The December 9, 2025 Newsletter

I hope this message finds you well as we enter a truly joyful time of year at Janney. This past Saturday’s Winter Market was a wonderful reminder of the creativity and spirit that define our community. It was a joy to see our young entrepreneurs in action, proudly sharing their products, engaging with customers, and shining with confidence. I left with many treats and gifts, and an even deeper appreciation for our students and community!

My heartfelt thanks to the team that led this effort and to every family who devoted time, talent, and resources to the Market and our Winter Raffle. Every contribution makes a difference and supports our shared goal of helping all Janney students thrive.

I also want to celebrate our girls’ basketball team for an incredible season. Their hard work, dedication, and teamwork have been inspiring, and we are so proud of all they accomplished on and off the court. A special thank-you to Coach Jason Jones and Coach Elliot Ortiz for their leadership and commitment to our athletes.

Finally, I am delighted to introduce our newly elected Student Council leaders:

• President: Everly Bailey
• Vice President: Leah Mandelbaum
• Secretary: Lucia Perrone
• Treasurer: Isabel Malcarney

I had the pleasure of meeting with these outstanding young leaders this week. Their ideas, joy, and commitment to strengthening our community were inspiring!

Thank you, as always, for your partnership and for the many ways you contribute to our vibrant school community!

Sincerely,

Principal Singh

Dec. 12, 3:30–4:30pm I IONA card-making event @ Science Room

Dec. 12, 6pm | Janney Winter Concert @ Gym

Dec. 22–Jan. 2 | No School- Winter Break

Jan. 15 | Bingo Night

Jan. 21, 9:15am | Spelling Bee

Jan. 27, 6pm | Math Content Night for 3rd, 4th, 5th Grade Parents

Feb. 9 | Clubs/ Teams/ Groups Photo Day
Mar. 26 | Class Photo Day

Mar. 28, 6:30pm | Janney Auction- SAVE THE DATE
May 13 | 5th Grade Panoramic Photo Day

This year’s Winter Market was something truly special! From our youngest entrepreneurs proudly sharing their creations to the many members of our extended Janney family who came out to support them, it was a morning filled with crafts, snacks, shopping, and community as we kicked off the holiday season together.

A heartfelt thank-you to Anne Rancourt and Kelly Molyneux, whose leadership in their second year as chairs made this one of our most successful Winter Markets ever and helped create such a special morning for our community! We are also deeply grateful to the many volunteers who helped make it all possible, from setting up and cleaning up, donating snacks, and staffing our PTA tables, to our concessions team for keeping everyone fueled while they shopped, and to the Merchandise Committee for helping families stock up on Janney gear! And a big thank-you to our Comms Team for promoting the event and always showing up with their creativity and social superpowers, helping the Winter Market shine and keeping the excitement going.

We’d also like to recognize the Janney Band, Glee Club, and Cheer Squad for their fantastic performances that brought so much joy and energy to the day!

The Girls Basketball team delivered a sensational season that captivated the entire school community! These Jaguars played with heart, skill, and an undeniable hustle, dominating the court game after game. However, their phenomenal winning streak finally came to a dramatic halt yesterday when they met their match in a hard-fought showdown against the tenacious Lafayette Elementary team. Despite the tough loss, the Janney girls' incredible run culminated in a stellar regular season record with just one defeat. Playoffs are TBD.

They’re back! Our favorite Janney hoodies and beanies are restocked, just in time to keep you warm in Jaguar pride as colder temps settle in. Visit us online before our last pick-up of the year on Friday, Dec. 19th after morning drop-off. Janney swag makes great gifts – let the spirit move you!

We did it! Our Janney community continues to come together in so many ways, and we are thrilled to share that we met our fundraising goal for this year’s raffle! We are grateful to everyone for your incredible support — whether you purchased tickets, helped spread the word, or cheered us on.

Thanks to you, the funds raised will directly support essential programs at Janney for our students and teachers, and our students will also get to enjoy our first-ever school-wide celebration!! More details on the celebration coming soon. If you are interested in helping with the celebration, we would love parent volunteers, please email us at pta@janneyschool.org.

A huge thank-you to Nadiya Scott, our Raffle Chair, whose dedication made this year’s raffle such a success. We are so grateful for the time she put into this effort, especially as she helped navigate changes to our format to make the raffle more inclusive and accessible for our families. We are also incredibly grateful to Sreeja Nair, who was instrumental in helping ensure the raffle ran smoothly behind the scenes.

And now, congratulations to our lucky winners! ⭐

• $1,000 Grand Prize: Sarah Vuong
• $750 Prize: Jesse Baker
• $500 Prize: Jack Tobe
• $150 Prize: Peter Froehlich, Susan McCabe, Arlene Suros

🫶 The PTA has established our Staff Appreciation Fund with the heartfelt goal of truly showering these remarkable individuals with the recognition and deep gratitude they profoundly deserve. This fund will be equally distributed this December among all Janney staff members who are not traditionally covered by homeroom gift collections. Show appreciation to our Administrators who are the steady anchors of our school, managing intricate logistics, communicating vital information, and often serving as the first reassuring smile for a hurried parent or a child needing comfort. Our Custodial Team works tirelessly behind the scenes, ensuring our building is immaculate and welcoming each morning, guaranteeing a pristine and healthy space for learning. Our Cafeteria Team prepares nourishing meals with genuine care, ensuring every student has the vital fuel they need for a successful day of discovery. Finally, our Essential Support Staff (student support services, security, nurse) are our silent heroes—mending scraped knees, providing safety and critical emotional support, and handling unexpected crises.

