Brought to you by Friends of Jones
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Inside: Send in Your Yearbook Photos; FOJ Chair Shares Her Story; Great Volunteer Spots Available—and more
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From the Desk of Dr. Powers
Dear Jones Family,
While this is certainly not the school year we had planned for, I am very proud of what our school family has been able to accomplish during the current pandemic and resultant closures. Crises can bring out the best in people, especially if they understand who they are as a community. As the great Viktor Frankl observed, “In times of crisis, people reach for meaning. Meaning is strength. Our survival may depend on our seeking and finding it.”
At Jones College Prep, our meaning as a school is embodied in our vision of the ideal Jones graduate at graduation, our "Grad at Grad" values. A Jones graduate is a person on a journey to be intellectually competent, socially skilled and mature, compassionate, socially just and responsible, and well-rounded and holistic. These ideals shape everything we do at Jones; they are the measure of who we are as a school family.
During the present crisis, it is all too easy to get bogged down in the challenges we are all facing. For us to prevail in these times, we must never lose sight of the meaning of who we are and what we stand for.
We will be keeping everyone informed as we support our students with their continued learning and celebrate the Jones Class of 2020.
Best wishes,
P. Joseph Powers, Ph.D.
Principal
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at any time at pjpowers@cps.edu or 773-534-8606.
For news about JCP, follow me on Twitter @PJOSEPHPOWERS
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Support Students
During the school year, the FOJ funded numerous grants that touch every Jones student. Every family's contribution makes a difference and your generosity is appreciated, especially now when the pandemic is stretching budgets for many institutions and families.
It is so important to pull together as a community during this unusual period. Please consider making your contribution today to ensure funding exists for the beginning of 2020/2021 school year.
Some grants from this year include:
• Support for the 2020 senior class needs, including student yard signs;
• The Black Student Union Annual Showcase, an educational event for students;
• An athletic trainer for Jones athletic teams.
Why donate?
Because we need you! Through the annual fund, FOJ helps to close the gap between the CPS budget and what it actually costs to run this amazing school.
How can you contribute?
With these options, it’s easy to make your annual fund gift today!
1. Donate Online 2. Contribute by cash or check. Download the FOJ Annual Fund Donation Form in English, Español, or 中文 and mail your donation to the school. 3. Participate with stock or charitable trust 4. And, check if your employer offers a matching option for your gift!
Many thanks to the families for their donations to the annual fund! We couldn’t support the numerous initiatives without you! Join the families who have donated and Donate today!
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Letter From Laura, FOJ Chair
Hello JCP Community,
I hope all of you are healthy and dealing with this unique online schooling as best as you can. It has certainly been a challenge at times for our family, but there have also been some nice moments and definitely learning as well. A huge thank you to our administration and our teachers for coming up with solutions and creative ways to teach our children.
As I enter my last month as Chair of the Friends of Jones Board, quarantine has given me a chance to reflect on my interesting and now unique experience. I have been volunteering on the FOJ Board since my first daughter was a Freshman. It has been a great experience and continues to be as my second daughter is currently a sophomore. It has been wonderful to work on behalf of our school with creative, interested and involved parents and administration. All of us working towards the same goal of trying to bring the best opportunities to your school—our school—so that all of our children can have valuable and lasting experiences. The money we help raise from our community touches EVERY aspect of our school and our children!
When I started the school year, we were still trying to fill the Board positions for chair and co-chair to run our Spring Benefit. We were never able to fill those positions and so I had to step into that role as well. I had not signed up for that kind of commitment and was a little hesitant. What amazed me was how other members of the Board stepped up to help me and how our Jones College Prep community stepped up to donate items that were needed for the Benefit. The JCP community also stepped up to volunteer the day of our Spring Benefit. Unfortunately, despite all the time and effort it took to organize what would have been a wonderful event for our community, sadly it did not take place due to the pandemic. Although our community rallied for a successful online auction!
As we move forward in these uncertain times, both academically and economically, my hope is that all of the great work that FOJ does on behalf of our Jones College Prep community and our school is able to continue. I also hope that we can get new faces on the Board so that we get fresh ideas that continually push us to higher goals. We will need to get creative going forward. Please don’t be afraid to get involved with Friends of Jones at any level, but definitely consider getting involved on the Board or on a committee on the Board...we need you!
