Dolphin Update

For Translation...

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*Arriba de esta pagina haga click "Translate Newsletter" y seleccione el idioma "SPANISH"*

*Nhấp vào "dịch Newsletter " và chọn ngôn ngữ của sự lựa chọn để dịch thư "VIETNAMESE"*

*انقر فوق "ترجمة النشرة الإخبارية" وحدد اللغة التي تختارها لترجمة الرسالة. "ARABIC"*

We hope your children are enjoying the long weekend! Just a reminder that there is No School tomorrow, February 16th. We look forward to welcoming you back to school on Tuesday.

February is a special month filled with meaningful celebrations and opportunities to learn from one another. From Black History Month, Valentine’s Day, Lunar New Year, and the beginning of Ramadan, there is so much celebration happening within our community.

We are proud to be a school where we honor the rich cultures, traditions, and histories that make our community so strong. These celebrations give us opportunities to build understanding, show kindness, and learn about the diverse experiences that shape who we are. We invite you to join us this Friday for our next Family Workshop connected to Culture. Our community will be creating our own Peace, Love, and Kindness March on the blacktop, check out the flyers below for all the details. We hope to see you there!

Sandi Coast Cafe will offer take-home meals to San Diego Unified students fasting during Ramadan to promote nutrition security, health equity, and to ensure children have access to the nutrition they need.

Meals (breakfast & lunch) will be available for pickup at the end of each school day. We will determine the meal pickup location based on volume of requests and available space after we get more information about how many families are interested in this.

The initiative will be effective February 17 through March 19, 2026.

• Interested families complete a request form and turn in to our front office. These forms are also available in our office if needed.

• Link to Ramadan Menus and Forms

Hello, amazing families! This past month, our school dove deep into the world of emotion management during our weekly social-emotional learning (SEL) classroom lessons. We talked about how having "big feelings" (like anger or frustration) is a totally normal part of being human. However, we also learned that even when we are upset, it is never okay to hurt others with our words or our bodies.

Students learned some pretty cool brain science during these SEL lessons. They discovered that the "feeling" part and the "thinking" part of our brain are always touching. Typically, the thinking part of our brain is in control, but when we have a huge emotion, the feeling part tries to take charge, making it hard for us to think clearly or make safe choices.

How do we know when the feeling brain is taking over? We look for clues from our body! Students identified things like a hot face, a racing heart, sweaty palms, tummy ache, or wobbly legs. To help activate the thinking part of our brain to regain control, we practiced two calming-down steps. The first step is to use a Stop Signal which is to say a word in your head or out loud to hit the brakes, like "Stop!", "Chill out," or "Relax!". The second step is to Name Our Feeling by simply saying "I feel frustrated" or "I feel sad" which forces the thinking brain to wake up and start working again.

Once our brain is back in control, but our body is still feeling uncomfortable, we can then do Belly Breathing. Students practiced the "Tummy Check"—breathing in through the nose to feel our bellies expand like a balloon, and exhaling slowly through the mouth to feel our bellies go down.

These two calming-down steps are not just for kids, they work wonders for grown-ups too! Next time you are stuck in traffic or cannot find your keys, try using a stop signal, naming your feeling, and taking a deep belly breath with your student :)

💜 Mrs. Rebelo-Vu, Your School Counselor

February

16 - No School: Presidents Day

19 - End of 2nd Trimester

20 - Family Workshop: Culture

26 - School Day (as originally scheduled)

27 - Achievement Awards

27 - 5th Grade Field Trip: University of San Diego

March

2-6 - Literacy Week

2 - Spring Picture Day

6 - Family Workshop: STEAM/Literacy

6 - Extra Minimum Day: (TK-5th Dismissal @ 11:40/11:50 am)

9 - No School: Non-Instructional Day (as originally scheduled)

10 - La Jolla Playhouse Production of ¡Colorín, Colorado at Jones for 3rd-5th Grade

10 - SGT/SSC - Virtual

12 - PTA Jog-A-Thon

14 - PTA Spirit Wear Swap

20 - Cup O Collaboration: Coffee & PTA Association Meeting

23-27 - Conferences: Minimum Days ALL Week (TK-5th Dismissal @ 11:40/11:50 am)

30 - April 3 - No School: Spring Break

April

6 - School Resumes

The Jones PTA plays a crucial role in fostering strong family engagement at Jones Elementary. By organizing activities that bring families, students, and staff together, the PTA helps grow a stronger sense of belonging within our school community. These events not only strengthen relationships but also empower families to be active participants in their children's education, enhancing student success and building a supportive, collaborative school environment. Thank you for the leadership of our PTA Executive Board members, the volunteers that plan and execute PTA events, and all of you who participate! Check out what our PTA is up to...

