Panther Tracks - Palo Alto Council of PTAs...October 2014 JLS Panther Tracks Page 3 Know the Friends...

Panther TracksOctober 2014 The newsletter for Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle SchoolVolume 2014-2015 Issue 1

Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School480 East Meadow DrivePalo Alto, CA 94306

Website: www.jls.pausd.orgPhone: 650-856-5188

Principal’s Column

Dear JLS Families:

It is with great joy that I welcome all of you to the 2014-15 school year! It is hard to believe but this issue of Panther Tracks will be arriving in your homes just as an exciting and fun-fi lled fi rst quarter comes to an end. This past quarter has been chock full of transition activities, gett ing to know one another and establish-ing routines. At this point we have all sett led in and, thanks to a united eff ort of parents, staff and students, JLS is a thriving community!

All of us at JLS are excited about continuing to partner with you as all of our students navigate middle school, grow and blossom: academically, socially, emo-tionally and physically. Your active involvement and support, coupled with our best professional eff orts, will surely make for a successful year!

There are some new faces hard at work at JLS this year. If you have not already met them, please join me in welcoming:

Margaret Billin – Band, 6th & 8th gradesJenny Chin – Special EducationKim Cowell – Special EducationElizabeth Darby – Communications Wheel & Public SpeakingErin Harrigan – ELD TeacherStephanie Ling – Math, 8th gradeShasta Lockwood – ELD TeacherDianne Luu – Language Arts/History, 6th gradeChristina MacMillan – Math/Science, 6th gradeSaki Matayoshi – JapaneseHillary Miller – Assistant PrincipalJenifer Nevels – Language Arts/History, 6th gradeArianne Piedrahita – Math/Science, 6th gradeCharlene Ronne – History, 7th gradeHart Walsh – English, 7th gradeSirina Warfel – ERMHS Therapist

At JLS, we are continuing to highlight the Developmental Assets model for build-ing positive character traits in our students. Many agencies in Palo Alto, includ-ing the City of Palo Alto, have also committ ed to emphasizing these assets. At JLS we have been underscoring fi ve assets which we believe we can cultivate. These assets dovetail nicely with our existing work on connectedness, building resil-ience and providing an engaging learning experience. The assets are:• Other Adult Relationships – receives support from three or more non-parent

adults• Caring School Climate – school provides a caring, encouraging environment• High Expectations – both parents and teachers encourage child to do well

InsideFrom the JLS PTA President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Adolescent Counseling Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Yearbook Ads on Sale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Latte Cart Food Needed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4JLS Students Set New Reading Record . . . . . . . . . 4JLS Students Celebrate Their Right to Read . . . . . 4360 JLS Families Adopted New Books . . . . . . . . . . 5JLS Student Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Fall Musical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6JLS Science Fair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Panther Tracks Music Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Food for Thought . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8All You Need to Know About the School Dance. . . 9JLS Back to School Dinner/Social . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9The Common Core–ner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Parent Visitation Days . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Counselors’ Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11Unity Day. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Mix It Up Lunch! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Tune Into KJLS! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Gearing up for School. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Partners in Education (PiE) and JLS . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Fall After School Sports Meet Schedule . . . . . . . . 16JLS Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-19

Jane Lathrop Stanford (JLS) is a diverse learning community. We seek to provide a safe, creative, and inclusive learning environment. We respect and embrace the uniqueness of every individual. We strive for academic excellence, individual responsibility, and lifelong learning. Through compassion, connection, courtesy, complimenting, and community, we support the intellectual, social, physical, and emotional growth of our children.The mention of any business, service, or organization in this newsletter does not imply an endorsement by JLS Middle School, JLS PTA, or PAUSD.

Principal: Sharon Ofek

Assistant Principals:Eston Melton & Hillary Miller

PTA President: Barbara Best

VP Communications: Junco Minami

Editor: Evan Lurie

Layout: Susie Idzik

Distribution: Heike Enders

Con nued on page 2

JLS Panther Tracks October 2014

• Reading for Pleasure – read for pleasure three or more hours per week

• Cultural Competence – has knowledge of and comfort with people of diff erent cultural/racial/ethnic backgrounds

All of the staff at JLS is committ ed to continuous improvement and maintaining an open mindset. This year we will continue to emphasize and pri-oritize providing a balanced education that allows our students to engage in and develop a love of learning, explore who they are and participate in a community of fl ourishing adolescents. We strive to provide a developmentally appropriate learn-ing community for your child that is nurturing, challenging and safe. Through teamwork, open communication and dedication to continuous im-provement, our school will continue to be success-ful in producing happy children every day.

I am proud to work at such a magical place for young minds and am excited about another year!

Sincerely, Sharon Ofek, Principal

From the JLS PTA PresidentThe JLS PTA “FAQ” (and...welcome!)Barbara Best, JLS 2014-2015 PTA President ([email protected])

WHAT should you know about the JLS PTA, and HOW does it benefi t your family?

The JLS PTA is a part of the National Parent Teachers Association (PTA), a registered 501(c)(3) non-profi t organization.YES, your donations to us are tax-deductible!

