The June 2, 2026 Newsletter
June 2, 2026
📝 Message from the Principal
Dear Janney Families,
Welcome to June! It is hard to believe that we are counting down the final days of the school year, with our last day for students on June 18th. As we look ahead to these final weeks, we remain focused on finishing strong while also celebrating the many experiences, accomplishments, and traditions that make this time of year so special.
June is also a month of celebration and reflection. At Janney, we recognize both Caribbean American Heritage Month and Pride Month. These observances provide opportunities for students to learn about the contributions, histories, and experiences of others while reinforcing one of our core beliefs: that every member of our school community should feel valued, respected, and that they belong.
We are also excited for Field Day this Thursday! Field Day is one of our favorite school traditions and a wonderful opportunity for students to build community, show teamwork, and enjoy some healthy fun together. Thank you to our staff, PTA, volunteers, and Field Day committee members who have worked hard to make this event possible. More information can be found below.
As we move through these final weeks of school, thank you for your continued partnership, support, and encouragement. Together, let’s make these last days of the school year memorable for our students.
LSAT
Families interested in serving on the Janney Local School Advisory Team (LSAT) are encouraged to submit a brief narrative (approximately 150–200 words) to Principal Singh at danielle.singh@k12.dc.gov. Please share your connection to the Janney community, your interest in serving on the LSAT, and the perspectives or experiences you hope to bring to the team.
Candidate narratives are due by Friday, June 5, 2026. Narratives will be shared with the community prior to the election period, which will take place June 15–22, 2026.
The LSAT plays an important role in advising the principal on matters such as the school’s Comprehensive School Plan, budget, and other priorities that support student success. We encourage interested family members to consider serving.
In Partnership,
Principal Singh
📅 Key Dates
May 18- June 3 | Janney Clothes + Stuffies Swap
June 4 | Janney Field Day
June 4 | JAC Talent Show
June 5 | Spring Picnic
June 8 | PTA Community Meeting
June 8-10 | 5th Grade Echo Hill Field Trip
June 12 | 5th Grade Promotion and Clap Out
June 16 | No School (Primary Election)
June 18 | Last Day of School
View the Janney Calendar on Google Calendar.
⭐ Highlights of the Week
🌱 Janney Spring Picnic is on Friday, June 5!
Mark your calendars for Janney's annual end-of-year Spring Picnic, coming up on Friday, June 5th! The evening will be fun and festive, as always, and will include:
- Performances by Glee Club, the Shrek musical cast, the Janney Band, and the Cheer Squad.
- Music by DJ Keren Erez (mom of Janney 1st grader Noah)
- Kids games on the Mulch Playground
- Food options: Surfside, Two Smooth Dudes, District Bites, Halal Grill, Angelico's Pizza, Captain Cookie, and Clayboys
- Concession stand serving ice cream (new!), snacks, candy and soft drinks
- Janney’s spring Clothing Swap (see details below)
👉 This event wouldn't be possible without our generous parent volunteers. If you can, please sign up to lend a hand with the set-up, clean up, and selling of food and drinks.
📣 Janney Jaguar Enrollment
Complete Janney Enrollment for 2026-2027 by logging into your ASPEN account to access your parent portal. As a reminder, ALL FAMILIES must re-enroll!
💡Helpful Tips:
Locked out of Aspen? If you’re having trouble logging in, send Ms. Reid an email. Password resets must be initiated by the school, and we'll get you back in Aspen.
Double-Check Your Documents: The residency verification upload button can be a bit tricky to find. If you’ve submitted your enrollment but haven't received a confirmation email, please double-check that your DC residency documents were successfully attached.
Re-Enrollment Documents: Good news for returning families! Since we already have proof-of-age documents on file for our current students, you only need to provide those for new students joining the Janney family for the first time.
Health & Dental Forms: As you schedule your spring check-ups, remember that health and dental forms remain valid for one full year from the date of the appointment.
