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February 2024
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From the Principal
Hello Jefferson Families,
As we enter the month of February, I will once again wish everyone a Happy New Year! February 10th is a big day for many of our families, as we enter the Year of the Dragon!
Today, January 31st, we welcomed our newest students in our Transitional Kindergarten program. Turning to February, we celebrate Black History Month, Lunar New Year, and we look forward to our 3rd-5th grade concert (see info below).
We have reached the conclusion of first semester and the half-way point of the school year. We will not have school this Friday, February 2nd. Teachers will be working that day on preparing first semester progress reports. You can expect your child to bring their progress report home in their backpack on Thursday, February 15th.
Report Cards
I will share the same message I shared last year about reviewing report cards with your child. I do encourage you to take some time to reflect with your child on their growth and achievement up to this point of the year. As a fellow parent, a few things my wife and I try to do when reflecting with our own children include the following:
1. Begin with the positives- Have your child reflect on why they performed well in a particular subject area.
2. Acknowledge effort- Our theme this year is "Do Hard Things!" I would encourage you to play close attention to the “21st Century Skills” section to glean information about your child’s effort at school or within various content areas.
3. Talk about opportunities for growth- Have your child reflect on areas they want to get better at and help them set some specific, attainable, time-bound goals. Above everything, my wife and I always aim to communicate we love our children no matter what, and we are their greatest cheerleaders as they continue on their educational journey.
Morning Arrival
Children should not be dropped off before 8:45am each morning. This is an important safety issue as there is no supervision. The only children who come earlier than 8:45am are designated students in a before-school intervention club (8:00am arrival) and our safety patrol students (8:30am arrival). Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Literacy Night Rescheduled
Finally, our "Read Around the World" Literacy Night, which was scheduled for February 1st, has been rescheduled. Actually, we are including the activities intended for that evening with our Multicultural Night, which will be March 8th. More details will be coming soon.Thank you for your ongoing partnership.
Steve Hopkins
February 2: No School - Teacher Work Day
February 5: Second Semester Begins
February 6: Let's Connect: Promoting Healthy Digital Habits (see flyer below)
February 8: Lighthouse Parent Co-Op Information Night
February 19-20: Mid Winter Break
February 22: 3rd-5th Concert (see graphic below)
February 23: Recess with the DOGS
February 23: Bingo Night
From the Music Room
News from the Gym
Happy February and happy heart month! K-5 students will begin learning and practicing jump rope skills in PE this month. Jumping rope is a great body+brain exercise! Not only is it great exercise for the heart, but it also helps to develop skills like memory, focus, and spatial awareness. If you happen to have a jump rope at home, see if your student would like to practice or show you what they have been working on. Students are also working on pacing to find a just-right speed while they jog to help build cardio-endurance. While we might think of long distance endurance athletes like marathon runners having great Cardiorespiratory Endurance, there are many ways that your child can build and strengthen their endurance. Along with jumping rope, dancing, jogging, riding a bike, swimming, hiking, and team sports are all great ways to train the heart and lungs to work more efficiently. Consider your child’s interests and natural skills when encouraging exercise. Movement-based activities are a great way to develop healthy exercise habits and to have fun!
On a safety note, if your child has an injury that limits physical movement, for example, they have a cast or brace, please make sure to submit a doctor’s note to the office or health room outlining any physical restrictions. This is important to help prevent further injury and allows us to make accommodations for your child during PE and recess. Questions? Contact Ms. Rowe srowe@everettsd.org
Coach's Corner
Hello Families,
This month we’re taking a closer look at the problem-based math instruction happening in Jefferson’s classrooms and how learners access academic content through language. One way teachers engage our young mathematicians in making sense of the language needed for math is through word problems. Using a routine called Three Reads involves reading the math scenario three times with a different goal each time.
First Read: Read to understand the problem.
What is happening in the problem?
Which words am I unsure about?
What do I need to find out?
Second Read: Read to understand the math.
What do the mathematical terms mean?
What do the numbers represent?
Third Read: Read to make a plan.
What strategy, representation, or tool will work best to solve the problem?
Three Reads instruction is easily adapted based on students’ level of readiness. Our youngest learners often do a quick sketch and add labels to help them understand a problem. Intermediate students might highlight specific parts of a problem and annotate with short notes during the Three Reads process. For an added challenge, the children may be asked to generate the question or quantities in a given scenario. Jefferson mathematicians especially enjoy writing and solving their own math word problems!
Ask your child to share with you how they practice Three Reads in class and encourage him/her to give the strategy a try when solving math word problems at home. If you’d like additional ideas about how you can support your child’s learning, please reach out. I’d love to connect with you.
Winter Graham, ELA & Math Coach
Lost and Found
Peachjar Flyers for After School and Community Opportunities
School Hours
Regular Hours: 9:10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday
Learning Improvement Fridays: 2:15 p.m. dismissal
½ Day Early Release: 1 p.m. dismissal