should avoid the area, and can take Cowper or Bryant to and from JLS (the regular recommended bicycling routes). Waverley is not recommended as a bicycle route because of car traffic.
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Parent Education Event: Julie Lythcott-Haims -
How to Raise an Adult
Mark your calendars for author and Palo Alto parent Julie Lythcott-Haims who will be speaking at JLS on
Tuesday, April 30th at 7 pm in the cafétorium for a parent education event based on her New York Times Bestselling book
How to Raise and Adult. From her
website: "In
How to Raise an Adult, Julie Lythcott-Haims draws on research, on conversations with admissions officers, educators, and employers, and on her own insights as a mother and as a student dean to highlight the ways in which overparenting harms children, their stressed-out parents, and society at large. While empathizing with the parental hopes and, especially, fears that lead to overhelping, Lythcott-Haims offers practical alternative strategies that underline the importance of allowing children to make their own mistakes and develop the resilience, resourcefulness, and inner determination necessary for success. Relevant to parents of toddlers as well as of twentysomethings - and of special value to parents of teens-this book is a rallying cry for those who wish to ensure that the next generation can take charge of their own lives with competence and confidence."
Hope you can join us! Julie’s message is powerful and a wonderful reminder that our children grow from multiple opportunities for small failures and independence.
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Pets in Need Donation Drive -- April 10-19
The Sixth Grade Student Council is sponsoring a donation drive for Pets in Need. The following kinds of items would be appreciated:
- Unopened canned dog or cat food (no prescription or expired food)
- KMR kitten formula (powder or ready to use)
- ESBILAC puppy formula
- Puppy and kitten bottle feeding kids
- Gift cards from pet supply stores
- Stainless steel food dishes
- Dog toys such as rope toys and balls (no KONGs)
- New cat toys and wands
- Small, medium, or large crates (no x-large crates)
- Clean or unused towels (not frayed or torn)
- Non-clumping litter
- Litter boxes
- Non-electric heating pads/discs
- Small fleece blankets
Donations should be left in the bins marked Pets in Need in the covered breezeway. Questions? Contact
Jenifer Nevels.
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Commuters' Corner
With warmer, drier weather we'll see more students biking to school and elsewhere around town. Now is a good time to remind your student of proper bike locking techniques. The City of Palo Alto Safe Routes to School team has a new informational flyer on
How to Prevent Most Bike Thefts that was developed in conjunction with feedback from JLS administrators who deal with bike theft at school. The flyer is available in
English,
Chinese, and
Spanish. Please have a look!
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Each Friday! Superintendent's Weekly Board Update
Read Dr. Don Austin's Weekly Board Update, published new each Friday on the
District website.
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Climate-Friendly School Food: Healthy Planet, Healthy Kids with Friends of the Earth
Tuesday, April 30, 12-1 pm, Haymarket Theater, Palo Alto High School, 50 Embarcadero Rd
Please join the League of Women Voters and PAUSD, and learn how healthy school lunches benefit our children as well as the planet. Find out about nutritious lunch programs that have been adopted by other California school districts, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Oakland.
Please RSVP. Kari Hamerschlag is the Deputy Director of Food & Agriculture at Friends of the Earth. Kari leads the organization's climate-friendly food service initiative to support local farmers and ranchers to shift consumption towards healthier and more sustainable food. Kari worked as a senior analyst with the Environmental Working Group where she works on US farm bill.
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Palo Alto World Music Day Musicians and Volunteers Wanted
Sunday, June 16, 3-7:30 pm, University Avenue (closed to traffic)
The City of Palo Alto has declared Sunday, June 16 as World Music Day. Now for the eleventh year professional and amateur musical groups will perform a wide variety of musical genres: jazz, pop, rock, classical, world music, choral and more. Free and open to the public. Interested in also performing?
Click here for information or email
info@pamusicday.org.
Sign up to Volunteer! Sponsored by: Stanford Federal Credit Union, Palo Alto Recreation Foundation, the City of Palo Alto, the Palo Alto Weekly, Palo Alto Online, the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce, the Palo Alto Downtown Business and Professional Association, Live SV, and News for Chinese.
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Youth Art Show at the Palo Alto Art Center
April 27 - May 19
Annual Exhibition of Artworks by Palo Alto Unified School District Art Students. Youth Art celebrates the imaginative spirit of the students from the Palo Alto Unified School District, featuring work from students in grades K-12. Instructors have selected work that demonstrates accomplishment and innovation in the classroom. Please visit the
Palo Alto Art Center website for more information. You can preview this amazing collection of art work while enjoying the PTA Council Honorary Service Awards reception on Thursday, April 25th from 4-6 pm.
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Mandarin Parent Workshops - Inter-cultural Dialogue
Thursdays through May 16, 6:30-8:30 pm, Greene Middle School Library
Wellness & Support Services Dept. and Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI) are offering a ten-week parenting workshop series, “Inter-Cultural Dialogue,” in Mandarin. An AACI Therapist facilitates the research-based workshops designed to help families navigate the generational and cultural differences in their families.
