Jefferson Elementary

Sheldon, our school turtle, is settling into his new home at Jefferson. He spends his days greeting students as they walk by and even enjoys listening to a good book. Students will work together within their classrooms to meet PBIS goals and will celebrate their success by helping feed Sheldon. The students are excited to collaborate, take responsibility, and serve as caregivers for this special member of our school community.

We are excited to be transitioning from disposable trays and silverware to reusable trays and silverware. Students are eager to help reduce waste and have been discussing in their classrooms how reusing trays and silverware allows us to be better stewards of the environment by reducing what we throw away.

The committee met this week at East High School and included School Board representatives, caregivers/parents, building staff and administration, and District Cabinet members. During the meeting, the group reviewed the District Strategic Roadmap and shared insight and feedback. This meeting is one of the ways MAPS continues to seek input and collaboration from its community members.

Every year in February, Mankato Area Public Schools gives the Cognitive Abilities Screening Form (CogAT) to students in grade 2 and to students new to the district in grades 3-5 without a CogAT score.

The CogAT is a group-administered assessment which measures students’ developmental thinking and learned reasoning abilities. As an ability assessment, the CogAT provides insight into students’ current potential. The CogAT gives a significantly different type of score than other types of standardized assessment scores that your student has received because they are achievement-based, not ability-based.

Understanding the difference between ability and achievement assessments is important. The CogAT measures the development of a student’s thinking and reasoning abilities rather than a student’s academic achievement, which is measured by assessments like NWEA, MCA, and DIBELs. The CogAT score should be seen as only one piece of information about a student’s current thinking and reasoning abilities, which will continue to grow and develop over time.

The CogAT Screening Form is meant to be used as an overall snapshot of ability rather than an indicator of performance or strength in each of the three categories, which is why Mankato Area Public Schools only uses and shares the composite scores.

Your student’s CogAT score is based on a local percentile rank or a local norm rather than a national percentile norm or national norm. The “Local Percentile Rank” that you see on your student’s profile and is calculated based on how your student did in relation to other students of the same grade throughout Mankato Area Public Schools.

The Local Percentile Rank will be used as one of several sources of information to help the district identify elementary students who would most likely benefit from Talent Development Services. Because the CogAT is used with NWEA scores over time, there is not a clear cut-off score for consideration for Talent Development Services. Families are notified about placement in Talent Development Services prior to the start of the next school year.

For more information about the CogAT or the district’s Talent Development identification process, go to the Talent Development website for Mankato Area Public Schools. Search for Talent Development at Mankato Area Public Schools. Any additional questions, please reach out to mbrues1@isd77.org.

We have reached the halfway mark of the school year! As we continue to enhance our communication and streamline access to important information, we are pleased to inform you of a significant update regarding your child's academic progress.

As our data is updated throughout the year, we work to inform you when recent data has been updated in the Infinite Campus parent portal. Your child's Fall Progress Reports are now available for you to view under the “Documents” tab. Please make sure you adjust the year to “25-26”.

To access your child's Fall Progress Reports in Infinite Campus, simply log in to your parent portal account using your credentials. If you encounter any difficulties logging into Infinite Campus, please email ICsupport@isd77.org For questions regarding your child's data, please don't hesitate to reach out to your child's teacher.

We believe that by making Progress Reports readily available on Infinite Campus, we can strengthen the partnership between home and school, working together to ensure the academic success and well-being of every student. Thank you for your continued support and involvement in your child's education.

Wishing you a continued successful school year, and we look forward to continuing our communication on your child’s academic progress.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gZAH54kwjnIrMEJ4Uf6Uz4lR96rpwmI7035YPWbeO7U/edit?usp=sharing

You are Invited . . .

We are excited to invite you to a fun night literacy activities with students from Jefferson and Bridges! Click on this link to view the flier for more details: Link to Flyer here.

When: Monday Jan 26th from 4:00-5:30 pm

Where: Blue Earth County Library

100 East Main, Mankato, MN

List of Events:

• Pizza, chips & water will be provided * Read A Loud

• Scavenger Hunt * Table Top Activities

Please fill out this Google Form on or before Jan. 16th for planning purposes.

https://forms.gle/sZfyFpbL6364E1MU7

On February 1, 2026, FOCP Backpack Food is having their Climb 2 Feed Kids fundraising event.

Jefferson Elementary will have a dress up week to fundraise and support The Backpack Food Program.
Throughout the week of January 26th - 30th, Jefferson Elementary will have themed days to help raise money for the Climb 2 Feed Kids event.

Students who would like to participate in the themed days are asked to bring a monetary donation (25￠minimum) for each day. Please have your child bring their donation to their classroom teacher in the morning.

​Climb 2 Feed Kids Week

Jan 26th - Monday: Sports Day -

Represent your favorite team or wear one of your own jerseys.

Jan 27th - Tuesday: Hat day -

Looking for some highly interesting head adornment.

Jan 28th - Wednesday: Pj/ Comfy Clothes Day-

Arrive in your coziest clothes.

