Community Engagement

Our school fosters a welcoming community that extends beyond the classroom walls through leadership, friendship, and meaningful connections.
Engaging activities, student involvement, and supportive programs—such as our transportation program, family and buddy program, summer program, after-school enrichment classes, and birthday party program—create inclusive opportunities for growth and connection. By encouraging participation and shared experiences, we strengthen relationships and promote awareness and acceptance.
Family and Buddy Program
JTD’s Buddy and Family Program fosters lasting relationships and a strong sense of community by pairing younger and older students as “buddies” within 21 cross-grade “families” spanning Grades K-6.
Each family, led by Grade 6 students with faculty and staff support, participates in organized activities throughout the year, creating meaningful connections. Students, faculty, and staff remain with their designated family throughout their JTD experience, strengthening bonds over time. Younger students benefit from mentorship and attention from their older buddies, while older students take pride in their leadership roles.

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Student Clubs
Throughout the school year, JTD students have the opportunity to explore their interests and curiosity through a variety of student clubs and activities.
Upper School students participate in clubs as part of their school day, developing skills in leadership, teamwork, organization, and responsibility. Core clubs include The Greyhound Gazette, Student Council, Culture Club, and Service Learning Club. Additional clubs take place during lunch and lunch recess, engaging younger students in meaningful experiences.

Examples of student clubs include:

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  • Culture Club

    Promotes awareness, acceptance, and appreciation of diverse cultures within our community and city through activities, music, food, and other engaging experiences. Students share their identities, express themselves, and learn from one another.

  • New Greyhound in Town

    Welcomes new and former transfer students, offering games and activities to help them adjust to JTD. Former transfer students serve as mentors, creating a supportive and inclusive space.

  • The Greyhound Gazette

    Develops writing, editing, and publishing skills through a student-run publication where young journalists interview teachers and peers—creating a unique reflection of the JTD community that is shared with students, families, faculty, and staff.

  • Student Council

    Empowers students to take on leadership roles, plan school events, and represent their peers. Student Council members lead our school in various events, including Halloween, Spirit Week, and other festive school occasions, fostering school spirit and engagement.

  • Service Learning Club

    Focuses on community service initiatives, encouraging students to make a positive impact. The club often highlights student voice and passion, providing opportunities for students to lead service projects and advocate for meaningful causes.

In the Spotlight

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  • Culture Corner: Celebrating JTD’s Culture of Service

    By Sigita Newsom
    One of the defining threads in the fabric of JTD is our deeply rooted culture of community and service.
    Across grade levels, students engage with social issues through read-alouds, field trips, and classroom
    initiatives that build empathy and awareness. As a school community, we come together for annual
    drives, like our Canned Food Drive, participate in Big Sunday events, and support individual family-led
    efforts such as charity runs, bake sales, and other acts of generosity. Service isn't just something we do
    —it's who we are.

    This spring, we carried that spirit forward through our Spring into Kindness: Community Service Day.

    This week, every JTD family in the Family Program took part in hands-on service projects designed to
    give back and spread kindness. From potting flowers to brighten up classroom spaces, to writing
    heartfelt thank you notes, our campus was buzzing with generosity, collaboration, and care.

    Read on to learn more about each of the meaningful activities our students, faculty, and staff took part
    in!
    Continue reading ›

  • Culture Corner: Fat Tuesday Around the World

    By Sigita Newsom
    Pancake Day, also known as Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday, is celebrated worldwide with various traditions that often feature pancakes. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and Canada, it's customary to eat pancakes on this day to use up rich ingredients like eggs, milk, and sugar before the fasting period of Lent. In the United States, particularly in New Orleans, Louisiana, Mardi Gras festivities include parades, music, and colorful beads worn by participants to celebrate the day. In England, the town of Olney hosts a unique pancake race where participants run while tossing pancakes in frying pans, a tradition dating back to 1445. In Lithuania, the festival of Užgavėnės is celebrated on Shrove Tuesday, with people enjoying pancakes called blynai, singing, dancing, and wearing costumes and masks to mark the end of winter and the arrival of spring. These diverse customs highlight the global significance of Pancake Day and Fat Tuesday as occasions for communal celebration before the solemn season of Lent.

    In Culture Club this week, students learned about some of these various traditions, while eating pancakes and hearing about Mardi Gras experiences from several faculty and staff members. Did you know that Ms. Dishman was Ms. Mardi Gras in 1976? She attended Grambling State University, an HBCU, and represented the Zulu float in the parade. Coach T attended Tulane and shared that Mardi Gras was a huge part of New Orleans culture – even schools are closed on this day! She gifted all of our Culture Club students some beads in celebration of today. With pancakes, beads, and connections across cultures, we had a wonderful time learning, sharing, and celebrating the rich traditions of Mardi Gras!

    Read the rest of the issue here!
    Continue reading ›

  • Culture Corner: December Spotlight

    By Sigita Newsom
    Our school is committed to fostering a community where every individual feels a true sense of belonging and connection. Through intentional programs, initiatives, and resources like our newsletter, Culture Corner, which explores themes of identity, culture, and belonging, we create opportunities for students, employees, families and future community members to feel seen, heard, and valued. Whether through campus activities, clubs, assemblies, conversations, or the books we share, we strive to promote awareness, acceptance, and meaningful connections. One of our cornerstone initiatives is the Family Program, which brings together students across grade levels, along with faculty and staff, into “families” that remain constant throughout a child’s journey at JTD. Through family assemblies and shared experiences, these groups build lasting relationships, creating moments of joy, connection, and mutual understanding.
    Continue reading ›
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The John Thomas Dye School


11414 Chalon Road
Los Angeles, CA 90049
Phone: (310) 476-2811
The John Thomas Dye School admits students of any race, color, religion, sexual orientation, or national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, or national and ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic or other school-administered programs.

Located In Los Angeles, CA, John Thomas Dye is an independent school for grades K-6. Students benefit from a challenging academic program, fine arts, competitive athletics, and a wide selection of extracurricular activities.