The September 9, 2025 Newsletter

As we begin Week 3, we’re nearing the midpoint of the First Six Weeks of School—a time when classroom routines are taking hold, friendships are deepening, and our students are settling into the rhythm of school life. At Janney, we believe in going slow to go fast, using this intentional time to build joyful, inclusive, and thriving classrooms.

Our theme this year, Together We Thrive, continues to guide everything we do—and this week, we’re excited to gather with you for one of our most meaningful events of the year:

Back-to-School Night 2025

Join us this Thursday, September 11, for our official school-year kickoff! We’ll begin promptly at 6:00pm with a school-wide presentation to share our priorities for the year and how we’re partnering with families to help every student thrive.

Schedule

• School Presentation | 6:00–6:30pm
• Grade Level/Homeroom Presentations

Session 1 (with homeroom teachers) | 6:35–7:00pm
Session 2 (with homeroom teachers) | 7:05–7:30pm
Specials & Student Support Team | Drop-in tables in the gym & atrium

• Closing | 7:30–7:40pm

We hope you’ll take this opportunity to connect with your child’s teachers, learn more about what’s ahead, and meet the amazing team supporting your child across all areas of learning and development.

Lockdown Drill – This Week
As part of our regular safety routines, we’ll be holding our first lockdown drill this week. This is just practice, and we take great care to ensure it’s age-appropriate, calm, and supportive.

Teachers use social stories, visuals, and read-alouds (likeThe Mitten) to help students understand what to do in a way that feels reassuring—not scary. As always, our goal is to help students feel safe and prepared. For more details—including Pre-K specific options—please see the Lockdown Drill family​ letter.

Thank you for continuing to partner with us. Whether it’s joining us for Back-to-School Night, celebrating at the Fall Picnic, or helping your child feel safe during a drill—Together We Thrive.

Sincerely,

Principal Singh

Want to Join?

1. Your child must be a 3rd, 4th, or 5th Grader
2. Come to Mr. Ifill and pick up a permission form this week
3. Read over the details of the club
4. Bring back the permission form to Mr. Ifill by the first rehearsal day which will be on Tuesday, September 9th in the music room

Schedule

• The first rehearsal is on Tuesday, September 9th
• The club meets every Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30–4:30
• The club does NOT meet on Tuesdays when school staff meetings are scheduled
• Students are required to come to at least ONE rehearsal each week to be a part of the Glee Club

Special Note

The club will NOT meet on Thursday, September 11th due to Back-to-School Night. Looking forward to another awesome year of singing and fun!

If you have any questions, please reach out to Mr. Ifill at david.ifill@k12.dc.gov

Janney Girls Basketball Team is holding its Parent Interest Meetings and Tryouts this month!

Want to Join?

• Your child must be a 4th or 5th Grader
• Come to a Parent Interest Meeting held by Ms. Robyn Nelson and Mr. Jason Jones:

Sept. 17, 8:40am | Girls Basketball Parent Interest Meeting under the mulch tents

Sept. 17, 6pm | Girls Basketball Parent Interest Meeting in the Art Room

• Come to Tryouts:

Sept. 24 & 25, 7am-8:20am | Girls Basketball Tryouts @ the School Gym

Schedule

• The season typically starts in November
• Practices are twice a week
• The team plays against other DCPS schools, see DCIAA Game Schedule

DCPS student athletes are required to submit a Participation Packet and a Universal Health Certificate before try-outs. DCIAA (DC Interscholastic Athletics Association) Forms must be cleared by DCIAA Athletic Trainers before students can participate in athletic contests.

Learn more about DCIAA’s mission and policies here.

The Janney LSAT advises on the school plan, budget, and school-wide policies. Past topics include technology policy, budget priorities, and use of school space.

Vote now through Saturday, September 13, 11:59pm at the link below👇

Want to join the Janney Chicken Flock?

We're looking for families to help care for our school's chickens on weekends and holidays. No prior chicken experience is needed—just a willingness to learn and have fun!

The first training session is Friday, September 19. This is a great chance to learn the ropes and find out about future training opportunities. Once you're trained, you'll be an official member of the Janney Chicken Flock!

Ready to get started? Sign up here for training.

Looking for a way to get involved this school year?

We're looking for volunteers to support Ms. Epperson in the library and Ms. Leed in the art room! These are amazing spaces for our young artists and bibliophiles, and your help keeping things in order would make a huge difference.

If you're interested in volunteering during the 2025-2026 school year or just want to learn more, please email Maureen Perrone at maureenhperrone@gmail.com with your name and contact information. Thank you for your support!

On Friday, September 12th from 6 to 8 pm, join the Janney community to kick off the school year! Dinner and dessert will be available for purchase from Two Smooth Dudes, Angelico’s Pizzeria, The Big Cheese, Clayboy’s Shave Ice, PhoWheels, and Captain Cookie. We’ll have non-alcoholic drinks for purchase, benefitting the PTA (cash or card). Dance along with the DJ, enjoy the night off from cooking, buy some new Janney swag, and hang out with your fellow Jaguars. All are welcome!

🍜 Pre-ordering is available from PhoWheels via their website.