Jan 29th - Thursday: Neon Day

Come dressed in your brightest neon colors.

Jan 30th - Friday: Jefferson Pride Day -

Sport head to toe Jefferson gear or colors!

MSU Mankato has generously provided our school with ticket vouchers for a Women’s Hockey game.

Each voucher is good for one free youth ticket with the purchase of one $5 adult ticket. Your student will be bringing a voucher home.

We are grateful for our community partners, and we hope your family can take advantage of this opportunity.

Look for an email from your student's classroom teacher on when they will be sent home.

Save the date! 🎉 Kindergarten Connection is just around the corner at Mankato Area Public Schools.

📅 February 23 | 4:30–6:00 p.m.

Join us at your child’s future school for a special opportunity to meet the principal and kindergarten teachers, tour classrooms, and get your questions answered. We can’t wait to welcome you and help your family feel confident and ready for the exciting year ahead!

✨ Enroll now for the 2026–27 school year with Mankato Area Public Schools by visiting https://www.isd77.org/enroll.

📧 Have questions about enrollment? Email centralregistration@isd77.org or call 507-387-2125.

We’re excited to welcome your family to our schools! 💙
#MAPSready

Early Childhood Screening is required before your child can start kindergarten.

This free screening is an important step in supporting your child’s readiness for school. It helps identify strengths and areas where your child may need support in development, vision, hearing, and overall health—giving families and schools valuable information to ensure a strong start in kindergarten.

If your child has not yet been screened, please visit https://mapsisd77ecs.youcanbook.me/ to book an appointment. For additional questions about Early Childhood Screenings, please call (507) 625-4620.

Each month, we will send attendance letters to families of students who have reached an absence threshold as defined by state attendance requirements. When your student reaches a specific number of tardies, excused absences, or unexcused absences, you will receive a letter sharing this information.

These letters are intended to support our partnership with families in promoting consistent attendance. Consistent attendance means students are present at least 90% of the time.

If you have any questions about attendance, please do not hesitate to reach out. We are happy to review attendance guidelines with you and discuss your student’s current attendance record.

Infinite Campus Parent Contact Preferences

If you are the parent or guardian of a MAPS student and you want to receive an email or text message about late starts or early outs, we want to make sure you receive all the necessary communications.

Please check the following:

Do you have an Infinite Campus Parent Portal Account?

• If not, please follow THIS LINK to create one.

Do you have an account, but you're unsure about your contact preferences?

• If so, follow THIS LINK to review and update your settings.

If you have checked your preferences and do not receive messages, we recommend contacting your phone carrier, as some carriers may have issues with third-party or mass messaging services.

For further assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out to Infinite Campus support at icsupport@isd77.org.

Click HERE for a copy of the Winter Weather Information or call our weather hotline at 507-387-6046

Construction on West High School continues to move along! West High School will be the future home for some of our Jefferson Jags as they head into High School.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_W_jhDeHapTid-4BQY9-6pHQoZjg4hE5/view?usp=sharing

** If your student already attends Jefferson; you do not need to reapply :)

Key Dates for 2025-2026

October 1, 2025: Application window opened

January 23, 2026: Application window closes

February 13, 2026: Notification process of elected seats begins. Everyone who applied for the lottery will receive an offer or wait list notification

Deadline to Accept or Decline will be one week after the notification was sent. Please click here for additional l information around the focus school enrollment / lottery process. Link click here

**** An information session for Jefferson will be held on Jan 12th from 4:30-5:30.

Have a passion for shaping great experiences in our school community? We’re starting to plan the Jefferson Carnival (May) and the Jefferson Jog Fundraiser (September/October)—and we want your ideas and energy at the table! If you’re interested in being part of a committee to bring these events to life, take a minute to fill out our short interest survey.

Come join the fun at our February PTO meeting on Tuesday, February 10 at 6:00 PM in the Jefferson STEM Room! We’ll have free pizza and free childcare, so you can connect, share ideas, and support our school. All families are welcome! Linked here is the January PTO Minutes.

Every Hy-Vee receipt adds up! Help support Jefferson by saving and turning in your Hy-Vee receipts dated September 1, 2025–May 31, 2026 to the Jefferson Office. For every $150 in receipts, Jefferson earns $1—an easy way to give back!

👉 Tell your family members, neighbors, and friends to save their receipts too—the more we collect, the more Jefferson earns!

Do’s ✔

• Collect receipts from Riverfront Hy-Vee (Mankato #1) and Hilltop Hy-Vee (Mankato #2) only

• Make sure receipts clearly show the date, total, and store location
  
  

Don’ts ✘

• No receipts from other stores or Hy-Vee locations

• No receipts for gift cards, lottery, pharmacy, liquor, gas, postage, or business purchases

• No duplicate, canceled, returned, damaged, or altered receipts
  
  

Thank you for helping Jefferson make the most of the Kash4Kids program—every receipt counts! 🙌

Traditionally, Jefferson has always provided after school child care on site through our ACES program. We are looking to provide that same care before school for our families who need it. If you are interested click on the link below for details.