Did you know that just 15 minutes of reading each day can make a world of difference in your child’s learning journey? Whether you are reading to your child, reading together, or listening to them read aloud, it all counts and it all matters!

Reading at home builds more than just literacy skills. It strengthens vocabulary, improves comprehension, and develops a lifelong love of learning. In fact, children who are read to daily are exposed to 1.4 million more words by the time they start school than children who are not. That kind of language exposure lays a strong foundation for both academic success and confident communication.

Just as importantly, books also help children grow socially by allowing them to step into other people’s experiences, see the world from different perspectives and practice empathy and kindness. Stories have the power to spark cultural awareness, build understanding and nurture the skills that help our students become not only successful learners, but also compassionate human beings.

Here are a few ways to make reading a special part of your routine:

• Choose a cozy time and space to read together

• Let your child pick the book (even if it’s the same one again!)

• Ask questions about the story to boost comprehension

• Model a love for reading by enjoying your own book nearby

The best part, your family has access to an endless amount of books through the internet and the Public Library. Looking for something new to read? Check out the links below for inspiration...

We love celebrating our neighborhood schools and staying connected to the exciting things happening just down the road. Click the link below to see what has been going on at Taft Middle School. It’s a great way to learn about their events, programs, and all the opportunities our students will enjoy when they move on to middle school!

Here is a link to the San Diego Unified Food Services Website where you can find allergy and nutritional information on foods served at schools. Foods not found on our regular school site menu will be listed individually under the "Alternate Menu Items" section.

If you ever have general questions about the food services at school sites you can reach out to foodandnutritionservices@sandi.net. To connect directly with the Jones Cafe Manager you can email Elena Nieto at enieto@sandi.net.

Click on the clink below to find the most current breakfast and lunch menus...

Did you have fun at the Fall Festival? Has your child grown academically, socially, and as a leader? Has Jones helped foster a love of the arts? Has a Jones educator made a meaningful impact on your child or family? Have you built friendships and community through the families you’ve met at Jones?

We know you have choices when it comes to your child’s education and we are so grateful you have chosen Jones Elementary! Whether Jones is your neighborhood school or one you chose through the district's Choice Program, your story matters.

As prospective families explore schools on GreatSchools.org, we want them to hear directly from the people who know Jones best... you! Please take a few minutes to share what makes our school special and why you are proud to be part of the Jones community.

💙 Link to GreatSchools.org – Jones Elementary

Our mission is to ensure ALL students meet or exceed grade level expectations through rigorous, high-quality, standards based instruction in a safe, nurturing, collaborative learning environment where all students are preparing to be global citizens, college and career ready.

Check out our school website for PeachJar Flyers, Counseling Resources, Family Handbook, Staff Contact Lists, After School Programs, Enrollment Information and so much more!

Email: contact@sandi.net
Website: https://jones.sandiegounified.org/
Location: 2751 Greyling Drive, San Diego, CA, USA
Phone: (619) 605-8800
Facebook: facebook.com/JonesElementary
Instagram: @jonesdolphins

Our Parent Teacher Association works with Jones Elementary to provide programs and support to benefit the students, their families, teachers, school administration and the community. Run entirely by volunteers, the PTA raises money to support enrichment programs, program instructors, educational assemblies and field trips, family events, and special classroom supplies.

As always, we need your membership, support and ability to volunteer. You can become a member using Totem, a respected membership management service. Please contact us with other thoughts on how we are doing, and your ideas on how you can become involved. We look forward to hearing from you.

Email: jonesdolphinspta@gmail.com
Website: https://jpjonespta.org/
Location: 2751 Greyling Drive, San Diego, CA, USA
Phone: (619)605-8800