Dear Jones Families,
Welcome to the 2022 - 2023 school year! As we approach the start of a new year, we would like to provide our families with a few important reminders. Please do not hesitate to contact our office at 614-487-5080 if you have any questions! As we move forward, we will HIGHLIGHT anything in our emails that we have not yet communicated to draw your attention to new information. You can expect weekly updates after the start of the year on Sunday afternoons.
We are excited to see your students, and we look forward to challenging them as well as having fun during the 2022 - 2023 school year!
Have a great rest of the summer with your family!
Jones Office Team
AUGUST & SEPTEMBER 2022
August 1 - Fall sports/tryouts begin
August 9 - Mentor Training Day
August 10 - Family Tour Day, 2pm to 4:30pm, All Grades
August 10 - New to UA Family Orientation, 4:30pm (Jones Learning Center)
August 16 - Meet the Team Night, 6 - 8pm
August 16 - 1st Day ONLY for 6th Grade, 6th Grade Orientation, New to UA Students
August 16 - 6th Grade Parent Coffee, 8:15am, JMS Cafeteria with PTO and Jones Admin.
August 17 - 1st Day for 7th and 8th Grade (6th Grade students report as well)
August 19 - School Picture Day
August 22 - Fall Pro Auditions, 3:30 - 6:30pm
August 23 - Fall Pro Auditions, 3:30 - 6:30pm
August 24 - Fall Pro Auditions, 3:30 - 6:30pm
August 25 - Fall Pro Callback Auditions, 3:30 - 6:30pm
August 26 - New to UA Student Lunch
September 1 - Open House Night, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
September 5 - No School - Labor Day
September 20 - 23 - 6th Grade Camp
September 21 - Early Dismissal Day, 1:30pm
SCHOOL SUPPLIES/SCHEDULE PICKUP/SCHOOL PICTURES - School supply lists for each grade level are attached. (There will not be a PTO school supply sale.) Families will be notified via email when schedules are available in PowerSchool. Students and families will have the opportunity on Wednesday, August 10 from 2:30 to 4:30pm, to walk through Jones with their schedules. The PTO will have membership information and spirit wear available during this time in the gym. School pictures are scheduled for the morning of Friday, August 19. There will be a makeup/retake day in October.
ACCESS TO THE BUILDING IN AUGUST - The Main Office and Attendance Office will be open from 8am to 3pm. Our incoming 6th graders and any student new to Jones this year as a 7th or 8th grader will attend on August 16. A tour of the building will be part of the schedule on this day as well as time allotted for each student to familiarize themselves with their own schedule. The building will be closed on Friday, August 12, and August 15, to parents and students unless you have a scheduled appointment.
JONES PARKING LOT RESEALING & RESTRIPING - The Jones parking lot will be closed August 2 - 4 for resealing and restriping, weather permitting. Please plan accordingly.
JONES SUMMER READING REQUIREMENTS REMINDER - Students at each grade level should expect to engage in classroom activities based on their summer reading choices during the first week of the 2022-23 school year. These activities, including written and spoken responses, will require students to be knowledgeable about their summer reading text. We strongly encourage students to purchase their own copy of their text so that they may highlight, flag and annotate key passages that may be of help to them in their language arts classrooms.
6th Grade
The Young Man and the Sea, by Rodman Philbrick
7th Grade
Students will select a biography or autobiography of a figure of interest to them. Their selection should be age and grade-level appropriate, and should fall within the Lexile range that is suited to their individual ability. Your student’s most recent STAR assessment provides their estimated Lexile range.
8th Grade
Students may read either a fiction or non-fiction book of their own choosing, based on their interests. Their selection should be age and grade-level appropriate, and should fall within the Lexile range that is suited to their individual ability. Your student’s most recent STAR assessment provides their estimated Lexile range.
For rising 7th and 8th grade students, please refer to our recommended book list, attached, for possible titles.
NEW TO UPPER ARLINGTON FAMILY ORIENTATION - Families that are new to Upper Arlington schools are invited to attend an orientation at JMS to discuss several topics to support your child’s transition. This meeting will take place in the Jones Learning Center on the 2nd floor on August 10th at 4:30pm with the Jones administration.
AUGUST 16 – 6th GRADE ORIENTATION & NEW TO UA DAY – All 6th graders will report for a full day to JMS from 8:10am-3:20pm on August 16th. Buses will run all AM/PM routes on August 16th for our incoming 6th graders. 7th and 8th graders that ARE NEW TO UPPER ARLINGTON will also be invited to attend on August 16th from 8:00am-10:45am. We will NOT have transportation running at 10:45am so new to UA 7th and 8th grade students will need to arrange transportation at 10:45am. All 6th-8th grade students will report to school on Wednesday, August 17th for a regular scheduled day (8:10am-3:20pm).
BACK TO SCHOOL REGISTRATION - Families of new and returning students (K-12) will receive information in early August in order to complete back-to-school forms and pay any instructional or technology fees for their students prior to the first day of the school year. As a reminder, those wishing to purchase the Technology Protection Plan must complete the technology forms in PowerSchool AND pay the $25 fee in SPS EZpay before the first day of school for the 2022-2023 school year. If the $25 fee is not paid by the first day of school, the plan is void.
