Jaguar Journal

35980 Lakeshore Blvd. Eastlake, OH 44095

Office Email: tj.office@weschools.org

Main Office Line: 440-942-7244

Attendance Line: 440-283-2177 (this is a 24 hour line and a message can be left at any time!)

• Mrs. Candace Platt, Principal
• Mr. David Eberly, Assistant Principal
• Mrs. Lori Dugger, Principal's Secretary
• Mrs. Wendy Flick, Administrative Secretary
• Mrs. Jacque Sparent, Family Liaison
• Ms. Megan Kuhlman, Nurse
• Ms. Jennifer Healan, Heath Aide

Welcome back to school! Our first few weeks of school were off to an exciting start. We loved welcoming our new and returning students. Our students have been busy around the building getting to know their teachers, classmates, and new spaces. Our teachers are working hard to build relationships and design engaging learning opportunities.

If you have not completed the Returning Student Registration on your Parent Portal, please do so as soon as possible. This must be done every year in order to keep your contacts up to date and provide the school with important information about your child.

Please stay tuned to your email for important updates throughout the school year. You can always follow our Facebook page for photos from around our building. We love to share the great things happening at Jefferson Elementary.

Please reach out with any questions. We are here to help you and support your child. Thank you for partnering with us. We are looking forward to a wonderful school year!

• 9/4- District Steering Committee Meeting (see details below)

• 9/6- Cleveland Browns Spirit Day

• 9/9- Popcorn Presale Forms Due

• 9/11- Patriot Day- Wear Red, White, and Blue

• 9/11- Mums Fundraiser Ends

• 9/16- Jaguar Jog Kick Off/Fundraising Begins

• 9/17- PTO Meeting- 6 PM

• 9/19- Marco’s Pizza Night

• 9/25- Skating Party @ United Skates of America 6 PM- 8:30 PM

Our Picture Day is on Thursday, October 10th. Please create an account as soon as possible!

• Did you do some cleaning over the summer and want somewhere to donate some of those items you no longer need?! Consider donating to us!
• We would like to create a space that can be used by students during indoor recess or for rewards and are looking for new or gently used board games, card games, fidget toys, etc. We are also looking for a basketball pop-a-shot game and/or game table to make the space really cool. If you have anything you can donate, please reach out!

Reporting Absences and Tardies:

Absences: If your child will be absent from school, please call the school’s 24 hour attendance line at 440-283-2177 or email tj.office@weschools.org . If we don’t receive notification, you will receive an automated call to verify the absence and we will call you and the emergency contacts. This is for the safety of your child. Upon your child’s return, please provide a doctor’s note when possible to verify the absence.

Tardies: If your child is tardy, please make sure you see your child enter the

building. You do not need to enter the building.

House Bill 410 - Attendance of Your Child

Please make every attempt to get your child to school on time as we are required to monitor students’ hours absent, due to House Bill 410. It is important for every student in Ohio to attend school every day. Missing too much school has long-term, negative effects on students, such as lower achievement and graduation rates. It is extremely important to always call our attendance line to let us know when they will be out. Providing a doctor's note when applicable is helpful as well. When students hit certain benchmarks of hours of school missed, you will receive a letter notifying you of this. Certain benchmarks require meetings and/or intervention plans to take place. The highest of benchmarks could require further actions and local resources to be involved. Click HERE for a link to more information regarding attendance laws in Ohio.

Student releases from the clinic or early dismissal will go through the main office. Anyone picking up a child will be asked to present photo identification. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation regarding our school’s safety procedures. Please inform additional family members and emergency contacts of this policy as well, so they will be prepared with their identification.

School safety is our top priority.

*Please remember when picking up your child during the school day, you will scan your ID in our vestibule. You will remain in the vestibule until your child is released to you.

*When visiting the school, you will scan your ID in our vestibule and then be granted access to our office area.

In the event of a viable school threat, we would activate our blue illuminating lights over the gym and Door 2 which would indicate that no visitor or students should enter the building. We will conduct safety drills throughout the school year for students and staff.

