Wildcat Country News!
Jefferson Parent Newsletter - Week of Sep. 21, 2020
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PRINCIPAL'S DESK
Dear Wildcat Students & Parents,
Thank you for the tremendous support you have shown already this year. District 45 recognizes the challenges our families are facing as your child is learning from home remotely. While your child’s education has always been a shared responsibility, you are now being asked to play an even greater role in their learning than ever before. District 45 again thanks you for your dedication to learning.
We would like to provide a few suggestions for families to consider as remote learning continues:
- When possible, we ask parents/guardians to assist their child in creating an environment at home that is quiet, has appropriate lighting, and is free from distractions.
- District staff recognizes how committed our parents and families are to their children. However, in specific instances, parents/guardians have actively participated in classroom discussions and activities intended for their child, his or her peers, and the classroom teacher. While we understand there may be a need to assist with technology-related issues during remote learning, we ask that parents/guardians refrain from joining calls and participating in class activities. Please note that if specific programs have lessons or activities that do involve parents, that will be explicitly stated.
- Allowing your child to participate independently in remote learning will accomplish the following:
- Your child will be able to build upon their growth independently;
- Teachers will be able to more accurately assess skills and knowledge;
- The connections between students and teachers will continue to increase, thus creating a better remote learning environment.
- Allowing your child to participate independently in remote learning will accomplish the following:
- We ask for parents/guardians to assist teachers by encouraging students to appear on video in class sessions. Please connect with your child's teacher if your child does not have access to a camera or if they have an additional reason for not wanting to appear on camera.
- District 45 understands and appreciates that parents/guardians want to celebrate and highlight their child’s accomplishments and those of their teacher(s). However, we request that parents/guardians refrain from recording or taking pictures that show their child with other students working or our teachers delivering lessons.
Please continue to reach out to your child’s teacher with any questions or concerns. Thank you again for your partnership!
Raul Gaston, Principal
Middle School Schedule Update
Beginning Monday, September 21, synchronous time for middle school core academic classes (ELA, math, social studies, science, and 8th grade Spanish) will increase from 30 minutes to 45 minutes district-wide.
Please also note the following:
The overall schedule will stay the same at this time.
The district will begin collecting survey data from students, parents, & staff on Tuesday, September 22. Survey items will include the degree to which student needs are being met through live synchronous learning time and asynchronous independent learning activities.
District staff are engaged in ongoing discussions on how to best adjust the overall schedule to meet the diverse needs of our students and optimizing our synchronous learning based on feedback.
Future schedule adjustments will be communicated to families prior to the change through our newsletter.
Hispanic Heritage Month 9/15 to 10/15
History
Hispanic Heritage Month began as Hispanic Heritage Week. Hispanic Heritage Week was established by legislation sponsored by Rep. Edward R. Roybal of Los Angeles and was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson in 1968. In 1988, the commemorative week was expanded to a month (September 15 to October 15) by legislation sponsored by Rep. Esteban Edward Torres (D-Pico Rivera), amended by Senator Paul Simon and signed into law by President Ronald Reagan.
September 15 was chosen as the starting point for the commemoration because it is the anniversary of independence of five Hispanic countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, who all declared independence in 1821. In addition, Mexico, Chile and Belize celebrate their independence days on September 16, September 18, and September 21 respectively.
Hispanic Heritage Week was first proclaimed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968 in Presidential proclamation 3869. Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter and Reagan gave annual proclamations for Hispanic Heritage Week between 1969 and 1988. National Hispanic Heritage Month was first proclaimed by President George H. W. Bush on September 14, 1989 in Presidential Proclamation 6021. Since 1989, all Presidents have given a Presidential Proclamation to mark Hispanic Heritage Month.
Source: Wikipedia
Felicitas Mendez (1916–1998)
México's Independence Day
¡¡¡Viva México!!!"
Facts on U.S. Latinos
In summary, more Hispanics are going to college and getting an education and a career!