As a Jones parent, I’ve found being involved with Friends of Jones has been a worthwhile experience for me and I believe it can be for your too!
Take care and I hope to see everyone in school this fall.
Laura Brauer, FOJ Chair
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Open Volunteer Positions
Volunteer to do something fun and meaningful by filling one or more of these open positions with the Friends of jones Board.The following Board Positions are open and waiting for you:
Annual Fund Campaign Chair and Co-Chair
The Annual Fund Chair is responsible for reaching out to our Jones community to raise funds and gather monetary donations for Friends of Jones that supports every club, department and team at Jones. The Chair may also develop new strategies to encourage new or increased contributions while also raising awareness of Friends of Jones' work, goals, and financial needs.
If you have experience in fundraising or would like more information about this exciting and important board position, please contact Jackie Papadopoulos at Jackie.papadopoulos@friendsofjones.org
Vice Chair
The primary responsibility of the Vice Chair position is that of serving as an assistant for the Chair with the goal of moving into the Chair position the following year. The Vice Chair conducts board meetings if the Chair is unavailable. Additionally, the Vice Chair is responsible for ensuring the board is fully slated for the following year.
Alumni Chair
The goal of the alumni position is to serve as a liaison to the alumni and what will hopefully become an alumni committee. Our first steps were to build an identity with some thoughtful branding and outreach to alumni. The Chair and Co-Chair engage with alumni by encouraging them to enroll in the FOJ database so we can communicate with them periodically via electronic alumni newsletter. Alumni are encouraged to get involved with events such as the annual alumni night at the theatre for the spring musical and other events throughout the school year.
Joneswear Assistant
The Joneswear store is a major fundraiser for the school! The role of the Joneswear Assistant is to help the Chair with merchandising, inventory, and securing volunteers to work at various school events throughout the school year.
Open House / Volunteers Assistant
This position helps the Chair maintain a list of active volunteers, ensures that there are ample volunteers at various events throughout the school year. This position also assists in coordinating the Open House.
If you are interested in serving in any of these positions, please contact Jackie Papadopoulos at Jackie.papadopoulos@friendsofjones.org
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Counselor's Corner
Seniors
- We celebrated our seniors who are in a position to make a post-secondary pathway decision via Google Classroom on May 2. The counseling team is in the process of collecting concrete data on who is ready to make a decision and whose plans might be shifting in the wake of the global pandemic. Please note 300+ colleges/universities have pushed back their decision days to June 1st or beyond.
- For senior families, it is very important that counselors receive copies of financial aid award letters asap as they will serve as the CPS-required evidence of a post-secondary plan for students. Seniors will not be able to graduate without providing this proof. If they plan to do something other than college, we will still need proof of some kind so students should be following-up with their counselor to discuss.
Juniors
- The counseling department, in collaboration with the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC), will be hosting a virtual financial aid presentation for Jones students and families. Topics will include the financial aid process and paying for college. This webinar event will be held on Wednesday, May 20th, from 6:00pm-8:00pm. Participants must register for the event in advance and can do so here. After you register, you'll receive a confirmation email message with instructions on how to join the event.
All classes
- We have been communicating with our students primarily via our Google Classrooms in recent weeks via videos and individual follow-up. Parents/guardians, please take a look at Google Classroom with your students (or double-check that your students are reviewing this content!)
- We are in the process of collecting survey feedback from students re: their remote learning experiences as well as their social/emotional health. We will use this information to support ILT strategy re: remote learning as well as counseling interventions through the rest of this year and into next.
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Cheers! Your Contributions Grant Success
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Good news! Your contributions to the Annual Fund brightened the lives of students by providing so many grants throughout the school year. Grants liaison Shalimar Beekman provided a few of the highlights from the list.
•Jones E-sports team received a grant for $8842.86 to purchase 6 new gaming computers. E-games, a big draw for students, have been very successful!
•The Black Student Union received a grant for their Annual Showcase in the amount of $2000. The Showcase is an educational event for students about the importance of black history and how it has progressed over time.
•The Composting Program (student group) received a grant in the amount of $1000.
