Weekly Tiger Beat - Jefferson School

Week 30: April 20,, 2021

IMPORTANT DATES & UPCOMING EVENTS

April 26-April 30 - IAR testing
April 28 - Student Late Arrival Day (Students arrive at 9:30AM, Instruction begins at 9:45AM)
- Grades K-5 - 9:45AM-3:00PM
- AM Kindergarten - 9:45AM-12:05PM
May 3-May 7 - Teacher's Appreciation Week
May 4 *New Date* - Coffee with Dr. Podraza, 8:30AM
May 12 - Virtual PTA Meeting, 7:30PM - Kindergarten Team Presenting
May 13 - Bryan PTA Parents Panel for incoming 6th grade families, 7:30PM (zoom)
May 24 - Arts Fest
May 25 - Million Page Challenge Reward Day (Rain Delay, May 26)
May 27 - Field Day
May 28 - Last Day of School, 8:15AM-11:05AM

JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY PTA

PTA Board Elections: The Jefferson PTA Nominating Committee officially announced the following PTA Board Slate for the 2021-22 school year at the April PTA meeting. We will vote on the Slate at the next Virtual Jefferson PTA meeting on Wednesday, May 12th at 7:30PM.

April PTA Meeting: Couldn't make the last PTA meeting? The Fourth Grade Team (Mrs. Georgalas, Mrs. Hayes, Mrs. McGuckin) shared about learning in Fourth grade. Click here for the April meeting minutes.

PTA Expense Reimbursements: Have any outstanding PTA expenses? Expense reimbursement forms can be filled out & emailed to the PTA Treasurer at jeffersonelmtreasurer@gmail.com.

Stay Connected 2020-2021: Follow the Jefferson PTA on Instagram, Twitter, or join Families of Jefferson 205 Facebook group.

SCHOOL EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

Talent Show Committee Volunteers Needed: The PTA is looking to put on an end of year outdoor talent show but we need your help! Let's make this fun event happen! We need volunteers by 4/24 to move forward with the talent show. If you are interested in chairing the event or being part of the committee, please contact Jen Bullock (jenbullock@mac.com).

Lunch/Recess Volunteer Alternates Needed: Thank you to everyone who has either volunteered or who has been hired. Jefferson is all set for volunteers for our lunch/recess blocks but we are still in need of alternates in case anyone gets sick or has an unforeseen conflict. Please click here to sign-up for a date in April. You will receive a phone call the day of to confirm that we need you that day. You would be volunteering from 10:25AM-1:40PM.

Ordering Lunch from school process: All lunches are FREE for the rest of the year. Milk will not be provided or sold. Students inform their teachers during the morning attendance if they want a Food Service Lunch. Students then visit their designated area in the school for lunch during their lunch break and simply take their lunch from the table. If students do not order lunch in the morning, they should not take a lunch from the table. Jefferson will have extra lunches in case of emergencies.

Cold Lunch Menu for Monday, April 19-Friday, April 23

Bringing lunch to school reminder: If you choose to pack your child a full lunch from home, please remember to send a napkin, utensils and a drink.

Bryan PTA Parents Panel for Incoming 6th Graders (Thursday, May 13): Bryan PTA is hosting the Bryan PTA Parents Panel for incoming 6th grade families on Thursday, May 13 at 7:30PM via Zoom. This is an optional event hosted by Bryan PTA with a focus on life at Bryan from a parent point of view. The Bryan PTA will have a few veteran parents on hand to review our Parent Advice and answer any questions to help ease the transition to middle school. This meeting will be recorded posted for those who cannot attend.

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89666994554?pwd=M1JNOEk4Mk9PUWYraTNSMjRtdWV1QT09
Meeting ID: 896 6699 4554
Passcode: Bryan205

This event is in addition to the May 6th drop in for curriculum and other school focused questions.

Teachers Appreciation (May 3 - May 7): The Jefferson PTA Hospitality Committee will be hosting Teacher Appreciation Week May 3rd-May 7th. The week will be filled with treats and tokens of appreciation for the Jefferson Staff. Please click this link to see how you can help make this a great week for our wonderful teachers and staff by donating a food or beverage item.

Also, please have your child bring a flower to school the morning of Tuesday, May 4th to help create a bouquet for their teacher. If you have any questions please contact Kerri Timmerwilke(Ktimmerwilke@gmail.com).

2021-2022 School Supplies: We know it's hard to think about school supply shopping. That is why we are so excited to announce our partnership with 1st Day School Supplies! This year, 1st Day School Supplies is going to help parents and teachers get the exact supplies needed for next school year without the headache of shopping at WalMart, Target or Staples. We have found 1st Day School Supplies to be convenient, easy and hassle free! Plus, they have guaranteed competitive prices on the highest quality brands, including the germ fighting brands like Purell and Lysol. Why not check school supply shopping off your list now! Click here to order your Jefferson school supplies kit for next year or use this link http://1stdayschoolsupplies.com/kits.php?sid=32851. If you have any questions, please contact Cynthia Mares (cynthiamares9@gmail.com) or Nancy Goodner (nlgoodner@gmail.com)

Future Bryan Demons - The online school supply website, 1st Day School Supplies, is open through July 1st. Click here to order your Bryan Middle School school supplies kit for next year!

One Million Page Challenge Update: Dr. Podraza has challenged the school to read 1,000,000 pages by the end of the school year! Jefferson students have already read over 450,000 pages so far! We are ALMOST at our first goal of 500,000 pages! Once achieved, Dr. Podraza will reward the school by reading a book on top of the school. If Jefferson students achieve the 1,000,000 milestone, there will be a whole school "read out" picnic and movie at the end of the year. To help our school reach our goal, we encourage families to read together with their children and/or give them ample time to read themselves at home. Students can log their pages both at school and at home by using their grade level Google Form below.

Thank you for your participation in this fun, new event! We look celebrating our reading success together as a school!

STUDENT COUNCIL

One Million Pages for a Good Cause: The Jefferson Student Council would like to use our school's reading challenge to raise money for a good cause. The goal is to find ten businesses to pledge $100 towards 100,000 pages read so Jefferson can donate $1,000 to the York Food Pantry! Did you know that a $100 donation can provide 200 meals to those with food insecurities? If your business would like to sponsor the challenge by pledging $100, please contact Dr. Podraza(cpodraza@elmhurst205.org) for more information. Thank you to Weiss-Kunz & Oliver, LLC, Family Law Attorneys, the Perry Family, the Manderlaris Family and an anonymous donor for their pledges toward the 400,000 pages already read by Jefferson students.

DISTRICT NEWS

PTA Council Scholarships: In collaboration and partnership with Foundation 205, the PTA Council and the Scholarship Committee is thrilled to announce that an unprecedented number of scholarships -- 27 IN TOTAL -- will be awarded to the York Graduating senior class of 2021!

These 27 scholarship awards were made possible in large part by the substantial donations from Foundation 205 and their "We're All In" community wide fundraising campaign and their 2021 Virtual Showcase. Additionally, the York Class of 1971, in lieu of hosting a 50th reunion amid COVID restrictions, campaigned for and generously donated an additional five scholarships. Finally, the contributions from our D205 school PTAs as well as additional local fundraising efforts led to this ability to offer a record number of awards.

The PTA Council is so very thankful for the support and generosity from our partners and community as a whole. We received almost triple the number of applicants this year as in previous years. Therefore, the ability to award so many scholarships is even more impactful. Our hearts are full of immense gratitude as we celebrate the York Class of 2021!

THANK YOU to the efforts of our scholarship chairs, Kristie Szejner and Dena Fasheh, and to all the scholarship reps who were dedicated to making this happen! And of course, we could not have done it without the support of Foundation 205 and the Class of 1971!

D205 Summer Fine Arts Program: The summer fine arts enrichment program is back! Opportunities are for D205 students entering 5th-9th grade. This year, the program is expanded to include dance and visual arts courses in addition to band, choir, orchestra, music production and ukulele. Click here for more information regarding the program and each of the course offerings. Please email Michael Pavlik, Director of the Summer Arts Program, if you have any questions at mpavlik@elmhurst205.org.

D205 Summer Acceleration: D205 is developing multiple strategies to address the learning needs of students due to the impact of COVID-19 and reduced in-person learning time during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years. D205 is excited to expand the Summer Acceleration Program which will focus on social emotional learning, literacy/writing and math skills. This program will run from June 7-July 1, Monday-Thursday, each morning from 8:30AM-11:30AM.

Students have been identified from across the district for the Summer Acceleration Program. Eligible families will be receiving an email invitation the week of April 19th with more information about the program.

Elmhurst Lions Club Virtual Pizza Party Fundraiser (Saturday, April 24): Elmhurst Lions Club will host its annual Pizza Party fundraiser on Saturday, April 24. Proceeds go to support individuals with sight and hearing issues as well as fund local educational scholarships. District 205 is a member of the Elmhurst Lions Club. See flyer for more details.

D205 Food Services to Offer Free Daily Meal Bags: The Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 Food Services Department is offering free meal kits for ALL children! An optional shelf stable, one-day meal bag each day will be available at dismissal time for students in grades K-12. Breakfast for the following morning is included in the bag as well. Families with allergy concerns or other dietary restrictions should contact your school nurse’s office to discuss your child’s specific situation before allowing your child to bring home a meal kit. If you do not want your child to take a meal kit home, please tell your child and let the school nurse know. The food items offered in the lunch bag each day will vary. If your child is taking a meal kit home, please remind them that food is not to be eaten on the bus, and the food should not be shared with anyone due to concerns with food allergies and other dietary restrictions.

Free Mobile Food Pantry at Churchville Middle School (May 8 and June 5): United Community Concerns Association invites you to attend free Mobile Food Pantry at Churchville Middle School, 155 Victory Parkway, Elmhurst, on following dates:

Saturday, May 8, 2021, 10:00AM-11:30AM
Saturday, June 5, 2021, 10:00AM-11:30AM

Note: The Mobile Food Pantry will offer nutritious food including: meat, fresh produce, milk, and other dairy products based on availability. Food is distributed on a first-come, first-served basis while supply lasts. For the health and safety of our volunteers and your family, we ask the you please follow this process:

Stay inside your car.
Please make sure the trunk is empty and open.
Pre Packed box of groceries will be placed in your trunk
Please do not block driveways

Technology/Chromebook Support: If you are having technical issues with your D205 device or your device is not working properly, please contact elearninghelp@elmhurst205.org. For help with your other tech needs, email Jefferson’s tech assistant, Ms. Strong (lstrong@jefferson205.org).

Self-Certification Process: Please remember to self-certify your child by 7:45AM each morning before entering the school. To do so, visit covid.elmhurst205.org and use your child’s ID number to log-in. Text YES to 67587 to receive a daily text message reminder to fill out the self-certification form. A daily email will also be sent to the parents/guardians of any students attending in person. Your username is your student’s 5-digit PowerSchool ID (ex: 12345) and the password is your student's date of birth in mmddyyyy format (ex: 01011975). Thank you for helping to keep our school community safe!

District 205 School Calendar 2020-2021: Refer to the Elmhurst D205 school calendar for the 2020-2021 year & specific Student Late Arrival dates.

Week 29: April 13, 2021

IMPORTANT DATES & UPCOMING EVENTS

April 14 - Student Late Arrival Day (Students arrive at 9:30AM, Instruction begins at 9:45AM)
- Grades K-5 - 9:45AM-3:00PM
- AM Kindergarten - 9:45AM-12:05PM
April 14 - Virtual PTA Meeting, 7:30PM - 4th Grade Team Presenting (zoom link)
April 16 - REACH appeals due by 5:00PM
April 20 - Coffee with Dr. Podraza, 8:30AM
April 26-April 30 - IAR testing
April 28 - Student Late Arrival Day
- Grades K-5 - 9:45AM-3:00PM
- AM Kindergarten - 9:45AM-12:05PM
May 3-May 7 - Teacher's Appreciation Week

JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY PTA

PTA Meeting (Wednesday, April 14): The next Jefferson PTA meeting is on Wednesday, April 14th at 7:30PM. This month our Fourth Grade Team (Mrs. Georgalas, Mrs. Hayes, Mrs. McGuckin) will join us to to share about learning in Fourth grade. This is a good opportunity to ask any questions or give feedback to our Teachers and the PTA Board. Please join us! Click here to review minutes from last month's meeting.

Zoom Meeting Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82251102405?pwd=dWtaN2s5SFRtQzBHSTA1TlduMnFRQT09
Meeting ID: 822 5110 2405
Passcode: 734490

PTA Board Elections: Please consider joining the Jefferson PTA Board for the 2021-2022 school year. This is a great opportunity to get more involved! All positions are for a one year term starting in July. To learn more about or to be considered for a Board position, please contact the PTA Nominating Committee, Meredith Vogel, Becca Harpster, or Kerri Timmerwilke. Board Elections will take place at the next PTA meeting on May 12, 2021.

Stay Connected 2020-2021: Follow the Jefferson PTA on Instagram, Twitter, or join Families of Jefferson 205 Facebook group.

SCHOOL EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

REACH Appeal (due Friday, April 16): The window to complete the application for REACH appeals will end on Friday, April 16th. Please see the REACH website for information on the appeal process, appeal rubrics and a link to the April 5th informational meeting recording and presentation.

1st Day School Supplies: We know it's hard to think about school supply shopping. That is why we are so excited to announce our partnership with 1st Day School Supplies! This year, 1st Day School Supplies is going to help parents and teachers get the exact supplies needed for next school year without the headache of shopping at WalMart, Target or Staples.

We have found 1st Day School Supplies to be convenient, easy and hassle free! Plus, they have guaranteed competitive prices on the highest quality brands, including the germ fighting brands like Purell and Lysol. Why not check school supply shopping off your list now! Click here to order your next year school supplies kit for Jefferson right now or use this link http://1stdayschoolsupplies.com/kits.php?sid=32851.

If you have any questions please contact Cynthia Mares (cynthiamares9@gmail.com) or Nancy Goodner (nlgoodner@gmail.com)

Future Bryan Demons - You can also purchase your 1st Day School Supplies kit for next year! Click here to order your Bryan Middle School school supplies!

Lunch/Recess Volunteer Alternates Needed: Thank you to everyone who has either volunteered or who has been hired. Jefferson is all set for volunteers for our lunch/recess blocks but we are still in need of alternates in case anyone gets sick or has an unforeseen conflict. Please click here to sign-up for a date in April. You will receive a phone call the day of to confirm that we need you that day. You would be volunteering from 10:25AM-1:40PM.

Student Lunch Ordering Process: All lunches are FREE for the rest of the year. Milk will not be provided or sold. Students will inform their teachers during the morning attendance if they want a Food Service Lunch. Students will visit their designated area in the school for lunch during their lunch break and simply take their lunch from the table. If students do not order lunch in the morning, they should not take a lunch from the table. Jefferson will have extra lunches in case of emergencies.

Lunch Menu for Monday, April 12-Friday, April 16: A shelf stable lunch will be served. Items in this lunch are similar to the after school bag of snack items such as hummus, baked Doritos, beef stick, diced pears, tortilla chips, salsa, cheese, applesauce, pretzels, craisins, juice box, etc.
Lunch Menu for Monday, April 19-Friday, April 23: A Cold Lunch Menu will be available from Food Services.
- Monday, April 19 - Lunchable - Turkey, cheese, crackers, elf cookie, juice
- Tuesday, April 20 - Yogurt, string cheese, peach cup, raisins, juice box
- Wednesday, April 21 - Sun butter sandwich, chips, applesauce, mini Rice Krispie treat, juice box
- Thursday, April 22 - Ham & cheese sandwich, string cheese, pear cup, animal crackers, juice box
- Friday, April 23 - Turkey & cheese sandwich, baked BBQ Chips, craisins, juice Box

Dr. Podraza's One Million Page Challenge Update: Dr. Podraza has challenged the school to read 1,000,000 pages by the end of the school year! Jefferson students have read over 390,000pages so far! If the school reaches 500,000 pages, Dr. Podraza will read a book on top of the school. We are ALMOST there! If Jefferson students achieve the 1,000,000 milestone, there will be a whole school "read out" picnic at the end of the year. To help our school reach our goal, we encourage families to read together with their children and/or give them ample time to read themselves at home. Students have the opportunity to log their pages both at school and at home by using their grade level Google Form below.

Thank you for your participation in this fun, new event! We look forward to achieving our goal and celebrating our reading success together as a school!

D205 Foundation Art Contest Winners: Congratulations to our talented Jefferson Tigers whose artwork will be printed on either notecards or the D205 Foundation calendar.

Calendar: Nora Fromm
Note Card: Bennett Messina
Note Card: Meara Taylor

STUDENT COUNCIL

One Million Pages for a Good Cause: The Jefferson Student Council would like to use our school's reading challenge to raise money for a good cause. The goal is to find ten businesses to pledge $100 towards 100,000 pages read so Jefferson can donate $1,000 to the York Food Pantry! Did you know that a $100 donation can provide 200 meals to those with food insecurities? If your business would like to sponsor the challenge by pledging $100, please contact Dr. Podraza(cpodraza@elmhurst205.org) for more information. Thank you to the Perry Family, the Manderlaris Family and an anonymous donor for their pledges toward the 300,000 pages already read by Jefferson students.

FUNDRAISING

Bryan MS Spiritwear Sale (Orders due Monday, April 19): The BMS Spring 2021 Spiritwear Sale for future Bryan Demons has begun. These are great gift ideas for 5th grade students headed to Bryan next year. Click here to place your order by Monday, April 19th for early-mid May delivery. If you have any questions, please contact Cara Wilkins (caramaria@sbcglobal.net) from Bryan MS or Andria Evans (aevans806@gmail.com) from Jefferson.

DISTRICT NEWS

Bryan Treasure Hunt (Registration ends Wednesday, April 14): The Bryan Treasure Hunt is back... with a TWIST! Grab your team (and think of a team name) and register by tomorrow, APRIL 14th! Full details and registration links for the event on April 17th at 7:00PM are posted to the Bryan PTA Treasure Hunt website. Make sure to follow Bryan Treasure Hunt on Facebook.

D205 Summer Fine Arts Program: The summer fine arts enrichment program is back! Opportunities are for D205 students entering 5th-9th grade. This year, the program is expanded to include dance and visual arts courses in addition to band, choir, orchestra, music production and ukulele. Click here for more information regarding the program and each of the course offerings. Please email Michael Pavlik, Director of the Summer Arts Program, if you have any questions at mpavlik@elmhurst205.org.

D205 Summer Acceleration: D205 is developing multiple strategies to address the learning needs of students due to the impact of COVID-19 and reduced in-person learning time during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years. D205 is excited to announce a robust Summer Acceleration Program which will focus on social emotional learning, literacy/writing and math skills. This program will run from June 7-July 1, Monday-Thursday, each morning from 8:30AM-11:30AM and will be housed at the following locations:

Students will be identified from across the district for the Summer Acceleration Program. Eligible families have been notified. There will be no cost to the families if selected for the program. If your child is selected, and they live more than 1.5 miles from the school, busing will be provided.

For those families who are not selected for the acceleration program, the District is partnering with the Elmhurst Park District to offer enrichment opportunities for students. The Elmhurst Park District will send out that brochure in April.

York will continue to offer summer school courses similar to years past, and the extended school year program at the elementary level will also be run through the Student Services Department, which will be capturing more students than in the past as well.

D205 Food Services to Offer Free Daily Meal Bags: The Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 Food Services Department is offering free meal kits for ALL children! An optional shelf stable, one-day meal bag each day will be available at dismissal time for students in grades K-12. Breakfast for the following morning is included in the bag as well. Families with allergy concerns or other dietary restrictions should contact your school nurse’s office to discuss your child’s specific situation before allowing your child to bring home a meal kit. If you do not want your child to take a meal kit home, please tell your child and let the school nurse know. The food items offered in the lunch bag each day will vary. If your child is taking a meal kit home, please remind them that food is not to be eaten on the bus, and the food should not be shared with anyone due to concerns with food allergies and other dietary restrictions.

Free Mobile Food Pantry at Churchville Middle School (May 8 and June 5): United Community Concerns Association invites you to attend free Mobile Food Pantry at Churchville Middle School, 155 Victory Parkway, Elmhurst, on following dates:

Saturday, May 8, 2021, 10:00AM-11:30AM
Saturday, June 5, 2021, 10:00AM-11:30AM

Note: The Mobile Food Pantry will offer nutritious food including: meat, fresh produce, milk, and other dairy products based on availability. Food is distributed on a first-come, first-served basis while supply lasts. For the health and safety of our volunteers and your family, we ask the you please follow this process:

Stay inside your car.
Please make sure the trunk is empty and open.
Pre Packed box of groceries will be placed in your trunk
Please do not block driveways

Technology/Chromebook Support: If you are having technical issues with your D205 device or your device is not working properly, please contact elearninghelp@elmhurst205.org. For help with your other tech needs, you may email Jefferson’s tech assistant, Ms. Strong, at lstrong@jefferson205.org.

Daily Health Self-Certification Process: Please remember to self-certify your child by 7:45AM each morning before entering the school. To do so, visit covid.elmhurst205.org and use your child’s ID number to log-in. Text YES to 67587 to receive a daily text message reminder to fill out the self-certification form. A daily email will also be sent to the parents/guardians of any students attending in person. Your username is your student’s 5-digit PowerSchool ID (ex: 12345) and the password is your student's date of birth in mmddyyyy format (ex: 01011975). Thank you for helping to keep our school community safe!

District 205 School Calendar 2020-2021: Refer to the Elmhurst D205 school calendar for the 2020-2021 year & specific Student Late Arrival dates.

Week 28: April 6, 2021

IMPORTANT DATES & UPCOMING EVENTS

April 7 - School Pictures Make Up Day, 8:30AM-9:30AM (Remote Students at 7:30AM-8:00AM)
April 7 - Elementary Student (Grades K-5) Learning Status changes due by 5:00PM
April 7 - PTA Council York HS Scholarship McDonald's Eat & Earn, 4:00PM-8:00PM
April 12 - Full School Day Schedule Begins (8:15AM-3:00PM)
April 14 - Student Late Arrival Day
- Grades 1-5 - 9:45AM-3:00PM
- AM Kindergarten - 9:45AM-11:55AM
- PM Kindergarten - 12:55PM-3:00PM
April 14 - Virtual PTA Meeting, 7:30PM - 4th Grade Team Presenting
April 16 - REACH appeals due by 5:00PM
April 28 - Student Late Arrival Day
- Grades 1-5 - 9:45AM-3:00PM
- AM Kindergarten - 9:45AM-11:55AM
- PM Kindergarten - 12:55PM-3:00PM

JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY PTA

Welcome back! We hope everyone had a relaxing spring break!

PTA Volunteers Needed: Thank you to everyone who has volunteered to be a part of the PTA Board for the 2021-2022 school year. We still have one key role that can be shared by two people. The PTA Nominating Committee is looking for 1-2 people to serve as our VP of Fundraising. The VP of Fundraising helps support their committees, bring status to the PTA Board regarding fundraising initiatives and helps brainstorm new ideas for the Jefferson community. The main fundraisers like the carnival and trivia night already have established and experienced committee chairs for the 2021-22022 school year. Our PTA can’t run successfully without this position filled. Our amazing fundraising committees can’t be successful without a VP of Fundraising. If you’re looking to get more involved in the PTA, this is a great opportunity. Who’s in? Please contact the PTA Nominating Committee: Meredith Vogel, Becca Harpster, Kerri Timmerwilke for more information.

Stay Connected 2020-2021: Follow the Jefferson PTA on Instagram, Twitter, or join Families of Jefferson 205 Facebook group.

SCHOOL EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

Lunch/Recess Supervisor Needed: Thank you to everyone that who has already applied to work or volunteer in the lunchroom. We are still in need of about 3 adults (volunteers or hired) on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays to make the lunchroom and recess run smoothly. Our lunch hours are 10:35AM-1:35PM each day (working/volunteering from approximately 10:25AM-1:45PM). If you are interested or know anyone who is, please complete an online application using the links below. Sharing on social media would also be appreciated!

Link to apply for paid supervisor opportunities

Link to volunteer for lunch supervision (non paid opportunities)

School Picture Day Make Up/Retake Day (Wednesday, April 7): School Picture Day retakes are on April 7th. In-person students are scheduled at 8:30AM-9:30AM and Remote students at 7:30AM-8:00AM. If you would like your child to retake their picture please contact Michelle Guerino (mguerino@elmhurst205.org).

Elementary Students (Grade K-5) Learning Status Update (due Wednesday, April 7): D205 is excited to welcome all students back to campus full-time, five days per week beginning April 12, 2021. Families of elementary students (Grades K-5) who are currently enrolled in remote learning may change their selection to in-person learning for the remainder of the school year by contacting Jefferson school by 5:00PM Wednesday, April 7th. The office team will help you change your selection. If you do not wish to change your child's learning status, no additional action is needed.

Jefferson Mathletes (registration open until Wednesday, April 7): We are pleased to announce that Jefferson 3rd and 4th graders will be participating in the Noetic Learning Math Contest (NLMC). NLMC is a national math contest given by Noetic Learning. The purpose of the contest is to inspire young students to excel in math and convey the message ‘It is COOL to be good at math!’. Jefferson Mathletes will provide an enrichment opportunity to 3rd and 4th grade students that have a passion for problem-solving. If there are any questions, please contact Gina Padgett (napolinu2@gmail.com). Thank you to Ms. Darley for helping make this happen! Click this link to register your 3rd and/or 4th grader for Mathletes by Wednesday, April 7. Contest to be held the week of April 19.

Student Lunch Ordering Process: All lunches are FREE for the rest of the year, no charge, no ID, no scan. Milk will not be provided or sold. Students will inform their teachers during the morning attendance if they want a Food Service Cold Lunch. Students will visit their designated area in the school for lunch during their lunch break and simply take their lunch from the table. If students do not order lunch in the morning, they should not take a lunch from the table. Jefferson will have extra lunches in case of emergencies.

A shelf stable lunch will be served the week of Monday, April 12 to Friday, April 16. Items in this lunch are similar to the after school bag of snack items such as hummus, baked Doritos, beef stick, diced pears, tortilla chips, salsa, cheese, applesauce, pretzels, craisins, juice box, etc.

Below is the Food Service Cold Lunch Menu for the week of Monday, April 19 to Friday, April 23.

Monday, April 19 - Lunchable - Turkey, cheese, crackers, elf cookie, juice
Tuesday, April 20 - Yogurt, string cheese, peach cup, raisins, juice box
Wednesday, April 21 - Sun butter sandwich, chips, applesauce, mini Rice Krispie treat, juice box
Thursday, April 22 - Ham & cheese sandwich, string cheese, pear cup, animal crackers, juice box
Friday, April 23 - Turkey & cheese sandwich, baked BBQ Chips, craisins, juice Box

Dr. Podraza's One Million Page Challenge Update: Dr. Podraza has challenged the school to read 1,000,000 pages by the end of the school year! Jefferson students have read over 300,000 pages so far! If the school reaches 500,000 pages, Dr. Podraza will read a book on top of the school. We are almost there! If Jefferson students achieve the 1,000,000 milestone, there will be a whole school "read out" picnic at the end of the year. Classes are competing against other classes in their grade level for monthly rewards as well. To help our school reach our goal, we encourage families to read together with their children and/or give them ample time to read themselves at home. Students have the opportunity to log their pages both at school and at home by using their grade level Google Form below.

Thank you for your participation in this fun, new event! We look forward to celebrating our reading success as a whole school!

STUDENT COUNCIL
One Million Pages for a Good Cause: The Jefferson Student Council would like to use our school's reading challenge to raise money for a good cause. The goal is to find ten businesses to pledge $100 towards 100,000 pages read so Jefferson can donate $1,000 to the York Food Pantry! If your business would like to sponsor the challenge by pledging $100, please contact Dr. Podraza(cpodraza@elmhurst205.org) for more information. Thank you to the Perry Family, the Manderlaris Family and an anonymous donor for their pledges toward the 300,000 pages already read by Jefferson students.

FUNDRAISING
Bryan MS Spiritwear Sale (Orders due Monday, April 19): The BMS Spring 2021 Spiritwear Sale for future Bryan Demons has begun. These are great gift ideas for 5th grade students headed to Bryan next year. Click here to place your order by Monday, April 19th for early-mid May delivery. If you have any questions, please contact Cara Wilkins (caramaria@sbcglobal.net) from Bryan MS or Andria Evans (aevans806@gmail.com) from Jefferson.

DISTRICT NEWS
PTA Council York High School Scholarship McDonald’s Drive-thru Fundraiser (Wednesday, April 7): The PTA Council York High School Scholarship will host a Drive-Thru Fundraiser on April 7th from 4:00PM-8:00PM at the following McDonald’s locations:

190 E. Butterfield Road - Elmhurst
920 N. York Street - Elmhurst
350 E. St. Charles Road - Villa Park
Click here for the flyer

Impact for Education Awards (March 9-April 9): Want to recognize your child’s teachers AND help all D205 schools? Last year, Foundation 205 created the Impact for Education Award program as a way for families to recognize educators in a personal way while also supporting Foundation 205 and local Elmhurst businesses. In its inaugural year, Foundation 205 packaged and delivered over 1,700 awards and invested more than $25,000 back into the Elmhurst business community.

With this success, Foundation 205 will organize it again from March 9th- April 9th. Each Impact for Education Award costs $25. This includes a $5 donation to Foundation 205 and a $20 gift certificate to a local business. Families can choose from a list of business partners and submit a personal message to each teacher. Foundation 205 will deliver each gift card with the accompanying note during Teacher Appreciation Week at the beginning of May. To see a list of participating businesses and purchase an Impact for Education Award beginning March 9th, please visit: https://elmhurst205.networkforgood.com/events/27234-impact-for-education-2021

The 2021 Bryan Treasure Hunt - Virtual Edition (Saturday, April 17, 7:00PM): Join The Hunt on Saturday, April 17, 2021 at 7:00PM for a totally re-imagined Bryan Treasure Hunt. This event is open to any adults, not just Bryan parents. The 2021 Theme is "Games People Play"! Grab a team of up to six adults 18+ or register individually if you're ready to take on the riddle-solving wackiness that is The Hunt. Your team will race virtually & LIVE against the clock. You and your competitors will endeavor to solve the "Games People Play" themed clues on an all new, innovative Hunt app. Prizes will be awarded for Best Team Costume. Local dinner and drink "To Go" package details will be available. Bounty from this fundraiser goes to Bryan Middle School.

Click here to register. $40 per individual or $200 per team (max of 6 adults 18+). For all the details, visit the Bryan PTA Website & follow @BryanTreasureHunt on Facebook. This is not a D205 Sponsored event.

D205 Summer Fine Arts Program: The summer fine arts enrichment program is back! Opportunities are for D205 students entering 5th-9th grade. This year, the program is expanded to include dance and visual arts courses in addition to band, choir, orchestra, music production and ukulele. Click here for more information regarding the program and each of the course offerings.

D205 Summer Acceleration: D205 is developing multiple strategies to address the learning needs of students due to the impact of COVID-19 and reduced in-person learning time during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years. D205 is excited to announce a robust Summer Acceleration Program which will focus on social emotional learning, literacy/writing and math skills. This program will run from June 7-July 1, Monday-Thursday, each morning from 8:30AM-11:30AM and will be housed at the following locations:

Students will be identified from across the district for the Summer Acceleration Program. Eligible families can expect to be notified by the first week of April. There will be no cost to the families if selected for the program. If your child is selected, and they live more than 1.5 miles from the school, busing will be provided.

For those families who are not selected for the acceleration program, the District is partnering with the Elmhurst Park District to offer enrichment opportunities for students. The Elmhurst Park District will send out that brochure in April.

York will continue to offer summer school courses similar to years past, and the extended school year program at the elementary level will also be run through the Student Services Department, which will be capturing more students than in the past as well.

D205 Food Services to Offer Free Daily Meal Bags: The Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 Food Services Department is offering free meal kits for ALL children! An optional shelf stable, one-day meal bag each day will be available at dismissal time for students in grades K-12. Breakfast for the following morning is included in the bag as well. Families with allergy concerns or other dietary restrictions should contact your school nurse’s office to discuss your child’s specific situation before allowing your child to bring home a meal kit. If you do not want your child to take a meal kit home, please tell your child and let the school nurse know. The food items offered in the lunch bag each day will vary. If your child is taking a meal kit home, please remind them that food is not to be eaten on the bus, and the food should not be shared with anyone due to concerns with food allergies and other dietary restrictions.