NEW CLUBS STARTING THIS WEEK & VERY SOON!
Choir:
- All students interested in Choir. We will have our first choir meeting through google classroom next Thursday September 24th. Please join the Jefferson Middle School Choir google Classroom using the google classroom code: QD4SMZJ.
Escape Room
- Attention all students, there is a new virtual club offered at Jefferson starting this week! Virtual Escape Room Club is now being offered at Jefferson on Thursdays from 3:15-4:15. What is an escape room? A virtual escape room is all about solving riddles, and puzzles to get out of a situation. There’s usually a theme and some questions you'll need to answer about that subject while others are just about figuring out clues that incorporate the theme. What’s great is we can do this through a Google Meet call with others, as long as someone is willing to share their screen. All interested students please join our Google classroom; the code is YJ3GUDY. We will be starting on Thursday, September 24th at 3:15. Any questions please contact Mr. Kulovits or Mr. Peterson!
Book Club
- Are you looking for a place to relax and chat about some really good books? Come to Book Club with Mrs. Pakeltis on Mondays after school starting at 3:30 pm. We will find attention grabbing books to read and share! See you on Mondays at 3:30 p.m. You can Goggle Chat Mrs. Pakeltis with questions. The Google Classroom code is: HAAVBFK.
Photo Club
- On Thursday 9/24. The first meeting of the Photography and Editing club will meet from 3:20-4:20. Please join the Google Classroom with code "P5GNCB4" If you have any questions, please email Mr. Johnson or Mr. McDaniel! Hope to see you there!
Builders Club
- Info coming Soon!
Mindfulness Club
- Info Coming Soon!
Video Game Club
- Info Coming Soon!
Other New Clubs
- Info Coming Soon!
2020 Wildcat Spirit Wear Now Available
Dear Jefferson Families,
We know that this year might look different than what we’re all accustomed to, but that doesn’t mean our school spirit should be minimized. If anything, it means that we should be putting even more of our energy into making sure our Jefferson pride is loud, strong, and here to stay.
We know Spiritwear is more than just t-shirts and sweatshirts. It’s a connection when students need it most. Spiritwear gets kids excited about our school, it gets them feeling connected to their friends, and it gets them feeling grounded in the community.
Please join us in spreading excitement about what this school year has to offer and order your Spiritwear online today! https://jefferson2020sw.itemorder.com
The Jefferson Online Store is now open for business. And it’ll be open 24 hours a day for the next week until Friday, September 25. Share the link to the store with your friends. There’s power in numbers, and we’d really love to see our whole Jefferson community, parents & alumni included, showing off their new gear!
Sincerely,
Jefferson PTA
Curbside Book Pickup
Curriculum Night
Middle School Advisory
Middle school advisory supports the District 45 priority area of social emotional wellness and mental health, especially as we navigate this challenging time. Goals of middle school advisory include supporting our students in the following ways:
Connecting students with peers to build relationships
Connecting students with teachers and mentors
Preparing students to navigate the online world with digital citizenship instruction
Supporting students with social emotional skill-building and mindfulness strategies
Responding to real-time needs that emerge in academic settings, such as synchronous class meeting expectations, effective use of asynchronous work time, and use of tools to self-monitor academic progress
In the coming weeks, we will seek feedback from students on how the student experience is matching our program goals as we refine our instructional programming.
TECH TIP!!!
NO TECH TIP!!!
The 2020 D45 5K Fun Run Cancelled
It is with great disappointment that we announce the cancellation of the District 45 5K Fun Run in honor of Bonnie Scahill. We hope to resume next fall, however we would like to encourage everyone to honor her memory by running on their own. Please send a selfie of you and your family from your run to d45.pta@gmail.com or tweet at us @d45villaparkpta. Pictures emailed will be posted on our D45 5K Facebook Page and on Twitter. If you would like to make a donation to assist in District 45 PTA Events, go to https://d45villapark.memberhub.store/shopping/items/42699.
