Jefferson Elementary School

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

Once a month, Jefferson students meet together in person on a Friday morning for The Gathering. (The other Fridays are virtual in the classrooms.) This past Friday was a very packed assembly, filled with exciting announcements and introductions—and of course, Sparty, our awesome mascot, was also present. This was also the first time the older students got to sit in the bleachers, as we prepare for seating for next Friday's special Veterans Day program. ​ Mr. Wall announced the winners of our Tower Challenge from Family Groups. Categories were Best Decorated Pumpkin, Tallest Structure, and Best Engineering Design (see photos), as determined by visiting judge, Mr. McClintock. Students of the Month were also recognized. Student Council shared about our upcoming Spirit Week and Food Drive. Then girls and boys basketball teams were introduced, along with the cheerleaders, who led the student body in a rousing cheer. We finished off our time with the Spartan Creed. ​ #ExperienceWCS

Congratulations to our Spartan Students of the Month. They enjoyed a trip to the Winona Lake canals to fish. Thanks to the Winona Lake PD and parents for supporting our trip. #ExperienceWCS

Students in 6th grade went rafting on Grassy Creek. It was an incredible experience as students learned about water quality and enjoyed a beautiful sunny day outside. Thank you to the Kosciusko Soil and Water District for your continued support! #ExperienceWCS

Mr. McClintock, who retired at the end of last school year after 44 years of teaching at Jefferson, returned on Friday to share his knowledge about wooly mammoths and to harvest part of our vegetable garden, with the help of some eager 5th graders. (Photo provided by Mrs. George.)

We are thrilled to welcome our newest, tiniest Spartan: Noah David Wall! Noah arrived early in the morning on Friday, September 1st, and weighed in at 7lbs. 12ozs., 21" long. Mr. Wall reports that everyone is healthy and doing great! Welcome, Noah David! (Photo provided.)

The Box Tops app is currently running multiple bonus offers for participating product purchases at Walmart, Dollar General, and Meijer. This is an easy way to maximize Jefferson's earning potential. Check it out in the Box Tops app under "Explore Bonus Offers," and don't forget to scan those receipts!

WCHS is holding an elementary Cheer Clinic next Saturday, Sept. 9th. Scan the QR code for all the details.