Technology/Chromebook Support: If you are having technical issues with your D205 device or your device is not working properly, please contact elearninghelp@elmhurst205.org. For help with your other tech needs, you may email Jefferson’s tech assistant, Ms. Strong, at lstrong@jefferson205.org.

Daily Health Self-Certification Process: Please remember to self-certify your child by 8:00AM each morning before entering the school. Text YES to 67587 to receive a daily text message reminder to fill out the self-certification form. A daily email will also be sent to the parents/guardians of any students attending in person. Your username is your student’s 5-digit PowerSchool ID (ex: 12345) and the password is your student's date of birth in mmddyyyy format (ex: 01011975). Thank you for helping to keep our school community safe!

District 205 School Calendar 2020-2021: Refer to the Elmhurst D205 school calendar for the 2020-2021 year & specific Student Late Arrival dates.

Week 27: March 23, 2021

IMPORTANT DATES & UPCOMING EVENTS

March 26 - Foundation 205 Art Contest submissions due
March 27 - Last day for York High School SCARCE Book Drive
March 29-April 2 - Spring Break, No School - ENJOY!
March 31 - 2nd Grade Junior Great Books sign-up deadline
April 5 - Classes Resume - WELCOME BACK! (8:15AM-1:15PM)
April 5 - REACH Appeal Webinar, 7:00PM (register here)
April 7 - School Pictures Make Up Day, 8:30AM-9:30AM (Remote Students at 7:30AM-8:00AM)
April 7 - PTA Council York HS Scholarship McDonald's Eat & Earn, 4:00PM-8:00PM
April 12 - Full School Day Schedule Begins (8:15AM-3:00PM)
April 14 - Virtual PTA Meeting, 7:30PM - 4th Grade Team Presenting
April 16 - REACH appeals due by 5:00PM

JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY PTA

PTA Volunteers Needed: The PTA Nominating Committee is working on filling volunteer roles for the Board and multiple committees for the 2021-2022 school year. All current PTA members in good standing are welcome and encouraged to volunteer! If you are interested in volunteering in any capacity, please contact the Jefferson PTA Treasurer, Meredith Vogel (jeffersonelmtreasurer@gmail.com)

Stay Connected 2020-2021: Follow the Jefferson PTA on Instagram, Twitter, or join Families of Jefferson 205 Facebook group.

SCHOOL EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

Lunch/Recess Supervisor Needed: As we prepare to bring students back for full day instruction, we are in need of lunch and recess supervisors from 10:30AM-1:40PM each day. If you are interested, or know anyone who is, please complete an online application using the link below. Sharing on social media would also be appreciated! Thank you in advance for helping us put all the pieces in place for a return to full day!

Lunch/Recess Supervisor Application

2nd Grade Junior Great Books (Sign up deadline Wednesday, March 31): The Junior Great Books program will be virtual this spring. Students will have access to each story digitally and then will meet online for the discussion. The 2nd Grade discussion group will meet for 7 weekly sessions and will run April 7th-May 19th. Meeting times and dates will be announced once the return to full school day details are finalized.

For those new to Junior Great Books, it is a short story discussion group that offers a fun way for students to read and discuss age-appropriate literature through the Shared Inquiry method. This program strengthens retention, comprehension, and critical thinking skills, as well as, is a strong compliment to the Reading Street program taught in the classroom. For more information on Junior Great Books and the Shared Inquiry method, please visit www.greatbooks.org.

If your child would like to participate in Junior Great Books, please fill out this form by Wednesday, March 31, 2021.

Junior Great Books is sponsored by the Jefferson PTA and the REACH PTA. Please contact Lesley Samuel (lesleysamuel@gmail.com) or Stephanie Drolett (scdrolett@yahoo.com) with any questions. Thank you!

School Picture Day Make Up/Retake Day (Wednesday, April 7): School Picture Day retakes are on April 7th. In-person students are scheduled at 8:30AM-9:30AM and Remote students at 7:30AM-8:00AM. If you would like your child to retake their picture please contact Michelle Guerino (mguerino@elmhurst205.org).

Dr. Podraza's One Million Page Challenge: Dr. Podraza has challenged the school to read 1,000,000 pages by the end of the school year! If Jefferson students achieve this milestone, there will be a whole school "read out" picnic at the end of the year. If the school reaches 500,000 pages, Dr. Podraza will read a book on top of the school! Classes are competing against other classes in their grade level for monthly rewards as well. To help our school reach our goal, we encourage families to read together with their children and/or give them ample time to read themselves at home. Students have the opportunity to log their pages both at school and at home by using their grade level Google Form below.

Thank you for your participation in this fun, new event! We look forward to celebrating our reading success as a whole school!

STUDENT COUNCIL

One Million Pages for a Good Cause: The Jefferson Student Council would like to use our school's reading challenge to raise money for a good cause. The goal is to find ten businesses to pledge $100 towards 100,000 pages read so Jefferson can donate $1,000 to the York Food Pantry! If your business would like to sponsor the challenge by pledging $100, please contact Dr. Podraza (cpodraza@elmhurst205.org) for more information.

DISTRICT NEWS

D205 Foundation Art Contest (submissions due Friday, March 26): What has inspired you to create art throughout the pandemic? Foundation 205 is looking to showcase the talent and creativity of any willing art students in D205! Help us create a winning t-shirt design and/or contribute to a Foundation calendar/notecard. T-shirt designs must be in black & white for easy transfer to screen print. The calendar/notecard artwork can be in any color and any medium.

Notecards - 2 winners per school
Calendar - 1 winner per school
T-Shirt - 1 winner overall

Please submit your inspiring designs based on the theme “What has inspired you to create art during the pandemic?” to your art teacher, Ms. Serrata, by March 26th. Original works are required, but will be returned by the first week of May. Please make sure to label with your full name and school. Winning products will be available for purchase with proceeds to benefit Foundation 205. Visit the D205 Foundation website for specific guidelines.

York Student Council Book Drive for SCARCE (ends Saturday, March 27): Got used books to donate? The York Student Council Freshmen are holding a book drive as their service project to benefit SCARCE. Local drop off locations are in the Jefferson main office entrance, Bryan (door 13 - loading dock), Jackson and Lincoln. All books are welcome! SCARCE is School & Community Assistance for Recycling and Composting Education. Click Scarce.org for more information. For inquiries, please email sfleming@elmhurst205.org.

PTA Council York High School Scholarship McDonald’s Drive-thru Fundraiser (Wednesday, April 7): The PTA Council York High School Scholarship will host a Drive-Thru Fundraiser on April 7th from 4:00PM-8:00PM at the following McDonald’s locations:

190 E. Butterfield Road - Elmhurst
920 N. York Street - Elmhurst
350 E. St. Charles Road - Villa Park
Click here for the flyer

REACH Appeal Information Webinar (Monday, April 5): REACH placement results will be sent to families of students who qualify for the 2021-2022 school year by the end of March. Please find the rubrics used for REACH Identification on the REACH webpage.

On Monday, April 5th at 7:00PM, there will be a webinar sharing information on the REACH appeal process. REACH APPEALS are due by Friday, April 16 at 5:00PM. Families who are interested in the appeal process or who are new to the district and would like their child assessed for the REACH program are encouraged to attend the webinar. Please register using the link below:

https://elmhurst205.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pHcfsQKYR9-ta6DDJkAX6g

Impact for Education Awards (March 9-April 9): Want to recognize your child’s teachers AND help all D205 schools? Last year, Foundation 205 created the Impact for Education Award program as a way for families to recognize educators in a personal way while also supporting Foundation 205 and local Elmhurst businesses. In its inaugural year, Foundation 205 packaged and delivered over 1,700 awards and invested more than $25,000 back into the Elmhurst business community.

With this success, Foundation 205 will organize it again from March 9th- April 9th. Each Impact for Education Award costs $25. This includes a $5 donation to Foundation 205 and a $20 gift certificate to a local business. Families can choose from a list of business partners and submit a personal message to each teacher. Foundation 205 will deliver each gift card with the accompanying note during Teacher Appreciation Week at the beginning of May. To see a list of participating businesses and purchase an Impact for Education Award beginning March 9th, please visit: https://elmhurst205.networkforgood.com/events/27234-impact-for-education-2021

The 2021 Bryan Treasure Hunt --Virtual Edition (Saturday, April 17, 7:00PM): Join The Hunt on Saturday, April 17, 2021 at 7:00PM for a totally re-imagined Bryan Treasure Hunt. This event is open to any adults, not just Bryan parents. The 2021 Theme is "Games People Play"! Grab a team of up to six adults 18+ or register individually if you're ready to take on the riddle-solving wackiness that is The Hunt. Your team will race virtually & LIVE against the clock. You and your competitors will endeavor to solve the "Games People Play" themed clues on an all new, innovative Hunt app. Prizes will be awarded for Best Team Costume. Local dinner and drink "To Go" package details will be available. Bounty from this fundraiser goes to Bryan Middle School.

Click here to register. $40 per individual or $200 per team (max of 6 adults 18+). For all the details, visit the Bryan PTA Website & follow @BryanTreasureHunt on Facebook. This is not a D205 Sponsored event.

D205 Summer Fine Arts Program: The summer fine arts enrichment program is back! Opportunities are for D205 students entering 5th-9th grade. This year, the program is expanded to include dance and visual arts courses in addition to band, choir, orchestra, music production and ukulele. Click here for more information regarding the program and each of the course offerings.

D205 Summer Acceleration: D205 is developing multiple strategies to address the learning needs of students due to the impact of COVID-19 and reduced in-person learning time during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years. D205 is excited to announce a robust Summer Acceleration Program which will focus on social emotional learning, literacy/writing and math skills. This program will run from June 7-July 1, Monday-Thursday, each morning from 8:30AM-11:30AM and will be housed at the following locations:

Madison Early Childhood Center - Early Childhood
Fischer Elementary School - Grades K-5
Churchville Middle School - Grades 6-8

Students will be identified from across the district for the Summer Acceleration Program. Eligible families can expect to be notified by the first week of April. There will be no cost to the families if selected for the program. If your child is selected, and they live more than 1.5 miles from the school, busing will be provided.

For those families who are not selected for the acceleration program, the District is partnering with the Elmhurst Park District to offer enrichment opportunities for students. The Elmhurst Park District will send out that brochure in April.

York will continue to offer summer school courses similar to years past, and the extended school year program at the elementary level will also be run through the Student Services Department, which will be capturing more students than in the past as well.

5Essentials Survey: The 5Essentials parent survey is now open. This survey will allow you and your child (in grades 4 through 12) to share thoughts on important elements of school effectiveness at your child’s school. To take the parent survey please visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/ and select the appropriate survey to begin. You will need to enter the county (DuPage) and school name. Our current response rate is 20% which means we have met the minimum requirement by the state to receive a report. Reports will be sent to schools and districts in June 2021 and data will also be included in the State School Report Card. Students in grades 4-5 will take the survey at our school in March. Under the Protection of Pupil Rights Act 20 U.S.C. Section 1232(c) (1) (A), you have the right to review a copy of the questions on the student survey. If you do not want your son or daughter to participate in the survey, fill out a non-participation form and return it to school. Please be aware that student participation rates are one measure that the state uses in its accountability system for our schools.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact 5Essentials Client Services at 1-866-440-1874 or 5essentials@uchicago.edu. Thank you for your participation!

D205 Food Services to Offer Free Daily Meal Bags: The Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 Food Services Department is helping connect school and families during hybrid learning by offering free meal kits for ALL children! An optional shelf stable, one-day meal bag each day will be available at dismissal time for students in grades K-12. Breakfast for the following morning is included in the bag as well. Families with allergy concerns or other dietary restrictions should contact your school nurse’s office to discuss your child’s specific situation before allowing your child to bring home a meal kit. If you do not want your child to take a meal kit home, please tell your child and let the school nurse know. The food items offered in the lunch bag each day will vary. If your child is taking a meal kit home, please remind them that food is not to be eaten on the bus, and the food should not be shared with anyone due to concerns with food allergies and other dietary restrictions.

D205 Meal Service FREE to ALL Students: D205 offers 7-day, breakfast & lunch, heat-and-eat meal bags for ALL children. No pre-order or ID is required. Pickup is Mondays and Wednesdays at the following locations:

York High School, Main Entrance Door #3
Bryan Middle School, East Entrance Door #13
Churchville Middle School, Main Entrance Door #1
Sandburg Middle School, Main Entrance Door #3

March 2021 Dates:

Wednesday 3/24 - 1:45PM-3:00PM
Monday 3/29 - 10AM-12PM *Note earlier pick up time
Wednesday 3/31 - NO PICK UP - Spring Break
Monday 4/5 - 3:30PM-5:00PM

Please help everyone to stay safe by wearing your mask and staying inside your car (roll down back windows or open the trunk to receive the meal kits). Thank you!

Technology/Chromebook Support: If you are having technical issues with your D205 device or your device is not working properly, please contact elearninghelp@elmhurst205.org. For help with your other tech needs, you may email Jefferson’s tech assistant, Ms. Strong, at lstrong@jefferson205.org.

Daily Health Self-Certification Process: Please remember to self-certify your child by 8:00AM each morning before entering the school. Text YES to 67587 to receive a daily text message reminder to fill out the self-certification form. A daily email will also be sent to the parents/guardians of any students attending in person. Your username is your student’s 5-digit PowerSchool ID (ex: 12345) and the password is your student's date of birth in mmddyyyy format (ex: 01011975). Thank you for helping to keep our school community safe!

Student Late Arrival Days: Wednesdays are remote learning days for students. References to late arrivals in the 2020-21 school calendar only apply to teachers at this time and until further notice. Students will report on Wednesdays for remote learning as they would on the other days of the week.

District 205 School Calendar 2020-2021: Refer to the Elmhurst D205 school calendar for the 2020-2021 year & specific Student Late Arrival dates.

Week 26: March 16, 2021

IMPORTANT DATES & UPCOMING EVENTS

March 19 - 2nd Trimester SBR’s available in PowerSchool
March 26 - Foundation 205 Art Contest submissions due
March 29-April 2 - Spring Break, No School - ENJOY!
March 31 - 2nd Grade Junior Great Books sign-up deadline
April 5 - Classes Resume - WELCOME BACK!
April 6 - REACH appeals due by 5:00PM
April 14 - Virtual PTA Meeting, 7:30PM

JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY PTA

PTA Meeting: Couldn't make the last PTA meeting? The First Grade Team (Mrs. Fullerton, Mrs. Klink, Ms. Muller) joined and shared about learning in first grade. Mrs. Discipio, the Bryan Middle School Principal, also presented. Click here for the meeting minutes.

PTA Volunteers Needed: The PTA Nominating Committee is working on filling volunteer roles for the Board and multiple committees for the 2021-2022 school year. All current PTA members in good standing are welcome and encouraged to volunteer! If you are interested in volunteering in any capacity, please contact the Jefferson PTA Treasurer, Meredith Vogel (jeffersonelmtreasurer@gmail.com)

Stay Connected 2020-2021: Follow the Jefferson PTA on Instagram, Twitter, or join Families of Jefferson 205 Facebook group.

SCHOOL EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

5th Grade Memory Book (Orders due Friday, March 19): Last Chance! 5th Grade Memory books must be ordered by Friday, March 19th. Check your email from your Room Parents for the details. This memory book promises to be a special keepsake of your child’s time at Jefferson.

2nd Grade Junior Great Books (Sign up deadline Wednesday, March 31): The Junior Great Books program will be virtual this spring. Students will have access to each story digitally and we will meet online for our discussion. The 2nd Grade discussion group will meet for 7 weekly sessions after school (Wednesdays between 2:00PM-3:00PM) and will run April 7th-May 19th.

For those new to Junior Great Books, it is a short story discussion group that offers a fun way for students to read and discuss age-appropriate literature through the Shared Inquiry method. This program strengthens retention, comprehension, and critical thinking skills, as well as, is a strong compliment to the Reading Street program taught in the classroom. For more information on Junior Great Books and the Shared Inquiry method, please visit www.greatbooks.org.

If your child would like to participate in Junior Great Books, please fill out this form by Wednesday, March 31, 2021.

Junior Great Books is sponsored by the Jefferson PTA and the REACH PTA. Please contact Lesley Samuel (lesleysamuel@gmail.com) or Stephanie Drolett (scdrolett@yahoo.com) with any questions. Thank you!

Dr. Podraza's One Million Page Challenge: Dr. Podraza has challenged the school to read 1,000,000 pages by the end of the school year. If Jefferson students achieve this milestone, there will be a whole school "read out" picnic at the end of the year. Classes will be competing against other classes in their grade level for monthly rewards as well. If the school reaches 500,000 pages, Dr. Podraza will read a book on top of the school! To help our school reach this goal, we encourage families to read with their children and give them ample time to read themselves at home. Students will have an opportunity to log their pages at school, but can also log their pages at home by using the grade level Google Form below.

Thank you for your participation in this fun event! We look forward to celebrating our reading success as a whole school!

1 Million Pages for a Good Cause: The Jefferson Student Council would like to use our reading challenge to raise money for a good cause. The goal is to find ten businesses to pledge $100 towards 100,000 pages read so we will be able to give $1,000 to the York Food Pantry! If your business would like to sponsor the challenge by pledging $100, please contact Dr. Podraza (cpodraza@elmhurst205.org) for more information.

FUNDRAISING

Bryan MS Spiritwear Sale (Orders due March 19): The Spring 2021 Bryan Spiritwear Sale is underway. Get your 5th Graders and future Bryan Demons some fabulous Bryan gear! Click hereto place your order and please make sure to put JEFFERSON as the school. If you have any questions, please contact Cara Wilkins (caramaria@sbcglobal.net) from Bryan MS or Andria Evans(aevans806@gmail.com) from Jefferson. All orders will be delivered to the school the week of April 19th.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Playground Slide Repair: Thank you, thank you to Geoff Gaebel, Meghan Hood and ??? for repairing the playground slide. The playground is now ready for our students to enjoy!

Eat & Earn at McDonald's : Thank you to everyone who enjoyed an afterschool snack, some Shamrock Shakes or even dinner from McDonald's. McDonald's of Elmhurst generously donated 20% of sales to the Jefferson PTA. Your participation helped earn over $300 for the Jefferson PTA to make all the various quality programs and events available for all our Jefferson Tigers!

Square 1 Art: Thank you to everyone who created art for Jefferson's 6th annual Square 1 Art fundraiser. The Jefferson PTA earned over $2,000 just by you creating & purchasing keepsakes from your child's art! Thanks to both Ms. Serrata, Jefferson's Art teacher, and Renata Suerth, Square 1 Art Chair, for all your hard work!

DISTRICT NEWS

REACH Information Update: REACH placement results will be sent to families of students who qualify for the 2021-2022 school year by the end of March. Please find the rubrics used for REACH Identification on the REACH webpage. An informational Webinar will be offered on April 5th to review the REACH APPEAL process. The district will be sending out registration through a link in the D205 weekly email. REACH APPEALS are due by APRIL 16 at 5PM.

Also presented at the REACH Parent Meeting on Friday, March 12 was new technology developed by two York Freshman to help aid students in managing assignments. Tuesday Technologies (https://tuestech.weebly.com/) was presented as an online tool geared to towards middle school and high school students, but some of the elementary students in the higher grades may find it helpful.

The Virtual Bryan Treasure Hunt (Saturday, April 17, 7:00PM): For years, the Bryan Treasure Hunt has been the only fundraiser for the Bryan PTA and a super fun spring activity for our Bryan parents and other Elmhurst adults. In the past, teams would wait in line in the early morning to sign up for limited spots to compete. On the day of the Hunt, teams of up to 6 people (often in themed apparel) would race around town collecting clues and solving riddles to be the fastest team to arrive at the finish line. All teams would then join together for food and drink, raffles and to await the announcement of the winner! Many, many people in our community shared their time, their talents, their homes, their business and other resources to make the Hunt come alive.

The Bryan tradition will live on this year! The Bryan Treasure Hunt will take place virtually onSaturday, April 17th at 7:00PM. Click here to register.

D205 PTA York Scholarship Fundraiser - See's Yum-raising (orders due Friday, March 19): D205 PTA is raising money for our York Seniors! Please help make the Scholarships sweeter this year by ordering some See's Candy for your Spring Holiday! CLICK HERE to order. Orders will be shipped directly to the purchaser's home. The last day to order is March 19th! Invite your family, friends and neighbors to support this great fundraiser!

York Student Council Freshman Book Drive for SCARCE (March 1-March 22): Got used books to donate? The York Student Council Freshmen are holding a book drive as their service project to benefit SCARCE. A donation box is located in the Jefferson main office entrance. All books are welcome! SCARCE is School & Community Assistance for Recycling and Composting Education. Click Scarce.org for more information.

D205 Foundation Art Contest (submissions due Friday, March 26): What has inspired you to create art throughout the pandemic? Foundation 205 is looking to showcase the talent and creativity of any willing art students in D205! Help us create a winning t-shirt design and/or contribute to a Foundation calendar/notecard. T-shirt designs must be in black & white for easy transfer to screen print. The calendar/notecard artwork can be in any color and any medium.

Notecards - 2 winners per school
Calendar - 1 winner per school
T-Shirt - 1 winner overall

Please submit your inspiring designs based on the theme “What has inspired you to create art during the pandemic?” to your art teacher, Ms. Serrata, by March 26th. Original works are required, but will be returned by the first week of May. Please make sure to label with your full name and school. Winning products will be available for purchase with proceeds to benefit Foundation 205. Visit the D205 Foundation website for specific guidelines.

Impact for Education Awards (March 9-April 9): Last year, Foundation 205 created the Impact for Education Award program as a way for families to recognize educators in a personal way while also supporting Foundation 205 and local Elmhurst businesses. In its inaugural year, Foundation 205 packaged and delivered over 1,700 awards and invested more than $25,000 back into the Elmhurst business community.

With this success, Foundation 205 will organize it again from March 9th- April 9th. Each Impact for Education Award costs $25. This includes a $5 donation to Foundation 205 and a $20 gift certificate to a local business. Families can choose from a list of business partners and submit a personal message to each teacher. Foundation 205 will deliver each gift card with the accompanying note during Teacher Appreciation Week at the beginning of May. To see a list of participating businesses and purchase an Impact for Education Award beginning March 9th, please visit: https://elmhurst205.networkforgood.com/events/27234-impact-for-education-2021

5Essentials Survey (Action Requested): The 5Essentials parent survey is now open. This survey will allow you and your child (in grades 4 through 12) to share thoughts on important elements of school effectiveness at your child’s school. To take the parent survey please visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/ and select the appropriate survey to begin. You will need to enter the county (DuPage) and school name. Our current response rate is 17% and we need it to be at least 20% to receive a report. Reports will be sent to schools and districts in June 2021 and data will also be included in the State School Report Card. Students in grades 4-5 will take the survey at our school in March. Under the Protection of Pupil Rights Act 20 U.S.C. Section 1232(c) (1) (A), you have the right to review a copy of the questions on the student survey. If you do not want your son or daughter to participate in the survey, fill out a non-participation form and return it to school. Please be aware that student participation rates are one measure that the state uses in its accountability system for our schools.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact 5Essentials Client Services at 1-866-440-1874 or 5essentials@uchicago.edu. Thank you for your participation!

Bryan PTA Volunteers Needed: Attention 5th grade parents! The Bryan PTA is looking for volunteers for board positions and/or committees for 2021-2022 school year. Please reach out to Jane Loser (janeloeser13@gmail.com) if you are interested or have any questions.

D205 Food Services to Offer Free Daily Meal Bags: The Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 Food Services Department is helping connect school and families during hybrid learning by offering free meal kits for ALL children! An optional shelf stable, one-day meal bag each day will be available at dismissal time for students in grades K-12. Breakfast for the following morning is included in the bag as well. Families with allergy concerns or other dietary restrictions should contact your school nurse’s office to discuss your child’s specific situation before allowing your child to bring home a meal kit. If you do not want your child to take a meal kit home, please tell your child and let the school nurse know. The food items offered in the lunch bag each day will vary. If your child is taking a meal kit home, please remind them that food is not to be eaten on the bus, and the food should not be shared with anyone due to concerns with food allergies and other dietary restrictions.

D205 Meal Service FREE to ALL Students: D205 offers 7-day, breakfast & lunch, heat-and-eat meal bags for ALL children. No pre-order or ID is required. Pickup is Mondays and Wednesdays at the following locations:

York High School, Main Entrance Door #3
Bryan Middle School, East Entrance Door #13
Churchville Middle School, Main Entrance Door #1
Sandburg Middle School, Main Entrance Door #3

March 2021 Dates:

Wednesday 3/17 - 1:45PM-3:00PM
Monday 3/22 - 3:30PM-5:00PM
Wednesday 3/24 - 1:45PM-3:00PM
Monday 3/29 - 10AM-12PM *Note earlier pick up time
Wednesday 3/31 - NO PICK UP - Spring Break
Monday 4/5 - 3:30PM-5:00PM

Please help everyone to stay safe by wearing your mask and staying inside your car (roll down back windows or open the trunk to receive the meal kits). Thank you!

Technology/Chromebook Support: If you are having technical issues with your D205 device or your device is not working properly, please contact elearninghelp@elmhurst205.org. For help with your other tech needs, you may email Jefferson’s tech assistant, Ms. Strong, at lstrong@jefferson205.org. The district parent website has some helpful tips for WiFi issues here.

Daily Health Self-Certification Process: A daily health self-certification must be completed for every student by 8:00AM each day before entering the school. Text YES to 67587 to receive a daily text message reminder to fill out the self-certification form. A daily email will also be sent to the parents/guardians of any students attending in person. Your username is your student’s 5-digit PowerSchool ID (ex: 12345) and the password is your student's date of birth in mmddyyyy format (ex: 01011975). Thank you for helping to keep our school community safe!

D205 COVID-19 Dashboard: The Open D205 COVID-19 Dashboard has been created in an effort to keep the community informed of local transmission data. The Dashboard will be updated every Monday and includes information on county, district, and city data.

Student Late Arrival Days: Wednesdays are remote learning days for students. References to late arrivals in the 2020-21 school calendar only apply to teachers at this time and until further notice. Students will report on Wednesdays for remote learning as they would on the other days of the week.

District 205 School Calendar 2020-2021: Refer to the Elmhurst D205 school calendar for the 2020-2021 year & specific Student Late Arrival dates.

Week 25: March 9, 2021

IMPORTANT DATES & UPCOMING EVENTS

March 1 - March 12 - D205 Elementary School Shamrock Hunt
March 9 - Eat & Earn at McDonald's, 4:00PM-8:00PM
March 10 - Virtual PTA Meeting, 7:30PM (zoom link)
March 19 - 2nd Trimester SBR’s available in PowerSchool
March 26 - Foundation 205 Art Contest submissions due
March 29-April 2 - Spring Break, No School - ENJOY!
April 5 - Classes Resume - WELCOME BACK!
April 14 - Virtual PTA Meeting, 7:30PM

JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY PTA

PTA Meeting (Wednesday, March 10): The next Jefferson PTA meeting is on Wednesday, March 10th at 7:30PM. This month our First Grade Team (Mrs. Fullerton, Mrs. Klink, Ms. Muller) will join us to to share about learning in first grade. This is a good opportunity to ask any questions or give feedback to our Teachers and the PTA Board. Mrs. Discipio, the Bryan Middle School Principal, will also be in attendance. Please join us! Click here to review minutes from last month's meeting.

Zoom Meeting Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82251102405?pwd=dWtaN2s5SFRtQzBHSTA1TlduMnFRQT09
Meeting ID: 822 5110 2405
Passcode: 734490

PTA Volunteers Needed: The PTA Nominating Committee has begun to work on filling volunteer roles for the Board and multiple committees for the 2021-2022 school year. All current PTA members in good standing are welcome and encouraged to volunteer! If you are interested in volunteering in any capacity, please contact the Jefferson PTA Treasurer, Meredith Vogel (jeffersonelmtreasurer@gmail.com)

Playground Slide Repair - Volunteers Needed: Calling ALL handy people! The parts to repair the playground slide have arrived. Good weather is finally here so let's get the playground ready for our students to enjoy! Anyone willing to help with the slide repair or has access to tools, please contact Meghan Hood(meghan.l.hood@gmail.com).

Stay Connected 2020-2021: Follow the Jefferson PTA on Instagram, Twitter, or join Families of Jefferson 205 Facebook group.

SCHOOL EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

Drop Off/Pick Up Procedure Reminder: Please review the following procedures for daily drop off/pick up at Jefferson. Thank you for your cooperation and for helping to keep everyone safe!

Do NOT park on Crescent Avenue during drop-off and pick-up times. This causes safety issues for students and families crossing the street at the crosswalks.
Please park on any of the side streets and walk to the school grounds to drop off/pick up your child.
Remember the drop off/pick up area along Crescent Avenue and the Jefferson parking lots are designated as No Idle Zones. With all students back in school, the influx of vehicles has the potential to increase hazardous air flow for the students walking by, especially our smallest kindergarteners that exit right out front along Crescent Avenue.
Remember to wear a mask and socially distance from others during drop off/pick up times.

5th Grade Memory Book (Orders due Friday, March 19): Last Chance! 5th Grade Memory books must be ordered by Friday, March 19th. Check your email from your Room Parents for the details. This memory book promises to be a special keepsake of your child’s time at Jefferson.

Dr. Podraza's One Million Page Challenge: Dr. Podraza has challenged the school to read 1,000,000 pages by the end of the school year. If Jefferson students achieve this milestone, there will be a whole school "read out" picnic at the end of the year. Classes will be competing against other classes in their grade level for monthly rewards as well. If the school reaches 500,000 pages, Dr. Podraza will read a book on top of the school! To help our school reach this goal, we encourage families to read with their children and give them ample time to read themselves at home. Students will have an opportunity to log their pages at school, but can also log their pages at home by using the grade level Google Form below.

Thank you for your participation in this fun event! We look forward to celebrating our reading success as a whole school!

FUNDRAISING

Eat & Earn at McDonald's (Tuesday, March 9, 4:00PM-8:00PM): It's SHAMROCK SHAKE time! McDonald's of Elmhurst (190 E. Butterfield Rd) is hosting a fundraiser for the Jefferson PTA. It's the perfect place to grab an after school snack or enjoy dinner! Just mention Jefferson Elementary PTA when you order on Tuesday, March 9 from 4:00PM-8:00PM and McDonald's will donate 20% of qualifying sales to the Jefferson Elementary School PTA. What a delicious way to raise money! Invite your family, friends and neighbors. Click here for details.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

One Jefferson, One Book Program: It’s a wrap! The first ever One Jefferson, One Book program ended on March 5th. Thank you to everyone who followed the adventures of Charlotte, Wilbur, Fern and friends throughout all 22 chapters where we learned about kindness and friendship. Many Jefferson Elementary parents, teachers and staff members had a role in making this program special. Even members of the community got involved! A very special THANK YOU to:

Dr. Podraza for supporting this program and helping every step of the way.
Jefferson teachers and staff for taking the time to read the story, do activities in class and engage the students.
Mrs. Leban, Ms. Serratta, Mrs. McCarthy and Ms. LeResche for creating choice boards for the specials.
Michelle Guerino for making sure that everyone received a book and cool bookmark.
All the talented Jefferson parents who took time in their busy days to create something special for the students: Janet Taylor (Art choice Board), Michael Symber (How to Draw Wilbur Tutorial), Jill Bissell (Cookie Decorating Tutorial), Kanako Shuaipaj (outdoor decorations & bookmarks), Cathy Dykes (Trivia coordinator), Kathy Fromm & Ginger Malcolm (activities, website & newsletter).
Student Council for creating awesome Spirit Days surrounding the book theme of kindness and friendship.
Elmhurst Children’s Theatre for a special reading of Chapter 21 and Q&A session.
Mr. Grosso (Sandburg Math teacher & Author) for opening and closing the program.
Miss Jamie (Musical Artist) for opening and closing the program.
Ms. Diamond (Bryan MS Family & Consumer Science teacher) for the Charlotte's Web themed cooking tutorial.