The JLS PTA is managed by an Executive Board comprised of JLS parent volunteers.The Exec Board makes decisions in the best

interests of the JLS community.Membership in the JLS PTA is not required to

att end, or volunteer at, PTA events.We welcome your participation in any form!

HOWEVER, we hope you will join the JLS PTA for a $15 fee, to be a part of an organization de-voted to the educational success of children and the promotion of parent involvement in schools.

To join, go to htt p://jlswp.paloaltopta.org/in-dex.php/membership/

The volunteers that make up the JLS PTA organization have had a wonderful and busy

“Back To School” season. We hope your family was able to enjoy the efforts of the JLS administration and PTA volunteers during one or more of the following events:● The timely information in the Back To School

packet; ● The efficiency of Jump Start Day; ● The excitement of the First Day Coffee event; ● The fun and educational Panther Camp (for

you 6th grade families); ● The thrill of getting a free book during the

Library Reading Parties; ● The warm welcome of the entire community

coming together for the Back To School Pizza Social. (A HUGE THANK YOU to all of the parent volunteers who helped out at these events. We hope you had fun because your help was essential to these event running smoothly!)

Parents quickly learn that JLS teachers and staff welcome parent involvement at school events; the end of elementary school is not the end of parents playing a vital role in the education of their students. As your student experiences increasing independence, getting involved with PTA events is a great way to stay connected to your student while experiencing camaraderie and support from fellow parents.Following is a list of ways to stay informed and connected. We hope to see you at an event soon!● Subscribe to both JLS News and JLS Online: jls.

pausd.org and click on “For Parents” tab● Browse and register your interest in upcoming

PTA events: http://tinyurl.com/kz7qe4j● Join your parent network: http://jlswp.

paloaltopta.org/index.php/parent-networks/● Visit JLS on Parent Visitation Days: Nov 6, Jan

9, Apr 28● Read this newsletter! Future publications in

December, March, and May● Read the JLS Parent Handbook: jls.pausd.org,

“For Parents” tab, “Info” sectionThanks from the JLS PTA Executive Board for 2014-2015:

Barbara Best, PresidentAnnie Bedichek, Vice PresidentBarbara Stroud, 1st VP ProgramsDror Sneh, 2nd VP MembershipJunco Minami, 3rd VP CommunicationsPaul Sakuma/Liz Dong, 4th VP Community Service Heike Enders, TreasurerLili Nova-Roessig, SecretaryErica Brand, AuditorJane Dick, Parliamentarian

October 2014 JLS Panther Tracks

Know the Friends by Pamela Garfi eld, LCSW, Site Director of Gunn High School

Last year I had a great opportunity to lead a discussion of parents in the Sophomore Parent Network. Many parents in the group were worried about substance abuse and were wondering how to ask their children about drugs. ‘How do we communicate when they are growing so independent?’ ‘How do we remain in the know?’ Ahhh the joys of raising a teenager...

Psychologists call this adolescent stage “Separation Individuation”. This is the phenomenon of your kid growing more independent and needing to learn life lessons on her own, yet still needs you as a base when she gets in over her head. One minute she is responsible, the next minute she is impulsive, immature and clingy. What is a parent to do? How can one keep up?

The reality is even if you are the best parent in the world, it’s unlikely that your teenage son or daughter will tell you everything. This is especially true if there is a topic that is shameful or embar-rassing. It’s part of normal devel-opment.

So if your independent teenager gets into trouble, how can you know? If a teen withdrawals, a parent can feel stuck.

During the Parent Network meeting, a wise parent said “Get to know your child’s friends”. If your child is going through something they feel ashamed to talk to you about, the friends are more likely to tell you about it if they feel comfortable with you.

The Palo Alto community has shifted in the last fi ve years. Students are being trained in QPR - Ques-tion, Persuade, Refer - in their Living Skills classes (htt p://www.qprinstitute.com/) As a result, youth have learned to speak up about someone in trouble. Many have already had positive experiences talking to an adult about gett ing help for a friend. The community has learned to come together and help others. However, it can still be diffi cult for a struggling teen to talk to their parents about their diffi culties.

As the new school year starts and your child is making new friends, take notice and interest in them. Notice whom your child’s friends are because they may have shifted from last year. Be approachable and available to your child’s friends because they may well be your most valuable resource.

8th Grade Parents – Yearbook Ads on Sale until Nov 1sᵗ!Would you like to do something special for your graduate this year? You can buy an ad in this year’s yearbook to celebrate his/her achievements over the last three years. You can include special photos, poems, and messages to your graduate. You can sign up and view sample ads, and pricing at our yearbook company’s site: htt p://www.jostens.com/apps/shop/customer.asp?CID=159472

Prices range from $50 to $200 for ads. The DEADLINE for placing an ad is November 1st, 2014. If you have any questions, you can contact Tracy Devers (Yearbook Advisor) at [email protected].


