Jones Journal for Families February 6 , 2026

Counselor Corner

9 Most Important Minutes

As parents, each of us tries our very best. There are no perfect parents and no perfect kids (thank goodness!). Since we all are pulled in what feels like a million different directions each day, we all search for ways to build our parenting toolkits. While time can be short, it’s a common goal to make our daily interactions with our children that much more meaningful.

Several years ago, neuroscientist Dr. Jaak Panksepp debuted his theory on how our children’s routines can be broken up into nine important minutes each day. Dr. Panksepp explored what role parents play during these minutes. He goes on to say that the larger the sphere of positive emotions that a child has with a loved one, the more likely they are to become a productive and happy member of society.

These are the nine minutes during the day that can have the most impact on a child: the first three minutes–right after they wake up, the three minutes after they come home from school, and the last three minutes of the day–before they go to bed. 3 Minutes After They Wake Up

In the morning, we may be rushing around, ripping covers off kids and telling them to pick up the pace, packing lunches, confirming pick-up arrangements, packing sports equipment, and trying to make ourselves look less tired and presentable. We can still make time for a positive THREE minutes. Maybe we can set our alarms 3 minutes early, and spend those minutes sitting together for a quick and calm breakfast. Or use those three minutes to wake them up more gently, play their favorite music and dance for 3 minutes to get the blood flowing. Even as adults, those first 3 minutes after our eyes open can set the tone for the whole day! 3 Minutes After School/Daycare The first three minutes after you pick up your child from school, daycare, after school care or a sitter’s house are so important because our children have had several hours of jam packed emotions! Learning new things, fun encounters with friends, challenging topics, possibly some negative interactions. It is up to us to help their growing brains organize all of those feelings into a conversation and help to explain the weight of each of those emotions.

Here are five questions to ask your child to get the conversation going:

• What was the highlight of your day?
• What was one way that you were kind to someone else?
• What was something you learned today?
• What was the most challenging thing you had to do today?
• When were you the happiest today?

Starting with a lighter question will get their minds replaying the day so they will be more mentally prepared for tougher questions. These questions are open-ended to encourage them to share more. Whatever they disclose to you, it is important to not discount it! It’s OK to take a deep breath before responding. 3 Minutes Before Bed This is a great time to focus on gratitude! Even if our little ones experienced a rough day, we can always help them to hunt out the good! Take turns saying what you are grateful for. Share with your children what it is about them that you love, and makes you proud. Praise them for doing a good deed, or an extra chore. Let them go to sleep feeling on top of the world, at peace and being genuinely happy and knowing they are so very loved. And that’s it,– the nine most precious, important minutes in your child’s day. Minutes that might not sound like a lot of time to get parenting right, might actually turn out to make the biggest difference to your life and your kids’ lives. And a word to mothers and/or fathers who feel guilty that they can’t be home to serve an after-school snack or had a less-than stellar bedtime conversation last night: Don’t. We just do our best with the time we are allotted.

Girl Scouts Night @ Jones- February 9

February Library Newsletter

Kindness Parties💗February 12

Arlington ISD Night @ UTA February 12

Arlington ISD Night at a UT Arlington women’s basketball game is Feb. 12, at 6:30, and all students get in free! Parent and staff tickets are $5 each and can be purchased online here. Students get in free if they show this flyer at the gate.

Supporting Language Learning at Home

You don’t need to speak Spanish to support your child’s Spanish learning! Encouragement, curiosity, and practice at home make a big difference. Please review the flyer for simple ideas you can try. Also, all students also have access to Imagine Español in their ClassLink LaunchPad account. This fun program helps build Spanish foundational literacy skills and confidence. Recommended Home Use: 20 minutes, 2 times per week. See the image so you know what to look for when your child logs in. Thank you for supporting bilingual learning at home! 💙

Yearbooks for Sale!

This school year is flying! 👉🏽Order here using code 26548. Don’t miss out! 📚✨ ¡Este año escolar se está pasando volando! 👉🏽Haz tu pedido aquí con el código 26548. ¡No te lo pierdas! 📚✨

Volunteer Sign Up

Many hands make light work and we love our volunteers. We depend on our parents and volunteers to help make the best learning environment that we can for our kids. We encourage you to be an approved volunteer to help make a difference at school, sponsor fine arts events, chaperone field trips and work with students. All volunteers must submit an online application (every year) and upload a copy of your unexpired government-issued photo ID to the volunteer application.

Muchas manos facilitan el trabajo y amamos a nuestros voluntarios. Dependemos de nuestros padres y voluntarios para ayudar a crear el mejor ambiente de aprendizaje posible para nuestros hijos. Lo alentamos a ser un voluntario aprobado para ayudar a hacer la diferencia en la escuela, patrocinar eventos de bellas artes, ser acompañante en excursiones y trabajar con los estudiantes. Todos los voluntarios deben enviar una solicitud en línea (cada año) y cargar una copia de su identificación con fotografía vigente emitida por el gobierno en la solicitud de voluntariado.

Calling all Jones Dudes!

Looking to meet other dads, stay involved, and support your child’s school? Join the Dad’s Club—a space for connection, community, and fun with all the awesome dads and father figures in our school family! ¿Quieres conocer a otros papás, mantenerte involucrado y apoyar la escuela de tu hijo? ¡Únete al Club de Papás—un espacio para la conexión, la comunidad y la diversión entre todos los increíbles papás y figuras paternas de nuestra comunidad escolar!

Stay connected: Join our private WhatsApp group and Follow us on Facebook

Mantente conectado: Únete a nuestro grupo privado de WhatsApp y Síguenos en Facebook

Get involved, stay in the loop, and make a difference! ¡Involúcrate, mantente informado y marca la diferencia!

Upcoming Events

• February 9- Benchmark Exam Reading Math Grades 3-5, Girls Scout Night
• February 10- PTA Meeting & Gallery of Heroes Exhibicion
• February 11-  Benchmark Exam Science Grade 5
• February 12- Valentine's Kindness Parties
• February 13- Student Holiday/Professional Learning Day
• February 16- Student and Staff Holiday, KINDNESS WEEK!
• February 19- GT Showcase
• February 21- Piano Fanfare Festival @ CVPA- 2nd grade +
• February 24- Magic Show hosted by PTA, Doors Open 5:30 p.m.
• March 2-6- Read Across America & Book Fair Week
• March 5- Open House
• March 16-20- Spring Break
• April 2- BINGO Night
• April 3-  Student & Staff Holiday