We hope you enjoyed this program as much as we enjoyed making it happen. The activities will remain live on the One Jefferson, One Book website for a while longer, so students can still have fun! If you have suggestions for next year’s book, please reach out to the One Jefferson, One Book committee (Rachell Buhler, Cathy Dykes, Ioana Fernandez, Kathy Fromm, Gina Lascody, Mrs. Leban, Kanako Shuaipaj & Jess Testani).

Amazon Smile: Thank you to everyone who shops using Amazon Smile. Jefferson PTA earned about $100 this quarter just by you shopping using Amazon Smile! You shop and Amazon gives! It is the same Amazon you know...same products, services, and prices. There is no extra cost to you for using Amazon Smile. If you want to join, simply go to Smile.Amazon.com and sign in using your normal Amazon login. Search "Jefferson PTA Inc" and add us as your charitable organization. Then go to your Amazon Smile settings and follow the instructions to turn on Amazon Smile. Every time you shop using Amazon Smile, Jefferson PTA receives 0.5%. Thanks again for your support!

DISTRICT NEWS

D205 Elementary School Shamrock Hunt (March 1-March 12): Calling all Shamrock Hunters! Join the fun with the first-ever D205 All Elementary School Shamrock Hunt taking place from March 1 - March 12. Locate 15 out of 25 shamrocks in the windows of beloved Elmhurst businesses and restaurants along York Street and Spring Road as well as some of your favorite public buildings. The elementary school that has the most students participate by percentage will win a special school prize to be delivered on Wednesday, March 17th! Click here for the Entry Form. Completed entry forms can be: 1) dropped off in the specially marked PTA drop box by the Jefferson main office entrance, 2) posted directly to this Google drive, or 3) emailed to the Jefferson PTA President, Meghan Hood (meghan.l.hood@gmail.com). For more information or to post pictures, follow the 2021 Shamrock Hunt Facebook page. Let's show Elmhurst that Jefferson has the best Shamrock Hunters! Go Tigers!

Elmhurst Music Boosters Eat & Earn (Wednesday, March 10, 5:00PM-9:00PM): The Elmhurst Music Boosters will be hosting an Eat & Earn on Wednesday, March 10th at the Elmhurst Chipotle on St. Charles Rd. and Route 83 from 5:00PM-9:00PM. Please see the information flyer in ENGLISH and SPANISH.

REACH Parent Group Meeting (Friday, March 12, 11:30AM): Join the ZoomMeeting ID: 895 6168 2099, Passcode: 572018. Duration estimated at 60-90 minutes. Hear from York freshmen, former REACH Program students and creators of Tuesday Technologies "Tools for students, by students", Jeffrey Lu and Joe Byrne. They will share their executive functioning tools, partially built in response to being more effective AP/Honors, high school learners, juggling extracurricular activities, volunteer/work demands and other commitments. Leslie Weber plans on attending. Open to all D205 parents. Please join us!

Can't make the meeting? You can find minutes and/or links soon afterward, on our website and on social media.

The Virtual Bryan Treasure Hunt (sign-up Friday, March 12, 7:00AM): For years, the Bryan Treasure Hunt has been the only fundraiser for the Bryan PTA and a super fun spring activity for our Bryan parents and other Elmhurst adults. In the past, teams would wait in line in the early morning to sign up for limited spots to compete. On the day of the Hunt, teams of up to 6 people (often in themed apparel) would race around town collecting clues and solving riddles to be the fastest team to arrive at the finish line. All teams would then join together for food and drink, raffles and to await the announcement of the winner! Many, many people in our community shared their time, their talents, their homes, their business and other resources to make the Hunt come alive...

The Bryan tradition will live on this year! The Bryan Treasure Hunt will take place virtually on Saturday, April 17th at 7:00PM. Sign-ups are Friday, March 12th at 7:00AM. A special bonus will be given to the first 10 teams to sign up!

Planning for 2021-22 Thought Exchange (deadline Monday, March 15): D205 families are encouraged to join in a special conversation about plans for the 2021-22 school year. Your feedback is essential to help establish community priorities and tailor future feedback opportunities. We seek to develop plans and resources for the specific needs of our school community as we pursue in-person learning with full-day schedules, five days per week for all students while maintaining high standards for health and safety.

The feedback tool called Thoughtexchange is being used to gather your input for next school year. Many of you may already be familiar with similar District exchanges about topics such as the referendum and Thrive D205 initiative.

You will be asked to answer one, open-ended question with as many responses as you like and then move onto the next step which is called Star. In Star, you will see your thoughts as well as the thoughts of others and assign stars to each thought (from 1-5) depending on how strongly you agree or support that idea.

Thoughtexchange keeps confidential who shared each thought and who assigned what ratings. You can rate as many thoughts as you would like before moving on to see all thoughts sorted by the average star rating.

You can also navigate by using the bar across the top to go back and share more ideas or star some more thoughts at any time. We thank you in advance for your participation. Please click here to begin sharing your thoughts on planning for the 2021-2022 school year.

D205 PTA York Scholarship Fundraiser - See's Yum-raising (orders due Friday, March 19): D205 PTA is raising money for our York Seniors! Please help make the Scholarships sweeter this year by ordering some See's Candy for your Spring Holiday! CLICK HERE to order. Orders will be shipped directly to the purchaser's home. The last day to order is March 19th! Invite your family, friends and neighbors to support this great fundraiser!

York Student Council Freshman Book Drive for SCARCE (March 1-March 22):Got used books to donate? The York Student Council Freshmen are holding a book drive as their service project to benefit SCARCE. A donation box is located in the Jefferson main office entrance. All books are welcome! SCARCE is School & Community Assistance for Recycling and Composting Education. Click Scarce.org for more information.

D205 Foundation Art Contest (submissions due Friday, March 26): What has inspired you to create art throughout the pandemic? Foundation 205 is looking to showcase the talent and creativity of any willing art students in D205! Help us create a winning t-shirt design and/or contribute to a Foundation calendar/notecard. T-shirt designs must be in black & white for easy transfer to screen print. The calendar/notecard artwork can be in any color and any medium.

Notecards - 2 winners per school
Calendar - 1 winner per school
T-Shirt - 1 winner overall

Please submit your inspiring designs based on the theme “What has inspired you to create art during the pandemic?” to your art teacher, Ms. Serrata, by March 26th. Original works are required, but will be returned by the first week of May. Please make sure to label with your full name and school. Winning products will be available for purchase with proceeds to benefit Foundation 205. Visit the D205 Foundation website for specific guidelines.

Impact for Education Awards (March 9-April 9): Last year, Foundation 205 created the Impact for Education Award program as a way for families to recognize educators in a personal way while also supporting Foundation 205 and local Elmhurst businesses. In its inaugural year, Foundation 205 packaged and delivered over 1,700 awards and invested more than $25,000 back into the Elmhurst business community.

With this success, Foundation 205 will organize it again from March 9th- April 9th. Each Impact for Education Award costs $25. This includes a $5 donation to Foundation 205 and a $20 gift certificate to a local business. Families can choose from a list of business partners and submit a personal message to each teacher. Foundation 205 will deliver each gift card with the accompanying note during Teacher Appreciation Week at the beginning of May. To see a list of participating businesses and purchase an Impact for Education Award beginning March 9th, please visit: https://elmhurst205.networkforgood.com/events/27234-impact-for-education-2021

5Essentials Survey (Action Requested): The 5Essentials parent survey is now open. This survey will allow you and your child (in grades 4 through 12) to share thoughts on important elements of school effectiveness at your child’s school. To take the parent survey please visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/ and select the appropriate survey to begin. You will need to enter the county (DuPage) and school name. Our current response rate is 14% and we need it to be at least 20% to receive a report. Reports will be sent to schools and districts in June 2021 and data will also be included in the State School Report Card. Students in grades 4-5 will take the survey at our school in March. Under the Protection of Pupil Rights Act 20 U.S.C. Section 1232(c) (1) (A), you have the right to review a copy of the questions on the student survey. If you do not want your son or daughter to participate in the survey, fill out a non-participation form and return it to school. Please be aware that student participation rates are one measure that the state uses in its accountability system for our schools.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact 5Essentials Client Services at 1-866-440-1874 or 5essentials@uchicago.edu. Thank you for your participation!

Bryan PTA Volunteers Needed: Attention 5th grade parents! The Bryan PTA is looking for volunteers for board positions and/or committees for 2021-2022 school year. Please reach out to Jane Loser (janeloeser13@gmail.com) if you are interested or have any questions.

D205 Food Services to Offer Free Daily Meal Bags: The Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 Food Services Department is helping connect school and families during hybrid learning by offering free meal kits for ALL children! An optional shelf stable, one-day meal bag each day will be available at dismissal time for students in grades K-12. Breakfast for the following morning is included in the bag as well. Families with allergy concerns or other dietary restrictions should contact your school nurse’s office to discuss your child’s specific situation before allowing your child to bring home a meal kit. If you do not want your child to take a meal kit home, please tell your child and let the school nurse know. The food items offered in the lunch bag each day will vary. If your child is taking a meal kit home, please remind them that food is not to be eaten on the bus, and the food should not be shared with anyone due to concerns with food allergies and other dietary restrictions.

D205 Meal Service FREE to ALL Students: D205 offers 7-day, breakfast & lunch, heat-and-eat meal bags for ALL children. No pre-order or ID is required. Pickup is Mondays and Wednesdays at the following locations:

York High School, Main Entrance Door #3
Bryan Middle School, East Entrance Door #13
Churchville Middle School, Main Entrance Door #1
Sandburg Middle School, Main Entrance Door #3

March 2021 Dates:

Wednesday 3/10 - 1:45PM-3:00PM
Monday 3/15 - 3:30PM-5:00PM
Wednesday 3/17 - 1:45PM-3:00PM
Monday 3/22 - 3:30PM-5:00PM
Wednesday 3/24 - 1:45PM-3:00PM
Monday 3/29 - 10AM-12PM *Note earlier pick up time
Wednesday 3/31 - NO PICK UP - Spring Break
Monday 4/5 - 3:30PM-5:00PM

Please help everyone to stay safe by wearing your mask and staying inside your car (roll down back windows or open the trunk to receive the meal kits). Thank you!

Technology/Chromebook Support: If you are having technical issues with your D205 device or your device is not working properly, please contact elearninghelp@elmhurst205.org. For help with your other tech needs, you may email Jefferson’s tech assistant, Ms. Strong, at lstrong@jefferson205.org. The district parent website has some helpful tips for WiFi issues here.

Daily Health Self-Certification Process: A daily health self-certification must be completed for every student by 8:00AM each day before entering the school. TextYES to 67587 to receive a daily text message reminder to fill out the self-certification form. A daily email will also be sent to the parents/guardians of any students attending in person. Your username is your student’s 5-digit PowerSchool ID (ex: 12345) and the password is your student's date of birth in mmddyyyy format (ex: 01011975). Thank you for helping to keep our school community safe!

D205 COVID-19 Dashboard: The Open D205 COVID-19 Dashboard has been created in an effort to keep the community informed of local transmission data. The Dashboard will be updated every Monday and includes information on county, district, and city data.

Student Late Arrival Days: Wednesdays are remote learning days for students. References to late arrivals in the 2020-21 school calendar only apply to teachers at this time and until further notice. Students will report on Wednesdays for remote learning as they would on the other days of the week.

District 205 School Calendar 2020-2021: Refer to the Elmhurst D205 school calendar for the 2020-2021 year & specific Student Late Arrival dates.

Week 24: March 2, 2021

IMPORTANT DATES & UPCOMING EVENTS

February 8-March 5 - One Jefferson, One Book program continues - FINAL WEEK!
March 1 - March 12 - D205 Elementary School Shamrock Hunt
March 5 - Student Council Spirit Day - Friendship Day! Celebrate Wilbur & Charlotte’s friendship by dressing the same as your friends
March 8 - The Purpose of Play in your Child's Development Parent Webinar, 6:30PM
March 8 - Bryan Area Board of Education Candidate Forum, 7:00PM
March 9 - Eat & Earn at McDonald's, 4:00PM-8:00PM
March 10 - Virtual PTA Meeting, 7:30PM - 1st grade team presenting. Mrs. Discipio, principal at Bryan Middle School will also be in attendance.
March 19 - 2nd Trimester SBR’s available in PowerSchool
March 26 - Foundation 205 Art Contest submissions due
March 29-April 2 - Spring Break, No School

JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY PTA

Jefferson Return to In-Person Q&A Update: Thank you to those that submitted questions via our Google doc related to the return to in-person learning. Answers to the submitted questions can be found here .

PTA Volunteers Needed: The PTA Nominating Committee has begun to work on filling volunteer roles for the Board and multiple committees for the 2021-2022 school year. All current PTA members in good standing are welcome and encouraged to volunteer! If you are interested in volunteering in any capacity, please contact the Jefferson PTA Treasurer, Meredith Vogel (jeffersonelmtreasurer@gmail.com).

Stay Connected 2020-2021: Follow the Jefferson PTA on Instagram, Twitter, or join Families of Jefferson 205 Facebook group.

SCHOOL EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

One Jefferson, One Book Program (February 8-March 5): It's the final week of the One Jefferson, One Book program. We hope everyone is enjoying reading E.B. White's classic, Charlotte's Web, together. Check out the O ne Jefferson, One Book site and the PTA on social media for details on this program, to get access to all the read-along by chapter videos, as well as the fun at-home activities/tutorials and to see pictures of children/families enjoying this exciting program. Here are some highlights:

Daily Trivia - Book-related trivia questions are being asked daily during Dr. Podraza's morning announcements. Use this Google form to answer the trivia questions. Answers and weekly prize winners are announced during the Friday morning announcements. Click here for prize details.
Read-Along by Chapter Videos - Families can listen and follow along to each chapter read by Jefferson staff members or special guests on the Jefferson YouTube Channel. New chapters are posted daily.
Bingo - Students can also play Bingo & win prizes by marking off squares on their Bingo sheet. There are many fun at-home activities to complete. Upload your Bingo using this Google form in order to win a prize. Click here for prize details.
Student Council Spirit Days - Show your school spirit by participating in the last Student Council spirit day planned for One Jefferson, One Book. Friday, March 5th is Friendship Day! Celebrate Wilbur and Charlotte’s friendship by dressing the same as your friends.
#OneJeffersonOneBook - Share pictures of your family participating in the One Jefferson, One Book program using this Google form.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Kathy Fromm or Ioana Fernandez.

Jefferson Library Book Checkout: Students can now put a hold on up to 4 books at a time from our Jefferson library. Click this link for details.

FUNDRAISING

Eat & Earn at McDonald's (Tuesday, March 9, 4:00PM-8:00PM): It's almost SHAMROCK SHAKE time! McDonald's of Elmhurst (190 E. Butterfield Rd) is hosting a fundraiser for the Jefferson PTA. It's the perfect place to grab an after school snack or enjoy dinner! Just mention Jefferson Elementary PTA when you order on Tuesday, March 9 from 4:00PM-8:00PM and McDonald's will donate 20% of qualifying sales to the Jefferson Elementary School PTA. What a delicious way to raise money! Invite your family, friends and neighbors. Click here for details.

DISTRICT NEWS

D205 Elementary School Shamrock Hunt (March 1-March 12): Calling all Shamrock Hunters! Join the fun with the first-ever D205 All Elementary School Shamrock Hunt taking place from March 1 - March 12. Locate 15 out of 25 shamrocks in the windows of beloved Elmhurst businesses and restaurants along York Street and Spring Road as well as some of your favorite public buildings. The elementary school that has the most students participate by percentage will win a special school prize to be delivered on Wednesday, March 17th! Click here for the Entry Form. Completed entry forms can be: 1) dropped off in the specially marked PTA drop box by the Jefferson main office entrance, 2) posted directly to this Google drive, or 3) emailed to the Jefferson PTA President, Meghan Hood (meghan.l.hood@gmail.com). For more information or to post pictures, follow the 2021 Shamrock Hunt Facebook page. Let's show Elmhurst that Jefferson has the best Shamrock Hunters! Go Tigers!

Parent Webinar "The Purpose of Play in your Child's Development" (Monday, March 8, 6:30PM-8:00PM): District 205 is proud to present a parent information session to share the benefits of play for your child! We will share how we are incorporating purposeful play into our EC and Kindergarten classrooms to benefit our students both socially and academically as we work to educate the whole child. We will also share tips for incorporating purposeful play at home! We hope you can join us! Ms. Lindsay will be presenting! Please RSVP using this LINK. An email confirmation and the link to the webinar will be sent to you 48-hours prior to the event.

Bryan Area Board of Education Candidate Forum (Monday, March 8): April 6th is our local election day and there are six candidates running for three spots on the D205 Board of Education. Bryan PTA is partnering with our feeder elementary school PTAs at Jackson, Jefferson and Lincoln to host a Board of Education candidate forum. This event will take place at 7:00PM on March 8th, and all 6 candidates have been invited. The event is open to all schools. All candidates will be asked the same few questions and be given equal time to speak. This is intended to be an informational event to serve as an opportunity to educate our school community on the perspectives of each candidate. Per National PTA Bylaws, PTAs do not endorse candidates. RSVP (with an option to suggest questions) required here. Zoom link will be shared with those who complete RSVP registration before 5:00PM on day of the event.

REACH Parent Group Meeting (Friday, March 12, 11:30AM): Join the ZoomMeeting ID: 895 6168 2099, Passcode: 572018. Duration estimated at 60-90 minutes. Hear from York freshmen, former REACH Program students and creators of Tuesday Technologies "Tools for students, by students", Jeffrey Lu and Joe Byrne. They will share their executive functioning tools, partially built in response to being more effective AP/Honors, high school learners, juggling extracurricular activities, volunteer/work demands and other commitments. Leslie Weber plans on attending. Open to all D205 parents. Please join us!

Can't make the meeting? You can find minutes and/or links soon afterward, on our website and on social media.

York Student Council Freshman Book Drive for SCARCE (March 1-March 22):Got used books to donate? The York Student Council Freshmen are holding a book drive as their service project to benefit SCARCE. A donation box is located in the vestibule by the York HS main office. All books are welcome! SCARCE is School & Community Assistance for Recycling and Composting Education. Click Scarce.org for more information.

D205 Foundation Art Contest (submissions due Friday, March 26): What has inspired you to create art throughout the pandemic? Foundation 205 is looking to showcase the talent and creativity of any willing art students in D205! Help us create a winning t-shirt design and/or contribute to a Foundation calendar/notecard. T-shirt designs must be in black & white for easy transfer to screen print. The calendar/notecard artwork can be in any color and any medium.

Notecards - 2 winners per school
Calendar - 1 winner per school
T-Shirt - 1 winner overall

Please submit your inspiring designs based on the theme “What has inspired you to create art during the pandemic?” to your art teacher, Ms. Serrata, by March 26th. Original works are required, but will be returned by the first week of May. Please make sure to label with your full name and school. Winning products will be available for purchase with proceeds to benefit Foundation 205. Visit the D205 Foundation website for specific guidelines.

Impact for Education Awards (March 9-April 9): Last year, Foundation 205 created the Impact for Education Award program as a way for families to recognize educators in a personal way while also supporting Foundation 205 and local Elmhurst businesses. In its inaugural year, Foundation 205 packaged and delivered over 1,700 awards and invested more than $25,000 back into the Elmhurst business community.

With this success, Foundation 205 will organize it again from March 9th- April 9th. Each Impact for Education Award costs $25. This includes a $5 donation to Foundation 205 and a $20 gift certificate to a local business. Families can choose from a list of business partners and submit a personal message to each teacher. Foundation 205 will deliver each gift card with the accompanying note during Teacher Appreciation Week at the beginning of May. To see a list of participating businesses and purchase an Impact for Education Award beginning March 9th, please visit: https://elmhurst205.networkforgood.com/events/27234-impact-for-education-2021

5Essentials Survey (Action Requested): The 5Essentials parent survey is now open. This survey will allow you and your child (in grades 4 through 12) to share thoughts on important elements of school effectiveness at your child’s school. To take the parent survey please visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/ and select the appropriate survey to begin. You will need to enter the county (DuPage) and school name. Our current response rate is 13% and we need it to be at least 20% to receive a report. Reports will be sent to schools and districts in June 2021 and data will also be included in the State School Report Card. Students in grades 4-5 will take the survey at our school in March. Under the Protection of Pupil Rights Act 20 U.S.C. Section 1232(c) (1) (A), you have the right to review a copy of the questions on the student survey. If you do not want your son or daughter to participate in the survey, fill out a non-participation form and return it to school. Please be aware that student participation rates are one measure that the state uses in its accountability system for our schools.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact 5Essentials Client Services at 1-866-440-1874 or 5essentials@uchicago.edu. Thank you for your participation!

Bryan PTA Volunteers Needed: Attention 5th grade parents! The Bryan PTA is looking for volunteers for board positions and/or committees for 2021-2022 school year. Please reach out to Jane Loser (janeloeser13@gmail.com) if you are interested or have any questions.

D205 Food Services to Offer Free Daily Meal Bags: The Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 Food Services Department is helping connect school and families during hybrid learning by offering free meal kits for ALL children! An optional shelf stable, one-day meal bag each day will be available at dismissal time for students in grades K-12. Breakfast for the following morning is included in the bag as well. Families with allergy concerns or other dietary restrictions should contact your school nurse’s office to discuss your child’s specific situation before allowing your child to bring home a meal kit. If you do not want your child to take a meal kit home, please tell your child and let the school nurse know. The food items offered in the lunch bag each day will vary. If your child is taking a meal kit home, please remind them that food is not to be eaten on the bus, and the food should not be shared with anyone due to concerns with food allergies and other dietary restrictions.

D205 Meal Service FREE to ALL Students: D205 offers 7-day, breakfast & lunch, heat-and-eat meal bags for ALL children. No pre-order or ID is required. Pickup is Mondays and Wednesdays at the following locations:

York High School, Main Entrance Door #3
Bryan Middle School, East Entrance Door #13
Churchville Middle School, Main Entrance Door #1
Sandburg Middle School, Main Entrance Door #3

March 2021 Dates:

Wednesday 3/3 - 1:45PM-3:00PM
Monday 3/8 - 3:30PM-5:00PM
Wednesday 3/10 - 1:45PM-3:00PM
Monday 3/15 - 3:30PM-5:00PM
Wednesday 3/17 - 1:45PM-3:00PM
Monday 3/22 - 3:30PM-5:00PM
Wednesday 3/24 - 1:45PM-3:00PM
Monday 3/29 - 10AM-12PM *Note earlier pick up time
Wednesday 3/31 - NO PICK UP - Spring Break
Monday 4/5 - 3:30PM-5:00PM

Please help everyone to stay safe by wearing your mask and staying inside your car (roll down back windows or open the trunk to receive the meal kits). Thank you!

Technology/Chromebook Support: If you are having technical issues with your D205 device or your device is not working properly, please contact elearninghelp@elmhurst205.org. For help with your other tech needs, you may email Jefferson’s tech assistant, Ms. Strong, at lstrong@jefferson205.org. The district parent website has some helpful tips for WiFi issues here.

Daily Health Self-Certification Process: A daily health self-certification must be completed for every student by 8:00AM each day before entering the school. TextYES to 67587 to receive a daily text message reminder to fill out the self-certification form. A daily email will also be sent to the parents/guardians of any students attending in person. Your username is your student’s 5-digit PowerSchool ID (ex: 12345) and the password is your student's date of birth in mmddyyyy format (ex: 01011975). Thank you for helping to keep our school community safe!

D205 COVID-19 Dashboard: The Open D205 COVID-19 Dashboard has been created in an effort to keep the community informed of local transmission data. The Dashboard will be updated every Monday and includes information on county, district, and city data.

Student Late Arrival Days: Wednesdays are remote learning days for students. References to late arrivals in the 2020-21 school calendar only apply to teachers at this time and until further notice. Students will report on Wednesdays for remote learning as they would on the other days of the week.

District 205 School Calendar 2020-2021: Refer to the Elmhurst D205 school calendar for the 2020-2021 year & specific Student Late Arrival dates.

Week 23: February 23, 2021

IMPORTANT DATES & UPCOMING EVENTS

February 8-March 5 - One Jefferson, One Book program continues
February 24 - Wednesday (A) Student Attendance Day (3rd-5th Grade)
February 26 - 3rd-5th Grade Asynchronous Instruction Day
February 27 - Tri-Middle School Trivia Night, 7:00PM-9:00PM
March 1 - 3rd-5th Grade Full Return to In-Person Instruction
March 2 - Picture Day! All students - Remote students will be at 1:30PM-2:30PM (Click here for details)
March 1-2 - 2nd Grade CoGAT Testing
March 5 - Student Council Spirit Day - Friendship Day! Celebrate Wilbur & Charlotte’s friendship by dressing the same as your friends
March 9 - Eat & Earn at McDonald's, 4:00PM-8:00PM
March 10 - Virtual PTA Meeting, 7:30PM
March 19 - 2nd Trimester SBR’s available in PowerSchool
March 26 - Foundation 205 Art Contest deadline
March 29-April 2 - Spring Break, No School

JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY PTA

Jefferson Return to In-Person Q&A Update: Thank you to those that submitted questions via our Google doc related to the return to in-person learning. Answers to the submitted questions can be found here. Please note some questions need to be answered by the board or other schools. A response will be sent as soon as possible.

PTA Volunteers Needed: The PTA Nominating Committee has begun to work on filling volunteer roles for the Board and multiple committees for the 2021-2022 school year. All current PTA members in good standing are welcome and encouraged to volunteer! If you are interested in volunteering in any capacity, please contact the Jefferson PTA Treasurer, Meredith Vogel (jeffersonelmtreasurer@gmail.com).

Stay Connected 2020-2021: Follow the Jefferson PTA on Instagram, Twitter, or join Families of Jefferson 205 Facebook group.

SCHOOL EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

Return to In-Person Learning Details: Students have begun their return to school on a rolling basis (Kindergarten-1st Grade: 2/16; 2nd Grade: 2/22, 3rd-5th Grade: 3/1). An asynchronous day of instruction is planned for students in Grades 3-5 on Friday 2/26 to allow Jefferson teachers to get classrooms ready. Teachers will communicate the plans for that asynchronous day with families. Students should login into their classroom from 8:35AM-8:45AM on that Friday to take attendance and for teachers to review the plan with students.

Additional details:

Students may keep materials at school in their desk or locker.
Students will continue to enter the building from their designated door. Each student needs to have their ID badge ready to be scanned. Students may now enter the building at 8:00AM.
Students will have specials in the specials classroom starting on 2/16. Students may continue to bring a towel, blanket or another small mat to sit on when they go to specials or for snack time.
During inclement weather, snack will be indoors in both the MPR and Gym. Students will eat for 15 minutes and then return to their classrooms to finish their break time. Students will have PE in their classroom on these inclement weather days due to the gym being used for snack time.
Students will have the opportunity to play on the playground when the weather permits. They must wear a mask, maintain social distancing and wash their hands before and after use of the playground.
More information about instruction when students must quarantine is forthcoming as well as more details regarding student vacations.

Hybrid Calendars: Please follow the below schedule for this week.

Monday-Wednesday: Group A (K-2 Full In-Person)
Thursday: Group B (K-2 Full In-Person)
Friday: Asynchronous for Grades 3-5, K-2 Full In-Person

School schedules have been adjusted accordingly to ensure equitable opportunities for D205 students. Grades K-1 began attending in-person five days per week on 2/17. Grade 2 began attending five days per week on 2/22. Grades 3-5 to attend five days per week beginning 3/1.

Picture Day (March 2): Picture Day is officially on March 2nd for all students, both remote and in-person. Remote students will have the opportunity to have their picture taken at 1:30PM-2:30PM. Please click here for more information on how to pre-pay.

One Jefferson, One Book Program (February 8-March 5): We are now in our 3rd week of the One Jefferson, One Book program. We hope everyone is enjoying reading E.B. White's classic, Charlotte's Web, together. Check out the O ne Jefferson, One Book site and the PTA on social media for details on this program, to get access to all the read-along by chapter videos, as well as the fun at-home activities/tutorials and to see pictures of children/families enjoying this exciting program. Here are some highlights:

Daily Trivia - Book-related trivia questions are being asked daily during Dr. Podraza's morning announcements. Answers are collected using this Google form. Answers to the trivia questions & weekly prize winners are announced during the Friday morning announcements. Click here for prize details.
Read-Along by Chapter Videos - Families can listen and follow along to each chapter read by Jefferson staff members or special guests on the Jefferson YouTube Channel. New chapters are posted daily.
Bingo - Students can also play Bingo & win prizes by marking off squares on their Bingo sheet. There are many fun at-home activities to complete. Upload your Bingo using this Google form in order to win a prize. Click here for prize details.
Student Council Spirit Days - Show your school spirit by participating in the last Student Council spirit day planned for One Jefferson, One Book. Friday, March 5th is Friendship Day! Celebrate Wilbur and Charlotte’s friendship by dressing the same as your friends.
#OneJeffersonOneBook - Share pictures of your family participating in the One Jefferson, One Book program using this Google form.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Kathy Fromm or Ioana Fernandez.

Jefferson Library Book Checkout: Students can now put a hold on up to 4 books at a time from our Jefferson library. Click this link for details.

FUNDRAISING

Eat & Earn at McDonald's (Tuesday, March 9, 4:00PM-8:00PM): It's almost SHAMROCK SHAKE time! McDonald's of Elmhurst (190 E. Butterfield Rd) is hosting a fundraiser for the Jefferson PTA. It's the perfect place to grab an after school snack or enjoy dinner! Just mention Jefferson Elementary PTA when you order on Tuesday, March 9 from 4:00PM-8:00PM and McDonald's will donate 20% of qualifying sales to the Jefferson Elementary School PTA. What a delicious way to raise money! Invite your family, friends and neighbors. Click here for details.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Family Math Night with Mathnasium: A great time was had by all at the Jefferson Family Math Night with Mathnasium! Thank you to the committee chair, Cathy Dykes, as well as all the teachers and families that made this event such a success!

DISTRICT NEWS

Bryan PTA Volunteers Needed: Attention 5th grade parents! The Bryan PTA is looking for volunteers for board positions and/or committees for 2021-2022 school year. Please reach out to Jane Loser (janeloeser13@gmail.com) if you are interested or have any questions.

D205 Elementary School Shamrock Hunt (March 1-March 12): Calling all Shamrock Hunters! Join the fun with the first-ever D205 All Elementary School Shamrock Hunt taking place from March 1 - March 12. Locate all 15 out of 25 shamrocks in the windows of beloved Elmhurst businesses and restaurants along York Street and Spring Rd as well as some of your favorite public buildings. The elementary school that has the most students participate by percentage will win a special school prize to be delivered on Wednesday, March 17th! Entry forms will be available on social media, the PTA website and Tiger Beat starting Monday March 1. Completed forms can be dropped off in the specially marked PTA drop box by the main office entrance! Let's show Elmhurst that Jefferson has the best Shamrock Hunters! Go Tigers!

Tri-Middle School Trivia Night (Saturday, February 27, 7:00PM-9:00PM): Gather up your family and friends for an evening of virtual fun to support ALL THREE Elmhurst Middle Schools! There will be 2 rounds of trivia with a special celebrity CAMEO appearance during intermission. Prizes will be awarded for the THREE highest scoring teams. Click HERE for registration details and to purchase 50/50 Split the Pot raffle tickets. This link will take you to the Churchville Memberhub site.

Registration Details:

Team Registration, 2 or More Players (Suggested Max of 12), $20 per player: Pull together a group of the sharpest minds from your middle school and create a team of champions! Team Captain registers team and makes one payment for your team (individual team members should not register/pay separately).
Family Registration, $35.00 per family: So you think your family can work together to take the top prize!? Use this option to register as a family.
Solo Player Registration, $20.00: Going it solo? “Look at the big brain on Brad!” Register your team of one using the Solo Player option.
Additional information (Zoom & Kahoot Links, etc.) will be forwarded to each registration contact prior to the event.

50/50 Split the Pot Raffle: First 3 numbers drawn share the split pot (60%, 25%, 15%) with a BONUS 4^th number drawn receiving a Hive House gift certificate.

D205 Foundation Art Contest (due Friday, March 26): The D205 Foundation is excited to announce a contest for students across the district to show off their incredible creativity and artistic talents by creating art based on the theme “What has inspired you to create art during the pandemic?” The contest will run from February 8th until Friday, March 26th. Students can submit artwork for a t-shirt design and/or for notecards/calendar. T-shirt designs must be in black & white for easy transfer to screen print. The calendar and notecard artwork can be in any color and any medium. At least three artworks will be selected from every school! Submissions are due to Ms. Serrata, Jefferson's Art teacher, by March 26th. See the flyer for additional details or visit the D205 Foundation website. The winning designs for the T-shirts as well as the notecards and calendar will be for sale displaying the winning design.

