The May 26, 2026 Newsletter

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and is enjoying this beautiful spring weather. As we head into a short week ahead of the Memorial Day weekend, we want to thank our families for your continued partnership and support during this busy season of the school year.

Memorial Day also gives us an opportunity to pause and honor the men and women who lost their lives while serving our country. We are grateful for their sacrifice and service.

This week, we are also recognizing Mental Health Spirit Week at Janney. Throughout the week, students and staff will participate in activities and spirit days that help uplift the importance of mental health, self-care, connection, and community. Spirit days include Pajama Day on Wednesday, Color & Tie-Dye Day on Thursday, and wearing green on Friday in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month. Thank you to our student support team for helping organize this important week for our community.

As always, we remain committed to supporting the social-emotional well-being of our students and encourage families to reach out if additional support is ever needed.

As we move through these final weeks of the school year, we remain focused on finishing strong together as a school community. Thank you for continuing to support strong attendance, daily routines, and the important learning and joyful experiences happening across our building each day.

In Partnership,

Principal Singh

May 18- June 3 | Janney Clothes + Stuffies Swap

May 27 | District Taco Fundraiser

June 3 | Janney Field Day

June 5 | Spring Picnic

June 8 | PTA Community Meeting
June 8-10 | 5th Grade Echo Hill Field Trip

June 12 | 5th Grade Promotion and Clap Out

June 16 | No School (Primary Election)

June 18 | Last Day of School

View the Janney Calendar on Google Calendar.

Our next goal is 90% of students enrolled by June 1! Complete Janney Enrollment for 2026-2027 by logging into your ASPEN account to access your parent portal. As a reminder, ALL FAMILIES must re-enroll!

💡Helpful Tips:

• Locked out of Aspen? If you’re having trouble logging in, send Ms. Reid an email. Password resets must be initiated by the school, and we'll get you back in Aspen.

• Double-Check Your Documents: The residency verification upload button can be a bit tricky to find. If you’ve submitted your enrollment but haven't received a confirmation email, please double-check that your DC residency documents were successfully attached.

• Re-Enrollment Documents: Good news for returning families! Since we already have proof-of-age documents on file for our current students, you only need to provide those for new students joining the Janney family for the first time.

• Health & Dental Forms: As you schedule your spring check-ups, remember that health and dental forms remain valid for one full year from the date of the appointment.

Here is a tutorial should you need further assistance; you can also reach out to Ms. Reid or Mr. Barnhart.

I would like to extend a big congratulations to our 4th and 5th-grade Janney Band for their wonderful performance on Tuesday, May 19th. The students played beautifully for their parents and supporters, showcasing their hard work and dedication.

A special thank you goes to our amazing band director, Mr. Sterling Scroggins, for putting together such an outstanding program. His leadership and commitment truly shone through in the performance.

I would also like to recognize and thank the always supportive Ms. Loidmary Perenguez for helping the flutes sound especially wonderful.

Please take a moment to congratulate them on their terrific achievement! Thank you all for your continued support of the Arts at Janney.

We will miss Vader for her main character energy, but I know she crossed the rainbow bridge to chicken paradise to join her good friend Marshmallow.

Note: Last year's yearbook is still available in the front office.

Mark your calendars for Janney's annual end-of-year Spring Picnic, coming up on Friday, June 5th! The evening will be fun and festive, as always, and will include:

• Performances by Glee Club, the Shrek musical cast, the Janney Band, and the Cheer Squad.
• Music by DJ Keren Erez (mom of Janney 1st grader Noah)
• Kids games on the Mulch Playground
• Food options: Surfside, Two Smooth Dudes, District Bites, Halal Grill, Angelico's Pizza, Captain Cookie, and Clayboys
• Concession stand serving ice cream (new!), snacks, candy and soft drinks
• Janney’s spring Clothing Swap (see details below)

👉 This event wouldn't be possible without our generous parent volunteers. If you can, please sign up to lend a hand with the set-up, clean up, and selling of food and drinks.

Donate your gently used children’s clothing and stuffies May 18 - June 3rd and come to the gym during the Spring Picnic on June 5th to pick out some new-to-you outfits and friends.

Clothes and stuffies can be put in the blue bins that will be right outside the gym during arrival each morning.

Interested in helping to sort and organize the clothing? Help will be needed on June 1st, 2nd, and 3rd right after school in the gym. Drivers are also needed to deliver leftovers to Martha’s Table. Please contact shoshana.zallman@k12.dc.gov if you are available.

It's not too late to buy Janney merch this school year -- and we have a limited number of yard signs available to celebrate our Janney fifth graders too! You can buy Janney gear -- including the new yard signs -- for pickup at the school.

As we continue building out volunteer opportunities for the 2026–2027 school year, we’re excited to share that there has been strong interest in PTA Executive Committee leadership roles, with active conversations underway to finalize the 2026–2027 officer team. A huge thank you to everyone who has raised their hand to help lead and support the PTA next year!

