News

Open Enrollment Period for Kindergarten 2021-2022 is March 1 - April 16, 2021.  

Please join us for a Virtual Informational Meeting to learn more about our Dual Immersion Educational Program at Jefferson Academy.

Parents interested in applying for Jefferson should submit an application with required documentation by April 16, 2021.  Applications will be available in the school office and online on Monday, March 1, 2021.  Scroll down to the bottom for link to application. 

Required Documents:

• Jefferson Academy Application (included in packet)
• Verification of birthday (Birth certificate, baptismal certificate)  Note: child must be 5 years old on or before September 1, 2021. Must be entering kindergarten for the first time.
• Home Language Survey (included in packet)
• Proof of address Form (included in packet) and a copy of a utility bill, rental agreement, etc.
• Proof of Immunization.  The following immunizations are required:  

• Proof of School Entry Physical (must be within 18 months of entry into 1st grade) – (if you have it available)
• Proof of Oral Health Assessment (if you have it available)

Who May Apply?

• Kindergarten students (must be entering kindergarten for the first time and must be 5 years old on or before 9-1-2021 – Verification of birthdate, proof of immunizations and proof of residence are required)
• Grades 1-8: Limited space/wait list – see application for required documentation.

Who Should Apply?

• Strongly motivated students who can and will embrace a very rigorous dual immersion and science program. 

When should my application be submitted?

• The open enrollment window for kindergarten for 2021-2022 begins March 1 and will remain open until April 16, 2021.  
• To be included in the lottery, a completed application and required documentation must be received by 4:30 pm on April 16, 2021.  
• In the event of more applicants than available spots, a lottery will be announced and held to determine entrance and wait lists. 
• All applications received after April 16, 2021 will be placed on the wait list in the order by date received.

Click link below to download application:

JEFFERSON APPLICATION-ENGLISH            JEFFERSON APPLICATION-SPANISH

AprilSTEMProject2021.pdf

Welcome to ParentVue.   ParentVue is a tool that will provide parents with up-to-date information about their child's attendance and grades.  Currently our 1st through 8th grade teachers will be utilizing ParentVue to post assignments and activities for your child's classroom.  

If you haven't already activated your ParentVue account, you should have or will shortly receive a letter with the information needed to activate the account.  The video posted below will assist you in activating your account.  If you did not receive a letter, please contact the school office. 

ParentVue Activation Video

The video below provides information on how to use ParentVue once you have activated your account. 

ParentVue Tutorial Video

Please contact the office if you have any questions or concerns.    

https://padlet.com/mrotafolla/pb8e4cvn6g3fpj9h

Learn from Home Resources are posted on our HESD website and copies are available in front of our school office. You will notice that resources are organized by grade level spans: TK-2nd, 3rd-5th, and 6th-8th. Please check out the resources to support continued learning for your child!
Thank you for your support!

https://www.hanfordesd.org/

Mr. Padilla is featured in the December 2019/January 2020 issue of California Educator magazine. CTA's Institute for Teaching funded a grant of nearly $20,000 for Mr. Padillo to create portable science labs on wheels. Equipped with microsopes and other eqiupment, the portable labs are used in Mr. Padilla's sports science elective.  View full article here. 

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Christmas came early for the teachers and students at Jefferson Academy Charter School.

Three teachers at Jefferson applied for the Educator and Impact grants with the California Teachers Association: Institute For Teachers and will use the funding for various activities involving science, literature and language.

Teachers Josefa Bustos Pelayo, Deborah Arnold and Juan Padilla received the grants.

“It takes a lot of time and effort to go through the grant process,” Bustos Pelayo said.

The grant money will be used to pay for three programs: Si se Puede! Book Club, Creating Bilingual Scientists Through Science Olympiad and Portable Science Labs.

The Institute For Teachers, a nonprofit group with the California Teachers Association, funds projects that advance the education of students. For the 2018-2019 school year, a total of $600,808 was awarded to 52 projects.

Arnold said the school's Olympiad team, which competes in science events, often wins the regional competition but does not perform as well when they go to the state competition. She said this is caused by the team's lack of resources.

“At the competitions at the state-level, they are exposed to labs they wouldn’t be able to do here without the proper resources,” Arnold said.

Padilla said that in science classes the resources the school has is manageable to teach but that they could be much better.

“This grant is our opportunity to kind of level the playing field,” Arnold said. “The students have done so much but they could do so much more.”

Bustos Pelayo said that having the Si se Puede! Book Club was previously just a dream. She said that before the grant there was not enough money to buy extra books to further students reading skills.

Now with the book club, Bustos Pelayo plans to expand a multicultural environment through reading and discussion.

Students are to read nine books about various topics and community activists in history – such as Dolores Huerta, Cesar Chavez and Mahatma Gahndi - in the club.

The students in the club are also planning to go on a trip to California State University, Fresno’s Library, Laureate Lab and Arne Nixon Center to learn more about poetry and other careers possible that are related to literature.

Arnold and Padilla said that with the funds they will be able to purchase high-tech equipment to help students learn better and in different ways.

“Students will be able to do more lab experiments with real-life applications,” Padilla said.

Bustos Pelayo said the projects are to be continued in years to come.

California Teachers Association President Eric Heins said that the grant money is similar to seed money to start the projects. He said that many previously funded projects have gone on and grown with further funding from various school districts and other means.

The committees of former grant recipients pick projects that demonstrate the goal of teachers doing something innovative to further the education of students.

This grant is available to all teachers who are members of the California Teachers Association.

Bienvenidos Jefferson Parents,

I hope you and your family had a safe and healthy summer as we navigate this pandemic. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we are constantly adapting and adjusting to the changes in our environment during the last few months. I appreciate our students, parents, and Jefferson staff for their flexibility and resilience during these trying times.  

This school year we have made changes to our Jefferson staff. Oscar Tafolla is our new Learning Director and Roxana Rodriguez is our new 5^th grade teacher. Last year, Ms. Rodriguez did her student teaching at Jefferson. Please extend a warm welcome to Mr. Tafolla and Ms. Rodriguez as they begin their new positions. Both of them bring a wealth of knowledge to our program! 

As you know, we are starting the school year with distance learning. This year distance learning will look very different and I am confident that we will provide a high quality distance learning program to all our students that aligns with our school’s vision and goals.  

We all look forward to the time when students and teachers are back together in the classrooms. In the meantime, know that the Jefferson staff is working hard to plan and deliver a high quality distance learning program.

If you have questions regarding distance learning, materials, supplies, technology, etc., please contact your child’s teacher or the school office.

On behalf of the Jefferson teachers and staff, welcome back!   

Sincerely,

Mr. Espindola

Principal