Jefferson Elementary Newsletter

Newsletter - October 15, 2026

A Quick Morning Safety Reminder: School doors open at 7:30 a.m. for students who are not eating breakfast. Please remember that there is no outdoor supervision before school begins. For everyone's safety, we encourage families to drop students off or have them walk to school closer to 7:30 a.m. This helps reduce the amount of time students are outside without adult supervision. Students eating breakfast may enter through Door #2 beginning at 7:30 a.m.

Thank you for partnering with us to keep our Patriots safe and ready to learn. We appreciate all you do to support our school family!

One Team. One Goal. Champion Mindset.
Lady Jones

Our Patriots have been busy learning, growing, and celebrating! From recent field trips and classroom star celebrations to reaching math goals and earning special rewards, there’s always something exciting happening at Jefferson. Take a look at what our students have been up to! ❤️🤍💙

🍂October

• 10/16 - No School | Professional Development
• 10/23 - No School | Fall Break
• 10/28 - Picture Retake Day
• 10/30 - Student Fall Fest

🍁November

• Native American Heritage Month
• 11/2 - End of first quarter
• 11/2 - PTO Meeting in the Library at 5:30 pm
• 11/3 - Cherrydale fundraiser delivery date
• 11/13 - No School | Professional Development
• 11/25-11/27 - No School | Thanksgiving Break

⛄December

• 12/1 - Winter music concert
• 12/7 - PTO Meeting in the library at 5:30 pm
• 12/9 - Holiday Treasures Night
• 12/23-1/1 - No School | Winter Break

Give a Jefferson Staff Member a Shout-Out! ⭐

Have you had a positive experience with one of your child’s teachers or a Jefferson staff member? We’d love to hear about it!

Use this form to give them a shout-out and share some positive feedback. Your message will be shared with Principal Jones and our staff to help celebrate the amazing things happening at Jefferson! ❤️🤍💙

My name is Genevieve Pawasarat, and I am excited to be a part of Jefferson Elementary school this year. I am going into my 4th full year of teaching second grade. I was recently a second grade teacher in the Green Bay school district. I love being a second grade teacher, and helping them feel safe in the classroom. I am overjoyed to be a part of this wonderful family at Jefferson.

I am Andrew Leech the teacher building associate between Jefferson Elementary and Lakeside Elementary. I am entering my 9th year in teaching. Previously I have taught physical education, health, and adapted physical education as well as one year as a special education teacher. This will be my 4th year in the OASD and I look forward to continuing to help young people meet their goals and become lifelong learners.

Questions? Please contact Network Photography direclty. Contact information and printable order form is linked here.

Our 5th graders have the opportunity to serve as student crossing guards after school from approximately 2:45–3:00 PM at 10th & 11th Streets and Minnesota Avenue. Students will receive training and be supervised by staff.

If your child is interested, please complete the parent permission slip. Paper copies were also sent home. Students will be scheduled based on volunteer availability.

Thank you for helping our students build leadership and responsibility!

Program Contacts

Mr. Schneider — Physical Education Teacher
Rebekah Noll — Music Teacher
Makayla Keefe — Art Teacher

As temperatures start to drop, please make sure students come to school dressed for the weather:

🧥 Below 50°F: A coat is required.
👕 50–60°F: Long sleeves are required.

Please send students with the appropriate clothing each day. See below for additional details on clothing needed for cooler weather. All student belongings should be labeled with their name so that if they end up on the lost and found we can get it back to the correct owner. Thank you!

If you are in need of assistance with winter gear, please contact the office at 920-424-0165.

If you are in need of holiday assistance, please scan the QR codes or go to saoshkosh.org to register.

To help keep our students safe and attendance accurate, please notify the school office about:

✨ Absences — Notify us each day your child is absent. Doctor’s notes may be emailed or sent with your student.

✨ Late Arrivals & Early Pick-Ups — Please notify the office so we can record the time correctly.

✨ Extended Vacations — Complete the Pre-Planned Absence Form linked at the bottom of the newsletter and return it to the office.

Attendance can be reported by phone, email, or Infinite Campus Parent Portal under More → Absence Requests.

📧 katie.ascher@oshkosh.k12.wi.us
📞 920-424-0165

Pick-Up Reminder: If someone other than a parent/guardian is picking up your child, please notify the office by 2:30 PM. The person picking up must show a valid ID and be approved to pick up your student.

Thank you for helping us keep every student’s day safe and smooth!

To ensure we have an accurate lunch count and receive enough meals from Food Service, students who arrive late to school and are not bringing a cold lunch will automatically be recorded as taking Choice 1 school lunch.

If your child would like to choose between Choice 1 and Choice 2, they must arrive at school before 7:45 a.m. This allows us to accurately report our lunch counts to Food Service and receive the correct amount of food to serve our kids.

Thank you for helping us ensure we have enough food for all of our students!

📍 View the official Jefferson Elementary Traffic Flow & Parking Map:
👉 Jefferson Traffic Flow/Parking Map (official)

Where you can park & walk:

• 11th Ave (from the end of the bus loading zone down toward Oregon St.) — Street parking is allowed. You may park, exit your vehicle, and walk your student to the blacktop.

