Jefferson Jotter
March 2019
Letter from Principal
Dear Jefferson Parents,
The weather roller coaster continues, but our Jefferson students continue to climb new challenges every day! We have the privilege of observing our students integrating the skills they have been learning throughout the year across activities and with a variety of peers so this is a very exciting and rewarding time of year! We hope that you too are seeing your child's growth.
Our preschool teachers are starting to collaborate with the elementary schools in preparation for students transitioning to kindergarten. In the next two months, representatives from each of the elementary schools will be spending an afternoon in the preschool classrooms observing the children that will be going to their schools. Then the Jefferson team will share with the elementary teams what supports are necessary for the students to be successful. If your child has an IEP, you will be invited to a transition meeting later this spring to discuss the services and supports that will be provided in kindergarten to meet your child's needs. At the transition meeting, the elementary team will share with you what a typical day looks like in kindergarten and will answer any questions you have.
Thank you to the families who visited our first annual, Usborne Book Fair. We've already raised $400 for new books for our classrooms! There is still one week remaining so you still have time to visit the Book Fair (Thursday, March 7 between 3:45 - 7:45 p.m) or you can order online.
Respectfully,
Lisa Halverson
Principal
Upcoming Events
Monday, March 1 - End of 2nd Trimester
Monday, March 4 - Will be a student attendance day!
Tuesday, March 5 - Parent Workshop - 5:30 - 8:00 p.m. - Jefferson School
Thursday, March 7 - Parent - Teacher Conferences - 4:00 - 7:45 p.m.
Usborne Book Fair - 3:45 - 7:45 p.m. - Conference Room
Monday, March 11 - Picture Day!
Dog Therapy - morning classes
Yoga - afternoon classes
Tuesday, March 12 - Preschool Screenings - By Appointment
Monday, March 18 - Parent Group - 9:00 - 10:00 a.m.
Yoga - afternoon classes
Board of Education Meeting - 7:00 p.m. - Carpenter School
Wednesday, March 20 - Library Lady
March 25 - April 1 - No School - Spring Break
Tuesday, April 2 - School Resumes
Election Day
Tuesday, April 9 - Preschool Screenings - By Appointment
Wednesday, April 10 - Birth to 3 Screenings - By Appointment
Inspire every child to discover, learn, achieve, and care
Jefferson School Information
Monday, March 4 will be a regular day of school - Although District 64 sets aside four emergency days within the school calendar on an annual basis, if more than two are used prior to February 1, the March records planning day, which is attended by staff only, becomes a day of student attendance. Due to the multiple inclement weather days used in January, District 64 schools will have a regular day of school for students and staff on Monday, March 4.
No change at present for Wednesday, June 5 records planning day - At present, the records planning day scheduled for June 5 will be observed. This means that students will not attend school on that day; only staff will be in attendance. This may change, however, should more emergency days be used in coming months.
Potty Training Workshop
Thank you to the families who have already purchased books by either attending last Thursday's Book Fair or by shopping online. The next Book Fair evening is scheduled for next Thursday, March 7 from 3:45 - 7:45 p.m. Fifty percent (50%) of the proceeds will be credited back to Jefferson School so that we may purchase books for our classrooms! Parents may also donate a book to their child's classroom by purchasing a book from the teacher's wishlist. To order online click here.
Developmental Screenings
On a monthly basis the Early Childhood Diagnostic Team conducts screenings of children ages three to five. The screenings are conducted by a team, consisting of an occupational therapist, speech language pathologist, psychologist, and social worker. The areas assessed include motor, communication, play skills, pre-academic and thinking skills. The next Preschool Screening is scheduled for Tuesday, March 12. If you have concerns about your child's development in any of these areas please call 847-318-5360 to schedule an appointment for the screening.
Registration for the Jefferson Extended Day Kindergarten program (EDK) will begin April 22nd for those families who have completed the pre-enrollment form for the 2019-20 school year. A link to the registration page for the EDK program will be found at the end of the registration form through InfoSnap. If you are interested in the EDK program, it is best that you complete the registration this spring rather than waiting until the summer when you find out whether your child has morning or afternoon kindergarten, as the program has limited spaces. If you don't get your first choice for morning or afternoon kindergarten, we'll change your child's EDK registration to match their kindergarten assignment. For general information about the Extended Day Kindergarten program click here.
No School
All District 64 Schools will be closed March 25 - April 1 for Spring Break. Please mark your calendars!
Preschool Information
School pictures will be taken of your child on Monday, March 11th. A picture packet will be sent home with your child on Friday, March 1st. Please complete and return the picture packet with payment prior to Picture Day.
Registration for 2019-20 School Year
Pre-enrollment for the 2019-20 school year is well underway!
Next Steps for the Registration Process:
1. Current student who isn't kindergarten age for fall 2019
- If you completed the Reserve a Spot form or have already completed the pre-enrollment form, you will receive an email on April 22, 2019 from the District to complete the registration process through InfoSnap. If your child has an IEP for the preschool classroom you too will need to complete this step of the registration process.
- Complete the pre-enrollment form by going to the district website. Through the pre-enrollment process you will be asked to upload your residency documents.
3. Sibling new to Jefferson
- Complete the pre-enrollment form by going to the district website. If you submitted the "reserve a spot" form by January 31st a spot has already been reserved for the sibling. However, you still need to complete the pre-enrollment form, where you will be asked to upload your residency documents.
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 on April 22, 2019 from the District to complete the registration process through InfoSnap.
The next parent group is scheduled for March 18 from 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. Childcare will be provided. We hope to see you there!
Jefferson will be offering a World's of Wonder program for our current preschoolers again this summer. Registration for Jefferson's WOW program will be done via paper registration, not through the online district registration that is on the district website. We are still in the process of identifying how many classes we'll be able to offer. More information will be shared with families later in March.
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 pictures below!
Our Caring Tree Has Blossomed!
The Jefferson Caring Tree
Hearts Are Added To The Tree For Caring Acts!
Students Check Out The Caring Acts!
Preschool Learning!
Students Learn Volleyball Skills!
Students Work on Alliteration!
Students Match Quantity to Numerals!
Extended Day Kindergarten (EDK) Information
Thank you to all of the families who came out for our first, Family Cultural Night! The students were so excited to go on a scavenger hunt with their parents to find the different artifacts from their study of world cultures!
We still have a few open spots for the morning and afternoon Extended Day Kindergarten program. If you know any D64 families that would like their kindergartener to experience more enriching learning opportunities have them call the school office at 847-318-5360.