Ordering holiday cards, gifts, or decor? Shop through Minted and enjoy 20% off your purchase while Minted gives 10% back to Janney to support our school. 👉 Just use our Janney Code: FUNDRAISEJANNEY at checkout and feel great knowing your purchase makes a difference!

👉 Shop our high-quality, seasoned firewood straight from West Virginia!

A half-rack is 4’ x 4’, $200 for 125 pieces
A full-rack is 8’ x 4’, $300 for 250 pieces

🛻 DELIVERY IS FREE! Deliveries will reach a limited area and occur whenever an entire truckload has been ordered or every two weeks, whichever comes first.

Note: When ordering, please indicate in the notes where on your property you would like your order delivered. E.g. “Place all firewood in the wood rack at the end of the driveway,” or “Pile it up under the big ‘firewood here’ sign hanging off of the back fence above our parking pad in the alley between 47th and 48th Street.”

Accepting Donations NOW for Bingo Night on Thursday, Jan 15, 2026.

👉 Please consider donating any unopened toys/games to use as prizes.

Contact: Email carolyn.hoef@gmail.com or text 314-704-0922 to coordinate a pick up or you can leave them on the front porch at 4308 Ellicott St NW (near GDS playground)

Three new chickens are being introduced to the older chickens in the Janney coop. Rest assured that Ms. Simon and our chicken flock are monitoring their behavior. If you see something that you want to report to the flock leader, email Lisa at LMottet@gmail.com

Join Janney students and parents on Friday mornings for a fun bike bus to school! Kids on parents' bikes and kids that can bike independently are welcome to join. The group leaves 48th and Davenport at 8:20 am sharp and travels together to Janney. Join our Janney Bike Bus WhatsApp group for updates and info:

The Janney Winter Concert will be on Friday, December 12th at 6:00 pm in the Janney Gym. Doors for the concert open at 5 pm and will feature the Janney Band and the Janney Glee Club.

Every May our Janney 5th graders have the opportunity to participate in one of our most beloved traditions: the 5th Grade Musical! Putting on the event takes a team of amazing volunteers, many of whom are not 5th grade parents. If you want to get involved, we are looking for two key volunteer positions to help us get started:

1. Producer

Our longtime volunteer producer Michael Wietzner is no longer at Janney because his kids graduated, so we need someone who can serve as a general right-hand to the Director (5th grade teacher Ms. Jordan):

• Attend parent meetings
• Liaise between Director and Parents
• Liaise between Director and Vendors
• Co-coordinate smaller committees with Director
• Lead other parents on implementing/purchasing materials/building/and breaking down the musical sets
• Serve as a backstage manager during the show

*Note: The producer does NOT need to attend all the rehearsals but does check in regularly to ensure that rehearsals are on track.

2. Grant Writer

Renting equipment for the musical each year is costly and purchasing permanent lighting and sound reinforcement would be a big help to our annual performances (including the musical) and other enrichment programs. The PTA is looking for volunteers to help apply for grants through DC's Commission on the Arts & Humanities (CAH) to help us plan and expand Janney's capabilities!

👉 Contact Jackie Ross if you have questions or are interested!

Jan. 27, 2026, 06:00pm

Join us for a Math Content Night for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade parents!

You'll learn about the progression of math learning throughout these years and how to support students at home.

🚌 Field Trip Fees | Field trips are an integral part of your child's learning experiences that align with each grade’s curriculum. The field trip fee includes not only the high cost of transportation, out-of-school programs and logistics, but also some assemblies that occur at Janney. Whenever possible, Janney takes advantage of free events, applies for grants, and uses creative ways to reduce the costs of these opportunities. Pay the 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.

🎨 The Art Room | The Art Teacher is collecting hardcover book jackets all year round for the newly opened Collage Center in the art room, bring them in and put them to good use!

👕 Lost & Found | Our Lost & Found is bursting with jackets, water bottles, lunch boxes, and more-- most of them unlabeled! Please come fetch before they're carted away for donations.

🦠 Communicable Diseases | Check out our Mini Guide to Communicable Diseases and stay healthy this holiday season!

🚨 Lice Guide | Unfortunately, we regret to inform that it's on the rise again! Please pass on this link to your classes to redistribute: Download our Suggested Lice Guide

When: Friday, December 12, 3:30–4:30pm in the Science Room on the lower level

Please join us to make holiday cards for IONA! Our friends there have asked us to prepare 100 cards for their senior community, and for local adult day care centers. Just bring yourselves and your creativity - we'll have all the materials you need to bring some new year's joy to our neighbors across Albemarle.

👉 All ages welcome - grownups please accompany your kids. - Liz Scheier and Arie Rubenstein, Janney community service co-chairs communityservice@janneyschool.org

Check out our Weekly Mental Load Helper! Stay on top of Janney activities by reading our weekly newsletter and following janneyelementary on Instagram!

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 anonymously. 👇

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