Jefferson Elementary School

Check out our February newsletter! https://secure.smore.com/n/32vz0

Happy Valentine's Day! Just a reminder that today, 2/14/25, is a half-day for students. Students will be dismissed at 11:55 today!

Good Afternoon Jefferson Families, Soon, we will kick off an event to help raise funds to benefit all our students. This program will help with funding to support student success by rewarding their positive behavior. Students love the Cardinal 200 Club, and your donations will help us continue our mission of acknowledging students' positive behavioral choices. Recognizing and rewarding positive behavior is a powerful way to encourage growth, responsibility, and a respectful classroom environment. By supporting these efforts, you’re investing in students' long-term success—both academically and personally. Please see the attached letter. https://docs.google.com/document/d/12C7CsEGZLlI06UekTAD0ERxTBazz5b7VIQEuX4c30kU/edit?usp=sharing

SCHOOL CLOSED Due to inclement weather and road conditions, Coldwater Community Schools will be closed today, February 13, 2025. Kids Club Childcare and the Browne Aquatic Center will also be closed today.

Parent Input Requested! As part of our commitment to continuous improvement, we are once again asking for your valuable feedback by completing the High-Reliability Schools (HRS) Level 1 survey. This is the same survey we conducted last spring, and your input will help us track our progress and guide our future planning. Your feedback is essential in ensuring that our schools continue to provide a safe, supportive, and collaborative learning environment for all students. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey by Friday, February 28. If you have children in multiple buildings, please complete one survey for each building they attend. Unfortunately, the survey is only available in English. If you need it translated, please call your child’s school, and we will work to schedule an appointment with one of our family liaisons to support you in completing it. Thank you for your time and support! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd3KIGFC1prteqzUER0kbjZY7gKiX0DmS-IP6af58PVgVzvuA/viewform

It's Hungry Howie's Pizza Night!! If you're tired of cooking, please consider ordering pizza tonight and supporting your child's school! A percentage of all sales made tonight is donated to our school. When you place an order tonight, mention your child's teacher's name. The class with the most orders tonight will win a pizza party!

Wednesday is Count Day! ❤️ Counting every student is important for school funding - please make sure your children attend school on Wednesday, February 12, 2025. Count Day determines our state funding and is based on attendance for the day. If your child will not be in school, please make sure to call in their absence to the school office.

Good Afternoon Jefferson Families, Just a reminder that tomorrow is our spring count day. We appreciate your efforts to have your student arrive by 8:25 a.m. and remain for the full day with dismissal at 3:35 p.m. Please notify the office as early as possible if your child is not attending. Doctor's slips are appreciated if absent. Thank you so much and we look forward to a great count day.

January was School Board Recognition Month. This was a time to recognize the individuals who approach their volunteer work like it is a full-time job and with extraordinary dedication to public schools. They are citizens whose decisions affect our children and build our community. School boards are charged with making decisions that can sometimes be quite difficult or require sifting through a great deal of information. They contribute hundreds of hours each year leading Coldwater Community Schools. Collectively, school board members across the state spend more than 7,500 hours on professional development to keep well-informed of the latest trends in educational leadership, are deeply involved in community activities, and spend many hours at extracurricular events. Through their dedication, collaboration with other school district staff, governance, and advocacy, they are building the future of education in Michigan. The men and women serving Coldwater Community Schools and their years of service are: Edward C. Lake, Jr.: 23 years of continuous service Clair Dean: 14 years of continuous service Jeffrey Holbrook: 8 years of continuous service Kathryn Frederick: 5 years of continuous service Kristin Lyon-Welch: 3 years of continuous service Bob Steel: 3 years of continuous service Jim Bilsborrow: Newly elected, effective January, 2025 Coldwater Community Schools further expresses the district’s appreciation to Dr. Ronald Lanford for nine years served on the school board. To show our appreciation for these stellar individuals, students at Jefferson made cards and posters and read poems that expressed their gratitude. These were all presented to the board members at the last meeting. The poems read by students are showcased below. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1h2n2sHo3SBD7fgvyqlM5CbgVRHT0Iymd/view?usp=sharing

Third graders have been loving the winter weather!

Mrs. McDonald's class has been working on identifying the characters, setting, problem, and solution in their fairytale unit. Students have been comparing and contrasting texts as well. This month, they met Mrs. Hodge's third-grade class to work with their "big buddy" on building these skills. Students read fairytales together, asked and answered questions about the text, and identified the story elements.

Due to continuing cold wind chills in the morning, Coldwater Community Schools, including KLA and Kids Club, will be closed on Wednesday, January 22nd

Coldwater Community Schools Kids Club and KLA will also be closed on Tuesday, Jan 21.

Due to extreme temperature conditions for tomorrow morning, Coldwater Community Schools will be closed Tuesday, January 20th

Coldwater Families: We have been very fortunate this year with weather and the ability to keep schools open for our students. As conditions could change, I would like to take this opportunity to share with you some of the considerations that go into the decision to close schools for a day. When considering a closure, we monitor weather forecasts, road conditions, and special alerts/updates from the National Weather Service. We also collaborate with other districts in the county and talk with area superintendents, maintenance, and transportation teams to assess the safety of travel and the condition of our facilities. The safety of our students and staff is always our top priority. To determine if a closure is necessary, we closely monitor: Weather Conditions: Heavy snow, ice, or freezing rain that may create hazardous travel conditions. Road Conditions: Reports from transportation officials and local authorities regarding road safety for buses and personal vehicles. Wind Chill: Extreme cold, particularly wind chill temperatures below -20°F, which may pose a danger to students waiting at bus stops or walking to school. We strive to make decisions as early as possible and will communicate closures through local media, emails, social media, and our district app. Please ensure your contact information is up to date in our system. Thank you for your understanding and support as we work to ensure everyone’s safety.

Check out the newsletter for this month! https://secure.smore.com/n/rwx8k

Sheriff Pollack came for his final visit before his retirement. He read a story to students. He also talked about why all different uniforms are essential and how they help all of us.

Students love to be outside! We have been loving the snow on the ground lately. Remember, it is crucial to send students to school in appropriate weather attire. This includes snow pants, boots, hats, and gloves. Students go outside for recess daily when the temperature is 10 degrees Fahrenheit or above.

Mrs. Mencke's class and Mrs. Hodge's class worked together to complete some New Year-themed stations just before their holiday break. Students listened to a winter solstice story, completed a New Year's escape room, designed a snowman based on facts about them, and designed a gingerbread to reflect what they liked most about the winter season. Students had a fantastic time working together to complete their stations.

It's Hungry Howie's Pizza Night!! If you're tired of cooking, please consider ordering pizza tonight and supporting your child's school! A percentage of all sales made tonight is donated to our school. When you place an order tonight, mention your child's teacher's name. The class with the most orders tonight will win a pizza party!