JFK PTO Update – March 22, 2019
Important
Dates:
April 2 - MCAS
testing begins
April 9 -
Special JFK PTO Meeting
April 15-19 -
No School - Spring Recess
READY, SET,
GLOW! Tonight is the 7th Grade Dance!
The 7th grade
dance will take place tonight, Friday, March 22. We still need a few
volunteers, even if you don’t have a 7th grader! Sign up using the totally
radical link below.
Here is the
dance info:
- All tickets
must have been purchased before the dance. No tickets will be sold at the door.
-
Parents/guardians must pick up their students at 8pm sharp. Pickup and drop off
will take place at the cafeteria door.
- Students
should bring their dance ticket and JFK photo id to the dance.
An
important note: If you plan to donate snacks for the 7th grade dance, NO NUTS, PLEASE.
This includes peanut butter crackers, granola bars with nuts or any other
nut-based product. Things like single serving chips, popcorn, pretzels, etc.,
would be great. Northampton Health Department requires us to only serve
individually pre-packaged store bought items. Thanks so much for your support!
And if all
this volunteering at our middle school dances has made you envious, be sure to
support Look Park’s 80’s dance party tomorrow night: https://www.lookpark.org/special-events/
Clothing
Drive at JFK (March 25-29)
Help the JFK
community and donate to a clothing drive led by 8th grader Dahlia Breslow.
Dahlia Breslow is this year's Project 351 Ambassador from Northampton. Each year towns across Massachusetts
nominate one eighth grade student for Project 351. Project 351 helps
Ambassadors foster leadership skills while promoting community engagement and
service. The clothing drive is to benefit the non-profit, Cradles to Crayons,
whose goal is to provide the necessary tools and a sense of pride and dignity
to children. The drive is between March 25-30 at JFK, and is focused on
collecting new, like new, or gently used everyday clothing and shoes.
Students can drop donations off in the main foyer beginning Monday, March 25.
Teacher
Appreciation Week Lunch Organizers Needed
Teacher
Appreciation Week begins May 5. We are seeking one or two volunteers to help
coordinate a lunch and will be seeking more parent volunteers to cook, donate
or serve. Please let us know by contacting us at jfkmspto@gmail.com if you can help!
Eighth
Grade Picnic Volunteers Needed
The Eighth
Grade Picnic in the Look Park Pines Theater will be held the first Monday in
June (June 3 with a June 4 rain date). We are seeking one or two volunteers to
help coordinate the picnic. Send us an email if you can help! jfkmspto@gmail.com
Our next
PTO Meeting is Tuesday, April 9 (SPECIAL DATE!)
We usually
meet the first Tuesday of the month, but in April we will meet on Tuesday,
April 9. Join us for a special presentation on vaping by the Northampton
Prevention Coalition. Stay afterward to help plan for special spring events,
PTO transitions and approve teacher grants. All are welcome.
JFK
Directories
Many thanks to
our volunteer who coordinated this year’s JFK Directory. Directories went home
last week, so if you still need one, be sure to stop by the office and ask.
Step up to
Volunteer with the JFK PTO in 2020
This year is
the last year for our amazing PTO President. The PTO needs volunteers to carry
on the great work we do. With the limited resources of public school budgets, a
PTO can make a significant impact in funding gaps to enrich our students’
middle school educational experience. The JFK PTO is highly organized and ready
to go; we just need parents willing to set aside an hour a month to keep events
happening and approve teacher grant requests. Please send us an email and let
us know if you can help next year. jfkmspto@gmail.com
Did you see
the news? Friday, June 14 is the last day of school. Wednesday, August 28 is
the first day of school for the new year. And that’s when we’ll need lots of
new PTO volunteers! Please email us to help.
JFK
Yearbook Orders
You only have
a few more days to order your 2019 JFK Yearbook online. Now to March 31, the
JFK Yearbook is available for $27. Send in cash or check payable to JFK
in an envelope with your student’s name and homeroom number or order at www.coffeepond.com. Price increases to $29 on April 1 (no
fooling!).
Shop and
Raise Funds for JFK
We collect Boxtops for
Education all
year long; your student can drop them off in the JFK office. Support JFK at
Stop and Shop by using the link here. Big Y Express: https://www.bigy.com/rs/educationexpress. Or link to JFK MS PTO through Amazon Smile and donate to Parent-Teacher
Organization of John F Kennedy Middle School Inc.
COMMUNITY
EVENTS
THIS WEEK:
The 19th Annual Northampton Adult Spelling Bee, March 27 at JFK
Doors Open:
5PM. Spelling Bee: 6PM. The Spelling Bee is one of the ways NEF raises money to support Small Grants
for Teachers and raises awareness of their mission. Last year, 21 grants across
school and grade levels totaled almost $50,000. It is also good fun, a great
way to dress up, and participate in our community. Prizes are awarded for
spelling, costume, and humor. Teams are 3 people, usually in costume, with a
catchy 🐝 related name. We encourage you to invite your friends and family to
come and cheer for your team! Great dinner options are available at “Le
Beestro” (by Cooper’s Corners). Dinner begins at 5pm (bring cash!). There will
also be baked goods for sale, and Herrell’s ice cream! Team Registration is now
open! Click Here!
Strengthening
Families (Tuesday evenings, April 2- May 21)
Raising a
young teen (ages 10-14)? This free program is for you. Held at White Brook
Middle School in Easthampton. Free program, dinner, childcare for younger
siblings and weekly giveaways. Fun for the whole family while building life
skills for your child and support for the teen years. Learn more here.
Healthy
Foods! Northampton Farm to School Summit (April 6)
The first
annual FREE Northampton Farm to
School Summit
on Saturday, April 6 from 9am to 1pm will bring together stakeholders and
enthusiasts interested in connecting kids to healthy food and local farms in
the school environment. At this gathering we will come together to learn about
current successes and challenges, gather input, and create a unified vision for
how to take this work forward. Childcare and lunch will be provided, and
teachers will receive a stipend for attending. Registration is free. Register
to attend for free at this Eventbrite link: https://northamptonfarmtoschoolsummit.eventbrite.com
Free
Screening of Paper Tigers (April 10)
Join the
Northampton Prevention Coalition on April 10, 6:30-9:30pm in the NHS Auditorium
for a viewing of Paper Tigers with an introduction and facilitated
discussion by Pam Plumer, NPS Director of Student Services, Kathy Casale, NPS
School Psychologist, and Community Action student group Shout Out! They will
address topics from the film including ACE scores (adverse childhood
experiences), trauma, education, and NPS’s approach to educating and connecting
with our most vulnerable students. FREE and OPEN to the PUBLIC. NHS auditorium.
View trailer here: https://youtu.be/KdDr_nZOIXc
Public
Speaking and Critical Thinking Skills For Your Child
Lumos is
offering 2-day Public Speaking workshops during April break (April 15-16, April
17-18, or April 19-20). Your child will learn about:
• Speaking Confidence
• Impromptu Speaking
• Debate Fundamentals
• Argumentation and Reasoning
Right now you
can use the code COMMUNITY to get $20 off. Email info@lumosdebate.com or call
781-474-3359 with any questions. To register, go to
lumosdebate.com/vaca-workshop
Follow us on
our JFK PTO Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/jfkmspto/
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