The Jefferson Buzz
September 18, 2020
A Message from our Principal...
Dear Jefferson Families,
We are so proud of our students, your children. They are really working hard to learn and grow, even in these difficult times. They are participating and completing assignments. We are all getting better at sensing what is working in the remote classrooms and what isn’t. Your children are providing feedback to us. It also helps that you are so supportive of our efforts and are encouraging your children to persevere. We thank you for your partnership. I believe that not only will we all get through this challenging time, we will get to the other side with more knowledge of how we learn, more compassion for different learning styles, and certainly with more effective tools to use to further our educational mission!
We continue to seek the most effective way for us to communicate to you all the information about our school. This year, we established weekly newsletters to keep you informed, but we’re finding that readership is lower than expected. Is there another way that might serve you better for getting information? Is a weekly newsletter too much? Are there other things you’d really like to know? Any feedback that you could give us is important.
For one last week, we’d like to encourage you, if you have not already done so, to fill out the survey found below that asks for your feedback. Please feel free to add in the comments answers to my questions above. Or, please feel free to email me directly.
As always, please keep in touch. Your ideas and suggestions are very important to me.
Most sincerely,
Dr. Judy Floeter
LIVE ZOOM w/ D50 Tech Department!
https://cusd50.zoom.us/j/82268929999?pwd=U2tpdjZ2OTd0eHgraWJmaWVlb0Nqdz09
Did You Know???
Jefferson Families,
You may have heard the 2020 Census deadline is approaching and how important it is for everyone to be counted. The census represents an opportunity for everyone in our community to proudly and loudly say, “I’m here. I count. I matter.”
The census impacts our day-to-day lives in tremendous ways. It determines how much federal funding we have to fix our roads, feed our community, and teach our children. Missing just one child means we miss out on funds for their education for the next ten years. The census also determines how many representatives Illinois has in Congress and the Electoral College.
So much is at stake, which is why we need you to take the 2020 Census before the September 30, 2020 deadline.
There are three ways to take the census:
· Online: Visit my2020census.gov and fill out the Census now on your computer, tablet, or smart phone.
· Phone: Call 844-330-2020 to fill out the Census over the phone. The US Census Bureau offers assistance in 59 non-English languages, including American Sign Language.
· Mail: Fill out the Census form you received in the mail and return it, free of charge, to the US Census Bureau.
Taking the census is safe and secure. The 2020 Census does not ask about anyone’s citizenship status, and federal law prohibits the sharing of census responses with anyone, including law enforcement or immigration agencies. Learn more about census confidentiality at 2020census.gov/en/data-protection.html.
You can get answers to any other questions about the Census by texting "Question" or "Pregunta" to 987987 or by visiting 2020census.gov.
Taking the Census takes less than 5 minutes. If you haven’t already, please complete the 2020 Census today.
Meet Jefferson's Math Interventionist!
Hello! I am Mrs. Sciame, the Math Interventionist at Jefferson School. This is my 20th year of teaching and my 5th year in Harvard. I enjoy helping students become more proficient in math skills and concepts while collaborating with teachers on all things math! My primary role is to work with small groups of students but I often co-teach in classrooms as well. Besides teaching, I love learning about current best practice in math instruction and brain research surrounding mathematics. Outside of school, I enjoy spending time with my family, playing with my granddaughters, visiting Colorado (my favorite state) and fly fishing!
Bee Mindful...
Happy Friday Harvard!
Do you remember us mentioning the daily check-in that we started for students a couple of weeks ago? Well we are up and running! Our students have been doing a great job filling out their form and sharing with us how they feel. We thought that you might like to know that 90% of Jefferson students state that they are "green" and feeling happy about their day! The next highest percentage students mark is "blue" and state that they are tired and feel like they didn't get enough sleep.
Our transition from the summer routine to school routine is extra challenging this year as our students remain at home for learning. It might be more difficult for them to adjust to their "back to school" routine and habits! Here are a few pointers that may help:
- Talk about and set a new bedtime time and routine.
- Suggest reading or listening to quiet music before going to sleep.
- Consider having your child place electronics in a room other than their bedroom for charging overnight. (Many parents have been shocked to hear that their students are on their phones or playing video games during the night)
- Talk about a morning routine that includes something to eat.
- Brainstorm some fun movement breaks before learning begins to get your child's body/brain ready to learn.
- Set up a learning work space at a desk or table. It's too tempting to take a nap when you are working in bed!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Julie & Mr. Jason
Parent's Corner
Hello Jefferson families!
We would like to introduce our new communication tool TalkingPoints! TalkingPoints can be used to communicate with teachers using text messages or the app.
TalkingPoints:
- Is free! There’s no charge if you have an unlimited
texting plan. If not, standard text messaging fees apply
- Also offers message translation exchanges in over 100 languages
Click here to watch: TalkingPoints Introduction Video
Parent App Links are in the app store.
iPhone Apple
or Android Google Play
Text-to-Speech in TalkingPoints for Parents
Most sincerely,
Alisha Durán
Bilingual Parent Community Liaison
815-943-6464 Ext. 2448
aduran@cusd50.org
We Are Here For You!!
jfloeter@cusd50.org Principal
trayas@cusd50.org Student Support Facilitator
(815)216-5709
jtheisz@cusd50.org Social Worker
jhenning@cusd50.org Social Worker
(847) 497-5945
aduran@cusd50.org Parent Community Liaison
(779) 803-4255