Sandburg Area Board of Education Candidate Forum: Click here for the recorded Sandburg and feeder school BOE Candidate Forum.

IL PTA Online Safety: Click here for a great article about keeping your kids safe online from the Illinois PTA.

5Essentials Survey (Action Requested): The 5Essentials parent survey is now open. This survey will allow you and your child (in grades 4 through 12) to share thoughts on important elements of school effectiveness at your child’s school. To take the parent survey please visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/ and select the appropriate survey to begin. You will need to enter the county (DuPage) and school name. Our current response rate is 5% and we need it to be at least 20 percent to receive a report. Reports will be sent to schools and districts in June 2021 and data will also be included in the State School Report Card. Students in grades 4-5 will take the survey at our school in March. Under the Protection of Pupil Rights Act 20 U.S.C. Section 1232(c) (1) (A), you have the right to review a copy of the questions on the student survey. If you do not want your son or daughter to participate in the survey, fill out a non-participation form and return it to school. Please be aware that student participation rates are one measure that the state uses in its accountability system for our schools.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact 5Essentials Client Services at 1-866-440-1874 or 5essentials@uchicago.edu. Thank you for your participation!

D205 Food Services to Offer Free Daily Meal Bags: The Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 Food Services Department is helping connect school and families during hybrid learning by offering free meal kits for ALL children! An optional shelf stable, one-day meal bag each day will be available at dismissal time for students in grades K-12. Breakfast for the following morning is included in the bag as well. Families with allergy concerns or other dietary restrictions should contact your school nurse’s office to discuss your child’s specific situation before allowing your child to bring home a meal kit. If you do not want your child to take a meal kit home, please tell your child and let the school nurse know. The food items offered in the lunch bag each day will vary. If your child is taking a meal kit home, please remind them that food is not to be eaten on the bus, and the food should not be shared with anyone due to concerns with food allergies and other dietary restrictions.

D205 Meal Service FREE to ALL Students: D205 offers 7-day, breakfast & lunch, heat-and-eat meal bags for ALL children. No pre-order or ID is required. Pickup is Mondays and Wednesdays at the following locations:

York High School, Main Entrance Door #3
Bryan Middle School, East Entrance Door #13
Churchville Middle School, Main Entrance Door #1
Sandburg Middle School, Main Entrance Door #3

March 2021 Dates:

Monday 3/1 - 3:30PM-5:00PM
Wednesday 3/3 - 1:45PM-3:00PM
Monday 3/8 - 3:30PM-5:00PM
Wednesday 3/10 - 1:45PM-3:00PM
Monday 3/15 - 3:30PM-5:00PM
Wednesday 3/17 - 1:45PM-3:00PM
Monday 3/22 - 3:30PM-5:00PM
Wednesday 3/24 - 1:45PM-3:00PM
Monday 3/29 - 10AM-12PM *Note earlier pick up time
Wednesday 3/31 - NO PICK UP - Spring Break
Monday 4/5 - 3:30PM-5:00PM

Please help everyone to stay safe by wearing your mask and staying inside your car (roll down back windows or open the trunk to receive the meal kits). Thank you!

Technology/Chromebook Support: If you are having technical issues with your D205 device or your device is not working properly, please contact elearninghelp@elmhurst205.org. For help with your other tech needs, you may email Jefferson’s tech assistant, Ms. Strong, at lstrong@jefferson205.org. The district parent website has some helpful tips for WiFi issues here.

Daily Health Self-Certification Process: A daily health self-certification must be completed for every student by 8:00AM each day before entering the school. Text YES to 67587 to receive a daily text message reminder to fill out the self-certification form. A daily email will also be sent to the parents/guardians of any students attending in person. Your username is your student’s 5-digit PowerSchool ID (ex: 12345) and the password is your student's date of birth in mmddyyyy format (ex: 01011975). Thank you for helping to keep our school community safe!

D205 COVID-19 Dashboard: The Open D205 COVID-19 Dashboard has been created in an effort to keep the community informed of local transmission data. The Dashboard will be updated every Monday and includes information on county, district, and city data.

Student Late Arrival Days: Wednesdays are remote learning days for students. References to late arrivals in the 2020-21 school calendar only apply to teachers at this time and until further notice. Students will report on Wednesdays for remote learning as they would on the other days of the week.

District 205 School Calendar 2020-2021: Refer to the Elmhurst D205 school calendar for the 2020-2021 year & specific Student Late Arrival dates.

Week 22: February 16, 2021

IMPORTANT DATES & UPCOMING EVENTS

February 8-March 5 - One Jefferson, One Book program
February 16 - K-1 Full Return to In-Person Instruction - Remote K-1 Students Login at 8:45AM on Zoom for this week
February 16 - Sandburg Area D205 BOE Candidate Forum, 6:45PM
February 17 - Wednesday (A) Student Attendance Day (2nd-5th Grade)
February 17 - Student Council Spirit Day - Kindness Day!
February 18 - Family Math Night, 6:15PM-7:30PM
February 19 - 2nd Grade Asynchronous Instruction Day
February 22 - 2nd Grade Full Return to In-Person Instruction
February 23 - Student Council Spirit Day - Favorite Character Day!
February 24 - Wednesday (B) Student Attendance Day (3rd-5th Grade)
February 26 - 3rd-5th Grade Asynchronous Instruction Day
February 27 - Tri-Middle School Trivia Night, 7:00PM-9:00PM
March 1 - 3rd-5th Grade Full Return to In-Person Instruction
March 2 *NEW DATE* - Picture Day! All students - Remote students will be at 1:30PM-2:30PM (Click here for details)
March 5 - Student Council Spirit Day - Friendship Day!
March 9 - Eat & Earn at McDonald's, 4:00PM-8:00PM

JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY PTA

Couldn't make the February PTA meeting? Click here to review the minutes from the February meeting. These minutes are posted on the Jefferson PTA website shortly after each monthly meeting.

PTA Volunteers Needed: In February, the PTA Nominating Committee will work on filling volunteer roles for the Board and multiple committees for the 2021-2022 school year. All current PTA members in good standing are welcome and encouraged to volunteer! If you are interested in volunteering in any capacity, please contact the Jefferson PTA Treasurer, Meredith Vogel (jeffersonelmtreasurer@gmail.com).

You Are Loved! (Available through February 20): Make someone's day and send your favorite Jefferson Tiger a sign today! Buy one sign for your yard for $20. Buy another sign(s) for Jefferson for $15 each and the PTA will install it on Jefferson grounds. Orders can be placed for the 'You are Loved' signs through February 20th and will be delivered around the first of March.

Let's show ALL our Jefferson Tigers & staff how much they are loved! Click here for the MemberHub Link to purchase your sign(s). Don't forget to post pictures of your Jefferson Tigers with their You Are Loved! signs and tag #Jefferson205love. Please contact Jackie Messina(4messinakids@gmail.com) or Laura West (lwest9@gmail.com) with any questions. Thank you to everyone who already purchased signs!

Stay Connected 2020-2021: Follow the Jefferson PTA on Instagram, Twitter, or join Families of Jefferson 205 Facebook group.

SCHOOL EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

Return to In-Person Learning Details: Students will begin to return to school on a rolling basis (Kindergarten - 1st Grade: 2/16; 2nd Grade: 2/22, 3rd Grade - 5th Grade: 3/1). There will be an asynchronous day of instruction the Friday before (2/19; 2/26) to allow Jefferson teachers to get classrooms ready. Teachers will communicate the plans for that day with families. Students should login into their classroom from 8:35AM-8:45AM on that Friday to take attendance and for teachers to review the plan with students.

Additional details:

Students may keep materials at school in their desk or locker.
Students will continue to enter the building from their designated door. Each student needs to have their ID badge ready to be scanned. Students may now enter the building at 8:00AM due to the increased number of students entering the school.
Students will have specials in the specials classroom starting on 2/16. Students may continue to bring a towel, blanket or other small mat to sit on when they go to specials or for snack time.
During inclement weather, snack will be indoors in both the MPR and Gym. Students will eat for 15 minutes and then return to their classrooms to finish their break time. Students will have PE in their classroom on these inclement weather days due to the gym being used for snack time.
Students will have the opportunity to play on the playground when the weather permits. They must wear a mask, maintain social distancing and wash their hands before and after use of the playground.
More information about instruction when students must quarantine is forthcoming as well as more details regarding student vacations.

Hybrid Calendars: Click here for the February hybrid calendar. Please note the changes to A and B days where a school holiday or an inclement weather day impacts school scheduling. School schedules have been adjusted accordingly to ensure equitable opportunities for D205 students. Grades K-1 to attend five days per week beginning 2/17. Grade 2 to attend five days per week beginning 2/22.

One Jefferson, One Book Program (February 8-March 5): We hope everyone is enjoying reading Charlotte's Web together during our 1st annual school-wide book club called One Jefferson, One Book. Check out the O ne Jefferson, One Book site and the PTA on social media for details on this program, to get access to all the read-along by chapter videos, as well as the fun at-home activities/tutorials and to see pictures of children/families enjoying this exciting program. Here are some highlights:

Daily Trivia - Students are being asked daily book-related trivia questions during Dr. Podraza's morning announcements. Answers are collected via this Google form. Answers to the trivia questions & weekly prize winners will be announced during Friday’s morning announcements. Click here for prize details.
Read-Along by Chapter Videos - Families can listen and follow along to each chapter read by Jefferson staff members or special guests on the Jefferson YouTube Channel. New chapters are posted daily.
Bingo - Students can also play Bingo & win prizes by marking off squares on their Bingo sheet. There are many fun at-home activities to complete. Upload your Bingo using this Google form in order to win a prize. Click here for prize details.
Student Council Spirit Days - Show your school spirit by participating in all the Student Council spirit days surrounding the theme of the book.
- February 17th - Kindness Day - Be kind like Charlotte or perform random acts of kindness
- February 23rd - Favorite Character Day - Dress up like Wilbur, Charlotte, Templeton, Fern, etc.
- March 5th - Friendship Day - Celebrate Wilbur and Charlotte’s friendship by dressing the same as your friends
#OneJeffersonOneBook - Share pictures of your family participating in the One Jefferson, One Book program using this Google form.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Kathy Fromm or Ioana Fernandez.

Jefferson Library Book Checkout: Students can now put a hold on up to 4 books at a time from our Jefferson library. Click this link for details.

Family Math Night with Mathnasium (Thursday, February 18): Jefferson PTA's Family Math Night with Mathnasium on Thursday, February 18th from 6:15PM-7:30PM is rapidly approaching! This event is being held via Zoom so it is capped at 90 participants. Everyone who has registered has been sent an email confirmation. A Zoom link will be sent the day before the event. If you have registered more than 1 child, it would be best for them to each join from their own device so they can participate in activities best suited to their level.

Please contact Cathy Dykes (catherine.dykes@gmail.com) with questions or to register for this event. All registrations from this point on are subject to being placed on a Wait List. Email confirmations will be sent as registrations are received. Click HERE for more information.

FUNDRAISING

Eat & Earn at McDonald's (Tuesday, March 9, 4:00PM-8:00PM): It's almost SHAMROCK SHAKE time! McDonald's of Elmhurst (190 E. Butterfield Rd) is hosting a fundraiser for the Jefferson PTA. It's the perfect place to grab an after school snack or enjoy dinner! Just mention Jefferson Elementary PTA when you order on Tuesday, March 9 from 4:00PM-8:00PM and McDonald's will donate 20% of qualifying sales to the Jefferson Elementary School PTA. What a delicious way to raise money! Invite your family, friends and neighbors. Click here for details.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Eat & Earn at Kilwins Elmhurst: Thank you to everyone who braved the snow to grab some yummy goodies from Kilwins. Kilwins Elmhurst generously donated 15% of sales to the Jefferson PTA. Your participation helped earn funds for the Jefferson PTA to make all the various quality programs and events available for all our Jefferson Tigers!

DISTRICT NEWS

Sandburg Community D205 BOE Candidate Forum (Tuesday, February 16, 6:45PM): Sandburg, Edison, Field and Hawthorne Schools will be hosting a nonpartisan informational forum for the 2021 BOE Candidates. This meeting will be held this Tuesday, February 16th at 6:45PM via ZOOM (Meeting ID: 856 7217 0687, Passcode: 131730)

Youth Issues During Covid Series (Thursday, February 18, 7:00PM): The city of Elmhurst Commission on Youth is hosting “Cyber/Social Media Issues in Youth During Covid" on Thursday, February 18th, 7:00PM-8:30PM. This event is virtual, live on Elmhurst TV YouTube channel. Link to the event will be posted as the date gets closer. It is free and no registration is required. Detective Tim Jorgensen, Officer Dorian Jarrette, and Stephen Buhr (social worker with the Elmhurst Police Dept.) will be presenting. Please email any questions to Jackie.Haddad-Tamer@elmhurst.org

D205 Superintendent Search Survey (February 3-February 19): The Board of Education welcomes your input as Elmhurst CUSD 205 begins the search for a new Superintendent. As you may be aware, Superintendent Dr. David Moyer is leaving the District at the end of the school year to pursue another position in New York. Here are the links to the survey that is open to ALL community members:

Each person should only respond once, and the survey is designed to allow one response per device.

D205 also will host virtual community forums for residents and the business community to meet with the D205 Superintendent Search Team to provide input. All discussions will be moderated by Dr. Linda Yonke and/or Dr. Tim Shimp, consultants from School Exec Connect. Responses are confidential and anonymous. The D205 community is invited to attend the next forum on February 15th at 7:30PM. Each forum will last approximately one hour. Sign-up here: http://bit.ly/2Mw5aq0

Results from the community forums will be compiled as part of a report that will be presented to the Board on February 24 along with a New Superintendent Profile.

Please contact the School Exec Connect consultants with additional questions: Linda Yonke (linda.yonke@schoolexecconnect.com) or Tim Shimp (tim.shimp@schoolexecconnect.com).

Tri-Middle School Trivia Night (Saturday, February 27, 7:00PM-9:00PM): Gather up your family and friends for an evening of virtual fun to support ALL THREE Elmhurst Middle Schools! There will be 2 rounds of trivia with a special celebrity CAMEO appearance during intermission. Prizes will be awarded for the THREE highest scoring teams. Click HERE for registration details and to purchase 50/50 Split the Pot raffle tickets. This link will take you to the Churchville Memberhub site.

Registration Details:

Team Registration, 2 or More Players (Suggested Max of 12), $20 per player: Pull together a group of the sharpest minds from your middle school and create a team of champions! Team Captain registers team and makes one payment for your team (individual team members should not register/pay separately).
Family Registration, $35.00 per family: So you think your family can work together to take the top prize!? Use this option to register as a family.
Solo Player Registration, $20.00: Going it solo? “Look at the big brain on Brad!” Register your team of one using the Solo Player option.
Additional information (Zoom & Kahoot Links, etc.) will be forwarded to each registration contact prior to the event.

50/50 Split the Pot Raffle: First 3 numbers drawn share the split pot (60%, 25%, 15%) with a BONUS 4^th number drawn receiving a Hive House gift certificate.

D205 Foundation Art Contest (due Friday, March 26): The D205 Foundation is excited to announce a contest for students across the district to show off their incredible creativity and artistic talents by creating art based on the theme “What has inspired you to create art during the pandemic?” The contest will run from February 8th until Friday, March 26th. Students can submit artwork for a t-shirt design and/or for notecards/calendar. T-shirt designs must be in black & white for easy transfer to screen print. The calendar and notecard artwork can be in any color and any medium. At least three artworks will be selected from every school! Submissions are due to Ms. Serrata, Jefferson's Art teacher, by March 26th. See the flyer for additional details or visit the D205 Foundation website. The winning designs for the T-shirts as well as the notecards and calendar will be for sale displaying the winning design.

5Essentials Survey (Action Requested): The 5Essentials parent survey is now open. This survey will allow you and your child (in grades 4 through 12) to share thoughts on important elements of school effectiveness at your child’s school. To take the parent survey please visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/ and select the appropriate survey to begin. You will need to enter the county (DuPage) and school name. We need at least a 20 percent response rate to receive a report. Reports will be sent to schools and districts in June 2021 and data will also be included in the State School Report Card. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact 5Essentials Client Services at 1-866-440-1874 or 5essentials@uchicago.edu. Thank you for your participation!

D205 Food Services to Offer Free Daily Meal Bags: The Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 Food Services Department is helping connect school and families during hybrid learning by offering free meal kits for ALL children!

D205 schools is handing out an optional shelf stable, one-day meal bag each day at dismissal time for students in grades K-12. Breakfast for the following morning is included in the bag as well. Families with allergy concerns or other dietary restrictions should contact your school nurse’s office to discuss your child’s specific situation before allowing your child to bring home a meal kit. If you do not want your child to take a meal kit home, please tell your child and let the school nurse know. The food items offered in the lunch bag each day will vary. If your child is taking a meal kit home, please remind them that food is not to be eaten on the bus, and the food should not be shared with anyone due to concerns with food allergies and other dietary restrictions.

D205 Meal Service FREE to ALL Students: District 205 Food Services is helping connect school and families by offering Free meal kits for ALL children, ages 1-18. Seven days of meals (breakfast & lunch) are provided with each pickup. No pre-order or ID is required. Pickup is Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30PM-5:00PM at the following locations:

York High School, Main Entrance Door #3
Bryan Middle School, East Entrance Door #13
Churchville Middle School, Main Entrance Door #1
Sandburg Middle School, Main Entrance Door #3

Please help everyone to stay safe by wearing your mask and staying inside your car (roll down back windows or open the trunk to receive the meal kits). Thank you!

Technology/Chromebook Support: If you are having technical issues with your D205 device or your device is not working properly, please contact elearninghelp@elmhurst205.org. For help with your other tech needs, you may email Jefferson’s tech assistant, Ms. Strong, at lstrong@jefferson205.org. The district parent website has some helpful tips for WiFi issues here.

Daily Health Self-Certification Process: A daily health self-certification form must be completed for every student by 8:00AM each day before entering the school. Text YES to 67587 to receive a daily text message reminder to fill out the self-certification form. A daily email will also be sent to the parents/guardians of any students attending in person. Your username is your student’s 5-digit PowerSchool ID (ex: 12345) and the password is your student's date of birth in mmddyyyy format (ex: 01011975). Thank you for helping to keep our school community safe!

D205 COVID-19 Dashboard: The Open D205 COVID-19 Dashboard has been created in an effort to keep the community informed of local transmission data. The Dashboard will be updated every Monday and includes information on county, district, and city data.

Student Late Arrival Days: Wednesdays are remote learning days for students. References to late arrivals in the 2020-21 school calendar only apply to teachers at this time and until further notice. Students will report on Wednesdays for remote learning as they would on the other days of the week.

District 205 School Calendar 2020-2021: Refer to the Elmhurst D205 school calendar for the 2020-2021 year & specific Student Late Arrival dates.

Week 21: February 9, 2021

IMPORTANT DATES & UPCOMING EVENTS

February 9 - D205 Board of Education Meeting, 7:00PM (YouTube link)
February 8-March 5 - One Jefferson, One Book program (details below)
February 10 - Intent to return to In-Person learning, 5:00PM deadline
February 10 - Virtual PTA Meeting, 7:30PM (Zoom details below)
February 11 - Eat & Earn at Kilwins, 5:00PM-8:00PM
February 12 - Student Council Spirit Day - Support Wilbur Day!
February 12 - REACH Parent Group Meeting, 11:30AM (Zoom details below)
February 15 - President's Day - No School
February 16 - Family Math Night sign up deadline (Click here to RSVP)
February 16 - Sandburg Community D205 BOE Candidate Forum, 6:45PM
February 17 - Student Council Spirit Day - Kindness Day!
February 18 - Family Math Night, 6:15PM-7:30PM
February 23 - Student Council Spirit Day - Favorite Character Day!
February 26 - Picture Day! Groups B and AB
March 5 - Student Council Spirit Day - Friendship Day!
March 2 - Picture Day! Groups A, AB & Remote (Remote will be at 1:30PM-2:30PM)
March 9 - Eat & Earn at McDonald's, 4:00PM-8:00PM

JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY PTA

PTA Meeting (Wednesday, February 10): The next Jefferson PTA meeting is on Wednesday, February 10th at 7:30PM. This month our Second Grade Team (Mrs. Dobric, Mrs. Raney, Mrs. Walker) will join us to to share about learning in second grade. This is a good opportunity to ask any questions or give feedback to our Teachers and the PTA Board. Please join us! Click here to review minutes from last month's meeting.

Zoom Meeting Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82251102405?pwd=dWtaN2s5SFRtQzBHSTA1TlduMnFRQT09
Meeting ID: 822 5110 2405
Passcode: 734490

PTA Volunteers Needed: In February, the PTA Nominating Committee will work on filling volunteer roles for the Board and multiple committees for next year. All current PTA members in good standing are welcome and encouraged to volunteer! Please watch the Tiger Beat for more details on how to volunteer.

You Are Loved! (Available through February 20): Make someone's day and send your favorite Jefferson Tiger a sign today! Buy one sign for your yard for $20. Buy another sign(s) for Jefferson for $15 each and the PTA will install it on Jefferson grounds. Orders received before February 5th will be installed by the PTA before Valentine's Day. Orders can be placed for the 'You are Loved' signs through Feb 20th and will be delivered around the first of March. Let's show ALL our Jefferson Tigers & staff how much they are loved! Click here for the MemberHub Link to purchase your sign(s). Thank you to everyone who already purchased signs! Signs for Jefferson will be delivered to the school soon.

Don't forget to tag #Jefferson205love when posting pictures of your Jefferson Tigers with their You Are Loved! signs. Please contact Jackie Messina(4messinakids@gmail.com) or Laura West (lwest9@gmail.com) with any questions.

Stay Connected 2020-2021: Follow the Jefferson PTA on Instagram, Twitter, or join Families of Jefferson 205 Facebook group.

SCHOOL EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

PTA Reflections Art Program: Congratulations to our Jefferson Tigers who participated in this school year's Reflections Art Program! Click here to see their artwork and artist statements. Nice work!

Intent to return to In-Person Learning (Wednesday, February 10th, 5:00PM deadline): D205 continues to work on bringing students back to school for in-person learning to the greatest extent possible. The current plan is to bring elementary students back to campus five days per week beginning with kindergarten and first grade students in mid-February. School hours will remain the same for both in-person and remote students (8:15AM-1:15PM with a snack break and no lunch). More information about specific dates for each grade level and other non-elementary groups will be communicated by Jefferson and/or the district.

Please fill out this form if you would like to switch your family from remote to in-person by February 10th at 5:00PM. Hybrid students will automatically default to in-person unless their parents switch to remote. There is NO hybrid option. Parents do not need to complete the form if they plan to keep their children remote, similarly do not need to complete the form if they intend their hybrid children to automatically roll into the full time in-person program.

Information regarding the start date for K-1 students will be sent after tonight's D205 Board of Education meeting.

Hybrid Calendars: Click here for the February hybrid calendar. Please note the changes to the A and B days where a school holiday or an inclement weather day impacts school scheduling. School schedules have been adjusted accordingly to ensure equitable opportunities for D205 students.

5th Grade Memory Book: The 5th-grade Memory Book is almost finished. The Committee will continue to gather photos for a few weeks longer than normal especially since the 5th graders still have not taken their school pictures. The specific photos currently needed are: 5th grade Safety Patrol, students next to the Love Jefferson sign, Home office/e-learning, and Kindergarten class photos.

An email from Tree Ring to order 5th Grade Memory Books has been sent to 5th Grade parents. Memory Books can be ordered now until March 19th.

Any questions, please contact the 5th Grade Class of 2028 Memory Book Committee (Melissa Shah #414-688-8129, Stephanie Drolett #773-339-2999, or Shannon Jackson #814-44--2374).

One Jefferson, One Book (February 8-March 5): This week kicked off our 1st annual school-wide book club called One Jefferson, One Book. The entire Jefferson community is reading Charlotte’s Web together. Everyone has the opportunity to partake in various activities that support the book's theme of friendship and love. Check out the O ne Jefferson, One Book site and follow the PTA on social media for details on this school-wide program and to get access to all the fun activities planned. Here are some highlights:

Daily Trivia - Students will be asked daily book-related trivia questions during Dr. Podraza's morning announcements. Answers will be collected via this Google form. Names will be randomly drawn from correct trivia responses and 5 students will win a small prize for that week. Answers to the trivia questions & weekly winners for the week will be announced during Friday’s morning announcements. Students that submitted the most correct answers will be entered into a drawing for bigger prizes at the end of the program.
Read-Along by Chapter Videos - Families can also listen and follow along to each chapter read by Jefferson staff members or special guests on the Jefferson YouTube Channel. New chapters will be posted at the start of each day.
Student Council Spirit Days - Show your school spirit by participating in all the Student Council spirit days surrounding the theme of the book.
- February 12th - Support Wilbur Day - Put a stuffed animal pig or picture of a pig in your window
- February 17th - Kindness Day - Be kind like Charlotte or perform random acts of kindness
- February 23rd - Favorite Character Day - Dress up like Wilbur, Charlotte, Templeton, Fern, etc.
- March 5th - Friendship Day - Celebrate Wilbur and Charlotte’s friendship by dressing the same as your friends
#OneJeffersonOneBook - Share pictures of your family participating in the One Jefferson, One Book program using this Google form.

We hope that everyone not only falls in love with Charlotte & Wilbur but also falls in love with reading! If you have any questions, please reach out to Kathy Fromm or Ioana Fernandez.

Jefferson Library Book Checkout: Would your child like to check out books from the Jefferson Library? Students can now put a hold on up to 4 books at a time from our library. Click this link for details.

Family Math Night with Mathnasium (Thursday, February 18): Jefferson PTA's Family Math Night with Mathnasium on Thursday, February 18th from 6:15PM-7:30PM is rapidly approaching! Everyone who has registered as of Monday, February 8th has been sent an email confirmation. A Zoom link will be sent the day before the event. If you have registered more than 1 child, it would be best for them to each join from their own device so they can participate in activities best suited to their level.

Since this event is being held via Zoom we will need to cap it at 90 participants. We currently have space for approximately 20 more students. All registrations from this point on are subject to being placed on a Wait List. Email confirmations will be sent as registrations are received. Click HERE for more info, and click HERE to register now.

Please contact Cathy Dykes with questions at catherine.dykes@gmail.com

FUNDRAISING

Eat & Earn at Kilwins Elmhurst (Thursday, February 11): Just in time for Valentine's Day! Kilwins is the perfect place to grab some yummy goodies for your special valentines or just for yourself on Thursday, February 11th from 5:00PM-8:00PM. Just mention the Jefferson PTA fundraiser when you order and Kilwins Elmhurst will donate 15% of the qualifying sales to our organization. Spread the word to your family, friends, and neighbors!

DISTRICT NEWS

D205 Board of Education Meeting (Tuesday, February 9th, 7:00PM): Parents are encouraged to attend and listen to the board meeting tonight February 9th at 7:00PM. Details of the return to school plans will be communicated at this meeting. Be the first to know! If you are not able to listen in live, the recorded meeting will be posted on YouTube at it’s conclusion. Click this link to take you directly to the Board of Education Meeting tonight or here for the Elmhurst205 YouTube channel.

REACH Parent Group Meeting (Friday, February 12, 11:30AM-1:00PM): The next REACH Parent Group meeting (60-90 minute duration) will take place on Zoom (ID: 810 8484 0538, Passcode: 776727). Guest, Dave Beedy, D205 Director of STEM Education will share his insight into "Keeping Math Fun!" Dave will share math programs, applications, games and more to engage your student. Primary focus is on elementary age kids with a few middle school resources included too. Open to all D205 parents. Please join us!

Youth Issues During Covid Series (Thursday, February 18, 7:00PM): The city of Elmhurst Commission on Youth is hosting “Cyber/Social Media Issues in Youth During Covid" on Thursday, February 18th, 7:00PM-8:30PM. This event is virtual, live on Elmhurst TV YouTube channel. Link to the event will be posted as the date gets closer. It is free and no registration is required. Detective Tim Jorgensen, Officer Dorian Jarrette, and Stephen Buhr (social worker with the Elmhurst Police Dept.) will be presenting. Please email any questions to Jackie.Haddad-Tamer@elmhurst.org

D205 Superintendent Search Survey (February 3-February 19): The Board of Education welcomes your input as Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 begins the search for a new Superintendent. As you may be aware, Superintendent Dr. David Moyer is leaving the District at the end of the school year to pursue another position in New York. Here are the links to the survey that is open to ALL community members:

Each person should only respond once, and the survey is designed to allow one response per device.

In addition to parent forums at each of our schools, D205 also will host two virtual community forums for residents and the business community to meet with the D205 Superintendent Search Team to provide input. All discussions will be moderated by Dr. Linda Yonke and/or Dr. Tim Shimp, consultants from School Exec Connect. Responses are confidential and anonymous. The D205 community is invited to attend. Each forum will last approximately one hour.

The meeting dates and details are:

Feb. 13 - 10:00AM Community Forum. Sign-up here: http://bit.ly/2YQaDuc
Feb. 15 - 7:30PM Community Forum. Sign-up here: http://bit.ly/2Mw5aq0

Results from the community forums will be compiled as part of a report that will be presented to the Board on February 24 along with a New Superintendent Profile.

Please contact the School Exec Connect consultants with additional questions: Linda Yonke (linda.yonke@schoolexecconnect.com) or Tim Shimp (tim.shimp@schoolexecconnect.com).

D205 Foundation Art Contest (due Friday, March 26): The D205 Foundation is excited to announce a contest for students across the district to show off their incredible creativity and artistic talents by creating art based on the theme “What has inspired you to create art during the pandemic?” Students can submit artwork for a t-shirt design and/or for notecards and a monthly calendar. T-shirt designs must be in one color, calendar and note card artwork can be in any color and any medium. At least three artworks will be selected from every school! Submissions are due to Ms. Serrata, Jefferson's Art teacher, by March 26th. See the flyer for additional details.

5Essentials Survey (Action Requested): The 5Essentials parent survey is now open. This survey will allow you and your child (in grades 4 through 12) to share thoughts on important elements of school effectiveness at your child’s school. To take the parent survey please visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/ and select the appropriate survey to begin. You will need to enter the county (DuPage) and school name. We need at least a 20 percent response rate to receive a report. Reports will be sent to schools and districts in June 2021 and data will also be included in the State School Report Card. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact 5Essentials Client Services at 1-866-440-1874 or 5essentials@uchicago.edu. Thank you for your participation!

D205 Food Services to Offer Free Daily Meal Bags: The Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 Food Services Department is helping connect school and families during hybrid learning by offering free meal kits for ALL children!

D205 schools is handing out an optional shelf stable, one-day meal bag each day at dismissal time for students in grades K-12. Breakfast for the following morning is included in the bag as well. Families with allergy concerns or other dietary restrictions should contact your school nurse’s office to discuss your child’s specific situation before allowing your child to bring home a meal kit. If you do not want your child to take a meal kit home, please tell your child and let the school nurse know. The food items offered in the lunch bag each day will vary. If your child is taking a meal kit home, please remind them that food is not to be eaten on the bus, and the food should not be shared with anyone due to concerns with food allergies and other dietary restrictions.

D205 Meal Service FREE to ALL Students: District 205 Food Services is helping connect school and families by offering Free meal kits for ALL children, ages 1-18. Seven days of meals (breakfast & lunch) are provided with each pickup. No pre-order or ID is required. Pickup is Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30PM-5:00PM at the following locations:

York High School, Main Entrance Door #3
Bryan Middle School, East Entrance Door #13
Churchville Middle School, Main Entrance Door #1
Sandburg Middle School, Main Entrance Door #3

There will be no pick up on February 15 due to the holiday. Please help everyone to stay safe by wearing your mask and staying inside your car (roll down back windows or open the trunk to receive the meal kits). Thank you!

Technology/Chromebook Support: If you are having technical issues with your D205 device or your device is not working properly, please contact elearninghelp@elmhurst205.org. For help with your other tech needs, you may email Jefferson’s tech assistant, Ms. Strong, at lstrong@jefferson205.org. The district parent website has some helpful tips for WiFi issues here.