Here is a tutorial should you need further assistance; you can also reach out to Ms. Reid or Mr. Barnhart.
Field Day 2026 Thursday June 4th
This Thursday, June 4th, Janney will be celebrating Field Day! Field Day will be an all-day event for staff and students from 10:00 AM–2:30 PM, and we can’t wait for a day full of fun, laughter and school spirit! Students will enjoy games, water play, face painting and tasty treats like snow cones and popcorn.
To help everyone have the best day possible, please review the reminders below:
We’re looking forward to an amazing day together and can’t wait to celebrate with our Janney community!
Wear your class color!
Students should come to school wearing a shirt in their grade’s color. This helps staff easily identify groups and adds to the fun and sense of community throughout the day!
- Pre-K – Red 🔴
- Kindergarten – Orange 🧡
- 1st Grade – Yellow 💛
- 2nd Grade – Green 💚
- 3rd Grade – Blue 💙
- 4th Grade – Purple 💜
- 5th Grade – Pink 💗
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: Looking for volunteers to help with face painting in the art room during Field Day on Thursday June 4th. Check out the signup genius for more details. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080D48A4A629A4F49-64329892-artroom#/
🍪 Make/Bake Sale Friday June 5th after school
📘 Order 2025-2026 Janney Yearbooks
Note: Last year's yearbook is still available in the front office.
Letter from PTA Co-Presidents
We know school isn’t out quite yet, but we’re already thinking ahead to next year! We are thrilled to introduce the incredible team stepping into PTA leadership roles for the 2026-2027 school year:
Presidents
Jennifer Records
Jami Westerhold
Beth Kuhnhein
Vice Presidents
Kaycee Sullivan
Melissa Henkel
Treasurers
Marie Mulvihill
Zahra Niazi
Anne Hetz
Secretaries
Peter Knudsen
Chris Bolger
We will elect and welcome these new executive board members at our PTA Community Meeting at 5:30pm on Monday, June 8th. We hope you can join us!
Also at the community meeting, we will celebrate our amazing PTA volunteers whose students are graduating Janney this year. You’ve given so much to Janney throughout the years and we are so grateful.
Brooke Brown
Susannah and Matt Bricken
Ugo Gentilini
Katherine Butler Gettings and Robert Gettings
Kendall Heath
Shari Gronvall
Eva Gunasekera, Miles Karson
Lisa Lamphier
Dahlia Levine
Jenny and Marshall Macomber
Robyn Mandelbaum
Madeleine Konig, Aram Mazmanian
Shalini Roy
Deena Said
Suzanne Smalley
Natalie Sinicrope, Brooks Singer
David Van Leeuwen
There are a lot of ways to get involved next year – from committee leadership to flexible behind-the-scenes support roles that help keep Janney events and programs running smoothly. Come to the community meeting at Janney at 5:30 on Monday, June 8, if you want to learn more or email ptavp@janneyschool.org to start the conversation.
End-of-Year Teacher & Staff Appreciation
Our PTA Staff Appreciation Committee — along with the entire Janney community! — recently celebrated Janney’s incredible teachers and staff during Staff Appreciation Week with notes, treats, meals, and moments of recognition throughout the week. As we close out the school year, families also have the opportunity to contribute toward optional end-of-year appreciation gifts for Janney teachers and staff.
Room Parents coordinate classroom gifts for the teachers and staff assigned to their classroom, including homeroom teachers, co-teachers, educational aides, and other educators who directly support students in that classroom. Families should look for additional information from their Room Parents regarding any classroom collections or gift plans.
In addition, the PTA is collecting contributions to the Janney Teachers & Staff Appreciation Fund. This fund helps recognize the many educators and staff members who support students across classrooms and grade levels, including our incredible specials teachers, administrators, student support staff, office staff, nurses, security staff, custodial staff, cafeteria staff, and others.
