Jefferson Family Newsletter

Dear Families,

As we step into December, our school community is focusing on the trait of empathy—the practice of understanding one another, looking for the good in each other’s stories, and strengthening the connections that make our school feel like a second home. This month offers so many natural opportunities for students to practice kindness, listen with curiosity, and recognize how their actions can lift others up.

You’re invited to join us for our PTO meeting on December 4th at 4:00 PM. Families may attend in person at school or virtually—whatever works best for your schedule. Your voice and partnership make a meaningful difference, and we would love to see you there.

As we approach winter break, please remember that the last day of school for the month is December 23rd, and classes will resume on January 5th. We hope your family enjoys a restful stretch of time together.

Wishing you a warm, joyful, and connected December!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Molly Demrow
Principal, Jefferson Elementary School

Please notify the main office by 3:10 p.m.

Dismissal can be a bit chaotic at the end of the school day. To help ensure a smooth and safe dismissal for all our students, we're asking for your help!

If you need to make a change to your child's after-school plan, please call the main office at 715-345-5418 by 3:10 PM.

By getting your changes in on time, you'll help us make sure that your child receives the message and gets home safely. We appreciate your cooperation and support!

Contact Information

Mrs. Bryanna Sicard - Office EA

📱 - 715.345.5418

💌 - bsicard@pointschools.net

Mrs. Teal Theam - Secretary

📱 - 715.345.5418

💌 - ttheam@pointschools.net

Mark your calendars!

Dec. 4: Art Club, 3:45-4:45pm & PTO Meeting, 4-4:50pm room 160 🎨

Dec. 10: Winter Concert (4k) 1-2pm, Winter Concert (Grades 3-6), 2:30-3:20pm 🎤

Dec. 15-Dec 23: Holiday Dress Up Days (see below for more information) 🎄

Dec. 18: 5/6 grade to UWSP Basketball Game, 11:25-2:30pm & Art Club, 3:45-4:45pm 🎨

Dec. 19: Kindergarten Winter Program ⛄

Dec. 23: 3/4 grade to Roger's Cinema, 9-11:30am 🍿

Dec. 24-Jan. 4: Winter Break⛄

We are pleased to announce that Jefferson now hosts a co-located therapist! This convenient service means a licensed therapist from an outside organization comes directly to our school to meet with students during the school day.

This saves families the time and hassle of transporting their children to off-site appointments.

Our current therapist is Anna Rathe from Rawhide, who is available on Fridays. Anna takes a person-centered approach to create a safe, non-judgmental space for students to explore their emotions and experiences.

Interested? Please contact April Kaisen, School Social Worker, to learn more and connect your child with this valuable service.

Email: akaisen@pointschools.net

It's time to celebrate the students who truly brightened our school in November! This month, we focused on the important character trait of Gratitude.

A grateful student is one who chooses to appreciate the people and things in his or her life.

Watch the video below to see which students earned the Golden Eagle Award for showing Gratitude!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vIAYAIp9Q2rc_MyNIypphh-HCF0nzmWc/view

Way to go, thankful Eagles! We are so proud!

Congratulations to our Cadets of the Month. They have demonstrated remarkable responsibility, initiative, and problem-solving skills. Their commitment to going above and beyond by filling in for empty shifts and assisting new cadets is truly commendable. Thank you for your hard work and dedication!

Top Cadet: Charlie K.

6th Grade top cadet: Julia A.

5th Grade top cadet: Fitz R.

4th Grade top cadet: Hannah H.

We are thrilled to announce that our annual Holiday Wreath Fundraiser was a success!

Thanks to the incredible participation and hard work of our amazing Jefferson Elementary families, we raised close to $3,000!

This money goes directly back to supporting our students, classrooms, and school activities, and we couldn't have done it without you. Your dedication made a real difference!

To celebrate the success of our annual cereal drive, we turned the boxes into a HUGE set of dominos! Check out the moment the whole school cheered as we knocked them all down at the all-school assembly! Thank you to all who donated!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NnaFOfs7kT-DOk5DAZW8lQdhdzYjMTZ9/view?ts=692cf5fa

Join our virtual event, 'Honoring Tradition: The Art & Meaning of Deer Hide,' where you can watch a respectful, step-by-step demonstration of traditional deer hide preparation. Hosted by SPAPSD and the Alliance for Equity and Inclusion, this is a rare opportunity to see the craftsmanship and hear the cultural stories behind this practice.