EZ Pay - We encourage all families to use EZ pay to pay your child’s 2022-2023 school fees. This system allows for accurate record keeping and the ability to use debit or credit cards to pay without a convenience fee. Instructional fees, optional technology protection plan fee, class donations, athletic fees and course fees will be available on EZ pay in early August and you will be notified when it is ready. The cost of the optional Technology Protection Plan is $25 for iPads for the regular school year. Below is the amount for instructional fees for the 2022-23 school year:
6th Grade - $15
7th Grade - $15
8th Grade - $15
Global Language Workbook Fee - (7TH OR 8TH GRADE) French $20.50 German $28.50
Athletic Fee - per sport $75.00
Honor Physical Science Fee $15.00
Technology Protection Plan Fee (optional) $25.00
JONES CLASS DONATIONS - Class donations are voluntary. However, they are used to provide social and community building opportunities for each grade. They can be paid through EZ pay as well as the instructional fee and the optional technology protection plan fee.
2022-23 Class Donations:
6th Grade - $25
7th Grade - $25
8th Grade - $25
NUTRITIONAL SERVICES IMPORTANT UPDATE - As a reminder, the federal government program providing universal free school meals for students has expired — which means that beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, free or reduced-price meals will be available only to the families that qualify based upon financial need. All other students will be charged for meals and a la carte items / snacks purchased through the school cafeteria, and families may add money to their students’ meal accounts through SPS EZpay beginning in early August. Families that qualify may apply for the free or reduced-price meal benefit by accessing the application in the Titan Family Portal (click on “Apply for Meals Today”).
For more details on our school meal program, including meal pricing by grade band for the upcoming school year, please see this Nutritional Services flier.
YEARBOOKS - Yearbooks ordered last year will begin shipping to homes the last week of July. Students that ordered them last year should receive them by the end of the first week in August. Please contact Nicole Morgan ([email protected]) with any questions.
NOT ATTENDING UA SCHOOLS NEXT YEAR? - If your child won’t be attending school in UA next school year, please email our attendance secretary, Denise Pontious, to let her know ([email protected]).
2022-23 BUS ROUTE INFORMATION - The department will be working on bus routes throughout the summer. Specific bus stop information will be available in early August. Should parents have questions or need to contact UA Schools Transportation, please email [email protected].
WELCOME NEW STAFF TO JONES MIDDLE SCHOOL – We are excited to welcome new faces to our community for the 2022-2023 school year.
- Brad Piunno, 7th Grade Math
- Sarah Horton, Concilium
HAVE YOU MOVED RECENTLY? - Please complete our change of address form as soon as possible and return it to [email protected] along with a copy of your proof of residency. Please find the list of accepted proof of residency documentation on the form. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our office at 614-487-5220 extension 1105.
ATTENDANCE PROCEDURES - Please see the Student Handbook, which is attached, for details concerning attendance procedures. These procedures are Central Office/ Board of Education directives and approved. A few highlights:
- Parents must notify the school of their student’s absence by calling the school attendance line (614) 487-5077, ext. 3500, or emailing the attendance secretary, Denise Pontious, at [email protected] by 9am.
- Students who are absent more than half a day (11:45am) or who go home ill may not participate in co- or extra-curricular activities that day. This includes athletic practices and competitions.
- Students who need to leave school early for an appointment or other reason should turn in a note from a parent/guardian to the attendance office between 7:30am-8:10am, the morning of the appointment, to receive an early dismissal pass.
- Students who arrive at school at or after 8:10am, must check in at the attendance office prior to going to class.
- Students who are being picked up for lunch/appointments MUST be picked up by their own parents. Students are not permitted to leave school grounds with parents of other students.
LISTEN, LEARN & LEAD UPDATE - At their June meeting, the Board of Education received a Listen Learn Lead briefing report outlining learnings based on all of the data points from this process.The Board of Education has asked district administration to prepare an action plan based on the findings of the report and present it at the August regular meeting. You can view the briefing report and the screencast presentation from the Board of Education meeting on our Listen Learn Lead webpage. We encourage parents, staff, community members and students to share their thoughts on the findings of the briefing report or the process as a whole using a form on our website.
MANDATORY WASHINGTON DC TRIP MEETING - We are excited to offer a trip to Washington, DC for the 8th grade class from May 16 to 19, 2023! In order to prepare for the trip, there is a MANDATORY parent and student meeting on October 6, 2022 at 7:30 pm in the JMS auditorium. This is a required meeting, so please put it on your calendar now so that the date and time are reserved for this meeting. See you in October!
JMS FALL PRODUCTION 2022 - Newsies, Jr. - JMS Fall Production is open to all students rising into grades 6, 7 & 8. Don't worry if you missed the Information Meeting! All information is available on our Canvas page. Link to Join Fall Pro 2022 Canvas page Students will join the Canvas page using their school device and parents/guardians will automatically become enrolled as observers of the course. CAST is for students interested in performing on stage while TECH CREW is for students interested in working backstage. Audition and Application forms will be available for download July 1. Audition signup will go live on August 1.
Cast Auditions (solo or group) will be August 22, 23, 24, Tech Crew Applications are due August 26, and Performances will be October 21, 22, 23, 2022. Here is a link to the slide presentation used at our Information Meeting. All other important information, dates, and materials will be posted to the Canvas page. Check back often over the summer!
-General Questions email Producer Chris Lape [email protected]
-Cast Questions email Director Sarah Santilli [email protected]
-Tech Crew Questions email Tech Director Anthony Stype [email protected]
-Parent Questions email Parent Coordinators [email protected]