Jefferson Jotter

Dear Jefferson Parents,

Not everyone is a fan of winter, but our students have been learning about snow since returning from winter break. So it was great when Mother Nature obliged with the recent snowfall. Our students had a variety of fun learning experiences with real snow instead of just "fake" snow within the classroom!

Registration for next school year is just around the corner! Please read further in the Jotter about when registration begins and what you need to do to register your child for school whether he/she will be returning to Jefferson next year or moving onto kindergarten. If you have any questions about the various steps to the enrollment process please call my secretary, Kathy Luppo, at 847-318-5360.

January to March is my favorite time of a school year, because the skills and concepts the children have been working so hard to learn become more evident and integrated into their everyday experiences and interactions! For the child who was learning how to be a part of a school community, they are now more independent in taking care of their personal belongings and following routines. The child who was hesitant to participate earlier in the year has now found his/her voice and is volunteering at circle, spontaneously making comments, and engaging in conversations with peers. And the child who knew how to rote count, has expanded his/her depth of number sense so now counts out a specific number of items, groups items to make parts of a bigger number, and knows that zero means none. We hope that you too are seeing great growth in your child's development. Parents will have an opportunity to speak more with their child's teacher at the upcoming Parent - Teacher Conferences.

I look forward to observing your child continue to grow and learn in the next few months!

Respectfully,

Lisa Halverson

Principal

Tuesday, February 7

• Preschool Screenings - By Appointment

Thursday, February 9

• Dog Therapy - afternoon classes

Monday, February 13

• Dog Therapy - morning classes

Thursday, February 16

• Board of Education Meeting - 7:00 p.m. - Jefferson School

Monday, February 20

• No School for Students and Staff - Presidents' Day

Thursday, February 23

• Dog Therapy - afternoon classes

Thursday, March 2

• Parent - Teacher Conferences - 3:30 - 7:15 p.m.

Monday, March 6

• Picture Day

Thursday, March 9

• Parent - Teacher Conferences - 3:30 - 7:15 p.m.

Friday, March 10

• No School for Students - Records Planning Day

Registration for the 2023-24 School Year

Registration for the 2023 - 24 school year begins Tuesday, February 7th. Starting next school year, our preschool classes will be multi-age, with 3 - 5 year olds learning and growing together. Therefore, families have the option of signing their child up for either the morning or afternoon session based on availability. If you completed the Reserve a Spot form, sent to you two weeks ago, your child is guaranteed a spot according to your preference for morning or afternoon. If you didn't complete the Reserve a Spot form, you will need to complete registration for next year in order to determine placement in the morning or afternoon session. Registration is on a first come, first served basis so don't delay in registering!

For our current families, see below for registration details based on your child's status.

1. Current student - Reserve a Spot completed

• Your child's enrollment for morning or afternoon is already set based on the preference you indicated on the Reserve a Spot form.
• If you have other children in the district, you can wait until March 7th to register all of your children at once.
• If you don't have other children in the district, you can start registration on February 7th.
• If your child has an IEP for the preschool classroom you still need to re-register.
• Log into your Parent Portal account and click "Forms" on the left hand side. Then click the Enrollment tab. Complete the 2023-24 Registration forms. You may be asked to upload necessary documents, among them proof of residency.

2. Current student - Reserve a Spot not completed

• Your child's enrollment for morning or afternoon will be determined on a first come, first served basis. Once you have fully completed registration, the secretary will inform you of the availability for morning and afternoon sessions. Currently there is more availability for afternoon than morning.
• Log into your Parent Portal account and click "Forms" on the left hand side. Then click the Enrollment tab. Complete the 2023-24 Registration forms. You may be asked to upload necessary documents, among them proof of residency.

3. Current student who is kindergarten age for fall 2023

• Registration opens March 7th for kindergarten.
• Log into your Parent Portal account and click "Forms" on the left hand side. Then click the Enrollment tab. Complete the 2023-24 Registration forms. You may be asked to upload necessary documents, among them proof of residency.
• Registration isn't considered final until it has been reviewed by the school secretary. You will receive an email confirmation once your registration has been approved.

4. Sibling new to Jefferson

• Go to the district website and click on the 2023-24 New Student Registration link. Here you will fill out basic information and need to indicate the year the sibling will begin at Jefferson (i.e. 2023-24).
• Within 1-2 days after submitting, you will receive an email with a link to the Parent Portal. Add the sibling to your Parent Portal account and complete the enrollment forms.

5. Current speech only student

• If you have other children in the district, you can wait until March 7th to register all of your children at once.
• If you don't have other children in the district, you can start registration on February 7th.
• If you'd like your child to attend Jefferson's preschool program next year in addition to receiving speech services, complete the registration ASAP in order to find out availability for morning or afternoon.
• Log into your Parent Portal account and click "Forms" on the left hand side. Then click the Enrollment tab. Complete the 2023-24 Registration forms. You may be asked to upload necessary documents, among them proof of residency.

If you have any questions about the registration process for Jefferson, please contact the school secretary, Kathy, at 847-318-5360. If you have questions about the kindergarten registration process, contact the secretary at the home school.

Park District Summer Camps

Registration for the Park Ridge and Niles Park District programs will also be starting soon. The Park Ridge Park District summer camp registration starts Monday, February 6th and the Niles Park District summer camp registration opens Wednesday, March 1st. To learn more about the programs they offer click on the links below:

• Park Ridge Park District information. 847-692-5127

• Niles Park District information. 847-967-6633

Sign up early, as these programs have limited spots. If your child needs special assistance, make sure you indicate that on the registration page.

Parent - Teacher Conferences

The spring Parent - Teacher conferences are scheduled for Thursday, March 1st and 8th between 3:30 - 7:15 p.m. If your child's teacher hasn't already reached out to you to schedule a conference they will be doing so soon.

5Essentials Survey

In mid February our parents will be invited to complete the 5 Essentials Survey for Jefferson School. Please watch your inbox for a School Messenger from Ms. Halverson with the link to the parent survey.

The teaching staff and I value your input and feedback about how we are providing services to you and your child, so invite you to complete the survey. In order for us to receive a summary report of the feedback we must reach a certain response rate from our parents, so please take a few minutes to complete the survey.

School Closure Guidelines

Here are the weather guidelines we would follow if we had to close school due to weather conditions. In the event we need to close due to weather, students and staff will not attend school that day. Should we need to make up days during the school year, the district would adjust the calendar accordingly.

Picture Day

Our preschoolers will have their school photos taken on Monday, March 6. Color Portraits has established 3 ways in which you can order pictures: ordering online, ordering by phone, or scanning the QR code. Click here to find out how to order your child's school picture.

COVID Dashboard

If you are interested in knowing how many active cases of COVID are present for Jefferson Early Childhood Center the dashboard can be found by clicking this link. An active case starts when a student tests positive and ends after a period of 10 days. Therefore, the numbers in the dashboard represent the reported students who are in that 10-day window. The dashboard will be updated daily.

Absences

If your child will be absent please call or email the Jefferson School nurse, Kelly DeFelice, at 847-318-5441 or kdefelice@d64.org.

No School

In observance of Presidents' Day, there will be no school for students and staff on Monday, February 20th. Please make your calendars!

See What’s Going on in Our Community!

From the library to the park district, our communities of Park Ridge-Niles have lots to offer. For information on all the latest happenings, be sure to check the Community Info & Events webpage.