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April 2024
Hello Jefferson Families,
As we enter the month of November, our school is focusing on the character trait of gratitude.
- Thank you for your engagement at conferences!
- Thank you to everyone who participated in the Thunder Run (donations, time, organization, cheering on your child...)!
- Thank you for walking through the halls with your child at Open House!
- Thank you for your time spent reading teacher newsletters!
🍎 October PD day: At Jefferson, our motto this year is, "what are you learning?" As a staff, we know that learning is never done. While students were home on October 11th, staff across the district spent time learning more about social emotional learning. When you came into the classrooms for Open House or conferences, you may have seen a class charter or a mood meter. These are two tools that are part of the RULER curriculum, and these help us to unpack and communicate how we are feeling, what our emotions are, how we want to feel at school, how we would describe our "best self," and how we can regulate our emotions. We want school to be a safe and caring place for all children.
🦏 Charger Code: November can be an interesting time for behaviors. There are many days off, which adjusts routines and schedules. An upcoming longer break and for many kids, the thoughts of upcoming holidays, can lend an air of excitement. Plus, classrooms are beginning to really know each other - which as anyone who has siblings can share - familiarity sometimes can lead to testing each others. As such, we want to take a moment to review our Charger Code. This guides school-wide expectations about how we treat each other.
"Jefferson Chargers are safe, respectful, responsible, and kind.
Wherever we go, we use a friendly voice and help others.
We solve small problems on our own, and report big problems to adults."
Charger Code expectations connect to expected behavior that is taught in each area of the school. Students learn what it means to demonstrate safety, respect, responsibility, and kindness in the lunchroom, walkways, out at recess, before school, and more. These can also be found in the student handbook that is found on our school website: https://www.everettsd.org/domain/1843
We also want to celebrate when we see individual students who go above and beyond in their actions. When we catch these great examples, kids can earn a thunder ticket. These are entered into a weekly drawing where the chosen ticket for each grade level can earn students a prize. You will also hear us doing some additional reinforcing of Charger Code expectations when we return from Winter and Spring Breaks.
❄ Weather: With the temperature beginning to shift and weather reports forecasting a cold and wet Winter, please make sure your student dresses for warmth as recess, drop-off/pick-up, and walks to the cafeteria and gym all take us outside.
✔ Attendance: As we enter into Fall and Winter holidays (and into the cold and flu season), this is a reminder to please call or email to report if your child will be absent. Regular, consistent attendance is critical for student success. What is missed when a child is absent cannot be fully made up by any worksheet or packet. We recognize that some absences are unavoidable, and it is important to keep a child home when they are ill. However, if a family vacation or travel must occur while school is in session, it needs to be prearranged prior to the absence and approved by Mr. Hopkins (Principal) or myself (assistant principal). Per Everett School District policy 3122, We may excuse up to five (5) school days for a prearranged absence per student each school year. The prearranged absence form is linked here or you could get a copy in the main office.
Report an Absence email: JFEAttendance@everettsd.org
Report an Absence voice mail: (425) 385-7405
When you leave a message, please include:
- Student's name and ID number (when possible)
- Absence date(s)
- Reason for the absence
- Guardian's name
What is the impact of a few days here or there? Take a peek at the charts below. Days add up quickly! Also, did you know that every three tardies turns into one absence? If you need support to help get your child to school or to school on time, please reach out and we are happy to help! You could connect with your child's teacher, the main office (Mrs. Ryan), our counselor (Ms. Kegley), or myself. We are all here to help support.
What about just 2-3 days a month? That's not a lot, right? Even just a couple days each month can quickly add up. Right now, we have been in school for 45 days. So, if a student has missed five days, that is over 10% of our current school year.
What if they are excused? Excused or unexcused, each day a child misses, adds to missed content, missed social connections with friends, and can potentially put the child on track to fall behind in their expected growth across the year. It is a huge challenge for kids to make up missed content alongside all the new lessons that each day brings. In short, absences have a direct effect on a child’s learning. Plus, we miss them when they are gone!
All our best,
Ally Nichol
Assistant Principal
What is the impact of occasionally missing a few days of school here
The chart shows a breakdown of how many days missed in a year and how that connects to lessons missed.
We are holding assemblies to honor our veterans and we would love to have as many veterans attend as possible. If you have a family member, friend or neighbor who serves/has served in any of the military branches, we'd like to honor them at our two assemblies on Thursday, November 7th:
- 1:45-2:15 Kindergarten thru 2nd grade
- 2:30-3:00 3rd grade thru 5th grade
The assemblies will be in our cafeteria. Unfortunately, we would like to invite families, but do not have the space to accommodate requests. We will only be able to accommodate veterans.
November 14th
This year Jefferson Elementary is participating in the Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day. Though we cannot all walk to school together, we can all enter the school building together, showing we all belong here. Students will head to class as usual. At 9:30 we will all gather and begin our on-campus walk. Students will learn about Ruby Bridges and the Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day movement, which focuses on empowering young minds, inspiring change, and promoting equality in education. We encourage students to wear purple as a sign of solidarity.
Found out more about Ruby Bridges at: https://rubybridges.foundation/#rubys-story
Nov. 14th, 6-7 p.m.
Come for the dinner, stay for the fun!
We will have free pizza and reading activities in the cafeteria. There will be games and books in the library.
Learn how to support your child with reading from resources around the school, including a special visit from Sno-Isle library.
The night will end in the cafeteria with hot cocoa and read-alouds from some of our Jefferson teachers.
We hope to see you there!
Download the Versatrans My Stop App
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.
Peachjar Flyers for After School and Community Opportunities
