Jefferson Jotter
March 2021
Letter from Principal
Dear Jefferson Parents,
As the one year anniversary of the COVID pandemic approaches, we've all had to adjust to many changes in our lives. Some of the changes have created more stress for us and/or our family while other changes have given us an opportunity to appreciate new aspects of our lives.
Children attend to the emotions and reactions of the adults around them. So when we are stressed, they feel dis-regulated or out of control and when we find opportunities for gratitude and calm they too feel calm and safe. When children experience stress they frequently revert to younger behaviors, including whining, tantrums, hitting, or crying. In response, we sometimes get frustrated when a child engages in these behaviors and don't know how to respond. Have you had any of these responses in the last year?
Recently I've been following Janet Lansbury's podcasts and articles about parenting, Respectful Parenting: Janet Lansbury Unruffled. Janet was born in Illinois but now lives in California and is a parent educator. She focuses on helping parents gain confidence in parenting and allowing children to feel and express their emotions in a safe environment. In her article, The Blessing of a Meltdown she made a few points that resonated with me:
- a child's stress is relieved when they can fully express their emotions in the presence of a calm parent;
- a child's outburst is the best they can do in the moment, but is necessary for their healing;
- a child de-escalates sooner when the adult respects the child's need to have a meltdown and approaches the meltdown with an accepting stance.
As L.R. Knost said "When little people are overwhelmed by big emotions, it's our job to share our calm, not join their chaos." While a child's meltdown can be frustrating, or even scary, it is important to remember that as the adult we are able to remain rational when the child is in this emotional and non-rational state. However, if we don't attend to our own self-care needs it will be hard to maintain that calm presence that the child needs.
If you find yourself questioning how to respond to your child's behavior and/or don't always attend to your own self-care needs, you may find Janet's podcasts and/or articles helpful and inspirational.
I encourage you to cherish the opportunities and "silver linings" that have come your way since the global pandemic began. Maybe it is more family time playing games together, weekly video chats with grandparents, cooking or baking with your child, or exploring the outdoors together. In the process, remember to take care of yourself, do things that recharge your battery and give you a sense of calm. Your kids will be the beneficiaries!
As I watch and interact with our Jefferson students on a daily basis I see kids who are happy and engaged in learning. They are coming to school in a calm state because you have created normalcy and structure during these unusual times. Keep up the good work! During good times, parenting is challenging enough, so don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions or need support as you navigate these unusual times!
Respectfully,
Lisa Halverson
Principal
Upcoming Events
Thursday, March 4 and 18
- Parent Teacher Conferences - 4:00 - 7:45 p.m.
Monday, March 8
- Picture Day
Tuesday, March 9
- End of Second Trimester
- Preschool Screenings
Thursday, March 11
- EDK Lottery
- Virtual Board of Education Meeting - 7:00 p.m. - Jefferson
Friday, March 12
- No School for Students - Records Planning Day
Thursday, March 18
- Parent - Teacher Conferences - 4:00 - 7:45 p.m.
March 22 - March 26
- No School for Students and Staff - Spring Break
Monday, March 29
- School Resumes
Thursday, April 1
- Virtual Board of Education Meeting - 7:00 p.m. - Jefferson
Friday, April 2
- No School for Students and Staff
Tuesday, April 6
- No School for Students - Teacher Institute Day
Inspire every child to discover, learn, achieve, and care
Jefferson School Information
Thank you for your ongoing cooperation with following health guidelines to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 within our school community. As a reminder, please keep your child home if he/she is experiencing any of the following symptoms, and consult with your family healthcare provider to arrange for your child to be tested: Fever (100℉ or higher) within the past 24 hours New onset or worsening of cough (unrelated to asthma/allergies) Shortness of breath, difficulty breathing (unrelated to asthma/allergies) Sore throat, nasal congestion, runny nose (unrelated to allergies) Recent loss of taste or smell Chills, muscle aches, fatigue Headache that persists or worsens Diarrhea, vomiting, or severe nausea In addition, please note that if any household member experiences one or more of these symptoms, all household members, including siblings, must remain home until the person with symptoms tests negative or is diagnosed with an alternative illness. If your child becomes ill at school, siblings of that child will be sent home as well and must remain home until the above conditions are met. If you are calling in an absence for your sick child, please phone the main office. In addition, please fill out the COVID-19 Symptom Checklist within the PowerSchool Parent Portal. This action will notify the building nurse to contact you to provide further instruction about your child’s return to school Please call or email your building nurse if you have any questions.
Registration is underway! There are two categories of registration. New Registration and Re-Registration. New Registration is for students who have not attended Jefferson School yet (i.e. sibling of current student). Re-Registration is for students currently attending Jefferson. See below for further details according to your child's situation.
1. Current student who is kindergarten age for fall 2021
- Log into your Parent Portal account and click "Forms" on the left hand side. Then click the Enrollment tab. Complete the Registration 2021-22 forms. You may be asked to upload necessary documents, among them proof of residency.
- Your registration isn't considered final until it has been reviewed by the school secretary. You will receive an email confirmation once your registration has been approved.
