Jefferson Elementary
April 2024 Edition
INCREASE IN PAY FOR SUBSTITUTES
How do I apply?
Information found here from Mike Nault, MPSD HR Director.
Daily Schedule
7:45am - Students can come in for breakfast through Door E. (Please see message below)
THERE IS NO ADULT SUPERVISION BEFORE 7:45am
8:05am - Breakfast is over and all students will be outside. NO breakfasts served to students after 8:05am. We welcome snacks from home.
8:07am - Teachers pick up their students.
- Door C - K/1
- Door E - 2/3
- Door H - 4/5
8:10am - School officially starts and any students that come in after 8:10 will be considered tardy.
SFA (Literacy Reform Program) starts at 8:20am
Lunch
K/1 - 10:50-11:10am Lunch;11:10-11:30am Recess
2/3 - 11:35-11:55am Lunch; 11:55am-12:15pm Recess
4/5 - 12:20-12:40pm Lunch; 12:40-1:00pm Recess
End of the Day/After School
3:10pm - Bell rings and students exit out the door they came in at the start of the day. Students are expected to go home right after school in order to check in with their caregivers after the school day. IF caregivers want to stay with their child/ren and play after the bell rings, that is completely fine.
3:25pm - Students that have not been picked up are brought into the Office for pick up and phone calls home will be made.
Breakfast and Lunch Menus
Mark Your Calendars!
Success For All: Getting Along Together (GAT)
The purpose of GAT is to facilitate "Cooperative Challenges" that keep the skill (see below) alive all week until your child/ren master and internalize the skill. These are all skills that can be practiced at home as well.
Week 29 - April 1 Use active empathy.
Week 30 - April 8 Demonstrate a stop and think strategy.
Week 31 - April 15 Use the Peace Path.
Week 32 - April 22 Practice not interrupting.
Week 33 - April 29 Use a win-win solution.
SFA Updates from Jen Hartman (Jefferson's SFA Facilitator)
Happy Reading Awareness Month!
Spring brings the 4th quarter of instruction…where has the year gone? On Monday April 1st we will begin new SFA reading groups for the 4th quarter. Your child will come home with a letter explaining their reading level, placement, and teacher information. At any time you have questions regarding your child’s reading skills or the SFA program, please contact their SFA reading teacher or myself.
The CEO of SFA, Julie Wible shared that SFA is celebrating Reading Awareness Month. Reading Awareness Month is a national opportunity to inspire all people, especially children, to read. She also shared “some fun and beneficial reasons why reading is not only essential, but also a delightful journey enriching our lives in numerous ways. From enhancing literacy skills, to fostering imagination and critical thinking, let's explore why picking up a book is one of the most rewarding activities you can engage in”. At Jefferson, we couldn’t agree more and find it valuable to share these with you as well!
Kids that read often, become better readers.
The more you read, the more you know.
Reading improves comprehension, vocabulary, memory, imagination, and empathy.
Reading boosts critical thinking skills.
Reading allows you to understand the past and imagine your future.
Reading helps you academically.
The more you read, the better your writing becomes.
Reading is an excellent source of entertainment.
Books have amazing illustrations.
Dinosaurs didn’t read and look what happened to them.
Jennifer Hartman
SFA Facilitator - Jefferson Elementary
920-663-9387
SFA School-Wide Goals for 4th Quarter
Attendance Team: Students will be in attendance at least 94% of 4th Quarter. This means that students canNOT miss more than 4 days during the quarter.
Cooperative Culture Team: Our goal is to increase the percentage of students who are utilizing the GAT behavior expectations from 65% to 75%.
Parent & Family Involvement Team: By the end of the year, 80% of our students will return their Read and Response Sheets at least once. We will have 1,000 participants at our events over the course of the year.
READ AND RESPONSE
Read and Respond sheets are sent home weekly on Monday. Students are expected to read 20 minutes for four nights in 1st-5th grade. Sheets are due the following Monday. This is to give students more flexibility to use the weekend to read. Students in Roots classes should be reading the provided books. Wings students can read choice books but will need to provide a short reaction from the reader. Both groups should be reading to someone.
Wisconsin Forward Exam is HERE
Below, you will find the schedule that includes ONLY Grades 3-5. Students will be preparing for this standardized assessment during their first week back after Spring Break.
What can parents do at home for the Wisconsin Forward?
English
Spanish
By the end of 3rd Quarter...
LOST and FOUND Will Be Donated
Our Lost and Found still has a lot of articles of clothing! We have had it out for a few months as it grew and some families have been able to find some missing items. Since it is getting nicer outside, our plan is to donate the items that have not been picked up by Friday, April 12th.
Warmer Weather Reminders
NO wheels of any kind on our turf!
We don't want our field to look like this.😔
Summer School 2024
Believe it or not, it is time to think about Summer School! At Jefferson, we will have a station in the Office in which you can use a computer to sign up your child/ren for Summer School. This can also be done on your own devices starting April 15 and goes until May 15.
Fundraiser Pick Up Information
Notes from Medical Visits
Medications at School
Does your child require prescription medication to be given at school? If so, these are the guidelines that the office staff must follow:
A “Consent to Administer Medication to be Given at School” form, must be signed by both parent and doctor noting the name of the medication, dosage amount and time of day it is to be administered. You can pick up a form in the office or find it on the District website under Nursing Services>Parent Forms.
All medication must be in the original container with the original prescription label on the container, which will be kept locked in the office health room. School personnel will dispense all medication.
Do not send medication to school with your child. Students are not allowed to be in possession of medicine at any time.
Please notify the school office immediately when the medication is discontinued. If the dosage is changed, a new form must be completed.
