Principal's End of Year Message

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Dear Jefferson Families,

As  we come to the close of this remarkable school year, I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude for your unwavering support, collaboration, and dedication. Your partnership has made this a year of learning, growth, and community building. I’m excited about the work we’ve done together and am already looking forward to continuing this momentum into the next school year. Below are just a partial list of what we accomplished together this year for our community: 

  • Finalized the submission of grants to upgrade both upper and lower yard to capture rainwater runoff and add new play structures, seating areas, green spaces, fencing, striping, and shaded areas, and added new play areas.
  • Increased and wider usage of ParentSquare to connect our community, families and staff made more than 5,000 direct messages, 2,100 posts and 95% of our families connected.  
  • Jefferson Trash and Safety Committee sponsored Tuesday trash pick-up days and met with community leaders on a monthly basis to raise neighborhood safety and health concerns leading to changes in night patrols, community outreach, and improved response times to requests.   
  • The Garden Committee sponsored weekend work-days, created a native garden habitat in the atrium by the auditorium, produced farmers’ markets, led green-team efforts, and sponsored environmental field trips and action events.
  • PTA Social Committee led weekend social events and added Friday morning coffee chats to build community across differences.
  • MySpace Club led efforts to create a safe school environment for our LGBTQ+ students and community members and celebrated our differences as strengths
  • Fundraising committee led many active and passive fundraisers that helped raise critical funds for our school while bringing joy and fun with events such as the Gala Auction, Jog-A-Thon, and collaborations with local restaurants.
  • The Culture & Climate Team established Jefferson’s core values of Empathy, Perseverance, Community, and Fun.  
  • A variety of artists continued to expand learning experiences for our students with Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Drama, Dance, Singing, Chorus & Instrumental Music and 3rd graders learning the recorder.
  • Joined the national program, Best Buddies, to promote inclusion, understanding, and build relationships among our neuro-typical and neuro-divergent students.
  • Our School Site Council connected with the community and guided our school programming and budget to reduce negative impacts on budget cuts for next year.
  • The English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC) restarted in the spring and advocated for our multilingual learners and strengthened  our partnership with Wah Mei.
  • We continued so many of the Jefferson traditions we love such as Author’s Day, Math Night, Inclusive Schools Week, Student Council & spirit days, the Talent Show, Junior Olympics, Teacher and Volunteer Appreciation Luncheons, 5th grade overnight, unforgettable field trips, grade-level picnics, and more.
  • We improved how we facilitate school tours and communicate with parents at the enrollment fair and Kindergarten orientations, helping to maintain high enrollment.  
     

What’s new that we can look forward to in 2025-2026

  1. Two remodeled recess yards with new play play structures and play areas (Completed in November), upgraded wiring and MDF room for improved technology and internal communication plus a new roof to keep us dry and safe.
  2. Monthly themes of  Jefferson values to encourage social-emotional learning, citizenship, and school spirit.
  3. Deepening our facilitation of Restorative Practices with our students, staff, and families through professional development with our partners at the School Health Department.
  4. Implementation of a newly adopted Math curriculum, Imagine Learning Illustrative Math.

And so much more to come…..

On behalf of the Jefferson Staff, I want to thank you for a wonderful year and wish you a fantastic summer.  To those returning, we look forward to seeing you when school resumes on Monday, August 18th, 2025!

Sincerely, 

Craig