Jefferson Journal

It’s hard to believe we’re already nearing the end of the first quarter! The weeks have flown by, and it’s been wonderful to see how smoothly our students have settled into their daily routines. Classrooms are full of focus, collaboration, and curiosity as students build on their skills and make exciting academic gains. From reading growth to problem-solving and creative thinking, our Rangers are showing what hard work and perseverance can do!

We’re especially proud of the way our students continue to demonstrate PRIDE—Prepared, Respectful, Integrity, Dedication, and Excellence—in all they do. Whether in the classroom, hallways, or playground, these traits shine through and help make our school such a positive and supportive place to learn.

As we look ahead to the close of the first quarter, we encourage families to stay connected and involved. Please take some time to read through the rest of this newsletter for important dates, updates, and ways to support your child’s learning at home. Together, we can continue to make this a successful and rewarding year for every student!

Warmly,
Mrs. Platt & Mr. Eberly

35980 Lakeshore Blvd. Eastlake, OH 44095

Office Email: tj.office@weschools.org

Main Office Line: 440-942-7244

Attendance Line: 855-612-7207 (24 Hours)

• Mrs. Candace Platt, Principal
• Mr. David Eberly, Assistant Principal
• Mrs. Lori Dugger, Principal's Secretary
• Mrs. Wendy Flick, Administrative Secretary
• Mrs. Jacque Sparent, Family Liaison
• Ms. Katie Klemencic, School Nurse
• Mrs. Jennifer Healan, Heath Aide

• 10/10- No School- NEOEA Day
• 10/14- Picture Day
• 10/16- Red Robin Dine to Donate
• 10/17- No School for Students- PD Day
• 10/20-10/24- Pumpkin Grams for Sale
• 10/21- 3rd Grade OST Day 1; PTO Meeting- 3:10 PM
• 10/23- 3rd Grade OST Day 2; Hearing & Vision Screenings; Conference Night 3-6 PM
• 10/24- PBIS Quarterly Reward- Fall Fest
• 10/29- Conference Night 3-6 PM
• 10/31- Halloween Classroom Parties- 2 PM

Please see the information below for instructions on how to set up your student(s) account before photo day - please read this form in its entirety and if you have any questions, please reach out to Cirino Photography - they are here and happy to help.

On Thursday, 10/23, we will be conducting vision and hearing screenings at Jefferson Elementary. If you wish to have vision and hearing screening completed for your child, you must complete the corresponding consent form (below). You may also decline screenings. If consent is not obtained, no screening will be completed. This was originally sent in an email by Computer Services.

Thank you!

As a reminder, below are the grade levels screened.

Screening Schedule by Grade Level

Vision Screening – for students in:

• Preschool, K, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11
  
  

• New students outside these grade levels
  
  

Hearing Screening – for students in:

• Preschool, K, 1, 3, 5, 9, 11
  
  

• New students outside these grade levels

• Our Halloween celebrations will be on Friday, 10/31.
• We are still in need of some volunteers for a few Halloween parties. We are opening the sign-ups back up to anyone who would like to volunteer if there is a spot open, even if you have signed up for other parties this school year. Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090C4AABAE2AA5FB6-58442248-2025#/
• PTO is providing all food and drinks for the Halloween party in order to accommodate all dietary restrictions necessary. Please do not send in any food or treats with your child that day. Any food items will be sent back home with your child. Thank you for your help with this!
• Students are permitted to bring their costumes to school and will change into them around 1:30 PM. Please see the costume guidelines below.

In September we were focusing on the "P" in our PRIDE Promise which is "Prepared". Students who exemplified this characteristic were invited to a Party with the Principals at the beginning of October. We had popsicles, games, and play time on the playground to recognize these students. This month, we are focusing on showing "Respect".