Latt e Cart Food Needed

Thursday, November 6

It’s Latt e time! On the fi rst Thursday of every month, the PTA hosts the LATTE CART at JLS, where coff ee and morning treats are served to our great JLS staff as a thank you for all they do. On these Latt e Cart mornings, we ask our parent community for contributions of breakfast items.

Our monthly Latt e Cart date is THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6.

Please bring your breakfast items to the Staff Lounge that morning between 7:15 and 9:00 am. Non-perishable items may be brought ahead of time to the main offi ce on Wednesday, November 5. You can sign up here. www.tinyurl.com/jls-latt e.

Here is a list of suggested items:

• quiche and other egg dishes (heated; store bought is fi ne)

• breakfast sausages • bagels and cream cheese• fresh whole fruit, e.g. bananas, mini-tanger-

ines, berries • fruit salads • homemade scones • homemade muffi ns • homemade breads, e.g. banana,

zucchini, pumpkin • homemade coff ee cakes • granola, homemade or store

bought • hot oatmeal• yogurt, all sizes, all kinds • other breakfast items, be creative!

Thank you so much. Questions? Contact our Latt e Cart coordinators, Ivan Hom [email protected], Patt y Sakuma [email protected] or Paul Sakuma [email protected]

JLS Students Set New Reading Record

This summer JLS students read over 7,800 books, topping last summer by almost 2,000 books. Awe-some! We have created a powerful Culture of Read-ing at JLS.

The 7th grade read the most with 2,844 books, the 6th grade with 2,624 books, and the 8th with 2,317 books. Excellent!

New students and those students reading 4 or more books (67% of JLS students) were invited to celebrate their choice to read during the sum-mer. We held 3 par-ties where students celebrated one another and chose a free book to continue their reading journeys. All books were paid for from the proceeds of the Scholastic and Books Inc. Book Fairs held last year.

We could not have off ered the celebrations with-out the fabulous support of the PTA sorting books, taking them to the cafetorium, display-ing all of them and then helping students make their choices and bringing them back for the next party. They also supplied all the drinks and fruit bars. Thank you so much PTA helpers!


JLS Students Celebrate Their Right to Read JLS students celebrated their freedom to read without censorship the last week in September. Each year libraries, publishers, journalists, teach-ers, book sellers and readers of all types support the freedom to seek and express ideas in a free and open society. JLS surprised a lot of students by highlighting books that have been challenged somewhere in the US. Many were books that they had read as litt le kids. They learned that while some people might object to some of the ideas in a book, those opinions should not keep others from expressing their ideas. To learn more go to www.ala.org/bbooks/bannedbooksweek

360 JLS Families Adopted New Books This year 360 generous JLS families continued their support of their students by adopting at least one new book for the JLS library! Thank you all!!!

With curriculum changes and such avid readers, our library is able to keep pace with the demand of our students and teachers for new books and multiple copies of the most popular books. We check out almost 3,000 books a month and al-ways have multiple carts on core topics being used every day in the library for research. We couldn’t have those resources available without your kind support.

We welcome parent volunteers to stop by the li-brary to help us re-shelve books. Come any time, for as long as you like - and if you’re lucky, you student’s class could come in for a lesson while you are there! The library is open every day from 8:00am - 3:00pm (except Wednesdays when it closes at 2:00pm).

Thank you!!

JLS Student Directory The online directory is live and you can access it by visiting htt ps://jls.tangledir.com.

The information is your most current data on In-fi nite Campus. If you are not in the directory that is because you checked the box ‘Do not include in the directory’ when you completed your Infi nite Campus data page during PAUSD’s Annual Up-date process. If you would like to be included in the online JLS directory for this school year, email your request to infi [email protected]. If your in-formation is incomplete or incorrect, please contact Infi nite Campus at the same email address. During your Annual Data Update (ADU), make sure not to check ‘Do not… directory’ if you would like to be in next year’s directory.

Follow these steps to activate your account:1. Click ‘Click HERE to register or recover your password’

which will take you to htt ps://jls.tangledir.com/Account/Register.aspx

2. Enter your email address (this is the one you used for your ADU). Once you click ‘Next’ you will receive an email from JLS Directory Admin titled “Password Recov-er” including a link to set your password. (Note: This is a new service so all families will go through this process in order to access the online directory.)

3. You will be able to log in by clicking the ‘Login’ link at the upper right corner of the Welcome page

Now you can:• Search students by their fi rst name and/or last name and/

or grade, or by parent’s fi rst name and/or last name and/or email address. You can even input a part of their fi rst name/last name/email address and still be able to look up student information

• Edit/Add your family information by clicking ‘My House-hold’

• See Connections students marked with a “C” in the ‘Room’ column. Also, search students in the ‘Teacher’ column under ‘Connections’

• Don’t forget to click ‘update’ after you make any edits!

The printed JLS Directory will be coming to you shortly so please look out for announcements through the JLS eNews. The directories are pro-vided to all families courtesy of the JLS PTA. Many thanks to Roger Petersen for working tirelessly to fi nalize the details and to ensure that the most up-to-date information is included in the directory.


