Dear Parents/Caregivers/Family Members,
I hope this letter finds you enjoying numerous summer activities! I am thankful for the time to rest and rejuvenate, but at the same time, I cannot wait to start this next school year. My summer was filled with family gatherings. My wife and I enjoyed time in Wyoming with her parents, and our daughter and her husband came back to Denver where we played pickleball, and enjoyed time with extended family at a reunion. Additionally, I was fortunate to coach a volleyball team at Nationals in Dallas in June and this was an amazing experience. Currently, our administrative team is back at work planning and preparing for the up-and-coming year and we are very excited to begin.
This summer, our custodial team did a deep clean of the school and repainted some areas, spent days manicuring the grounds, and getting the Cub Den (church) ready for PreK to open. We are excited for you all to see it.
We have completed some hiring as some of our staff have either retired or have made a move elsewhere based on their family needs. With that said, we wanted to update you on our new hires as well as some shifts in staffing. Please welcome our new staff with lots of love and help! We are so thankful to have them join our school.
Teachers
Hailey Hays - 1st grade
Madison Alley - moving from 3rd to 2nd
Catey Hunt - 3rd
Leah Magnett -moving from 1st to 3rd
Kaliena Gabel - 4th
Lindsay Burns, Janelle Bennett and Kaylie Lord - 5th
Deborah Sovereign - from 2nd to Primary Art
Cyndie Stanley - from 5th to Intermediate CKC
Dianne Taylor - Primary SpEd
The following individuals have moved as Educational Assistants:
Tasha Bosveld -from 5th to 1st
Elsa Elder -from 1st to 6th
Kristen Holt -from 4th to Primary SpEd.
One of the most important decisions a school will ever make is hiring the right people. I am very confident that we have hired the best people to join an already talented group of teachers/staff. Please welcome them as a part of our JA family. Additionally, we are looking to hire a few more EA’s to round out our team, so if you are interested, please visit our website.
General Reminders:
School Calendar- This is accessible on the main page of the website
Online Annual Update- Annual update for the 2025-2026 school year is August 1 - August 11 ( link) beginning at 8:00 a.m. This update must be completed for every student.
Step 1, These agreements require parent initials/signature. Complete this step for each student. These agreements must be completed before your student will be assigned a Chromebook.
Step 2, you will need to update your information in Infinite Campus Parent Portal, sign the Jeffco Schools’ agreements and pay fees*.
Step 3, Health Care forms. (These may not apply to your student.) You will complete the online annual update for each of your students. The link for registration will be available beginning August 1 at 8:00 a.m. For those that need assistance with Online Annual Update, please come by the office on August 12 from 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. or call (303-438-1011).
School Supply Kits - For families that pre-ordered their student’s school supply kit last spring, the kits will be delivered to your student’s classroom prior to the Meet-n-Greet. The school supply lists may be found on our website - jajags.com - Family Resources, Documents, School Supplies. Families should bring school supplies to the meet-n-greet.
*School Fees - These may be paid online in Infinite Campus Parent Portal. These fees are for consumable materials, technology and field trips. Also the fee for Outdoor Lab (6th grade). Login to Infinite Campus Parent Portal - click More - click Jeffco Student Fees Payment.
Band- 4th-6th grade students.
August 20- Returning Band Parents Meeting: Commons 4:00 - 5:00 pm
New Band Parents Meeting: Commons 5:30 - 6:30 pm
August 21-23- 4th Grade Band Camp (and ALL other 1st year band students):
Thursday, 21st - 12:00 - 3:00 pm
Friday, 22nd - 12:00 - 3:00 pm
Saturday, 23rd - 10:00 - 3:00 pm
Please email Mr. Hollis with questions/concerns at ghollis@jajags.com.
Late Start - The first Wednesday of each month will be a late start for all students. School will begin at 10:00 a.m. with drop off beginning at 9:45 a.m. (No breakfast is provided on these days) This time will be utilized by staff to engage in professional learning to improve/increase teaching practices on a more consistent basis. This time will also be a time to work with the secondary (they have the late start as well) to improve curricular alignment K-12. Due to the late starts, we have reduced the number of professional development days.
First Days of School
Monday, August 18 - Meet-n-Greet: Meet-n-Greet is a time for you and your student(s) to bring school supplies and meet your student’s teacher. If you ordered the prepaid for School Supply boxes, these will be delivered to your students’ homeroom prior to school starting. We encourage these times to be brief so that all families have this individual time. We also want to encourage you to take the time to meet your Specials teachers (music, art, band, PE, core knowledge connections, technology, character education and special education/gifted & talented).
