JA Principal Post
Week 3 (Sept. 14-18)
This Week's Headlines
- Clubs start Monday, Sept. 14!
- RI Testing is Wednesday, Sept. 16, from 9-11 am!
- Student Supply Pick-Up is Saturday, Sept. 19, from 10 am-2 pm at Jefferson!
- Virtual Back to School Night is Tuesday, Sept. 22, from 6-8 pm!
- A Welcome Letter from the Jefferson Academy PTO! Join the PTO today!
- Visit the JA Resource Hub on Canvas!
- Immunization Information!
More information on these items below!
Student Engagement Data - Through Week 2
- Log into Canvas each day (including Wednesdays!)
- Attend 100% of their live lessons on Microsoft Teams
- Complete 100% of their assignments on Canvas
Clubs Start on Monday, Sept. 14
Kid Power
- More information here
- Starts Monday, Sept. 14
- Meets Monday-Friday from 3:00-4:30 pm
- Sign up here
- For more information, contact Shana Townes at Shana@kidpowerdc.org or Marquis Allen at marquis@kidpowerdc.org
DC SCORES
- More information here
- Starts Monday, Sept. 14
- Meets Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30-4:30 pm
- To sign up, contact Mr. Edghill at andrew.edghill@k12.dc.gov
PRIDE Club
- More information here
- Starts Friday, Sept. 18
- Meets every Friday from 2:45-3:15 pm
- Sign up here
- For more information, contact Sr. Hawes at daniel.hawes@k12.dc.gov or Ms. Duckery at sara.duckery@k12.dc.gov
Walk It Out Wednesdays
- More information here
- Starts Wednesday, Sept. 23
- Meets every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month from 4:15-5:00 pm
- Sign up here
- For more information, contact Ms. Pierre at torri.pierre@k12.dc.gov
WYSE
- More information here
- Starts Thursday, Sept. 24
- Meets every Thursday from 3-4 pm
- Sign up here
- For more information, contact Karly Meyer at lymeyer@gwmail.gwu.edu
Debate Club
- Interest meeting the week of Sept. 21 (date TBA)
- Meets every Monday from 3:15-5:00 pm and every Wednesday from 4-5 pm
- For more information, contact Ms. Bennett at amber.burnett@k12.dc.gov
This Week's Club Schedule
RI Testing is on Wednesday, Sept. 16
This Wednesday, Sept. 16, students will complete the Reading Inventory (RI) assessment from 9-11 am. This assessment is mandatory. Students should log into their Advisory calls by 9 am.
The assessment should take no more than 2 hours to complete. Students are NOT permitted to use Google or other web sites to help them with the assessment.
Student Supply Pick-Up is Saturday, Sept. 19
Virtual Back to School Night is Tuesday, Sept. 22
Welcome Letter from the Jefferson Academy PTO
Note: The date of the first Jefferson Academy PTO meeting will be shared in next week's Principal Post.
Dear Jefferson Academy Families,
On behalf of the Jefferson Academy Parent Teacher Organization (PTO), welcome to the 2020-2021 school year. We are so excited and looking forward to a great year at Jefferson Academy.
We are starting out very differently this year with the COVID-19 pandemic, however, we hope that all of you are staying safe and healthy. Last school year was cut short for in-person learning. This year we are starting the school year with virtual learning. Many adjustments were made and we know that everyone did and are still doing their absolute best during the transition.
As virtual learning continues, we want to assure you that we are here to provide support to the entire Jefferson community. We look forward to continuing to foster relationships that will support our community.
Our goals are to encourage interaction between family and school, serve as a source of support, and work with teachers, staff, and the community at large to improve our children's educational experience. The PTO works closely with the school administration to meet these goals.
In order for us to be successful, we need YOU! We welcome parents to join the PTO and be the voice for your child and the entire Jefferson community.
If you would like to join our awesome PTO, you may email us directly at: jeffersonacademymiddlepto@gmail.com to express your interest and we will send you the membership application. The membership fee is $10 for the entire school year.
2020-21 Board Members
Co-Presidents: Cheryl English and Tori Hawkins-Plummer
Secretary: Ivan Frishberg
Treasurer: Rick Bardash
Membership Committee Chair: Dennita Ferrell
Parliamentarian: David Dettman
Yours in service,
Jefferson Academy PTO Board
Visit the JA Resource Hub on Canvas
- Jefferson Library information
- District Mental Health Resources
- Technology Support
- Digital Citizenship Lessons
- Links to other resources
Immunization Information
Parents, help your kids #StayOnTrack and ready for school-entry with on-time vaccinations. Please remember to send your child's health and dental records to Melissa.winters@k12.dc.gov.
Schedule your appointments with your health care providers and provide the proper documentation before the start of in-person school (tentatively beginning on November 6, 2020). See here for a list of required immunizations. Even though classes are virtual, we will be reaching out to all students who are missing immunizations certification over the coming weeks.
Hello from the JA Mental Health Team!
“EVERY GREAT DREAM BEGINS WITH A DREAMER. ALWAYS REMEMBER, YOU HAVE WITHIN YOU THE STRENGTH, THE PATIENCE, AND THE PASSION TO REACH FOR THE STARS TO CHANGE THE WORLD” – HARRIET TUBMAN
This year there will be different challenges as we start the year virtually. Here are some tips to help you start the year off on a positive note:
-Create a schedule and post it somewhere visible for you and your student
-Check-in with your child weekly to discuss things that are going well and any possible obstacles
-Encourage exercise, 8-10 hours of sleep daily, healthy diet, and drinking water
-Encourage your child to maintain connections with others
-Have your child get involved in a hobby not related to school
-If you notice your child doesn't seem like themselves, reach out to a member of the mental health team at JA. We will help you problem-solve through any issues and provide support.
- Bernadette Wittschen, Social Worker: Bernadette.wittschen@k12.dc.gov
- Sara Duckery, Social Worker: Sara.duckery@k12.dc.gov
- Sarah Garner, School Counselor: sarah.garner@k12.dc.gov
- Lakeasha Tribue, DBH Clinician: lakeasha.hart2@dc.gov
- Molly Zinkgraf, Catholic Charities Therapist: molly.zinkgraf@cc-dc.org
- Linda Romano, School Psychologist: linda.romano@k12.dc.gov
The MH team will also have weekly office hours to address any concerns as needed for your child. Please email the member assigned to each day to schedule a time to meet during the assigned hours and we will follow-up via Teams.
- Monday - Ms. Zinkgraf: 2:40pm-4:00pm
- Tuesday - Ms. Romano: 2:40pm-4pm
- Wednesday - You can contact a member of the team for support.
- Thursday - Ms. Garner: 2:40pm-4pm
- Friday - Ms. Tribue: 2:40pm-4pm
Steps to Get Started Each Day
Your student should be logged on by 9 am and follow the steps below to join their Advisory class:
1. Visit Canvas: dcps.instructure.com
2. Log in:
- Username: studentID#@students.k12.dc.us
- Password: 6-digit birthday (MMDDYY)
3. Click on your "Advisory" course in Canvas
4. Look on the main page of the course and CLICK on the link to Microsoft Teams**
5. Join your Advisory class on Teams!
** If you do NOT see a link on Canvas, launch Microsoft Teams (login info same as Canvas), click on your Advisory Team, and join the call there.
Your student will start each class by logging into Canvas. They will then open a link to join their live lesson on Microsoft Teams.