TJ Patriot Press - 4th Quarter

Hello Thomas Jefferson families,

What a year it has been, Patriots!

I want to take this opportunity for our final newsletter of the year to thank our amazing staff,

parents, and students for what was easily my favorite year in education since I started back in

2005!

We focused on helping our students make good choices and be respectful to everyone they

encountered throughout their day. We will continue this next year with the implementation of

the Second Step Curriculum which will help focus on our kids’ social and emotional needs.

4th quarter had many fun events such as Field Day, Spring Fling, our school Musical Peter

Pan and many others that our families enjoyed.

Students also took their final iReady test for the year and those results were sent home. In ad-

dition, our intermediate students took the IAR state exam to show what they had learned

throughout the year.

I hope you all have a safe and fun summer break and if you need anything at all, please feel

free to reach out to myself or Mrs. Foster, our fantastic Assistant Principal.

Finally, if you could also keep Nicole Sourek, our amazing Media Specialist in your thoughts

and prayers as she continues to fight bravely against breast cancer that would be appreciated.

Our mission “is to ensure each student develops the capacity to thrive as a learner by provid-

ing positive educational experiences in a safe, supportive, and responsive environment.”

And remember whatever you choose, “Choose Kind!”

Principal Anthony Pape

First Graders competed in a math fact competition to see which class was the best at their math facts. Af-ter some intense close games Mrs. Heitz’s class was the winner!!! Congrats!

In Kindergarten, we have been working hard to get ready for first grade. We know our sight words and

can write sentences. The kindergartners know how to add and subtract, know all of our 2D and 3D

shapes, and have started working on 1st grade math. We had an ABC countdown for the last 26 days

of school and did a lot of fun activities. We had a visit from Police Officer Reiter and had a great time at

Field day! We have been working hard to get ready for our kindergarten concert on the last day of

school. Our teachers are so proud of us!

First grade also had an in-school field trip where the Kendall County Forest Pre-serve came out and taught them all about insects. The students had a great time!

What a busy quarter here in 2nd grade! The students

engaged in many fun activities this quarter. We

learned about habitats and presented to the class on

a habitat of our choice. Some classes engaged in

interactive activities such as construction

measurement workers and habitat tour guides.

Mrs. Westberg came in to read to a few classes

as well. It is so hard to believe the school year

has come to and end. We made many great

memories and we are excited to see what next

year has in store.

3rd grade classes enjoyed visiting the Joliet Area Historical Museum this quarter. We learned more about the history of Joliet to connect with our 4th quarter social studies unit about local history. We also had fun participating in the end of the year Field Days! We had a great year in 3rd grade and the students are looking forward to being upstairs in 4th grade next year!

Fourth grade has had an exciting 4th quarter! Students completed research work during

Language Arts. This ended with an amazing Wax Museum presentation! Thanks to all who

were able to view presentations. The fourth graders have become quite experienced with

speaking in public and presenting to others. We also took an active role during opening

ceremonies of TJ’s Field Days. Throughout all the excitement, they continued to work hard on

measurement and geometry in Math, studied the Southwest and Western regions in Social

Studies, and explored heat and light energy during Science.

The 4th quarter has been a busy one for the fifth grade. We came back from spring break refreshed

and ready to finish up the year with a bang. Many students participated in the Peter Pan Jr. Drama

performances. Others enjoyed activities such as Kindness Club and before school Boys Basketball

Club. We had many wonderful presentations about the Civil War, Native American flutes, poetry,

and the summer reading program for the Joliet Public Library. We also enjoyed the Battle of the

Books, Step-Up Day at Aux Sable, Field Day, the Fifth Grade Farewell, and a visit from the BIG RIG

Book Mobile. To view pictures on the Civil War presentation click the link below.

http://www.psd202.org/album/32/1390

Fifth grade learns about Native American flutes.

From the Reading Specialists……

“Read-a-Palooza” Thomas Jefferson is participating in the Scholastic Summer Reading Program to help prevent a summer

slide in reading and to read some fun and exciting books. The program begins on May 6th and ends on September 6th. All students who participate in the program will receive a certificate and a small prize!

The overall winners in EACH grade level will receive the following prizes (incoming Kindergartners-

incoming 5th graders):

• 1st place- $25 Gift Card to our Fall Book Fair

• 2nd place- $15 Gift Card to our Fall Book Fair

• 3rd Place - $10 Gift Card to our Fall Book Fair

Three school winners will receive the following prizes:

• A Kindle Fire

• $ 25 Gift Card to the Book Fair

• Lunch with any teacher in the building! � Our school goal is to get to 500,000 minutes. If every child reads 10-15 minutes a day, we will reach our goal!!! Updates will be given throughout the summer. If you have any questions regarding the program, please contact Mrs. Brophy @ abrophy@psd202.org or Mrs. Gellert at cgellert@psd202.org. Student logins were sent home the week of May 6th and incoming Kindergarteners that signed up at Round-up will receive an email soon!

PE and Health:

We had a BLAST at FIELD DAYS! Thank you for everyone’s support you all made it pos-

sible to have such a fun day!

ART:

The students have had a wonderful year of creating art! Our last projects are amazing! Look for all of their artwork to come home during this last 5 days!

Kindergarten & FBI: drew awesome realistic flowers in a paper vase with a water color background.

1st grade & FBI: did a cactus creation after studying different types and shapes of the plant using water color pencils to finish their pieces.

3rd, 4th & 5th grades: created some amazing pieces of heart-connected art! I am so proud of them for their courage in trying something so personal and for using their own visions to create the piec-

es. They are one-of-a-kind and special to each student that completed one. ❤

Thank you for a wonderful year to all of our students and families! Have a great summer!

- Ms. Molitor

MUSIC

This year’s production of Peter Pan Jr. was a huge success! We are so proud of all the people involved. In the music classroom, we are wrapping up the end of year with some projects like commercial project with 5th grade, musical adventure with 3rd grade. And 4th grade is still working with the recorders.