Jefferson's February News
Dear Jefferson Families,
Welcome to February! We LOVE all of the amazing things happening this month: Parent-Teacher Conferences, book fair, swimming lessons, author visit, and more!
Every month our Jefferson students focus on behavior in one area of the school building. This month’s PBIS focus is hallway behavior. During a special PBIS assembly, our students reviewed appropriate hallway behavior by watching staff members act out the wrong way to behave and then watching videos of students doing the correct behavior. Throughout the month of February, students will be given special pink hallway tickets when they are “caught” doing the right thing in the halls. The pink tickets get entered into a drawing to take part in fun games during our March PBIS assembly! Help support hallway behavior by asking your student(s) to tell you how they have POWER in the hall!
Swimming lessons at the Holland Aquatic Center begin for half of our classrooms the first week in March and run through March 14. The classes swimming during the first session are Clayton, Carlson, Myotte, Thornton, Harmening, Davison and Gruppen. All other classes will have lessons during the second session, which is May 12 - May 23. The swimming permission slips for the first group of classes will go home this week and need to be returned by Thursday, February 20. Below are some suggestion to make swimming successful:
HAC provides all swimsuits and towels.
Wear easy on and off clothing like stretch pants, track pants or sweatpants, pull on shirts without buttons, crocs or slip on shoes.
Students with long hair should come to school with it braided or pulled into a ponytail. You may also want to send a brush for your student to use.
You may want to send a plastic grocery bag with extra socks and underwear just in case items get wet by mistake.
As always, please contact our administrative team with any questions or concerns!
Warmly,
Sara Folkert, Principal
Jennifer Heinritz, Assistant Principal
Parent/Teacher Conferences and Book Fair
Conferences begin this evening, and run through Wednesday, February 19. There is still time to sign-up through the following link: www.ptc.fast.com/schools/Jefferson_Elementary_2. Our Scholastic Book Fair will be open to shop this Tuesday, February 11, and next Wednesday, February 19 from 4pm-7pm in the Media Center. Teachers have also selected some Wish List books for their classroom if you would like to buy a book for them. This year the book fair will NOT be open during the day for students to shop with their classes.
Jefferson Family Literacy Night– Save the Date!!
Jefferson LOVES Reading! Come celebrate your family's love for reading Tuesday, March 4. There will be information about reading comprehension, games, free books and food. Watch for more information to come home!
One School/One Book
Last week, Jefferson students prepared for March is Reading Month by voting on the book our school will read for the One School/One Book program. Students were very excited to pick the book Wild Robot, by Peter Brown. On Monday, March 3, each student will receive the book along with a reading schedule bookmark. Each day students will answer trivia questions based on the previous night's reading.
Author Visit and Book Signing
We are excited to have author Mike Kesterke visit Jefferson on March 27th. Mr. Kesterke is a local author from Holland!!! He is also a former teacher and principal. Mr. Kesterke wrote the books You Can Do It, Rocket! and Chase It Rocket! Both books are able to be ordered in advance of Mr. Kesterke’s visit, for students to have signed by him in person! Watch for the order forms to go out this week!
Nurse’s Note: Healthy Hints for Healthy Children
Brush Up on Oral Health Tips for Children’s Dental Health Month
How to keep your teeth clean:
Use a small amount of fluoride toothpaste.
Use small circles to brush all the surfaces of your teeth - back teeth and front teeth, inside and outside - and scrub the chewing surfaces.
Brush your teeth once in the morning and once in the evening for 2 whole minutes.
Floss your teeth to remove plaque between your teeth.
And don’t forget to change your toothbrush every 3 months!
Eat healthy:
Remember to eat lots of fresh foods for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Vegetables, fruit, cheeses, and lean meats are the best!
Try to limit sugary foods, for example cookies, candy, and sugary cereals– these high sugar foods are not good for your teeth.
If you’re thirsty, have water or milk and limit sugary drinks.
Visit your dentist regularly:
Go to the dentist every 6 months for a cleaning and check-up.
The dentist will have a look inside your mouth to make sure your teeth are healthy!
Why is oral health important?
Globally, between 60-90% of school children experience cavities in their teeth.
Research shows that the earlier children learn about good oral health, the better their long-term oral health will be.
Poor oral health is also shown to impact factors such as performance at school, social skills, and self-esteem.
Go to www.colgatebsbf.com for more information.
Emily Byl, RN, School Nurse
HLA 616-494-2624
Jefferson 616-494-2532