Jefferson Elementary School staff employ a variety of strategies and interventions when teaching students. These approaches help all students work toward achieving academic and personal success.
The Literacy Intervention program is an intense reading support group for students. Students with multiple reading concerns are typically candidates for literacy intervention. In addition to classroom reading instruction, students who qualify for intervention will receive 30-40 minutes of small-group reading instruction, four to five days a week, with a reading teacher or specialist. Intervention Literacy has a balanced literacy approach focusing on accuracy, fluency, and comprehension. The components of a literacy lesson include rereading a familiar book, word work, writing, and introducing or reading a new book. Close collaboration among the intervention teacher, classroom teacher, and student families is aimed at promoting accelerated learning to meet proficient reading goals.
What is PBIS?
PBIS stands for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports. PBIS is about teaching and promoting safe, respectful, and responsible behaviors. Students are recognized for making positive choices that follow our school expectations. When students do not follow expectations, they are re-taught the appropriate behavior and, when necessary, are given an Office Discipline Referral (ODR).
Youth-Tutoring-Youth is a program that provides high school students with an opportunity to give direct tutoring assistance to elementary classrooms under the guidance of a supervising and coordinating teacher. Tutoring occurs in one-on-one, small-group, or whole-group settings. High School students typically work with students for one semester.
Through the Junior Achievement program, our students receive knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness, and business from volunteers in the local business community.
The Achievement Gap Reduction Program was created by the Wisconsin State Legislature in 2015. Through this program, class sizes are limited, teachers receive additional coaching on using data to inform their strategies and address the academic needs of their students, and small-group or one-to-one tutoring is provided. For more information, please visit the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction website.
At Jefferson, teachers have received training in the Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System. We use this tool to help identify each student's individual strengths, weaknesses, and reading needs. We then use this information to develop appropriate instruction.
As part of our science enrichment, Jefferson has partnered with Nourish, a volunteer organization that collaborates with farmers to provide produce to the community.
In 2015, Jefferson built six small gardens on our campus. Each grade level and its students are responsible for deciding what crops to plant, planting, maintaining, and harvesting the produce several times a year. During the summer months, Nourish waters and maintains our gardens. The harvest is shared with our Jefferson families.