Daily Health Self-Certification Process: A daily health self-certification form must be completed for every student by 8:00AM each day before entering the school. TextYES to 67587 to receive a daily text message reminder to fill out the self-certification form. A daily email will also be sent to the parents/guardians of any students attending in person. Your username is your student’s 5-digit PowerSchool ID (ex: 12345) and the password is your student's date of birth in mmddyyyy format (ex: 01011975). Thank you for helping to keep our school community safe!

D205 COVID-19 Dashboard: The Open D205 COVID-19 Dashboard has been created in an effort to keep the community informed of local transmission data. The Dashboard will be updated every Monday and includes information on county, district, and city data.

Student Late Arrival Days: Wednesdays are remote learning days for students. References to late arrivals in the 2020-21 school calendar only apply to teachers at this time and until further notice. Students will report on Wednesdays for remote learning as they would on the other days of the week.

District 205 School Calendar 2020-2021: Refer to the Elmhurst D205 school calendar for the 2020-2021 year & specific Student Late Arrival dates.

Week 20: February 2, 2021

IMPORTANT DATES & UPCOMING EVENTS

February 5 - Intent to return to In-Person learning, 3:00PM deadline
February 5 - D205 Parent Engagement Series Family Game Night, 6:30PM
February 6 - Foundation 205 Virtual Showcase, 7:00PM
February 9 - D205 Board of Education Meeting, 7:00PM (details below)
February 8-March 5 - One Jefferson, One Book program (details below)
February 10 - Virtual PTA Meeting, 7:30PM
February 11 - Eat & Earn at Kilwins, 5:00PM-8:00PM
February 12 - REACH Parent Group Meeting, 11:30AM (Zoom details below)
February 15 - President's Day - No School
February 16 - Family Math Night sign up deadline (Click here to RSVP)
February 18 - Family Math Night, 6:15PM-7:30PM
March 9 - Eat & Earn at McDonald's, 4:00PM-8:00PM
March 15 - Picture Day! Groups A, A/B and Remote
March 19 - Picture Day! Groups B

JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY PTA

You Are Loved!: Make someone's day and send your favorite Jefferson Tiger a sign today! Buy a 24" x 18" sign and the PTA will install it in your yard starting the week of February 8th. Orders received by February 5th will be installed by Valentine's Day - but we can also keep the love going through the winter! Buy one sign for your yard for $20. Buy another sign(s) for Jefferson for $15 each and the PTA will install it on Jefferson grounds. Let's show our Jefferson Tigers & staff how much they are loved! Click here for the MemberHub Link to purchase your sign(s). Don't forget to tag #Jefferson205love when posting pictures of your Jefferson Tigers with their You Are Loved! signs. If you have any questions please contact Jackie Messina (4messinakids@gmail.com) or Laura West (lwest9@gmail.com).

Stay Connected 2020-2021: Follow the Jefferson PTA on Instagram, Twitter, or join Families of Jefferson 205 Facebook group.

SCHOOL EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

Intent to return to In-Person Learning (Friday, February 5th, 3:00PM deadline): D205 continues to work on bringing students back to school for in-person learning to the greatest extent possible. The current plan is to bring elementary students back to campus five days per week beginning with kindergarten and first grade students in mid-February. School hours will remain the same for both in-person and remote students (8:15AM-1:15PM with a snack break and no lunch). More information about specific dates for each grade level and other non-elementary groups will be communicated by Jefferson and/or the district.

Please fill out this form if you would like to switch your family from remote to in-person by February 5th at 3:00PM. Hybrid students will automatically default to in-person unless their parents switch to remote. There is NO hybrid option. Parents do not need to complete the form if they plan to keep their children remote, similarly do not need to complete the form if they intend their hybrid children to automatically roll into the full time in-person program.

Information regarding the start date for K-1 students will be sent next week after the D205 Board of Education meeting on February 9th. Clarification on the attendance policy will be forthcoming.

Hybrid Calendars: Click the following link for the monthly hybrid calendar. Please note the changes to the A and B days where a school holiday or an inclement weather day impacts school scheduling. School schedules have been adjusted accordingly to ensure equitable opportunities for D205 students.

February hybrid calendar

5th Grade Memory Book: The 5th-grade memory book is in the beginning phases of being made. If you were unable to download your group photos in the fall, please email Shannon Jackson (sfitch12@hotmail.com). The yearbook committee will be reaching out periodically over the next few weeks to gather individual photos that are still needed. Please look for information in your email.

Any questions, please contact the 5th Grade Class of 2028 Memory Book Committee (Melissa Shah #414-688-8129, Stephanie Drolett #773-339-2999, or Shannon Jackson #814-44--2374).

One Jefferson, One Book (February 8-March 5): Jefferson Tigers, are you ready to read?! The One Jefferson, One Book program will begin February 8th and will last until March 5th. One Jefferson, One Book is our 1st annual school-wide book club. The goal is to encourage both the school and its families to come together and build a community of readers. A community where we can all share thoughts, ideas, and a passion for reading. The entire school reads the same book (Charlotte's Web, by E.B. White) at the same time. Everyone - students, parents, teachers, even administrative staff - will be participating, and we can all reap the many benefits.

Everyone has the opportunity to partake in various activities that support the theme of the chosen title. For example, STEM projects, vocabulary games, discussions, trivia, art tutorials, bingo, give-back activities, contests, guest readers and more!

This program is sponsored by Jefferson PTA. Special guests will be helping us launch the program on the morning of February 8th. There will be YouTube videos of readings of each chapter available for early readers and/or families to read along.

One copy of the book per family will be distributed to all Jefferson families this week. If you filled in the survey and said that you did not need a book, your family will not receive one. If anything has changed, please let us know.

Tuesday, February 2nd - Group A Hybrid students will receive their book at school
Wednesday, February 3rd - Remote families can pick up their book at the Jefferson main office before 4:30PM.
Thursday, February 4th - Group B Hybrid students will receive their book at school

Please make sure to read the Tiger Beat, check out the PTA website, and follow the PTA on social media for more details on the school-wide program and to get access to all the fun activities planned. It is our hope that everyone will not only fall in love with Charlotte & Wilbur but will fall in love with reading as well! If you have any questions, please reach out to Kathy Fromm or Ioana Fernandez.

Jefferson Library Book Checkout: Would your child like to check out books from the Jefferson Library? Students can now put a hold on up to 4 books at a time from our library. Click this link for details.

Family Math Night with Mathnasium (Thursday, February 18): Join the Jefferson PTA and Mathnasium of Elmhurst for a virtual family math night with fun math-related games/activities! All Jefferson School students, family, and friends are invited to join this event on Thursday, February 18th at 6:15PM-7:30PM.

Click here to RSVP to Family Math Night by Tuesday, February 16th. You will receive a Zoom invite to the event on the morning of Thursday, February 18th to the email you provide in the RSVP. Your student's attendance automatically enters him/her in a raffle to win some fun math games and logic puzzles to play at home with the family. For each game won during the event, an additional entry to the raffle will be rewarded. Please contact Cathy Dykes (catherine.dykes@gmail.com) with any questions.

FUNDRAISING

Eat & Earn at Kilwins Elmhurst (Thursday, February 11): Just in time for Valentine's Day! Kilwins is the perfect place to grab some yummy goodies for your special valentines or just for yourself on Thursday, February 11th from 5:00PM-8:00PM. Just mention the Jefferson PTA fundraiser when you order and Kilwins Elmhurst will donate 15% of the qualifying sales to our organization. Spread the word to your family, friends, and neighbors!

DISTRICT NEWS

Summer Rec Open House (Tuesday, February 2): District 205 and The PTA Council is proud to host the 19th Annual Summer Recreation Open House on Tuesday, February 2nd at 6:00PM-8:00PM online. The goal of this event is to give parents the opportunity to “one-stop-shop” for summer recreational and educational programs to attend, work or volunteer within. Programs present at this event are for children of all ages (pre-K through HS) and abilities. This open house is provided at no charge to parents or camps/organizations. This is an excellent opportunity to showcase your 2021 in-person and virtual summer programs.

Questions? Email sroh205@gmail.com. Or visit facebook.com/sroh205 for more information. We hope to see you there! To access the 2021 vendor participant list, visit: https://docs.google.com/.../1cBUgBZC.../edit...

D205 Parent Engagement Series Family Game Night (Friday, February 5): Save the Date! On February 5th, beginning at 6:30PM District 205 is encouraging families to participate in a district-wide Family Game Night! The purpose of this event is to encourage families to engage in activities, games, and crafts that are free from screens! D205 will be providing supplies, such as dice and a deck of cards, for families that need it. Keep an eye out for further information!

Foundation 205 Virtual Showcase (Saturday, February 6): One of the main missions of the PTA Council is to raise money to support York seniors to continue their educational plans through college scholarships. Foundation 205 is partnering with the PTA Council Scholarship Program this year & funds raised from the Virtual Showcase will be directed towards these York scholarships and mental health programming, diverse literature collections, and innovative & creative classroom enhancements. York student Jack Schroeder, put together this incredible news story about Foundation's efforts to support York seniors. He examines the current landscape for the Class of 2021 and their increased need for college scholarships. Help to support Foundation 205 and our York Seniors by attending the Virtual Showcase: Standing Strong for our Students on February 6th at 7PM. The event is free to watch, but there are multiple opportunities to support BOTH our students and local businesses. Visit the website to register and get direct access to the online auction beginning February 1st. Visit https://aesbid.com/ELP/D20521/ to learn more.

The evening will feature national comedian Pat McGann, TikTok sensation Sofie Sanfillipo and performances from York, Sandburg and Edison. The event will run about 45 minutes and will also highlight teachers and students from across the district implementing grants supported by Foundation 205. The current needs of our students are even greater in this new educational landscape. The ability to respond with innovative resources and support will play a critical role in their success throughout this pandemic and beyond.

D205 Board of Education Meeting (Tuesday, February 9th, 7:00PM): Parents are encouraged to attend and listen to the board meeting on February 9th at 7:00PM. Details of the return to school plans will be communicated at this meeting. Be the first to know! If you are not able to listen in live, the recorded meeting will be posted on YouTube at it’s conclusion. Click here for the Board of Education Meeting calendar.

REACH Parent Group Meeting (Friday, February 12, 11:30AM-1:00PM): The next REACH Parent Group meeting (60-90 minute duration) will take place on Zoom (ID: 810 8484 0538 & Passcode: 776727). Guest, Dave Beedy, D205 Director of STEM Education will share his insight into "Keeping Math Fun!" Dave will share math programs, applications, games and more to engage your student. Primary focus is on elementary age kids with a few middle school resources included too. Open to all D205 parents. Please join us!

Youth Issues During Covid Series (Thursday, February 18, 7:00PM): The city of Elmhurst Commission on Youth is hosting “Cyber/Social Media Issues in Youth During Covid" on Thursday, February 18th, 7:00PM-8:30PM. This event is virtual, live on Elmhurst TV YouTube channel. Link to the event will be posted as the date gets closer. It is free and no registration is required. Detective Tim Jorgensen, Officer Dorian Jarrette, and Stephen Buhr (social worker with the Elmhurst Police Dept.) will be presenting. Please email any questions to Jackie.Haddad-Tamer@elmhurst.org

D205 Food Services to Offer Free Daily Meal Bags: The Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 Food Services Department is helping connect school and families during hybrid learning by offering free meal kits for ALL children!

D205 schools has begun handing out an optional shelf stable, one-day meal bag each day at dismissal time for students in grades K-12. Breakfast for the following morning is included in the bag as well. Families with allergy concerns or other dietary restrictions should contact your school nurse’s office to discuss your child’s specific situation before allowing your child to bring home a meal kit. If you do not want your child to take a meal kit home, please tell your child and let the school nurse know. The food items offered in the lunch bag each day will vary. If your child is taking a meal kit home, please remind them that food is not to be eaten on the bus, and the food should not be shared with anyone due to concerns with food allergies and other dietary restrictions.

D205 Meal Service FREE to ALL Students: District 205 Food Services is helping connect school and families by offering Free meal kits for ALL children, ages 1-18. Seven days of meals (breakfast & lunch) are provided with each pickup. No pre-order or ID is required. Pickup is Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30PM-5:00PM at the following locations:

York High School, Main Entrance Door #3
Bryan Middle School, East Entrance Door #13
Churchville Middle School, Main Entrance Door #1
Sandburg Middle School, Main Entrance Door #3

There will be no pick up on February 15 due to the holiday. Please help everyone to stay safe by wearing your mask and staying inside your car (roll down back windows or open the trunk to receive the meal kits). Thank you!

Technology/Chromebook Support: If you are having technical issues with your D205 device or your device is not working properly, please contact elearninghelp@elmhurst205.org. For help with your other tech needs, you may email Jefferson’s tech assistant, Ms. Strong, at lstrong@jefferson205.org. The district parent website has some helpful tips for WiFi issues here.

Daily Health Self-Certification Process: A daily health self-certification form must be completed for every student by 8:00AM each day before entering the school. Text YES to 67587 to receive a daily text message reminder to fill out the self-certification form. A daily email will also be sent to the parents/guardians of any students attending in person. Your username is your student’s 5-digit PowerSchool ID (ex: 12345) and the password is your student's date of birth in mmddyyyy format (ex: 01011975). Please answer each health question honestly and hit submit. If your student indicates they are not feeling well, please do not send them to school. Please note that two new questions have been added to the health certification checklist:

Is anyone in your household currently waiting for the results of a COVID-19 test because they were experiencing symptoms of COVID?
Are you in compliance with the travel guidance from the Illinois Department of Public Health?

Current guidance from the Department of Public Health recommends that anyone who has traveled outside of Illinois and engaged in high-risk behaviors (i.e. gathering in groups of ten or more, not wearing face coverings consistently, or not following social distancing guidelines) should do the following:

If you have traveled and engaged in high-risk activities, you should either get tested for COVID and stay home for seven days OR stay home for 10 days.
Get tested 3-5 days after travel AND stay home for 7 days after travel OR stay home for 10 days after travel

Thank you for helping to keep our school community safe!

D205 COVID-19 Dashboard: The Open D205 COVID-19 Dashboard has been created in an effort to keep the community informed of local transmission data. The Dashboard will be updated every Monday and includes information on county, district, and city data.

Student Late Arrival Days: Wednesdays are remote learning days for students. References to late arrivals in the 2020-21 school calendar only apply to teachers at this time and until further notice. Students will report on Wednesdays for remote learning as they would on the other days of the week.

District 205 School Calendar 2020-2021: Refer to the Elmhurst D205 school calendar for the 2020-2021 year & specific Student Late Arrival dates.

Week 19: January 26, 2021

IMPORTANT DATES & UPCOMING EVENTS

January 25-29 - VIP D205 Clothing and Toy Drive (details below)
February 5 - D205 Parent Engagement Series Family Game Night 6:30PM
February 6 - Foundation 205 Virtual Showcase, 7:00PM
February 8-March 5 - One Jefferson, One Book program (details below)
February 10 - Virtual PTA Meeting, 7:30PM
February 11 - Eat & Earn at Kilwins, 5:00PM-8:00PM
February 12 - REACH Parent Group Meeting, 11:30AM (Zoom details below)
February 15 - President's Day - No School
February 16 - Family Math Night sign up deadline (Click here to RSVP)
February 18 - Family Math Night, 6:15PM-7:30PM
March 9 - Eat & Earn at McDonald's, 4:00PM-8:00PM

JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY PTA

You Are Loved!: Let's show our Jefferson Tigers how much they are loved! Buy a 24" x 18" sign and the PTA will install it in your yard starting the week of February 8th. Orders received by February 5th will be installed by Valentine's Day - but we can also keep the love going through the winter! Buy one sign for your yard for $20.

If you're still feeling the love, buy an additional sign (or signs) and the PTA will install it on Jefferson grounds for $15 each. Let's show our staff that they are loved too! If you have any questions please contact Jackie Messina (4messinakids@gmail.com) or Laura West (lwest9@gmail.com).

Click here for the MemberHub Link to purchase your sign(s). Don't forget to tag #Jefferson205love when posting pictures of your Jefferson Tigers with their You Are Loved! signs.

Stay Connected 2020-2021: Follow the Jefferson PTA on Instagram, Twitter, or join Families of Jefferson 205 Facebook group.

SCHOOL EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

Hybrid Calendars: Click the following links for the monthly hybrid calendars. Please note the changes to the A and B days where a school holiday or an inclement weather day impacts school scheduling. School schedules have been adjusted accordingly to ensure equitable opportunities for D205 students.

One Jefferson, One Book (February 8-March 5): Jefferson Tigers, are you ready to read?! On Monday, February 8th, Jefferson Elementary will kick off our 1st annual school-wide reading program called One Jefferson, One Book! Every Jefferson family and faculty member in the school will receive a copy of this year’s book, “Charlotte’s Web” by E.B. White. There will be a fun kick-off assembly to introduce the book, a shared reading schedule (with audio recordings available), discussions, trivia quizzes, art, optional at-home projects, give-back activities and more!

The entire school will be reading the book and encouraged to participate in enjoyable activities relating to the story. One Jefferson, One Book encourages both the school and its families to come together and build a community of readers. A community where we can all share thoughts, ideas, and a passion for reading.

While most reading and activities will be done at home, there will also be readings and discussions taking place in the classrooms. We encourage all families to use this opportunity to come together to read, carry on discussions about the story and even work together on some of the projects. The at-home activities are voluntary but they will offer a way for students to incorporate their creativity into the story.

It is our hope that everyone will not only fall in love with Charlotte & Wilbur, but will fall in love with reading as well! More details to come.

Jefferson Library Book Checkout: Would you like to check out books from the Jefferson Library? Students can now put a hold on up to 4 books at a time from our library. Click this link for details.

Family Math Night with Mathnasium (Thursday, February 18): Join the Jefferson PTA and Mathnasium of Elmhurst for a virtual family math night with fun math-related games/activities! All Jefferson School students, family, and friends are invited to join this event on Thursday, February 18th at 6:15PM-7:30PM.

Click here to RSVP to Family Math Night by Tuesday, February 16th. You will receive a Zoom invite to the event on the morning of Thursday, February 18th to the email you provide in the RSVP. Your student's attendance automatically enters him/her in a raffle to win some fun math games and logic puzzles to play at home with the family. For each game won during the event, an additional entry to the raffle will be rewarded. Please contact Cathy Dykes (catherine.dykes@gmail.com) with any questions.

DISTRICT NEWS

VIP D205 Clothing and Toy Drive (January 25-29): D205 is launching the VIP D205 Family Resources Sharing Project. The District is calling upon our school community to share resources by donating new and/or gently used clothing and toys. Look for upcoming “Sharing Days” and drop off locations to be posted in your school’s newsletters during this week. The collection will take place for one week beginning January 25- 29.

Please click here for full details.

Summer Rec Open House (Tuesday, February 2): District 205 and The PTA Council is proud to host the 19th Annual Summer Recreation Open House on Tuesday, February 2nd at 6:00PM-8:00PM online. The goal of this event is to give parents the opportunity to “one-stop-shop” for summer recreational and educational programs to attend, work or volunteer within. Programs present at this event are for children of all ages (pre-K through HS) and abilities. This open house is provided at no charge to parents or camps/organizations. This is an excellent opportunity to showcase your 2021 in-person and virtual summer programs.

Questions? Email sroh205@gmail.com. Or visit facebook.com/sroh205 for more information. We hope to see you there! To access the 2021 vendor participant list, visit: https://docs.google.com/.../1cBUgBZC.../edit...

D205 Parent Engagement Series Family Game Night (New Date! Friday, February 5): Save the Date! On February 5th, beginning at 6:30PM District 205 is encouraging families to participate in a district-wide Family Game Night! The purpose of this event is to encourage families to engage in activities, games, and crafts that are free from screens! D205 will be providing supplies, such as dice and a deck of cards, for families that need it. Keep an eye out for further information!

Foundation 205 Virtual Showcase (Saturday, February 6): One of the main missions of the PTA Council is to raise money to support York seniors to continue their educational plans through college scholarships. Foundation 205 is partnering with the PTA Council Scholarship Program this year & funds raised from the Virtual Showcase will be directed towards these York scholarships and mental health programming, diverse literature collections, and innovative & creative classroom enhancements. York student Jack Schroeder, put together this incredible news story about Foundation's efforts to support York seniors. He examines the current landscape for the Class of 2021 and their increased need for college scholarships. Help to support Foundation 205 and our York Seniors by attending the Virtual Showcase: Standing Strong for our Students on February 6th at 7PM. The event is free to watch, but there are multiple opportunities to support BOTH our students and local businesses. Visit the website to register and get direct access to the online auction beginning February 1st. Visit https://aesbid.com/ELP/D20521/ to learn more.

The evening will feature national comedian Pat McGann, TikTok sensation Sofie Sanfillipo and performances from York, Sandburg and Edison. The event will run about 45 minutes and will also highlight teachers and students from across the district implementing grants supported by Foundation 205. The current needs of our students are even greater in this new educational landscape. The ability to respond with innovative resources and support will play a critical role in their success throughout this pandemic and beyond.

REACH Parent Group Meeting (Friday, February 12, 11:30AM-1:00PM): The next REACH Parent Group meeting (60-90 minute duration) will take place on Zoom (ID: 810 8484 0538 & Passcode: 776727). Guest, Dave Beedy, D205 Director of STEM Education will share his insight into "Keeping Math Fun!" Dave will share math programs, applications, games and more to engage your student. Primary focus is on elementary age kids with a few middle school resources included too. Open to all D205 parents. Please join us!

Youth Issues During Covid Series (Thursday, February 18, 7:00PM): The city of Elmhurst Commission on Youth is hosting “Cyber/Social Media Issues in Youth During Covid" on Thursday, February 18th, 7:00PM-8:30PM. This event is virtual, live on Elmhurst TV YouTube channel. Link to the event will be posted as the date gets closer. It is free and no registration is required. Detective Tim Jorgensen, Officer Dorian Jarrette, and Stephen Buhr (social worker with the Elmhurst Police Dept.) will be presenting. Please email any questions to Jackie.Haddad-Tamer@elmhurst.org

D205 Food Services to Offer Free Daily Meal Bags (Beginning Tuesday, January 19): The Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 Food Services Department is helping connect school and families during hybrid learning by offering free meal kits for ALL children!

D205 schools has begun handing out an optional shelf stable, one-day meal bag each day at dismissal time for students in grades K-12. Breakfast for the following morning is included in the bag as well. Families with allergy concerns or other dietary restrictions should contact your school nurse’s office to discuss your child’s specific situation before allowing your child to bring home a meal kit. If you do not want your child to take a meal kit home, please tell your child and let the school nurse know. The food items offered in the lunch bag each day will vary. If your child is taking a meal kit home, please remind them that food is not to be eaten on the bus, and the food should not be shared with anyone due to concerns with food allergies and other dietary restrictions.

D205 Meal Service FREE to ALL Students: District 205 Food Services is helping connect school and families by offering Free meal kits for ALL children, ages 1-18. Seven days of meals (breakfast & lunch) are provided with each pickup. No pre-order or ID is required. Pickup is Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30PM-5:00PM at the following locations:

York High School, Main Entrance Door #3
Bryan Middle School, East Entrance Door #13
Churchville Middle School, Main Entrance Door #1
Sandburg Middle School, Main Entrance Door #3

Please help everyone to stay safe by wearing your mask and staying inside your car (roll down back windows or open the trunk to receive the meal kits). Thank you!

Technology/Chromebook Support: If you are having technical issues with your D205 device or your device is not working properly, please contact elearninghelp@elmhurst205.org. For help with your other tech needs, you may email Jefferson’s tech assistant, Ms. Strong, at lstrong@jefferson205.org. The district parent website has some helpful tips for WiFi issues here.

Daily Health Self-Certification Process: A daily health self-certification form must be completed for every student by 8:00AM each day before entering the school. TextYES to 67587 to receive a daily text message reminder to fill out the self-certification form. A daily email will also be sent to the parents/guardians of any students attending in person. Your username is your student’s 5-digit PowerSchool ID (ex: 12345) and the password is your student's date of birth in mmddyyyy format (ex: 01011975). Please answer each health question honestly and hit submit. If your student indicates they are not feeling well, please do not send them to school. Please note that two new questions have been added to the health certification checklist:

Is anyone in your household currently waiting for the results of a COVID-19 test because they were experiencing symptoms of COVID?
Are you in compliance with the travel guidance from the Illinois Department of Public Health?

Current guidance from the Department of Public Health recommends that anyone who has traveled outside of Illinois and engaged in high-risk behaviors (i.e. gathering in groups of ten or more, not wearing face coverings consistently, or not following social distancing guidelines) should do the following:

If you have traveled and engaged in high-risk activities, you should either get tested for COVID and stay home for seven days OR stay home for 10 days.
Get tested 3-5 days after travel AND stay home for 7 days after travel OR stay home for 10 days after travel

Thank you for helping to keep our school community safe!

D205 COVID-19 Dashboard: The Open D205 COVID-19 Dashboard has been created in an effort to keep the community informed of local transmission data. The Dashboard will be updated every Monday and includes information on county, district, and city data.

Student Late Arrival Days: Wednesdays are remote learning days for students. References to late arrivals in the 2020-21 school calendar only apply to teachers at this time and until further notice. Students will report on Wednesdays for remote learning as they would on the other days of the week.

District 205 School Calendar 2020-2021: Refer to the Elmhurst D205 school calendar for the 2020-2021 year & specific Student Late Arrival dates.

Week 18: January 19, 2021

IMPORTANT DATES & UPCOMING EVENTS

January 20 - 3rd Grade Junior Great Books sign up deadline (Click here to sign up)
January 21 - Virtual Coffee with Dr. Podraza, 8:30AM-9:00AM (zoom link below)
February 10 - Virtual PTA Meeting, 7:30PM
February 11 - Eat & Earn at Kilwins, 5:00PM-8:00PM
February 15 - President's Day - No School
February 16 - Family Math Night sign up deadline (Click here to RSVP)
February 18 - Family Math Night, 6:15PM-7:30PM

JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY PTA

#Jefferson205love: Be on the lookout for a fun way to show your love and support for our Jefferson families and school coming very soon!

Stay Connected 2020-2021: Follow the Jefferson PTA on Instagram, Twitter, or join Families of Jefferson 205 Facebook group.

SCHOOL EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

January & February Hybrid Calendars: Click this link for the January hybrid calendar and for the February hybrid calendar click here. Please note the changes to the A and B days where a school holiday impacts school scheduling. School schedules have been adjusted accordingly to ensure equitable opportunities for D205 students.

Virtual Coffee with Dr. Podraza (Thursday, January 21): The next Coffee with Dr. Podraza in on Thursday, January 21st at 8:30AM-9:00AM. Dr. Podraza will give a brief presentation on Jefferson’s next 100 day plan for the school year (January-May). There will also be time to ask any questions and offer feedback regarding school this year. We hope you can join us!

Zoom Meeting Link: https://elmhurst205.zoom.us/j/83435084681?pwd=cGxQOXg3TE9ZWVFWMzFWZmNCS1RJdz09
Meeting ID: 834 3508 4681
Passcode: 257398

Jefferson Library Book Checkout: Would you like to check out books from the Jefferson Library? Students can now put a hold on up to 4 books at a time from our library. Click this link for details.

3rd Grade Junior Great Books (Sign up deadline Wednesday, January 20): The Junior Great Books program will be virtual this winter/spring. Students will have access to each story digitally and we will meet online for our discussion. The 3rd Grade discussion group will meet for 7 weekly sessions after school (Wednesdays between 2:00PM-3:00PM) and will run January 27th-March 10th.

For those new to Junior Great Books, it is a short story discussion group that offers a fun way for students to read and discuss age-appropriate literature through the Shared Inquiry method. This program strengthens retention, comprehension, and critical thinking skills, as well as, is a strong compliment to the Reading Street program taught in the classroom. For more information on Junior Great Books and the Shared Inquiry method, please visit www.greatbooks.org.

If your child would like to participate in Junior Great Books, please fill out this form by Wednesday, January 20, 2021.

Junior Great Books is sponsored by the Jefferson PTA and the REACH PTA. Please contact Lesley Samuel (lesleysamuel@gmail.com) or Stephanie Drolett (scdrolett@yahoo.com) with any questions. Thank you!

Family Math Night with Mathnasium (Thursday, February 18): Join the Jefferson PTA and Mathnasium of Elmhurst for a virtual family math night with fun math-related games/activities! All Jefferson School students, family, and friends are invited to join this event on Thursday, February 18th at 6:15PM-7:30PM.

Click here to RSVP to Family Math Night by Tuesday, February 16th. You will receive a Zoom invite to the event on the morning of Thursday, February 18th to the email you provide in the RSVP.

Your student's attendance automatically enters him/her in a raffle to win some fun math games and logic puzzles to play at home with the family. For each game won during the event, an additional entry to the raffle will be rewarded.

Please contact Cathy Dykes (catherine.dykes@gmail.com) with any questions.

DISTRICT NEWS

Summer Rec Open House (Tuesday, February 2): The 19th Annual Summer Rec Open House is on Tuesday, February 2nd at 6:00PM-8:00PM. This online expo is free for the entire community. Use it to “one-stop-shop” for summer recreational and educational programs to attend, work or volunteer within. The programs presented at the event are for children who will be in Pre-K3 through high school. This event is sponsored by Elmhurst D205 and it's PTA.

Questions? Email sroh205@gmail.com. Or visit facebook.com/sroh205 for more information. We hope to see you there! To access the 2021 vendor participant list, visit: https://docs.google.com/.../1cBUgBZC.../edit...

Foundation 205 Virtual Showcase (Saturday, February 6): Foundation 205 is hosting a Virtual Showcase: Standing Strong for our Students on February 6th at 7:00PM. The event is free to watch, but there are multiple opportunities to support BOTH our students and local businesses. Visit the website to register and get direct access to the live event link and online auction.

The evening will feature national comedian Pat McGann, TikTok sensation Sofie Sanfillipo and performances from York, Sandburg and Edison. The event will run about 45 minutes and will also highlight teachers and students from across the district implementing grants supported by Foundation 205. The current needs of our students are even greater in this new educational landscape. The ability to respond with innovative resources and support will play a critical role in their success throughout this pandemic and beyond.

REACH Parent Group Meeting (Friday, February 12, 11:30AM-1:00PM): The next REACH Parent Group meeting (60-90 minute duration) will take place on Zoom (ID: 810 8484 0538 & Passcode: 776727). Guest, Dave Beedy, D205 Director of STEM Education will share his insight into "Keeping Math Fun!" Dave will share math programs, applications, games and more to engage your student. Primary focus is on elementary age kids with a few middle school resources included too. Open to all D205 parents. Please join us!

D205 Food Services to Offer Free Daily Meal Bags (Beginning Tuesday, January 19): The Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 Food Services Department is helping connect school and families during hybrid learning by offering free meal kits for ALL children!

Beginning Tuesday (January 19, 2021), D205 schools will be handing out an optional shelf stable, one-day meal bag each day at dismissal time for students in grades K-12. Breakfast for the following morning is included in the bag as well. Families with allergy concerns or other dietary restrictions should contact your school nurse’s office to discuss your child’s specific situation before allowing your child to bring home a meal kit. If you do not want your child to take a meal kit home, please tell your child and let the school nurse know. The food items offered in the lunch bag each day will vary. If your child is taking a meal kit home, please remind them that food is not to be eaten on the bus, and the food should not be shared with anyone due to concerns with food allergies and other dietary restrictions.

If any Jefferson students would like a free daily meal bag, they should exit the building out their normal door at Jefferson and then walk to the door outside of the gym at the back of the building. Meal bags will be handed out by a staff member in that location.

D205 Meal Service FREE to ALL Students: District 205 Food Services is helping connect school and families by offering Free meal kits for ALL children, ages 1-18. Seven days of meals (breakfast & lunch) are provided with each pickup. No pre-order or ID is required. Pickup is Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30PM-5:00PM at the following locations:

York High School, Main Entrance Door #3
Bryan Middle School, East Entrance Door #13
Churchville Middle School, Main Entrance Door #1
Sandburg Middle School, Main Entrance Door #3

Please help everyone to stay safe by wearing your mask and staying inside your car (roll down back windows or open the trunk to receive the meal kits). Thank you!