Fall MusicalLewis Carroll’s famous inquisitive heroine comes to life in Disney’s Alice In Wonderland JR., a delightful adaptation of the classic Disney fi lm. Join JLS Drama and the Stage Production class in November for a lively pro-duction full of wild sets, tricked out costumes, and the wild visuals that have come to defi ne a JLS Drama Production.

Disney’s Alice In Wonderland JR. is a fast-paced stage adaptation of the timeless fi lm, featuring updated dialogue and new arrangements of such classic Disney songs as “I’m Late,” “The Un-birthday Song” and “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah.”

Stay tuned to upcoming JLS Online eNewslett ers for information on how to purchase tickets.

Showtimes are Thursday, November 20th and Friday, November 21st at 7pm in the JLS Cafetorium.

JLS Science Fair

Wednesday and Thursday, October 22nd and 23rd

The JLS Science Fair is just around the corner. We expect over 400 JLS students to be showcasing their Home Science Experiments.

The fair will be held over two nights, October 22nd and October 23rd. The 6th grade students will participate in a 6:30-8:00pm session Wednesday or Thursday. 7th grade students will participate on Wednesday 8:00-9:30pm session and the 8th grade students on Thursday 8:00 – 9:30pm.

To register, go the JLS Science Fair website at htt p://jlssciencefair.pausd.org/index.php. The last day to register and be guaranteed a spot with classmates is October 18th.

This event couldn’t happen without parent volunteers. Please sign up on VolunteerSpot: htt p://vols.pt/jvp9Fk. If you can’t volunteer, but will be at the fair even for a few minutes, please talk to the stu-dents about their projects. They so appreciate having parents take an interest in their work.

Please contact us if you have any questions or need more information.

Stephanie Youngquist or Maria Derrick

Science Fair Co-Chairs

[email protected] or [email protected]


Panther Tracks Music Notes BandThe JLS bands are off to a great start in 2014! The fi rst concert of the school year is October 15 at 7PM and will include performances by the 7th Grade Advanced Band, the 8th Grade Symphonic Band, and the Gunn High School Wind Ensemble.

ChoirExciting things are happening in choir! This year at JLS there are seven class periods of choir! In ad-dition, A Cappella club meets at lunch on Tuesdays, and A Cappella choir rehearses after school on Thursdays.

OrchestraThe Advanced Orchestras have been learning about the Mozart Requiem and how Mozart master-fully refl ects the words through his music. They’ve also been working on other creepy music for their Halloween Assembly as well as gett ing down with some Bluegrass! The 6th grade orchestras are con-tinuing to build technique and are learning about Holst and his piece ‘The Planets’.

Upcoming Performances

Oct 15 7th and 8th Grade Band Concert with Gunn Oct 31 Halloween Assembly (AB, Orchestra, Girls choir) Nov 12 Fall Choir Concert (all choir members) Dec 3 Orchestra Concert (all orchestra members) Dec 10 Band Concert (all band members) Feb 4 Mixed and Girls Choir in the Gunn Staff Musical Feb 5 Symphonic Band and Orchestra Elementary School ToursFeb 11 Advanced Band and Choir Elementary School ToursFeb19 JLS Music Benefi t Concert (to raise funds for SoCal Music Tour) Mar 4 Middle School Choir FestivalMar 25-28 SoCal Music Tour (Sym. Band, Mixed/Girls Choir, Orch)May 2 May Fete Parade (Advanced and Symphonic Band)May 13 Orchestra Concert (all orchestra members)May 20 Band Concert (all band members)May 27 Choir Concert (all choir members)Jun 4 Promotion (Advanced Band)

6th Grade Honor Groups:Membership in the 6th Grade Honor Band, Orchestra & Choir is available to 6th graders who partici-pate in their school music ensemble. Students are chosen through audition or teacher recommenda-tion. Talk to your music teacher for an audition time or let them know you are interested.

The goal of the honor music program is to provide 6th grade music students with an additional op-portunity to perform in an ensemble that challenges and extends student’s musical experience out-side of the school day. The music performed will be more diffi cult than the music performed during the regular music class, so it’s important that students have time to practice the extra music. A fi nal concert will be held in May at Spangenberg Auditorium on the Gunn Campus.


Food for Thought: 3 Quick and Easy Tips for a Less-Stress Morning by Heidi Trilling [email protected]

Welcome back to school and the Panther Tracks Food for Thought column!

Are you rushing to get yourselves and your middle schoolers out the door every morning? You’re not alone.

Most of us feel rushed and over-scheduled - including our kids. According to the annual Stress in America survey, sponsored by the American Psychological Association, 31% of pre-teens and teens feel overwhelmed, and 25% said they skipped meals due to stress.

So, what can we do about this?

Here are three super quick and easy remedies specifi cally for frazzled mornings when tensions are running high and time is running low.

1. Breathe Deeply.This technique will take you and your middle schoolers approximately thirty seconds. Take three deep breaths like this: Close your eyes. Inhale through your nose to a count of four (keep your mouth closed.) Then exhale through your mouth to a count of seven. Deep breathing can increase blood fl ow, release toxins from your body and reduce feelings of anxiety. After three deep breaths you will feel more centered and less harried. Try it and see.

