JFK
PTO Update – March 2, 2020
IMPORTANT
DATES
March 3 - Election Day at JFK / PTO
Meeting Postponed
March 5 - Spotlight at JFK for New
Families / JFK Jazz Band Performs
March 9 - Stand Up JFK Celebration for
Students
March 10 & 11 - JFK Band Concerts at
JFK
March 13 - Half Day (Early Release)
March 15- JFK Afterschool Spring Antique
Show
April 22 - Report Cards
2020 Presidential Primary and Special
Municipal Election Information
The 2020 Presidential Primary and Special
Municipal Election will take place on Tuesday, March 3. Polls will be
open from 7am to 8pm at JFK. More info and specimen ballots on the city website
at https://northamptonma.gov/755/Elections
A Note from the Superintendent of Schools:
Budget Options
To view the presentation Superintendent
Dr. Provost shared at the Feb. 27th School Committee Meeting click HERE.
For more info on coverage of the budget
override on schools see the recent Gazette articles:
- The NPS School Committee shared this letter to the editor.
- The budget scenarios were covered in this article.
JFK March PTO Meeting Postponed
PTO meetings are usually held the first
Tuesday of the month from 6-7pm. In March, because of the election on March 3,
our meeting will be postponed to April 7 in the library. But, if you can, feel
free to stop by and say hello at the JFK PTO table at the Spotlight event for
new families on March 5th. The JFK Jazz Band will play a brief concert to
introduce upcoming students to all the unique opportunities at JFK.
Special Announcement from NHS Girls Tennis
and Softball Teams (March 5)
The athletic department at NHS is
currently opening the high school spring sport program to 7th and 8th graders
at JFK middle school for both our high school girls tennis and girls softball
teams. We wish to encourage interested parents to attend the All-Sports night
at NHS at 6pm on Thursday and talk to the coaches about the upcoming season.
Registrations can be made online utilizing the following link:
JFK 7th Graders win PLTW Mass STEM Hub
Challenge
Congratulations
as well to JFK 6th grade teacher Emma Martin for the Grinspoon Excellence in
Teaching Award in the Early-Career Educator category. Outstanding!
Calling All 8th Graders! Baby Pix Due for
Yearbook (March 13)
The yearbook, which our wonderful art
faculty member Michelle Mallory is helping to coordinate, will have a section
in the book featuring baby pictures of our 8th grade students. Families can
email a photo or send one in with their child. Deadline is Friday, March 13.
Emailing is preferred: mmallory@northampton-k12.us
JFK Afterschool Spring Antique Show
(Sunday, March 15)
The spring antique show to support the JFK
Afterschool Program will be held in the JFK Cafeteria from 9am to 2pm.
Celebrate the Equinox! (Seventh Grade
Dance on March 20)
Thanks
to all the JFK families and staff who made our 6th grade leap year dance a huge
success! What fun to see the students hanging out, enjoying the photo booth,
and having fun in our marvelously decorated cafetorium. The Seventh Grade Dance
is on its way! With the help of the Student Council, the JFK PTO is hosting a
7th grade dance Friday, March 20 from 6:30-8pm in the JFK Cafetorium. DJ, photo
booth, & snacks included! More info included on our flyer here.
As
always, we need parent contributions such as snack donations and especially
chaperones! Please sign up to help at our Sign Up Genius
online. Please consider
chaperoning especially if your student is not a 7th grade student. (Sometimes
students don’t want their parents at the dance.) Chaperones are needed to cover
various areas, cafeteria doors, snack/beverage table and bathroom doors to make
sure students return to the cafeteria. We'll definitely find a great place for
you to hang out and keep an eye on the halls and doors while the kids have fun
with our super-experienced DJ and school staff. Thank you so much for your
help!!!
The JFK Yearbook Is On Sale (Order by
March 29)
The 2020 JFK Yearbook is on sale for $27.
To place an order, send a cash or check made out to JFK Middle School in
an envelope to school with your student’s name and homeroom number and
“yearbook” in the memo line. Online, go to www.coffeepond.com
and click “place an order” then “yearbook”. Order before 3/29 as the price
increases to $29 after that. The last day to order is 4/26.
2019 Official Accountability Report -
Northampton
As noted in the 2/27/20 edition JFK News
that went home with students, the School Report Card is available online.
2020 MCAS Testing will take place between the dates of April 1-May 22.
Need Help with Aspen?
Cynthia Kelley is the Aspen coordinator
for NPS. Learn more about how to contact her here: http://www.northamptonschools.org/profile/cynthia-kelley/
Health Screenings for 8th Grade
During the month of March, the JFK nursing
staff will be providing interview-based screening for 8th grade students
about the use of alcohol and marijuana. SBIRT screening sessions will be
included with the regular 8th grade health screenings (hearing, vision &
scoliosis). They will be brief (5-10 minutes) and be conducted confidentially
in private, one-on-one sessions. A copy of the screening tool was mailed home
on 2/14/20 to parents/guardians for their review. Results of the SBIRT
screening will not be included in your student’s school record and
parents will be notified if a student is referred to Guidance for further
intervention.
You have the right to opt your child out
of these screenings. Contact the JFK School Nurse, Karen Schiaffo, RN at
587-1488 or at kschiaffo@northampton-k12.us
if you wish to do so. Please indicate if you prefer that your child not
participate in SBIRT, hearing, vision, scoliosis or all of the screenings.