Technology/Chromebook Support: If you are having technical issues with your D205 device or your device is not working properly, please contact elearninghelp@elmhurst205.org. For help with your other tech needs, you may email Jefferson’s tech assistant, Ms. Strong, at lstrong@jefferson205.org. The district parent website has some helpful tips for WiFi issues here.

Daily Health Self-Certification Process: A daily health self-certification form must be completed for every student by 8:00AM each day before entering the school. Text YES to 67587 to receive a daily text message reminder to fill out the self-certification form. A daily email will also be sent to the parents/guardians of any students attending in person. Your username is your student’s 5-digit PowerSchool ID (ex: 12345) and the password is your student's date of birth in mmddyyyy format (ex: 01011975). Please answer each health question honestly and hit submit. If your student indicates they are not feeling well, please do not send them to school. Please note that two new questions have been added to the health certification checklist:

Is anyone in your household currently waiting for the results of a COVID-19 test because they were experiencing symptoms of COVID?
Are you in compliance with the travel guidance from the Illinois Department of Public Health?

Current guidance from the Department of Public Health recommends that anyone who has traveled outside of Illinois and engaged in high-risk behaviors (i.e. gathering in groups of ten or more, not wearing face coverings consistently, or not following social distancing guidelines) should do the following:

If you have traveled and engaged in high-risk activities, you should either get tested for COVID and stay home for seven days OR stay home for 10 days.
Get tested 3-5 days after travel AND stay home for 7 days after travel OR stay home for 10 days after travel

Thank you for helping to keep our school community safe!

D205 COVID-19 Dashboard: The Open D205 COVID-19 Dashboard has been created in an effort to keep the community informed of local transmission data. The Dashboard will be updated every Monday and includes information on county, district, and city data.

Student Late Arrival Days: Wednesdays are remote learning days for students. References to late arrivals in the 2020-21 school calendar only apply to teachers at this time and until further notice. Students will report on Wednesdays for remote learning as they would on the other days of the week.

District 205 School Calendar 2020-2021: Refer to the Elmhurst D205 school calendar for the 2020-2021 year & specific Student Late Arrival dates.

Week 17: January 12, 2021

IMPORTANT DATES & UPCOMING EVENTS

January 13 - Virtual PTA Meeting, 7:30PM (zoom link below)
January 15 - Teacher Institute Day - No School
January 15 - D205 presents The Innovator’s Mindset with George Couros Parent Presentation, 12:30PM-1:30PM (Click here to register)
January 18 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day - No School
January 18 - One Jefferson, One Book Survey due (Click here to take the survey)
January 20 - 3rd Grade Junior Great Books Sign-Up deadline (Click here to sign up)
January 21 - Virtual Coffee with Dr. Podraza, 8:30AM-9:00AM (zoom link below)
February 10 - Virtual PTA Meeting, 7:30PM
February 15 - President's Day - No School
February 18 - Family Math Night, 6:15PM-7:30PM

JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY PTA

Happy 2021 & welcome back to school! We hope you all had a wonderful, fun & relaxing holiday season.

PTA Meeting (Wednesday, January 13): The next Jefferson PTA meeting is on Wednesday, January 13th at 7:30PM. This month our Third Grade Teachers (Ms. Darley, Ms. Riemersma and Ms. Grote) will join us to talk about the year so far. We will also present the revised budget for approval. This is a good opportunity to ask any questions or give feedback to our Teachers and the PTA Board. Please join us! Click here to review minutes from last month's meeting.

Zoom Meeting Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/ 82251102405?pwd= dWtaN2s5SFRtQzBHSTA1TlduMnFRQT 09
Meeting ID: 822 5110 2405
Passcode: 734490

Stay Connected 2020-2021: Follow the Jefferson PTA on Instagram, Twitter, or join Families of Jefferson 205 Facebook group.

SCHOOL EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

January Hybrid Schedule: Click this link for the hybrid schedule for the month of January. Please note the changes to the A and B days for the next two weeks.

D205 Presents The Innovator’s Mindset with George Couros (Friday, January 15): D205 is pleased to present a special parent session with innovation leader George Couros, author of The Innovator’s Mindset; Empower Learning, Unleash Talent, and Lead a Culture of Creativity and his latest book, Innovate Inside the Box, on Friday, January 15 from 12:30PM-1:30PM via Zoom. The session is free by clicking here to register.

Schools, like learning, are continuously evolving, and how does that change our role as parents? In this talk, George will discuss the idea and characteristics of “The Innovator’s Mindset” and share persuasive examples on why this is so crucial for all educators. George’s presentations are known to be emotional, humorous, all while pushing your thinking, and will connect to your heart first, in a way that will last with you long after this keynote.

This presentation is possible due in part to our generous Jefferson PTA! Thank you!

One Jefferson, One Book Survey (Click here to take the survey. Sign-up deadline Monday, January 18): One Jefferson, One Book is a school-wide book club where the entire school reads the same book at the same time. The goal is to build a Community of Readers. Along with reading the book, everyone has the opportunity to partake in various activities that support the theme of the chosen title. For example, vocabulary games, learn how-to-draw, STEM projects, Bingo, crafts, discussions, trivia, contests, guest readers, etc. Families can get involved as much or as little as they would like. Participation is not required but encouraged.

OJOB is sponsored by Jefferson PTA and each family can receive a copy of the book. This year's book will be "Charlotte's Web", by E.B. White. The story takes place on a farm and concerns a pig named Wilbur and his devoted friend Charlotte, the spider who manages to save his life by writing about him in her web.

Please click here to take the survey by Monday, January 18th and let us know if you would like to receive a copy of the book for this program (one copy/family), so the correct amount of books can be ordered. The target start date of the program is February. More details about the specifics of OJOB will be sent home in January. Thank you!

Virtual Coffee with Dr. Podraza (Thursday, January 21): The next Coffee with Dr. Podraza in on Thursday, January 21st at 8:30AM-9:00AM. Dr. Podraza will give a brief presentation on Jefferson’s next 100 day plan for the school year. We hope you can join us!

Zoom Meeting Link: https://elmhurst205.zoom.us/j/83435084681?pwd=cGxQOXg3TE9ZWVFWMzFWZmNCS1RJdz09
Meeting ID: 834 3508 4681
Passcode: 257398

3rd Grade Junior Great Books: The Junior Great Books program will be virtual this winter/spring. Students will have access to each story digitally and we will meet online for our discussion. The 3rd Grade discussion group will meet for 7 weekly sessions after school (Wednesdays between 2:00PM-3:00PM) and will run January 27th-March 10th.

For those new to Junior Great Books, it is a short story discussion group that offers a fun way for students to read and discuss age-appropriate literature through the Shared Inquiry method. This program strengthens retention, comprehension, and critical thinking skills, as well as, is a strong compliment to the Reading Street program taught in the classroom. For more information on Junior Great Books and the Shared Inquiry method, please visit www.greatbooks.org.

If your child would like to participate in Junior Great Books, please fill out this form by Wednesday, January 20, 2021.

Junior Great Books is sponsored by the Jefferson PTA and the REACH PTA. Please contact Lesley Samuel (lesleysamuel@gmail.com) or Stephanie Drolett (scdrolett@yahoo.com) with any questions. Thank you!

DISTRICT NEWS

D205 Parent Engagement Series Presents “Mindframes for Students, Mindframes for Parents” (Wednesday, January 13, 6:30PM via Zoom): As your students are learning at home, it offers a unique opportunity into their world of learning. This session "Mindframes for Students, Mindframes for Parents" will focus on understanding how students can monitor their own progress, how parents can challenge their students appropriately, and how to gradually release responsibility for learning during the course of the year. Click here to Register for "Mindframes for Students, Mindframes for Parents" - The Distance Learning Playbook for Parents, Chapter 4.

Did you miss “That’s Not How I Learned It!” - Distance Learning Playbook for Parents, Chapter 2? Catch the replay here.

City of Elmhurst Commission on Youth presents “Depression in Kids During COVID” (Thursday, January 14, 7:00PM-8:30PM): The City of Elmhurst Commission on Youth is hosting a series of “Youth Issues During Covid”. The next virtual live event is: “Depression in Kids During Covid”. Sponsored by Amita Health and Dr. Jason Washburn.

When is the change of mood we are seeing in kids considered temporary stress? When is it something you need to take action on where it could be the onset of a mental health disorder? We will cover emotional/behavioral difficulties related to Covid and remote/hybrid learning. Many kids are struggling. Anger outbursts, strong mood fluctuations, and isolating are some areas parents are having concern.

The free event will take place live on the Elmhurst TV YouTube channel. For the Q&A portion at the end, please email any questions to Jackie.Haddad-Tamer@elmhurst.org

Summer Rec Open House (Tuesday, February 2): The 19th Annual Summer Rec Open House is on Tuesday, February 2nd at 6:00PM-8:00PM. This online expo is free for the entire community. Use it to “one-stop-shop” for summer recreational and educational programs to attend, work or volunteer within. The programs presented at the event are for children who will be in Pre-K3 through high school. This event is sponsored by Elmhurst D205 and it's PTA.

Questions? Email sroh205@gmail.com. Or visit facebook.com/sroh205 for more information. We hope to see you there! To access the 2021 vendor participant list, visit: https://docs.google.com/.../1cBUgBZC.../edit...

Foundation 205 Virtual Showcase (Saturday, February 6): Foundation 205 is hosting a Virtual Showcase: Standing Strong for our Students on February 6th at 7PM. The event is free to watch, but there are multiple opportunities to support BOTH our students and local businesses. Visit the website to register and get direct access to the live event link and online auction.

The evening will feature national comedian Pat McGann, TikTok sensation Sofie Sanfillipo and performances from York, Sandburg and Edison. The event will run about 45 minutes and will also highlight teachers and students from across the district implementing grants supported by Foundation 205. The current needs of our students are even greater in this new educational landscape. The ability to respond with innovative resources and support will play a critical role in their success throughout this pandemic and beyond.

D205 Meal Service FREE to ALL Students: District 205 Food Services is helping connect school and families by offering Free meal kits for ALL children, ages 1-18. Seven days of meals (breakfast & lunch) are provided with each pickup. No pre-order or ID is required. Pickup is Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30PM-5:00PM at the following locations (No Meal Pick Up on January 18th):

York High School, Main Entrance Door #3
Bryan Middle School, East Entrance Door #13
Churchville Middle School, Main Entrance Door #1
Sandburg Middle School, Main Entrance Door #3

Please help everyone to stay safe by wearing your mask and staying inside your car (roll down back windows or open the trunk to receive the meal kits). Thank you!

Technology/Chromebook Support: If you are having technical issues with your D205 device or your device is not working properly, please contact elearninghelp@elmhurst205.org. For help with your other tech needs, you may email Jefferson’s tech assistant, Ms. Strong, at lstrong@jefferson205.org. The district parent website has some helpful tips for WiFi issues here.

Daily Health Self-Certification Process: A daily health self-certification form must be completed for every student by 8:00AM each day before entering the school. Text YES to 67587 to receive a daily text message reminder to fill out the self-certification form. A daily email will also be sent to the parents/guardians of any students attending in person. Your username is your student’s 5-digit PowerSchool ID (ex: 12345) and the password is your student's date of birth in mmddyyyy format (ex: 01011975). Please answer each health question honestly and hit submit. If your student indicates they are not feeling well, please do not send them to school. Please note that two new questions have been added to the health certification checklist:

Is anyone in your household currently waiting for the results of a COVID-19 test because they were experiencing symptoms of COVID?
Are you in compliance with the travel guidance from the Illinois Department of Public Health?

Current guidance from the Department of Public Health recommends that anyone who has traveled outside of Illinois and engaged in high-risk behaviors (i.e. gathering in groups of ten or more, not wearing face coverings consistently, or not following social distancing guidelines) should do the following:

If you have traveled and engaged in high-risk activities, you should either get tested for COVID and stay home for seven days OR stay home for 10 days.
Get tested 3-5 days after travel AND stay home for 7 days after travel OR stay home for 10 days after travel

Thank you for helping to keep our school community safe!

D205 COVID-19 Dashboard: The Open D205 COVID-19 Dashboard has been created in an effort to keep the community informed of local transmission data. The Dashboard will be updated every Monday and includes information on county, district, and city data.

Student Late Arrival Days: Wednesdays are remote learning days for students. References to late arrivals in the 2020-21 school calendar only apply to teachers at this time and until further notice. Students will report on Wednesdays for remote learning as they would on the other days of the week.

District 205 School Calendar 2020-2021: Refer to the Elmhurst D205 school calendar for the 2020-2021 year & specific Student Late Arrival dates.

Week 16: December 15, 2020

IMPORTANT DATES & UPCOMING EVENTS

December 14-20 - Jefferson's Jolly Jingle Drive, 5:00PM-9:00PM nightly
December 14-22 - 7 Days of Winter Activities in the classroom
December 15 - Edie Boutique Private Shopping Event, 6:00PM-8:00PM (or shop all day using online code: CHARITY)
December 15 - D205 Board of Education Meeting, 7:00PM (YouTube link)
December 17 - Virtual Holiday Family Trivia Night, 7:00PM
December 22 - Virtual Classroom Holiday Parties
December 22 - Library Book Checkout, 1:30PM-3:00PM
December 23-January 5 - Winter Break - No School
January 11 - Return to in-person, hybrid learning (dependent on D205 Metrics & Factors for Decision on Hybrid/Remote Learning)
January 13 - Virtual PTA Meeting, 7:30PM
January 15 - Teacher Institute Day - No School
January 18 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day - No School

JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY PTA

Thank you to everyone that has participated and helped with all our events so far this school year! We can't do all these wonderful things without your help. We hope you all have a fun and relaxing Holiday Break. From all of us to all of YOU - HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Stay Connected 2020-2021: Follow the Jefferson PTA on Instagram, Twitter, or join Families of Jefferson 205 Facebook group.

SCHOOL EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

7 Days of Winter Activities (December 14-December 22): New at Jefferson this year! Jefferson will be doing a daily winter-related activity during the school day from December 14th-December 22nd to bring a little unity, community and fun during the winter days leading up until break. See below or click here for the list of upcoming activities. Enjoy!

Wednesday, December 16th - Snowflake Family Tradition - Post your child’s completed snowflake in a front window of your home
Thursday, December 17th - Mystery Reader - Students May Wear Pajamas & Drink Hot Cocoa
Friday, December 18th - The Giving Tree Performance - Students will watch The Giving Tree performances and the Season of Giving video compilation. Students are encouraged to dress up just like previous years when the Giving Tree was a live performance.

Jefferson's Jolly Jingle Drive (December 14-December 20): Join us for Jefferson's First Annual Jolly Jingle Drive! The Jolly Jingle Drive will take place every night from December 14th-December 20th from 5:00PM-9:00PM. Click here for the Jolly Jingle Drive Map and click here for the Bingo Sheet available for this fun memorable event! If you have any questions, please contact Jackie Messina or Laura West.

Library Book Checkout (December 22): Students may check out up to 3 books from the Jefferson Library prior to Winter Break. Please click here for information on how to reserve books for pick-up on December 22nd from 1:30PM-3:00PM. Contactless pick-up will be the same process used to pick up other materials this year.

Pledge Leader Volunteers: Both students and parents are encouraged to volunteer to lead the pledge. Please click here to sign-up. Morning announcements are posted daily at 8:00AM on both the Jefferson Instagram page (@jeffersond205) and the Jefferson YouTube channel (Jefferson Elementary).

FUNDRAISING

Edie Boutique Private Shopping Event (Tuesday, December 15): Join the Jefferson PTA for a private holiday shopping event today Tuesday, December 15th from 6:00PM-8:00PM at Edie Boutique. Just mention Jefferson to receive 10% off your purchases. Edie Boutique will also generously give 10% back to the Jefferson PTA. You can also shop online all day using online code: CHARITY. Shop Local for friends, family or just for yourself! Click here for details.

Virtual Holiday Family Trivia Night (Thursday, December 17): Join us this Thursday, December 17th at 7:00PM for another family-friendly virtual trivia night! Questions will be asked by professional emcee and trivia host Nicole Kawell as you play against other Jefferson families in a battle of the minds!! Each household will be its own team. Our host Nicole will guide you through the whole event with ease. After you register, you will be sent a zoom link for the trivia night a day prior to the event along with some trivia tips. This event will be capped at 50 households! Ugly holiday sweaters or other seasonal apparel is highly encouraged! Silly prizes will be awarded for the top three winners. Click here to sign up on MemberHub.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Student Council Holiday Food Drive: Thank you to the entire Jefferson Community for generously donating to support the food drive organized by our Jefferson Student Council. Together our community was able to donate 462.6 lbs. of food and non-perishables to the Elmhurst-Yorkfield Food Pantry. Go Tigers!

Eat & Earn Portillo's: Thank you to all who enjoyed a delicious meal from Portillo's during last week's Eat & Earn event. Portillo's generously donated 20% of sales to the Jefferson PTA. Your participation helped earn funds for the Jefferson PTA to make all the various quality programs and events available for all our Jefferson Tigers!

The Giving Tree: Thank you to The Giving Tree Chair, Megan Corrigan, who made the donation box and put together the Season of Giving video. Thank you to Ms. Cusack for organizing the gift cards for UCAA & those in need this holiday season. Thank you to the Jefferson community for donating gift cards which will all go to Jefferson and Elmhurst area families in need. Thank you to the students who worked so hard to create the videos and put on a beautiful show for us all to watch. Thank you to Ms. LeResche for leading them in this honored Jefferson tradition. It is so amazing to watch our community join together and keep our traditions alive and making them special in this unusual year.

Magical Wishes for 2021: Thank you to all those who took the time to send in a Magical Wish for 2021. Thank you to Jen Bullock and Becca Harpster for assembling the videos and sharing with the Jefferson community.

Prairie Garden Committee: Thank you to the Chair of the Prairie Garden Committee, Jess Testani, for festively beautifying the large flower pot in front of school for the holiday season. What a beautiful way to be welcomed into our school!

DISTRICT NEWS

D205 Board of Education Meeting (Tuesday, December 15): The next regularly scheduled meeting of the D205 Board of Education is Tuesday, December 15th at 7:00PM. The meeting can be viewed on YouTube using this link.

PTA Council Scholarship Cookie Dough Sale: Thanks to the Scholarship committee for their work on the Cookie Dough Sale! All order were distributed this past week and $1371 was raised for York scholarships! Great job to all involved and your efforts are so appreciated.

Good news! You can still place orders through https://savorygivesback.com/customer/ptacouncilelmhurstil/. Items will be delivered directly to your home and 10% of all additional sales will go back to the PTA Council to support York Scholarships!

York Front Door Food Drive (Ends Sunday, December 20): This holiday season many families are in need. York is donating food to the Yorkfield Food Pantry, and they need our help! Between now and December 20^th, collect as many non-perishable food items as possible! Once ready to donate, fill out THIS GOOGLE FORM. You will receive an email from a food drive representative with details on when and where to drop off the items and receive your raffle tickets. You will get one ticket for every four food items. FIVE $10 gift cards will be raffled! This is a socially distanced event. There will be no contact with other people throughout the entire process.

Acceptable non-perishable food items include: peanut butter, canned soup, canned vegetables, canned fruit, applesauce, canned beans, granola bars, cooking oils, nuts, brown rice, flour, pasta, bottled water, oats, canned proteins.

D205 Meal Service FREE to ALL Students: D205 has free meal pick-up service for ALL children, ages 1-18, starting November 16th. Seven days of meals are provided. No pre-order or ID is required. Meals may also be picked up for your neighbors. Please wear your mask, remain in your car when picking up food, and let down the back window or open the trunk. The D205 Food Services team will place the food in your car.

Pickup is Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30PM-5:00 PM and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:00AM-8:00AM at the following locations:

York High School, Main Entrance Door #3
Bryan Middle School, East Entrance Door #13
Churchville Middle School, Main Entrance Door #1
Sandburg Middle School, Main Entrance Door #3

Technology/Chromebook Support: If you are having technical issues with your D205 device or your device is not working properly, please contact elearninghelp@elmhurst205.org. For help with your other tech needs, you may email Jefferson’s tech assistant, Ms. Strong, at lstrong@jefferson205.org. The district parent website has some helpful tips for WiFi issues here.

Daily Student Health Self-Certification Process Required: A daily health self-certification form must be completed for every student by 8:00AM each day before entering the school. This quick certification process is part of the Open D205 plan. TextYES to 67587 to receive a daily text message reminder to fill out the self-certification form. A daily email will also be sent to the parents/guardians of any students attending in person. Your username is your student’s 5-digit PowerSchool ID (ex: 12345) and the password is your student's date of birth in mmddyyyy format (ex: 01011975). Please answer each health question honestly and hit submit. Thank you for helping to keep our school community safe!

D205 COVID-19 Dashboard: The Open D205 COVID-19 Dashboard has been created in an effort to keep the community informed of local transmission data. The Dashboard will be updated every Monday and includes information on county, district, and city data.

Student Late Arrival Days: Wednesdays are remote learning days for students. References to late arrivals in the 2020-21 school calendar only apply to teachers at this time and until further notice. Students will report on Wednesdays for remote learning as they would on the other days of the week.

District 205 School Calendar 2020-2021: Refer to the Elmhurst D205 school calendar for the 2020-2021 year & specific Student Late Arrival dates.

Week 15: December 8, 2020

IMPORTANT DATES & UPCOMING EVENTS

December 1-11 - Student Council Holiday Food Drive
December 9 - Virtual PTA Meeting, 7:30PM - Presentation by Ms. Cusack on Mental Health, 5th Grade Team Sharing
December 9 - PTA Scholarship Cookie Dough Sale Pick up, 3:00PM-5:30PM, Sandburg Middle School
December 9-11 - 7 Days of Winter Supply Pick-Up (details below)
December 10 - Portillo's Eat & Earn, 5:00PM-8:00PM (flyer)
December 10 - *New* Square 1 Art Projects due date
December 11 - Giving Tree photo submissions due
December 13 - Magical Wishes for 2021 Video due
December 13-20 - Jefferson's Jolly Jingle Drive, 5:00PM-9:00PM (each night)
December 14-22 - 7 Days of Winter Activities in the classroom
December 15 - Edie Boutique Private Shopping Event, 6:00PM-8:00PM (or shop all day using online code: CHARITY)
December 17 - Virtual Holiday Family Trivia Night, 7:00PM
December 22 - Virtual Classroom Holiday Parties
December 23-January 5 - Winter Break - No School
January 6 - Return to in-person, hybrid learning (dependent on D205 Metrics & Factors for Decision on Hybrid/Remote Learning)
January 13 - Virtual PTA Meeting, 7:30PM
January 15 - Teacher Institute Day - No School
January 18 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day - No School

JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY PTA

PTA Meeting (Wednesday, December 9, 7:30PM): Please join our next PTA meeting at 7:30PM on Wednesday, December 9th. Ms. Cusack will present on Mental Health and the 5th Grade Team will be sharing. Click here to review minutes from last month's meeting.

Zoom Meeting Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82251102405?pwd=dWtaN2s5SFRtQzBHSTA1TlduMnFRQT09
Meeting ID: 822 5110 2405
Passcode: 734490

Stay Connected 2020-2021: Follow the Jefferson PTA on Instagram, Twitter, or join Families of Jefferson 205 Facebook group.

SCHOOL EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

Student Council Holiday Food Drive (Ends Friday, December 11): It's not too late! The Jefferson Student Council has organized a Holiday Food Drive. Please help us help others in need by donating food to the Elmhurst-Yorkfield Food Pantry. Donations can be dropped off in the boxes located inside the Jefferson main entrance. Suggested items: Canned fruit, canned chicken, canned black or pinto beans, soups, diced tomatoes, canned vegetables, toothpaste, bar soap, facial tissues, etc. Any non-perishable items are welcome!

The Giving Tree Performance Recordings: The Giving Tree performances will be recorded during your child's music class this week. Please have your child practice the choreography and dress up just like they traditional would so they are ready for their recorded performance. Thank you so much for helping us keep this amazing tradition special!

The Jan Newman Giving Tree Gift Card Donations (December 7-December 11): Every year our Jefferson families donate gift cards that are shared (through the school social worker) with Elmhurst families in need. This year, we will continue that tradition - with a slight twist! If you would like to make a donation, please drop off your gift cards at the main entrance (Door 2) in the donation box inside the entrance during one of the following dates/times:

Tuesday 12/8, 5:30PM-6:30PM
Wednesday 12/9, 10:00AM-1:30PM
Thursday 12/10, 10:00AM-4:00PM
Friday 12/11, 10:00AM-1:30PM

Any gift card and any amount is appreciated. The most preferred gift cards for many families in need are Visa, Target, Walmart or Kohl's gift cards. Click here for more details.

7 Days of Winter Supply Pick-Up (December 9-December 11): Jefferson will be doing a daily winter-related activity during the school day from December 14th-December 22nd to bring a little unity, community and fun during the winter days leading up until break. Please click here for the list of activities. Supplies for these activities will be available for pick up in the Jefferson main office at the following days/times:

Wednesday, December 9th - 10:00AM - 1:30PM
Thursday, December 10th - 10:00AM - 4:00PM
Friday, December 11th - 10:00AM - 1:30PM

The Giving Tree Season of Giving Video (Due Friday, December 11): We may not be able to be together like we would like this year, but we'd still LOVE to see how you are celebrating this Season of Giving. Please take a picture of your child showing how you are giving back (like holding their donation or making a card/gift for someone) and upload it into THIS FOLDER by Friday, December 11th. These photos will be put into a video compilation and shared with all Jefferson families. We can't wait to see all those smiling faces!

Jefferson's Jolly Jingle Drive (December 13-December 20): Show off your holiday spirit (and your holiday decorations) with our Jefferson Community! Join us for Jefferson's First Annual Jolly Jingle Drive! The Jolly Jingle Drive will take place every night from December 13th-December 20th at 5:00PM-9:00PM. Maps will be available on December 13th for all Jefferson families to participate. Bingo sheets for the drive will also be available for this fun memorable event! Click here to register your home for Jefferson's Jolly Jingle Drive and fill out the form by Wednesday, December 9th to have your house included on the map. If you have any questions, please contact Jackie Messina or Laura West.

Pledge Leader Volunteers: Both students and parents are encouraged to volunteer to lead the pledge. Please click here to sign-up. Morning announcements are posted daily at 8:00AM on both the Jefferson Instagram page (@jeffersond205) and the Jefferson YouTube channel (Jefferson Elementary).

FUNDRAISING

Square 1 Art (Due Thursday, December 10): Parents can STILL upload and purchase memorable keepsakes of your child's Square 1 Art projects up until Thursday, December 10th. These keepsakes WILL NOT arrive until January 2021 but your purchase would still be part of the Jefferson fundraiser. Just follow these easy steps:

CREATE ART at home
PHOTOGRAPH & UPLOAD ART by 12/10/2020. Click here to enter the Square 1 Art Parent Portal for details on Virtual Art Creation & Upload Instructions
SHOP online for art keepsakes and order by 12/10
FREE SHIPPING to home on all orders $50 or more with code: 2020SHIP (Offer valid for orders placed 11/25/20-12/31/20)
NEED HELP? Contact Square 1 Art Customer Care at or call 888.332.3294

Thank you for creating art for the Jefferson's 6th annual Square 1 Art fundraiser! We hope you had fun! We know you will enjoy your child's art on Square 1 Art keepsakes for years to come!

Eat & Earn at Portillo's (Thursday, December 10, 5:00PM-8:00PM): Portillo's is the perfect place to get some dinner. Mention Jefferson PTA fundraiser and show this flyer (printed copy or via smartphone) when you order and Portillo's will donate 20% of the qualifying sales of food to our organization. Portillo's is located at 155 South Route 83 in Elmhurst. If you order takeout, please mention the fundraiser at the beginning of your order. Spread the word to your family, friends, and neighbors!

Edie Boutique Private Shopping Event (Tuesday, December 15): Join the Jefferson PTA for a private holiday shopping event at Edie Boutique on Tuesday, December 15th from 6:00PM-8:00PM. Just mention Jefferson to receive 10% off your purchases. Edie Boutique will also generously give 10% back to the Jefferson PTA. SHOP LOCAL for friends, family or just for yourself! Click here for details.

Virtual Holiday Family Trivia Night (Thursday, December 17): Join us on Thursday, December 17th at 7:00PM for another family-friendly virtual trivia night! Questions will be asked by professional emcee and trivia host Nicole Kawell as you play against other Jefferson families in a battle of the minds!! Each household will be its own team. Our host Nicole will guide you through the whole event with ease. After you register, you will be sent a zoom link for the trivia night a day prior to the event along with some trivia tips. This event will be capped at 50 households! Ugly holiday sweaters or other seasonal apparel is highly encouraged! Silly prizes will be awarded for the top three winners. Click here to sign up on MemberHub.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

One Jefferson, One Book: One Jefferson, One Book is coming to Jefferson in January 2021. We are looking for volunteers to form a committee to ensure this school-wide program is a success! The goal of One Jefferson, One Book is to build a community of readers. The entire school will read the same book at the same time. Everyone - students, parents, teachers, even administrative staff - will be participating and we can all reap the many benefits of this program. If you would like to volunteer, please email Kanako Shuaipaj (kshuaipaj@gmail.com).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Jefferson Community: Thank you to everyone for your ongoing support in this unusual year. From supply pick ups, to virtual event participation - Thank you for keeping the spirit of our wonderful Jefferson Community alive!

DISTRICT NEWS

D205 Parent Engagement Series Distance Learning Playbook for Parents: Fine-Tuning Your Hybrid Learning Environment (Tuesday, December 8, 6:30PM): D205 has developed a series of presentations with parents in mind. The presentations will follow the work of the book, The Distance Learning Playbook for Parents (Fisher, Frey, Hattie, & Wiseman) (available for purchase from Amazon). It is important for families to be able to understand how to support students through Zoom, monitor sleep habits, understand Google Classroom all while taking care of each other. The first session covers The Distance Learning Playbook for Parents, Chapter 1 and will allow parents to engage in a discussion with administrators and teachers to glean some helpful tips and hints in order to more effectively navigate a hybrid learning environment.

Register in advance for this webinar:https://elmhurst205. zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ knmdTs3VSRSOvRia0qqVQQ

Each presentation will be broadcast in English and Spanish and will be recorded so parents can watch them at a later time. To learn more about the entire series by visiting the Thrive D205 page.

PTA Scholarship Cookie Dough Sale Pick up (Wednesday, December 9): The cookie dough orders are here! Please pick up your orders at Sandburg Middle School (345 East St. Charles Rd) on Wednesday, December 16th from 3:00PM-5:30PM. Place a sign in your front window on the passenger side with your last name or any other last names of orders you are picking up. Please pull around back to the parking lot and your cookie orders will be placed in your car.

REACH Parent Group Virtual Meeting (Friday, December 11, 11:30AM): Leslie Weber, D205 Director of Curriculum and REACH Coordinator will be present. Topics discussed may include (but not limited to) SEL (social-emotional learning), REACH Program Review, students adapting to the “new normal," and continued Q&A with and support from other REACH parents. Open to all D205 parents.

Zoom Meeting ID: 494 254 3195 Passcode: 626484
(Please note, unique ID & Passcode EACH meeting)

The REACH Parent Group is now on social media. Please like their Facebook page, join the Elementary School parent group or the Middle School parent group, follow on Twitter and Instagram. Like and follow the platform that works best for you. Please address all social media related questions and feedback to Ioana Fernandez(ioana@iprchicago.com).

D205 Meal Service FREE to ALL Students: D205 has free meal pick-up service for ALL children, ages 1-18, starting November 16th. Seven days of meals are provided. No pre-order or ID is required. Meals may also be picked up for your neighbors. Please wear your mask, remain in your car when picking up food, and let down the back window or open the trunk. The D205 Food Services team will place the food in your car.

Pickup is Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30PM-5:00 PM and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:00AM-8:00AM at the following locations:

York High School, Main Entrance Door #3
Bryan Middle School, East Entrance Door #13
Churchville Middle School, Main Entrance Door #1
Sandburg Middle School, Main Entrance Door #3

Technology/Chromebook Support: If you are having technical issues with your D205 device or your device is not working properly, please contact elearninghelp@elmhurst205.org. For help with your other tech needs, you may email Jefferson’s tech assistant, Ms. Strong, at lstrong@jefferson205.org. The district parent website has some helpful tips for WiFi issues here.

