December 11-15

Exploring the WHY...

I have recently been asked by a friend to explore my WHY. My WHY for family, my WHY for friendships, my WHY for work, my WHY for my faith...really LOOK at my why and try to own this work.  This was HARD for me...I have SO many WHYS! She pushed me to really try to narrow the hundreds of WHYs down to ten and then to five and try to narrow it down to one.  I am not there yet and to be quite frank I am not sure I will get there. I am a work in progress.  When it came to work there were many WHYS:

• You all
• The kids
• The families
• Community
• Growth - personal and professional
• Inspriation
• Servant Leadership
• Change
• Sharpened Pencil
• my list goes on and on.  

This type of thinking led me to think about how we can use this mindset about data. I always try to keep in mind that DATA is NOT a four letter word and that if I look at it for what it is...FACTS...I can explore the why through a transparent lens. 

The goal of data exploration and goal setting to to explore the WHY something happened, create the WHY of the next steps and instill the WHY of the work ahead in ourselves, our teams and our students.

Exploring your WHY

-Kirsten

UPCOMING PLCs in December

Monday, December 11, 2017 - Grades 2-5 iReady Instruction PLC

Monday, December 18, 2017 - WHOLE SCHOOL - SMART Goal Review and Holiday Fun!

This information was shared with parents in the Blog about the Winter Caroling Night.

Tuesday, December 19,  2016

Doors Open at 5:15

5:30 pm 4^th and 5^th Grade Ensemble Winter Performance - MPR

6:00 PM – School Wide Caroling Event

"Singing in the Holidays!"

Please join us for an evening of family fun!

  

Winter Caroling Concert Guidelines

Come enjoy the spirit of the season! Thomas Jefferson students will be rotating through three (3) locations to present their winter concert to all Thomas Jefferson families.

Where do I go to see the concert? 

We are asking families to bring their blankets and beach chairs to the assigned locations listed below.  (This is our attempt to manage crowd control.  All classes will sing in each location.) 

 Please see below for your assigned concert area.

Last names A-C - Upper Playground area near front of school

Last names D-M         - Facing the amphitheater behind the MPR

Last names N-Z  - Facing room 21 on the lower grade playground

When the event is over please make your way to the designated classroom for student pick up and check out.  Students WILL not be excused from the performance area.

Your classroom teacher will be forwarding classroom specific communication prior to the event.  

We look forward to seeing you there! 

Kindergarten RESPONSIBILITY Booster Success!
THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS HAPPEN!!!!!

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ADVISORY COMMITEE

ELAC

  Our first meeting is THIS Monday, December 11, 2017 at 3:30pm. If you have not already shared this information with your families in your email communications, blog or websites.

When: Monday, December 11, 2017

Time: 3:30 pm

Where: Thomas Jefferson's Staff Room

Please share with your families!

Hello TJ Families!

The Student Leadership Team is going to be collecting donations for the homeless community in our area to then make Hospitality Bags. We will be collecting the following items:

• Adult Socks
• Toothbrushes
• Toothpaste (travel size)
• Shampoo (travel size)
• Soap (bar or liquid/travel size)
• Shaving cream (travel size)
• Lotion (travel size)
• Washcloths 

Any donations can be brought to the office, Ms. Currie's Room, or Mrs. Scudder's room until Tuesday, December 19th. Last year, our Student Leadership Team was able to stuff over 200 bags! We are so excited to give back to our community as TJ Leaders. Happy Holidays! 

GATE (Gifted and Talented) Testing

The 2018-2019 school year GATE identification test will be administered at the District Office for students currently in 2^nd – 7^th grade.  The students will take the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test, OLSAT, that tests abstract thinking and reasoning ability.  Students must attend one of the testing dates on the OLSAT Parent Permission Form in order to complete the testing by the district.  The Parent Permission Forms will be made available on November 13, 2017 on our district website @ www.rcsdk8.org under the “Parent” tab.  All forms must be returned to the District Office by January 5, 2018 if you would like your student tested. There are no exceptions as materials are ordered based on the number of returned forms.  Make sure you check the district website under the “Parents” tab for more information regarding GATE services and testing.

There is a donation bucket in the office for new unwrapped toys for the annual CHiPs for Kids annual toy drive.  If you are interested in donating a toy to this amazing organization please drop it off in the office by Friday, December 15, 2017.

Our next PTC meeting is this Thursday, December 14, 2017 at 6:30-7:30 pm.  Please join us to learn more about how the PTC supports our school and upcoming PTC events.

TJ Winter Spirit Days!

Wednesday-Dec. 20 - Warm Wednesday - Wear Thermals or Flannel

Thursday-Dec. 21 - Wear a Tacky Holiday Sweater

Friday-Dec.22 - Pajama Day!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Dec. 11	ELAC	3:30-4:30pm
Dec. 13 Dec. 14	PBIS Tier 2 Training PTC Meeting	8:00-3:30pm 6:30-7:30pm
Dec. 19	4/5th Grade EnsemblePerformance Winter Caroling Night	5:30 pm 6-7:00pm
Dec. 21	Awards Assemblies	3-5 9:00am TK-2 10:00
Dec. 22	Holiday Read Around	Minimum Day
Dec. 26- Jan. 8	Winter Break	No School