The March 10, 2026 Newsletter
We’re proud to spotlight Kids Elite, the Janney PTA’s top sponsor and Year-Long Platinum partner!
For the second year in a row, Kids Elite is partnering with the Janney PTA through a year-long sponsorship. Many Janney families already know Kids Elite through their popular sports and enrichment programs, which help children build confidence, stay active, and develop a lifelong love of movement. We are incredibly grateful for all they contribute to our Janney community, and as summer approaches, Kids Elite is a wonderful choice for families exploring summer camp options.
Recognized by Washington Parent Magazine as the #1 Sports and Recreation Camp in the DMV, Kids Elite Sports Summer Camp provides a fun, supportive environment where children ages 4–12 stay active while building confidence, sportsmanship, and new skills through a wide variety of sports and games. The program emphasizes diversification — exposing kids to multiple age-appropriate activities that help reduce burnout and overuse injuries while promoting well-rounded athletic development. Camps are held right in the neighborhood at Murch Elementary School and Jackson-Reed High School, with access to indoor gyms, turf fields, Ft. Reno Park, baseball diamonds, and tennis courts. Learn more and register at www.kidselitesports.com.
Dear Janney Families,
We have been enjoying the beautiful spring-like weather this week and the chance for students to spend more time outdoors. It has been wonderful to see our Jaguars learning and playing outside as the season begins to change.
Thank you as well for your continued partnership in helping keep our community healthy. We appreciate families reinforcing healthy habits and keeping students home when they are not feeling well.
Today I also want to highlight an important part of our work at Janney: school safety. Each month we practice two safety drills so students and staff know how to respond calmly if needed. One is our monthly fire drill, and the other is a rotating safety drill.
This week we will practice our 500-foot evacuation drill, where students and staff safely walk together to one of our nearby community partners, St. Columba’s.
Our team prepares students in thoughtful and age-appropriate ways using classroom conversations and a social story to help them understand what to expect. Students practice simple steps such as:
Listen to Janney grown-ups and follow directions right away.
Line up and stay together with our class.
Walk calmly to our safe meeting place.
Wait together until we return safely to school.
Practicing these routines helps students feel confident and prepared, and it helps keep our entire community safe.
Thank you for your continued partnership in supporting a safe and caring Janney community. Please reach out to Principal Singh and DSL Mike Barnhart with any questions about safety drills.
Thank you for your partnership!
Principal Singh
🎥 Janney Family Movie Night!
Please join us for Janney Movie Night TOMORROW March 11th starting at 6:00 pm! We will be showing Zootopia 2 and will have pizza, popcorn, and drinks for sale! Wear your PJs and bring a blanket to get cozy with your fellow Jaguars for a night of fun and laughs!
👐 If you're able to volunteer, please reach out to Melissa Henkel or Colleen Dobson or sign up HERE.
📚 Read-a-thon Success!
Congratulations to our amazing readers! Together, Janney students logged more than 325,000 minutes of reading. Winners will be announced at Jamboree this Wednesday, with prizes for the top-reading class in each grade and the top reader in each grade.
A huge thank you to our avid readers, to our amazing teachers who support their reading each day and inspire a love of learning, to the families who cheered them on, and to everyone who pledged their support.
A couple of quick reminders as we wrap up the Read-a-thon:
- Please remind your sponsors to pay for their pledges to support all that amazing reading. Sponsors will receive an email reminder with instructions on how to pay this week, and pledges can also be paid directly on the Read-a-thon website.
- It’s also not too late to pledge. Families can text or email a pledge link directly from the Read-a-thon website by clicking the “Invite Sponsor” button under Quick Actions.
🫶 And finally, a special thank you to the incredibly dedicated team behind this year’s Read-a-thon: Brooke Brown, Nora Stein, Kathleen McLaughlin, and Mike Hunter. This group worked behind the scenes to organize the program, refresh the Read-a-thon website, and keep the excitement going throughout the challenge.
We also wanted to give an extra shout-out to Brooke, as this is her final year at Janney. We are especially grateful for the leadership, foundation, and heart she has brought to the Read-a-thon over the years.
The Janney Auction is 18 Days Away!