2. Sniff some cinnamon or a freshly cut or-ange.A quick sniff of cinnamon - right from the spice jar - can lower feelings of anxiety and frustration. Similarly, the scent of orange has been documented to lower stress levels, lower blood pressure, and promote a feeling of well-being. (Mint and lavender work wonders, too.)

3. Squeeze an oven mitt or dish towel in each hand, tightly, and hold for a count of 3, then release. This will take you approximately four seconds. Repeat two more times. Contracting and then re-laxing the muscles of your hands, arms and shoulders relieves muscle tensions and joint stiff ness, stimulates circulation and melts away stress.

So, when the morning rush gets crazy, remember: you can take a few seconds to restore calm, create a less-stress morning and get everyone to school on time. Help is right there in your kitchen.

Online resources: Need more stress-reduction info for your middle schoolers? These websites can help:htt p://www.pamf.org/teen/life/stress/7stresstips.htmlhtt p://www.teenshealth.orghtt p://www.stressfreekids.com

Answer to the photo pop quiz:All of them do! Read the tips above for details.

Questions? Comments? Your suggestions for the next column are welcome: [email protected] Trilling is a certifi ed nutrition consultant, Health & Wellness rep for the PTA, and mom of an 8th grader at JLS.

Pop quiz: Cinnamon spice, an orange, and an oven mitt . Can you guess which of them reduces stress?

Photo: H. Trilling


All You Need to Know About the School Dances and More!Q. When and where are the school dances held?A. JLS will host three dances on the Fridays of: October 17th, February 20th, and April 17th. The dances will be held in the Cafetorium.

For students who want to att end but don’t want to be on the dance fl oor the entire time, the breeze-way is made available (and secure) for students to take a break, play some games, and just hang out together. There is something for everyone at the dance!

Q. When and where can I buy tickets?A. Lunchtime Monday through Friday, and after school Thursday and Friday during the week of the dance at the Student Store. Tickets cannot be purchased at the dance. Students must present their tickets and student ID at the door. Tickets are $5 each.

Q. What time does the dance start and end?A. Dances are from 7:00pm to 9:30pm but ends at 10:00pm for 8th graders only. Doors open at 6:50pm.

Q. What if I arrive late or need to leave early?A. Doors close at 7:30pm. Late entries are only allowed with prior approval. Inform a staff member if you need to leave early. A parent/guardian must meet the student at the door. There is no re-entry.

Q. Are there any snacks or drinks at the dance?A. Chips, crackers, candy, water and soda are sold for a charge.

Q. Anything else I need to be aware of?A. The same school dress code is enforced at the dance. There is a “no cell phone” policy. Leave your cell phone at home. Otherwise, it needs to be checked in at the coat check. Any student who needs to make a phone call may do so with a school phone or a chaperon’s cell phone.

Now that you have all the information to get ready for the dance, come and enjoy the music and ex-perience our new DJ, SOS Entertainment, on October 15th during lunch. The theme for the fi rst dance will be Carnival! A huge round of applause to Ms. Buddle and the Leadership Class for planning, decorating and running the dance!!

School staff and parents work together to provide adult supervision at the dance. An adequate num-ber of parent chaperons is essential for the students to have fun in a safe environment. Please consider chaperoning at the dance. Email Mary Catherine Williams at [email protected] to volunteer. Thank you!

JLS Back to School Dinner/Social Over 800 students, siblings and parents turned out for the PTA Back to School Dinner/Social, brought to you by the JLS PTA! It was a beautiful night for everyone to enjoy pizza, salad, good conversation and time to re-connect with friends or make new ones. Many of our JLS teachers and staff att ended to welcome back both parents and students. Some events are off ered by the PTA for pure fun and this was one of them; the entire community enjoyed a good time on campus. As always, the phenomenal volunteers deserve a big hand and a big thank you! The PTA depends on volunteer support to achieve success (you don’t have to be a PTA member to help out, by the way). No job is too small and to everyone who off ered their time, ideas and talents, THANK YOU – you know who you are and WE know who you are!We hope to see everyone at future events, including the big food event in the spring: The Many Faces of JLS Potluck!Special thanks to the planning committ ee: Barbara Stroud, Paul Sakuma, and Barbara Best.


The Common Core–ner

JLS Writing HandbookBy Ann Lorey, [email protected]

JLS Common Core TOSA (Teacher on Special Assignment)

Have you seen it? JLS has a new, student–friendly writing handbook thanks to the collaborative work of an interdisciplinary team of core teach-ers. The current version was based on the origi-nal JLS Writing Handbook that was created two years ago by a team of ELA teachers.

The purpose of the handbook is to provide stu-dents with a resource tool to support their writ-ing — both inside and outside of the classroom. In addition, the handbook will be used to support implementation of the Common Core College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writ-ing, the Common Core Standards for Mathemati-cal Practice and the Next Generation Science Standards for Science and Engineering Practices.

