Jefferson News
December 2019
Principal Corner
Parents and wonderful Jefferson community members,
November was another amazing month for learning and experiencing joy here at Jefferson. Our girls basketball made it to the second round of the district basketball tournament. This is the first time in memory that our ladies made it that far. Thank you Coaches Hedt for your involvement and commitment to your daughter and our school.
Our third graders were learning ballet every Wednesday and for a culminating event participated in a ballet at Esther Simplot. Our 5th and 6th graders continued to learn about leadership through our joint Rotary Club and Boise Schools program Every Day Leadership. Our 6th graders went to the Tech Center and learned about career options for life. We partnered with the Assistance League and were able to provide clothing for over 100 Jefferson students through Operation School Bell.
The following comes from Love and Logic trainer Kate Turner. Have you ever felt so angry that tears fill your eyes? That’s the state I found myself in as I listened to my own precious children say some hurtful things to me — to me, the woman who birthed them, loved them, fed them, schlepped them places! My mind and mouth were gearing up for an epic stream of threatening and guilt-producing words, and then I remembered the greatest gift I’d received from Love and Logic, that “anger and frustration feed misbehavior.” This gem, boiled down to its most basic construct, taught me that I could choose — actually decide — to stay calm. Love and Logic gave me written permission not to get mad.
It may sound almost foolish to some, and yet, I was stuck in a belief system that my own children (and others) were “making” me angry. It didn’t matter that I already had two college degrees and one of them was a Master’s in Counseling. I continued to lose my cool on a regular basis. How had I bought into the belief that others controlled my emotions? It started with modeling. Anger was a frequent visitor in my childhood home, and as my (amazing) older brother, Mark, said: “We weren’t taught that you could disagree without being disagreeable.” Another wise person once said, “What we experience we learn, what we learn we practice, what we practice we become.” (I have googled for the author of this quote to no avail.) We all know that practice can make permanent. As I grew into adulthood, I was stuck in the false narrative that “blow-ups” were just part of life, and I was not owning the fallout they caused because I continued to point fingers.
One of the most beautiful features of Love and Logic is its simplicity. It is not complicated, but it requires practice. As I practiced the art — yes, the art — of empathy and remaining calm during stressful events, I noticed something amazing. I was changing. I wasn’t changing into someone wimpy and permissive but, quite the contrary, I was becoming stronger, clearer, and warmer. I learned I could delay consequences, and come back later when I was calm. I could decide not to take things personally, take a deep breath, and even crack a genuine smile and say, “I love you too much to argue. What did I say?” I could even choose to sternly say, “I am feeling upset right now — I need to get myself together before I make any decisions.” Our kids are watching how we handle frustrations. Again, modeling.
It used to feel more natural to get angry, and yet I can attest to the fact that the more you use (and practice) the principles of Love and Logic, the less you have to “use” them — they just become part of who you are. Cooler heads prevail!
*Bonus: The next time you use a Q-TIP, remember this:
Quit Taking It Personally
DISTRICT WINTER WEATHER PROCEDURES - KEEPING STUDENTS & STAFF SAFE
Education is important and every missed day of school represents lost learning opportunities. However, the Boise School District’s primary concern is for the safety of all students, including students riding busses and walking or biking to school. If students cannot safely travel to school or if schools are not able to operate safely because of citywide dangerous weather conditions, school may be cancelled.
We will not cancel school on days with normal wintery conditions. Light snowfall, cold mornings or areas of ice are not sufficiently dangerous to force the closure of schools. With proper precautions including appropriate clothing, road deicing, and careful driving, students can travel to and from school safely.
The Boise School District covers over 450 square miles of Ada County. We recognize that conditions vary throughout the District, even from street to street, in some cases. Conditions may be extremely dangerous in one area, while perfectly safe everywhere else. If parents believe it is too dangerous for their children to travel to school they have the option to keep their children home. If school is cancelled, it will be cancelled for the entire District.
The most frequent dangerous weather conditions facing Boise schools are:
SNOW: Snow levels within the City of Boise are typically light or moderate. However, there is always the potential for a heavy snowfall to make traveling by vehicle or on foot dangerous. Historically, most snowfall only results in slow traffic and minor accidents throughout the City. Normal snowfalls would not result in school closures.
