Dear Janney Families,

I have fantastic news to shared regarding Ms. Cheryl Morning:  Ms. Morning is out of the Intensive Care Unit!  She has a long recovery still ahead of her, but she is making steady progress.   I will continue to update the community as we learn more information.  Thank you for all of your continued support.

I want to extend a huge thank you on behalf of our teachers and staff for the kindness and gratitude that families have shown this week in honor of Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week.  We have the best teachers and staff in the city and I thank you for taking time to honor them.

Tomorrow is National Bike to School Day.  Ride your bikes, scooters, and skateboards or walk to Janney to participate. Drop off your bikes, scooters and skateboards outside the building by the gym windows for valet parking. We will celebrate our pedal, wheel and leg power! We had high as 376 students participate in previous year. Let’s see if we can beat this number this year! Any questions, please contact Tawana Franklin (tawana.franklin@dc.gov) and/or Luke Kovacs (luke.kovacs@dc.gov).

Tonight’s newsletter contains a lot of important information so please read carefully.  There is a reminder about our upcoming transition meetings with an included link to the class placement survey; our weekly student support service column is written this month by our Speech Language Pathologist, Ms. Toni Wills.  Our four new LSAT members are introduced to the community; and, I have also included information on proposed revisions to our current PTA bylaws. Finally, you will also read about our current solar panel installation.

Have a great week and I look forward to seeing many of you at our Spring Picnic this Friday, May 11^th.

Transition Meetings and Class Placement Process
On Thursday, May 24^th, we will host grade level transition meetings in lieu of Parent-Teacher Conferences.  The teachers will have limitedspaces available for individual conferences, and we are asking that unless you have pressing concerns or have already spoken to your child’s teacher about an end of year meeting, that you instead attend a transition meeting.  We have found that the late spring conferences typically focus on discussing the next grade level, and all parents have their questions answered via these transition meetings.  Your child’s teacher will be communicating more specifics via weekly class newsletters, but here is the schedule for the day:

*Please note that we are offering both an AM and a PM session for each transition meeting.  The content will be the same at both the AM and the PM sessions.

AM Session
8:30-9:15 – PK to K meeting (Art room); 2^nd to 3^rd grade meeting (Music room)
9:15-10:00 – K to 1^st grade meeting (Art room); 3^rd to 4^th grade meeting (Music room)
10:00-10:45 – 1^st to 2^nd grade meeting (Art room); 4^th to 5^th grade meeting (Music room)
PM Session
4:30-5:15 – PK to K meeting (Art room); 2^nd to 3^rd grade meeting (Music room)
5:15-6:00 – K to 1^st grade meeting (Art room); 3^rd to 4^th grade meeting (Music room)
6:00-6:45 – 1^st to 2^nd grade meeting (Art room); 4^th to 5^th grade meeting (Music room)

Each year, grade level teams gather to create class lists for the upcoming school year.  Our teaching staff spends an extraordinary amount of time over a multi-week period on the class development process.  The teachers considered a variety of factors throughout the process, including a child’s social and emotional development, demographic factors, academic strengths and areas of growth, and effective learning partners.  We strive to create socially, demographically, and academically diverse classes at each grade level.  We also take parent feedback into consideration during this process.  Parents can provide feedback through a short, 6-question optional survey found here.

Student Support Services Corner 
Greetings Janney Community!

What was life like before the Screen? Particularly, the phone/tablet screens. Last week was Screen Free week and what great timing, as we continue to celebrate developing good Communication for All during Better Hearing and Speech Month. Going screen free means to rediscover the joys of life, beyond the screen. I can say it was quite a challenge, but doable. Of course, work and the occasional weather check-in were an exception, but I can say a week without the news, cartoons, or Instagram was pretty refreshing and not such a bad idea!  Why is important to unplug and tune-in to developing good communication via play, conversations, and outdoor activities? The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) polled parents of children under the age of eight regarding their daily use of technology and found that 62% of two-year old used tablets, 59% used smartphones, and 44% used game consoles.  Despite these findings, a majority of parents reported that they believed technology negatively impacted the quality and quantity of conversation with their children. The American Academy of Pediatrics also suggests that screens be avoided altogether until a child turns two, especially since brain development in young children is happening so rapidly during the first years and young children learn best by interacting with people.  So, what can you do when you Disconnect the Tech? ASHA suggests these tips to help manage your child’s use of technology and create meaningful alternatives to screen time:

1. Choose toys that inspire creativity. Age-appropriate craft supplies (think Michael’s or the Dollar Store) dress-up props, and building blocks to keep children busy and engaged in make-believe play.
2. Include your child in daily chores. Here is a great list to get you started!  Young children love to imitate adults. This link provides you with ideas to engage your child in daily tasks such as sorting laundry, making their snacks, or putting away groceries!
3. Reading and sharing stories is not just for bedtime. Consider reading or telling stories to your child during the daytime too. Shared stories help support learning early sequencing, vocabulary, and grammar skills.
4. Get on the floor and play! Children learn important social skills such as turn-taking, sharing, and conversation from joint play activities.
5. Turn off the TV and other tech devices and model good tech habits for your child. In many households, televisions serve as background noise, which for some children, it can interfere with concentration. Background TV noise and use of other technology devices can also lower the quantity and quality of family interactions.

