Weekly Tiger Beat
2022-2023
Week 1: August 11, 2022
IMPORTANT DATES & UPCOMING EVENTS
- August 16 - Meet the Teacher / Supply Drop Off (3:30-4:30pm)
- August 16 - Ice Cream Social (Van Voorst Park, 3:45-4:45pm)
- August 16 - New to Jefferson Presentation (MPR, 4:30-5pm)
- August 17 - First Day of School!
- August 17 - 1st PTA Meeting / PTA Welcome Back Breakfast/Trolley Event (10/1) Sign-up (8:15am in MPR)
- August 19 - 5th Grade Junior Great Books signups due
- August 20 - Spirit Wear orders due
- August 26 - Room Parent Volunteer submissions due
- August 31 - Student Late Arrival
- August 31 - Curriculum Night (5:30-6:30pm)
- August 31 - McDonald’s Eat and Earn
- September 5 - Labor Day, No School
- September TBD - Playground reopening celebration with Kona Ice Truck
JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY PTA 2022-2023 WELCOME BACK!
On behalf of the Jefferson PTA Board, I would like to welcome back our returning Jefferson families and welcome in our new Jefferson families! Our PTA Board has been working hard this summer and we are excited for another year of fun. From the first kindergarten playdates and the ice cream social before school begins, to the trolley, trivia night, carnival, and everything in between, we have an action-packed year ahead of us.
We are asking parents to support us in our mission and join the PTA this year. The PTA partners directly with our school administrators and teachers to support their needs and we are uniquely positioned to respond and adapt as the needs change. Our budgetary needs are covered by a combination of fundraisers as well as memberships. Membership in the PTA gives you the right to participate and vote at our meetings AND it is the only way you will have access to our school directory. We strongly encourage you to join the PTA!
We plan to continue with our second Tuesday of the month in-person meetings while keeping the option to attend PTA meetings virtually to allow more parents, teachers, and staff to attend during the evenings.
Our plan for the year will include:
- A concise, streamlined PTA-focused newsletter every week and communicate important dates at the top.
- We will strive to keep our PTA website updated so you can go there first to look for important information.
- We encourage you to attend our monthly Jefferson PTA meetings.
- We encourage you to follow the PTA social media accounts on Facebook (Families of Jefferson 205) and Instagram (@jeffersonptad205) to be kept up to date on all the PTA happenings.
I thank you in advance for your support and look forward to another great year! Should you ever have questions, you can reach me via email at Meredith.a.casey@gmail.com.
Meredith Hardt - PTA President 2022-23
PTA NEWS & EVENTS
Ice Cream Social (August 16th, 3:45-4:45pm): Join us at Van Voorst Park during the Supply Drop Off for a cool treat! We will have vanilla ice cream cups with toppings, as well as an allergy-friendly option. Please be aware of and practice thoughtful social distancing in order to safely come together as a community! In order for this event to run smoothly, we will need a few volunteers. We will also need coolers of ice to store the ice cream. Please click this link to sign up!
Welcome Back Breakfast & PTA Meeting (August 17th, 8:10am): Immediately following drop-off, parents are invited to the multipurpose room for breakfast and the first PTA meeting of the year. Parents will hear from Principal Sweeney and learn more about plans for the upcoming school year. Sign up for Jefferson Trolley Night on October 1st will also be available!
PTA Membership: Please join or renew your membership today at https://jefferson205.memberhub.com/store?category=Memberships. We are excited to announce that our PTA members will have access to a new school directory this year through Directory Spot! Directory Spot has an app that is easy to use and organizes students by class and grade! Membership in the PTA gives you the right to participate and vote at our meetings AND access to our school directory, which will be live on Directory Spot soon. The PTA partners directly with our school administrators and teachers to support their needs, in addition to the many events and programs that the PTA provides and supports. We cannot solely count on fundraisers to cover our budgetary needs for this year's programs and events, so your yearly membership and donations are more important than ever! Please consider a Tiger, Stripes, or Orange level of membership and donation if you are able! The PTA board would like to thank those who have joined for their generous support of our Jefferson Tigers! If you have any questions or need assistance, please reach out to Gina Lascody via email ginalascody@gmail.com
Spirit Wear: The Jefferson Elementary School back-to-school spiritwear sale has begun! Save 30% on everything in the store. Choose from hundreds of spirit wear items that are delivered to your home in days! Visit https://1stplace.sale/31296.
5th Grade Junior Great Books: The Junior Great Books program will be in-person this fall! The 5th grade discussion group will meet for 7 weekly sessions during recess and will run from late August thru early October. 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 complement 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 is interested in participating please fill out this form by Friday, August 19, 2022. Our first meeting will be Friday, August 26, 2022. Junior Great Books is sponsored by the Jefferson PTA and the REACH PTA. Please contact Lesley Samuel (lesleysamuel@gmail.com) with any questions.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Room Parent Volunteers: If you are interested in potentially being a room parent for your child's classroom, please click here. Please submit one form for each student you wish to be a room parent by August 26th. Room Parent responsibilities include assisting with holiday party planning, coordinating teacher birthday and end of year gifts, coordinating field trip chaperones (if needed) and other volunteer opportunities as identified by the teachers and staff. Each classroom should have 1-2 room parents to help manage the load. This is an easy and fun way to be more involved with your child's class and teachers! If you have any questions about responsibilities, please contact Sara Roberts (Sara.Lyng@gmail.com), the Jefferson PTA Room Parent Chairperson.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A big thank you to Nancy Goodner and Cynthia Mares for coordinating the 2022-2023 school supply kits. Thank you also to our Welcome to Jefferson Committee Chairs Andrea Kohl and Lauren Tauchen for their hard work putting together all of the exciting back-to-school activities!
2022-2023 PTA BOARD MEMBERS
President: Meredith Hardt
VP of Membership: Gina Lascody
VP of Communications: Valerie King
VP of Events: Jill Bissell
VP of Programs: Cynthia Mares
VP of Fundraising: Cathy Dykes / Erica Philippi
Recording Secretary: Sara Roberts
Treasurer: Kara Johnson
JEFFERSON PTA LINKS
Jefferson PTA website: https://jefferson.elmhurst205.org/parentstudent-resources/pta
Jefferson PTA Instagram: @JeffersonPTAD205
Jefferson PTA Facebook page: "Families of Jefferson205" group