October 2024 Eagle News

We are excited to invite all students and their families to our upcoming College and Career Family Night on Wednesday, November 6, from 4:30-7:00 PM. This event will offer a fantastic opportunity to gain insights into educational paths, explore current and future job openings, and connect with colleges, universities and local businesses.

• Representatives from colleges, universities and local businesses will be available to share information about educational programs and job opportunities.
• Staff members will be on hand to discuss current classes and offer guidance on future courses that students may be interested in exploring.

We encourage all families to take part in this valuable opportunity to support their child's academic and career journey. We look forward to seeing you there!

To ensure a smooth process for student appointment dismissals, please notify the attendance office at least 24 hours in advance. This allows us time to update our new student pass system, Securly, which manages real-time passes within the school building. Securly is also used to send notifications for student release, whether for appointments or other planned absences.

Teachers can view passes on their Securly homepage, and students will receive reminders 20 minutes and 5 minutes before their scheduled release.

We understand that not all situations can be anticipated. In case of emergencies, we are happy to accommodate your needs in person. For appointments scheduled in advance, you can contact the JHS Attendance Office at 920-675-1115 or email palmera@sdoj.org. This will help ensure timely communication between the office, classroom, and your student.

As a school with a low-income rate of 37.5%, Jefferson High School receives federal Title I funds to support the learning of all students through a Targeted Assistance Title I Program. Targeted Assistance programs serve identified students based on specific criteria. The purpose is to ensure all students, including those most in need, are positioned to meet the state's challenging academic standards. Title I schools annually complete a needs assessment to identify the school’s strengths and areas for improvement in student achievement, develop strategies and action steps to address how the goals identified will be achieved, and evaluate and update the plan as needed.

Title I schools are required to engage parents and families in the Title I planning and evaluation process as well as provide opportunities for parents and families to engage in supporting their child’s education. Parents of children enrolled in Title I schools have the right to:

• Timely information about services provided;

• Access to a description of the curriculum, the forms of assessment used to measure student progress, and the achievement levels of challenging state standards;

• Opportunities or meetings to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children upon their request;

• Response to their suggestions in a timely manner.

Copies of the Title I Plan and the Title I Parent and Family Engagement Policy are available upon request. Please contact the school at 920-675-1100 or gehringg@sdoj.org to request a copy.

Como una escuela con un índice de bajos ingresos del 37.5%, Jefferson High School recibe fondos federales de Título I para apoyar el aprendizaje de todos los estudiantes a través de un Programa de Título I en toda la escuela. Los programas en toda la escuela sirven a todos los niños de una escuela. Todo el personal, los recursos y las clases son parte del programa general de la escuela. El objetivo es garantizar que todos los estudiantes, incluidos los más necesitados, estén en condiciones de cumplir con los estándares académicos desafiantes del estado. Título I completa anualmente una evaluación de necesidades para identificar las fortalezas y áreas para mejorar el rendimiento estudiantil en la escuela, desarrollar estrategias y pasos a seguir para abordar cómo se alcanzarán las metas identificadas, y evaluar y actualizar el plan según sea necesario.

El Título I debe involucrar a los padres y las familias en el proceso de planificación y evaluación del Título I, así como proveer oportunidades para que los padres y las familias participen apoyando la educación de sus hijos. Los padres de niños inscritos en las escuelas de Título I tienen derecho a:

• Información oportuna sobre los servicios prestados;

• Acceso a una descripción del plan de estudios, las formas de evaluación utilizadas para medir el progreso del estudiante y los niveles de adquisición de los estándares estatales desafiantes;

• Oportunidades o reuniones para formular sugerencias y participar, según corresponda, en las decisiones relacionadas con la educación de sus hijos, cuando lo soliciten;

• Respuesta a sus sugerencias de manera oportuna.

Están disponibles a solicitud, copias del Plan de Título I de la Escuela y copias de la Política de Participación de Padres y Familias del Título I. Por favor comuníquese con la escuela al 920-675-1100 o a para gehringg@sdoj.org solicitar una copia.