Coming Soon! A digital version of the handbook will be made available to students, parents, and teachers via the JLS Schoology website.

From Arvind Arya, Class of 2015 counselor

Hi my name is Arvind Arya. I am the 8th grade counselor at JLS and am excited and thrilled to have this opportunity to work with you and your student. Just so you know a litt le bit more about me, I am starting my 15th year working as a guid-ance counselor. I am from southern California and went to high school in Carlsbad and graduated from U.C. Riverside with my B.A. in Sociology. I att ended Azusa Pacifi c University and earned my M.A. in education along with a credential in school counseling.

My fi rst experience counseling was at La Cañada High School in La Cañada, California. La Cañada is a litt le community that is just outside of Pasa-dena. I had a wonderful experience counseling with all grades during my tenure there. In the summer of 2006, I got married and relocated to the Bay Area. I worked at Milpitas High School for a year, but decided it was time for a change. I love working in Middle School! It is very diff er-ent from High School, but I feel that children are much more open to learning so many new things in life. I enjoy their energy and enthusiasm. JLS is a great school and I am proud to work here. I am starting my 8th year working at JLS. What is nice about the JLS counseling program is that the counselors “ loop” with their grade, which means the counselors keep their class for the three years, until they fi nish the 8th grade. This is a great way of gett ing to know the kids and making relation-ships with them!

I have two litt le children. My daughter Pria is sev-en and att ends Hoover Elementary and my son Aarav is four. In my spare time I like to watch soccer and basketball. I’m a huge fan of European Football! I support Arsenal FC and the LA Lak-ers! I also enjoy traveling to new places and am known as the “King of the Grill” in my home as I enjoy grilling on weekends.

I have a passion about working with students to help them overcome any obstacles that they may face. This can be academic, personal/ social or just about anything. Sett ing goals and working towards them is an important life-long skill for all

Counselors’ Corner

Parent Visitation DaysThursday, November 6 is a Parent Visitation Day at JLS. Parents are welcome to visit classrooms and see all aspects of the school. Please follow these guidelines:

• First come to the offi ce to sign in, get a nam-etag, map, bell schedule and teaching schedule.

• Please do not let your visit interrupt the teach-ing and learning process.

• Please do not talk to the teacher, students, or other parents in the classroom (unless the teacher invites you to do so).

• When you have fi nished your visit, please re-turn to the offi ce to sign out.

Future Parent Visitation Days: January 9 and April 28.


From Sonia Gomez, Class of 2017 Counselor

Hello! My name is Sonia Gomez and I am the 6th grade counselor. I am very excited to begin my second year at JLS. Let me share with you a bit about myself.

I grew up in Half Moon Bay and relocated to San Jose to att end San Jose State University, where I earned a B.A. in Social Science. I continued my studies at SJSU to earn an M.A. in Counseling Education and a Pupil Personnel Services creden-tial (PPS) in school counseling. I have two won-derful daughters ages three years and 17 months and a wonderful husband. In my spare time I enjoy playing soccer, reading and spending time in Half Moon Bay with my extended family.

I have been a counselor for 13 years working with various age groups. Most of my counsel-ing experience has been in San Jose schools. My passion for working with students has led me to be a middle school, high school and community college counselor. Before coming to JLS, I worked at Fred Finch Youth Center in collaboration with San Mateo County Mental Health Services as a therapeutic behavioral coach for clients ages 4-21. I feel blessed to have been able to see the “bigger picture” of students’ needs through my work at diff erent school sett ings and providing behavior-al intervention services at home and school.

My passion for counseling grows as I meet new students and help them overcome any obstacles that may get in their way of achieving their academic or personal goals and reaching their full potential. I believe middle school is a great opportunity for students to build their character, values and learn skills that they can apply in their daily endeavors.

Contact me at [email protected] or (650) 856-5174 if you have any questions.

From Linda Howard, Class of 2016 Counselor

Welcome back to another school year. My name is Linda Howard and once again I will be work-ing as a guidance counselor at JLS. Last year I had the opportunity to introduce the 6th graders to the wonderful world of middle school. This year I am happy to continue guiding the same group of older, more experienced 7th graders. At JLS we have a “looping” system where the guid-ance counselors stay with the same students all three years. This aff ords the counselors a chance to get to know our students and families.

This is my 18th year at JLS. For the fi rst fi ve years I worked in the 6th grade as a resource specialist. Before coming to Palo Alto I taught and worked as a guidance counselor in Texas for 13 years. I hold credentials in multi-subject area, special education and Pupil Personnel Services (school counseling). I hold a master’s degree in Educa-tion in school counseling.

When children contact the counselor about a problem, they are taking the fi rst step toward advocating for themselves. Encourage your child to contact me if they have a concern or question. Self-advocacy empowers students to become their own problem solvers.

Children are being exposed to more information and are being required to expand their knowl-edge at a much faster rate than in past genera-tions. One of the most important skills a person can learn is how to communicate with others in a positive and constructive manner. My passion and interest lie in working with individuals or small groups of students helping them to de-velop their abilities in interpersonal relationships and in making wise decisions.