COLD: Frigid temperatures are more serious than snow when making school closure decisions. On bitterly cold days our concern is for students walking to school. Extremely cold weather also impairs our ability to get busses running, which causes delays in pickup routes, delays which are much more dangerous to riders because of the low temperatures.
ICE: Ice is our most dangerous winter weather condition. Freezing rain and/or refreezing of melted snow make our roads, streets and sidewalks extremely treacherous for pedestrians, and vehicles. Icy conditions may force us to close, even if it appears that no other dangerous conditions exist.
How is the decision made to close or not to close school? Representatives from transportation agencies, the weather bureau, the highway district, city and county law enforcement agencies, and school administrators, including the Superintendent, check the roads and monitor information throughout the night and early morning hours. We confer by telephone early in the morning to reach a decision.
If school will be closed, we will communicate in a number of ways to spread the word. In addition to notifying local radio and television news stations, we will send text & email messages to parents/guardians, send an emergency alert via the District’s mobile app, post closure information at www.boiseschools.org, on each school’s website, and on our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram accounts. Parents/guardians can sign-up to receive emergency text messages by texting “Y” or “YES” to the number 67587. Non-parents (e.g., other family members, staff, news media, etc.) can also receive emergency text alerts via the Boise School District's mobile app (available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store). View a brief video further explaining our Inclement Weather Procedures on our Emergency webpage.
Jefferson safety
- Please use the crosswalk on Latah and the crosswalk in the parking lot. With so many cars and buses, we have crossing guards set up at those 2 locations to help with safety.
- Company provided crossing guards at the corner of Latah and Rosehill along with Roosevelt and Rosehill
- Drop off - especially with the colder temperatures, try not to have your kids here until maybe 8:30 am. Bus students will still get here based on their time schedule.
- Pick up - All students need to be picked up by 3:30 pm.
Weather Reminders
The district looks at a 20 degree mark on whether the students are inside or outside. Therefore, even at a chilly 30 degrees, the students are out side in the morning and at recess times. Please make sure they are dressed appropriately.
Rain: If it is pouring rain - the students will be inside. If it is a sprinkle - the students will be outside.
Snow: If it is just snowing - the students will be outside as long as it is above 20 degrees.
Jefferson Performance Programs in December
Tuesday, December 10th--- 2 pm Music Performance for grades 1 - 3
Thursday, December 12th - 2 pm Band/Orchestra Performance
Thursday, December 19th - Character Ed Assembly- 2 pm...If your student will be receiving a certificate, you will receive an invitation from the teacher.
What's Happening Around the Area
- East Boise Youth Baseball & Softball. If interested click on flier to the link with upcoming deadlines. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-eT3pQB3J7vSGUtYU1Ya1djWnQzWThLWml5Ym9VeEZwS0pz/view?usp=sharing
- The United Way donated food and toiletry items: Items were donated to Social Worker, Barbie Campbell, to be distributed on a first come, first serve basis. Items will be available between Monday, December 2nd thru Thursday, December 19th. To learn more, please contact Mrs. Campbell at 208-854-6849 or email barbie.campbell@boiseschools.org
- Boise State Holiday Science Demonstrations: December 13th, 7 pm. Click here for flier information.
- South Jr High Open House for incoming 6th graders---Wednesday, January 29th 6 pm
NO SCHOOL - Happy Holidays - Enjoy your Christmas Break
Full day Kindergarten - 6th grade 8:40 am - 1:15 pm
PM Kindergarten 11:30 am - 1:15 pm
December 21st - January 5th NO SCHOOL
January 6th - School Starts Again
Jefferson now has skateboard and scooter racks
These are located around back and can easily hold 20 items.
As usual, everything from bikes, to scooters, to skateboards should be locked up and these have hooks for locking to make sure your items stay safe.
Remember to send a lock with your child to lock up these items including bikes at the bike racks. Jefferson can not be responsible for lost or stolen items, but we can try to help.
Health Office News
Click on the following link for Head Lice 101 which includes what it is, what to look for, how it is spread, and even some myths and facts about head lice. Head Lice 101 information click here.
Boise Community Resources
District Community Resource Page
Make sure to check out the Self Rescue Manual - it has many types of assistance available to you.