Don't miss out on this unique demonstration!

December 3 | 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. | Virtual

Register here to receive the link: https://bit.ly/DeerHideRSVP

Upcoming Events:

Let’s Play! Adaptive Gaming Night- December 5, 2025 | 5:00pm- 7:00pm
A free community event for adults 18+ that includes adapted controllers and accessible tabletop tools.
Sensitive Santa- December 13, 2025 | 3:00pm- 6:00pm
Sensory-friendly Santa visits with no long lines, optional activities, and a calm environment for children with disabilities.
Adapted Ice Skating Event- January 24, 2026 | 1:00pm- 3:00pm
An inclusive skating event that offers sleds, walkers, wheelchairs, and volunteer support for participants of all abilities.

Kindergarten

Kindergarten will be having our annual Kindergarten Winter Concert on Friday, December 19th at 2:45PM. Students will be performing 5 jolly songs before decorating gingerbread houses with their families. Grandparents and siblings are invited to come, too! Please watch for the RSVP and decoration sign-up sheet.

First Grade

This month is an exciting month for our first graders. We have our first field trip of the year. We’ll be heading to The Boston School Forest to learn about trees and animal adaptations. We’ll also explore the forest with an educational nature hike. We love having parent volunteers at The Boston School Forest, so if you’d like to help, we’ll soon be sending home a sign-up sheet for you to complete. You will need to have a background check on file with the school district if you’d like to attend. It’s always such a fun day, and we’re hoping for warm weather!

Second Grade

This month in math, our second graders are working on adding and subtracting two-digit numbers within 100. We are practicing different strategies to solve problems, build number sense, and strengthen mental math skills.

In science, students are exploring maps, landforms, and bodies of water. They’re building mountain models to see how water flows downhill and how it turns rocks into tiny grains of sand. Students also use models to show how erosion can happen slowly or quickly, like during landslides. Using what they learn, students will design solutions to slow down erosion and help prevent landslides.

In CKLA Knowledge, we just wrapped up our Cycles of Nature unit. Students explored how the world around us changes through different cycles, like the seasons, the Earth’s cycle of revolving around the sun, plant life cycles (including flowering plants and trees), and even animal life cycles such as chickens and frogs. They loved discovering how each part of nature grows and changes over time. We’ve now begun our next Knowledge unit: Insects! Students will learn about their characteristics, habitats and unique traits of these tiny but fascinating creatures.

Our Thanksgiving pizza feast was a wonderful success! Students used their math skills to build base ten hideouts for the turkeys, keeping them safe and sound. With the turkeys safely hiding, we enjoyed a delicious pizza celebration together. Thank you so much for helping to make this a memorable day for all second graders!

Third Grade

Third graders have become poets this past month and wrote their own original poems for CKLA! We have also started our fourth unit of study called “The Ancient Roman Civilization”. We will be learning about the history of the rise and the fall of Ancient Roman as well as learn about some myths.

Students have been harmonizing and getting ready for their winter concert that will be on December 10th. They are looking forward to performing for their families!

Fourth Grade

Thankful Hearts, Creative Minds!

Our Jefferson fourth graders turned STEM time into a Thanksgiving parade of gratitude floats! So much imagination and teamwork!

Fifth Grade

Our 5th Graders recently concluded their unit on the Age of Exploration in social studies!

As part of the curriculum, students completed a fantastic hands-on project, building detailed replica ships from that historical era. It was a great way to visualize the voyages of discovery!

6th Grade

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoyed some special time together. Thank you for your support with the Social Studies Family Heritage Project. Students have been enthusiastic about sharing their stories, and their work has brought meaningful depth to our unit on Industry and Immigration.

We are excited to welcome families to our 3rd–6th Grade Winter Concert on Wednesday, December 10th at 2:30 p.m. We can’t wait to share this festive event with you!