Additionally, students may choose not to answer any of the SBIRT screening
questions as it is voluntary.
Department of Health Advisory (2/26/20)
JFK Silverware Drive
JFK is organizing a silverware collection
to reduce plastic use. You can donate your extra items in the JFK office any
time during the school year.
5 Easy Ways to Support JFK MS PTO
·
Donate online. Your donations are tax-deductible and
help fund special programs at JFK. We accept donations year-round!
·
Link to JFK MS PTO through Amazon Smile and donate to Parent-Teacher
Organization of John F Kennedy Middle School Inc. Click here for instructions on how to use the app.
·
Send in your Boxtops with your student to the JFK office.
We can accept Boxtop donations year-round as long as they are not expired.
Online we are: JOHN F KENNEDY MIDDLE SCHOOL| School ID: 573700.
·
Register your Stop and Shop card to
benefit JFK Middle School using ID#05378. Call 1-877-275-2758 to register or
log on to www.stopandshop.com
·
Be sure to vote for us in the 2020 Florence
Savings Bank Customers’ Choice Awards. We’re looking forward to
attending this year’s ceremony on March 10 to have a chance of winning a $500
grant to help our school.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
VINS 15th Annual Dog Show at NHS
(Saturday, March 7)
The annual VINS Dog Show
is Saturday, March 7 from 12-3pm. Snow date is Sunday, March 8. This is a great
fundraiser for Volunteers in Northampton Schools, Inc. You can read more on the
attached flyer.
Free entry! Only dogs pay. Registration for dogs is $12 at the door ($5 for non-competing dogs). Dogs compete for prizes like best
fetcher, best hair, and best smile. All dogs must be on a non-extending leash.
Join us for awards, raffle, food and fun. For more info, call (413) 587-1332 or
email: vinsvolunteer@gmail.com
or visit https://sites.google.com/site/northamptonvins/events/vins-dog-show
A top-rated, free evidence-based program
that promotes family bonding and a love and limits model with certified
facilitators. For families of 10-14 year olds.
The Sound of Music Tickets!
Tickets are on sale for this year’s
Northampton High School musical, The Sound of Music (March 19-21). Go to Brown Paper Tickets
to buy your tickets today! (Remember that last year’s musical sold out.)
Second Annual Farm to School Summit (March
21)
Join us for the 2nd annual Northampton
Public Schools' Farm to School Summit at the Smith College Campus Center. Since
we last gathered, so much progress has been made to include student choice and
voice in decisions, incorporate more local items on the cafeteria menu, build a
District-wide Farm to School network, and bring programming up to the Middle
and High schools. This year's Summit will continue the momentum by
strengthening our network and focusing on students. Schedule: 8:30-9am:
gathering and refreshments. 9am-12pm: speakers, breakout groups, and
discussion. 12-1pm: Lunch. Childcare and lunch will be provided.
Who should attend? Students - Caregivers
and family members -Teachers, all grades - School administrators - Local
elected officials - Food service professionals- Anyone interested in connecting
students with healthy food; it doesn't matter if you are familiar with Farm to
School work.
At some point after registering, we'll
send a follow-up email with a few questions about reserving spots for
childcare, the age of your children, and your role in the community. Please
stay tuned, as we need that information for planning purposes. Thank you to the
Northampton Education Foundation and the USDA Farm to School grant program for
their support! http://www.northamptonschools.org/farm-to-school/
The Northampton Education Foundation
Spelling Bee (March 25)
The Northampton Education Foundation
Spelling Bee needs sponsors and teams of spellers! On March 25, NEF will hold
its beloved annual event, the Adult Spelling Bee, for the 20th time. Each year,
up to 40 teams composed of three adults, most in costume, vie for awards in
spelling, costume, and humor. Funds from the NEF Spelling Bee support our Small
Grants for Teachers program. Last year, NEF awarded $45,324 to fund 20 creative
and innovative grants. However, this was fewer than half of the 43 grant proposals
we received. Help us fund more grants this year by participating in the Bee! Do
you want to sponsor, but have no team? Do you have a team but no sponsor? Email
mrzinn88 at gmail.com and we’ll set you up! The registration fee is $275.00 per
team.
We’ll recognize team sponsors in the following places:
• NEF Spelling Bee program
• NEF newsletter
• NEF website and social media
April 1, 2020 Census Count: Everyone
Counts
In mid March households will receive
materials from the U.S. Census Bureau in the mail. Responding online is the
preferred method. It’s your choice: you can respond securely online, by mail,
or by phone. By law, your responses cannot be used against you. Your census
responses are safe and secure. http://lwvnorthamptonarea.org/event/april-1-2020-census-count-everyone-counts/
Holyoke Community College: FREE Classes
for Community Health Worker (Summer 2020)
Holyoke Community College (HCC) is
offering FREE Core Competencies and Health Topics class for Community Health
Worker (CHW) from May to August 2020. The CHW classes will run for 12 weeks on
Wednesday nights from 4-8:30pm. This program is absolutely free of charge,
which includes free tuition, fees, and books. By the end of this program,
students will earn six college credits. The deadline to register is April 25th.
Individuals who are interested in this training must meet certain requirements.
Please contact Amreen Shaikh, Project Coordinator (ashaikh@hcc.edu) for more
information. This project is funded by the MassHealth CommonWealth Corporation
Grant.
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Volunteer
with us! Sign up here if you can help the JFK PTO this year:
