Now that the school year is in full swing, the SJLES PTA encourages you to take a moment to thank your bus driver! If you’d like to make a thank-you card, but don’t know the name of your child’s bus driver, you can check the list below.

SJLES PTA announces our FREE Trunk-or-Treat coming up on Saturday, October 29! Come in costume if you’d like, and enjoy festively decorated cars and lots of treats! This event is FREE but your RSVP is requested to help us prepare. Flyers will be coming home soon. Here’s how you can get involved…

• Wanted: Your Trunk! Click the link to enter the trunk decorating contest. Space is limited to 25 cars, and registration closes on 10/22. Popular vote will determine the top 3 winners. Each will receive a $25 gift card to Glory Days! Contest rules available here.
• Candy needed! Check out the Amazon wish list to donate a bag of treats! Candy and allergy-safe options are both included. When checking out, be sure to select the registry for Vanessa Zawodny. Your donation will be sent directly to SJLES PTA.
• Please RSVP here! Not required, but it will help us plan for your ghosts and goblins. Suggested RSVP by 10/25.

The PTA is requesting your help to support The Kindness Pantry’s Winter Coat Drive for elementary school children in need in Howard County. New and gently used coats, hats, gloves, mittens, and scarves are all needed! There will be a collection box near the front office now through Tuesday, October 25. Thank you for helping to keep others warm! More details available here.

The results of our poll are in! For the rest of the school year, PTA meetings will be held VIRTUALLY via Zoom at 8:00 p.m. on the second Wednesday of the month. Our next meeting will be held Wednesday, October 12. See you there! Please use the link below to join the meeting (and bookmark it for future reference!).

• https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84490138573?pwd=eVBBUm9ZdXpEL3NvQkExQ0JXcVIyZz09
• Meeting ID: 844 9013 8573
• Passcode: 643443

We received several requests to extend the Spirit Wear deadline, and our amazing Spirit Wear Chair was able to make that happen! Wednesday is the last day! Place those orders right now: https://stjohnslanefall23.itemorder.com/

Don’t miss the deadline! All Spirit Wear orders are due THIS SUNDAY, 9/25! Check out our tees, hoodies, and more available in both youth and adult sizes. Orders will be delivered to SJLES and sent home with your student(s) by mid/late October. Please note, items are custom, so there are no refunds, returns, or exchanges. Click here to place your order. Email SJLES.Spiritwear@gmail.com with any questions. 

Next Thursday, 9/29, is PTA Restaurant Night! From 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., Jimmy John’s Ellicott City will donate 20% of all sales to the SJLES PTA! This applies to in-store and pickup orders–simply mention SJLES PTA. See the flyer below for more details. Thank you for your support!

1. Login to Synergy (https://sisparents.hcpss.org/PXP2_Login.aspx) using your parent credentials.  
2. Choose “More Options” from the left menu. 
3. Then select “School Directory”. If you don’t see this as an option, it may be that the student credentials are still entered. Log out, and log back in as a parent.
4. From there, you can search by any field, and then click “Filter”.

Important Search Tips:

• If searching by teacher, only type the last name (e.g., type “Shoff” not “Mrs. Shoff” into the “homeroom” field)
• If searching by grade, type “K” (not “Kindergarten”); type “01” (not “1” or “first”); type “02” (not “2” or “second”); etc
• If searching by student name, type “last, first” (including the comma) or simply type only the first or only the last (it will not appear if you type “first last”)
• If you want to do a new search, click “clear filter” to start over.

You’re Invited to our Back to School Picnic!

Welcome to a new school year! Every week you’ll receive an email from the PTA with updates on how you and your Jaguars can get involved at SJLES this year. We look forward to seeing you at our first school-wide event, the Back to School Picnic! There is no cost to attend and all are invited! Bring your own picnic dinner and we’ll provide the musical entertainment!

• When: Friday, September 9th, 6:00 – 8:00 pm
  • Rain Date: Friday, September 16th, 6:00 – 8:00 pm
• Where: SJLES Playground

Additional News

PTA Kickoff Meeting: IN-PERSON, Wed 9/7 @ 6:30 PM

Our first PTA meeting of the year will be held IN-PERSON next Wednesday 9/7 @ 6:30 PM in the school’s Media Center! Pop in to meet this year’s Board and see what we have in store for this year! If you’ve never attended a PTA meeting before, this is a great way to get a look inside what’s going on SJLES and connect with other parents. Principal Dan Notari or Assistant Principal Erin Coleman will speak at every meeting and answer questions. Hope to see you there!

Why Join the PTA?

Becoming a member of the PTA means that you are donating to help enhance the school experience for all of the students. There is never any obligation to volunteer! The PTA funds school-wide assemblies, family fun events, teacher appreciation activities, teacher-requested classroom supplies, and so much more. Visit our online Membership site to make your tax-deductible donation. Thank you so much – your support is what makes everything we do possible!

Open Positions

There’s an open position on the PTA Board of Directors – and we’d welcome your help! We’re looking for one or two people who can fill the following roles:

• Vice President #1 (Board Position): This role involves assisting the president as needed, reviewing all vendor contracts, helping our local PTA maintain compliance with the national and local PTA policies and other regulations, and managing the process for certain PTA-funded programs. 
• Education Enrichment Program Coordinator: This role is NEW for 2022-2023! We’re looking for someone to seek out and apply for grants that can benefit the students of SJLES. We’ve discovered there are numerous educational grants out there that can fund additional enrichment experiences for students–if only we had someone to apply for them! 
• Special Note: These duties were originally combined into the Vice President’s role. We would welcome one person to take on both, or two people to split it up! The Vice President #1 will serve as a member of the Board. If a separate Education Enrichment Program Coordinator is found, that position would not serve on the Board.

Questions?

Reach out to PTA President Meg Halvorsen at SJLES.PTAmail@gmail.com.