•The Chemistry Department received a grant for $4467.00 to replace 30 T1-Nspire calculators.
•Jake Weinstein (student) received a grant for $2500 to start the first CPS squash team.
•The Jones Orchestra received a $25,000 grant to travel to NYC and perform at Carnegie Hall - this trip has been rescheduled for March of 2021 due to Covid-19.
•The ACES program received $1572 to purchase 5 additional tricycles for students in the ACES PE class, so that all students can ride a trike while in the class.
•The Athletic Department received a grant for $10,000 to pay for an Athletic Trainer for athletes during Winter Sports.
Thank you, Jones Community, for making these possible.
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Grants at work
Thank you to Friends of Jones for sponsoring two exciting chemistry grants for the coming school year! FOJ recently approved two requests to make learning in AP Chemistry more accessible for our Jones Chemists – Chem101 Software Subscriptions and a class set of TI-Npsire CX 2 CAS calculators. The Chem101 software will allow our usual summer boot camp to move online for remote learning this summer to get students prepared for the rigors of AP Chemistry. The class set of Nspires will allow for daily formative assessment in their learning once we get back to in-person class.
“On behalf of my students, I would like to thank FOJ for their continued instructional support of teaching and learning at Jones!” – Ray Lesniewski, AP and Honors Chemistry Teacher.
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Yearbook Photos Needed!
Jones College Prep HS Yearbook staff is looking for photos of:
- Students working from home/eLearning.
- Pictures of activities you are doing during quarantine/social distancing.
- Ladies, take a selfie in your prom dress!
- Senior athletes missing your spring season? Send us a photo in your uniform!
The yearbook staff strives to tell the whole story. To do so, we need your help. We need your photos! In this unprecedented year, help us capture it all! Start sharing today, please!
PLEASE UPLOAD YOUR FAVORITE PHOTOS TO hjeshare.com
AND USE SCHOOL CODE: JCP
You can access hjeshare.com from your phone or computer and send 10 photos at a time to the yearbook staff!
Thanks,
The 2020 Jones College Prep High School Yearbook Staff and
Ashley Kahn, Special Education Teacher
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Library News
Library Newsletter
The Jones School Library Newsletter comes out every 2-3 weeks and provides a wealth of information about events and resources that are valuable and enriching for students and people of all ages. Parents, submit your email here to receive library newsletters all year. Current and past newsletters can be accessed here.
Free New York Times Access
Students can complete this form to request complete, ad-free access to The New York Times through July 6. Students who request it will receive an email from the NYT to register and gain access to this valuable service.
Library Book Return
Only seniors are required to return Jones library books this spring. Everybody else can enjoy their books until our school reopens. All students can establish what books they have checked out by clicking this link while logged into their CPS Google accounts.
Chicago Public Library eCards
Does your student need a Chicago Public Library eCard for any reason? Students can fill out this form to receive login information that provides temporary access to all online services including CPL eBooks and databases. No personal info is required. Access widely-used CPL databases from the JCP Library’s Online Resources webpage.
Fran Feeley, NBCT
School Librarian fafeeley@cps.edu
http://jcplibrary.weebly.com/ (website)
https://jcplibrary.weebly.com/library-newsblog (blog)
pronouns: he, him, his
Click here to see what I have been reading lately. Reach out to discuss!
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Spruce up your wardrobe in 2020 with Joneswear.
Be a Trendsetter in Your New Joneswear
We have a lot of new merchandise in our store.
View Joneswear selections HERE
Looking to buy Joneswear? We're looking at ways to fulfill orders and hope to have a plan soon. Contact Mary Catherine Marco
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FOJ Important Dates
June 14: Look for Your Next FOJ Newsletter
Click HERE for the full calendar of JCP events.
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STAY CONNECTED WITH FOJ ACCESS!
You can access the Friends of Jones parent database anytime
Every parent already has a separate account.
Go to www. friendsofjones.org/foj-login/
Use your email address as your login name, then click "Forgot Password?"
Enter your email address again.
You'll receive a link to create your own login name and password.
Can't find your email address in the system?
Hard as we try, sometimes addresses get lost in the shuffle.
Or if you have Questions, contact us at info@fojlogin.org
we'll update your email in our database.
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