- If you plan to enroll in the Jefferson Extended Day Kindergarten program, you should indicate your interest in the EDK program by completing the questions in the Enrollment section by March 10, 2021. A lottery will be held on March 11th for families who have completed the registration process by March 10th. If you don't complete the EDK registration by March 10th you should contact Jefferson School to be placed on a waiting list.
2. Sibling new to Jefferson
- Complete the New Student Registration by going to the district website.
- Complete the Enrollment Express at this link. Here you will fill out basic information and need to indicate the year the sibling will begin at Jefferson (i.e. 2021-22).
- Within 3-5 days after submitting, you will receive an email with a link to the Parent Portal. Add the sibling to your Parent Portal account and complete the enrollment forms.
3. Current student who isn't kindergarten age for fall 2021
- You will receive an email from the District indicating it is time to Re-Register for the 2021-2022 school year. Re-registration begins April 20, 2021. If your child has an IEP for the preschool classroom you still need to re-register.
4. Current speech only student
- If your child will only receive speech services and won't be attending our preschool program, you will receive an email from the District indicating it is time to Re-Register for the 2021-2022 school year. Re-registration begins April 20, 2021. If you would like your child to attend Jefferson's preschool program and didn't complete a Reserve a Spot form please contact the school at 847-318-5360 to be placed on the waiting list.
If you have any questions about the registration process for Jefferson please contact the school secretary, Kathy, at 847-318-5360. If you have questions about the kindergarten registration process contact the secretary at the home school.
If your child will be going to kindergarten in the fall and you'd like to enroll in the Extended Day Kindergarten (EDK) program offered at Jefferson, a lottery will be held on March 11, 2021. To have your child included in the EDK lottery you need to complete the kindergarten enrollment Forms in the Parent Portal by March 10, 2021. Families will be notified at the end of the day on March 11th whether your child was selected through the lottery.
Within the kindergarten Forms Enrollment section you will be asked whether you'd like to enroll in the EDK program and your preference for morning or afternoon kindergarten. Because you won't know whether your child is assigned to morning or afternoon kindergarten at the time that you express interest in the EDK program you should sign up for the EDK program that would fit with your kindergarten preference. For example, if you'd prefer to have your child attend his/her home school for kindergarten in the morning select the afternoon section of EDK. If your child is chosen in the lottery he/she will have a guaranteed spot for the 2021-22 school year regardless of whether or not you ultimately got your morning or afternoon preference.
Thank you to the families who have completed the 5 Essentials Parent Survey. If you haven't had a chance to complete the survey yet, please do so by tomorrow, Friday, February 26th. To access the survey click here. Thank you in advance for completing the survey as your feedback is very important to us.
Our Jefferson students will have their school photos taken on Monday, March 8. Color Portraits has established 3 ways in which you can order pictures: ordering online, ordering by phone, or scanning the QR code. Payment must be made prior to or on picture day. Read this link to learn how to order.
Students enrolled in Mrs. Hallerduff's morning remote classroom are invited to come to school on March 8th between 11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m. to have their child's picture taken. Families will enter through the gymnasium door and get their picture taken in the gym. You will be contacted by the school nurse, Paula Coleman, next week to schedule your appointment.
This past month, our school nurse has been checking the students' vision and hearing. If any concerns arise from the vision and hearing screenings you will be notified by the school nurse.
Students enrolled in Mrs. Hallerduff's morning remote classroom will have their vision and hearing screened on Monday, March 8 when you bring your child in for school pictures. After students have their picture taken in the gymnasium they will go to the next room and have their vision and hearing tested. Ms. Coleman will contact you next week to schedule your appointment for vision and hearing screenings and school photos.
Spring conferences are just around the corner. By now it is likely that your child's teacher has already invited you to sign up for a Parent - Teacher Conference. Conferences will be held virtually between 4:00 - 7:45 p.m. on Thursday, March 4 and 18. If you haven't secured a conference date/time yet, please contact your child's teacher for available times.
Typically teachers schedule conferences back to back, so please be respectful of the teacher and other parents by being on time to the conference so the conferences can start and end on time. Our teachers have a lot of exciting news to share with you!
Please remember to have your car name tag out and visible when picking up your child from school. The name tags are most visible when you have them displayed on the passenger side window.
It is unknown yet whether we'll be able to offer the Worlds of Wonder program for our Jefferson students this year, as we are still looking for teachers to work the program. If we are able to offer the program a communication will go out to you. The online registration for Worlds of Wonder that is included in the District e-News is for students currently in kindergarten through seventh grade.
Caring Tree
Thank you for catching your child in acts of kindness and caring the past few weeks and sending the note to school so their act of kindness could be posted on the Caring Tree. The students enjoyed seeing their acts of kindness/caring posted on the wall and watched the tree become overgrown with hearts! Check out the picture below!
The district is seeking substitute teachers, lunchroom supervisors, and substitute custodians to work in the District 64 schools. If you are interested in applying click here or call 847-318-4300 to inquire.
No School
Students will have No School on March 12, as it is a Records Day for Teachers. Students and Staff will be off for Spring Break March 22 - 26. Please mark your calendars!
See What’s Going on in Our Community!
From the library to the park district, our communities of Park Ridge-Niles have lots to offer. For information on all the latest happenings, be sure to check the Community Info & Events webpage.