• Surrounding streets: 10th Avenue, Oregon Street, and other designated green areas on the map.

Where you cannot park:

• Minnesota Street (along the school) — Loading zone only. Pull up, drop off or pick up quickly, do not park and exit your car here.

• Blacktop in front of the playground (11th Ave) — Bus zone only. No parking or loading here.

Safety reminder:
Please keep traffic heading north on Minnesota Street. Stopping in the middle of the road to drop off creates a safety hazard with oncoming cars.

⏰ Morning Arrival — Please Follow These Procedures

For student safety, these arrival procedures must be followed:

• Do not drop students off before 7:30 AM. The playground is closed before school.
• Beginning at 7:30 AM, students enter through Door 2 for breakfast or to go directly to class.
• 7:45 AM is the tardy time. Students must be in their classroom and ready to learn by this time.
• After 7:45 AM, students must be dropped off at Door 1, check in through the office, and receive a late pass.
• Students arriving after 8:15 AM are unexcused.

🚶 Dismissal — 2:45 PM

• Adults picking up students must remain behind the pink lines on the blacktop near Door 1.
• Students will be brought to their designated line-up spot.
• After dismissal, students may use the playground only with an adult actively supervising them.

🚪 Visiting Jefferson

For everyone's safety, please do not enter the building without checking in at Door 1.

• Ring the Door 1 doorbell to enter.
• Do not enter during arrival or dismissal.
• Parents/guardians may not walk students to classrooms.
• All visitors must have an approved background check and wear a visitor badge.

Thank you for following these procedures—they are in place to keep our students safe!

Interested in volunteering, chaperoning a field trip, or spending time in our building? An approved background check is required before volunteering or participating in school activities. You must also have a volunteer opportunity arranged and confirmed with a staff member before volunteering or visiting a classroom. This helps us keep our students and school community safe.

Please use this link to submit your background check, and let the office know once you’ve completed it so we can verify your status.

Keep an eye out for opportunities in our school newsletter, teacher newsletters, or reach out to your child’s teacher to see how you can help in the classroom.

Thank you for helping us keep Jefferson safe! Please contact our secretary, Mrs. Ascher with any questions at 920-424-0165.

Directing the Brain Toward Planning

Human brains process positive commands faster than negative ones. Direct instructions like "Please use walking feet" eliminate guesswork, giving children a clear behavioral roadmap and strengthening their executive skill of Planning.

Fostering Self-Monitoring Through Objective Noticing

Replacing "Good job!" with factual observations—like "You put all your blocks away"—removes judgment. Simple noticing builds Self-Monitoring, helping children evaluate their own behavior, make good choices, and feel intrinsic pride.

At-Home Try-It Strategies for Families

• Flip the Command (Planning): Choose one common negative command you use (such as "Don't yell") and practice flipping it to a positive direction (like "Please use a quiet voice") for the entire week.

• Notice Without Judging (Self-Monitoring): Point out three specific things your child does well today without adding "Good job." Try factual observations like, "You cleared your plate right when you finished."

Medications

If your student will need to take medication during the school day, please have your child’s provider fill out and sign the appropriate form below. These can then be returned to the office or faxed by the provider to: 920-424-7583.

Over the Counter Medication Form *parent signature only required*

Prescribed Medication Form

Inhaler/Asthma Action Plan

Epipen/Allergy & Anaphylaxis Form

REMINDERS:

Directions on the medication bottle/box must match the written order on the medication request form

• Stock Epi-pens do NOT go on field trips.

• Please fill out an Emergency Epi-Pen/Anaphylaxis Plan even if you don’t have a personal Epi at school.

• PRN medications (Ibuprofen, Tylenol, Tums etc.) must come in a New and unopened Bottle.

• Is your child up to date with their immunizations? Please contact the doctor for physicals and immunizations! All students at Jefferson are required to have their Tdap, Polio, MMR, Varicella and Hep B! Please check with your doctor to see what wellness requirements are needed for your child.

Our Jefferson Elementary PTO plays a huge role in creating the fun, supportive, and memorable experiences our students enjoy. From special family events to helping fund field trips and providing resources for our teachers. Check last meeting's agenda here.

At the end of this year, several of our dedicated PTO parents will be moving on as their children advance grades, which means we need new parent voices and helping hands to keep the PTO going. Without fresh members, many of the activities our students love may not be able to continue.

Here’s the good news:

Being part of the PTO is simple, welcoming, and low-pressure.

• Minimal commitment - attend a monthly meeting when you can in person or virtual
• Stay in the know about what’s happening at your child’s school
• Support our students through simple fundraising events like our dine-out nights at local resturants and fun school events
• Help shape experiences that make Jefferson special like bike or walk to school day and field day

Whether you can give a little time or a lot, your involvement matters. Even one new parent makes a big difference.

If you’re interested in joining or learning more, we’d love to have you! Let’s keep the Jefferson Elementary spirit strong for all of our students. 💛📘

Check out their Facebook page here.

Popcorn Fridays are back! Help support the students of Jefferson Elementary school by purchasing popcorn for your student for $2.00! Purchase your student's popcorn in the school store under "fundraising" today!