Demo Family Memo

Dear Jefferson High School Families,

This has been another great week at The School of Champions! I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to all of our families and community members for your unwavering support of our learning community. Your involvement makes a tremendous difference in the experiences we provide to our students.

A special shout-out goes to our Black Student Union (BSU) club for putting on an outstanding Black History Assembly this week. Their hard work, dedication, and passion made the event a huge success. We are so proud of our BSU members and the positive impact they continue to have in celebrating diversity and fostering inclusivity here at Jefferson.

As we continue to move through the school year, I encourage you to stay connected and engaged. Please take a moment to review this week’s newsletter for important updates, events, and announcements.

Thank you again for being a vital part of our Jefferson High School community!

Take care,
Drake

• Monday, March 3rd- No school/ Planning Day

• Tuesday, March 4th- B Day

• Wednesday, March 5th- Testing for all 10th/11th Grade- A day (9th & 12th)

• Thursday, March 6th- B day

• Friday, March 7th- All 8 Day

• Monday, March 10th- A Day

• Tuesday, March 12th- B Day

• Wednesday, March 13th- A Day *Flex

• Thursday, March 14th- B day *Flex

• Friday, March 15th- All 8 Day

The JHS Support Intervention Ladder

"The Ladder" is our school's approach to addressing Conduct Violation and unexcused attendance codes, such as LAT (Late after Tardy) and SKP (Skipping). When students have Conduct violations or Unexcused attendance codes without a valid, documented excuse, they will meet with Administration or the Student Attendance Coach and be placed on The Ladder. The steps for The Ladder are located below. For any questions, please contact the Administration (Principal Drake Shelton , Vice Principal Kim Johns , or Vice Principal Garin Gregory) or La'Mar Winston Jr., Student Attendance Coach.

Returning from Lunch Late (LAT) Policy

Policy Guidelines:

• 30 Minutes to 1 Hour Late: Students who return 30 minutes late up to one hour late will receive 1 step on “The Ladder” and at least 1 detention.

• 1 Hour Late or More: Students who return 1 hour late or more will receive at least 2 steps on “The Ladder” and 2 detentions.

Consistent tardiness may result in further disciplinary action as outlined in the school’s attendance and behavior policies.

District Policy:

Leaving Campus without permission: Failing to remain on school grounds, at any point after arrival, without authorization which also includes school-sponsored activities such as field trips.

Please remind your student to remain on campus during the school day, except during lunchtime. Leaving campus outside of lunch unexcused is considered a Type 3 violation. This will include a phone call home and the assignment of at least 1 after-school detention.

SCHOOL-WIDE ATTENDANCE

Below are Jefferson High School's attendance numbers for our entire student body, based on data pulled on 02/21/25.

This data provides a year-to-date breakdown of student attendance, covering Quarter 1 through the present. The numbers indicate how many students fall into each attendance tier year to date.

- Green: Students within 90% to 100% attendance

- Yellow: Students with 80% to 89.9% attendance

- Red: Students with attendance below 79.9%

OSAC Scholarship Application closes this Monday March 3rd!

Please have your seniors apply as there are many Jefferson specific scholarships available. Counselors & our College Coordinator were in Senior Inq this week walking students through the application. If your student missed this, you may access the steps on this presentation.

Schedule changes are complete

A reminder that we schedule classes for the year at Jeff. While there are a few exceptions at the semester we are now past the deadline for making any schedule changes. District policy states that any schedule changes made after the first 3 weeks of semester will result in a WF on the transcript UNLESS the building administrator grants an exception based on extreme and/or extenuating documented circumstances.