These are just a few ideas to get you started. For more tips on managing kids’ tech time visit here. And just remember, you as the adult serve as the best model for good communication. Model good tech habits for your child and don’t be afraid to Unplug every once in a while! Your child will thank you, later!

Warm regards,
Ms. Toni aka The Speech Lady
Toni Carroll-Wills, MS CCC-SLP

LSAT New Member Bios
The LSAT (Local School Advisory Team) advises the Principal on issues related to the Local School Plan: what is needed at the school, where we want to be as a school, whether we are there, and if not, how we should get there.  The LSAT meets monthly, with an extra meeting in early Spring during the DCPS budgeting process.
We welcome four new parents to our LSAT for the 2018-2019 school year!  Please read their bios below to learn more information about our new representatives.

Yier Shi 
I am the father of Treysen (1-M) and Myles (PK-S) and husband of a DCPS middle school educator.  I have lived in Washington DC for 20 years and my family moved to AU Park over 15 years ago.  We are deeply committed to this community and especially our neighborhood public schools. In addition to being involved with many aspects of my sons’ experiences at Janney, I also help coach their neighborhood sports teams throughout the year.  In my professional work, I am a program management and strategic communications consultant with a focus on managing project cost, schedule and performance as well as communicating project status with stakeholders.  I look forward to bring my experience to LSAT and continuing to make Janney a wonderful school for our children.

Katy Button is the Mom to two Janney kids – Ruthie in 5th grade and Yoni in 2nd grade.  She has lived and worked in Washington, DC since graduating from Georgetown University.  Her career has spanned government, private sector and philanthropy.  She is interested in joining the LSAT to make sure the needs of all kinds of kids are met at Janney and that it continues to be an exciting, stimulating and caring place of learning.

Seth Hanlon and his wife Suzanne Smalley are the parents of two Janney students (Will in Second Grade & Caroline in Kindergarten) and one future Janney kid (Nina, 2).
Seth grew up in New York but has lived in DC for the better part of two decades, including on 47th Street in AU Park since 2008. A tax attorney by training, he is now a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, where he writes and comments on federal tax and budget policy, following stints in the Obama Administration and as an aide on Capitol Hill.
Seth says: “I feel very fortunate that we have such a wonderful school and community with Janney. Serving on the LSAT, for me, would be a chance to give back to Janney by being an advocate for parents. I would look forward to getting more involved in the critical decisions affecting Janney and speaking to more of our fellow parents about our concerns and ideas to ensure that we are well represented.”

My name is Deborah Raviv, and our family has been fortunate to be part of the Janney Community since 2013. My husband and I are the proud parents of Janney students Daniel Raviv, in fourth grade, and Daphne Raviv, in second grade. My professional career includes over three years as an investigative attorney with the U.S. Federal Government. Prior to that, I was an attorney in private practice, specializing in federal government contract law and internal investigations. My volunteer work includes organizing a successful community effort to oppose the former D.C. Mayor and Deputy Mayor for Education’s plan to transform the D.C. Public School system into a 100% lottery-based system. Other recent volunteer activities include taking a leadership role in our local synagogue’s efforts to support and relocate a refugee family of five from Afghanistan to the United States; supporting various local non-profit arts organizations, including the Kennedy Center and the CityDance DREAM Gala; participating in, advocating for, and supporting virtually all of Janney’s fundraising activities, including the Student Support Fund, the Janney Auction, and Janney International Night; and being a long-time Young Professional Board member of the Anti-Defamation League. While I already think Janney is a wonderful school, I would like to serve on the LSAT to ensure we have a safe and effective learning environment for our students, teachers, and staff. I would also like to assist in determining how best to use our scarce public-school resources to meet the needs of all Janney students. Finally, I want to support professional development and leadership opportunities for our teachers and staff to maintain and continue to attract the kind of high-level professionalism we have come to expect at Janney. I believe my collaborative and supportive work style, willingness to listen to and consider diverse points of view, and attention to detail would be an asset to Janney’s LSAT. It would be an honor to serve the Janney community and its leadership.

PTA Revised By-laws and Community Meeting
We are proposing changes to our current PTA Bylaws.  The proposed changes were posted on May 6^th and will be voted on by the community at our June 6^th PTA Community Meeting.

In addition to the change of Bylaws, the PTA is looking for volunteers to get involved next year, especially for (but not limited to) the auction. This year’s auction was so successful, in part due to parents who had not previously been involved with the auction, stepping up with new ideas. We would love to welcome new faces and new ideas once again for the 2019 Auction. Please contact ptavp@janneyschool.org if you are interested!

Solar Panels at Janney
This week, a construction team began mobilization for the installation of a 53.3 kW solar energy system on the roof of Janney Elementary School. The installation process will take about 4 weeks total before the system becomes operational, at which point it will begin supplying a portion of the school’s electricity needs. The solar electricity will be purchased at a cheaper price than the normal utility price of electricity, saving taxpayers from the first day in the system gets turned on. Janney’s solar is part of a District-wide initiative to eventually achieve 100% renewable energy generation at Washington DC city government buildings.

Warmly,
Alysia Lutz, Principal