Please feel free to contact me if you have ques-tions. Contact me at 856-5175 or e-mail me at [email protected] if you have questions.

Counselors’ Corner

our kids. Seeing kids grow into responsible, mo-tivated students is very rewarding to me. Middle school kids are a lot of fun!

All the best this year and I am looking forward to working with you.

If you have any questions or concerns, I can be reached at 650-856-5129 [email protected].

Arvind Arya, continued


Unity DayOn October 23rd, JLS will participate in the sec-ond annual PAUSD Unity Day. Unity Day is a day dedicated to anti-bullying as part of National Bullying Prevention Month. Unity Day is a call to action for students to Unite Against Bullying and to make a diff erence at their school.

JLS students will be encouraged to participate in lunchtime activities to unite in our eff orts to promote kindness and caring, demonstrate a respect for diversity and foster an atmosphere of inclusion.

Our activities at lunch will include the signing of the JLS Unity Day Banner, the activity called “JLS Unity Link”, and a showing of a video during WIP on bullying prevention that includes discus-sion questions in classrooms.

Orange is the color that represents Unity Day. Everyone is encouraged to wear orange to dem-onstrate a united stand for kindness, respect and inclusion.

Last year was a huge success and we are hoping for another great Unity Day!

Tune Into KJLS!Do you want to know the latest about what’s go-ing on at JLS? Did you know that you can watch the daily KJLS broadcast LIVE?

Tune in every day (except Wednesday) at 9:10am for 10 minutes of JLS Morning Announcements.

KJLS is produced by the students of Jaime Bud-dle’s elective class “Broadcast Media”.

Tune into cable Comcast channel 30

or

streaming LIVE:

htt p://midpenmedia.org/local-tv/watch-now/

Select channel 30.

Not only will you learn what’s happening at JLS, you’ll see the variety of skills students learn in this class: journalism; pre-production including planning, logos, jingles, public service and spe-cial reports; and a variety of production jobs in both the studio and control room.

See the results of this collaborative, project-based and technology-oriented real world learning experience!

Thanks for watching KJLS.

Mix It Up at Lunch! Tuesday, October 28We are happy to announce that JLS will be participating in the annual Mix It Up at Lunch Day on Tuesday, October 28th. The Mix It Up at Lunch is designed to connect students with those outside of their social circle by participating in fun activities. We will have music, prizes, and cool icebreaker activities.

Recent studies have shown that this annual event improves intergroup relations.

• 97% said students’ interactions were positive during Mix It Up at Lunch Day.• 95% said Mix It Up at Lunch Day prompted students to interact with people outside their normal

social circles.• 92% said Mix It Up at Lunch Day increased awareness about social boundaries and divisions

within school.• 83% said the event helped students make new friends.• 78% said as a result of the Lunch students seem more comfortable interacting with diff erent kinds

of people.Source: Mix It Up Survey conducted by Quality Education Data, 2008


Gearing up for SchoolBy Maria Abilock

The new school year is rolling along with Traf-fi c Safety! At a recent bicycle count in mid-September, 590 bicycles were parked in the three JLS bike cages. That means about 54% of the student population regu-larly bikes to school! This is an astonishing number compared to nation-wide results and caught the eye of the League of American Bicyclists who came out to witness the morning bicycle commute and learn about Palo Alto’s Safe Routes to School program last spring. It is so easy to commute by bike to JLS because we have bicycle education events, lots of bike parking, great bike lanes/paths lead-ing to JLS, students with great bike skills, and a committ ed Safe Routes to School program. Read on to learn more about the bicycle-friendly atmo-sphere at JLS.

At Jump Start Day in August, hundreds of stu-dents showed up to register their bikes with the Palo Alto Police Depart-ment, learn to do a safety check of their bicycles and infl ate their tires, plan their routes to school with Palo Alto’s Safe Routes to School coordinators, and learn to correctly adjust and wear their helmets. Thank you to all the parent and community volunteers who helped make this a success-ful event!

If you haven’t seen the NEW Safe Routes to School Walk and Roll map for JLS, please visit

the JLS website and follow the links for “Gett ing to JLS” then “Bicycling and Walking to JLS” to access the map and safety tips.

htt p://jls.pausd.org/default/index.cfm/gett ing-to-jls/bicycling-and-walking-to-jls/

There is also a direct link in the “News” section of the home page. In September, all 6th grade stu-

dents att ended a bike safety assembly to learn how to “Drive that Bike”, sponsored by Safe Routes to School and JLS. Check with your student to fi nd out what s/he learned about adjusting/wearing a helmet, following the rules of the road (stopping at stop signs, signaling turns, and correct lane position), and how to trigger a green light at an intersection with a traffi c light. Each year, 6th graders

participate in this engaging bike safety instruc-tion, so parents of 7th and 8th graders, your stu-dents should already know and be practicing safe bicycling.

