Jaguar News

Dear Jefferson Families and Friends!

The Ides of March are upon us! With March comes a sprint to the end of the year filled with many activities including Parent Teacher Conferences (March 17 & 18), Bingo For Books (March 15 5:30-6:30), Book Fair (March 15, 17 & 18); a few more breaks; MAPS Testing; Field Trips; and much fun to be had.

Illness and Attendance

Whether it is COVID, Influenza, or some other illness, if your child has been exposed and IS showing symptoms, it is best to keep them home from school. If you are not sure, you are welcome to call Nurse Sara and discuss with her after 7:45 am daily. If you go to the doctor, dentist, etc., it is always best to get a note and turn it into the office for documentation. By law, the school has to turn in absences to the County Attorney once they reach 20 absences. My goal is not to go to court with any of you, however, we do have to follow the State Statutes. Doctors' notes work in your favor and do not count against you. Whenever possible, please attain a note. We will work with you as much as we can to avoid the County Attorney, but ultimately it is your responsibility to ensure your child is at school. (Repeat from last month)

Personal Items

We have been seeing a lot of students bringing personal items to school. We ask that students do not bring personal items (toys, jewelry, watches, phones, poppets, etc.) as there have been some reports about missing items (theft, loss, damage, etc.). We are not responsible for the theft, loss, or damage of personal items here at school. We will try to help solve the problem, but sometimes we cannot guarantee we will resolve every issue. It is best if they leave their stuff at home. We are also having an issue with students giving “gifts” of friendship to their friends at school. We would prefer that it be done at home or away from school as it creates hard feelings, sometimes a student wants their stuff back, etc. It creates many issues for us. Thank you for understanding and having the conversation with your student. (Repeat from last month)

Days off in March

Don’t forget we have this Friday, March 4, off. The next two weeks (March 7-11 & 14-18 will be three day weeks for students. Thursday, March 10 is a Professional Development Day for Teachers. No School for Students! Friday, March 11 is a NO SCHOOL Day for all. Thursday, March 17, we will host Parent Teacher Conferences from 1:00-8:00pm. No School for students! Friday, March 18, we will host Parent Teacher Conferences from 8:00-Noon. No school for students. March 21-25 will be a full week!

Kindergarten Round-Up

We will be hosting a Kindergarten Round-up on Tuesday, March 22 at 5:30. If you have or know someone who has an incoming Kindergarten student for this fall, let them know. We will have a parent meeting while the teachers and staff do some activities with your students for a little bit. We will share all of the information you will need for your Kindergarten student. We will also answer any questions you have regarding Kindergarten. We hope that you will be able to attend with us.

Student Encouragement

With Spring comes “Spring Fever!” Students get back into spring activities and wanting to be outside…..we all do…however, this is also the most critical time of the year for student learning. By now the subjects have begun to get harder and harder, challenging students on many levels. It is important to continue to encourage your student to do his/her best. Our goal is to grow your students into a confident, strong learner that can think independently and solve problems for themselves. We need your help in finishing the year on a strong note and making great strides in their learning. Thank you for your help. While you are at it, please give a shout out to your student’s teacher and other staff for their work, their efforts, their long hours of planning and preparation, and their dedication to your student and our school. Teaching is not an easy profession. Many of my staff have families and they sacrifice a lot to educate your children. Sometimes we take for granted that we only have to work with one or a couple of children at home. Teachers have to work with 15 to 25 students at a time. They have to look at all the different needs and learning styles and develop lessons that reach each and every one of the students. They have to grade all of the papers and then they get to go home and provide for their families. Teaching is not easy. It is, however, very rewarding, especially when they get to see the look of joy on your student’s face when they have finally achieved their goal.

The rest of the school year is going to fly by quickly. Please contact me here at school: (308) 535-7136 OR jellsworth@nppsd.org if you have any questions or comments, or if there is anything else I can assist you with. Have a safe and cozy March!

Mr. E