Jim Falls Elementary
December 2023
Dear Jim Falls Families
Welcome to December, where the adventure continues! Thank you for ensuring that your children come to school prepared for the varying temperatures outside, as this time of year can bring single-digit mornings and 40-degree afternoons. Should your child require assistance with winter apparel, please reach out to the classroom teacher or the office, and we'll make sure they have what they need.
As we begin the first week of December, students will be frequently reminded of winter weather expectations, emphasizing appropriate winter dress and recess guidelines. The expectations are detailed in the slideshow below for your reference.
Our adventure takes an exciting turn this week, inspired by the spirit of giving. Please note that all activities listed below are optional—your child's participation is entirely up to you.
- We are currently accepting donations for "Deck the Halls" until December 4.
- Penny Wars are in full swing from November 27 to December 1.
- If you wish to contribute to the Holiday Store, donations are welcomed until December 15.
- For a heartwarming Christmas community service initiative, the third-grade class is collecting donations for the Chippewa County Humane Association until December 15.
As December whirls by, let's unite to finish the year on a strong note! Wishing you and your loved ones a WONDERFUL and safe holiday season! Adventure awaits around every corner—embrace it!
Soaring with Eagle Pride,
Mrs. Janet Goodman
If you missed our most recent weekly updates please check them out here:
Winter/Cold Weather Attire
- All students need to wear proper attire - warm coat/jacket, hat, gloves/mittens, and boots and snow pants when the snow arrives.
- We will have a poster at each doorway with the suggested clothing you should wear to keep students safe and warm. Snow pants and boots must be worn to play in the snow.
- Please label all items so they don't get lost!
- You may want to send a plastic/reusable bag for carrying wet winter items home as needed.
We do go outside everyday for recess as long as it is not raining or below -6
Schedule & Important Dates
Elementary schedule for 2023-2024:
Start of Day:
- Student Drop Off Begins: 7:20 am
- Student Day Begins: 7:43 am
- Breakfast Served: 7:30 - 7:43 am
- Students arriving after 7:43 am will be marked tardy
End of Day:
- Bus Dismissal - 2:35 pm
- Students getting picked up will be dismissed after busses have left school grounds
Important Dates
December
12th - Deck the Halls 6pm - 7:30pm
15th - Dress Up Day: Crazy for Adventure: Wear a crazy/tacky holiday sweater
18th - Hats off for Adventure: Wear a holiday hat or headband
18th - Jim Falls Singers Concert @ The Heyde Center
19th - Dress up day: We Dream of Adventure: Wear your favorite PJ's
19th & 20th - Students shop at the Holiday Store
22nd - Share the Spirit of Adventure: Wear red and green
25th - 29th - No School
January
1st - 2nd - No School
19th - No School (staff work day)
February
23rd - No School (Professional Development)
27th - 3rd & 4th Grade Music Concert
March
5th & 7th - Parent/Teacher Conferences
11th - 15th - No School
29th - No School
April
1st - No School (staff work day)
May
2nd - 5th Grade Music Concert
16th - KG Spring Sing-A-Long
27th - No School
30th - Last Day of School
Please consider donating for our upcoming holiday events
Singing in Wisconsin
Reminders
Notes from the Office
If your child is going to be absent or tardy for any reason, please call the office by 8:00 am Instructional time starts at 7:43 am. Any student who arrives after 7:43 am is considered tardy.
If you need to change your child's transportation for the end of the day, please send a note to your child's teacher. Phone calls are discouraged but if a change needs to be called in, PLEASE call the office by 1:30 pm to insure that the message gets delivered to the classroom.
If you need to pick your child up early, please check in at the office. Parents will need to sign their child(ren) out and then we will call your child down to the office. Students will not be waiting in the office so make sure to give yourself enough time prior to appointments.
BUS TRANSPORTATION CHANGES
All student rerouting requests will originate at Chippewa Yellow Bus Company. Student rerouting requests require a 24 hour notice and approval by the bus company. This includes one time and/or occasional rerouting requests. Please call 715-726-2454 if you have any questions or concerns. Please click here for more information regarding rerouting requests.
If a student's afternoon transportation plans vary week to week, please provide the teacher, the office, and the bus company a monthly calendar to insure that your child gets to their intended location.
