Welcome to December Jefferson families! Winter is sometimes referred to as "the most wonderful time of the year," and we like to encourage the excitement of the students with meaningful relationship building activities. Staff and students are sprinting through this school year, growing along the way, and at this point in the year- the race is almost half way complete. We are looking forward to the month of December being filled with more learning opportunities, celebrating successes, and focusing on what we can all do to get better! To see what your students are learning about for the month of December, click here. As always, we look forward to collaborating with our families, so it is highly encouraged to glance through the upcoming events listed below!

When students return in January, we will begin our second round of NWEA MAP testing for grades KG-8. MAP testing allows our teachers to assess student’s growth during the school year as well as between school years. MAP data allows teachers to differentiate and adjust instruction for individual students, groups of students, or entire classes based on results of the assessment.

We have three weeks of learning to work hard with our students on many different tasks each day. After those three weeks, students and families can enjoy quality time together! If families are looking for activities to do with their students that have hidden educational activities, below there are several learning opportunities for students!

-Baking holiday treats to learn math skills

-Creating winter-themed art projects

-Reading books about winter animals and climates

-Conducting science experiments related to ice and snow

-Building a snowman (weather permitting)

-Learning about winter holidays and traditions through cooking or crafts

-Conducting a winter-themed scavenger hunt; all while incorporating educational elements like counting, measuring, problem-solving, and critical thinking.

Every day your student misses school the more they miss out on learning. Students are considered chronically absent when they 18 days a school year or 2 days per month. Being tardy to school counts toward those hours as well. Five minutes late in the morning adds up quickly to count for hours missed from educational opportunities for students. All students get sick throughout the school year but missing more than the average student doesn't allow them to reach their goals. If a child misses school, it is important for families to provide an excuse detailing the absence. This allows missing work to be able to be completed, and an unexcused absence may also be considered excused. If there are questions about attendance procedures, the staff at Jefferson would gladly connect with the families when connected to answer any questions.

The Raider Pantry is available for the any student or family to use. The pantry contains non-perishable food items, meats (when available), clothing and personal hygiene products. If you are in need of items from the pantry you can call Miss Stacey at (330) 675-6963 or use the link below to access available items and place an order. Jefferson PK-8 Raider Pantry . The resources from the pantry are available throughout the year using the link included in this section.

At Jefferson, we have continued to work with students on the theme of Managing Emotions. Our visual that we have used to support Managing Emotions is a stop light. For the students, this stop light represents where they are at emotionally coming into class for the day. This can be a great tool to use at home with students as well. Green means that the students are doing great and are ready to learn. Yellow means that the students need to pause for a moment and use a strategy to think about their feelings and how they can overcome what they may be feeling, and red means the students need to stop, take a break and regain control over their emotions.

Just a reminder for our Jefferson families that breakfast is free for ALL students at ALL Warren City Schools locations. Included below are both the breakfast and lunch menus for the month of December.

Carrie Boyer PK-2 Principal/Campus Leader carrie.boyer@warrencityschools.org

Anthony Kline 3-5 Pod Principal anthony.kline@warrencityschools.org

Sonya Washington 6-8 Pod Principal sonya.washington@warrencityschools.org

Mesa Morlan Special Education mesa.morlan@warrencityschools.org

Stephanie Tamburro Supervisor of School Improvement stephanie.tamburro@warrencityschools.org