Over the next few weeks, we’ll continue highlighting additional ways to get involved -- from committee leadership to flexible behind-the-scenes support roles that help keep Janney events and programs running smoothly.

We’re looking for volunteers interested in helping build and support a more centralized concessions program across Janney events. This would be a “back-of-house” style role focused on areas like inventory, purchasing, pricing, and overall coordination of concessions throughout the year.

Concessions sales at individual events would still be coordinated by each event team, but this committee would help create consistency, streamline operations, and support volunteers across events. This is a great opportunity for someone who enjoys organization, logistics, operations, or simply helping behind the scenes in a meaningful way.

Interested in learning more or raising your hand? Reach out to our current Presidents or VPs to start the conversation.

Not sure about a leadership role? There are many ways to get involved! Committee roles offer flexible opportunities to contribute based on your interests and availability.

Beth Kuhnhein + Jennifer Records

ptavp@janneyschool.org

2025-2026 PTA Co-VPs

The Janney+ Programs Board of Directors has a couple of open Board of Director positions for Janney+ parents. We are specifically seeking new board members with backgrounds in Finance and Human Resources. If you are a member of the Janney community, interested in volunteering your time and expertise to guide the future of Janney+ Programs, and have experience in finance, human resources or a related field, we would love to hear from you!

Janney+ is a DCPS partner organization and nonprofit that serves over 85% of the Janney Elementary School community through high-quality before- and after-school programs, including Janney+ Aftercare (JAC), Enrichment, Language, Camp Days, and Summer Programs. Board members play a vital role in shaping the vision and strategic direction of Janney+. We welcome individuals who bring diverse experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives. Prior board experience is not required.

If you're interested or would like to learn more, please contact Deb Friedman at deblharris@gmail.com. To apply, email a brief introduction and a statement of interest, including any relevant experience. Help us strengthen and grow Janney+—consider joining the Board today!

The Local School Advisory Team (LSAT) is a collaborative group of elected and appointed school community members that exists at every DCPS school. At Janney, the LSAT includes parent and staff representatives, union representatives, and school leadership who work together to advise the principal on matters that support strong outcomes for students and the broader school community. Topics often include school priorities, budgeting, enrollment, facilities, and community feedback.

There will be four (4) open parent positions for the upcoming school year. Parent members serve two-year terms. We are hopeful to continue building a team that reflects the many perspectives, experiences, and grade levels within the Janney community.

If you are interested in serving on the LSAT, please submit a brief narrative (approximately 150–200 words) to Principal Singh at danielle.singh@k12.dc.gov sharing your connection to the Janney community, your interest in serving on the LSAT, and the perspectives or experiences you hope to bring to the team by May 29, 2026. Candidate narratives will be shared with the community ahead of the election period (June 1 through June 12).

Families can reach out to Principal Singh with any questions.

Join us for the last Janney community service day of the year! On Saturday, June 13th, from 10am-12pm we'll pick up trash in Rock Creek Park, helping to preserve this important watershed. Just bring your water bottle and enthusiasm - we'll supply the gloves and bags. Meeting point will be at the Rock Creek Nature Center, where there is plenty of parking. We'll share a registration link closer to the date. Reach out to communityservice@janneyschool.org with any questions!

Here's the class photo from 1963.

I am still friends.....two very good ones (or at least acquaintances or FB friends) with 12 of these graduates.

I have several great memories of my years at Janney. Many in this class went on to Alice Deal and Wilson....now thankfully, "Jackson-Reed" H.S.

Vincent Reed was our principal during my time at Wilson and Edna Jackson was a beloved history teacher. Reed went on to be superintendent of D.C. public schools.

I have a fantasy that during an upcoming Wilson reunion (none planned as yet) weekend those who attended Janney could get a tour of the school and tell stories of our time there.

If you use this photo in some way, I'd sure like to hear about it.

Thanks.

Best,

Nancy Buckingham

Wilmington, NC

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• Join the Janney Bike Bus | Join Janney students and parents on Friday mornings for a fun bike bus to school! Join the Janney Bike Bus WhatsApp group for updates and info.
• Field Trip Fees | Pay here for Field Trip Fee.
• Chaperones | DCPS requires chaperones to complete a volunteer clearance application, after which you will receive an email with background check instructions. Fingerprinting is also required as part of the process but this can now be done remotely with instructions. DCPS Volunteer Clearance is valid for 2 years. List Michael Barnhart, michael.barnhart@k12.dc.gov, (202) 282-0110, as your contact and email him your clearance letter once received.
• Communicable Diseases | Check out our Mini Guide to Communicable Diseases to stay healthy!
• Lice Guide | Please read and share: Download our Suggested Lice Guide.