JEFCOED Journal Summer Edition
Superintendent's Message
Hello JEFCOED Family,
Wow! The summer has flown by! Whether you have been vacationing or staycationing, I hope you have enjoyed yourself. We are now approximately two weeks from welcoming students back to our schools. Our first day is August 8th! With that in mind, I wanted to take a moment to share some important updates and reminders with each of you.
First, please register your child for school. If you have a returning student, you should have received an email from the district. However, if you did not, you can click here to navigate to the registration page. It’s very important we get accurate information as soon as possible, so we can make sure our schools and staff are ready for the first day.
Hopefully you saw the exciting news we put out a few weeks ago, that all students will be able to eat breakfast and lunch for free next year! We’re able to do this because we are now a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) district. CEP is a program administered through the United States Department of Agriculture. We’re linking a video below in this newsletter that has more information.
There has been a lot of talk in the news recently about state assessments, so let me address where we stand as a district. We had about 89% of third graders reading at or above grade level. This is important because of the literacy act which essentially states that a student must be reading on grade level by the end of their third grade year, or they could possibly be retained. For those students who are not on grade level, we have been working with many of them during the summer to ensure promotion.
We also recently learned some information about our state assessments for other grades. In English Language Arts we saw moderate growth. In Math we saw some grade level increases in proficiency but it was not across the board. Simply put, I’m not disappointed with where we are as a district, but I also recognize that we have room to grow.
I feel that message of continued growth is reflected in our theme for this upcoming school year: Seize The Day, Shape the Future. You see that slogan at the top of this newsletter, next to this paragraph, and it will be on all our branding this year. It means we, as students, parents, and educators, have to take advantage of and capitalize on every opportunity, every day. If we are successful in doing that, our students' futures will be limitless.
We have so many great opportunities in JEFCOED. I encourage our students to find their passion, set their goals, and do the little things every single day to ensure success in the future. Don’t forget to “Seize the Day,” on the first day, August 8th! We need all our students present and on time. Remember, every day counts! Have a great rest of your summer, and we’ll see you on the 8th!
Sincerely,
Dr. Gonsoulin
Returning Student Registration is Now Open!
All returning student registration for the 2024-2025 school year will be done through the PowerSchool Parent Portal.
TO CREATE A PARENT PORTAL ACCOUNT>>
Instructions in English: https://bit.ly/JEFCOEDPowerSchoolGuide
Instructions in Spanish: https://bit.ly/3Cck1Mv
The JEFCOED technology staff will facilitate parent support sessions this summer to provide assistance with account setup/registration. These sessions are optional.
New Student Registration is also open for K-12 students NEW to the Jefferson County School District for the 2024-2025 school year! Click Here for more information.
JEFCOED students will be able to receive breakfast and lunch at no cost beginning August 8th when school starts. The free meals will continue for at least the duration of the 2024-2025 school year.
This program is being made possible because Jefferson County now qualifies as a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) District. CEP is a program offered through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that allows districts to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to students without collecting household applications.
“This is something that is a game changer for our district. Students can’t learn if they are hungry. This program will ensure every student has access to a nutritious breakfast and lunch,” said Dr. Walter Gonsoulin, Superintendent. “In the past we have required our families to fill out applications for free or reduced lunch. But even that carried a stigma for some students. No more. We’re breaking down barriers. Every student enrolled in in-person learning can benefit from this program. We encourage our families to take advantage of this opportunity, so we can continue it for years to come.”
Districts that adopt the CEP model are reimbursed using a formula based on the percentage of students categorically eligible for free meals based on their participation in other specific means-tested programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). This alternative saves districts time and money by streamlining paperwork and administrative requirements and facilitates access to nutritious school meals for all students in school.
“I appreciate the USDA for offering this program to districts, and I appreciate our hard working child nutrition program staff for working to make it happen,” said Gonsoulin.
Congratulations to Dr. Denise Bryant, E-Team Leader and Media Specialist for Center Point High School! We are happy to announce that Dr. Bryant received the Chiquita Marbury Technology Innovation Award from the Alabama Department of Education at the annual Alabama Educational Technology Conference in Mobile.
PowerEdUp!
The 2nd Annual PowerEdUp! Technology Conference was a huge success! Special thanks to the keynote speaker, Alice Keeler, for sharing her valuable insights as a Google Innovator and author. Our JEFCOED teachers and central office staff also showcased some of our best tech resources, while our vendors provided information on the latest products. The 1990's theme brought an extra dose of fun with some totally awesome decorations, music (Ice, Ice, Baby anyone?), and tech trivia. Thank you to everyone who participated and contributed to making this event a memorable one!
Marching Through The Summer
Nathan Contreras from Oak Grove High School and Kylie Thompson from Gardendale High School are rocking the summer as marching members of the prestigious Spirit of Atlanta Drum and Bugle Corps! These talented students are spending their break competing against the world's elite marching music ensembles, and by August, they’ll have traveled over 3000 miles, performing for audiences nationwide. Don't miss their performance when their tour stops right here in Birmingham on July 26th! You can find more details about the event here: https://www.dci.org/events/2024-dci-birmingham
We Build It Better!
JEFCOED Journeys: Space Academy
Our educators are taking their summer to new heights! Laura Hume and Dee Downs, teachers from JCIB Middle School, were selected to attend Space Academy for Educators in Huntsville, AL. They joined 40 teachers from across Alabama to embark on a thrilling adventure, flying space mission simulations, climbing a 40 ft. tower, zip-lining into a pond, and building and flying rockets. They also delved into the future of space exploration and are bringing back exciting surprises for their students in the 2024-2025 school year!
