Multicultural Night is coming up on Thursday, 2/16, from 6-8 PM (snow date 2/23)! This event is an opportunity for SJLES families to celebrate and share their heritage with the community and for everyone to learn about the rich diversity at our school. Students will be able to visit table displays, taste a variety of cuisines, and take home a souvenir. You’ll also be able to enjoy a talent show, fashion show, and performances from community groups. All inside attractions are free! There will also be food trucks outside with additional options for purchase, so stay tuned for details. Questions? Contact Stephanie Errera at SJLESmulticultural@gmail.com.

Sign Up for the Multicultural Night Support Crew! 

Please sign up here to form a Support Crew for our families who are sharing their cultural experiences and traditions with us at this special event! The Support Crew arrival time for setup is 5:00 PM on 2/16 (the event is from 6-8 PM). There are a variety of additional time slots to choose from! Examples of help needed include bringing items in from cars, setting up family tables, arranging food samples, taking photographs, passing out prizes, assisting with clean up, and more. If you can’t come but want to help, please consider DROPPING OFF A TABLE because we need a bunch of them! Check the sign up for slots and drop-off details. Thank you for helping us celebrate our SJLES diversity! We appreciate your support to make this event a big hit! For volunteering questions, please reach out to SJLES.volunteer@gmail.com.

Congratulations to our Jaguars who did such a great job at their winter concerts back in December and again last week! Please help us capture the magic in the yearbook! Click here to upload your photos from the chorus, band, and orchestra performances!

Support the PTA while you dine in at Honey Pig Hot Pot next Thursday, January 26! Flyers will be coming home soon. After you enjoy your meal, place your receipt in the bin marked “SJLES PTA,” located inside the restaurant. Please mark the number of diners in your party if it is not clear on the receipt. A portion of the proceeds will be donated back to the PTA to support our school.

**Important note! There are two restaurants called “Honey Pig” in Ellicott City. This event is held at Honey Pig Hot Pot in Normandy Shopping Center, 8450 Baltimore National Pike. Honey Pig Hot Pot is a dine-in-only experience.**

The PTA is in search of Silent Auction Solicitors to help us gather donations by reaching out to local businesses. The co-chairs of the committee will provide you with a list of businesses to contact and a letter to send. If you are able to help, please contact Kathy Etheridge at i8that2@gmail.com. The Silent Auction is the PTA’s biggest fundraiser of the year. Its continued success makes it possible for the PTA to provide our teacher appreciation activities, educational support grants, school-wide assemblies, family fun events, and more. Thank you so much for your help!

Mark your Calendars – we will be holding a new FREE event this year! On Thursday, January 12, the PTA will host a Cozy Reading Night from 6:00-7:45 PM at school. Students are invited to wear their PJs, bring a blanket or stuffed animal, enjoy cookies and milk, and listen to read-alouds from our amazing staff! Cozy Reading Night also celebrates the start of our first SJLES Read-a-thon! The Read-a-thon program is a perfect opportunity to encourage a love of reading while also raising money for the school. Our Read-a-thon will take place after winter break from January 9 – 27 and we’ll communicate the details on how easy it is to participate as it gets closer. All Jaguars and their families are invited to attend Cozy Reading Night, whether or not they choose to participate in the Read-a-thon. See you on January 12!

Read-a-thon is a reading fundraiser that makes it easy, fun and rewarding to practice reading at home and at school! There is no required number of books to read, and no specific time requirement. The goal is simply to have fun reading! Family and friends are invited to support students with a one-time donation. It takes 2 minutes to sign up! All you need is your student’s homeroom teacher code, which can be found right here. 

Your child will earn 15% of all donations that they receive to spend in the prize store. Choose from more than 200 fun prizes! Let’s get reading!

HCPSS Board of Education (BOE) is offering two opportunities to share your input on the 2023-2024 school start times decision, which will affect the entire school community. Click here to see the message that was shared via email on Tuesday 12/20. You are invited to share your feedback with the BOE at two public hearings, to be held January 17 and January 26. Pre-registration is required to speak at the hearings, or you may submit written testimony. Please see the BOE’s message for full details on the proposal and directions for submitting your feedback.

It’s not too late to sign up to share your culture at Multicultural Night! Please let us know by this Saturday, January 7, if you’d like to prepare a table display, or be part of the fashion show or talent show. Multicultural Night will be held on February 16 (snow date: February 23). See the signup for more details.

Q: What is Read-a-thon?

A: Read-a-thon is a reading fundraiser that makes it easy, fun and rewarding to practice reading at home and at school! There is no required number of books to read, and no specific time requirement. The goal is simply to have fun reading! Family and friends are invited to support students with a one-time donation.

Q: How long is the event?

A: The Read-a-thon officially begins on Monday, January 9, and runs through Friday, January 27. We’ll celebrate the start of Read-a-thon at our Cozy Reading Night, held at SJLES on Thursday, January 12, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.!

Q: How do I sign up?

A: Create your account right here by entering your student’s homeroom teacher code, listed below. Then invite family and friends to support your child’s Read-a-thon with a donation. It only takes a few minutes! During the registration process, you’ll have the option to send emails and texts to family and friends directly from the site, or you can have an email sent to your inbox that you’ll be able to forward as you wish. There is no requirement to read a certain number of books or minutes-per-day. However, reading minutes can be logged easily through your account if you wish to track and encourage your child’s reading.

Q: How does my child earn prizes?

Your child will earn 15% of all donations that they receive to spend in the prize store. Choose from more than 200 fun prizes! Stay tuned for more details about redeeming prizes.

Q: Are there sponsorship opportunities for businesses?

A: Do you own or manage a business that you’d like the SJLES community to know about? Read-a-thon offers ad sponsorships so your company’s information can be displayed on all the fundraising pages throughout the program. Go to www.read-a-thon.com/donate and enter code 52158 to learn more.

Let’s get reading!

ALL DAY on Wednesday, December 21, Yama Sushi in Ellicott City will be holding a Restaurant Day fundraiser for the PTA! No flyer or special codes are needed – simply tell your server or cashier that you’re there for SJLES and you’re all set! A generous 25% of sales will be donated back to the PTA to benefit the school community. Yama Sushi is located at 4725 Dorsey Hall Drive, Ellicott City, 21042, and can be reached at 410-997-3688. Thank you for your support!