Jefferson December News
Hello Jefferson Families,
It’s hard to believe that tomorrow is the first day of December! We have had a great first three months of school, and will close out 2023 STRONG and POWERful! December and January are a time when students make many academic gains. Please continue to support your child(ren) at home by reading each and every night. Always know that you can reach out to your students' teacher and our Jefferson administrators if you need strategies on how to support academic needs at home.
Our Jefferson PBIS Team has been busy putting behavior routines and expectations in place. Over the past couple weeks our Jefferson students have competed in a Clean Bathroom Challenge sponsored by the PBIS Team. Each day the hallway bathrooms were inspected for clean and dry floors, flushed toilets and clean and dry mirrors. After five days with all six hallway bathrooms clean, our Jefferson students completed the challenge and won popcorn for the whole school! A special shout-out to Nurse Beth and our 4th and 5th graders for helping make and deliver popcorn!
December at Jefferson is filled with many exciting activities and learning experiences! Please be on the look-out for volunteer and donation opportunities to help support our Jefferson PTO and our Jefferson students.
Please feel free to contact us directly if you have any questions or concerns.
Warmly,
Sara Folkert, Principal
Jennifer Heinritz, Assistant Principal
Important Dates
Monday, December 18 - Friday, December 22: Holiday Spirit Week
Monday, December 18 and Tuesday, December 19: Candy Cane Grams
Wednesday, December 20: Power H Holiday Shop, Holiday crafts and treats
Friday, December 22: Half-Day, dismissal is at 11:35 AM
Dec. 23 - January 7: Winter Break, No SCHOOL
Monday, January 8: Return to school
Morning Drop-off
Please remember that student drop-off begins at 8:15 AM. Before that time there is no supervision on the playground. All students, except bus riders and preschoolers, get dropped off in the drop-off lane and walk onto the playground.
Students should not enter the main office during this time as we are not equipped for supervision. If you need childcare before school starts, then please look into our free Books and Games Club: https://www.hollandpublicschools.org/our-schools/jefferson/books-games/
After School Pick-Up
School ends at 3:36 PM Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and at 2:36 PM on Wednesdays. All students, except bus riders and preschoolers and kindergartners, walk to the parking lot for pick-up. Students must be picked-up outside at the designated parking lot pick-up spot. Kindergartners are picked up on the VanRaalte side of the building. Siblings of kindergarteners meet at the VanRaalte door as well.
Please make sure to talk to your student(s) about after school transportation plans. Any changes must be communicated with the classroom teacher(s) at the beginning of the day. Transportation changes made after the beginning of the school day must be called into the main office by 2:30 PM.
Adults may not walk up to the bus circle to pick-up students. This is a school safety issue. All adults will be redirected to the front office.
Power H Holiday Shop
On Wednesday, December 20, our Jefferson students will have the opportunity to use their Power H Bucks to shop for holiday gifts for friends and family members. Our Jefferson Power H Store will be stocked with gift items that have been donated just for this occasion! We are collecting items for the Holiday Shop until Friday, December 15. Some donation ideas are new cozy socks, new candles, fun new coffee mugs, and small decor items. If you have items to donate, please drop them off in the main office. You may also check out our Power H Holiday Shop Amazon Wish List at https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/6M2UN8JJJHD0?ref_=wl_share.
Candy Cane Grams
Our Jefferson PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) team is running a Candy Cane Gram Sale the week of December 18th. Candy Cane Grams are a fun way for students to celebrate friendships and appreciation for others. Each Candy Cane Gram comes with a candy cane and handwritten card that is delivered to the recipient. Candy Cane Grams will cost .50 cents. All proceeds will go to fund our Jefferson Power H Store!
We are accepting donations of Candy Canes!! Please consider donating a box or two to help with the Candy Cane Gram sale!
Outdoor Clothing
Our crazy Michigan weather is in full effect! Students play outside even in the cold and snowy weather. Please send your student(s) with everything they need to stay warm and dry when playing outside in the rain, snow and cold. It is also helpful to add in an extra pair of socks and a plastic grocery bag for wet feet and/or clothing. We always are in need of extra snow pants, boots and winter coats. If you have any items that your student(s) has outgrown, please consider donating them to Jefferson!