September 27, 2024

Even without the money being counted or awards be distributed yet, this year's Jog, by all accounts, was a huge success. Students learned a lot about being flexible. After months of no rain the remnants of the hurricane made for an interesting day. Thank you to Mayor Jadwin for helping start our jog with a special ribbon cutting ceremony in the gym. The rain stopped, and we then transitioned outside for our opening lap with music form the high school marching band and more cheering from our high school cheerleaders. The students really enjoyed see the twirling expertise of the drum major! Our 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students were able to complete their jog outside and many families braved the light rain and wind to cheer on our students. The weather did not cooperate in the afternoon, but our younger students made the best of an indoor jog, excited that they were permitted to run in the hallways and not restricted to our normal expectations of "walking feet" in the hallway. Special thanks to not only the families who cheered everyone on in the loud and hot gym but especially the parents who helped direct kids through our indoor hallway course and attempted to help kids stay on the right side of the hallway! There were plenty of smiles and laughter to go around ,and it seemed that everyone was having a fun time. A huge thank you to the PTO Officers and Jog Committee who started working in June to plan this years' event.

The Jefferson Elementary community is an awesome place to grow and learn. We know your primary-age child has most likely come home talking about their new friends. We would like to invite our primary students and their families(siblings welcome) to meet and play on the playground and have a Pop Ice courtesy of the PTO! This is an informal opportunity to meet and socialize with other families. Mr. Schmidt will be on the playground that night as well. Please note that this is a family event, and staff members will not necessarily be present. We will have a separate night for each grade level.

2nd Grade: Friday, October 4, 6:00- 7:00

Our book fair will begin this Tuesday, October 1st and go through Friday, October 4th. It will be open during the school day to students only, and they will come with their class to shop during their scheduled library time. It will also be open both conference nights from 3:30-7:00pm for families.

A few important notes:

1. Students can pay during the day using cash or Ewallet. Click on this link to go through the steps on how to sign up for Ewallet. During conference nights, you can use card and apple pay.

2. There are two books that showed up on the Book Fair flyer that have been pulled by Scholastic.

• Mr. Beast will not be at the book fair or able to be purchased online.
• New Girl will also not be sold at the book fair, but can be purchased online if you and your child choose to do so. It's age range is middle school, which is why it was pulled.

3. This year we will only be offering books, bookmarks and pencils during the school day. Toys will be put out during both conference nights, so you're welcome to come back with your child to get those then. This is a change from previous years and may be a disappointment for some students, so I appreciate you helping steer conversation to keep it positive if they bring it up and remind them that this is first a book fair.

Thank you and please email me at hoare@gjps.org with any questions!

-Mrs. Hoar

School librarian

We recently held a curriculum night to provide a brief introduction to our English Language Arts and Math curriculums. As promised here is a short video (10 minutes) that provides an overview of our Language Arts Curriculum. (A math overview will be provided next week)

Our Language Arts curriculum is Wit & Wisdom. Below are links for each grade level's family letter. Take a moment to read the letter, and don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions or comments.

Kindergarten

First Grade

Second Grade

Third Grade

Fourth Grade

Fifth Grade

Parent teacher conferences are taking place this week. Our goal is to have 100% participation. If you have not signed up for conferences, please contact your child's teacher or Miss Schilling in the office at 614-478-5560.

Thank you for helping make the Jog a fun and memorable experience for our students.

Our goal is to raise $30,000 to support the various activities that take place at Jefferson Elementary.

This is our one main fundraiser for the year, and we thank you in advance for your support!

There are two(2) ways your child can collect donations:

1) CASH/CHECK: Today, your child is bringing home a pledge envelope with their name on it. Please use this envelope to send any cash or checks collected back to Jefferson by Tuesday, October 1st. Make checks out to “Jefferson Elementary PTO.”

2) DONATE ONLINE! This year, we have created a donation page for each student. The website allows you to make donations with credit cards, Google Pay, or PayPal. You will receive an invitation over the weekend with more details to manage your child’s fundraising page and personalize their website. You may also visit the fundraising website and search for your student.

Jog for Jefferson Fundraising page.

Awards & Incentives

• On the day of the jog, each child will receive a complimentary Jog for Jefferson t-shirt.

• For every $25 your child raises, they will receive a raffle ticket to enter into drawings for raffle prizes. Donations need to be turned in by Tuesday, October 1st to enter the raffle.

• The girl and boy who run the most laps in their grade will win a prize.

• The classroom that raises the most money will win a SPECIAL party!

If you have any questions, please contact the PTO at gahannajeffersonelementarypto@gmail.com

Thank you for your support!

October 1- 4 Fall Book Fair

October 1& 3 Parent-Teacher Conferences

October 4 2nd Grade Pop Ice & Playground 6:00- 7:00 pm

October 9 Skate Party- Skate Zone71 5:00- 8:00

October 11 Jog Awards Assembly 1:45

October 15 & 16 3rd Grade Ohio State Test in Reading

October 21 & 22 No School

October 25 Report Cards available in Parent Portal

October 29 Picture Retake Day

• Jefferson Elementary Events Calendar

ical Link to add Jefferson Calendar to your phone

2024-25 GJPS District Calendar (PDF)

The Heart and Pride Award recognizes two outstanding staff members each month who make a profound impact on our students and Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools. Families are encourage to nominate a staff member today! The Heart & Pride Nomination Form will remain available year-round and is open to any member of our staff, regardless of position.