Welcome to our new digital version of the Pioneer Pages! During the 2022-23 school year we produced two printed versions of the district-wide Pioneer Pages. We will continue with the two mailed pieces in 2023-24, but are also adding a monthly e-version, which will be shared through email and the district's social media channels.

Each month readers will be able to see highlights from all five school buildings, as well as a message from the superintendent, announcements, and upcoming dates of significance.

Enjoy!

Dear Jonathan Alder Parents and Guardians,

We hope this message finds you well. As we step into the month of February, we wanted to take a moment to share important updates and exciting news from the Teaching and Learning Department. Our commitment to providing an enriching and supportive educational experience for your child remains unwavering. Here are some highlights for the month:

February 16th Staff Professional Development Day:  As a reminder, our 2023-2024 Professional Development focus is “Who are our students and what do they need?”  The February 16th professional development day will kick off the Jonathan Alder Educational Visioning Process as part of our Facilities Master Planning.  

Please note the dates of our remaining professional development days for the 2023-2024 school year.

• Friday, February 16, 2024

• Tuesday, March 19, 2024 (Election Day)

2024-2025 Kindergarten Registration: Welcome to the JA Pioneers Class of 2037!  Please help us spread the word to our school community.  Children who will be 5 years of age on or before August 1, 2024, are eligible for kindergarten for the 2024-2025 school year.  Families interested in enrolling their child or children in kindergarten may do so beginning at 9 am on February 20, 2024 through an online registration form that will be available on our website.  To view a map of the elementary attendance areas, please visit the link here. You can learn more about the kindergarten registration process, including all of the required forms, on our website.

K-12 Literacy Core Curriculum Selection and Adoption Process:  There is new Ohio legislation requiring every school to implement high quality instructional materials based on the science of reading at the start of the 2024-2025 school year.  Our department is working with staff in grades kindergarten through twelve to review potential literacy curriculums.  Teachers at each grade level will pilot and review materials as part of this rigorous and comprehensive selection process.  We hope to make a recommendation to our Board of Education in April or May of this school year.

Student Library Accounts: Did you know that you can and are encouraged to access your child’s library account to review the books that they have checked out? See the steps below to check your child’s account:

1. Go to infohio.org

2. Click on "state wide user" (located top left)

3. Enter login information:  username: jals (all lower case)  password: pioneers (all lower case)

4. Click the red isearch button (located at the bottom right). A red search box will pop up. 

5. In the drop down box, select your child’s school. 

6. Click on the red isearch button. 

7. You should see the online catalog.

8. Click on "My account" located top right under the school name

9. Enter login information: username: lunch code  password: birth month birthday  - example: 0808 - for August 8 

Digital Tools for Families: Our website contains information and helpful digital learning tools for our JA families.

April 8 Total Solar Eclipse:  Monday, April 8, 2024, marks the first time since 1806 that Ohio will experience a total solar eclipse.  Plain City is in the path of full totality.  This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to view this as the next total eclipse in Ohio will be in the year 2099!  Due to the safety and security of all students being our highest priority, in collaboration with the Village of Plain City, based on added traffic, visitors, and estimated time of the solar eclipse, students will not be in session on this day.  Please review the updated Academic Calendar for the 2023-24 school year, including the No School, Teacher Work Day on April 8, 2024. 

Space Night:  All of our JA students and their families are invited to come explore space on Friday, April 5 from 5-8pm at Canaan Middle School. Students will be able to build stomp rockets, use glow in the dark paint, complete an alien scramble, build constellations, construct a rover, learn about lunar and solar eclipses, explore stars and constellations, and more!  For more information and to register your family, please see our space night flier.

We appreciate all that you do to support our students, staff, and school community.

Warm regards,

Jonathan Alder Teaching & Learning Department
Carla Quick, Assistant Superintendent
Becky Krall, Director of Student Services
Nicole Schrock, Director of Instructional Technology

Monroe and Plain City Elementary schools celebrated the 100th day of school on Wednesday, January 31, 2024. Elementary students were celebrated for their growth in learning, curiosity and enthusiasm in the classroom over the first 100 days of the school year.