The Black Student Union needs your support! By purchasing a hoodie or long sleeve shirt by March 10th, the students can meet their goal for a fundraiser that will help survivors of Domestic Abuse and Sexaul Assault. The Black Student Union and Human Rights Club both work with the Schnitzer Cares foundation to raise money for the sole purpose of giving it away to the charity they chose for that year. Use this link to order the design below.https://pps.schoolpay.com/link/BSULongSleeves

Rose Festival Assemblies: Jefferson is proud to announce that Janiya Thompson and Sekora Richey have both qualified as finalists for the Rose Festival Court. We have two assemblies planned in March, one to help the students decide who to vote for and the other to celebrate the new Princess. The March 3rd assembly is for introducing the finalists and allowing them to give their speeches. After the assembly, the voting window will begin at noon and closes on March 10 at noon. The March 19th assembly is when the Rosarians bring the envelope with the results of the polls. One of these amazing girls will be crowned the Rose Festival Princess for 2025. Parents and family members are invited to both assemblies. The crowned princess will need to remain for photographs and instruction on court expectations for the next few months. If you have any further questions, please email Susan Elliott at selliott@pps.net.

Winter Sports Recognition assembly:

The Winter Sports Recognition will be combined with a celebration of the Fine Arts Program at Jefferson. Taaliya Prtt and Leadership will

Questions? Ask Amy, your College Coordinator, in B-35, apotter@pps.net

• Scholarships & Financial Aid: Apply now!

• College, Internship & Career Opportunities: Apply now!

National High School Dance Festival @ Point Park University – February 25 - March 2

The Jefferson Dancers are in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, joining approximately 100 high schools and 1,600 dancers at the National High School Dance Festival! This prestigious event offers an incredible opportunity for our dancers to participate in performances, master classes, workshops, auditions, and a college fair.

We’re thrilled to share that the Jefferson Dancers have not one, but two student-choreographed pieces selected as finalists for the Outstanding Student Choreography award: Henry Roth’s We Tried and Piper Bott’s Not Without Reason—two of just ten pieces chosen for this honor. In addition, Lauren Smith’s piece, Violet, was selected for adjudicated performance.

With over 275 pieces submitted—100+ more than last year—this was an incredibly competitive selection process. In 2023, the Jefferson Dancers made history as the first program to have two student-choreographed pieces chosen, and they’ve done it again!

Adding to the excitement, the Jefferson Dancers were recently featured in two news segments—a local story on KATU and another on the CBS affiliate in Pittsburgh. Check out the coverage below:

🔗 KATU News Segment 🔗 CBS Pittsburgh News Segment

This is an extraordinary honor and a testament to the talent, dedication, and artistry of our choreographers and dancers. We couldn’t be prouder!

Jefferson Athletics Information:

Week of February 28th - March 7th

It is a great time to become a DEMO! We are currently accepting athletic participation registration for the following Winter Sports: Men’s Baseball, Women’s Softball, Men’s Track and Field, and Women’s Track and Field. Please go to FamilyID.com and create an account and sign up to participate. Jefferson High School FamilyID or type in www.familyid.com/organizations/jefferson-high-school-portland

Student-athletes must complete registration, have a valid physical on file, and be cleared by the Jefferson Athletic Office in order to participate in Spring Sports.

Men’s Baseball Coach: Clarence “Tank” Richmond - crichmond@pps.net

Women’s Softball Coach: Ashley Echang - aechang@pps.net

Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Coach: Jordan Polk - crichmond@pps.net

PIL CHAMPIONS

Jefferson Women’s Basketball

ADMISSION: OSAA Playoffs are here! Tickets will need to be purchased for admission to all playoff games and matches. OSAA Gold Cards are the only accepted passes. PIL Badges and other passes are not accepted for entry.

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Out of Season Sports Workouts

All TEAM SPORTS - Closed Period until 4/14/25

Just a reminder Optional conditioning is the only activity allowed between out of season coaches and students from their high school.

no sport specific activities permitted

no open facilities allowed.

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Athletics Practice Schedule Week of 3/3/25 - 3/7/25

Basketball 3:45 PM - 8 PM Gyms

Baseball 3:45 PM - 7 PM Gyms/Field

Softball 3:45 PM - 7 PM Gyms/Field

Track and Field 3:45 PM - 7 PM Track

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Upcoming Events: 2/28/25 - 3/7/25

February 28th

• Wrestling OSAA State Championships 8AM

March 1st

• Wrestling OSAA State Championships 8AM

March 4th

• W. Varsity Basketball vs TBD 6:30 PM

March 7th

• W. Varsity Basketball vs TBD 6:30 PM