Good News!  Now there’s extra time to order yearbooks! Follow these steps to order now before it’s too late. If you have any questions, please send an email to yearbooksjles@gmail.com.

The PTA Council of Howard County (PTACHC) discussed the district’s budget for Fiscal Year 2023 at its March 7 meeting. Revenue was a hot topic at this meeting, because it appears revenues are not keeping pace with expenditures. The majority of HCPSS funds come from the county council. This is a great opportunity for parents to advocate for the school system. The State has funding for capital expenditures, but currently requires HCPSS to match any contributions provided by the state. We can advocate with our HoCo Senators and Delegates to have this match removed.

The budget is over 600 pages of data but for the key points read the following sections: “Factors Influencing the Budget” beginning on page 19, “Summary of FY 2023 Superintendent’s Proposed Operating Budget Expenditures” on page 20, and “FY 2023 Operating Budget Changes” on page 40. A link to the budget can be found on the HCPSS home page: https://www.hcpss.org/about-us/budgets/fy23/

In summary, the FY 2023 Superintendent’s Proposed Operating Budget totals $1.07 billion, which is about $112.5 million, or an 11.7 percent increase over the FY 2022 Approved Budget (revised). A summary of the budget by state category is shown in the table on page 20.

The deadline for ordering yearbooks will be here sooner than you think! The price is $20 and all orders must be in by next Tuesday, March 15. Just follow the steps outlined here to reserve your copy. Our school code is YB101337. If you have any questions, please send an email to yearbooksjles@gmail.com.

Great News!  Our BOOKS BRING US TOGETHER! Book Fair is on its way to SJLES Media Center and will be open during the school day for students all week March 21-25th.  Special Evening Hours for Family Shopping will take place on Wednesday 23rd from 3:35-7:30 PM.  Families may also choose to shop online from March 21 – April 3, 2022.  As always, all purchases benefit our school!

Volunteer

To make this possible, we need volunteers to help students find and purchase their books.  Please check out our sign up!   Thank you for helping make sure this is a success!

Volunteers MUST complete the following requirements:

1. Pin Point proof of vaccination at least 5 school days prior to entry in the school.  Complete this requirement by clicking here.

2. Confidentiality Training Course about protecting the privacy of our students, staff, and schools.

3. Child Abuse and Neglect Training about reporting any suspicion of child abuse or neglect to Howard County Department of Social Services.Thank you for reading and for your support!

Go to our Memberhub Order Page to get your discounted tickets and support the SJLES PTA.

Yearbook price is $20 each.  Ordering is only available online and you can follow the directions below:

• Go to strawbridge.net
• Click on the “Order Pictures and Yearbooks” button
• Enter the code: YB101337
• Enter your name and email, then select “Access Yearbook”
• Enter your student’s information, then click “Submit Details”
• Choose “Select,” adjust number of yearbooks if desired, and then “Add to Cart”
• Click “Add a Student” if applicable, follow the prompts, repeating the above steps. 
• Click “View Cart” to review your order.
• Click “Checkout” to enter billing information and complete your order.

If you have any questions please send an email to  yearbooksjles@gmail.com.

We are looking for photos from as many Jaguars as possible! Contributing your photos will help us remember all the fun we had this year. All you need to do is click the link and upload them here (Please send your pictures to the appropriate link):

• Kindergarten: https://plicbooks.com/go/L9NE69
• 1st Grade: https://plicbooks.com/go/9HY4B9
• 2nd Grade: https://plicbooks.com/go/C7AQ4E
• 3rd Grade: https://plicbooks.com/go/ABH3V6
• 4th Grade: https://plicbooks.com/go/AZTMY9
• 5th Grade: https://plicbooks.com/go/RRA97F
• Back to School Night: https://plicbooks.com/go/YB6M94
• Back to School Picnic: https://plicbooks.com/go/ZU1871
• Paint Night: https://plicbooks.com/go/CDM9L5
• Turkey Trot: https://plicbooks.com/go/WWGLGX
• Misc: https://plicbooks.com/go/X943NU

Thanks for your help, we truly appreciate it. If you have any questions please send an email to yearbooksjles@gmail.com.

We are gearing up for our Spring PTA Events. These include some beloved traditions and we need help to get ready. Please check out this Sign-Up Genius to learn how you can help with the planning process.

View the Planning Sign-Up here. Thank you for taking a look! We will all work together and every little bit is a tremendous help! We couldn’t do it without you!

As we near the end of 2021, the SJLES PTA encourages you to share words of appreciation and gratitude with your students’ teachers to thank them for a job well-done.

In these unprecedented times, so many teachers and staff are working hard to ensure our Jaguars have a successful year. It’s the perfect time to brighten their day with an email or card letting them know what their work means to your family.