Daily Student Health Self-Certification Process Required: A daily health self-certification form must be completed for every student by 8:00AM each day before entering the school. This quick certification process is part of the Open D205 plan. Text YES to 67587 to receive a daily text message reminder to fill out the self-certification form. A daily email will also be sent to the parents/guardians of any students attending in person. Your username is your student’s 5-digit PowerSchool ID (ex: 12345) and the password is your student's date of birth in mmddyyyy format (ex: 01011975). Please answer each health question honestly and hit submit. Thank you for helping to keep our school community safe!

D205 COVID-19 Dashboard: The Open D205 COVID-19 Dashboard has been created in an effort to keep the community informed of local transmission data. The Dashboard will be updated every Monday and includes information on county, district, and city data.

Student Late Arrival Days: Wednesdays are remote learning days for students. References to late arrivals in the 2020-21 school calendar only apply to teachers at this time and until further notice. Students will report on Wednesdays for remote learning as they would on the other days of the week.

District 205 School Calendar 2020-2021: Refer to the Elmhurst D205 school calendar for the 2020-2021 year & specific Student Late Arrival dates.

Week 14: December 1, 2020

IMPORTANT DATES & UPCOMING EVENTS

December 1-11 - Student Council Holiday Food Drive
December 4 - Request to Change to In-Person/Hybrid Learning Form Due (form closes at 5:00PM)
December 9 - Virtual PTA Meeting, 7:30PM - Presentation by Ms. Cusack on Mental Health, 5th Grade Team Sharing
December 10 - Portillo's Eat & Earn, 5:00PM-8:00PM (flyer)
December 10 - *New* Square 1 Art Projects due date
December 11 - Giving Tree photo submissions due
December 15 - Edie Boutique Private Shopping Event
December 17 - Virtual Holiday Family Trivia Night, 7:00PM
December 22 - Virtual Classroom Holiday Parties
December 23-January 5 - Winter Break - No School
January 6 - Return to in-person, hybrid learning (dependent on D205 Metrics & Factors for Decision on Hybrid/Remote Learning)
January 13 - Virtual PTA Meeting, 7:30PM
January 15 - Teacher Institute Day - No School
January 18 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day - No School

JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY PTA

Stay Connected 2020-2021: Follow the Jefferson PTA on Instagram, Twitter, or join Families of Jefferson 205 Facebook group.

SCHOOL EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

Student Council Holiday Food Drive (December 1-December 11): The Jefferson Student Council has organized a Holiday Food Drive. Please help us help others in need by donating food to the Elmhurst-Yorkfield Food Pantry. Donations can be dropped off at Jefferson in the boxes located inside the front entrance starting today, December 1st until December 11th. Suggested items: Canned fruit, canned chicken, canned black or pinto beans, soups, diced tomatoes, canned vegetables, toothpaste, bar soap, facial tissues, etc. Any non-perishable items are welcome!

The Jan Newman Giving Tree Gift Card Donations (December 7-December 11): Every year our Jefferson families donate gift cards that are shared (through the school social worker) with Elmhurst families in need. This year, we will continue that tradition - with a slight twist! If you would like to make a donation, please drop off your gift cards at the main entrance (Door 2) in the donation box inside the entrance during one of the following dates/times:

Monday 12/7, 10:00AM-1:30PM
Tuesday 12/8, 10:00AM-1:30PM
Tuesday 12/8, 5:30PM-6:30PM
Wednesday 12/9, 10:00AM-1:30PM
Thursday 12/10, 10:00AM-4:00PM
Friday 12/11, 10:00AM-1:30PM

Any gift card and any amount is appreciated. The most preferred gift cards for many families in need are Visa, Target, Walmart or Kohl's gift cards. Click here for more details.

The Giving Tree Season of Giving Video (Due Friday, December 11): We may not be able to be together like we would like this year, but we'd still LOVE to see how you are celebrating this Season of Giving. Please take a picture of your child showing how you are giving back (like holding their donation or making a card/gift for someone) and upload it into THIS FOLDERby Friday, December 11th. These photos will be put into a video compilation and shared with all Jefferson families. We can't wait to see all those smiling faces!

Pledge Leader Volunteers: Both students and parents are encouraged to volunteer to lead the pledge starting Tuesday, December 1st. Please click here to sign-up. Morning announcements are posted daily at 8:00AM on both the Jefferson Instagram page (@jeffersond205) and the Jefferson YouTube channel (Jefferson Elementary).

FUNDRAISING

*New* Square 1 Art (Due Thursday, December 10): It's not too late! Parents can STILL turn in your child's Square 1 Art projects up until 12/10. Original art can be photographed & uploaded to Square 1 in order to purchase memorable keepsakes! These keepsakes WILL NOT arrive until January 2021 but your purchase would still be part of the Jefferson fundraiser. Just follow these easy steps:

CREATE ART during art class or at home
PHOTOGRAPH & UPLOAD ART by 12/10/2020. Click here to enter the Square 1 Art Parent Portal for details on Virtual Art Creation & Upload Instructions
SHOP online for art keepsakes (Order by 12/10)
FREE SHIPPING to home on all orders $50 or more with code: 2020SHIP (Offer valid for orders placed 11/25/20-12/31/20)
NEED HELP? Contact Square 1 Art Customer Care at or call 888.332.3294

Thank you for creating art for the Jefferson's 6th annual Square 1 Art fundraiser! We hope you had fun! We know you will enjoy your child's art on Square 1 Art keepsakes for years to come!

Eat & Earn at Portillo's (Thursday, December 10, 5:00PM-8:00PM): Portillo's is the perfect place to have dinner or grab carry-out. Mention Jefferson PTA fundraiser and show this flyer (printed copy or via smartphone) when you order and Portillo's will donate 20% of the qualifying sales of food to our organization. Portillo's is located at 155 South Route 83 in Elmhurst. If you order takeout, please mention the fundraiser at the beginning of your order. Spread the word to your family, friends, and neighbors!

Edie Boutique Private Shopping Event (Tuesday, December 15): Join the Jefferson PTA for a private holiday shopping event at Edie Boutique on Tuesday, December 15th. A portion of the evenings sales will go to the PTA. SHOP LOCAL for friends, family or just for yourself! More details to come.

Virtual Holiday Family Trivia Night (Thursday, December 17): Join us on Thursday, December 17th at 7:00PM for another family-friendly virtual trivia night! Questions will be asked by professional emcee and trivia host Nicole Kawell as you play against other Jefferson families in a battle of the minds!! Each household will be its own team. Our host Nicole will guide you through the whole event with ease. After you register, you will be sent a zoom link for the trivia night a day prior to the event along with some trivia tips. This event will be capped at 50 households! Ugly holiday sweaters or other seasonal apparel is highly encouraged! Silly prizes will be awarded for the top three winners. Click here to sign up on MemberHub.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

One Jefferson, One Book: One Jefferson, One Book is coming to Jefferson in January 2021. We are looking for volunteers to form a committee to ensure this school-wide program is a success! The goal of One Jefferson, One Book is to build a community of readers. The entire school will read the same book at the same time. Everyone - students, parents, teachers, even administrative staff - will be participating and we can all reap the many benefits of this program. If you would like to volunteer, please email Kanako Shuaipaj (kshuaipaj@gmail.com).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

PTA Reflections: A very special thank you to Janet Taylor for coordinating the PTA Reflections program for Jefferson.

DISTRICT NEWS

Request to Change to In-Person/Hybrid Learning Form (*Update* Due Friday, December 4): Parents of Fully Remote Students may change their child’s learning model to In-Person/Hybrid Learning for the second semester. D205’s goal is to accommodate parents who now prefer in-person/hybrid learning to the greatest extent possible. This goal is, as always, contingent on health metrics, staffing, and other factors.

To indicate your choice, fill out the form called “Request to Change to In-Person/Hybrid Learning” in the PowerSchool parent portal by logging in, going to “Forms”, and submitting the form (steps here or in this short video). Contact your child's school if you need help accessing the PowerSchool parent portal.

This form must be filled out separately for each student who is currently enrolled in the fully remote learning option. This form closes on December 4, 2020 at 5 pm. Changes in student schedules will be communicated back to parents before winter break.

42nd Annual UCCA Virtual Holiday Food Drive (Ends Tuesday, December 1): For more than 40 years, the Elmhurst Community has participated in the UCCA Holiday Food Drive to help Elmhurst D205 school children and their families. The goal is to help almost 100 more families than last year. To ensure everyone’s safety, we are moving our efforts online. Instead of bringing food donations to school, you can go online and donate to sponsor a holiday meal ($16), a box of food ($30) or more. It’s quick and easy. Go to www.ucca-elmhurst.org/ucca-volunteers or scan the QR code. You may also drop off Jewel and Mariano’s gift cards at the Elmhurst YMCA and the Elmhurst Public Library. Please give today so we can help struggling families put food on the table during these unprecedented times. We appreciate your gift in any amount.

Foundation 205 Annual Fall Campaign (Ends Wednesday, December 2): The Foundation 205 Fall Campaign has kicked off and runs through December 2nd. This year, they have graciously offered to identify York Senior scholarships as one of their priorities. Foundation 205's annual fall campaign will help D205 students grow, thrive and excel. Over its 25 year history, Foundation 205 has evolved to meet the current environment and needs of our students. Through the Community Response Fund, they provided $120,000 in emergency support for students and their families since March. Looking ahead, Foundation 205 has identified 3 main priorities and is asking for philanthropic support in these critical areas:

York senior scholarships in partnership with PTA Council Scholarship committee
Diverse and inclusive literature collections in collaboration with the Elmhurst Pride Collective
Mental health resources to expand the PTA Council's Thrive 205 Wellness Partnership.

Click here for more information and to make a donation.

"Anxiety in Kids During COVID" Presentation (Wednesday, December 2): The City of Elmhurst Commission on Youth presents their first virtual event, “Anxiety in kids during COVID-19,” presented by Rogers Behavioral Health on Wednesday, December 2, 2020 at 7:00PM on ElmhurstTV. If you have any questions, please email jackie.haddad-tamer@elmhurst.org. D205 is part of the City of Elmhurst Commission on Youth and regularly partners with the Commission to host and promote youth centric events.

REACH Parent Group Virtual Meeting (Friday, December 11, 11:30AM): Leslie Weber, D205 Director of Curriculum and REACH Coordinator will be present. Topics discussed may include (but not limited to) SEL (social-emotional learning), REACH Program Review, students adapting to the “new normal," and continued Q&A with and support from other REACH parents. Open to all D205 parents.

Zoom Meeting ID: 494 254 3195 Passcode: 626484 (Please note, unique ID & Passcode EACH meeting)

The REACH Parent Group is now on social media. Please like their Facebook page, join the Elementary School parent group or the Middle School parent group, follow on Twitter and Instagram. Like and follow the platform that works best for you. Please address all social media related questions and feedback to Ioana Fernandez (ioana@iprchicago.com).

D205 Meal Service FREE to ALL Students: D205 has free meal pick-up service for ALL children, ages 1-18, starting November 16th. Seven days of meals are provided. No pre-order or ID is required. Meals may also be picked up for your neighbors. Please wear your mask, remain in your car when picking up food, and let down the back window or open the trunk. The D205 Food Services team will place the food in your car.

Pickup is Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30PM-5:00 PM and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:00AM-8:00AM at the following locations:

York High School, Main Entrance Door #3
Bryan Middle School, East Entrance Door #13
Churchville Middle School, Main Entrance Door #1
Sandburg Middle School, Main Entrance Door #3

Technology/Chromebook Support: If you are having technical issues with your D205 device or your device is not working properly, please contact elearninghelp@elmhurst205.org. For help with your other tech needs, you may email Jefferson’s tech assistant, Ms. Strong, at lstrong@jefferson205.org. The district parent website has some helpful tips for WiFi issues here.

Daily Student Health Self-Certification Process Required: A daily health self-certification form must be completed for every student by 8:00AM each day before entering the school. This quick certification process is part of the Open D205 plan. Text YES to 67587 to receive a daily text message reminder to fill out the self-certification form. A daily email will also be sent to the parents/guardians of any students attending in person. Your username is your student’s 5-digit PowerSchool ID (ex: 12345) and the password is your student's date of birth in mmddyyyy format (ex: 01011975). Please answer each health question honestly and hit submit. Thank you for helping to keep our school community safe!

D205 COVID-19 Dashboard: The Open D205 COVID-19 Dashboard has been created in an effort to keep the community informed of local transmission data. The Dashboard will be updated every Monday and includes information on county, district, and city data.

Student Late Arrival Days: Wednesdays are remote learning days for students. References to late arrivals in the 2020-21 school calendar only apply to teachers at this time and until further notice. Students will report on Wednesdays for remote learning as they would on the other days of the week.

District 205 School Calendar 2020-2021: Refer to the Elmhurst D205 school calendar for the 2020-2021 year & specific Student Late Arrival dates.

Week 13: November 24, 2020

IMPORTANT DATES & UPCOMING EVENTS

November 2-29 - Remote learning for ALL students
November 24 - Virtual Parent Teacher Conferences, 10:00AM-6:00PM - No School
November 25-27 - Thanksgiving Break - No School
November 27 - Odyssey of the Mind program sign-up deadline
November 30 - Special Education Programs Return to in-person, hybrid learning (communication sent to affected families)
November 30 - Student Council Decade's Day
December 1 - Request to Change to In-Person/Hybrid Learning Form Due (form closes at 5:00PM)
December 9 - Virtual PTA Meeting, 7:30PM - Presentation by Ms. Cusack on Mental Health, 5th Grade Team Sharing
December 10 - Portillo's Eat & Earn
December 10 - *New* Square 1 Art Projects due date
December 11 - Giving Tree photo submissions due
December 15 - Edie Boutique Private Shopping Event
December 17 - Virtual Family Trivia Night Holiday Edition, 7:00PM
December 23-January 5 - Winter Break - No School
January 6 - Return to in-person, hybrid learning (dependent on D205 Metrics & Factors for Decision on Hybrid/Remote Learning)

JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY PTA

PTA Membership & Online Directory: It's not too late to enjoy the benefits of being a Jefferson PTA Member! Click here to join the PTA today. If you have any questions, email Maggie Schweitzer (mschweitzer312@gmail.com). Thank you for your support!

Stay Connected 2020-2021: Follow the Jefferson PTA on Instagram, Twitter, or join Families of Jefferson 205 Facebook group.

SCHOOL EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

Odyssey of the Mind (Sign up by Friday, November 27): Odyssey of the Mind is a creative problem-solving educational program that challenges students to think outside the box and as a team create a solution to a problem in an 8 minute skit. Click here to sign up by November 27th. Contact Heidi Moy (heidimoy4@gmail.com) with any questions.

Student Council Spirit Day (Monday, November 30): The Jefferson Student Council has declared Monday, November 30th as Decades Day! Show your school spirit by wearing the clothing of your favorite decade. Have fun Jefferson Tigers!

1950s - Poodle skirts, jeans & leather jackets
1960s - Tie-dyes, flower shirts, paisley, bell-bottoms
1970s - Bell bottoms, fringed clothes, ponchos, disco looks
1980s - Neon colors, crimped hair, scrunchies, preppy styles
1990s - Baggy clothes, plaid outfits, flannels, overalls, tracksuits
2000s - Cargo pants, spiked hair, platform shoes, flip flops

The Jan Newman Giving Tree Gift Card Donations (December 7-December 11): Every year our Jefferson families donate gift cards that are shared (through the school social worker) with Elmhurst families in need. This year, we will continue that tradition - with a slight twist! If you would like to make a donation, please drop off your gift cards at the main entrance (Door 2) in the donation box inside the entrance during one of the following dates/times:

Monday 12/7, 10:00AM-1:30PM
Tuesday 12/8, 10:00AM-1:30PM
Tuesday 12/8, 5:30PM-6:30PM
Wednesday 12/9, 10:00AM-1:30PM
Thursday 12/10, 10:00AM-4:00PM
Friday 12/11, 10:00AM-1:30PM

Any gift card and any amount is appreciated. The most preferred gift cards for many families in need are Visa, Target, Walmart or Kohl's gift cards. Click here for more details.

The Giving Tree Season of Giving Video (Due Friday, December 11): We may not be able to be together like we would like this year, but we'd still LOVE to see how you are celebrating this Season of Giving. Please take a picture of your child showing how you are giving back (like holding their donation or making a card/gift for someone) and upload it into THIS FOLDER by Friday, December 11th. These photos will be put into a video compilation and shared with all Jefferson families. We can't wait to see all those smiling faces!

FUNDRAISING

*New* Square 1 Art (Due Thursday, December 10): It's not too late to turn your child's artwork into memorable keepsakes and help raise money for Jefferson! Parents can STILL turn in your child's Square 1 Art projects up until 12/10 and purchase keepsakes to be shipped to the school! Original art can STILL be photographed & uploaded to Square 1. These keepsakes WILL NOT arrive until January 2021 but your purchase would still be part of the Jefferson fundraiser. Just follow these easy steps:

CREATE ART during art class or at home
PHOTOGRAPH & UPLOAD ART by 12/10/2020. Click here to enter the Square 1 Art Parent Portal for details on Virtual Art Creation & Upload Instructions
SHOP online for art keepsakes (Order by 12/10)
NEED HELP? Contact Square 1 Art Customer Care at or call 888.332.3294

Thank you for creating art for the Jefferson's 6th annual Square 1 Art fundraiser! We hope you had fun! We know you will enjoy your child's art on Square 1 Art keepsakes for years to come!

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

One Jefferson, One Book: One Jefferson, One Book is coming to Jefferson in January 2021. We are looking for volunteers to form a committee to ensure this school-wide program is a success! The goal of One Jefferson, One Book is to build a community of readers. The entire school will read the same book at the same time. Everyone - students, parents, teachers, even administrative staff - will be participating and we can all reap the many benefits of this program. If you would like to volunteer, please email Kanako Shuaipaj (kshuaipaj@gmail.com).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanksgiving Feast: Thank you to Becca Harpster, Kerri Timmerwilke and Aleka Mandelaris for all their hard work in making the virtual Thanksgiving Feast a complete success! The kids loved the Flip Grids and placemat, the boxed lunches were delicious and the pumpkin square recipe was a great surprise! Thank you Jefferson staff for taking the time to hand out the lunches. We are thankful for all of you!

Trivia Night: Thank you to all that participated in Jefferson's Adult Only Virtual Trivia Night. It was a night filled with friendly competition and lots of fun. Congrats to the 1st Place winners Making a Mess (The Messersmith's), the runners up Potent Potables (The Ives'), and to the 3rd Place winners Party Crashers (The Oviedo-Navarro's). The next virtual Family Trivia Night is December 17th at 7:00PM.

DISTRICT NEWS

Elmhurst-Yorkfield Food Pantry “Pop the Trunk” Food Drive (Sunday, November 29, 2:00PM-5:00PM): Help EYFP collect 3,000 pounds of food and make the holidays brighter for those in need on Sunday, November 29, 2:00PM-5:00PM. School, church, troop, fraternity/ sorority, and other group food drives are not possible this year due to social distancing, so EYFP is taking a contactless approach. Simply put your donations in the trunk of your car, drive up to the pantry (1083 S York St, Elmhurst), pop the trunk, and the food pantry will do the rest. Click here for more details.

Request to Change to In-Person/Hybrid Learning Form (Due Tuesday, December 1): Parents of Fully Remote Students may change their child’s learning model to In-Person/Hybrid Learning for the second semester. D205’s goal is to accommodate parents who now prefer in-person/hybrid learning to the greatest extent possible. This goal is, as always, contingent on health metrics, staffing, and other factors.

To indicate your choice, fill out the form called “Request to Change to In-Person/Hybrid Learning” in the PowerSchool parent portal by logging in, going to “Forms”, and submitting the form (steps here or in this short video). Contact your child's school if you need help accessing the PowerSchool parent portal.

This form must be filled out separately for each student who is currently enrolled in the fully remote learning option. This form closes on December 1, 2020 at 5 pm. Changes in student schedules will be communicated back to parents before winter break.

Foundation 205 Annual Fall Campaign: The Foundation 205 Fall Campaign has kicked off and runs through December 2nd. This year, they have graciously offered to identify York Senior scholarships as one of their priorities. Foundation 205's annual fall campaign will help D205 students grow, thrive and excel. Over its 25 year history, Foundation 205 has evolved to meet the current environment and needs of our students. Through the Community Response Fund, they provided $120,000 in emergency support for students and their families since March. Looking ahead, Foundation 205 has identified 3 main priorities and is asking for philanthropic support in these critical areas:

York senior scholarships in partnership with PTA Council Scholarship committee
Diverse and inclusive literature collections in collaboration with the Elmhurst Pride Collective
Mental health resources to expand the PTA Council's Thrive 205 Wellness Partnership.

Click here for more information and to make a donation.

42nd Annual UCCA Virtual Holiday Food Drive (Ends Tuesday, December 1): For more than 40 years, the Elmhurst Community has participated in the UCCA Holiday Food Drive to help Elmhurst D205 school children and their families. This year will look a little different but the need is still great, if not greater, than ever. We are helping almost 100 more families than last year.

To ensure everyone’s safety, we are moving our efforts online. Instead of bringing food donations to school, you can go online and donate to sponsor a holiday meal ($16), a box of food ($30) or more. It’s quick and easy. Go to www.ucca-elmhurst.org/ucca-volunteers or scan the QR code. You may also drop off Jewel and Mariano’s gift cards at the Elmhurst YMCA and the Elmhurst Public Library.

Please give today so we can help struggling families put food on the table during these unprecedented times. We appreciate your gift in any amount.

"Anxiety in Kids During COVID" Presentation (Wednesday, December 2): The City of Elmhurst Commission on Youth presents their first virtual event, “Anxiety in kids during COVID-19,” presented by Rogers Behavioral Health on Wednesday, December 2, 2020 at 7:00PM on ElmhurstTV. If you have any questions, please email jackie.haddad-tamer@elmhurst.org. D205 is part of the City of Elmhurst Commission on Youth and regularly partners with the Commission to host and promote youth centric events.

D205 Meal Service FREE to ALL Students: D205 has free meal pick-up service for ALL children, ages 1-18, starting November 16th. Seven days of meals are provided. No pre-order or ID is required. Meals may also be picked up for your neighbors. Please wear your mask, remain in your car when picking up food, and let down the back window or open the trunk. The D205 Food Services team will place the food in your car.

Days and Times: Monday & Wednesday, 3:30PM-5:00PM and Tuesday & Thursday, 7:00AM-8:00AM
Locations: York High School (Main Entrance Door #3), Bryan Middle School (East side Door #13), Churchville Middle School (Main Entrance Door #1) and Sandburg Middle School (Main Entrance Door #3)

Technology/Chromebook Support: If you are having technical issues with your D205 device or your device is not working properly, please contact elearninghelp@elmhurst205.org. For help with your other tech needs, you may email Jefferson’s tech assistant, Ms. Strong, at lstrong@jefferson205.org. The district parent website has some helpful tips for WiFi issues here.

D205 COVID-19 Dashboard: The Open D205 COVID-19 Dashboard has been created in an effort to keep the community informed of local transmission data. The Dashboard will be updated every Monday and includes information on county, district, and city data.

Student Late Arrival Days: Wednesdays are remote learning days for students. References to late arrivals in the 2020-21 school calendar only apply to teachers at this time and until further notice. Students will report on Wednesdays for remote learning as they would on the other days of the week.

District 205 School Calendar 2020-2021: Refer to the Elmhurst D205 school calendar for the 2020-2021 year & specific Student Late Arrival dates.

Week 12: November 17, 2020

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IMPORTANT DATES & UPCOMING EVENTS

November 2-29 - Remote learning for ALL students
November 17 - Parent-Teacher Conferences (PTC) Sign-up deadline (PTC portal closes today)
November 17 - PTA Reflections Submissions due
November 17 - Square 1 Art Projects due
November 18 - D205 Staff Professional Learning Day - No School
November 18 - Virtual Thanksgiving Feast meal pick-up
November 19 - Virtual Trivia Night, 8:00PM
November 20 - 1st Trimester Report Cards Available in PowerSchool
November 23 - Virtual Parent Teacher Conferences, 4:00-PM-8:00PM - Remote Day for ALL students
November 24 - Virtual Parent Teacher Conferences, 10:00AM-6:00PM - No School
November 25-27 - Thanksgiving Break - No School
November 27 - Odyssey of the Mind program sign-up deadline
November 30 - Return to in-person, hybrid learning (dependent on District decision made on 11/23)
December 9 - Virtual PTA Meeting, 7:30PM - Presentation by Ms. Cusack on Mental Health, 5th Grade Team Sharing

JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY PTA

PTA Membership & Online Directory: It's not too late to enjoy the benefits of being a Jefferson PTA Member! Click here to join the PTA today. If you have any questions, email Maggie Schweitzer(mschweitzer312@gmail.com). Thank you for your support!

Stay Connected 2020-2021: Follow the Jefferson PTA on Instagram, Twitter, or join Families of Jefferson 205 Facebook group.

SCHOOL EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

Parent Resource Help: Did you miss the November virtual PTA meeting and the helpful tips and tricks from the amazing Ms. Leban? Ms. Leban gave this helpful presentation on parent tips for navigating Google Classroom & Seesaw. There is also a new parent website for Remote Learning created by some of our knowledgeable instructional coaches in the district. It is another great resource on an abundance of topics.

Parent-Teacher Conference (PTC) Sign-ups (Deadline November 17): Today is the last day for parents to schedule their virtual conference using the PTC portal. The PTC portal closes tonight at 11:59PM Tuesday, November 17th. Click here for more details. Parent-Teacher conferences are scheduled as follows:

Monday, November 23rd - 4:30PM-8:00PM
Tuesday, November 24th - 10:00AM-6:00PM

PTA Reflections Arts Program (Due November 17): Does your child love art, music, film and video, dance choreography, or photography? Then they should submit their amazing works to this year’s Reflections contest! The 2020-2021 Reflections theme is "I Matter Because..." Everything is virtual this year. Submissions are due today Tuesday, November 17th using our easy google form. Click here for more info and submission forms, visit the Jefferson PTA Reflections page or contact Janet Taylor(jataylorart@gmail.com).

Thanksgiving Feast Meal Pick-up Information (Wednesday, November 18): There are over 200 students signed up for a Thanksgiving Feast meal! Please follow these instructions created to pick-up your meals efficiently on Wednesday, November 18th.

Write your last name and number of meals on a piece of paper and tape it to your passenger side windshield
When you arrive at the Jefferson School parking lot, drive through the lot in the same way as school supply pick-up.
Pop open your trunk when you arrive at the pick-up location and a volunteer will retrieve and place your meals in your trunk.
Close your trunk and exit the parking lot.
The chart below details your pick up times:

Last Name Begins With:	Pick-up Time
A-D	10:00am-10:30am
E-K	10:30am-11:00am
L-R	11:00am-11:30am
S-Z	11:30am-12:00pm

Please contact Becca Harpster, Aleka Mandelaris, or Kerri Timmerwilke if you have any questions.

Thanksgiving Feast FUN: The PTA is excited to offer this virtual Feast even though we can't all be together at the traditional Thanksgiving Feast! Please have your student share what they are grateful for this Thanksgiving on FlipGrid (https://flipgrid.com/c68bec07). This FlipGrid will be available so you can watch and connect with all of your Jefferson friends while you enjoy your Feast lunch at home!

Click here for even more excitement and print your Thanksgiving Feast placemat at home and color before you enjoy your meal. Have fun at your Thanksgiving table, Jefferson Tigers!

5th Grade Memory Book (Due November 20): Creating 5th Grade Memory Books is underway! All 5th grade parents, we need your help in making it a cherished keepsake for the kids to remember their time in elementary school.

We need pictures! Search through your phone and download them to our google drive account. Look for the email from your room parent on how to do this. ALL photos need to be uploaded into the existing folders by Friday, November 20th. Remember, please do not create any folders or delete any folders/photos in the google drive account.
We need volunteers! Putting together 6 years of pictures and memories takes time. Please consider volunteering to put together pages of the book. It’s simple and fun!
We need your child's kindergarten school photo! We are asking you to please search through your home and find a copy of your child’s kindergarten school photo to add to the book. You can scan in a HIGH resolution jpeg and email it to Shannon Jackson(sfitch12@hotmail.com). Or email Shannon Jackson for an address to drop off a hard copy.

If you have any questions, please contact the memory book committee for the Class of 2028 - Fifth Grade, Melissa Shah, Stephanie Drolett and Shannon Jackson.

Accessing Report Cards (November 20): Access to 1st trimester report cards begins on Friday, November 20th. Click here for instructions on how to log in or create PowerSchool accounts. For the best user experience when accessing SBRs, it is recommended to view the PowerSchool Parent Portal via a desktop or laptop web browser by using the following link: https://aps.elmhurst205. org/public. Parents of students at different levels must make sure they have selected the “Elementary Student” button at the top of the screen and then click the “Report Cards” link on the left side of the screen.

Odyssey of the Mind (sign up by November 27): Odyssey of the Mind is a creative problem-solving educational program that challenges students to think outside the box and as a team create a solution to a problem in an 8 minute skit. Click here to sign up by November 27th. Contact Heidi Moy (heidimoy4@gmail.com) with any questions.

FUNDRAISING

Square 1 Art (Due Tuesday, November 17): Turn your child's artwork into memorable keepsakes and help raise money for Jefferson. Creating art at home for Jefferson's Square 1 Art fundraiser is easy. Just follow these easy steps:

CREATE ART during art class or at home
PHOTOGRAPH & UPLOAD ART by 11/17/2020. Click on the link to enter the Square 1 Art Parent Portal for details on Virtual Art Creation & Upload Instructions https://www.square1art.com/parent-portal/
SHOP online for art keepsakes (Order by 11/17 for Christmas delivery. Shipping charges will apply to orders from parents uploading online and shipping keepsakes directly to their home before the holidays)
NEED HELP? Contact Square 1 Art Customer Care at https://www.square1art.com/other-inquirescomments/ or call 888.332.3294

Thank you for creating art for the Jefferson's 6th annual Square 1 Art fundraiser! We hope you had fun! We know you will enjoy your child's art on Square 1 Art keepsakes for years to come!

Parents Virtual Trivia Night (Thursday, November 19): See if you've got the smarts to win our adults-only virtual trivia night on Thursday, November 19th at 8:00PM. Questions will be asked by professional emcee and trivia host Nicole Kawell as you play against other Jefferson adults in a battle of the minds! Each household will be its own team. After you register, you will be sent a zoom link for the trivia night prior to the event along with some trivia tips. This event will be capped at 50 households! Jefferson teachers and staff - we would love to have you join in on the fun! The winning team will win a $100 gift certificate to Cuvee. Plus other great prizes! Click here to sign up on MemberHub.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

One Jefferson, One Book: One Jefferson, One Book is coming to Jefferson in January 2021. We are looking for volunteers to form a committee to ensure this school-wide program is a success! The goal of One Jefferson, One Book is to build a community of readers. The entire school will read the same book at the same time. Everyone - students, parents, teachers, even administrative staff - will be participating and we can all reap the many benefits of this program. If you would like to volunteer, please email Kanako Shuaipaj (kshuaipaj@gmail.com).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Junior Great Books: Thank you to Stephanie Drolett & Lesley Samuel for leading the Junior Great Books program at Jefferson. Thank you for finding a way to make this great program a success virtually. It has been a great way for students to spend time together with their classmates discussing stories and expanding their horizons. Sign-ups to participate in future JGB discussions by grade level will be announced in the Tiger Beat.

enzee Boutique Event: Thank you to all who shopped in person or online! We hope you were able to find some amazing things for the holidays or yourself. enzee Boutique generously donated 10% of their sales back to the Jefferson PTA. Your participation helped earn funds for the Jefferson PTA to make all the various quality programs and events available for ALL our Jefferson Tigers!

Jefferson PTA Members: Thank you to everyone who has joined the Jefferson PTA for the 2020-2021 school year!

DISTRICT NEWS

PTA Council Scholarships (Order due November 18): The PTA Council is kicking off our fundraising for York Senior Scholarships this year with a yummy ready to bake cookie dough sale!!! Please click this link to place an order. The sale runs through the week of November 18th so get your orders in soon. Order pickup will be the week of December 7th and details will be sent out prior to pickup. If you have any questions, contact Dena Fasheh or Kristie Szejner at d205ptascholarship@gmail.com. Thank you for your support!

