Jefferson Elementary School
Grades: Childcare & PreK-2 | Manistee Area Public Schools
JEFFERSON QUICK LINKS | Nutrition Services : Student Resources : Parent Resources : Forms & Docs.
Welcome to Jefferson – Childcare & Pre-K – Grade 2
Nurturing young learners with guiding principles, we are dedicated to making the classroom experience fun and rewarding. Our practical tools and techniques help your students begin their learning experience on the right foot. Great beginnings create future leaders.
Chips Lead!
Please Note!
Jefferson Elementary School will be home to MAPS Childcare, Preschool, GSRP, and Kindergarten to Grade 2 for the 2022/23 & 2023/24 school years while the consolidated elementary school building is under construction. When the project is completed, and the students are relocated to the new building for the 2024/25 school year, plans for the removal of the Jefferson building will commence.
Time to Register for Pre-School & Kindergarten!
The time has come to start planning for your Little Chips entry into Pre-School or Kindergarten! You can register to receive your information packet and a special surprise for your little one! Just follow the link below.
Parent Teacher Conference Information
Jefferson & Kennedy Elementary and Manistee Middle/High School will be conducting their Parent Teacher Conferences on or around the following dates/time: Thursday, October 13th in the evening (3:30pm -7:30pm) and Friday, October 14th (noon- 2 pm). This is an opportunity for you to meet with your child’s teachers to discuss their progress in school. Your child’s teacher will be discussing the following areas with you:
- Your child’s academic progress
- NWEA Progress Reports
- Revisit the Parent School Compact & Individual Reading Plans for elementary schools
Conference sign-ups will begin online starting Friday, Sept 30th.
- The link to the sign up can be found at www.chipslead.org or go directly to www.myconferencetime.com/manistee
Please follow the steps below to sign up for your preferred conference date and time. There are only a select number of appointments for a given time slot (we recommend that you sign up early for your preferred time and date). Time slots fill quickly so please sign up early; sign ups end at Thursday, Oct 13th at 9:00 pm.
Directions for Conference Sign-ups
- Go to www.myconferencetime.com/manistee
- Find and click on the name of your child’s teacher. If you have multiple children and/or any 6th-12th grade students attending our schools, click on “Register for Multiple Conferences” and follow the prompts to schedule your child/children for several conferences.
- Select your preferred date and time.
- Enter required information -(e-mail address is not required, but if you enter one, you will receive an email confirmation.)
- Click “Sign Up for Your Conference” near the bottom of the screen.
You’re done! That’s all there is to it.
If you are unable to sign up for a time and date online, please send a note/email with three preferred times and dates to your child’s teacher. We will attempt to schedule a conference for your desired date and time but cannot guarantee your top choices as time slots fill up quickly.
- If you need additional time with a teacher, you can schedule with your child’s teacher(s).
- Thank you for signing up for a parent-teacher conference. We look forward to meeting with you soon.
- MyConferenceTime does not sell or share student, parent or staff information
Morning Care at Jefferson Elementary
We have created a safe and affordable option for morning care at Jefferson Elementary.
- Morning care is available for students age 11 and younger at the Jefferson Elementary building beginning at 7:00 am.
- $3.00 per student Tues-Fri, $6.00 for extended Late Start Monday care, notification of schedule needed 2 weeks in advance. $485/every morning of school year if paid in advance.
- Request an enrollment packet for MAPS Morning Care by filling out this form: MAPS Morning Care or call 723-9285.
- If a student is dropped off at Jefferson without enrolling for MAPS Morning Care the daily cost will be $6.00.
Jefferson Announcements
Sept 30: Picture Day, PTC, and Homecoming at Jefferson
Sept 30: Picture Day, PTC, and Homecoming at Jefferson 1. Jefferson Picture Day is TUES, Oct 4th. 2. MAPS HOMECOMING is next week! Jefferson students are joining in the celebrations. *WEDS Oct 5th- CLASS COLOR dress up (KG= Red or Black, 1st=Purple/White,...
