Jefferson Elementary School
Grades: K-2 | Manistee Area Public Schools
JEFFERSON QUICK LINKS | Handbook : Nutrition Services : Student Resources : Parent Resources : Forms & Docs.
Welcome to Jefferson!
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!

Madison Morning Care
Welcome! At Manistee Area Public Schools we want the very best for all of our students. We have developed a continuum of education from Pre-School to 12th Grade that support each student on their Chippewa Journey.
Each morning, the MAPS educational community engages in the critical work of professional development at each school. This means schools start approximately 30-35 later than a typical school day.
To address any Madison Morning child care needs, MAPS will be piloting Monday morning child care at Madison for student KG-5th.
Please let us know if you are interested in receiving more information about Madison Morning Care by completing this registration form:

We Value Your Feedback!.
Facilities Initiative Survey - Review the plan here, and give us your feedback by completing our short survey!
Please lend your voice to the MAPS 2020 Vision by participating in our survey.
- Takes Less Than 5 Minutes
- Facilities Future Focused
- Invitation to share your ideas
Jefferson Students in the Community & Classroom
Jefferson Announcements
Jefferson Costume Parade
Jefferson Costume ParadeSchedule for the day1:15pm - *IF students need parent help for costume1:30pm- Parade (gym)1:45-2:15pm- Party *If you leave after the party, please sign out your child with the teacher.
Lockdown Drill at Jefferson today
Jefferson Elementary conducted a Lockdown Drill this afternoon practicing moving from playground to building. (12:05pm October 18th, 2019)
Walk-A-Thon prize winners
Jefferson 2019 Walk-A-Thon WinnersDrive-A-Thon WinnerBig Al’s Gift Certificate…...J. Traeger-Ms.Forward’s Room3rd-7th Prize: MRA certificate good for one sport…….Mrs. Erdman’s class-Addison WatsonMr.T’s class-A. SlawinskiMs. Adam’s- M. DeloachMrs.Slawinski’s-L....
Your Jefferson Team
Location: 515 Bryant Avenue Manistee, MI 49660 | Map
Telephone: 231-723-9285
Fax: 231-398-2021
School Office Hours: M-F: 7:30am – 4pm
Administrative Team
Principal: Julia Raddatz – raddatzj@manistee.org
Secretary: 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
McAnn Bradford, Second Grade mbradford@manistee.org
Daniel Brown, Second Grade dbrown@manistee.org
Linda Coyle, Special Education lcoyle@manistee.org
Andrea Dejong, Second Grade adejong@manistee.org
Deb Erdman, First Grade derdman@manistee.org
Amanda Feyen, Music afeyen@manistee.org
Debbie Forward, First Grade dforward@manistee.org
Staci Johnson, First Grade sjohnson@manistee.org
Cindy Lundberg, Kindergarten clundberg@manistee.org
Tracy Shimel, SafeNet tshimel@manistee.org
Ruth Simoneau, Title I, Literacy Coach rsimoneau@manistee.org
Christine Slawinski, Kindergarten cslawinski@manistee.org
Bryan Tomaszewski, Second Grade btomaszewski@manistee.org
Allison Veine, Kindergarten aveine@manistee.org
Mary Wahr, Art mwahr@manistee.org
Michelle Wilson, First Grade mwilson@manistee.org
Para-Professionals
Mary Chick mchick@manistee.org
Sheila Kaminski skaminski@manistee.org
Rachel Lindeman rlindeman@manistee.org
Randee Oleniczak roleniczak@manistee.org
Connie Rybicki crybicki@manistee.org
Laura Savela lsavela@manistee.org
Clayton Slawinski cbslawinski@manistee.org
Jan Wills jwills@manistee.org
Anna Wojcik awojcik@manistee.org
Julie Zajac jzajac@manistee.org
Custodial Staff
Robert Jacobs rjacobs@manistee.org
Nutrition Services
Laura Olk lolk@manistee.org


At Manistee Area Public Schools we want the very best for all of our students. We have developed a continuum of education from Pre-School to 12th Grade that support each student on their Chippewa Journey. Our devoted teachers, administrators and support staff take a very personal approach to educating students at every level. We encourage parents and community members to join us as we guide our students toward their peak potential.
Madison Early Childhood/Elementary: Pre-school (ages 3-5)
Jefferson Elementary: Kindergarten- 2nd grade

Important Information for Parents!
By law students must be (five) 5 years old on or before Sept 1, 2020 to register.
Mandatory Information Needed to Enroll
- Official birth certificate
- Immunization records
- Last 4 digits of the student’s social security number
Other Suggested Documentation if Applicable:
- Proof of current Hearing/Vision Screening (screenings will be offered at no charge during clinic if needed)
- Individualized Education Plan (IEP) - if applicable
- Parental Rights/Custody Documentation - if applicable
If you have any questions please contact Connie at Jefferson Elementary School at 723-9285. We look forward to welcoming you and your child to the MAPS family!
MAPS Elementary ATP

Action Team for Partnership (ATP)
What is ATP?: ATP is our parent-teacher group for all of the MAPS Elementary buildings – Madison, Jefferson, and Kennedy
Parents who become involved in their child’s education can make a positive difference. Contact Julia Raddatz raddatzj@manistee.org, or Kevin Schmutzler kschmutzler@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 Fundraiser
2018 Fundraiser - Wesco Popcorn Buckets! - MAPS Elementary ATP is pleased to announce that we are again selling the Wesco Popcorn Buckets this year. We are so excited to partner with our local Wesco Stations to make this possible.
Buckets will sell for $12 each and can be refilled for FREE at all Wesco stations around the state from now until December 31, 2019! This is a great holiday gift idea! See the announcements section on this page for details about our 2018 fundraiser, and check back for future fundraising information.
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!



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.

Academic Excellence
- Safe & supportive digital learning access
- One-to-one technology
- Daily art activities
- Peer mentoring
- Grade level focused field trips
Extracurricular Activities
- MRA athletics
- Community recreation opportunities
- Family night activities
- Girl & Boy Scouts
- Flexible before and after school care
Parent Involvement
Action Team for Partnership (ATP)
What is ATP?: ATP is our parent-teacher group for all of the MAPS Elementary buildings – Madison, Jefferson, and Kennedy.
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 the 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.
Parents who become involved in their child’s education can make a positive difference. Contact or Kenn Kott kkott@manistee.org, or Kevin Schmutzler kschmutzler@manistee.org for more information or to join our ATP family.