Jefferson Jotter
May 2019
Letter from Principal
Dear Jefferson Parents,
It is hard to believe that this is the final Jefferson Jotter for the 2018-19 school year and that the children are in the final month of school! It doesn't seem that long ago that I was writing to welcome you to a fun-filled year of learning at Jefferson.
As I've spent time in the classrooms throughout the school year, I've seen the children eagerly engaged in a variety of learning opportunities. They've shared their background knowledge about the various topics of study, asked questions and sought out answers to those questions, experimented with new materials, and shown us what they have learned. They've also learned how to be a good friend, negotiated social relationships and conflicts, learned how to identify and manage their emotions, and become more independent with self care skills. It has been exciting to see their curiosity, enthusiasm, and creativity expressed throughout the school year!
Thank you for partnering with your child's teacher throughout the school year. Your involvement, communication, and support helped to make your child's experience more enriching and memorable. We couldn't have done this without you!
While we will miss our afternoon preschoolers, I'm confident that they are well prepared for kindergarten and will have a great experience in their home school. Before the end of the school year the students will have opportunities to play with peers who will be going to the same elementary school and will take a field trip to their elementary school in May. We will also miss our Extended Day Kindergarten students as they head off to a full day of school in first grade. It has been great seeing the friendships the children have made with friends from across the district. We look forward to having our three year olds back again next year and can't wait to see how much they grow over the summer. Finally, we are excited to have some siblings of current students coming to Jefferson next year. It is always nice to see families returning year after year because they believe in the quality of education their child received at Jefferson School!
Respectfully,
Lisa Halverson
Principal
Upcoming Events
Monday, April 29
Yoga - afternoon classes
Board of Education Meeting - 6:30 p.m. - Jefferson School
Friday, May 3
Safe and Civil School Survey deadline
PK Field Trip - morning and afternoon classes
May 6 - 10 Teacher Appreciation Week
Monday, May 6
Yoga - afternoon classes
Tuesday, May 7
Preschool Screenings - 9:00 - 11:30 a.m. - By Appointment
Wednesday, May 8
School Nurse's Day
Monday, May 13
Parent Group - 9:00 a.m. - Plimpton
Dog Therapy - morning classes
Yoga - afternoon classes
Wednesday, May 15
D64 Parent University Virtual Summer Learning
Thursday, May 16
Kindergarten Field Trip - afternoon classes
Monday, May 20
D64 Parent University Tech Showcase - 6:00 p.m. - Emerson Middle School
Board of Education Meeting - 7:00 p.m. - Emerson Middle School
Monday, May 27
No School for Students and Staff - Memorial Day
Wednesday, May 29
Library Lady - morning and afternoon classes
Friday, May 31
IEP Progress Reports Sent Home
Monday, June 3
Last Day of School for Preschoolers
Tuesday, June 4
Last Day of School for EDK Students
Last Day to Complete Registration for the 2019-20 School Year
Wednesday, June 5
Records Planning Day for Staff
Inspire every child to discover, learn, achieve, and care
Jefferson School Information
On Monday, April 22nd, you should have received an email from Ms. Halverson inviting you to complete the spring Safe and Civil School Survey. We appreciate the families who completed the survey in the fall and ask that you complete the survey again to give us further information about your experiences at Jefferson School. Survey results will help guide our school improvement efforts around Social Emotional Learning. The deadline to complete the survey is Friday, May 3rd.
Please join me in celebrating Teacher Appreciation week, May 6 - 10, by extending your gratitude to the wonderful staff at Jefferson! We are so fortunate to have such highly dedicated, caring, and talented staff working with the children.
I also invite you to join me in celebrating School Nurse's Day on May 8th. We are fortunate to have two health office staff dedicated to maintaining student and staff safety. Our wonderful health office staff include: Terry Dieschbourg, health assistant, and Margaret Temari, district nurse.
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 May 7, 2019. 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.
Medication Pick-up as school ends
If your child has been taking medication at school, please plan to pick up any remaining in the school health office on the last day of school, June 3 (preschool) or June 4 (EDK kindergarten). Medication not claimed by the last day of school will be discarded. Please do not pick up emergency medication prior to the last day of school.
Medication prescribed for use during the upcoming school year (2019-20) requires submission of a new Medication Authorization Form (and Allergy Action Plan and Asthma Action Plan, if applicable). Forms are available on the Health Services page of the District 64 website.
If your child is attending Worlds of Wonder or Extended School Year (ESY) you are responsible for transporting medication to the summer school location, and for picking it up at the end of the session(s).
Please call our health assistant, Mrs. Dieschbourg, if you have questions.
Six of our veteran staff members will be retiring at the end of the school year.
- Diane Kosinski, has been a speech pathologist at Jefferson School for 20 years. Diane looks forward to spending more time with her hobbies of gardening, stitching, and playing the cello.
- Ellaine Kiriluk, has been serving as a speech pathologist at Jefferson for 23 years. She looks forward to her continued volunteer work at the Buddy Foundation, enjoying a second cup of coffee in the morning before rushing out the door, and possibly continuing with private speech services.
- Paula Levin, has been with the Extended Day Kindergarten program almost from its inception, 34 years ago! In retirement, she looks forward to traveling to visit family and spending more time on her hobbies, including scrapbooking and aquasize.
- Terry Dieschbourg, has been a health assistant in the District for 28 years, the past two at Jefferson School. In retirement, she looks forward to spending more time with her five grandchildren, taking a road trip in the fall, and purging all the "stuff" she's accumulated at home.
- Nancy Jensen, has worked in District 64 for 26 years as a speech language pathologist and special education facilitator. For the past three years she has been servicing speech language students in the private parochial schools. Nancy will be helping her daughter prepare for her upcoming wedding, spending time with her new grandchild, and continuing her work with home health care.
- Allison Blum, has been the district technologist for 20 years. While she is retiring from District 64, she will be starting a second career by joining her husband in the real estate field.
Diane, Ellaine, Paula, Terry, Nancy, and Allison have touched many childrens' lives in their tenure in the district and at Jefferson. They have enjoyed impacting the lives of young children as well as developing lifelong friendships with their Jefferson colleagues. While we are excited for them to enjoy their new adventures we will miss them deeply!
No School
In observance of Memorial Day there will be no school for students and staff, Monday, May 27. Please mark your calendars!
Preschool Information
Registration for 2019-20 School Year
We are in the final steps of registration for next school year! On Monday, you should have received an email from the District inviting you to create a Parent Portal account. For step by step instructions for how to create a Parent Portal account and to complete the registration process click here. If you didn't receive an email on Monday, please check your Spam/junk mail, in case it was inadvertently routed there. If you didn't receive an email, please contact the school office immediately. Registration should be completed by June 4th so that we know who will be returning and can place your child on a class list. Students won't be placed on a class list until the registration has been completed and approved by the District.
The final parent group for the school year is scheduled for May 13 from 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. The focus of the group will be to discuss how the school year went, review community resources, and discuss ideas for summer fun. Childcare is provided. We hope to see you there!
Preschool Learning!
Students Celebrate Earth Day!
Students Listen to Interactive Story!
Students Make Earth Day Projects!
Extended Day Kindergarten (EDK) Information
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.