Jefferson Elementary School

Happy Thanksgiving, Johnston City Schools Family!

We are incredibly grateful for our staff, students, and families. We hope you take today to slow down, relax with loved ones, enjoy some delicious food, and create wonderful holiday memories.

Have a Thanksgiving photo you’d like to share? Drop it in the comments below. We would love to see it!

Enjoy the break, and we’ll see everyone back in class on Monday, December 1st!

Today is National Education Support Professionals Day. A time to recognize and thank the many education support professionals who help keep schools running and students safe, healthy, and ready to learn.

Thank you for making a difference today and every day!

Mrs. Cheers' Kindergarten class is learning important math skills through fun, hands-on activities. In this recent lesson, students used geo boards and tally sticks.

Geo boards help elementary students learn mathematics and geometry, including creating shapes, patterns, and lines. While, tally sticks help students visualize numbers and learn skills like counting and grouping numbers.

These little mathematicians are learning and growing every day!

Less than a month to donate to our District-Wide Food and Toy Drive.

We invite staff and families to support this effort by donating non-perishable food items, snacks, and unwrapped toys. Let’s work together to help our tribe celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Students can bring donations to class or drop them off at any school's front office. The school with the most donations will earn a special treat from our Full-Service Community Schools team.

Our JCHS Educators Rising Club announces the date for their Winter Enrichment Day Camp.

Participants will enjoy holiday-themed STEM activities on Saturday, December 20th, at Jefferson Elementary from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

It's the perfect opportunity for parents to finish last-minute shopping, get the house ready for holiday guests, or just relax before entertaining!

While walk-ins are welcome, the club does encourage families to sign up in advance. This will help ensure we purchase enough supplies for the camp. Stay tuned, a Google Form will be released here soon!

Thanksgiving break is next week, and that means a few changes to our regular schedule. Please take note of the following dates and dismissal times:

Monday, November 24th: No tutoring or enrichment.

Tuesday, November 25th: Elementary and middle schools will dismiss at 1:50 p.m., and JCHS will dismiss at 2:00 p.m. No tutoring or enrichment.

Wednesday, November 26th - Friday, November 28th: No school. Enjoy Thanksgiving break.

Starting this Friday, November 14th, all four Johnston City schools will be offering free weekend grab bags for students! Each bag includes breakfast, snack, and lunch items to help keep students fueled over the weekend.

Grab bags will be available every Friday. If it’s a shortened school week, bags will be sent home on the last day of school for that week.

This program is made possible through Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) funding. We’re so grateful to our FSCS team, students, and staff who worked together to pack these ready-to-go bags.

Mrs. Cheers’ kindergarten class had a great time sounding out letters to practice their Consonant-Vowel-Consonant (CVC) words.

Students each held up large letter signs and worked together to form three-letter words. This is a fun and interactive way to build early reading skills!

All Johnston City Schools are closed today, Tuesday, November 11th, in observance of Veterans Day.

We extend our gratitude to all veterans for their courage, service, and sacrifice. 🇺🇸

🇺🇸 Veterans Day Reminder 🇺🇸

All Johnston City Schools will be closed on Tuesday, November 11th, in observance of Veterans Day. Classes will be in session as usual on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of that week.

We encourage our students and families to take time to honor and thank the brave men and women who have served our country.

📸✨ Throwback Thursday! ✨📸

We’re taking a trip back to the 1995–1996 school year at Jefferson Elementary! Here’s Mrs. Francescon with her bright, curious first graders. It was a year full of taking on spelling tests, storytime, and recess adventures.

Do you remember your first-grade teacher? Share your favorite memories below.

🥪 Did you know you can view our schools' breakfast and lunch menus online? 🍎

Through OPAA, our school district's food service provider, you can easily access the full monthly menu right from our website!

🔗 View menus here: https://menus.healthepro.com/organizations/2377

How to find it later:
1️⃣ Go to jcindians.org
2️⃣ Click “Our District” at the top of the page
3️⃣ Scroll down to “Quick Links”
4️⃣ Click the “Menus” icon

🥫 We're officially launching our district-wide food drive. 🥫

We invite staff and families to support this effort by donating non-perishable food items, snacks, and unwrapped toys. Let’s work together to help our JC Schools’ families celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas!

The school with the most donations will earn a special treat from our Full-Service Community Schools team.

November is Homeless Youth Awareness Month.

This week, the Regional Office of Education #21 and the Area VI McKinney-Vento Homeless Education program are shining a light on the issue by launching the Paint the Town Purple initiative.

Johnston City Schools is participating by placing these signs outside of our unit office and school buildings. Businesses, organizations, and individuals can also take part by wearing purple or lighting up billboards in purple.


To learn more about McKinney-Vento, click here: https://www.roe21.org/programs/area-vi-mckinney-vento-homeless-program/

We’re proud to share that Jefferson Elementary School has been recognized as an Exemplary School by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) for 2025!

This distinction places Jefferson Elementary in the top 10% of Illinois' highest-performing elementary schools!

This incredible achievement reflects the hard work and dedication of our students, staff, and families, who make learning a priority every single day.

🎃 Halloween is almost here 🎃

At Jefferson Elementary, Ms. Boyd's class got into the holiday spirit by breaking out watercolors for a fun, art-filled afternoon.

These kindergarten students added their own artistic twist to a Frankenstein-inspired character, gluing the pieces together and painting everything from his bandage to his suit.

🎪 🍂 Jefferson's Carnival is THIS Thursday 🍂 🎪

Our Jefferson staff has planned an evening of family fun, featuring a chili supper and nearly a dozen carnival games. Plus, a variety of raffle baskets, including:

🎃 JC-themed basket
🎃 Movie night - sweets
🎃 Game night/board games
🎃 Movie night - chocolates
🎃 Self-care/spa
🎃 Fall-themed basket
🎃 Christmas-themed basket
🎃 Cooking and baking basket

There will be many other basket raffles and raffle items from local businesses the night of the carnival. Come join us on Thursday, October 30th, from 5 to 8 p.m.

This Friday night is round one of the IHSA 2A Playoffs between our Johnston City Indians and the Wesclin Warriors. It's also Halloween, and you can celebrate both! 🎃 Kindergarten through 4th-grade students are encouraged to wear their full costumes!

We want our families, fans, and visitors to have a positive, friendly, and safe atmosphere. Here are some reminders regarding the upcoming game.

Please note that admission is $8 for everyone, which is set by IHSA.

🌞 Sunshine Club Sponsor Shoutout 🌞

Jefferson Elementary School would like to thank Ashton Stephens of Edward Jones for sponsoring our Sunshine Club during October.

Our staff and students appreciate your support!

Halloween Week is here, and there are some schedule changes to be aware of:

🍂 Thursday, October 30th:
▪ 11:30 a.m. dismissal
▪ No Latch Key
▪ Jefferson's Fall Carnival (5 to 8 p.m.)

🍂 Friday, October 31st:
▪ No School
▪ Johnston City downtown Trail of Treats (4 to 6 p.m.)

🍂 Sunday, November 2nd:
▪ Daylight saving time ends
▪ Fall back an hour