Elmhurst-Yorkfield Food Pantry “Pop the Trunk” Food Drive (Sunday, November 29, 2:00PM-5:00PM): Help EYFP collect 3,000 pounds of food and make the holidays brighter for those in need on Sunday, November 29, 2:00PM-5:00PM. School, church, troop, fraternity/ sorority, and other group food drives are not possible this year due to social distancing, so EYFP is taking a contactless approach. Simply put your donations in the trunk of your car, drive up to the pantry (1083 S York St, Elmhurst), pop the trunk, and the food pantry will do the rest. Click here for more details.

Foundation 205 Annual Fall Campaign: The Foundation 205 Fall Campaign has kicked off and runs through December 2nd. This year, they have graciously offered to identify York Senior scholarships as one of their priorities. Foundation 205's annual fall campaign will help D205 students grow, thrive and excel. Over its 25 year history, Foundation 205 has evolved to meet the current environment and needs of our students. Through the Community Response Fund, they provided $120,000 in emergency support for students and their families since March. Looking ahead, Foundation 205 has identified 3 main priorities and is asking for philanthropic support in these critical areas:

York senior scholarships in partnership with PTA Council Scholarship committee
Diverse and inclusive literature collections in collaboration with the Elmhurst Pride Collective
Mental health resources to expand the PTA Council's Thrive 205 Wellness Partnership.

Click here for more information and to make a donation.

42nd Annual UCCA Virtual Holiday Food Drive (October 26-December 1): For more than 40 years, the Elmhurst Community has participated in the UCCA Holiday Food Drive to help Elmhurst D205 school children and their families. This year will look a little different but the need is still great, if not greater, than ever. We are helping almost 100 more families than last year.

To ensure everyone’s safety, we are moving our efforts online. Instead of bringing food donations to school, you can go online and donate to sponsor a holiday meal ($16), a box of food ($30) or more. It’s quick and easy. Go to www.ucca-elmhurst.org/ucca-volunteers or scan the QR code. You may also drop off Jewel and Mariano’s gift cards at the Elmhurst YMCA and the Elmhurst Public Library.

Please give today so we can help struggling families put food on the table during these unprecedented times. We appreciate your gift in any amount.

D205 Meal Service FREE to All Students: D205 has free meal pick-up service for all children, ages 1-18, starting November 16th. Seven days of meals are provided. No pre-order or ID is required. Meals may also be picked up for your neighbors. Please wear your mask, remain in your car when picking up food, and let down the back window or open the trunk. The D205 Food Services team will place the food in your car.

Days and Times: Monday & Wednesday, 3:30PM-5:00PM and Tuesday & Thursday, 7:00AM-8:00AM
Locations: York High School (Main Entrance Door #3), Bryan Middle School (East side Door #13), Churchville Middle School (Main Entrance Door #1) and Sandburg Middle School (Main Entrance Door #3)

Technology/Chromebook Support: If you are having technical issues with your D205 device, please contact elearninghelp@elmhurst205.org or email Jefferson’s tech assistant, Ms. Strong, at lstrong@jefferson205.org. The district parent website has some helpful tips for WiFi issues here.

Daily Student Health Self-Certification Process Required: A daily health self-certification form must be completed for every student by 8:00AM each day before entering the school. This quick certification process is part of the Open D205 plan. If you would like a daily text message reminder to fill out the self-certification form, text YES to 67587. A daily email will also be sent to the parents/guardians of any students attending in person. Your username is your student’s 5-digit PowerSchool ID (ex: 12345) and the password is your student's date of birth in mmddyyyy format (ex: 01011975). Please answer each health question honestly and hit submit. Thank you for helping to keep our school community safe!

D205 COVID-19 Dashboard: The Open D205 COVID-19 Dashboard has been created in an effort to keep the community informed of local transmission data. The Dashboard will be updated every Monday and includes information on county, district, and city data.

Student Late Arrival Days: Wednesdays are remote learning days for students. References to late arrivals in the 2020-21 school calendar only apply to teachers at this time and until further notice. Students will report on Wednesdays for remote learning as they would on the other days of the week.

District 205 School Calendar 2020-2021: Refer to the Elmhurst D205 school calendar for the 2020-2021 year & specific Student Late Arrival dates.

Week 11: November 10, 2020

IMPORTANT DATES & UPCOMING EVENTS

November 2-29 - Remote learning for ALL students
November 10 - enzee Boutique Private Shopping Event, 6:00PM-9:00PM
November 11 - Virtual PTA Meeting, 7:30PM (zoom details below)
November 12 - Parent Teacher Conference Sign-up (begins at 6:00AM)
November 13 - Jefferson Holiday Spiritwear Order Deadline (order here)
November 17 - PTA Reflections Submissions due
November 17 - Square 1 Art Projects due
November 18 - D205 Staff Professional Learning Day - No School
November 18 - Virtual Thanksgiving Feast meal pick-up
November 19 - Virtual Trivia Night, 8:00PM
November 20 - 1st Trimester Report Cards Available in PowerSchool
November 23 - Virtual Parent Teacher Conferences, 4:00-PM-8:00PM - Remote Day for ALL students
November 24 - Virtual Parent Teacher Conferences, 10:00AM-6:00PM - No School
November 25-27 - Thanksgiving Break - No School
November 30 - Return to in-person, hybrid learning (dependent on District decision made on 11/23)

JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY PTA

PTA Meeting (Wednesday, November 11, 7:30PM): What are all those Google notifications? How do I read messages on SeeSaw? How do I help my child stay organized on Google Classroom? Please join our next PTA meeting at 7:30PM on Wednesday, November 11th to learn how to help your child and yourself as we navigate tech tools for remote learning! Hear from the very engaging Jefferson LRC Director, Ms. Leban, as she shows us some tips and tricks on the classroom tech tools our kids use every day!!

Zoom Meeting Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8688016657?pwd=Wkl2cThkYVRqcEMwZ3ZzSGpWcm5vdz09

Meeting ID: 868 801 6657

Passcode: 801687

PTA Membership & Online Directory: It's not too late to enjoy the benefits of being a Jefferson PTA Member! Joining the PTA gives you access to the school directory & allows you to participate as a voting member in an organization that not only benefits your child, but ALL children at Jefferson! Click here to join the PTA today. If you have any questions, email mschweitzer312@gmail.com. Thank you for your support!

Stay Connected 2020-2021: Follow the Jefferson PTA on Instagram, Twitter, or join Families of Jefferson 205 Facebook group.

SCHOOL EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

Parent-Teacher Conference (PTC) Sign-ups (November 12, 6:00AM): The PTC portal will open to parents for scheduling their virtual conferences at 6:00AM Thursday, November 12th and close at 11:59PM Tuesday, November 17th. Click here for more details. Parent-Teacher conferences are scheduled as follows:

Monday, November 23rd - 4:30PM-8:00PM
Tuesday, November 24th - 10:00AM-6:00PM

PTA Reflections Arts Program (Due November 17): Does your child enjoy the arts areas of dance choreography, film production, literature, music composition, photography, and visual arts? Then encourage them to have fun and find a creative outlet with PTA Reflections! The 2020-2021 Reflections theme is "I Matter Because..." Children are encouraged to participate and to express this theme, especially in these challenging times! Submissions are due Tuesday, November 17th. For more information on submission guidelines, the entry form and the Google Form to Submit, visit the Jefferson PTA Reflections or contact Janet Taylor (jataylorart@gmail.com).

Thanksgiving Feast Meal Pick-up Information (Wednesday, November 18): There are over 200 students signed up for a Thanksgiving Feast meal! Please follow these instructions created to pick-up your meals efficiently on Wednesday, November 18th.

Write your last name and number of meals on a piece of paper and tape it to your passenger side windshield
When you arrive at the Jefferson School parking lot, drive through the lot in the same way as school supply pick-up.
Pop open your trunk when you arrive at the pick-up location and a volunteer will retrieve and place your meals in your trunk.
Close your trunk and exit the parking lot.
The chart below details your pick up times:

Last Name Begins With:	Pick-up Time
A-D	10:00am-10:30am
E-K	10:30am-11:00am
L-R	11:00am-11:30am
S-Z	11:30am-12:00pm

Please contact Becca Harpster, Aleka Mandelaris, or Kerri Timmerwilke if you have any questions.

Thanksgiving Feast FUN: Even though we can't be at the Thanksgiving Feast together, the PTA is excited to offer this virtual Feast! In order to feel the sense of community that normally comes with the Thanksgiving Feast, we'd love for each student to share what they are grateful for this Thanksgiving on FlipGrid (https://flipgrid.com/c68bec07). This FlipGrid will be available so you can watch and connect with all of your Jefferson friends while you enjoy your Feast lunch at home!

For even more excitement, a Thanksgiving Feast placemat is available to print at home and color before you eat for those of you who miss coloring the paper tablecloths at the Feast. Click here to print your Thanksgiving Feast placemat and have fun at your Thanksgiving table, Jefferson Tigers!

5th Grade Memory Book (Due November 20): Calling all 5th grade parents! It’s time to start putting together the memory book. We need your help in making it a cherished keepsake for the kids to remember their time in elementary school.

We need pictures! Search through your phone and download them to our google drive account. Look for the email from your room parent on how to do this. We need all photos uploaded into the existing folders by Friday, November 20th. Remember, please do not create any folders or delete any folders/photos in the google drive account.
We need volunteers! Putting together 6 years of pictures and memories takes time. Please consider volunteering to put together pages of the book. It’s simple and fun!
We need your child's kindergarten school photo! We are asking you to please search through your home and find a copy of your child’s kindergarten school photo to add to the book. You can scan in a HIGH resolution jpeg and email it to Shannon Jackson (sfitch12@hotmail.com). Or email Shannon Jackson for an address to drop off a hard copy.

If you have any questions, please contact the memory book committee for the Class of 2028 - Fifth Grade, Melissa Shah, Stephanie Drolett and Shannon Jackson.

Pledge Leader Volunteers: Would your child like to lead the pledge during Morning Announcements? Simply record your child saying the pledge and upload it to the link emailed to you by Dr. Podraza the day before your chosen date. Click here for your child to sign-up. Morning announcements are posted daily at 8:00AM on both the Jefferson Instagram page (@jeffersond205) and the Jefferson YouTube channel (Jefferson Elementary).

FUNDRAISING

enzee Boutique Shopping Event (Tuesday, November 10): enzee Boutique has extended their evening shopping hours for us to do some holiday shopping! Join the Jefferson PTA for a private shopping event today, November 10th from 6PM-9PM. Shopping at enzee Boutique can be done in person or virtually ALL DAY at https://www.shopenzeeboutique.com using code: Jefferson. Click here for details.

Jefferson Holiday Spiritwear Sale (Orders Due November 13): The Jefferson Holiday Spiritwear drive has begun. Click here to order a holiday gift for your favorite Jefferson Tiger. These items also make great teacher gifts! Orders are due by Friday, November 13th and will come in the week of December 14th. Upon arrival, details regarding spiritwear distribution will be communicated. If you have questions, please contact Andria Evans (aevans806@gmail.com).

Square 1 Art (Due Tuesday, November 17): Jefferson's 6th annual Square 1 Art fundraiser has begun! Creating art at home for Jefferson's Square 1 Art fundraiser is easy. Students are already working on their Square 1 Art projects in class with Ms. Serrata. Each class will have a week or two more to work on the project in class. Some students may have to work on this outside of class in order for their projects to be completed & uploaded by the deadline on Tuesday, November 17th. We understand this is a quick turnaround however families wanting Square 1 keepsakes delivered by Christmas will need to have projects completed & uploaded by this deadline. Completed Square 1 Art projects already turned into the Jefferson main office can be picked up in order for parents to upload them to the website for Christmas delivery. Completed projects can also be left at the school to be mailed to Square 1 but those projects will not be delivered by Christmas time. Click here to enter the Square 1 Parent Portal for details on Virtual Art Creation & Upload Instructions. Shipping charges will apply to orders from parents who are uploading online and shipping keepsakes directly to their home before the holidays.

Parents Virtual Trivia Night (Thursday, November 19): See if you've got the smarts to win our adults-only virtual trivia night on Thursday, November 19th at 8:00PM. Questions will be asked by professional emcee and trivia host Nicole Kawell as you play against other Jefferson adults in a battle of the minds! Each household will be its own team. After you register, you will be sent a zoom link for the trivia night prior to the event along with some trivia tips. This event will be capped at 50 households! Jefferson teachers and staff - we would love to have you join in on the fun! Silly prizes will be awarded for the top three winners. Click here to sign up on MemberHub.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

HB Jones Eat & Earn Event: Thank you to all who enjoyed a great meal during the Bears game from HB Jones! HB Jones generously donated 25% of their sales back to the Jefferson PTA. Your participation helped earn funds for the Jefferson PTA to make all the various quality programs and events available for all our Jefferson Tigers!

Jefferson PTA Members: Thank you to everyone who has joined the Jefferson PTA for the 2020-2021 school year!

DISTRICT NEWS

Bryan Holiday Spiritwear Sale (Orders Due November 13): The Bryan Holiday Spiritwear sale has begun. Click here to order a holiday gift for your Jefferson 5th grader. Orders are due Friday, November 13th. If you have questions, please contact Cara Wilkins (caramaria@sbcglobal.net).

REACH Parent Group Virtual Meeting (Friday, November 13, 11:30AM): Topics discussed may include (but not limited to) SEL (social-emotional learning), REACH teacher donations, students adapting to the “new normal," and continued Q&A with and support from other REACH parents. This 60-90 minute meeting is open to all D205 parents. Leslie Weber, D205 Director of Curriculum and REACH Coordinator will be present. Meeting details: Zoom ID: 891 6572 8919, Passcode: 168417 (Please note that EACH meeting has a unique ID & Passcode)

PTA Council Scholarships (Order due November 18): The PTA Council is kicking off our fundraising for York Senior Scholarships this year with a yummy ready to bake cookie dough sale!!! Please click this link to place an order. The sale runs through the week of November 18th so get your orders in soon. Order pickup will be the week of December 7th and details will be sent out prior to pickup. If you have any questions, contact Dena Fasheh or Kristie Szejner at d205ptascholarship@gmail.com. Thank you for your support!

Foundation 205 Annual Fall Campaign: The Foundation 205 Fall Campaign has kicked off and runs through December 2nd. This year, they have graciously offered to identify York Senior scholarships as one of their priorities. Foundation 205's annual fall campaign will help D205 students grow, thrive and excel. Over its 25 year history, Foundation 205 has evolved to meet the current environment and needs of our students. Through the Community Response Fund, they provided $120,000 in emergency support for students and their families since March. Looking ahead, Foundation 205 has identified 3 main priorities and is asking for philanthropic support in these critical areas:

York senior scholarships in partnership with PTA Council Scholarship committee
Diverse and inclusive literature collections in collaboration with the Elmhurst Pride Collective
Mental health resources to expand the PTA Council's Thrive 205 Wellness Partnership.

Click here for more information and to make a donation.

42nd Annual UCCA Virtual Holiday Food Drive (October 26-December 1): For more than 40 years, the Elmhurst Community has participated in the UCCA Holiday Food Drive to help Elmhurst D205 school children and their families. This year will look a little different but the need is still great, if not greater, than ever. We are helping almost 100 more families than last year.

To ensure everyone’s safety, we are moving our efforts online. Instead of bringing food donations to school, you can go online and donate to sponsor a holiday meal ($16), a box of food ($30) or more. It’s quick and easy. Go to www.ucca-elmhurst.org/ucca-volunteers or scan the QR code. You may also drop off Jewel and Mariano’s gift cards at the Elmhurst YMCA and the Elmhurst Public Library.

Please give today so we can help struggling families put food on the table during these unprecedented times. We appreciate your gift in any amount.

D205 Breakfast & Lunch FREE to All Students: Breakfast and lunch options are now available for FREE for all D205 students through the PushCoin Webstore! Meals may now be ordered on a weekly basis and picked up on the following schedule for November.

Technology/Chromebook Support: If you are having technical issues with your D205 device, please contact elearninghelp@elmhurst205.org or email Jefferson’s tech assistant, Ms. Strong, at lstrong@jefferson205.org. The district parent website has some helpful tips for WiFi issues here.

Daily Student Health Self-Certification Process Required: A daily health self-certification form must be completed for every student by 8:00AM each day before entering the school. The "certification" process is part of the Open D205 plan and is quick (less than 20 seconds per child). If you would like a daily text message reminder to fill out the self-certification form, text YES to 67587. An email will also be sent daily to the parents/guardians of any students attending in person. Your username is your student’s 5-digit PowerSchool ID (ex: 12345) and the password is your student's date of birth in mmddyyyy format (ex: 01011975). Please answer each of the three health questions honestly, and hit submit. Thank you for helping to keep our school community safe!

D205 COVID-19 Dashboard: The Open D205 COVID-19 Dashboard has been created in an effort to keep the community informed of local transmission data. The Dashboard includes information on county, district, and city data and will be updated every Monday.

Student Late Arrival Days: Wednesdays are remote learning days for students. References to late arrivals in the 2020-21 school calendar only apply to teachers at this time and until further notice. Students will report on Wednesdays for remote learning as they would on the other days of the week.

District 205 School Calendar 2020-2021: Refer to the Elmhurst D205 school calendar for the 2020-2021 year & specific Student Late Arrival dates.

Week 10: November 3, 2020

IMPORTANT DATES & UPCOMING EVENTS

November 2-11 - Remote learning for ALL students
November 3 - General Election Day, No School
November 5 - Thanksgiving Feast Order Deadline (sign up each child)
November 8 - HB Jones Eat and Earn Event, 11:00AM-9:00PM
November 10 - Enzee Boutique Parents Night Out Shopping Event
November 11 - Virtual PTA Meeting, 7:30PM
November 12 - Return to in-person, hybrid learning
November 13 - Holiday Jefferson Spiritwear Order Deadline (order here)
November 17 - PTA Reflections Submissions due
November 17 - Square 1 Art Projects due
November 18 - D205 Staff Professional Learning Day - No School
November 18 - Virtual Thanksgiving Feast
November 19 - Virtual Trivia Night, 8:00PM
November 23 - Virtual Parent Teacher Conferences, 4:00-PM-8:00PM - Remote Day for ALL students
November 24 - Virtual Parent Teacher Conferences, 10:00AM-6:00PM - No School
November 25-27 - Thanksgiving Break - No School

JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY PTA

PTA Membership & Online Directory: Joining the PTA gives you access to the school directory & allows you to participate as a voting member in an organization that not only benefits your child, but ALL children at Jefferson! Jefferson's PTA is working hard to reinvent many of our great events and programs for this unique year which makes your membership more important than ever! We cannot solely count on fundraisers to cover our budgetary needs so if you haven’t done so already, please sign up, pay your membership dues and get access to the online student directory. Click here to join the PTA today. If you have any questions, email mschweitzer312@gmail.com. Thank you for your support!

Stay Connected: Follow the Jefferson PTA on Instagram, Twitter, or join Families of Jefferson 205 Facebook group. It's a great way to stay up to date on the happenings at Jefferson for the 2020-2021 school year.

SCHOOL EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

Book Fair Classroom Wishlists: Thank you for participating in this year's book fair and for purchasing books for your children's classrooms. Please drop off the classroom books in the box placed at the school entrance. There are nameplates available there to fill in with the teacher name and student that donated the book. Or you can use a post-it with the information and the Book Fair Committee will take care of the rest. If you are not able to drop off the book at school, please contact Ioana Fernandez (ioana@iprchicago.com) to make arrangements.

PTA Reflections Arts Program (Due November 17): Does your child enjoy the arts areas of dance choreography, film production, literature, music composition, photography, and visual arts? Then encourage them to have fun and find a creative outlet with PTA Reflections! The 2020-2021 Reflections theme is "I Matter Because..." Children are encouraged to participate and to express this theme, especially in these challenging times! Submissions are due Tuesday, November 17th. For more information on submission guidelines, the entry form and the Google Form to Submit, visit the Jefferson PTA Reflections or contact Janet Taylor(jataylorart@gmail.com).

Thanksgiving Feast 2020 (Wednesday, November 18): As is tradition at Jefferson, the PTA is sponsoring an all-school Thanksgiving Feast, virtually this year, on Wednesday, November 18, 2020. Families will have an opportunity to pick up an individually packaged Thanksgiving lunch for their student between 10:00AM-12:00PM on the day of the Feast (details on pick-up instructions to come). The meal will be prepared by D205 Food Service and will include a turkey and cheese sandwich, stuffing, applesauce, and a pumpkin square! The meal is FREE for all students. Please sign upfor each student participating in the Thanksgiving Feast by Thursday, November 5th using this link https://forms.gle/LujKdcuxg4WEF5mo6. If you have any questions, contact Becca Harpster, Aleka Mandelaris, or Kerri Timmerwilke. More fun Thanksgiving Feast activities will be sent in the weeks to come!

5th Grade Memory Book (Due November 20): Calling all 5th grade parents! It’s time to start putting together the memory book. We need your help in making it a cherished keepsake for the kids to remember their time in elementary school.

We need pictures! Search through your phone and download them to our google drive account. Look for the email from your room parent on how to do this. We need all photos uploaded into the existing folders by Friday, November 20th. Remember, please do not create any folders or delete any folders/photos in the google drive account.
We need volunteers! Putting together 6 years of pictures and memories takes time. Please consider volunteering to put together pages of the book. It’s simple and fun!
We need your child's kindergarten school photo! We are asking you to please search through your home and find a copy of your child’s kindergarten school photo to add to the book. You can scan in a HIGH resolution jpeg and email it to Shannon Jackson (sfitch12@hotmail.com). Or email Shannon Jackson for an address to drop off a hard copy.

If you have any questions, please contact the memory book committee for the Class of 2028 - Fifth Grade, Melissa Shah, Stephanie Drolett and Shannon Jackson.

Pledge Leader Volunteers: Would your child like to lead the pledge during Morning Announcements? Simply record your child saying the pledge and upload it to the link emailed to you by Dr. Podraza the day before your chosen date. Click here for your child to sign-up. Morning announcements are posted daily at 8:00AM on both the Jefferson Instagram page (@jeffersond205) and the Jefferson YouTube channel (Jefferson Elementary).

FUNDRAISING

Holiday Spiritwear Fall 2020 (Orders Due November 13): The Jefferson Holiday Spiritwear drive starts TODAY and ends Friday, NOV 13th. This is a great time to order a holiday gift for your Jefferson Tiger. Click here to order your Jefferson swag. Orders will come in the week of December 14th. We will let you know how we will distribute once the orders have been placed. If you have questions, please contact Andria Evans (aevans806@gmail.com).

HB Jones Eat & Earn (Sunday, November 8): Cheer on the Chicago Bears, enjoy a great meal & support Jefferson! All day carry out at HB Jones for lunch or dinner during the Bears game on Sunday, November 8th from 11:00AM until 9:00PM. Mention the Jefferson PTA when you order and HB Jones will graciously donate 25% of the qualifying sales of food back to our organization. Click here for details. Spread the word to your family, friends, and neighbors.

Enzee Boutique Shopping Event (Tuesday, November 10): Enzee Boutique has extended their evening shopping hours for us to do some holiday shopping! Shopping the boutique can be done in person or virtually at https://www.shopenzeeboutique.com. A promo code will be coming soon.

Square 1 Art (Due Tuesday, November 17): Jefferson's 6th annual Square 1 Art fundraiser has begun! Creating art at home for Jefferson's Square 1 Art fundraiser is easy. Students are already working on their Square 1 Art projects in class with Ms. Serrata. Each class will have a week or two more to work on the project in class. Some students may have to work on this outside of class in order for their projects to be completed & uploaded by the deadline on Tuesday, November 17th. We understand this is a quick turnaround however families wanting Square 1 keepsakes delivered by Christmas will need to have projects completed & uploaded by this deadline. Completed Square 1 Art projects already turned into the Jefferson main office can be picked up in order for parents to upload them to the website for Christmas delivery. Completed projects can also be left at the school to be mailed to Square 1 but those projects will not be delivered by Christmas time. Click here to enter the Square 1 Parent Portal for details on Virtual Art Creation & Upload Instructions. More details on how to turn your child's artwork into memorable keepsakes and help raise money for Jefferson will be coming.

Parents Virtual Trivia Night (Thursday, November 19): See if you've got the smarts to win our adults-only virtual trivia night on Thursday, November 19th at 8:00PM. Questions will be asked by professional emcee and trivia host Nicole Kawell as you play against other Jefferson adults in a battle of the minds! Each household will be its own team. After you register, you will be sent a zoom link for the trivia night prior to the event as well as some trivia tips. This event will be capped at 50 households! Jefferson teachers and staff - we would love to have you join in on the fun! Silly prizes will be awarded for the top three winners. Click here to sign up on MemberHub.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Scholastic Book Fair: Thank you to our amazing community for participating in this year's Virtual Book Fair. Total sales were over $5,600 and that rewarded Jefferson with almost $1,600 in Scholastic Dollars. Our school can now purchase new books, health and safety items, classroom materials, or technology equipment. With your help, we were also able to donate over 600 books to the Interact Club at York Highschool, which will benefit PADS, Easter Seals & Onward Neighborhood House.

Halloween Parade Video: A special thank you to all of the parents who sent in videos of their children for Jefferson's class Halloween video project, to the room parents for collecting the videos and getting them uploaded and to Jen Bullock and Rebecca Harpster for making the videos come to life! We greatly appreciate the collective efforts! If you would like to watch the videos, you can view them on the Jefferson YouTube page.

Trivia Night: Thank you to all the families that participated in Jefferson's first virtual Trivia Night. It was a night filled with friendly competition and lots of fun. Congrats to the 1st Place winners Making a Mess (The Messersmith Family), the runners up DancyZebra93 (The Dykes Family), and to the 3rd Place winners The Killer B’s (The Bissell Family). The next virtual Trivia Night is November 19th at 8:00PM.

Kie and Kate Shopping Event: Thank you to all of you who shopped in person or online! We hope you got yourself some goodies to make quarantine more bearable. You all helped raise $326 for programs the PTA is currently working on!

Jefferson PTA Members: Thank you to everyone who has joined the Jefferson PTA for the 2020-2021 school year!

DISTRICT NEWS

REACH Parent Group Virtual Meeting (Friday, November 13, 11:30AM): Topics discussed may include (but not limited to) SEL (social-emotional learning), REACH teacher donations, students adapting to the “new normal," and continued Q&A with and support from other REACH parents. This 60-90 minute meeting is open to all D205 parents. Leslie Weber, D205 Director of Curriculum and REACH Coordinator will be present. Meeting details: Zoom ID: 891 6572 8919, Passcode: 168417 (Please note that EACH meeting has a unique ID & Passcode)

PTA Council Scholarships (Due November 18): The PTA Council is kicking off our fundraising for York Senior Scholarships this year with a yummy ready to bake cookie dough sale!!! Please click this link to place an order. The sale runs through the week of November 18th so get your orders in soon. Order pickup will be the week of December 7th and details will be sent out prior to pickup. If you have any questions, contact Dena Fasheh or Kristie Szejner at d205ptascholarship@gmail.com. Thank you for your support!

Foundation 205 Annual Fall Campaign: The Foundation 205 Fall Campaign has kicked off and runs through December 2nd. This year, they have graciously offered to identify York Senior scholarships as one of their priorities. Foundation 205's annual fall campaign will help D205 students grow, thrive and excel. Over its 25 year history, Foundation 205 has evolved to meet the current environment and needs of our students. Through the Community Response Fund, they provided $120,000 in emergency support for students and their families since March. Looking ahead, Foundation 205 has identified 3 main priorities and is asking for philanthropic support in these critical areas:

York senior scholarships in partnership with PTA Council Scholarship committee
Diverse and inclusive literature collections in collaboration with the Elmhurst Pride Collective
Mental health resources to expand the PTA Council's Thrive 205 Wellness Partnership.

Click here for more information and to make a donation.

UCCA Virtual Holiday Food Drive (October 26-December 1): The 42nd Annual UCCA Virtual Holiday Food Drive has begun. For more than 40 years, the Elmhurst Community has participated in the UCCA Holiday Food Drive to help Elmhurst D205 school children and their families. This year will look a little different but the need is still great, if not greater, than ever. We are helping almost 100 more families than last year.

To ensure everyone’s safety, we are moving our efforts online. Instead of bringing food donations to school, you can go online and donate to sponsor a holiday meal ($16), a box of food ($30) or more. It’s quick and easy. Go to www.ucca-elmhurst.org/ucca-volunteers or scan the QR code. You may also drop off Jewel and Mariano’s gift cards at the Elmhurst YMCA and the Elmhurst Public Library.

Please give today so we can help struggling families put food on the table during these unprecedented times. We appreciate your gift in any amount.

Daily Student Health Self-Certification Process Required: A daily health self-certification form must be completed for every student by 8:00AM each day before entering the school. The "certification" process is part of the Open D205 plan and is quick (less than 20 seconds per child). If you would like a daily text message reminder to fill out the self-certification form, text YES to 67587. An email will also be sent daily to the parents/guardians of any students attending in person. Your username is your student’s 5-digit PowerSchool ID (ex: 12345) and the password is your student's date of birth in mmddyyyy format (ex: 01011975). Please answer each of the three health questions honestly, and hit submit. Thank you for helping to keep our school community safe!

D205 COVID-19 Dashboard: The Open D205 COVID-19 Dashboard has been created in an effort to keep the community informed of local transmission data. The Dashboard includes information on county, district, and city data and will be updated every Friday.

D205 Breakfast & Lunch FREE to All Students: Breakfast and lunch options are now available for FREE for all D205 students through the PushCoin Webstore! Meals may now be ordered on a weekly basis and picked up on the following schedule for November 2020.

Technology/Chromebook Support: If you are having technical issues with your D205 device, please contact elearninghelp@elmhurst205.org or email Jefferson’s tech assistant, Ms. Strong, at lstrong@jefferson205.org. The district parent website has some helpful tips for WiFi issues here.

Student Late Arrival Days: Wednesdays are remote learning days for students. References to late arrivals in the 2020-21 school calendar only apply to teachers at this time and until further notice. Students will report on Wednesdays for remote learning as they would on the other days of the week.

District 205 School Calendar 2020-2021: Refer to the Elmhurst D205 school calendar for the 2020-2021 year & specific Student Late Arrival dates.

Week 9: October 20, 2020

IMPORTANT DATES & UPCOMING EVENTS

October 20 - Hawaiian Day (Student Council Spirit Day)
October 21 - Return to remote learning for ALL students
October 22 - Virtual Coffee with Dr. Podraza, 8:30AM-9:00AM (zoom link below)
October 23 - PJ or Comfy Clothes Day (Student Council Spirit Day)
October 28 - Fourth Grade Junior Great Books sign-up deadline
October 29 - Virtual Trivia Night, 7:00PM
October 30 - Halloween Costume Day
November 3 - General Election Day, No School
November 5 - Thanksgiving Feast Order Deadline (see info below)
November 5 - Return to in-person, hybrid learning
November 11 - Virtual PTA Meeting, 7:30PM
November 17 - PTA Reflections Submissions due
November 18 - D205 Staff Professional Learning Day - No School
November 18 - Virtual Thanksgiving Feast
November 23-24 - Parent Teacher Conferences
November 24-27 - Thanksgiving Break - No School

JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY PTA

PTA Membership & Online Directory: Thank you to our Jefferson families who have joined the PTA! Membership in the PTA gives you access to the school directory as well as the right to participate and vote at our meetings. Jefferson's PTA is working hard to reinvent many of Jefferson's great events and programs for this unique year. In addition, the PTA is working directly with our school administrators and teachers to support their needs. Please remember, we cannot solely count on fundraisers to cover our budgetary needs, so your membership is more important than ever. Thank you all for your support!
Join the PTA today with the links below:

Existing Jefferson Families: Go to www.memberhub.com and enter your email address associated with the school directory. If you are not already registered, select "I need to create my password" and click next. Complete the directions to access your account. Click "Shop" in the top navigation to see membership options. If you have any issues, try this link or email mschweitzer312@gmail.com.
New Jefferson Families: Go to this MemberHub new join link. Complete the directions to create your account. For security purposes, a site administrator will approve your account before you can access it to complete your profile and membership payment. If you have any issues, email mschweitzer312@gmail.com.

Stay Connected: Follow the Jefferson PTA on