April 18 – How to use rules, consequences and punishment
April 25 – Review and practice listening, empathy, and build connection
May 2 – Parenting skills in practice
May 9 – Parents managing their stress and emotions
May 16 – Revision, celebration, and completion
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PTAC Advocacy Needs You To Act Now for Special Education Students
Please support California Legislature’s Bill (AB 428) to increase funding for special education. Questions? Email:
evp@paloaltopta.org or
Christine Baker. The Statewide Special Education Task Force report found: (1) "special education is underfunded," (2) "special education local plan area base rates ... are not equitable throughout the state,” and (3) the growth in funding for special education does not reflect the actual growth in enrollment of special education pupils." PTAC’s Click-My-Cause App enables you - busy moms and dads - to voice your support with just two taps on your iPhones:
- Tap 1: open alert
- Tap 2: send message
Here’s how:
Download the Click My Cause app (in the App Store, select Palo Alto PTA Council, tap “allow” to allow notifications), or
update the app on their iPhones to most recent version (if you have the app from last year).
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PTAC - The Promise a.k.a Strategic Plan
At our March 2019 PTA Council General Association Meeting, the association heard about
The Promise and voiced a desire to get more clarity around the following four points regarding the Promise:
- what are the changes from the previous PAUSD strategic plan;
- what are the changes for the current draft of The Promise;
- what are the metrics to measure the outcome of The Promise; and
- what action items will result.
Please visit
promise.pausd.org to read all about The Promise. You are encouraged to directly communicate to Superintendent Dr. Don Austin (via email or Let’s Talk) and also communicate with the
PAUSD Board of Education. The Board of Education will be voting on its adoption at an upcoming Board Meeting.
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PTAC Advocates for Full Mitigation on the Stanford GUP
An Update on the 2018 Stanford General Use Permit: First, we would like to thank Stanford University for meeting with PAUSD Superintendent Dr. Don Austin to work out a win-win solution. Second, a Special Board Meeting (closed session) was held on Wed April 10th. More info to come later. Thank you again to all PTAs, District Staff, Classified Staff, Teachers, Neighbors, Volunteers and Parents who have put much effort into self-education, writing letters for full mitigation, and effected strong advocacy to protect all PAUSD school children.
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PTAC Advocacy to Protect Our Children’s Heath – Vaping
High on our priority list for next year is the troubling issue of vaping in our middle and high schools. We have sponsored speakers events and worked with our school district. You can visit our
website for more. If you have a vaping story to share, please write to
PTAC Heath and Wellness. Please remove any personal identifiers or sensitive information, but include as much detail as possible.
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PTA Council Invites You to the 97th Annual May Fete Parade & 125th Palo Alto Birthday Celebrations
Saturday, May 4, 10 am (Parade start time), Downtown Palo Alto
Each year our students and staff, as well as neighbors, are invited to participate in the
City of Palo Alto 2019 May Fete Parade. This is our small, hometown parade right here in the heart of Silicon Valley. Many PAUSD students participate in the parade by way of the bands, amazing music programs, club projects that funded by PiE and PTA. Downtown University Avenue is closed that day and the nearby streets and parking lots are transformed with schools' kids, floats, marching bands, electric model cars, etc. New this year is the celebration of the 125th Birthday of City of Palo Alto. Happy Birthday! Don’t miss it. Carpool and bike.
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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.
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Palo Alto Chinese School is Accepting New Enrollment for 2019 -2020 (School Year Starts on 8/16/2019)
Palo Alto Chinese School has been serving the community in Chinese language instructions for 56 years, and is accepting new enrollment. Class meets every Friday 7-9 pm at JLS Middle School. There are two tracks. The Mandarin track is offered from Preschool to Grade 12, for students from heritage families. The Chinese as a Second Language (CSL) track is offered from intro, beginning, intermediate to advanced level for students with various exposer to Chinese language. Please join us for a school open house and classroom visit on 4/26, and 5/3. For more info, check
paloaltochineseschool.org or email
contact@paloaltochineseschool.org.
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Public Talk: “How to Help Your Kids Excel in Math, Writing and History?”
Thursday, May 9, 6:30-8:45 pm, the Embarcadero Room, Rinconada Library
Do you know why children start to fear Math in early grades, struggle with STEM subjects in high school, and drop STEM majors for non-STEM majors in college? Williamson Evers, Research Fellow of Hoover Institution and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education, and Ze'ev Wurman, former Sr. Policy Adviser to U.S. Department of Education, will bring information and insights on education with expertise and candor. Door opens at 5:30 pm. Free and open to the public; light meal will be served. Seats are limited;
register early via Eventbrite.
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Youth Community Service: Sowing the Seeds for Community Engagement featuring Kent Koth
Thursday, April 18, 5:30-7:30 pm, Lucie Stern Community Center, 1305 Middlefield
Join Youth Community Service at our Annual Fundraiser. Kent has created a game-changing model for community engagement like nothing we have seen before. Kent began his journey as our YCS leader. He left in 1999 and landed in Seattle 15 years ago. Come hear him share his story of “sowing the seeds for community engagement” with youth as the best way to ensure a healthy democracy. Learn these lessons to help YCS engage our young people to increase their capacity for service, courage and hope.
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Free Project Cornerstone 6-Week Parenting Workshop "Take It Personally"
Wednesday, April 17, 24 & May 1, 8, 15, 22, 5:30-6 pm dinner, Workshop 6-7:30 pm, Colorado Park Apartments
You do not need to be a parent/resident from the Colorado Park Apartments. Open to all parents & caregivers at no cost. Each week a facilitator will lead sharing, discussion, and teaching tools you can use now to strengthen your family connections. You'll leave with new ways to show caring, give support, set boundaries, and build strong relationships. Workshop paid for by PAH (Palo Alto Housing). Questions? Contact
Ziem Neubert.
Sign Up today.
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