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January 2024
From the Principal
Hello Jefferson Families,
Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a lovely holiday break. The year 2024 is upon us... let's make it our best year yet! We look forward to welcoming our Chargers back to school on Tuesday morning.
As we prepare to get back into the daily rhythm of school, thank you for making it a priority to have your child arrive at school on time. The morning routines established by our teachers provide students with a smooth start to a day of learning. During this time, teachers personally greet each student, preview the day’s schedule, and hold class meetings and other activities that support a sense of belonging for each student. We call it the "Morning On Ramp," and we view this important time as setting the tone for a positive and productive day at school. To help your child start the day off right at school, please plan your morning so your child is ready at their line up area or no later than 9:10am each morning.
Even though this is a time of new beginnings, goal setting and resolutions, we are actually in the home stretch of the first semester of the school year. Over the month of January, teachers will be collecting a variety of assessment data that gives the most accurate and up to date information on the academic growth and progress of your child. This information, which you will receive in the form of a report card in mid-February, is much more than a report. Teachers use this information to inform their instructional practices and support so that your child can continue to learn and grow. I am so grateful for the Jefferson staff and how they thoughtfully go about this complex work.
In January, we take time to acknowledge and celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King. This year we will be doing a school-wide activity during the first two weeks back. Each classroom will be partnering with a buddy classroom to engage in an interactive activity called “Mix it Up,” where students will have the opportunity to walk in another person’s shoes for a little while. Students from each classroom are paired together, and spend some time getting to know each other with some guiding questions. After the question and answer period, each partnership will be given a shoe template. The goal will be for them to fill in the show with words and pictures that represent the answers that they heard from their partner. We hope this activity will build our empathy and perspective-taking skills, and honor Dr. King's vision of a beloved community. When you visit school in mid January, you will see shoes all around the school telling the great stories of our Jefferson students.
From the Jefferson staff and myself, all our best in 2024!
Warm regards,
Steve Hopkins
January 2: Back to school
January 5: 2:15 Release
January 11: 6:30 General PTA Meeting
January 12: 2:15 Release
January 15: Martin Luther King Day Observed - No School
January 19: Recess With the D.O.G.S.
January 26: 2:15 Release
January 26: Free Family Movie Night with PTA - 6:30
February 2: No School - Teacher Work Day
February 5: Second Semester Begins
February 19-20: Mid Winter Break
February 23: Recess with the DOGS
February 23: Bingo Night
News From the Music Room
Welcome back Chargers and families! As we return to the music room, we will resume the great musical work we were accomplishing before the break. We will also begin working on songs for our upcoming concerts! Our 3-5 concert will be held on Thursday, February 22nd, and our K-2 concert will be on Monday, May 6th. Both concerts will take place at the Everett Civic Auditorium, and will start at 6:30 pm. All materials will be available on Canvas for students to practice from home. I cannot wait to see you all there!
Debrah Rockwell
Music Teacher
Coaching Corner
Welcome Back Jefferson Families!
We hope that students have had a restful break and are ready to jump back into learning!
In last month’s newsletter, we shared information to help you unpack the i-Ready Family Report. The i-Ready reports provide valuable information for determining your child’s proficiency toward grade-level reading and math standards.
If you’d like to know more about how your student is progressing through their individual i-Ready lesson pathway, you can follow the steps below to view their Lesson Stats.
Ask your student to log into i-Ready from home by going to everettsd.org and clicking on “students” and then the i-Ready icon.
Choose a subject (Reading or Math) and then click the green arrow . From there, you can see your students Time On-Task and Lessons Passed. Click on the Completed Work button to see completed lessons and the pass rate for each lesson.
(see pics below for help)
As Jefferson’s Instructional Coach, I am here to support you and your student with goal planning using this valuable instructional tool!
Winter Graham
Instructional Coach
Jefferson Elementary School
Website | 425-385-7423
BEARS in the neighborhood
We do periodically get reports about black bears in the neighborhood, and you may want to contact the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife with specific concerns or to report a sighting at 425-775-1311. If there is a threat to life or property, then WDFW asks that you call 911. More detailed information can be found at:
http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/bears.html.
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