LEAP Activities
LEAP programming at Jefferson Middle School is funded by the 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant from the Iowa Department of Education. Learn more at: www.dbqschools.org/leap
Jefferson LEAP activities are offered:
Monday through Friday afternoons
from 2:30-4 p.m.
Here are a few upcoming activities…
| Mondays through Fridays Homework Help Take advantage of the quiet space to complete homework, plus assistance is available for those challenging assignments. Provided by: Jefferson Middle School |
| Mondays and Thursdays, beginning September 13 (excluding non-school and conference dates) Gaming Unplugged Learn to play card and board games with your friends and classmates after school at Gaming Unplugged. No experience playing games is necessary, just show up and have fun! Provided by Alex Sudgeltge, TJMS Teacher |
| Tuesdays, beginning September 14 (excluding non-school and conference dates) Hillhawk Helpers Here at Jefferson we are starting a service club called Hillhawk Helpers! We will meet once a week to do service projects and engage in volunteer opportunities. Some things we will do include making cards for nursing homes, cards for soldiers, school wide recycling competition, neighborhood cleanup, help etc. Come get involved and make a difference! Provided by Christine Efferding, TJMS Teacher |
| Thursdays, beginning November 18 through May 26 (excluding non-school and conference dates) Wonderful World of Recipes Not everyone needs to cook like a chef. But if you want to break free of the microwave and can opener, then join us! Let us together develop recipes and write healthful cookbooks. Provided by: Chona Kutsch; TJMS Life Skills |
| Tuesdays and Fridays, beginning January 11 (excluding non-school and conference dates) Chess Club Do you love playing chess? Whether you have been playing chess for years, you just learned how to play chess recently or you would love to learn how to play chess for the first time, come and join us Tuesday and Friday afternoons. Have fun as we play chess, create camaraderie with one another and gain new friends. See you there! Provided by: Maria Elaine Macuha, TJMS Teacher |
| Mondays and Wednesdays, beginning January 12 (excluding non-school and conference dates) All About Arts Are you ready to submerge in the beauty of learning various art forms? Come and join us in a fun-filled and colorful Friday afternoons. Origami, drawing, lettering designs, painting, and academic related arts are only some of the great projects/activities that we will do in this course. Together we can bring color to our world. Provided by: Maria Elaine Macuha, TJMS Teacher |
| Thursdays, beginning January 13 (excluding non-school and conference dates) Karaoke Fun and Vocal Coaching Do you love singing? Has music been a great part of you? Do you love Karaoke? We are inviting you and your friends to come and join us. We’ll help you bring out the uniqueness of your singing voice and gain confidence to share your talents to others. We can’t wait to have you! Provided by: Maria Elaine Macuha, TJMS Teacher |
| Mondays, beginning January 24 (excludes non-school and conference dates) GSA (Gender Sexuality Alliance) GSA is a club all about celebrating and learning about the LGBTQ+ community. If you are interested in joining this safe space as a member of the LGBTQ community or an Ally, please sign up! GSA meets regularly to build community, encourage inclusiveness, and most importantly, have fun! We look forward to seeing you! Provided by Christine Efferding, TJMS Teacher |
| Thursday, February 10; Thursday, March 3; Thursday, April 14; and Thursday, May 5 Yoga This playful yoga class is designed to give teens tools they can use to reduce stress in their lives, promote positive mindfulness, and increase strength and flexibility. Each class will include a series of poses, breathing exercises, and meditation practices. Provided by: Laura Hodge, Challenge to Change |
| Thursdays, starting March 10 through April 28 (excluding non-school days) Life at a Glance This program is design to help students learn some basic still they are going to need in the near future. Some things thing they can expect to learn is Relationship building, Banking, and filing out applications in a safe fun environment. Provided by: Demacus Fleming and Tami Muehring, TJMS Staff |
| Mondays, beginning April 11 through May 16 Jefferson Symphonic Ensemble Jefferson Symphonic Ensemble is an opportunity for Jefferson musicians to play some challenging movie music after school. Music from Star Wars, Jurassic Park, and E.T. will be featured on our Spring Band and Orchestra Concerts. Provided by: Jake Hitz and Jotham Polashek, TJMS Music Teachers |
| Tuesdays, beginning April 12 through April 26 Indoor and Outdoor Soccer Soccer small-sided pickup games in the gym for indoor and then moving outdoors to a field. Students will be taught basic rules at the beginning of each day to encourage fair play. Provided by: Joe Heiberger and Bryce Shults, TJMS Staff |
| Monday, April 18 through Friday, April 29 6th Grade Wrestling 6th graders, interested in learning about wrestling? Come on out to learn about the fundamentals and rules of wrestling. This is also a great opportunity to meet your future wrestling coaches at Jefferson Middle School! We can’t wait to see everyone out! Provided by: Andrew Kim and Samantha O’Neil, TJMS Staff |
| Tuesday, April 26 Create ‘Plantable’ Native Seed Paper Join Dubuque County Conservation staff and make a Mother’s Day craft or craft for someone else! We will make recycled paper and put native flower seeds into them. Once the paper is dry, make a card out of it and be able to plant it in the ground when the card is used! Provided by: Taylor Schaefers; Dubuque County Conservation Naturalist |
| Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays beginning May 2 through May 19 Indoor and Outdoor Soccer Soccer small-sided pickup games in the gym for indoor and then moving outdoors to a field. Students will be taught basic rules at the beginning of each day to encourage fair play. Provided by: Joe Heiberger and Bryce Shults, TJMS Staff |
| Tuesday, May 3 DIY Tiny Books Make your own tiny books for your own tiny home library! Be the creator of your own crafted books. You can put whatever you want: drawings, jokes, or a very long tiny story. Provided by: Haidee Cardoso, Carnegie Stout Library |
| Wednesday, May 4 Live Animals Do you love animals and want to learn more about native animals that live here in Iowa? Join Dubuque County Conservation in exploring the furs & skulls of animals that live in this area. You will also be able to interact with and hold live animals such as turtles, snakes, and salamanders that are brought in. Provided by: Taylor Schaefers; Dubuque County Conservation Naturalist |
Students will meet in the cafeteria right after school. They’ll grab a free snack and head to the location of the LEAP activity.
When the program concludes at 4 p.m., students taking the activity bus will meet the bus and depart from the back of school. Students not taking the activity bus will exit from the front or back entrance.
Complete the LEAP Parent Permission Form (PDF) and have your student return it to the main office. Students can’t participate without this form on file for 2021-2022.
Students will have the opportunity to sign-up for LEAP activities in their school’s main office as they are announced. Remember, it’s expected that students attend all sessions offered for each activity. Students will sign-in each day so we can keep participate records, but we won’t monitor daily attendance – so there is no need to let us know if for some reason your student can’t make it.
Students will be held to the same conduct standards as they are during the school day. Failure to follow established rules may result in loss of participation.
Contact the main office or guidance counselor.