As we move into December, we also want to make you aware of our upcoming winter AimsWeb Plus assessments, scheduled for December 12th, 16th, 17th, and 18th. Please help your child come to school well-rested and ready to do their best on these important testing days.

Looking ahead, our classroom holiday celebration will take place on the afternoon of December 22nd, just before we leave for winter break. More details about activities and optional contributions will be sent home in the coming weeks.

Please see below for a brief summary of what we are learning about this month:

Math

We are finishing our third unit where we have been focusing on becoming fluent with dividing whole numbers and with comparing, adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing fractions and decimals.

In our fourth unit students will study the surface area of prisms and pyramids. Please click this link to read more about the unit.

ELA

We will start the Chocolate Collection! In this unit, students explore the world of chocolate, using primary documents and conducting independent research to understand the diverse range of roles that chocolate has played in cultures around the world. Please click this link to read more details of what students will be reading and writing during this unit.

Science

This month, our science focus will be on the human body systems! Students will explore how the major systems work both independently and together to keep us alive and healthy. Students will create a life size body diagram in the classroom.

Social/Emotional Learning

This month in our SEL lessons, we will be focusing on understanding and living our values. Students will explore what their personal values are, how to apply those values in online spaces, and ways to practice them in everyday situations. Our goal is to help students build strong decision-making skills and develop positive habits that support healthy relationships both in and out of the digital world.

Music

You are invited to join us for the Grades 3-6 Winter Concert! Come and enjoy the hard work our students have put into their musical performance.

What: Grades 3-6 Winter Concert
When: Wednesday, December 10th
Time: 2:30 PM
Where: Jefferson Gymnasium

Students are encouraged to dress their best for this special event.

Important Note: Please ensure students do not wear hats or tall headwear. This helps guarantee that all students on the risers are visible to the audience!

Art

The artist of the month is Keenan Horn in Mrs. Rust’s first grade class. Keenan did great work on all the aspects of this project. He used markers to design his balloon, painted a rainbow in the colorful sky with watercolor paints and even wrote a lovely message to his family on the gondola. And, to top it all off, what a great pose for a ride in a hot air balloon!

Gym

Please remember to send your student to school with their required gym shoes on the days they have gym class.

For safety and participation reasons, students must wear non-marking athletic shoes to properly engage in all P.E. activities. A quick check the night before P.E. day can ensure they are ready for action!

Library

Please remind your student to return all library books on their designated library day.

If books are not returned, students are unable to check out new materials. Establishing a routine of putting the library book back in the backpack right after reading helps ensure they are ready for their next class!

With the unpredictable fall and winter weather, it's important for families to ensure that your student(s) are dressed in appropriate clothing for the fluctuating temperatures. Wearing layers, including sweaters, jackets, and long pants, can help keep kids comfortable as they go to and from school and during outdoor recess. Additionally, it's a good idea to make sure they have appropriate footwear for potentially wet or slippery conditions. Cleats are not school appropriate footwear.

Based on 'feels like' temperature:

40-50 degrees requires long sleeves
40 degrees or less requires a winter jacket
All students are expected to respect these rules

December 4th agenda:

Introductions (virtual option available)

MOEMS update

Jefferson Social Events

Jamboree

Fundraiser ideas

Treasurer Update

Any ideas from other parents that they would want to see at Jefferson

Next Meeting:

Thursday, January 8th at 4-4:50pm in room 160

Breakfast Menu

Lunch Menu

2025-2026 District Calendar

Elementary School Handbook

Jefferson School Procedures

Add the Elementary 6-Day Rotation Schedule to Your Online Calendar

Add the Academic and Days Off Calendar to Your Online Calendar

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Si necesita ayuda traduciendo información que se encuentra en el correo electrónico, por favor, contacte a Jami McGriff al correo jmcgriff@pointschools.net o llame al 715-498-1976.

Jefferson Elementary

Email: mdemrow@pointschools.net
Website: pointschools.net/Jefferson
Location: 1800 East Avenue, Stevens Point, WI, USA
Phone: 715-345-5418
Facebook: facebook.com/JeffEaglesROCK

Jefferson Family Newsletter