Principal’s Update: Late Start Monday, Construction Info Meeting, Yearbook Info, Student Support & Counselor Survey, Noon Angels

 

Hello JLS Families,

I hope you all have a wonderful three-day weekend!  Many of our JLS families will be honoring Veterans Day, and many of our families will be celebrating Diwali!  Whatever your plans are, I hope you enjoy the time together.  

That said, next week has several special events to be aware of.  This message contains reminders about our Late Start Monday (November 13), as well as new information about our 2023-24 Yearbook!  

• Next Week’s Schedule: 

  • Monday, November 13 - Late Start Schedule (Classes start at 10:00 AM) 

  • Tuesday, November 14 - PiE Rally Day

  • Wednesday, November 15 - Turkey Trot (Special Lunchtime Event for students and staff) 

  • Thursday, November 16 - Community Construction Info Meeting, 6:00 PM in Cafetorium
  • Friday, November 17 - Community Zoom at 8:45 AM

• Yearbook Information

• Student Support & Counselor’s Survey

• Recruiting Parent Partners: Noon Angels

 

Monday's Bell Schedule is unique: We have a Late-Start Monday on November 13 to provide professional learning time for JLS staff.  Classes start at 10:00 AM.  If students arrive on campus early, they will be required to report to the JLS Library, sign in, and utilize the time in a supervised study period, like a morning version of Homework Habitat. 

Thursday, November 16 - Community Construction Info Meeting, 6:00 PM in the JLS Cafetorium: This meeting will be open to JLS families and neighbors; an overview of our project will be reviewed and questions answered. We expect our construction project to begin in December. 

JLS 2023-24 Yearbook:

The 2024 JLS yearbook is now on sale! At the end of the school year, students will get a book filled with memories and good times from this year. The yearbook is an important tradition here at JLS, and it is a very fun way to remember your middle school experience. Don’t wait to buy your yearbook! 

• Reserve your copy now for only $40! To buy a yearbook, go to yearbookforever.com and type in the name of our school. 

• Also, for an additional $40, 8th grade parents can buy a personalized ad (¼ of a page) to congratulate their student. To celebrate the end of middle school for your student, go to yearbookforever.com, purchase a yearbook and also click on “Personalized Ad” and follow instructions. Ads are due January 15, 2024.

If you have any questions, please stop by or call the front desk, or email Jen Wiener at jwiener@pausd.org.

 

Student Support & Counseling Survey: Our hearts continue to go out to everyone affected by the recent events. We’re dedicated to providing our community with resources to support our students and families.  One resource that I have shared with our teachers and staff is Learning For Justice’s resource page for discussing war and conflict. I also shared these strategies with parents who joined me during last week's Principal’s Coffee.  If you are looking for suggestions on how to support your child through these difficult times, I hope they are helpful.  

In light of the many things that students and families are going through, the JLS counselors have put together an optional input survey for parents.  If you have any concerns or questions about your child’s well-being, please use this input survey to partner with our counseling team.  

Additionally, please know that our dedicated counselors are available to provide support and assistance:

• Arvind Arya, 6th Grade Counselor, aarya@pausd.org
• Adriana Flores Ragade, 7th Grade Counselor, afloresragade@pausd.org
• Micaela Flores Amaro, 8th Grade Counselor, mfloresamaro@pausd.org

 

Recruiting Parent Partners: We are always looking for additional teammates to join our Lunch time as JLS Noon Angels. Our school is currently seeking parent volunteers to help with some light supervision during Lunch times, Mondays-Fridays, 11:40 AM-12:15 PM.  This stems from our current shortage of campus supervision staff, and our top priority of keeping all students and staff members safe.  If you’re interested in joining our team, please fill out this Google Form!  

 

Thank you very much for your engaged support of our school community.  For more information, visit the JLS website or contact us at (650) 856-5188.

Warm Regards,

Chris Grierson, JLS Principal, cgrierson@pausd.org

 

Additional Contact Information: 

• Sarah Pierce, 6th grade Administrator, spierce@pausd.org
• Arvind Arya, 6th grade Counselor, aarya@pausd.org
• Hanisi Accetta, 7th grade Administrator, haccetta@pausd.org
• Adriana Flores Ragade, 7th grade Counselor, afloresragade@pausd.org
• Kim Lohse, 8th grade Administrator, klohse@pausd.org
• Micaela Flores Amaro, 8th grade Counselor, mfloresamaro@pausd.org