Jefferson Elementary

4th and 5th grade students have the opportunity to participate in the second annual Battle of the Books. Students form teams of up to 4 students, read the 10 books nominated for the Maud Hart Lovelace Award, and answer trivia questions about the books. Teams meet with Ms Stenzel one day each month during lunch/recess time to go over practice questions. In May, we will hold the final Battle of the Books with both 4th and 5th grade teams. The winning team will be rewarded with a pizza lunch!

Last year, Jefferson's Final Battle participants worked through 100 questions! 41 students (11 teams) are involved in this year's Battle! There are 11 former 4th graders returning as 5th graders. Students also have the opportunity to vote for their favorite nominated book to help determine the winner of the 2025 Maud Hart Lovelace Award. This is one of two state book awards in Minnesota where kids get to choose the winner!

Battle of the Books is a great way to involved students in this award and get them excited about reading!

Students go outside for recess daily, weather permitting. Please ensure your child is dressed properly for the weather: snow boots, snow pants, winter jacket, winter hat and snow gloves. If your student is in need of winter gear please fill out this form.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfOeFrQvoqZq2BAv-sDN_pBAANeypHiD6Wua4woGl_QamPkSA/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0

We are currently accepting new or gently used donations winter clothing, including coats, snow pants, boots, winter hats, and snow gloves or mittens.

We especially need boys’ and girls’ jackets in sizes 6 and up, as well as boots in all sizes. While gently used boots are welcome, new boots are preferred.

Please note: we are completely out of winter snow gloves and would greatly appreciate donations of this item.

Donations can be dropped off at the office. Thank you for your support!

Winter weather will be here soon, so it’s a good idea to have a plan for your family in case of school closings, early dismissals, or late starts.

Notices for school closings and early dismissals will be posted on the following websites, radio, and television stations. You can also hear a recorded message on the District Notification Line at 507-387-6046.

Other ways to track school closing delays/dismissals/closures:

● www.isd77.org ● katoinfo.com ● mankatofreepress.com ● southernminnesotanews.com ● keyc.com ● KEYC 12 - TV AND MANY MORE.

Click HERE for a copy of the Winter Weather Information.

Check out what has been happening around our social emotional learning in Ms. Olivo's November update!

Students attending morning ACES have a spot for non-school day ACES care.

We are pleased to inform you of a significant update regarding your child's academic progress as we continue to enhance our communication and streamline access to important information.

We will continue our work to inform you when recent data has been updated in the Infinite Campus parent portal throughout the year. Your child's DIBELS fall assessment results are now available for you to view under the student test detail tab.

Simply log in to your parent portal account using your credentials to access your child's DIBELS data in Infinite Campus. Click here for a complete set of directions to help walk you through the process. Please don't hesitate to reach out to your child's school If you encounter any difficulties or have questions about accessing or interpreting the data.

We believe we can strengthen the partnership between home and school to ensure academic success of our shared students by communicating and making DIBELS data readily available on Infinite Campus.

MAPS elementary schools will be changing the timing of Progress Reports to increase the frequency of scheduled communication with families about student achievement. Starting in the fall of 2024, Progress Reports will occur at different times than Parent Teacher Conferences. Parent Teacher Conferences will continue to be held in November and March, and Progress Reports will be completed in January and June. This change will provide an opportunity for families to receive communication four times during the school year, and families will have an understanding of their child’s progress at the end of the school year.

Families will be able to see their child’s progress report through the Parent Portal in Infinite Campus. If families are unable to access their child’s progress report online, they can request a paper copy by contacting the office at their child’s school

We have a opening for position for a Student Success Coach here at Jefferson. If you are interested in applying for this opportunity please click on the link below to see more details around the position as well as what qualifications are needed.

Mankato Area Public Schools. The position is Intervention Paraeducator - Level 3 (ASD,EBD,DCE) and Student Success Coaches.
https://www.applitrack.com/isd77/onlineapp/jobpostings/view.asp?category=Support+Staff&AppliTrackJobId=4303&AppliTrackLayoutMode=detail&AppliTrackViewPosting=1

Looking for a fun Jefferson t-shirt in an adult size? Order yours now using this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdFUztO2FpbranzBwziPCDLlvJAW_ZfzEHaZUrylrCmi4qUpw/viewform?usp=pp_url

Have you….

• Signed up for Remind app: https://www.remind.com/join/jefpto

• Filled out the Family Food Night Survey

Jefferson’s Night at Ummies - January 21 from 4-8 pm

Details to follow at a later date.