Handle with Care
As always we are a TEAM and we want to help your child thrive in our Jim Falls family.
Weekends Kids Meals
The Jim Falls Community Food Pantry has been providing food assistance to the families of the Jim Falls school for over 15 years. One of the services we provide is "Weekend Kids Meals." Each Friday, we make available an assortment of non-perishable healthy food products geared toward the children to send home with them for the weekend. If this is something you would like to participate in, please enter your information here.
Medical Absences
Food Service Payments and Menus
Payments can be made on the Infinite Campus portal under the food service tab. The free and reduced lunch application is also located on your Infinite Campus parent portal by selecting "more" then "meal benefits". Here is a list of the CFAUSD Meal Prices.
Classroom Treats
The health office requests that any treats brought in to school for birthdays, parties, or any other special occasions should be store bought with a clear nutrition label.
There are certain students and staff members with health conditions that may require certain dietary accommodations and it's important that they are able to review a food's nutrition label before choosing to omit or consume certain foods.
Please also be mindful about choosing treats that may contain tree nuts and/or peanuts for your student's classroom. There may be other students in your child's classroom who may have a severe nut allergy. If you are wondering whether your child is in a nut free classroom, please inquire with your student's classroom teacher or the school's health office.
HIGH SCHOOL GAME ATTENDANCE RULE
The Chippewa Falls High School would like to remind you of our game attendance rule.
In order to enter any high school game/event, all middle school and elementary students must be accompanied by an adult chaperone.
Thank you for helping all of our fans stay safe at our home sporting events!
Chiropractic Care at school
December - the month of gifts, but some of the best gifts can’t be wrapped or put under the tree.
One of the best gifts you can give someone is not a physical gift, but the gift of your time, your attention, and a listening ear. We all know how great we feel when we are truly seen and heard. Probably everyone on your Christmas list would love receiving this type of gift!
Chiropractic care can help with attention and focus by “turning on” the nervous system. When spinal bones are misaligned it puts pressure on the nerves running along the spine (the central nervous system). A chiropractic adjustment helps to remove the interference, allowing the nerves to carry messages to the brain as they are supposed to.
Did you know that you can sign your child up for chiropractic care at any point during the school year? They didn’t need to start back in September - any day is a good day to start taking care of their nervous system. If you have any questions contact us at onsitechiroinfo@gmail.com and have a wonderful holiday season!
Potential School Closure Days
CFAUSD Inclement Weather Closing Protocol
Weather can change quickly in the Chippewa Valley. When inclement weather strikes, there are three options for adjusting our days:
Cancellation: If the weather is too severe, school and other activities may be canceled altogether.
Two-hour delay: If the weather is bad but not severe enough to cancel school for the day, classes may be delayed by two hours.
Early release: If the weather worsens during the school day, school may be dismissed early.
Cancellation -- If we cancel school due to inclement weather, we will make the decision by 6:00 AM. All schools, Head Start, Early Childhood, 4K Cardinal programs, after-school programs, and public use of buildings will be closed.
Two Hour Delay -- If we delay school due to inclement weather, the school day will start two hours later than normal. Buses will also run two hours behind schedule. Breakfast will not be served, but lunch will be served near normal time. 4K Cardinal, Early Childhood, and Head Start will be canceled for the day. After-school programs and public use of buildings may still occur. If the delay is later changed to a cancellation, the decision will be made by 8:00 AM.
Early Release -- If we dismiss school early due to inclement weather, the decision will be made by 10:00 AM. Elementary schools will dismiss at 12:00 PM, and secondary schools will dismiss at 1:00 PM. Lunch will be served at the normal time. High school students with open campus lunch may leave at 12:00 PM. Afternoon 4K Cardinal, Head Start, and Early Childhood are canceled. After-school programming and public use of buildings are canceled.
When there is inclement weather in the Chippewa Valley, we may have to change the school schedule. We will let you know by 6 AM if we are canceling school or starting school two hours late; by 10 AM for letting students out early.
We will tell you via radio, TV, our website, social media, and by email or text message. We want to keep our students safe, so we may have to make last-minute changes. We will try to make the best decision we can based upon the weather and/or other information available to us.
