Friday, May 17, 2019

JFK PTO Update – May 17, 2019


JFK PTO Update – May 17, 2019
 
Important Dates:
TODAY! May 17 - Early Dismissal - Last Day for 8th Grade Dance Tix!
SUNDAY May 19 - Eighth Grade Mayor’s Dance
May 21-24 - MCAS Make up testing
May 23 - JFK Day of Service (Rain Date May 28)
May 23 - NPS School Committee Meeting
May 28 - JFK PTO Meeting (Last one of the year!)
June 3 - 8th Grade Picnic in Pines Theater - Volunteers Needed!
June 4 - JFK Chorus Concert
June 5 - JFK Band Concert
June 14 - Last Day of School - Half Day

8th Grade Mayor’s Dance Ticket Sale Info (Last Day for Tickets!)
The Northampton Parks & Recreation is once again sponsoring the annual Parks & Recreation Mayor's Dance. This dance is offered to JFK Middle School 8th grade students only. The dance will be held on Sunday, May 19 from 6pm to 9pm. A fun time with music, munchies to snack on, and a photo booth! Tickets will be sold after school dismissal on Friday, May 17 until 4:30pm. To purchase a ticket, students will need to bring $20 (cash/check) and the signed parent/guardian form that was sent to the household. Any questions please contact the Parks & Rec office at recreation@northamptonma.gov or call 413-587-1040.

The Annual JFK Day of Service is next Thursday May 23 (Rain Date May 28)
All students and staff will be participating in morning community service activities that range from working in the elementary schools, landscaping in Look Park, pulling invasive plants from Fitzgerald Lake, Jazz Band in Pulaski Park, planting trees and more. Permission slips will go home today and MUST be returned to the office BEFORE Thursday in order for your student to participate in off campus events. Please make sure to get the permission slips back to the office.

We are seeking the following items for donations for Day of Service. These items can be dropped off in the office by Wednesday May 22.

Plants 🌱 (Lilies, hosts, annuals).
Stationary. Cards & Envelopes.
Yarn & Knitting Needles (Labeled w/name if on loan)

Sewing Needles & Thread (larger sizes/heavy duty)
Cloth Work Gloves
Paper Towels
Trash Bags

Thanks in advance for your support. Day of Service is a great opportunity for our students to learn the value of service and what it means to support the community we live in.


THE 2019 JFK PTO TEACHER APPRECIATION CAMPAIGN
Last week was Teacher Appreciation Week! Don’t worry, it’s not too late to say thanks… you can donate now through the end of the school year!

Your year-end donation will help address the needs of JFK teachers by adding to the JFK PTO teacher grant fund. JFK PTO teacher grants fund staff requests for equipment, school supplies, field trips, and more. Did you know that we had more requests for funding this year than we could afford to fund? Express your appreciation of a teacher’s commitment to your student(s) and help us ensure future funding for more teacher grants.

HOW TO DONATE:
  • Look for a letter that came home with your student. Send in a check made out to JFK PTO with your student to school, or return the form by mail to the school.
  • Donate online through Mighty Cause: https://tinyurl.com/y529vnzp
  • The teacher(s) you choose to honor will receive a special note of thanks from the JFK PTO acknowledging their important contribution to the school. You can also enclose a special message with your donation form.

Donate today through Mighty Cause: https://tinyurl.com/y529vnzp and help us help our teachers!

New Notes of Thanks from Our Teachers
Thank you, PTO. That “mini-brunch” was a very nice treat.
Thank you for your efforts. It was all so yummy!
Many thanks again for your support of these special opportunities for our students!

2018-19 SEPAC Staff Appreciation Awards (Nominations due May 25)
Each year we ask students and their parents to share with us their stories of people who have made their school experiences meaningful and joyous this year.  Your nomination letter will be read out loud at the ceremony. We welcome 1 nomination from each student or their family.  The nomination may be made by a student, parent, or guardian.  To select a staff member for an award complete the information below. Each person selected will receive an invitation to the awards night celebration, a certificate, and a letter of appreciation. Submission deadline May 25. Awards Night will be Thursday, June 13 at 6:30pm in the Library at Northampton High School.
If you have difficulty filling this form out online, please print it and submit it by mail to: PAC-C/O Student Services 240 Main Street 2ND floor, Northampton MA 01060.

Final JFK PTO Meeting of the School Year (Tuesday, May 28 at 6pm)
Our next PTO meeting will take place Tuesday, May 28 at 6pm in the JFK Library. This is our last meeting year! Help us plan our eighth grade picnic and to transition to a new PTO. Bring questions and ideas! All are welcome.

JFK Dinner Theater Performance (May 30)
Despite the chilly weather, it is indeed spring, which means it's time for the Theatre Workshop's play! This year's comedy is titled "Haphazardly Ever After", about a king and queen who try a myriad of ways to finally shoo their flock of rambunctious "children" out of the palace nest, including a DIY fairy tale kit from The Enchanted Depot. Join us for our Dinner Theatre performance on Thursday, May 30 in the JFK Cafetorium for a fun family night out! Dinner begins at 5:30pm; play begins at 6:30pm--come to both or just the play! (Proceeds from the dinner benefit the JFK Theatre Workshop.) For details, see the invitation here.