How to Contribute to the Janney Teachers & Staff Appreciation Fund
Venmo: @JanneyPTA
QR Code: [See Photo]
Please include "Teacher & Staff Appreciation" in the notes field.
Please submit contributions by Friday, June 12.
Participation in both classroom gifts and the Janney Teachers & Staff Appreciation Fund is entirely voluntary. There is no recommended contribution amount, and families should feel comfortable contributing any amount—or not contributing at all.
Please note that this fund is specifically for Janney teachers and school staff. Janney+ will coordinate separate appreciation collections for before- and after-care staff.
🧸 The Clothes Swap is Back, and new this year - a stuffed animal swap!
Donate your gently used children’s clothing and stuffies May 18 - June 3rd and come to the gym during the Spring Picnic on June 5th to pick out some new-to-you outfits and friends.
Clothes and stuffies can be put in the blue bins that will be right outside the gym during arrival each morning.
Interested in helping to sort and organize the clothing? Help will be needed on June 1st, 2nd, and 3rd right after school in the gym. Drivers are also needed to deliver leftovers to Martha’s Table. Please contact shoshana.zallman@k12.dc.gov if you are available.
New Janney Gear! 5th Grade Yard Signs Are Here!
It's not too late to buy Janney merch this school year -- and we have a limited number of yard signs available to celebrate our Janney fifth graders too! You can buy Janney gear -- including the new yard signs -- for pickup at the school.
Want to keep in touch with fellow Jaguars over the Summer? Make sure your Directory info is updated!
If you haven’t already, create an account or log in verify or update your contact information and privacy details. If you’re having issues accessing the directory or updating your details, reach out to the Janney Directory Team at atozconnect@janneyschool.org
Download the app for quick access:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/membership-toolkit/id912169276
Seeking Parent Volunteers for the Janney+ Board of Directors
The Janney+ Programs Board of Directors has a couple of open Board of Director positions for Janney+ parents. We are specifically seeking new board members with backgrounds in Finance and Human Resources. If you are a member of the Janney community, interested in volunteering your time and expertise to guide the future of Janney+ Programs, and have experience in finance, human resources or a related field, we would love to hear from you!
Janney+ is a DCPS partner organization and nonprofit that serves over 85% of the Janney Elementary School community through high-quality before- and after-school programs, including Janney+ Aftercare (JAC), Enrichment, Language, Camp Days, and Summer Programs. Board members play a vital role in shaping the vision and strategic direction of Janney+. We welcome individuals who bring diverse experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives. Prior board experience is not required.
If you're interested or would like to learn more, please contact Deb Friedman at deblharris@gmail.com. To apply, email a brief introduction and a statement of interest, including any relevant experience. Help us strengthen and grow Janney+—consider joining the Board today!
💛 Giving Back with Janney
Save the Date for a Rock Creek Park Cleanup!
Join us for the last Janney community service day of the year! On Saturday, June 13th, from 10am-12pm we'll pick up trash in Rock Creek Park, helping to preserve this important watershed. Just bring your water bottle and enthusiasm - we'll supply the gloves and bags. Meeting point will be at the Rock Creek Nature Center, where there is plenty of parking. We'll share a registration link closer to the date. Reach out to communityservice@janneyschool.org with any questions!
📩 Connect With Us
- Register on Remind for important updates
- Subscribe to the Janney PTA calendar
- Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for more updates!
- Sign up for our Janney Community Listserv by emailing: janneyEScommunity+subscribe@groups.io.
- Our Newsletter drops every Tuesday, see the SY25-26 Archive
- Check out our Website for important links 👇
⏰ Community Reminders
- Join the Janney Bike Bus | Join Janney students and parents on Friday mornings for a fun bike bus to school! Join the Janney Bike Bus WhatsApp group for updates and info.
- Field Trip Fees | Pay here for 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.
- Communicable Diseases | Check out our Mini Guide to Communicable Diseases to stay healthy!
- Lice Guide | Please read and share: Download our Suggested Lice Guide.