Upcoming Events
April
Wisconsin Forward Exam Grades 3-5
5 - Report Cards go home
22-25 Spirit Week
23 - Bowling Night (4-5pm)
25 - Fundraiser Pick Up (after school - 5pm)
26 - No School
29 -School Day (Snow Day Make-Up)
April 4, 2024 - National School Librarian Day
Thank you Mrs. Naidl! You always seem to find THE best books for students to read!
April 5, 2024 - National Paraprofessional Appreciation Day
Thank you Mrs. Dahleen, Mrs. Naidl, Mrs. Ahlswede, Mrs. Evans, Ms. Miller, Mrs. Kubichka, Mr. Powalish, Ms. Stoeckigt, Mrs. Linsmeier, Mrs. Guzman, Mrs. French, and Mrs. Spurlock. We are truly blessed to have you all here at Jefferson!
April 24, 2024 - Administrative Assistant Day
Thank you Ms. Drida and Mrs. Morris! You do so much for our community and we appreciate it more than you realize!
Band and Orchestra Reminders
5th grade BAND remaining large group classes and upcoming concert day reminders:
Wednesday, April 3 @ 7:30 am at Jefferson
Thursday, April 18- Band combined-school rehearsal at LHS during school.
Thursday, April 18- Southside BAND Concert at LHS Auditorium, 6:30pm
*Band students are to report to LHS at 6:10pm on concert night. “Dress to Impress”
5th grade ORCHESTRA remaining large group classes and upcoming concert day reminders::
Wednesday, April 10 @ 7:30 am at Jefferson
Tuesday, April 16- Orchestra combined-school rehearsal at LHS during school
Tuesday, April 16- Orchestra ALL CITY Concert at LHS Auditorium, 6:30pm
*Orchestra students are to report to Lincoln High School at 6:00pm on concert night. “Dress to Impress”
Counseling Corner
From the Jefferson School Counselors
A friendly reminder that if there are changes at home or you are noticing a change in your child's behavior, it is ALWAYS okay to each out to our school counselors, Tiffani Schley and Tara Bruckner, if you have any updates, concerns, and/or questions at all: (920)663-9392. Thank you!
Code Switching: What is it and how do we do it?
One of our School-Based Mental Health Providers wanted to share this article as an informative measure of a possible topic in which children and families may struggle with.
Code switching is the ability to shift how we talk and act based on the situation. How we act at home is different from how we act at work. How we behave at a park is different from how we act at the movie theater.
Different settings have different expectations and rules with consequences if not followed. These consequences could be a write up at work for yelling like you are at a concert, or being judged by your family when you start singing the clean up song after a long day working in a daycare. When people struggle to code switch it's more than getting in trouble, it can put social connections at risk.
Code switching is a learned skill. When we are in a new setting we don’t always know the rules or expectations right away. A good practice is to go over the expectations before entering a new situation. Take leaving the park and going to the store. It is helpful to remind kids of what are park behaviors: yelling, throwing and running. We can then talk to them about the new ‘rules’: at the store we use a quieter voice, walk and when we find something we like we pay for it (unlike that really cool rock from the park we were able to just stick in our pocket).
Talking with kids about why we code switch can also help. Home and school get different rules. At home kids can go to the bathroom whenever they want, but at school they need permission. Explaining to kids that they need permission because teachers need to know where all their students are for safety reasons helps them understand the need to code switch and increase their likelihood of them doing this.
When we code switch, we are using cognitive flexibility. This is the ability to shift thinking and to hold several ideas in our mind at the same time (such as when we multitask). Cognitive flexibility allows people to change their way of thinking, quickly shift between tasks and come up with solutions. This is a skill that develops throughout life and can be strengthened at any age. Code switching is a developmentally appropriate place to start with kids to promote cognitive flexibility and help kids transition between situations to avoid consequences, formal or social.
Kayla Johnson, LCSW
Lakeshore Community Health Care
Jefferson Community Connections
Reporting Your Child's Absence
If your child will be absent from school. please make sure to call the Jefferson Attendance Line at (920) 663-9529.
All students are expected to be in attendance each day school is in session. Reasons for which students may be absent: Illness (fever of 100 or above, vomiting, diarrhea, serious contagious illness) Family emergency or tragedy Trip with parents provided absence has been arranged in advance with the school principal by parents. (Please prearrange with the office) Medical or dental appointment (Bring Doctor's Note) Recognized cultural observance or service If your child is going to be absent, please call our 24 hour Jefferson attendance line at 920-663-9529. This will allow you to leave a message at any time. If a call is not received by 9:00 AM, the office personnel will send a robocall to remind you to call and verify the absence State law requires the Manitowoc Public School District to enforce the regular attendance of students. Wisconsin Act 285 defines a “habitual truant” as “a pupil who is absent from school without an acceptable excuse for part or all of five school days during a semester.” Per the state law, students are not allowed more than 10 absences in a school year. Families whose student exceeds the designated number of allowed absences will receive attendance letters in the mail and we will request that you participate in an attendance problem-solving meeting where we will work through each family situation.
Parent Support
Our Dean of Students (aka Student Support Leader,) Tara Foytik, will be available for YOU to text, email, or call to address any questions or issues you may be having during in-person or virtual learning!
Options to contact Tara Foytik:
Text/Call: (920)323-5736
Email: foytikt@mpsd.school
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Jefferson Elementary School
Email: delsmanl@mpsd.school
Website: jefferson.manitowocpublicschools.org
Location: 1415 Division St, Manitowoc, WI, USA
Phone: (920) 663-9532
Facebook: facebook.com/MPSDjefferson