The PTA Council of Howard County (PTACHC) provides a critical link between our local PTAs and the Howard County Board of Education. Our SJLES PTACHC representatives are working hard to keep us up-to-date on big-picture issues that can have a profound impact on our children at school–including the BOE’s plans for redistricting, school policy updates, facility development, and more. Parental input on these policies is essential. Please take a moment to review this month’s PTACHC updates paying special attention to…

• A number of important updates revealed in the Legislative Report (see link in document)
• The HoCo by Design project, which affects the way that land in the county is developed and used, and can impact our schools
• The BOE’s plans for building new schools and renovating existing schools–which ultimately affect things like overcrowding and redistricting plans

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.