The November 11, 2025 Newsletter

Today, we honor and thank all veterans in our community for their service and sacrifice. We are deeply grateful for the ways you have served our country!

As you read this week’s newsletter, you’ll find several ways to support Janney through volunteering, participation, and contributions. Every gift of time, support, and resources makes a difference and helps our community thrive.

It’s a short week with the Tuesday holiday, and we’re looking forward to coming back together on Wednesday to finish the week strong.

We’re also getting ready for the Annual Janney 5K and Fun Run this Saturday, a joyful celebration of community and connection. We hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

Principal Singh

Nov. 12 | PTA Halloween Candy Donations Collection

Nov. 13, 11:45am-12:15pm | Spelling Bee Mandatory Meeting

Nov. 14 | Make-up Picture Day

Nov. 13-14, 3:30-6pm | 5K & Fun Run Packet Pick-up and Goods for Good Donations Collection
Nov. 15 | Janney 5K and Fun Run
Nov. 18, 4-8pm | Nando’s PERi-PERi Fundraiser

Nov. 26-28 | No School- Thanksgiving Break

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

Jan. 21 | Spelling Bee

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

When: Wednesday, November 12

📍Drop-off bins will be at morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up outside the gym entrance

👉 Are your kids crashing out on candy? Still staring at 13 lbs of leftover Halloween treats? The PTA is collecting Halloween candy, we’ll use some for upcoming PTA events and donate the rest. Thanks for helping us share the sweetness!

Mandatory Meeting: Thursday, November 13 during lunch, 11:45-12:15pm, in room 316
Spelling Bee: Wednesday, Jan 21, 2026, 9:15 am (Jan 28 inclement weather date)

📍A Teams link for spectators will be provided closer to the event

• Interested students should sign up on the board in the 5th-grade hallway
• Study materials will be provided at the meeting; if your child cannot attend or has questions, please contact Ms. Yedwab or Ms. Culver to ensure they receive them.

• Spelling Bee study sessions will be held every Thursday at lunch in room 316 until the Bee in January. Study sessions are optional but highly encouraged.

When: Friday, November 14

👉 This will be for students who would like a retake as well as students who missed the portrait date last month. Please sign-up for portrait retakes here

📍4231 Wisconsin Ave NW

Enter code NANDOS2025 when ordering online or at a table or mention to cashier

It’s crazy to think that our annual Janney 5K/Fun Run is already here! This event is one of our favorite traditions — a morning where kids, parents, grandparents, teachers, and neighbors all show up, cheer each other on, and celebrate what makes our school community feel so special. It’s also when we launch our annual Winter Raffle, a fun way to provide vital support to our school while also having the chance to win some money of your own!

A quick bit of context as we get ready for Saturday. Thanks to the incredible work of our 5K team and the generous support of our corporate and family sponsors, the 5K is not only a beloved community tradition — it’s also typically one of our biggest fundraisers of the year. In past years, a $28,000 DC Government grant helped cover the required safety and security measures (like police officers and road closures), which allowed the sponsorship support to go directly back to the school. We recently learned that the grant is not available this year. Without the grant, there is now a $28,000 gap in what the PTA had already committed to support at the school this year.

And this is why the raffle feels especially meaningful this year.

This year, we’ve made a few updates to the raffle to make it more fun and inclusive for everyone. Tickets are $50 each (half the cost from last year), and anyone 18+ can participate — families, neighbors, coworkers, and friends. This year’s raffle includes cash prizes of $1,000, $750, $500, and three $150 bonus prizes. We’ve also shifted from individual classroom competitions to a shared school-wide goal. If we reach an average of 20 tickets per class, we’ll celebrate with a school-wide celebration where every student shares in the win!

Tickets will be available at the 5K this Saturday and then online afterward. The raffle drawing will take place at the Winter Market on Saturday, December 6. And don’t worry, you do not need to be present to win; every ticket is entered automatically. Let’s rally together, reach our school-wide goal, and make this year’s raffle our most spirited one yet!

As always, we’re grateful for this community and for all the ways families show up — in spirit, in time, and in support! We can’t wait to see you on Saturday.