Be sure to select Janney on Friday when you place your order.

Instead of purchasing a new Halloween costumer every year, find a gently used and new-to-you costume at the Fall Picnic. Bring clean Halloween costumes to donate during drop-off or pick-up in the marked container outside the gym from Sept. 2-10th. All sizes from PK through 5th grade are welcome. Costumes will be sorted and ready for your kiddo to search at the Janney Fall Picnic.

If you're able to help with setup, concession sales, cleanup, or supplies, please sign up here.

Throughout the year, Janney PTA hosts fundraisers with local restaurants. It's a great way to support our school and community in-person or for takeaway.

Note: For your Potomac Pizza online order to count towards our Janney Fundraiser, you must go to the "FUNDRAISER" tab on the far left menu panel, select the fundraiser button, and add it to your cart prior to checkout.

Join other Janney families for a volunteer shift with We Are Family DC, a local organization offering food delivery and support to more than 1,000 seniors in need. We'll gather to assemble bags of healthy, nourishing food to be delivered across DC. Kids of all ages are welcome!

Date: Monday, October 13th (school is CLOSED for Indigenous People's Day)

Time: 2-4:30(ish)

Place: Salvation Army parking lot (3335 Sherman Ave. NW)

Please reach out to PTA Community Service Co-Chairs Liz Scheier & Arie Rubenstein at communityservice@janneyschool.org with any questions.

Head over to any location of Politics & Prose on October 18 and 19, 9am to 9pm

Show the flyer at checkout and 20% of the proceeds will come back to Janney!

NORTHWEST DC

5015 Connecticut Avenue NW

Washington, D.C. 20008

UNION MARKET

1324 4th Street NE

Washington, D.C. 20002

THE WHARF

610 Water Street SW

Washington, D.C. 20024

• 9/8 Enrichment & Language Began
• 9/8 @ 8pm October JAC Registration Closes
• 9/15 @ 8pm Fall Camp Day (10/9, 10/10) Registration Closes

We are excited to have Language & Enrichment students join us this week. It's been wonderful to see students settling into routines, making new friends, and showing up with curiosity, playfulness, and care, the very values at the heart of Janney+.

A Quick Note About Pick-Up at Janney+ During Transition Times:
There are a few windows each afternoon when large groups of students are moving between locations:

• 3:15–3:30pm – Students transition from the school day to JAC, Enrichment, and Language.
• 4:25–4:45pm – Students transition from Enrichment/Language either to dismissal or to JAC.
• 4:55–5:00pm – Students line up from recess and move into the gym for afternoon activities.

Ensuring the safety of our community is our top priority, and for that reason, we don’t rush these processes. We carefully account for each student and make sure they arrive safely from point A to point B.

If you are picking up during one of these windows, please expect a short delay. If you have urgent plans that overlap with these times, we encourage you to factor in a little extra time or plan your pick-up slightly before transitions begin.

This month seems like an appropriate time to address head lice, our favorite subject! Your kid, and maybe even you, might get head lice this school year-- but you will all get through this!

💥 Signs & Symptoms

Head lice are insects that can be found in hair. You might notice white or grayish eggs (“nits”) at the base of the hair shaft, or tiny bugs. They do not spread disease, but can cause itching and spread to others. Anyone can get head lice. See DCPS Head Lice Fact Sheet.

💥 Prevention

The best way to treat head lice is to not get it in the first place! By the time you realize you have head lice (nits and/or bugs), you likely contracted it weeks earlier. Keep your hair to yourself and tie it up. Lice must crawl from person-to-person and cannot hop or fly. They require a human host for prolonged survival but adult lice can live for up to two days away from a host. Nits can survive for up to one week without a host. Best practice is to not share hats, hair accessories, or combs. Consider periodically checking your family for lice so that you can detect it early. Pair routine lice checks with an activity you already do (like trimming nails or washing hair) so that you build it into your routine. Consider using a preventative spray, which may make your scalp less attractive to adult lice.

💥 Got Lice? Now What?

Take a look at our Suggested Lice Plan for treatment options, home & family care, and school protocols. Save this graphic and refer back as needed!

💾 Save the Suggested Lice Plan infographic here👇

🙏 Special thanks to Neva Jacobs for her expertise and excellent guidance!

Sept. 11, 6pm | Back-to-School Night- No Glee Club

Sept. 12, 6–8pm | Fall Picnic & Halloween Costume Swap

Sept. 17, 8:40am & 6pm | Girls Basketball Parent Interest Meeting

Sept. 24, 4-9pm | Potomac Pizza- Dining In Fall Fundraiser

Sept. 24 & 25, 7am-8:20am | Girls Basketball Tryouts

Sept. 29 | Picture Day (Individual Portraits)

Oct. 9 | Parent-Teacher Conference/ NO SCHOOL

Oct. 10-13 | NO SCHOOL

Oct. 13, 2-4:30pm | Community Service Project with We Are Family DC on Indigenous People's Day

Oct. 18-19 | Politics & Prose Book Sale Fundraiser

Oct. 22-23, 4-9pm | Ledo’s Pizza- Dining In Fall Fundraiser

Oct. 25 | Fall Project Day

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