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Hello Jefferson Families,

Like every year, the three-week stretch between our Thanksgiving break and the upcoming Winter break is a busy time here at Jefferson! We have a number of activities going on in addition to the great teaching and learning that happens every day. There is a lot of energy for many students based on the excitement the holidays represent for them and the change of venue for two weeks. There is also a fair amount of angst for many students as the two week break is an absence from the consistency and predictability of school, and this does not represent an exciting time for them. As we move through this period of time leading up to the break, our teachers are continuing to emphasize our Charger Code, as well as the lessons learned in our Social Emotional Curriculum, Second Steps.

During the winter break, I encourage you to engage your child in authentic learning activities. Reading with your children and practicing math skills are so valuable. Show them the wonders of reading and the practical uses for math. Spend some time baking or pointing out skills they would use daily. These can and will be foundation skills that will help students continue to move forward.

As we wind down the calendar year, let me wish all Jefferson families a wonderful two-week break. Take time to reflect with your child on all they have accomplished in 2024, and begin to think about some goals for the year ahead. As you know, school will be closed from December 23rd until January January 3rd. Our first day back will be Monday, January 6, 2025. Can you believe it will be 2025?

Thank you for taking a few minutes to read through the rest of this newsletter for additional information and updates.

With gratitude,

Steve Hopkins

Dec 13 Free Family Movie Night

Dec 20 Early Release

Dec 23 Winter Break Begins - NO School

Jan 6 School begins - Return from break

Jan 7 Natural Leaders Meeting, 5:00-6:00 pm

Jan 16 General PTA Meeting, 6:30 pm

Jan 31 PTA Free Family Movie Night, 6:30 pm

Join Natural Leaders for their upcoming monthly meeting on Tuesday, January 7th in the Jefferson Library. We will have time to connect and make plans for the winter and spring. We hope to see you there!

Students learned about Ruby Bridges and participated in Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day , which focuses on empowering young minds, inspiring change, and promoting equality in education.

If you are planning to be gone from school for travel or vacation, please remember to fill out a Prearranged Absence Form in order to excuse the absences. The district policy for travel can be found on the form.

In the event of severe weather, power outages, or other emergencies, Everett Public Schools may adjust schedules to ensure the safety of students and staff. We aim to inform families and staff about any schedule changes by 5:30 a.m. using multiple communication methods.

How we notify families

• Email
• Text
• Voice message (if no text message is received)- calls to families begin at 5:30 a.m.
• Push notification (if you have the ParentSquare app)
• District social media: Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter)
• District and school websites
• Local radio and TV news

You may also check FlashAlert.net, our district website, and the ParentSquare app for notifications.

If no announcement is made, schools will operate on a normal schedule. Emergency schedule decisions are made on a day-by-day basis unless otherwise communicated.

School programs impacted during delays or closures

• Program Impact Chart: Shows how school programs and activities are affected during emergencies.
• School Bus Snow Routes: Information on 2-hour delay and regular start snow routes for buses is available. Drop-off and pick-up locations may change in emergencies; familiarize yourself with snow route details.

Are you interested in knowing about resources available in our community? As the school counselor I am constantly being made aware of amazing resources on a day-to-day basis, everything from food, clothing, and transportation to medical, dental and mental health. I am excited to share these opportunities and want to make sure those interested can utilize them.

Please use the google form below and we will add your contact to receive the Community Resources posts on Parent Square.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd7x2ge1IE0hn-XNP_kuRFGtqupsygxVFa2hLSH9InKNZRbOw/viewform

Hannah Kegley

Jefferson Counselor

SAVE THE DATE: Concerts at the Everett Civic Auditorium.

Feb 13th: Grades 3-5

March 3rd: Grades K-2

This year all kids at Jefferson will be able to receive free breakfasts and lunches. However, if you believe you qualify for free and reduced lunch, based on your income, it is still worth filling out the form as it may qualify you for further services. This link will take you to the website where you can find the application.

All grades have a 20 minute lunch block, if there are any concerns about students' lunch time please contact the school to identify solutions.

We are using a new Versatrans My Stop application for bus route tracking and information. The Versatrans My Stop application provides you with an estimated time of arrival for your student's school bus. Please continue to arrive at the scheduled bus stop location 5 minutes prior to the scheduled stop time. When you open the app for the first time, follow the instructions below and select Everett Public Schools (WA).

How to Log In

All information is transmitted securely and protected. No data is provided without proper credentials being provided.

1. Enter your student’s ID number in the username field.

2. Enter your student’s date of birth in the password field. Use the mmddyyyy format with no slashes. For example: if your student was born on Jan. 1, 2017, your password would be 01012017

3. If you have more than one student, their names will appear in a drop-down list in the top left corner. To view a different child's bus information, select their name from the drop down list.

4. In your phone settings, under Notifications, scroll to the Versatrans My Stop app and make sure:

• show notifications are in the on position.

• pop on screen is also in the on position

5. This will allow you to see any notification that Everett Public Schools sends through the Versatrans My Stop App.

Did you know our website has a link to Peachjar flyers? This is where you can find after school and community opportunities for your student. The Jefferson website has a Peajar button on the lower right hand side under Quicklinks. Check it out here!

Regular Hours: 9:10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday

Learning Improvement Fridays: 2:15 p.m. dismissal

½ Day Early Release: 1 p.m. dismissal