Just a reminder that students do not have school on Monday February 19, 2024 in recognition of President's Day.

Our annual Spread the Word Day is coming back in March and our theme this year is: I belong, you belong, We ALL Belong. We will be taking the time to celebrate people of ALL abilities during the week of March 25-29 with our big celebration in Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools on Wednesday, March 27. T-shirts are on sale NOW through Feb. 19 at https://www.gahannapawprint.com/stw. Thank you for your support!

K-Kids, a 4th and 5th grade student-led club that partners with Kiwanis Club of Gahanna, is holding a fundraiser. The goal is to raise money for items to donate to Nationwide Children’s Hospital. K-Kids will sell rainbows for $1.00. Students can bring money from home to give to their homeroom teacher and they will get a rainbow. Students can write their name or a positive message on the rainbow. Rainbows will be displayed in the school. The fundraiser will run from Tuesday, 2/20 - Friday, 3/1. Don’t forget, students can buy as many as they please!

Families, you have the chance to win a $250 Amazon gift card just by registering for the Gahanna Gala's Silent Auction at www.gjef.org. If you want to shop you will find many options!

• Restaurant Gift Cards!
• Activity Gift Cards for swimming, skiing, bowling, baseball and more!
• Entertainment Gift Cards for Tours and Tastings!
• Theatre, Sporting events and Concerts!
• Handbags and Lions Merch!
• Wellness and Wine!

Something for everyone to help us contribute to innovation, independent living skills, inclusion and more in all GJPS buildings!

See the flyer for more information or go to www.gjef.org.

The Gahanna-Jefferson Education Foundation is a little less than 1 week away from its Annual Gala. Our theme this year is The Roaring 20's!

The foundation relies on volunteers to make this event possible and they humbly submit the Volunteer Signup link below for you or those in your network who may be interested in attending and volunteering. And, if nothing else you can get to dress up for the 20s! This is promised to be a fantastic event.

Please see the link below for all open opportunities. Please feel free to forward this information or pass the link along.

If you have any questions, feel free to email the volunteer chair, Rachael Pinckney, at rachaelapinckney@gmail.com.

Volunteering Sign Up Link

As a reminder, please know the time of your student's bus stop. We are happy to offer Here Comes the Bus as an aide for parents tracking their student's bus, but there may be some times when the app is not exact. We certainly do not want students to miss the bus, so please be sure your student is at their stop at the scheduled time. To remind yourself of your pickup time, visit our Transfinder page.

September 30th is the end of the free and reduced grace period! Every year a new free and reduced application needs to be completed for students to continue to receive free or reduced meals. Fill out the application online or a paper copy is available at the school before September 30th to keep the status you have currently. As a reminder, the reduced status is free for the next two years!

Please complete this application so that your child can eat breakfast and lunch for free. This will also allow your child's school fees to be waived for the year. This application needs to be completed at the beginning of every year.

Due to excessive negative meal balances across the District, all Gahanna-Jefferson schools will be reinstating a previously used meal charge policy. Starting Sept. 5, 2023, any student with more than five lunch charges this school year will receive a substitute meal in the cafeteria. At the elementary level this means accounts with more than $13.75 in negative charges and at the middle and high school levels, this includes accounts that have accrued more than $15 in debt. The substitute breakfast will consist of a breakfast bar, fruit and milk and the substitute lunch will include a cheese (turkey for dairy substitute) sandwich, fruit and milk.

Families will receive a phone call and/or email starting with the second negative charge to alert you of the deficit in your student's account.

If you need to add funds to your student’s account, you can do so through the Infinite Campus Parent Portal or with a check or cash. Additionally, if you think your family would qualify for free or reduced meals, you can apply via the Infinite Campus Parent Portal, print a paper application from the District website or fill out a paper application found in the office at each building. Any student that is approved for free or reduced lunch for the 2023-24 school year will receive a regularly menued meal. Families with a negative balance from a previous school year will be contacted by the District office to ensure full payment by the end of the 2023-24 school year.

We are excited to bring back Royal Dude Readers for the second half of the year. We love incorporating positive role models into our school community. Royal Dudes focuses on male role models getting involved in the community. We start by inviting Dads, Brothers, Uncles, Grandfathers, etc. into the school to read to a class. Look for an email in the coming weeks for days and times!

We will begin MAP testing for all students beginning January 11th. This testing will a great way for us to see how each student is progressing in their math and reading development at this mid-year point. These assessments are taken on iPads or Chromebooks. Kindergarten and first grade students will take the MAP Math test. Grades 2-5 students will take the Reading and Math tests. Information about your child's MAP assessment results will be shared in February.

Want to learn more about MAP testing? Here is more information.

MAP Family Toolkit

Family Guide to MAP

The Heart and Pride Award recognizes two outstanding staff members each month who make a profound impact on our students and Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools.

The Heart & Pride Nomination Form will remain available year-round and is open to any member of our staff, regardless of position.

February 19th- No School!

February 22nd- Drama Club Try-outs