Buy Your Tickets Today and Join Us Beneath the Canopy
More than 325 of your fellow Janney parents and friends have already secured their spot at the 2026 Janney Auction—have you?Don’t miss your chance to join the party Beneath the Canopy on March 28! Grab your ticket today, book that babysitter, and get ready for a kid-free evening filled with great food, flowing drinks, music, and plenty of spirited bidding. This magical night under the canopy is quickly becoming the event of the season, and you won’t want to hear about it the next day—you’ll want to be there.
The Canopy is Buzzing - Come Lend a Hand! Did you know the Janney Auction is powered entirely by parent volunteers? Every decoration, donation, and detail comes together thanks to the time, creativity, and energy of our amazing Janney community. We’re incredibly grateful to the many parents already pitching in—and we’d love for you to join the fun! Get involved by volunteering to help create the canopy and/or Auction setup/cleanup.
Here are two easy (and fun!) ways to get involved:
- Sip & Paint – March 18 at 6-8 PM: Grab a drink, pick up a paintbrush, and help us create the canopy for the 2026 Janney Auction! No artistic talent required—just come ready to relax, laugh, and meet other Janney Jaguar grown-ups while helping bring the Beneath the Canopy theme to life. All materials (and drinks) will be provided. If you can join, please RSVP, and if you’re feeling generous, bring a $20+ bottle of wine to help stock the Auction’s wine cellar.
- If you can’t make it - here are some other ways to help!
- Have leftover foam board from recent school projects laying around? We’ll take ‘em! Deliver them to the Janney Front office “Auction Paper Collection Bin” so we can make awesome auction signs!
- We could also use some help with purchasing items from the Amazon wish list
- Help with Auction Setup & Cleanup: The big night is almost here, and we need a few extra hands to help transform the space and wrap things up after the celebration. If you can spare a little time, sign up for a specific time slot—every shift makes a big difference! Together, we’ll make this year’s auction a magical night for the Janney community.
Um, What actually is “the Auction”? Seriously?! You still don’t know what the auction is?! Then take a look at this Auction 101. And if that doesn’t convince you, check out this Auction Event FAQ! Learn all you need to know about what happens beneath the canopy, and then BUY YOUR TICKETS. If you still have questions after reading, let us know (email auction@janneyschool.org) so we can answer your question then add it to the FAQ!
LAST CALL: Wine Wednesday Needs Your Bottle!
The Janney Auction wine cellar is filling up—and it’s going to be a crowd favorite! Thanks to the incredible generosity of the Janney community, we’ve already collected 80+ bottles… but we’re not done yet. To make the cellar truly spectacular, we still need more bottles!
This Wine Wednesday, consider donating a bottle (or two!) of wine valued at $20 or more to help us build a cellar that will raise even more for Janney. Drop-off is easy - leave them on the porch at 4426 42nd St NW (right across from Janney) by March 18th. Every bottle helps—and who knows, your donation might be the one someone wins on auction night!
Janney Open Houses and Enrollment
The PK3–8th grade lottery has closed and lottery results and waitlist positions become available in your MySchool DC account on March 27, 2026.
🐾 Janney+ Executive Director Search Open
Janney+ is excited to share that the search for our next Executive Director is officially underway. We are partnered with LeaderFit, an executive search firm, to support a thoughtful and inclusive search process as we look toward the next chapter of the organization. We are seeking a collaborative, community-centered leader with experience in nonprofit educational programs who is passionate about advancing high-quality programming, cultivating a strong staff culture, and fostering meaningful partnerships with families and the school community.
We welcome Janney+ community and beyond to consider applying or sharing this opportunity with qualified candidates who may be a strong fit. We welcome candidates with relevant leadership experience who are excited to support the Janney+ community and its continued growth.
The Executive Director plays a vital role in advancing Janney+’s mission by overseeing programs, supporting staff development, partnering closely with the Board and school leadership, and ensuring high-quality experiences for the more than 600 students and families we serve each year.
Additional information about the role, qualifications, and application process can be found here.
We are grateful for this community and appreciate your support in helping us identify the next leader for Janney+.
💬 Overheard A+ Janney
Do your little Janney Jaguars say the funniest, silliest, or most profound things? Don't let those gems be heard only by the Janney chickens (or just you)! Share these memorable moments with the whole community! Submit elementary school-appropriate quotes from your kids here. All contributions are posted on the Janney Instagram anonymously. 👇
