August 15, 2025

Welcome back, Jefferson Elementary families! The halls are once again buzzing with the joyful energy of our students, and we couldn't be happier to see their smiling faces. It’s a wonderful start to our new school year, and our theme, "The Leader Is In The Room," is already coming to life as students take on their first challenges. We'll be working together to develop key leadership qualities by being safe, respectful, and responsible. We believe every student has a leader within them, and we are excited to see them grow. We also want to extend a warm invitation to all parents and guardians to be a part of this journey. Your involvement in our school community and in your child’s education is invaluable. We are so glad to have you all back and look forward to a fantastic year ahead!

We are excited to share that we will be welcoming motivational speaker Elec Simon to Jefferson Elementary to speak with our 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders! Elec Simon is a dynamic performer and percussionist who spent over a decade with the hit Off-Broadway show STOMP. He uses his musical talent and high energy to deliver a powerful message about respect, love, and believing in yourself. His assemblies are interactive and engaging, often getting students involved with music and drumming. He aims to inspire students to be themselves and to stay focused on their dreams. We believe his message will energize our students and reinforce our school theme, "The Leader Is In The Room."

Our Goal...SAFELY load/ unload FIVE cars at a time! Be ready to follow patrol and staff directions.

HELP US MAKE DISMISSAL SMOOTHER.....

1) Do not enter the parking lot for the pick-up line until after 2:15. (Dismissal is at 2:45.) We will have two mini buses using the pick-up line for bus dismissal. After the mini buses are in line, you can enter the lot and start the line behind them.

2) Do not use Shull Avenue from Granville Street to Caerpentar to wait in line. We have a bus arriving from the west side of town that needs to use Shull Avenue. If you wait on Shull from Granville to Carpenter, you will cause gridlock, and no one will be going anywhere.

Car Drop-off or Pick-up Line:

Enter the east parking lot, entrance nearest Shull Ave.

1) No cell phones when you are in the active drop off or pick up line- we need your attention focused on the students and driving- thank you.

2) Pull all the way up to the crosswalk and then fill in all available space. This will allow us to fit five cars at a time along the curb.

3) For pick up, write your child's name with a bold black marker on a piece of paper and display it on your car's dashboard or visor.

4)You will be required to turn right onto Carpenter when leaving the drop-off area.

Park and Greet:

If you are exiting your car and walking to the front lawn to drop off or pick up your child, please use the west parking lot near the baseball diamonds.

Patience is appreciated as we get everyone into a flow of the new year.

The line can be long at times, and you are encouraged to have your child ride the bus or walk to school. (see below for info about walking to school.)

Here are the start and end times for the elementary school day.

7:50 Breakfast doors open for students eating school breakfast.

7:55 Students are permitted walk to their classroom.

8:05—School starts. Students who arrive after 8:05 need to sign in at the office. There will be an added emphasis on having 100% on-time arrival. Expect communication from the office if you have a pattern of being tardy to school.

2:45 School ends.

Please visit You can find almost anything you need on our website

www.gahannaschools.org

• Infinite Campus: Please log in to the parent portal and complete the Annual Information Update. Update all Emergency Medical Forms, make sure all contact information is current, apply money to lunch accounts, and more! Click Here for DIRECTIONS
• Bus Information: find your student's bus route, contact information, and download the bus app.
• Supply Lists
• District Calendar
• Jefferson Elementary Events Calendar
• Free and Reduced Lunch Applications: Apply for free or reduced price lunch using the Parent Portal. Directions and more information can be found on the Food Service Website. If you need assistance please contact Kim Karshner.

Infinite Campus is our parent portal and student information system. This site will allow parents/guardians to access school information electronically. For example, Infinite Campus will allow you to update email addresses and other important information regarding your child as well as view your child's report card electronically.

ALL Families (either new to Jefferson or returning families) need to update their information in the Parent Portal of Infinite Campus. Directions for how to update Infinite Campus are linked below:

1. Log into the Parent Portal on Infinite Campus at: https://gahannajeffersonoh.infinitecampus.org/campus/portal/gahanna_jefferson.jsp

2. Click MORE from the left-hand column

3. Click on ONLINE REGISTRATION from the choices on the right

4. Click START next to "Existing Student Registration"

5. Go through each step to complete the registration

Families New to Gahanna Schools: If you are a new family to Gahanna Schools and Jefferson Elementary(including all of our kindergarten families), you received an email from Miss Schilling, school secretary, detailing directions on how to log into the Parent Portal of Infinite Campus to update your information. She emailed you an ID that you will need as you log in for the first time.

Returning Families: If you need assistance - please call the school office at 614-478-5560. Miss. Schilling will be happy to help.

We want to inform you of an important update regarding the Infinite Campus Payment Portal. Infinite Campus has transitioned to “Stripe” as its new merchant service provider. This change affects how online payments are processed for food service accounts and student fees (including instructional, athletic, and technology fees).

All families must update payment information and re-enter recurring payments, as your previous data will not carry over to the new system.

1. Add Payment Method(s)

Payment methods are used for both food service and school fees. Your current payment information will not be transferred. For security reasons, you must manually re-enter your payment methods.

