Jefferson Jotter
February 2021
Letter from Principal
Dear Jefferson Parents,
Happy New Year to all of our Jefferson families! It has been great having the students back at school these past two weeks. While we weren't necessarily excited to do a remote day due to the snowstorm we are excited that our students have had the opportunity to experience snow first hand during the snow unit of study!
I'd like to thank all of the families for adjusting to our new health assessment check system and for actively monitoring your child's COVID symptoms. We've had very few families forget to take take their child's temperature, check for symptoms, and/or place the blue lanyard on their child each day. I also appreciate the families who have honored the 14 day quarantine period after travel. Through your ongoing collaborative efforts we are hopeful that we'll be able to maintain in-person learning for the balance of the school year!
Now that we are in 2021, it is time to think about the 2021-22 school year. Please read further in the Jotter about how to enroll your child for preschool or kindergarten for the 2021-22 school year, as the steps are different for groups of students. All students need to register each school year. If you have any questions about the various steps to the enrollment process please call my secretary, Kathy Luppo, at 847-318-5360.
Respectfully,
Lisa Halverson
Principal
Upcoming Events
Thursday, February 4
- Virtual Committee of the Whole Board Meeting - 7:00 p.m. - Jefferson School
Tuesday, February 9
- Registration Begins for 2021-22 School Year
Thursday, February 11
- Virtual Field Trip - Shedd Aquarium - 1:00 p.m.
- Virtual Board of Education Meeting - 7:00 p.m. - Field School
Monday, February 15
- No School for Students and Staff - Presidents' Day
Thursday, March 4 and 18
- Parent Teacher Conferences - 4:00 - 7:45 p.m.
Inspire every child to discover, learn, achieve, and care
Jefferson School Information
Thank you to the families who submitted the Reserve a Spot form. We are excited to have your three year old attend Jefferson for another year of learning and/or have a younger sibling coming to Jefferson! Please note that four year olds attend in the afternoon from 12:25 - 3:00, except on Wednesday 12:00 - 2:10 p.m. You will have the option of either 4 days (M,T, Th, F) or 5 days per week. Beginning February 9th enrollment will be open to the general public for the 2021-22 school year.
There are two steps to the registration process for the 2021-22 school year: pre-enrollment (begins in February) and registration (end of April).
Next Steps:
1. Current student who is kindergarten age for fall 2021
- You will receive an email in late April from the District to complete the registration process through the Parent Portal.
- If you plan to enroll in the Jefferson Extended Day Kindergarten program, you will have an opportunity to express interest in the program within the kindergarten registration process. See section below for more information about the Extended Day Kindergarten program registration process.
2. 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 22nd a spot has already been reserved for the sibling. However, you still need to complete the pre-enrollment form, which will be available starting February 9, 2021. Through the pre-enrollment process you will be asked to upload your residency documents.
3. Current student who isn't kindergarten age for fall 2021
- By completing the Reserve a Spot form you have taken care of pre-enrollment. You will receive an email in late April from the District to complete the registration process through the Parent Portal. If your child has an IEP for the preschool classroom you still need to complete this step of the registration process.
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 in late April from the District to complete the registration process through the Parent Portal. 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 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 all of the steps of the kindergarten registration process 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 registration process 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.
The global pandemic has required us to adapt to so many changes this year, including how we do field trips. We are excited to share that as a culminating event to the Snow Unit of Study all of our students will have an opportunity to participate in a virtual field trip to the Shedd Aquarium on Thursday, February 11 at 1:00 p.m. While it is scheduled for the afternoon, our morning students are invited to participate as well. Your child's teacher will share more information about the virtual field trip along with the link for the field trip.
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
In observance of Presidents' Day there will be no school on Monday, February 15th. Please mark your calendars!
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