**Please contact Chippewa Yellow Bus if your child will need an alternate busing plan for Early Release days.**
Remote Learning
The District will be moving to a remote model of learning for students when inclement weather or other emergencies force school closures. This means that students will be able to continue their learning from home on days when school buildings are closed.
We believe that in-person instruction is the best way to deliver education, but we also know that there will be times when school closures are necessary and appropriate. By implementing a remote learning model, we should be able to avoid having to make up days for these school-day closures and the focus will be on continuing learning and connecting with teachers through modern means in these modern times.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
The elementary schools developed consistent independent study packets for each grade level for completion on remote learning days only. Packets include reading, math practice, writing prompts, and activities from our specialists.
Students received their packets on November 27th.
Teachers will be remotely available those days to aid students with their assignments during the regular school day hours; however, school electronic devices will not be sent home with the independent study packets.
November Attendance Winners!
In order to encourage healthy and well students to attend school each day, Jim Falls Elementary will have a monthly drawing for a $20 Kwik Trip gift card or a Free Culver's Kids Meal. All students who have no unexcused tardies or unexcused absences will be entered into the monthly drawing.
November Winners: Ava, Ellie, Micah, McKenna, Oliver, and Paisley
SEB (Social/Emotional Behavior Focus)
November SOARing Eagles
The students below showed exemplary leadership in the areas of safety, offering kindness, acting responsibility, and respecting others! They truly SOAR!
Jim Falls SOARing Eagles are honored with a special lunch in the SOARing with Kindess Cafe, their pictures are displayed on the hallway bulletin board and on the hallway TV, and they also receive a Jim Falls SOARing Eagles pin and certificate. Thank you for being great role models!
Congratulations to our Cardinal Care Contest Winners
What's happening in Phy Ed!
At the beginning of December grades 3-5 will be practicing their volleyball skills. 5th grade has a tournament on December 15th at Stillson. Go Eagles!
K-2 students will begin exploring skills with the parachute & paddles.
Towards the end of December, all grades start to ramp up for the Jim Falls Jump-Off in January!
News from the Nurse
Health and Wellness Message:
Just a friendly reminder as it is that time of year where viral and bacterial illnesses are on the rise and we are in cold and flu season. Please help remind your children to cover their coughs/sneeze into an elbow, Kleenex, or sleeve. Wash hands often! If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer. Handwashing is always the preferred method, but if unable use hand sanitizer until you are able to wash with soap and water. Follow these steps:
Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.
Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.
WINTER HEALTH TIPS:
Exposure to cold can lead to injury or serious illness such as frostbite or hypothermia.
Follow these tips to keep your children safe in cold weather:
Dress your children appropriately before coming to school. The air temperature does not have to be below freezing for your child to experience cold emergencies such as hypothermia or frostbite. Wind speed can create dangerously cold conditions even when the temperature is not that low.
Dress your child in layers so they can adjust to changing conditions from indoors to outdoors.
Most of your child’s body heat is lost through their head, so they should wear a hat, preferably one that covers their ears.
Mittens provide more warmth to a child’s hands than gloves.
Your child should wear waterproof, insulated boots to help avoid hypothermia or frostbite by keeping their feet warm and dry and to maintain their footing in ice and snow.
Sick Procedure:
Keep your student home if any of the following apply:
Temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher in the last 24 hours before medication (Tylenol/Ibuprofen)
Vomiting or diarrhea in the last 24 hours
They have been diagnosed with a contagious illness (e.g.; strep throat, pink eye) and have been on medication for less than 24 hours if medication is required
They have an unexplained rash
Caitlin Maranell BSN, RN
Chippewa Falls Area Unified School DistrictDistrict Wide Registered Nurse
715-738-2660 ext. 3543
Jim Falls PTO
Useful Links
District Mission Statement
“Together with students, families, and our community; we inspire, support, and learn.”
District Notice
Upon request to the building administrator, submitted twenty-four (24) hours in advance, the District shall make reasonable accommodation including the provision of informational material in an alternative format as necessary for a disabled person to be able to participate select activities
Jim Falls Elementary
Email: wilsonsm@chipfalls.org
Website: https://cfsd.chipfalls.k12.wi.us/jimfalls/
Location: 13643 198th Street, Jim Falls, WI, USA
Phone: 715-720-3260