Jefferson Elementary School

Don't forget that this evening is our November STEM Family Night! We hope to see you there!

As a quick reminder, our Literati Online Book Fair is open NOW through December 9th. There's no need to wait in long lines at Winterfest or be disappointed by out-of-stock items. Shop online from the comfort of your own home and find the best selection without any hassles. Your books will be delivered to the school before Christmas Break, and each purchase greatly benefits the Jefferson Library. (Check with your child's teacher to see if s/he has a classroom wish list, too!) Thanks for considering! https://efairs.literati.com/?school=jefferson-elementary-school-winona-lake-in

Macy's may have the most famous Thanksgiving balloon parade, but Jefferson's version may just be the cutest and most enthusiastic. For a third year, Jefferson's 1st-grade students were the stars of the hallway with their own version of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Mrs. Nicki Reeder, 1st-grade teacher, shared, "We begin by reading the book, Balloons Over Broadway, to learn about how the Macy's parade began. We also discuss Problem and Solution and how Tony Sarg persevered and tried various ways to make his balloons bigger and better. Students then choose their storybook character and designed their balloon. Students have to think about what color balloon they need, as well as the materials they will use to make their balloon look like their chosen character. This leads to discussions about the size of the character's facial features, aiming to ensure that they are large enough for spectators to see." What results is a special and fun celebration for everyone, from the 1st-grade participants to the cheering, mostly older students who line the halls for this now-annual event. Participating classes are led by Jefferson's amazing 1st Grade Team of Mrs. Nicki Reeder, Mrs. Jessica Luchenbill, and Miss Liz Moore. #ExperienceWCS #WCSmission

Shop our online Literati Book Fair NOW from the comfort of your home for the best and most extensive selection of books for your holiday gift-giving and beyond! Avoid the long lines in the library during Winterfest, all while helping the Jefferson Library with each and every purchase! Thank you for supporting literacy AND the Jefferson Library! https://efairs.literati.com/?school=jefferson-elementary-school-winona-lake-in The online Literati Book Fair is open through 12/9/23. Books will be delivered to the school after the close of the in-person fair and before Christmas Break. #WCSmission #ExperienceWCS

Tuesday, December 12th is going to be a blast! Plan to attend the Jefferson Skate Party from 6–8pm!

Winterfest will be here soon! Plan to attend for all the reasons you've come to love: crafts, trees, music, treats, and the Literati Book Fair. The date is Thursday evening, December 7th, from 5:30–7:30pm. #ExperienceWCS

It's not too early to be thinking about and planning for Jefferson's Annual Festival of Trees at Winterfest (12/7/23). Find all the info in the photos!

4th grade students will be presenting tomorrow afternoon at the Famous Hoosier Wax Museum. See photo for all the details!

Jefferson will once again host an Adopt-a-Spartan-for-Christmas tree to help provide a happier holiday season for some of our own students. Please see photo(s) for details and help if you can! #ExperienceWCS

It can be difficult to sum up something like a Veterans Day Program in mere photos alone, because so much of what is experienced can't be captured by a camera. Instead, it must be experienced. Mrs. Dawn Engler, Jefferson's Music Teacher, does a phenomenal job with this each year. She begins early on, working with classes, helping students learn the songs and also teaching them the importance of the gift of their voices to our veterans. The result is nothing short of heartwarming and for some veterans, emotional. It truly is a gift to them and to everyone else fortunate enough to be in attendance. #ExperienceWCS

While we've gotten a great start toward our goal of 2,500 canned/non-perishable items for this year's Food Drive, we still have a little over a week left to bring in even more! Our target date of Monday, November 20th is looming, and we need your help to succeed! Please consider picking up some extra items this weekend while out shopping for your family. We are grateful to live in this caring community and can't wait to present Combined Community Services with [at least!] 2,500 canned/non-perishable items for their food bank. Together, we can help ALL of our neighbors have a joyous holiday season. Thank you in advance! #ExperienceWCS

Sixth and Fifth grade Honors and High Honors students were recently recognized for their academic achievements for Quarter 1 of the 2023–24 school year. (Not pictured: Remington Fleming Maze.) Congratulations, Spartan Scholars!

Jefferson's Legendary Spartans are competing in the qualifying tournament for First LEGO League at Success Academy in South Bend today. The team will present their project to a panel of three judges. The judges will look for 3 components: Project, Robot Design, and Core Values. The team will also compete in three 2 1/2–minute "robot rounds." Go, Legendary Spartans! #ExperienceWCS Photos provided by Mrs. Long, sponsor.

Girls in STEM had their first meeting on Wednesday, November 8th in the STEM Lab at Jefferson. Led by Jodi Hanson, Adjunct Professor at Grace College, and a team of GC student helpers, Girls in STEM worked hard and had fun, engineering paper circuits. The result was a room full of glowing noses on Rudolph! Way to go, girls! #ExperienceWCS

Two former Jefferson Spartans helped comprise the Color Guard for today's Veterans Day Program, and we couldn't be more proud! #ExperienceWCS

Tomorrow (Friday the 10th) caps off Spirit Week with Red, White, and Blue Day. Everyone is encouraged to wear these colors—no hats, please—as we honor the men and women who served in the Armed Forces. We will pay special tribute to all veterans at our Veterans Day Program tomorrow, beginning at 10:00am. ​ While Spirit Week is coming to an end, our Food Drive will continue for another week+. Would you consider picking up some extra canned/non-perishable items if you're out and about this weekend? We've heard that things like peanut butter and breakfast cereals are in need, but other items are certainly appreciated, as well. ​ Thank you for your generosity. We live in an amazing community! #ExperienceWCS

Last week our Jefferson Spartans who played fall sports were honored at an awards ceremony. Fall sports include Soccer and Volleyball, with the addition of Cross Country. Great job to all of our athletes and their coaches! Photos provided by Mr. Wall. #ExperienceWCS

Thursday the 9th (tomorrow) is Dress Like a Teacher Day, so we hope everyone will have fun and participate! More importantly, we hope everyone continues to send in a can or twelve for the Food Drive. That's the real reason why we're having this crazy Spirit Week. #ExperienceWCS Photo credit: Mrs. George from last year, with a bunch of "Mr. Macs"

Our students have been working extra-hard in preparation for our annual Veterans Day program, which will take place this Friday, November 10th at 10:00am. Are you a Veteran? Is someone in your family a Veteran? We want to extend a special invitation to be our honored guest. If you haven't already RSVP'd, please use the following Google Form. We hope to see you Friday! Google Form RSVP: https://forms.gle/VrykC2THG1K3Zk9v9 #ExperienceWCS

Believe it or not, we are just ONE MONTH AWAY from the start of our in-person Literati Book Fair, coming to Jefferson the week of December 4th–8th! Waiting is hard, so we wanted to share that our ONLINE Literati Book Fair is open NOW for your shopping convenience. Find all the best reads while shopping from the convenience of your phone or computer. Every online and in-person purchase benefits our Jefferson Library in big ways! https://efairs.literati.com/?school=jefferson-elementary-school-winona-lake-in Did you know that funds raised from the annual book fair go to support student reading throughout the entire school year? While district funds must be spent by a certain deadline, book fair profits can be used anytime during the year to buy that newest copy in a series or add a fascinating topic or book for classroom enrichment. Your purchases from Jefferson's online or in-person Literati Book Fair have an enormous impact! Check it out today! The ONLINE Literati Book Fair will be open from now until the end of our in-person fair on December 8th. Thank you for supporting literacy at Jefferson Elementary! #ExperienceWCS