Times (for all grades):
12:00-2:00 pm or 4:00-7:00 pm. Families may choose the time frame that works best.
PTO will be hosting their 5th Annual Party on the Playground during the Meet-n-Greet to answer your questions and introduce you to the many volunteer opportunities. We will also have a lot of fun too!
Please NOTE that this day is counted as a student contact day and attendance is taken.
Health Aide, Danielle Harding will also be available to discuss student health needs during this time or other times can be arranged.
Paperwork Links- All required classroom forms will be available online beginning August 15 as well as grade level/teacher specific curriculum presentations.
For Kindergarten Meet and Greet, families will sign up for a 15 minute time slot so that teachers have individual time with each family. Please watch for a Sign-Up Genius to be sent on August 4th with your child’s teacher assignment.
Tuesday, August 19 is our first FULL DAY with students. School hours are 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Classroom instruction begins at 8:00 a.m. Students not in their classroom at 8:00 a.m. will be marked tardy.
Drop Off
Drop off will begin at 7:45 am. Supervision begins at 7:45am. Please do not drop off until then.
First grade through third grade will enter the building on the primary side (east side of campus).
4th grade through sixth grade enter the building on the intermediate side (west side).
Important: You also may drop off students based on where your youngest student enters the building.
Kindergarten
Students in Mrs. Hauther’s class and Mrs. Kruger’s class will enter the building on the primary side (east side).
Students in Mrs. Mendenhall’s, Ms. Bartlett’s and Mrs. Luther’s class will enter on the intermediate side (west side).
Pick up: We will continue with Drive Line as our method of pick up. If you were here last year, your Drive Line number will remain the same. New families will be issued a number prior to the start of school. More information to come. Students not picked up by 3:20 p.m. will be taken to the office and parents/guardians will be contacted. Please make every effort to pick your students on time. Staff have after school responsibilities.
Traffic
Please watch THIS video to understand the Driveline process for drop off and pick up.
Traffic can be tricky if you are not prepared to sit and wait. We push 750 kids in and out in about 20 minutes. We are a non-bus school which contributes to traffic hassles. Please be mindful of others, move quickly to drop off and pick up students and please drive slowly. Parents wishing to park at The Cub Den (church) and walk their students to the school in the mornings are welcome to do so. As a reminder, Pre-K is now held at The Cub Den (church). Pre-K students must be signed in and out of class with an approved guardian.
Kindergarten Only- We will conduct a staggered start for our kindergarten students for the first 2 days of school. Please note the following:
Students with the last names A-L : Attend Tuesday, August 19
Students with the last names M-Z: Attend Wednesday, August 20
If you are enrolled in JagCare, they will not be open for full-day care, only before and after school.
Pre Kindergarten - The first day for Pre-K will be Tuesday August 19. We look forward to seeing everyone at JAE at Meet ‘n Greet on the 18th. Contact Director Daryn Johnston for assistance at djohnston@jajags.com.
Jag Care (before/after school care)- Those families that have been offered positions from our spring lottery have been emailed with instructions to complete online enrollment via ProCare. This must be completed by Monday, August 4. Contact Director Kevin Mesch for assistance at kmesch@jajags.com.
Free Breakfast - Breakfasts will be free for all Jeffco public schools. Breakfast will be provided in the primary cafeteria from 7:40-7:55am. Students who want breakfast will be able to eat in the cafeteria and then make their way to class. No breakfast on late starts or snow days.
Free Lunch - Lunches are free to all students. Students wishing to have a second round of food will need to pay an a la carte fee. It is important that families apply for Free/Reduced (soon to be called Student Benefits Application) lunches if they think they qualify. Those that qualify will be exempt from paying school fees. For more information or to apply, use this link. Jeffco Food Service. As for A-la-cart, families will need to update their preferences for their child annually on SchoolCafe.
Class placement- All students' class placements will be released on August 1st at 8:00 a.m. and can be accessed by logging on to Infinite Campus Parent Portal. All class assignments are final.
Assessment Days (K-6) - Students are assessed at the beginning of the year in order for us to attain a benchmark of data. The assessment days are Thursday August 21 and Friday, August 22. The assessment session will be for a ½ day for each student. Teachers will provide a sign up to you by the first day of school. The assessment session time frames are Thursday 8-11:00 a.m., Thursday 12-3:00 p.m., and Friday 8-11:00 a.m. Your student will only attend one of these sessions.
Pre-K follows their regular schedule.
I hope you enjoy the rest of the summer. Please don’t hesitate to contact the office or myself if you have any questions. See you soon!
Mr. Brendon Feddema
Principal, JA Elementary