A Sea of Success

December 2012 & January 2013

Important Dates to Remember:
Dec. 4th PTA Mtg @ TJ Dec. 7th Flu Mist forms are due back to school Dec. 13th Winter Concert @ Newton High School Auditorium 6:00 TK/Kindergarten 7:00 1st Grade Dec. 21st 2 Hour EARLY OUT Jan. 2nd Back to School! Jan. 3rd 10th DIBELS Testing Jan. 8th TJ Night at the Newton Cardinal Basketball Game (see attached flier) Jan. 11th NO SCHOOL Work Day for teachers Jan. 18th Report Cards sent home

From the Principal...............

Here it is the start of December already! They say time flies faster as you get older; I believe that to be true! November was another fun month. The kids enjoyed raising money for their playground and got some great exercise at the same time. The second annual TJ FunD Run/Trott was another huge success. We would like to thank Robyn Friedman for all the hours spent organizing this fun event for the kids and parents. I dont believe all the money has been collected yet but so far TJ kids and families have raised $5348.39 to put toward the rest of the playground equipment. Early Outs: I wanted to share a bit about the work teachers have been participating in during some of the Wednesday Early Outs. They have been studying the Iowa Core which is basically what the children must learn by the end of each grade level. This is what our curriculum will be when the Iowa Core is fully implemented. More information will be shared with parents; we believe it is important for parents to understand and know what is expected of their children at each grade level. Other Wednesdays are spent either in a faculty meeting or in grade level teams planning and sharing. Our goal continues to be to help each child be successful academically and socially. Weve certainly enjoyed some extra days of unusually warm sunshine for most of November. As the weather turns colder and the snow flies students will need coats, hats, mittens, snow pants and snow boots. The children will be going outside for recess unless it is below 10 degrees including the wind chill. If they dont have snow pants they will need to stay on the black top to play so they dont sit in wet clothes the rest of the day. The kids are doing a great job of bringing in Box Tops! Congratulations to Mrs. Coles first grade students who won the pizza party for the most Box Tops brought in during the first contest. Keep those Box Tops coming! The transitional kindergarten, kindergarten and first grade students have been practicing hard preparing for their concert on the big stage. The kids will ride a bus over to the high school on the morning of December 13th to have rehearsal on the stage in preparation of their concert that night. They are getting very excited to share their songs with their families and loved ones.

Excellance in Education Award:

We have such a caring, dedicated and talented staff here at Thomas Jefferson who go far above and beyond to help each child be successful. Right now you have the opportunity to honor one of those teachers. The Newton Community Educational Foundation will honor eight Newton

Community School District members at the Annual Chamber meeting held on January 31, 2013. The purpose of this award is to pay tribute to the excellent faculty members we have in the Newton Schools. Winners will receive a $250.00 award for classroom enrichment as well as a commemorative gift. Candidates being nominated should meet the following criteria: Be an exceptionally dedicated, knowledgeable and skilled faculty member, pre kindergarten through 12th grade, who is planning to remain active as a professional educator. Be able to inspire students to learn. Have the respect, admiration and support of students, parents and colleagues. Play an active and useful role in the Newton community as well as in the school. Be poised, articulate and enthusiastic. Prior recipients of the Excellence in Education Awards are not eligible for this award. Nominations may be submitted by teachers, parents, alumni, community members or students, as long as the student is not currently being taught by the educator he or she is nominating. Applications are available at office, online, the Administration Building and one is attached for your convenience. Deadline for applications is set for December 21, 2011. All applications should be turned into the school principal of the particular applicant, or to the administration office and school personnel will deliver applications to the appropriate school for consideration. To complete an online application go to: http://www.newton-ncef.org/, click on Excellence in Education and then click on Application for Excellence in Education. Click Submit when finished completing the application. Past honorees from Thomas Jefferson have been: Darcy Soule, Shelly Fitzgerald, Diane Babcock, Andrew Stone, Barb Wesson, Melissa Bennett, Marcy Milburn, Sandy Stephens, and Heidi Holley, Lisa Pageler. Please consider taking the time to honor a well deserving teacher here at Thomas Jefferson. Mrs. Sharp

Music Program Announcement:

Who: Transitional Kindergarten, Kindergarten, and 1st Grade Where: Newton High School Auditorium (kids meet in the cafeteria) When: Thursday, December 13th, 2012 (December 18th if we cancel due to snow) What time: TK and K arrive at 5:50 sing at 6:00 1st Grade arrive at 6:50, sing at 7:00 Wear: Best clothes you own (no jeans if you can help it)

You should have received a formal letter the week of October 22nd. Questions, email harrisj@newton.k12.ia.us or call the school X1535

More information to come for the 2nd and 3rd Grade Spring Concert.

From the Nurses Office:

The Flu mist will be available to be given at school. The CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine as the first and most important step in protecting against the flu viruses. Forms were sent home and need to be returned to the school office by December 7th.

Thomas Jefferson Elementary NIGHT

Newton High School Girls & Boys Basketball Games January 8th, 2013 Newton High School Gymnasium
TJ - Basketball Night Event Schedule Girls Basketball Game - 6:15pm VAR Girls TJ Halftime Event After Game Girls VAR Autograph Session Between Game: Reading Time Multi-purpose Room Big Red Mascot Appearance Varsity Boys Basketball Game 7:30pm After Game Boys VAR Autograph Session Dont forget to wear your red & black and come enjoy the evening with our Newton Cardinal Basketball teams. Cost: Children Free with paid Adult