Congratulations to the following students for being "Prepared":

• Kindergarten: Molly Bonnell, Willow Bobic, Scarlett Carthen
• 1st Grade: Emery Francis, Olivia Kallenborn, Romeo Roncalli, Avery Baur, Emma Weisenburg, Alea Pongtornwatchakorn
• 2nd Grade: Emmett Pate, Paul West, Ella Engelking, Christopher Drew
• 3rd Grade: Avery Simmons, Charleston Rosen, Norah Baur
• 4th Grade: Lexi Maurer, Gabby Galic, Tucker Korbel
• 5th Grade: Jace Dorsey, Sydney Wolenski, Alex Engelking, Emilia Mason

Attendance Matters! Every week we award the homeroom with the best attendance from the week before with our attendance trophy! They get to have it (and bragging rights!) for the week until they pass it to the next winners. Any homeroom that wins three times in a grading period will get a special prize.

Congratulations to our first two winners: Ms. Henrich's Class: 9/22-9/26 and Ms. Lewis' Class: 9/30-10/3!

We have a limited number of new Jefferson Rangers t-shirts left. Click the button below to order and we will send them home with your student immediately. Please be sure to type the student’s first and last name when ordering.

Welcome to the 2025-26 school year! We have a lot of fun things planned this year, but first get to know the PTO!

President: Diana Warner
Vice President: Marcia Gamiere
Secretary: Katie Pavlick
Treasurer: Melissa Grinstead

Contact: jefferson.pto01@gmail.com

A fun TJ tradition—with a special Halloween prize this year!

On Sale: October 21–24 (during lunch & recess)
Also available during Parent Conferences near the main door – October 23
Cost: $0.50 each

Grams can be taken home to fill out but must be returned by Friday, October 24.
All proceeds support classroom holiday parties!

We have a very active PTO and we are always looking for more people to get involved to help create fun, engaging, and memorable experiences for our students and families! You are already a member of the PTO by having a child attend our school. There are no membership fees and requirements- plan to attend a meeting!

PTO meets on the third Tuesday of every month at 3:10 PM at Jefferson Elementary. The first PTO meeting will be Tuesday, 10/21. Your child can stay after school to have a snack and do a fun activity with one of our staff members while you attend our meeting! The meetings are typically under an hour each time. You can come to a meeting or two or attend every one throughout the year. We cannot wait to meet you!

• Students may not pass out birthday invitations. If the family is having a party and wants to invite the entire class, the parent may contact the teacher and request for the teacher to pass the invitations out to all students in the class. NO FOOD BIRTHDAY TREATS MAY BE SENT IN TO SCHOOL THROUGH THE STUDENT OR DROPPED OFF IN THE OFFICE. We will contact the family to pick these up. Thank you for your cooperation!

• Outside Food Deliveries are Prohibited (Uber Eats, GrubHub, etc). If a student forgets a lunch, and the family can’t drop one off prior to the student lunch period, we will provide them with a school lunch.

• Student cell phones must be turned off and stored in student backpacks. Students may not have their cell phones in their pockets (pants, sweatshirts, jackets etc). Some bus drivers allow kids to use their phones on the bus, but they should not be walking in or out of school with them in their hands/pockets.
• Offense #1 - Staff Member reminds the student to turn the phone off and put it in their backpack (notify classroom teacher for tracking purposes).
  • Classroom teacher discretion whether to notify parents or not.
• ​​​Offense #2 - Staff Member takes the student’s phone and keeps it in their possession (or gives it to the classroom teacher to keep in their possession) until the end of the school day.
  • Classroom teacher will notify parents of the 2nd offense and warn about the consequences of a third offense.
• Offense #3 - Staff Member notifies the classroom teacher and brings the student’s cell phone to the office.
• Principal or Assistant Principal calls home and informs parents that the phone will remain in the office until picked up by the parent.

• Smart watches may only be used to tell time. If students are using them for communication or gaming purposes, they will follow the same rules above stated for cell phones.

  Students are not allowed to have their personal headphones (airpods, earbuds) during class time (unless approved by teacher for use), recess, or during ENCORE classes. Unauthorized use of these items will result in the above stated processes for cell phones and smart watches.

• Students should not bring their own toys, balls, or electronics to school and may not bring them out to recess. If they do bring them to school (for before/after school use), this is at their own risk, and they need to be kept in the student’s backpack. The school is NOT responsible for lost or stolen items.

• Students may wear hoodies inside the school, but they must keep their hoods down at all times. Having hoods up makes it difficult to identify students and their actions, and often leads to academic disengagement. Hats are not permitted inside the school unless it is a designated “hat day”.