Mon Sept 12th Late Start Monday
Thank you Jefferson Parents! We’ve had some wonderful first days of school, and looking forward to seeing you soon at ATP, parent teacher conferences, or volunteering in the classroom. 1. ALERT: Jefferson has a small person with a life-threatening allergy to nuts. At...
1st day of school at Jefferson
Hello Jefferson families- We are looking forward to seeing you tomorrow morning! KG SPECIAL WELCOME: 8:30-9:00am at west end of Bryant St. (Tuesday only.) To help with any busy traffic in the morning drop-off areas: - more Jefferson staff are helping in the drop off...
Your Jefferson Team
Location: 515 Bryant Avenue Manistee, MI 49660 | Map
Telephone: 231-723-9285
Fax: 231-398-2021
School Office Hours: M-Th: 7:30am – 4pm, Friday 7:30am – 3pm
Administrative Team
Principal: Julia Raddatz – raddatzj@manistee.org
Administrative Assistant: Connie Miller – camiller@manistee.org
View Jefferson Staff
Administrative Staff
Julia Raddatz, Principal raddatzj@manistee.org
Connie Miller, Administrative Assistant camiller@manistee.org
Instructional Staff
Elizabeth Adams, Kindergarten eadams@manistee.org
Wendy Adamski, Elementary PE/Health wadamski@manistee.org
Krista Bennett, Math Coach kbennett@manistee.org
McAnn Bradford, Second Grade mbradford@manistee.org
Linda Coyle, Special Education lcoyle@manistee.org
Andrea Dejong, Second Grade adejong@manistee.org
Isabella Doolittle, Second Grade idoolittle@manistee.org
Amanda Feyen, Elementary Music afeyen@manistee.org
Debbie Forward, First Grade dforward@manistee.org
Chasity Gouker, Title I Reading/Literacy Coach cgouker@manistee.org
Staci Johnson, First Grade sjohnson@manistee.org
Cindy Lundberg, Kindergarten clundberg@manistee.org
Michael Rosteck, Elementary Art mrosteck@manistee.org
Tracy Shimel, SafeNet tshimel@manistee.org
Christine Slawinski, Kindergarten cslawinski@manistee.org
Bryan Tomaszewski, Second Grade btomaszewski@manistee.org
Emily Tomaszewski, First Grade etomaszewski@manistee.org
Allison Veine, Kindergarten aveine@manistee.org
Michelle Wilson, First Grade mwilson@manistee.org
Sam Zeller, Elementary Coding szeller@manistee.org
Para-Professionals
Bay Anderson banderson@manistee.org
Kelly Dawson kdawson@manistee.org
Hilary Edwards hedwards@manistee.org
Ashley Johnson akjohnson@manistee.org
Michelle Johnson michellejohnson@manistee.org
Katy Lacki klacki@manistee.org
Rachel Lindeman rlindeman@manistee.org
Amy Miller amiller@manistee.org
Joanie Pointer jpointer@manistee.org
Kristie Schlafley kschlafley@manistee.org
Misty Weber mweber@manistee.org
Custodial Staff
Max Braun mbraun@manistee.org
Bill Cole wcole@manistee.org
Nutrition Services
Melissa Gutowski mgutowski@manistee.org
Registering for Pre-School or Kindergarten Begins Here!
Register Now!
Pre-School Entry
Will your child be (three) 3 years old or (four) 4 years old on September 1, 2022?
If yes, click the button below to share your information to start the registration process for Pre-School.
Kindergarten Entry
Will your child be (five) 5 years old on or before Sept 1, 2022?
If yes, click the button below to share your information to start the registration process for Kindergarten.
Your Chippewa Journey Begins Here!
Commitment to our MAPS family….
- Responsible citizens who are ethical, productive members of a global society; take responsibility for their own actions and physical well-being; are environmentally conscious; and contribute their time; energies, and talents for the improvement of their community and the quality of life for all.