In celebration of National Walk to School Day, JLS and all other PAUSD schools will be encour-aging walking, biking, carpooling and riding

the bus/shutt le to school on Wednesday, October 8 with support from Safe Routes to School. If you’d like to help greet students during the morning commute to JLS, please contact Dharti at [email protected] .

Safe Routes to School is a partnership between the City of Palo Alto, PAUSD, and the Palo Alto PTA to minimize cy-

cling/pedestrian risks for students and encourage more bicycling/walking and alternative commutes to school. To learn more, visit htt p://cityofpaloalto.org/saferoutes .


PARTNERS IN EDUCATION (PiE) and JLS

JLS will receive a record $343,914.00 this academic year from PiE (Partners in Education) thanks to your family’s generous donation from last year (2013-2014)!!!

Many thanks to the families who have already donated this year! If you have not yet donated, please consider giving. Why?

PiE is the non-profi t educational foundation dedicated exclusively to raising funds for all PAUSD (Palo Alto Unifi ed School District) schools, including JLS. It is the only fundraising organization authorized by the Palo Alto Board of Education to pay for salaries during the school day. PiE enables JLS to pay for resources that benefi t ALL JLS students including:

Compelling Electives: PiE dollars reduce class sizes in all electives and help make possible JLS elec-tives like music, creative writing, art, drama, computer education, industrial tech, broadcast journal-ism, video production, biotech and the new Money Matt ers and Marine Biology classes.

Student Guidance and Support: Staff and programs for academic guidance, Panther Camp for all incoming students, social and emotional development, student connectedness and grade-level transi-tions (i.e. your student’s counselor remains the same all three years!)

Classroom Support: PiE gifts support the universal, systematic practice for teaching writing through-out the curriculum at JLS. PiE also pays for technology-related staffi ng, including the school’s tech-nology mentor for teachers and the technology lead, which is increasingly crucial in this era of Com-mon Core.

Your tax-deductible donation may also be matched by many companies. Ask your company, or a PiE rep.

How to donate?

Use the PiE envelope that’s possibly buried in that mountain of back-to-school papers on your kitchen counter. Mail it or drop it in the handy box in the JLS offi ce (where you can also fi nd more envelopes).

Donate online! www.papie.org Credit cards or PayPal accepted.

Questions? Ask JLS Parents & Volunteer PiE Chairs:

Annelise Mora [email protected]

Jennifer Mutz [email protected]

Mudita Jain [email protected]

Pam Markevitch [email protected]

Suman Gupta [email protected]


Tierra LindaGunn


Available at the JLS Student Store

JLS T-Shirts and Sweatshirts

GO PANTHERS!


JLS Student Store Order Form

Mark quantity of item(s) needed:


Mel Frioli: [email protected] Sakuma: [email protected]

Palo Alto Council of Parent Teacher AssociationJane Lathrop Stanford Middle School480 East Meadow DrivePalo Alto, CA 94306www.jls.pausd.orgMain Office: 650-856-5188Fax: 650-856-3248Change Service Requested

Non-Profit OrgU.S. PostagePAIDPermit No. 18Palo Alto, CA

CalendarOctober15 W JLS/Gunn Band Concert, 7 p.m., JLS

Cafetorium16 Th 8th grade Hearing Screening17 F JLS Dance, 7-9:30 p.m.20 M Site Council meeting, 3:30 p.m.22-23 W-Th Science Fair23 Th Unity Day24 F “Second Cup of Coffee with Max”, 9 a.m.28 Tu National Mix It Up At Lunch Day31 F End of 6th grade Wheel 2

November3 M 6th grade Wheel 3 begins5 W 7th grade Cell Model projects, 6 p.m.6 Th Parent Visitation Day6 Th PTA-sponsored Latte Guy for Staff6 Th PTA Executive Board meeting, 8:30 a.m.11 Tu Veterans Day, NO SCHOOL12 W Choir Concert, 7 p.m.

17-21 M-F Not In Our Schools (NIOS) Week17 M Site Council meeting, 3:30 p.m.20-21 Th-F PiE Donation Days20 Th Panther Tracks deadline for article submission20 Th “Alice in Wonderland” drama performance, 7 p.m.21 F “Alice in Wonderland” drama performance, 7 p.m.26-28 W-F Thanksgiving Holiday, NO SCHOOL

December3 W Orchestra Concert, 7 p.m.4 Th PTA-sponsored Latte Guy for Staff4 Th PTA Executive Board meeting, 8:30 a.m.10 W Band Concerts, 7 & 8:15 p.m.11 Th End of 6th grade Wheel 312 F 6th grade Wheel 4 begins15 M Site Council meeting, 3:30 p.m.19 F End of First Semester District-wide Minimum Day 12:25 p.m. dismissalDecember 22 – January 2 Winter Break

Panther Tracks - Palo Alto Council of PTAs...October 2014 JLS Panther Tracks Page 3 Know the Friends...

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Transcript of Panther Tracks - Palo Alto Council of PTAs...October 2014 JLS Panther Tracks Page 3 Know the Friends...