AVID stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination. AVID’s curriculum and core strategies are some of the best research-based teaching methods designed with the brain in mind to sharpen the skills and habits proven effective for long-term success in high school, college, and beyond. At its core, AVID is a blend of teaching strategies, curriculum, and training designed from best practices in teaching and learning. Jefferson Middle School and Jefferson High School are dedicated to a school-wide AVID philosophy within all classrooms, and both locations also have a specific AVID elective.

What’s New?

In the 2024-25 school year, ALL students will receive focus notebooks, designed to support focused note-taking. This is a researched-based method of taking notes that involves choosing a format, selecting important ideas, and reviewing and revising notes. The goal is to improve understanding, retention, and application of the material.

Shannon Mooney, Counselor (A-K) | 920.675.1127 | mooneys@sdoj.org

Amanda Wallace, Counselor (L-Z) | 920.675.1128 | wallacea@sdoj.org

Lindsay Fanelli-Huettl, School Social Worker | 920.675.1133 | fanelli-huettll@sdoj.org

Katy Riederer, School Psychologist | 920.675.1103 | riedererk@sdoj.org

Tanya Dwyer, Administrative Assistant/Registrar | 920.675.1126 | dwyert@sdoj.org

Hope Squad is up and running for the 24-25 school year. Our peer to peer suicide prevention initiative is now starting it’s 3rd year with increased student participation through peer nominations. Hope Squad aims to reduce suicide risk at our schools by training students to support their peers and to tell the appropriate adults if they are aware of an unsafe situation.

Students met with Hope Squad Advisors on Tuesday, September 24th for our first meeting of the year. Parents and students will want to save the date for a screening of “My Ascension,” a film to spread hope and fight suicide, as told by a teenage suicide survivor. This movie screening will be held at Jefferson High School on October 30th and will be open to the public of Jefferson County. More information to come! https://www.myascension.us/

Suicide Prevention: 12 Things Parents Can Do

All juniors will be taking the Pre-ACT on Wednesday, October 23, 2024.

Dear Parent/Guardian,

The school year is well underway as our new freshmen transition through the first year of their high school experience. Each year, the Counseling Department, in accordance with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s School Counseling Standards, schedules individual planning conferences with freshmen students in the months of October/November.

Each conference will not only review a student’s academic progress, but also discuss social acclimation, along with goal-setting for the future. Additionally, counselors will review ACT Mosaic results and share resources for success such as time management, organization, and study skills referencing our commitment to AVID and Brain-Based study strategies. When necessary, intervention-based services are assessed, as well. This structure is designed to guide students, individually, to achieve maximum success in high school, to identify support services/resources, and to plan for life beyond graduation.

Your student’s individual planning conference will take place with his/her assigned counselor within his/her Eagle Study hour during the month of October/November. If your student does not have Eagle Study, appointments can be made during IE. Each appointment should take no longer than 30 minutes. All content for the conference can be found in Schoology Class of 2028 under “freshmen conferencing.’ Counselors will determine whether further follow-up is needed.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Counseling Department at 675-1126 or email Tanya Dwyer, Counseling Administrative Assistant, at dwyert@sdoj.org.

Sincerely,

JHS Counseling Department

Counselor Assignments:

Shannon Mooney (Student Last Names A-K)

mooneys@sdoj.org

Amanda Wallace (Student Last Names L-Z)

wallacea@sdoj.org

To All Prospective 2025 JHS Graduation Participants ~

Welcome to your final year with the School District of Jefferson! It is our hope that you have received an invaluable education which prepares you to achieve your dreams. At the end of this school year, the community and your families come together to celebrate your achievements through high school graduation. While this may seem to be in the distant future, your senior year slips by quicker than all of the others and so we need to begin preparing now.

Any eligible student participating in Jefferson High School graduation must have an appropriate cap and gown (maroon for all). In addition to caps and gowns, some students may also wish to order announcements, invitations, and assorted senior material. Seniors are REQUIRED to attend a presentation in the auditorium during homeroom on October 30 regarding ordering of graduation materials. This information will also be shared with parents after the October homeroom presentation. Students will be placing their orders on November 6 during their lunch period.

The FAFSA Simplification Act was enacted by Congress as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. This law reduces the number of questions students will have to answer on the FAFSA, makes crucial changes to the Higher Education Act of 1965 to expand Pell Grant eligibility and removes outdated restrictions to make federal student aid more accessible to students.