You can add:

• Credit/debit cards

• Bank accounts

  • To validate bank accounts:

    • Automatic Validation: Log into your bank to confirm.

    • Manual Validation: A 24-48 hour delay for confirmation.

Steps to Add a Payment Method:

1. Go to "Food Service" in the Infinite Campus menu.

2. Click on "My Accounts."

3. Select the "Payment Methods" box.

4. Click the blue "New" button, enter your info, and hit "Save."

2. Re-establish Recurring Food Service Payments

Recurring payments will not carry over for security reasons. You must reconfigure them using your newly established payment method.

Steps to Set Up Recurring Payments:

1. Click on "Food Service" in the Infinite Campus menu.

2. Select "My Accounts."

3. Click the "Recurring Payments" box.

4. Under "Food Service," click "View."

5. Set your frequency, amount and payment method.

6. Click "Save."

For more detailed instructions, including screenshots, please see the documents listed below. There are no other changes to the way you experience online payments.

We appreciate your attention to this important update. If you have any questions or need help, please fill out the Infinite Campus Help Form.

How to Add Fee Payments to Infinite Campus

Bus Transportation

Your students' bus route for the 2025-26 school year is available on Transfinder. The web-based service provides Gahanna-Jefferson families 24/7 flexibility and access to route information based on their home address!

Be sure to enter only the street number and street name. Do not enter zip code, grades or school. (Entering more than the street number and name may cause inaccurate information to display.)

When you receive your bus information, please check over it carefully. If something does not make sense, please contact transportation at (614) 751-7581.

We are excited to offer the mobile device app Here Comes the Bus. This app allows families to view the real-time location of your child's school bus on a smartphone, tablet or computer using GPS technologies with which each school bus is equipped.

How to Get Started with Here Comes the Bus:

1. Download the Here Comes the Bus app or visit www.HereComesTheBus.com.
2. Click the “SIGN UP” button at the bottom of screen.
3. Follow directions on screen to create an account using the GJPS school district code: 29231
4. You will be sent an email to verify your email address and activate your account.
5. Return to app and add your child’s last name and STUDENT ID number.
   (STUDENT ID NUMBER IS THE SAME AS STUDENT CAFETERIA PIN NUMBER)
6. Click “ADD STUDENT” to add other children in your household.
7. You are now ready to begin following the location of your child’s bus!

A plate lunch is $2.75.

Breakfast is $1.50. *Breakfast runs from 7:50 - 8:05 AM each day at Jefferson.

Lunch Menu

Breakfast Menu

*New this year - 2 hot lunch options will be available for students to choose from for lunch each day. Please see the lunch menu for details. Students not interested in the hot lunch options will be able to select Yogurt/roll, Wowbutter sandwich, Garden Salad, Cheese Sandwich, or a Turkey Sandwich.

Families are again asked to complete and submit a 2025-2026 Free/Reduced-Priced Meal Application if they believe they may qualify. Applications are available in the Blacklick school office or online at: GahannaSchools.org. If approved, the completed application will cover the student for the entire 2024-25 school year, and no other steps will be necessary unless there is an income change during the school year.

Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools Food Service Department is committed to assisting families and making this transition back to normal operations as easy as possible. Please feel free to contact Food Service Supervisor Stephen Ismael (Ismaels@gjps.org) if you have any questions.

This group was created for Jefferson families and staff to support and celebrate our students and school. It's also a great place to ask questions of other parents and have support as you navigate the school year.

We are excited to see all the amazing and encouraging ways our families and staff connect with each other! This is a place for positive comments and a helpful resource for families. This is not the place to voice concerns. If you have an issue you would like to discuss, please get in touch with the staff member directly via email or call the school. This is a place to build on the sense of community within our Jefferson Family.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR FACEBOOK GROUP

The PTO wants to know- are you interested in your children walking to school and avoiding the pick up and drop off lines? We would love to increase the number of students who walk to school. If we have an increased number of walkers, Mr. Schmidt would be able to expand our safety patrol program to provide more patrols and provide opportunities for adult volunteers. One way to increase walkers is to network so that you have a buddy to walk with. The SafeRoutes to School program has information about a "Walking School Bus." If you are interested in learning more about the Walking School program, please complete the form below.

We are looking for a few volunteers (ideally not the hard-working crew that has helped at the last two playground events). These tasks could be completed at your own time. We would provide the supplies and directions; you supply your efforts and time. Jobs include: staining the Gaga pit boards, adding plastic railing to the top of the Gaga pits, painting the soccer goals, painting the basketball posts and backboards. We are also looking for watering helpers to water the front flower beds as well as the new reading garden plants. If you are interested in learning more, please email Mr. Schmidt at schmidts@gjps.org.

August 19 PTO Meeting 7:00 pm - Library.

September 1 Labor Day No School

September 19 Jog For Jefferson Event (Sept. 26th rain date)

September 23 Individual Picture Day and 5th Grade Group Picture Day

September 25 Parent Teacher Conferences

September 30 Parent Teacher Conferences

October 2 Teacher Professional Learning Day, No School for Students

October 3 Teacher Comp Day, No School for Students

• Jefferson Elementary Events Calendar

2024-25 GJPS District Calendar (PDF)