Students at Monroe enjoyed activities revolving around the number 100, including creating snacks of 100, building towers of 100 cups and making bracelets with 100 Fruit Loops. At Plain City, creative and collaborative learning included making 100 Day Crowns and Necklaces, counting 100 item collections and working together on 100 piece puzzles.

We want to express our gratitude to the teachers and staff for organizing such a memorable day for our Pioneers. These activities not only celebrated the academic achievements of our students but also fostered a love for learning that will undoubtedly continue to flourish.

During the holiday break the first printed version of the Pioneer Pages was mailed out to all homes within the Jonathan Alder Local School District boundary. The first issue of our second volume includes stories from all five school buildings, messages from administration, as well as featured stories on JA alums. View a digital version here.

The Superintendent's Office also has additional printed copies available while supplies last. If you live inside the district boundary and did not receive your printed copy, please fill out this Google Form.

In recent weeks, JAJHS students have had the opportunity to visit the Think Big Space. Two student groups traveled to the high school to participate in some creative, engaging, hands-on activities. 

7th Grade Student Council members worked in the Think Big Space to create various items to supplement their upcoming visit to Edgewater Place Assisted Living. Students designed inspirational stickers on Canva that will be printed and placed on Valentine’s candy bags that will be distributed by students around Valentine’s Day.  Students also painted plexiglass hearts cut from a special printer housed at Think Big Space.  These painted hearts will serve as dreamcatchers to be hung in residents’ rooms.  Students did a great job using their artistic and creative talents to benefit our community!

During their visit, 7th and 8th Grade Geography Club students worked to deepen their study of the Age of Exploration that led to the discovery of the New World. Specifically, students learned about the tools and implements used by early explorers for navigation. To build on their understanding, students worked to create their own sailing ship, modeled after the earliest Clipper ships that brought Europeans to the shores of the New World. Students then raced their ships to see which sailed the fastest; modeling the goals of the European powers racing to claim new territories and resources. 

Other groups, including the 8th Grade Student Council and one of our Enrichment groups, will participate in similar activities in the upcoming weeks. Thanks to Mrs. Garner, Mrs. Brar, and Mrs. Byers for providing these opportunities for our students!

Congrats to our most recent Central Buckeye Conference Student-Athletes of the Month who at the same time in their career, have achieved something amazing which doesn’t happen very often in high school sports.  Our January CBC Scholar Athlete of the Month is Peyton Heiss.  Peyton is a member of the Boys Basketball Team, and on Dec. 23, 2023 scored his 1000th point of his high school career on the road at New Bremen in the teams 65-61 win.  Our December CBC Scholar Athlete of the Month was Evan Platfoot, who also scored her 1000th point on Sat. Dec. 16 at home versus Kenton Ridge in the teams 44-22 win.  What an amazing accomplishment for someone in their high school basketball career to score 1000 points, but what is even more amazing is for us to have both a boys team member and a girls team member both achieve this accomplishment in the same year, in the same graduation class, and also within seven days of each other.  Congrats to both Evan and Peyton on achieving this milestone in their career, and also congratulations to their teams and coaches who play a huge role in this accomplishment as a program.

On Wednesday, January 31, fifth grade students at Canaan Middle School started their D.A.R.E. Program with Sheriff Deputy Roberta Roberts. This curriculum teaches the foundational skills that youth need to resist peer pressure and to be safe, healthy, and responsible in leading drug-free lives.  During their social studies period each Wednesday, students will be learning about the effects of alcohol and drugs on a person's body. Deputy Roberts will be teaching in the classroom for the next 10 weeks.

At the end of the program, students will participate in an awards ceremony for their participation in the D.A.R.E. program. Students will receive a certificate and a t-shirt. Students that go above and beyond in the program will be recognized as well.

During its regular meeting on January 8, 2024, the Board of Education approved the academic calendars for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years. Current and future academic calendars are available for viewing here.