All entrances are locked throughout the school day.

For a child to take any over the counter medication, a form must be completed in advance. Doctor prescribed medications, including inhalers, given to children at school require a physician’s note. Medication forms are available on our district’s website by clicking HERE. Please call our office for further instructions on how to drop off the medication to our clinic.

Beginning this year, all of our elementary schools in WE will be implementing a 6 day (A-F) related arts rotation. So students will have all of their related arts classes every third day (or twice every six days). This will consist of Physical Education, Music and STEAM. Students will always have gym on their related arts day, so please make sure your child wears tennis shoes to school on those days.

Students in Grades 3-12 will be assigned a Chromebook, case and a charger to bring back and forth from home to school. Students in Grades K-2 will be assigned a Chromebook from a dedicated classroom Chromebook cart for use throughout the school day.

***$20 ANNUAL TECH FEE - PLEASE READ***

An annual technology fee of $20 will be required for all students to defray the cost of technology and associated digital software related to student learning. Payment of the annual technology fee by the last day of the first quarter, will cover the cost of one repair as a result of accidental damage during the school year. If multiple repairs are needed from one incident, the highest value repair will be covered. Full device replacement or lost chargers are not covered by the annual technology fee. The annual fee will be assessed August 1st and will cover the school year through July 31st. Families who do not typically pay school fees due to free and reduced lunch status, may choose to pay the technology fee to receive the benefit of the covered repair cost outlined above. Payment of the technology fee is non-refundable.

BusZone is a new mobile app available for you to track your child’s school bus on your smartphone or tablet. You will see the bus’s location, set alerts for when the bus is nearby and receive timely updates about bus or route changes. Download the app now and be ready for the start of school! #mychoicewilloughbyeastlake Link: https://www.weschools.org/BusTrackerApp.aspx

Fall Mums will be on sale starting August 27th. A packet of information will be sent home where you will be able to create a personalized link for your student. All flowers ordered will arrive at the school on October 9th for pickup between 4-6PM.

Our annual paint night will be held on October 9th from 6-8PM. For only $15 you will receive 1 paver (12x12 square), brushes and concrete paint. Extra pavers are also available if you have multiple children for only $3.

Bring a blanket, dinner and your creative ideas and enjoy an evening painting with friends and family. This is a favorite family event at Jefferson that a lot of people attend! Don't forget to pick up your Mums, as this is the same night as pickup.

Information will be sent home soon with information on how to register, or you can do so online HERE!

Teacher appreciation week may not be until the end of the school year, but we are always working on our books of appreciation.

Every teacher and staff member will receive a Book of Appreciation,
but we need the notes of appreciation from parents like you!

Don't forget our monthly Pizza Night with Marco's the 3rd Thursday of every month!

PIZZA NIGHT:
SEPTEMBER 19TH, 2024

FIRST PTO MEETING:
SEPTEMBER 17TH, 2024

You can join us in the teachers lounge at 6PM or via google meet here:

https://meet.google.com/dpb-egvj-mfa

If you believe your child is experiencing challenges in terms of their mental well-being, it is important to reach out to your principal. To meet your child’s needs, it’s essential to collaborate with the principal and school personnel to explore resources and services available at school. In addition to Crossroads Counselors, the District also has family liaisons and guidance counselors who can provide needed interventions and support.

Are you looking for activities for your children? Interested in family programs in the community? There are so many options for Willoughby-Eastlake families, such as city departments of recreation, sports teams, scouting, camps and special events in all of our surrounding communities, plus so much more!

Information from approved organizations who host activities for Willoughby-Eastlake youth and the community are posted electronically. Paper flyers from organizations are not sent home with students. To access the flyers, visit the COMMUNITY link on the district and building website pages Community Activities Flyers

For specific information about the events, you need to contact the sponsoring organization. Flyers are updated periodically during the month so remember to visit often to check for new postings.

Enjoy what our community has to offer!