MAPS offers Home to School Classes each Wednesday.  Courses are designed to encourage all area children, including MAPS students, to engage in the public school setting once a week for socialization, learning, and strong parent participation.  Art, Lifetime Activities (gym, aerobics, swim, and introduction to Taekwondo), drama, and choir courses are offered between 8:30am and 2:45pm each Wednesday. For more information, call Julia Raddatz 723-9285.

Parent Involvement Plan

Jefferson Elementary School continues to include parents as a part of their child’s education. We feel by having the parent involved in their child’s education will enhance the success of learning. The following are activities and events that we hold in order to ensure our student’s success as learners.

• Parent Teacher Conferences are held twice a year.
• Standards Based Report Cards are completed twice times a year.
• Teachers have students make positive phone calls home.
• Several Assessments tests are reported to the parents for Reading which include Star, District Assessment, Mentoring, Dibels, and MLPP.
• Jefferson ATP meets monthly and supports a variety of activities for our families (bake sales, Family Fun Day, fieldtrips, popcorn sales, Play Day, etc.).
• Jefferson Building Leadership Team has two parents who serve on this committee to discuss building goals and improvements. This committee meets monthly.
• Parent Surveys are completed for assisting in the school improvement process.
• Parents are invited to all school activities throughout the year. These events include; Musical Performances, Class plays, various field trips, Reading Month activities: Mystery Readers, Book Fair, Young Authors, 20-20 Reading Program, Holiday Gift Shop, Birthdays, and Classroom helpers. Additionally, many parents will come and have lunch with their child at school or take them out to lunch.
• Parents have volunteered in our Jefferson Mentoring program as mentors and tutors in the classrooms.
• Newsletters are distributed every week with reminders for important events as needed. We also produce a School yearbook that highlights the school year events.

Parents Right To Know

Manistee Area Public Schools is required to notify parents of each student attending a Title I school in the district. Jefferson Elementary is a Title I school that receives funds from the Title I, Part A program. Title I, Part A is a federal supplemental program designed to help children reach high academic standards. In receiving funds from this program, the district has a requirement to inform you, as parents of children attending a Title I school, of information available to you regarding the professional qualifications of your child’s classroom teacher(s). Information will be provided to you upon request and in a timely manner of the following:

• Whether your child’s teacher has met Michigan qualification and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subject areas in which the teacher provides instruction.
• Whether your child’s teacher is teaching under emergency or other provisional status through which Michigan qualification or licensing criteria have been waived.
• The baccalaureate degree major of your child’s teacher and any other graduate certification or degree held by the teacher, and the field of discipline of the certification or degree.
• Whether your child is provided services by paraprofessional and, if so, their qualifications.

You may request additional information on the level of achievement of your child in each of Michigan’s assessments. Michigan uses the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) to determine levels of achievement. You will also receive timely notice if your child is, for whatever reason, assigned, or has been taught for four or more consecutive weeks by, a teacher who is not highly qualified. A highly qualified teacher would be defined as a teacher that meets Michigan’s qualification and licensing criteria for the grade level or subject area in which the teacher is providing instruction.