Due to the major changes, the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Federal Student Aid has indicated they will be ready to offer the simplified application; however, they are delaying the release until December 2024, two months after the usual October 1 release. Presently the department has stated that the 2025-2026 FAFSA will be ready on or before December 1, 2024. Please check the FAFSA website frequently.

Students and parents should complete the FAFSA as soon as the form becomes available. If you have any questions about how this affects your financial aid package, please reach out to the Student Financial Aid Office at the University you will be attending.

File on or before December 1!

The ASVAB is not a test, but a tool used to measure a student’s strengths and provides suggested career paths based on those strengths. Students do not need to be interested in military enlistment to participate in this battery.

Friday, November 1, 2024

8:00 am - 11:00 pm

Counseling Office Conference Room

Deadline to register: Monday, October 28, 2024

If you are interested in participating, please stop by the counseling office to pick up a permission slip.

If you are unable to participate this time, no worries! We will be offering a second ASVAB test date on Thursday, March 6, 2025.

1. Go to Parchment.com.

2. Create an account.

USE A PERSONAL E-MAIL ADDRESS TO CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT!

3. Once you have created your account, request your transcript.

4. When you click on the ORDER button, you will be asked where you want to send your transcript to. You can either search for a college/university/technical school or choose to send the transcript to yourself or another individual.

5. When choosing to send your transcript to an employer, trades program, etc., you will be asked to provide the recipient’s name and email address.

6. If choosing to send by mail, you will be required to provide additional information. Mailing transcripts will take significantly longer to process. Electronic deliver is ALWAYS the fastest!

7. Processing a transcript request can take anywhere from 24-72 hours. Please plan accordingly! The Parchment portal is checked once a day, Monday-Friday.

The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) is a standardized test administered by the College Board and cosponsored by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMCS). Scores from the PSAT/NMSQT are used to determine eligibility and qualification for the National Merit Scholarship Program.

Wednesday, October 16, 2024

8:00 am - 12:00 pm

Deadline to register: Friday, October 11, 2024

Cost: $18 (cash or check made payable to JHS)

If you are interested in participating, please stop by the counseling office to pick up a permission slip.

All juniors will be taking the Pre-ACT on October 23, 2024.

When the Optimist Club brought the Missoula Children's Theatre (MCT) to town for their annual production, students in Mr. Clarksen’s Theatre 1 class were able to participate in a workshop with their actors. Students learned fundamental aspects of acting while participating in games and exercises.

Amber and Francis, the MCT actors, led students through group exercises like “Vegetable, Vegetable,” “Slideshow,” and “Mini Telephone,” as well as scene work with a partner. In these exercises, they learned the importance of imagination, memorization, concentration, and observation.

Students had a great time working with the actors, and picked “Mime Telephone” as their favorite game. A student would act out an activity (like making a sandwich) for only one other student, who then had to act the same motion for someone else. That went through a line of about five students, and then the final person would act it out for everyone. The purpose was to see if the final motion was still recognizable as the initial idea.

This is the second year in a row that the Optimist Club has brought Missoula Children’s Theatre to Jefferson. The actors work with elementary students for a week of rehearsals, ending with performances on Saturday. During MCT week, students at JMS and JHS get the side benefit of workshops with these professional actors during the school day. Over the last two years, the JHS workshops were limited to Theatre 1 classes, but the hope for next year is that one workshop can be opened up to students in the co-curricular drama club. This year, MCT presented “Treasure Island” in the updated JHS Performing Arts Center.

Are you interested in business, entrepreneurship, or leadership? If so, this may be an opportunity for you.

UW-Whitewater is hosting its 8th Annual Women in Business Day on Friday, October 11. This one-day event lets you hear from Whitewater graduates, faculty, and entrepreneurs. You will attend interactive workshops and connect with professionals and peers who share an interest in business and leadership. See the attached flyer for additional information.

If you are interested in attending, please email or stop by and see Mrs. Webber in Room 128 by Thursday at lunchtime. Registration is due soon. Don't delay; there are a limited number of spots available.

Week of October 1

Week of October 7

Week of October 14

Week of October 21

Week of October 28