- Effective communicators who posses skills in written, visual, and spoken skills.
- Self-confident individuals who demonstrate a positive self-image and are caring, sensitive and flexible human beings. Life long learners understand that learning is a process, not an event.
MAPS Preschool
Located at Jefferson Elementary School, MAPS Preschool has been a vital part of Manistee Area Public Schools early learners for over 15 years. Our program has been rated a 4 Star program from the Great Start to Quality rating system.
At MAPS, Chippewa families are afforded the resources necessary to determine the best starting point for their young learners. MAPS offers a variety of programs tailored to the student and family needs.
If you have any further questions please call 398-3758 or email sludwig@manistee.org.
MAPS GSRP
MAPS After School Care Program
MAPS After School Care Program is available at Jefferson Elementary School for MAPS students ages 5 to 12. Transportation to Jefferson from other MAPS district buildings is available. Summer care is also available. For more information please contact: Sandy Ludwig – Pre-School Teacher & After School Program – sludwig@manistee.org
Face-to-Face Home School
MAPS offers Home to School Classes each Wednesday. Courses are designed to encourage all area children, including MAPS students, to engage in the public school setting once a week for socialization, learning, and strong parent participation. Art, lifetime activities (gym, aerobics, swim, and introduction to Taekwondo), drama, and choir courses are offered between 9:00am and 2:15pm each Wednesday.
Your Chippewa Journey Continues at Jefferson Elementary
We offer the following programs throughout the year:
- Safe & supportive digital learning access
- One-to-one technology – iPads
- Daily art activities
- Community recreation opportunities
- Family night activities
- Peer mentoring
- Grade level focused field trips
- Girl & Boy Scouts
- Flexible before and after school care
As Manistee Chippewas, we are all leaders in our own way. Chips Lead at school, with friends, and in the community by developing healthy relationships, using responsible decision-making and respectful communication.
T | TRUSTWORTHY — Chips always tell the truth
R | RESPECTFUL — Chips listen and are polite
A | ACCEPTING — Chips are friends to all
C | COOPERATIVE — Chips work as a team
K | KIND — Chips are thoughtful and caring
“TRACK” is the Manistee Area Public Schools global, district-wide, leaders platform that all educators, staff and students follow throughout their Chippewa Journey. This initiative is connected to course curriculum, extra curricular programs, disciplinary procedures, and internal culture.
MAPS Elementary ATP
Action Team for Partnership (ATP)
What is ATP?: ATP is our parent-teacher group for all of the MAPS Elementary buildings – Jefferson and Kennedy
Parents who become involved in their child’s education can make a positive difference. Contact Julia Raddatz raddatzj@manistee.org, or Joanie Wiersma jwiersma@manistee.org for more information or to join our ATP family.
What are the objectives of the ATP?
The Manistee Area Public Schools parent group Action Team for Partnership (ATP) is a group of dedicated parents that spearhead projects to benefit our students. It is similar to a Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) only a little more prescriptive and based on committees, including:
- Parenting
- Communicating
- Volunteering
- Learning at Home
- Decision Making
- Community Collaboration
What does ATP do?
We fundraise to help support our schools and students. We pay for field trips, school supplies, recess/playground equipment, books, staff appreciation activities, and more! We also organize many family events: Fall Carnival, Daddy-Daughter and Mother-Son nights, Holiday Caroling, Birthday Lunches, Book Fairs, and Santa Shop are some examples.
ATP Points Tracker
Starting January 2019, ATP is starting a point tracker for volunteers!
How do I earn points?
- Every ATP event (popcorn day, slushy day, winter carnival, etc.) every 2 hours you volunteer, you earn 1 point.
- For showing up to our ATP meeting that’s once a month, you earn 1 point.
- For suggesting a friend to volunteer & they show up for at least 2 hours, you earn 1 point.
All the points you earn will be entered for a drawing. At the end of the year, we will choose two winners. We hope to have a ton of volunteers!