
Jefferson Jotter
May 2023
Letter from Principal
Dear Jefferson Parents,
As we wind down the final month of school we are preparing for new experiences. To assist with the transition of our four year olds to kindergarten we have a few activities planned. Starting this week, the students who will be attending the same home school will have playtime together once per week. This will allow the students to meet some children from other classes who will be going to the same school for kindergarten. Additionally, the students will have a tour of their home school on Thursday, May 25th when they go on a field trip to the home schools.
As many of you already know, I will be retiring at the end of this school year. My successor, Michele Barkley, was hired at the April Board of Education meeting. I'm committed to making Michele's transition to Jefferson smooth, so she and I will have multiple opportunities to meet and collaborate prior to her official start on July 1st.
For the past 8 years I’ve been honored to be a part of the District 64 community as the Jefferson School principal. Throughout my 37 years in education, I’ve been invested in creating a learning community that supports all learners, which I truly believe starts in early childhood. I feel fortunate to have worked in a variety of school settings and communities in my career and will look upon my tenure in District 64 with great fondness.
Jefferson truly is a special place with wonderful teachers who are committed to their students, students who come to school each day excited about learning, and families who partner with the staff to provide their children with quality learning experiences.
Thank you for all of your support over the years. I will miss the Jefferson students, families, and staff! I know your children are in good hands and will continue to have great learning experiences at Jefferson and at their home school!
Respectfully,
Lisa Halverson
Principal
Upcoming Events
Wednesday, May 3
- Special Board of Education Meeting - 6:00 p.m. - Jefferson School
May 8 - 12 - Teacher Appreciation Week
Monday, May 8
- Dog Therapy - morning classes
Wednesday, May 10
- School Nurse's Day
Thursday, May 11
- Dog Therapy - afternoon classes
Friday, May 12
- Library Ladies - morning and afternoon classes
Thursday, May 18
- Board of Education Meeting - 7:00 p.m. - Jefferson School
Monday, May 22
- Dog Therapy - morning classes
Thursday, May 25
- JE Field Trip to Home School - students entering kindergarten fall 2023 - 1:30 p.m.
Monday, May 29
- No School for Students and Staff - Memorial Day Holiday
Thursday, June 8
- Last Day of Preschool
- End of Year Celebration for Students Going to Kindergarten in Fall 2023
Friday, June 9
- IEP Updates Sent Home
Inspire every child to discover, learn, achieve, and care
The District 64 Board of Education will approve the employment of Dr. Ben Collins as Superintendent at a special meeting on Wednesday, May 3rd, at 6:00 pm in the Hendee rooms at the Jefferson Early Childhood Center.
After the brief meeting, there will be a reception open to all community members to welcome Dr. Collins. He will officially join District 64 on July 1st.
Please help me in thanking the wonderful Jefferson staff by acknowledging them during Teacher Appreciation Week, May 8 - 12th. A kind note or special message to those who have made your child's school experience successful are appreciated. Have your child help by making something, drawing a picture, or signing their name!
Wednesday, May 9th is School Nurse's Day. Our school nurse, Kelly DeFelice, has been a great addition to Jefferson School. Please take a moment to send her a kind note or special message. We appreciate her efforts in keeping all of us healthy and attending to our injuries.
At last month's Board of Education Meeting, I had an opportunity to showcase Jefferson. If you didn't get a chance to view the board meeting here is the slide presentation that I shared. At the end is a video I created highlighting learning activities the Jefferson students engaged in throughout this school year. If you just want to view the video click here.
Registered for the 2023-24 School Year?
If you haven't completed registration for the 2023-24 school year by June 1st the district will assume that your child will not be returning.
If your child will be returning to Jefferson next year and you are uncertain whether you've completed the registration process, please contact Kathy Luppo at 847-318-5360.
If you've registered your child for kindergarten you would have already received communication from your home school. If you haven't received any communication from the home school you should contact the secretary at the home school.
Students who will be entering kindergarten in the fall will take a field trip to their home school on Thursday, May 24th. The elementary principal and/or assistant principal will take the students on a tour of the school, which may include visiting a kindergarten classroom, the lunchroom, the gymnasium or another special (e.g. art or music). Weather and time permitting the students may also have an opportunity to play on their playground. Our students are excited about seeing their new school!
End of Year Celebration
To honor our 4 year old preschoolers who will be moving onto kindergarten in the fall, we will be having an end of year celebration on Thursday, June 8th at the end of the school day. Parents of our preschoolers going to kindergarten are invited to join their child and teachers on the Jefferson preschool playground for fun activities. Your child's teacher will share further information with you soon.
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.
If your child will be absent please call or email the Jefferson School nurse, Kelly DeFelice, at 847-318-5441 or kdefelice@d64.org.
In observance of Memorial Day there will be no school for students and staff on Monday, May 29th.
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.