With heartfelt thanks,

Jackie and Anita

When: Saturday, November 15

Don't miss you chance to run through our neighborhood with the whole Janney community this Saturday. If you haven't registered yet, go to www.janney5k.org

👉 Volunteers Needed! Help with the final pieces of the race - swag bag packing, packet pick up, and post race clean up. If you would like to help you can sign up here

When: Saturday, December 6, 10am-12pm

📍Indoors at Janney Elementary School

👉 Crafters, chefs and anyone with an idea of something to sell- Winter Market table sales are now open! Visit our website to register for this Janney holiday tradition before they sell out.

How can you participate?

• Sell kid- or adult-made crafts, jewelry, art, baked goods or other treats
• Use this opportunity to have your kids make some holiday cash by selling toys and other items they’ve outgrown
• In prior years, students and parents have sold a large assortment of items including soaps, crocheted stuffed animals, ornaments, pottery, jewelry, baked goods, hot chocolate, used toys, and Pokémon cards
• You could even set up a hair braiding, face painting, or nail decal-ing station! We welcome your creativity and entrepreneurial spirit!

Note: Before reserving a table, please read the info on our website.

If you have any questions or would like to volunteer, please talk to Anne Rancourt and Kelly Molyneux or email wintermarket@janneyschool.org

👉 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.”

When: Accepting Donations NOW

Bingo Night: Thursday, Jan 15, 2026

👉 Please consider donating any unopened toys/games to use as prizes: Unused party favors, that toy your kid asked for and never played with - WE’LL TAKE THEM!

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)

When: Saturday, March 28, 2026

Jaguars Beneath the Canopy: Janney Auction 2026

👉 Save the date to join fellow Janney parents, teachers, and friends for our biggest night of the year! Beneath a shimmering canopy, we’ll celebrate our amazing community with lively auctions—both silent and live—games, dancing, and maybe a few surprises along the way. This adults-only evening is your chance to connect, laugh, and give back to the school that helps our Jaguars thrive.

👉 Volunteer: To learn more or volunteer, please email auction@janneyschool.org

👉 What is the SSF (Student Support Fund)?

The SSF is one of the most important ways we raise money during the school year. This year the PTA is asking for a donation of $795 per child at Janney.

To learn more, visit the PTA Budget page on our website for details.

👉 How does it benefit our students?

The fund is used for:

• Staff positions not covered by DCPS, ie nurse, support teachers, etc
• Classroom supplies
• Custodial equipment
• Classroom technology and more

Note:

Thank you for taking a few extra minutes to seek out these extra funds that make a difference in supporting our kids' education! Contribute to the SSF below.

When: Monday, November 10- Tuesday, December 2

📍Blue collection bins in front of the gym doors

👉 Did you know that in the third quarter of the 2025 fiscal year there were 573 kids in foster care? Let's help these kids have a nice holiday season by donating new gifts for infants through age 20.

Note:

• All donations will be delivered to DC Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA)
• Please email shoshana.zallman@k12.dc.gov if you have any questions
• You can deliver the gifts directly to CFSA any day 12/3-12/5

When: Thursday and Friday, November 13 and 14, 3:30-6PM (Bring your donations to the Fun Run packet pickup)

📍Boxes marked for the drive will be sitting in front of the gym

👉 We're partnering with Goods for Good to collect much-needed winter coats, jackets, hats and gloves for kids in need. G4G reports that the need in DC is greater than ever this year. Have your kids outgrown their outerwear from last year? Let's put it to good use!

Note:

• Please ensure that coats are clean and in dignity condition and that you have checked the pockets for any beloved items.
• Volunteers Needed! We are also looking for volunteer drivers to drop off the donations at Goods for Good after pickup on the 17th or 18th, a quick 10 minute drive from Janney. Please reach out if you're available! Thanks for your generosity!

👉 If you or someone you know needs food assistance during the federal government shutdown, CLICK HERE at LinkU to find food, health, and housing resources across the DMV.

👪 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. View the DCPS Clearance Process.

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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• Our Newsletter drops every Tuesday, see the SY25-26 Archive
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