Daily Schedules by Grade Level
Wednesday Schedules
Grade Level Links - Under Construction -
PowerSchool Parent Portal
PowerSchool is a proactive communication tool parents/guardians can use to stay informed about their child’s academic and work habits progress in school. Please click on the PowerSchool Parent Quick Guide link here for more information about how to navigate the PowerSchool portal. There is a mobile app version of the PowerSchool Portal for families. The interface of the mobile app is slightly different from the web version. If you experience any difficulties accessing PowerSchool, please email Mrs. Daszkiewicz, the secretary who oversees PowerSchool for our Jefferson families. Her email address is ddaszkiewicz@d45.org
DAILY ANNOUNCEMENTS
Feel free to view the daily morning announcements for last week. Enjoy!
- Monday, 9.14.20 - www.wevideo.com/view/1830545805
- Tuesday, 9.15.20 -www.wevideo.com/view/1832335930
- Wednesday, 9.16.20 - www.wevideo.com/view/1834197015
- Thursday, 9.17.20 - www.wevideo.com/view/1836004233
- Friday, 9.18.20 - www.wevideo.com/view/1837607363
TEACHERS' OFFICE HOURS
If I have a tech issue, who do I contact?
Classroom teachers have experience with many common Chromebook or software issues. Contact your classroom teacher first with any problems. If they are unable to resolve the issue, they may direct you to contact our Technology Department through one of the other support options below or to the appropriate school or district personnel.
Other support options:
- Email support@d45.org
- Call (630) 516-7575
- Text (630) 454-7745
- View Support Videos on Return to School Website
Chromebook Support:
Drop off/pick-up hardware support is available daily at the District office between 8am and 4pm. Please utilize one of the remote support options prior to coming in.6TH GRADE PHYSICALS
FEES, FORMS, REGISTRATION
- Mrs. Aguilera - maguilera@d45.org
- Mrs. Daszkiewizc - ddaszkiewicz@d45.org
- Mrs. Schmidt - tschmidt@d45.org (health office).
Additionally, a letter regarding fees will be sent home from our District 45 office in early September. Please look for this letter for those details and please contact our office if you have any questions.
DISTRICT MEAL PICkUP
THE WILDCAT PTA
STAY CONNECTED
Join Remind and get weekly updates from the Principal. It's really easy.
- Take out your phone.
- Open a new text message.
- Enter the number 81010.
- Enter the message @e97chb for 6th Grade, @ea8eah for 7th grade, or @6ae9c4 for 8th grade.
- Then hit send. That's it! Easy!!!
2020-2021 Wildcat Newsletter Archieves
Week of...
- 9.21.20 www.smore.com/z5ky0
- 9.14.20 www.smore.com/kevqg
- 9.7.20 www.smore.com/p09bs
- 8.31.20 www.smore.com/1jth6
- 8.21.20 www.smore.com/avem7
- 7.15.20 www.smore.com/b3pcm
Jefferson Middle School
- Mr. Wes Riley, 6th Grade Team Leader (Semester 1)
- Mr. John Bratko, 6th Grade Team Leader (Semester 2)
- Mrs. Carolyn Pakeltis, 7th Grade Team Leader
- Mrs. Kathleen Kocimski, 8th Grade Team Leader
- Mrs. Christine Zaccaro, PE Team Leader
- Mrs. Jackie Vrchota, Fine & Practical Arts Team Leader
- Mr. Ryan McDaniel, Special Education Team Leader
- Mrs. Kathy Gerber, Counselor
- Mr. Paul Schweikert, Social Worker
- Mrs. Christine Osterman, Psychologist
- Ms. Gabby Clow, Assistant Principal
- Mr. Raul Gaston, Principal
Website: https://www.d45.org/jefferson
Location: 255 W Vermont St, Villa Park, IL, USA
Phone: 630.516.7800
Twitter: @D45Jefferson