8th Grade Picnic (June 3) -- Volunteers Needed!
The Eighth Grade Picnic in the Look Park Pines Theater will be held on Monday, June 3 (with a June 4 rain date). A big shout out to Cooper’s Corner for donating to our picnic! All your picnic details can be found at this link or look for the letter that went home with your 8th grader this week.

Pitch in to help make this event happen. We need families to donate money and/or volunteer a little time to help with planning the event, set up, clean up, work at food table/water station or chaperoning. Volunteers can sign up via our Sign Up Genius at: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040949aeaa2ba75-8thgrade

8th Grade Parents – The NHS PTO invites you to join for the 2019-2020 school year!
Why get involved? 
We focus on building community and supporting teachers. 
You’ll get to know teachers, administrators, and what’s going on at NHS. 
You’ll meet other parents and guardians. 
You’ll spend more time giving away money than raising it. We run a few annual successful fundraisers: Honor Thy Teacher, the Annual Appeal, Giving Tuesday, and Eat for Education and we don’t ask parents and students to sell things. You are welcome to attend our last meeting of the year on Tuesday, June 11 at 7pm in the NHS library. Email nohopto@gmail.com with any questions.

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 keep events happening. Please send us an email and let us know you can help: jfkmspto@gmail.com

Did you see the news? Friday, June 14 is the last day of school (half day). 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! Email us to get involved.

JFK Yearbook Orders
The JFK Yearbook is available for year-end purchase for $29 through June 1. Send in cash or check payable to JFK in an envelope with your student’s name and homeroom number.

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

Funktionlust Improv Show (Friday, May 17 at 7pm)
NHS Black Box Theater. Family friendly show for $5.

Electronic Recycling Collection (Saturday, May 18, 9am-12pm)
At Smith Vocational High School. For more details, see the flyer here. Proceeds benefit the Jackson Street School PTO.

Vaping & the Effect of Marijuana on Teenage Brain Development (May 28)
Little Theater, Northampton High School, May 28 6:30-8:30pm. With Melinda Calianos, Director, Hampshire Franklin Tobacco-Free Community Partnership and Estevan Garcia MD, Chief Medical Officer, Cooley Dickinson Health Care. Please join the NHS PTO, Northampton Prevention Coalition, Cooley Dickinson Hospital, and the Council of Governments in welcoming Melinda Calianos, Director of the Hampshire Franklin Tobacco-Free Community Partnership and Dr. Estevan Garcia, Chief Medical Officer, Cooley Dickinson Health Care, as they present on vaping and marijuana through the lens of youth use and the impact it has on the developing brain. Melinda will go over vape devices, how they are marketed, and the particular risks associated not only with the chemicals in e-juices, but the nicotine salt found in Juuls and its highly addictive nature. Dr. Garcia will speak on marijuana and the impact use has on how the young brain develops. Celeste Malvezzi will also be in attendance to address questions on how vaping and marijuana use is impacting students at NHS.

The art teachers from the elementary schools and the middle school cordially invite students and their families to JFK Middle School for an exhibition hosting a sampling of original artwork by local students through May 31.

Northampton Farm to School Summit Next Steps: Call for Participation
To keep the momentum going and continue the conversation in an informal way, Grow Food Northampton is offering interested community members an opportunity to gather in early June. We will have an informal follow-up to the Summit on Tuesday, June 4 from 5:30 - 6:30pm in the Grow Food Northampton offices, 221 Pine St., Suite 349 in Florence.

This will be an opportunity to keep the momentum going and learn more about the upcoming MA Farm to School Institute. A team from Northampton applied and was accepted! They will represent the District at the Institute and plan concrete action steps to improve Farm to School programming for each school. Come on June 4 to meet some of the team members and help generate ideas for them to carry forward.

Here are some of the ideas that came out of the April Summit, and the top priorities identified:
  • Asking students! The highest priority of the day was engaging with students through advisory committees, clubs, class projects, etc.
  • Relationships: building relationships with schools, universities, and local organizations
  • Composting and Food Waste reduction
And there are more! Use this link to see the full transcription of ideas, priorities, and reflections from the Summit.
Northampton Education Foundation Spring Showcase (June 14)
Join the Northampton Education Foundation (NEF) on Arts Night Out Northampton at the Center for the Arts Building on Hawley Street for an amazing showcase of some of the incredible projects funded through our Endowment Fund and Small Grants! Join us for some light snacks and meet people making a difference in our local Northampton Public Schools! 5:30-7:30pm.

Follow us on our JFK PTO Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/jfkmspto/
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Si desea recibir esta información en español, envíenos un mensaje a jfkmspto@gmail.com.