JFK PTO Update – October 26, 2018
Important Dates:
November 1 - School Picture Make-Up Day
November 4 - Antique Sale & JFK After
School Fundraiser (Bakers Needed!)
November 6 - No School - Election Day
November 7 - JFK PTO Meeting
November 12 - No School - Veterans Day
Observed
November 21 - Half Day
Have you tried the Northampton Public
Schools App?
Download the Northampton Public Schools
App free at Google Play and the App Store. It's your school at your fingertips.
Make it Count is back! Our annual
appeal starts in November.
Once again the
JFK PTO will be raising funds with our second annual Make it Count
fundraiser. Stay tuned for more information on JFK’s Facebook page, in a letter going home and here
in the weekly newsletter. Last year we raised $12,000 with your generous
donations! This year we hope to raise $13,000 so we can continue to fund a wide
variety of amazing programs for our students here at JFK.
Are you a Baker? The JFK After School
program needs your sweet treats for their annual Antiques Show.
Bakers are needed for the bake sale.
The Antique Show and Sale is organized by Pioneer Valley Antique Dealers
Association but directly benefits the JFK After School Program. The annual bake
sale is a big part of the event. They are seeking bakers to bake sweet treats
for the sale. The show runs from 9am to 3pm in the JFK Cafetorium. If you can
bake for this event, contact Peggy Clapp ASAP at pclapp@northampton-k12.us
Please Participate in the District
Review Parent Survey
The Northampton Public School District
is scheduled to participate in a District Review this year. The Office of
District Reviews and Monitoring (ODRM) at the Massachusetts Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE) conducts district reviews on a regular
basis to provide all districts with an assessment of district systems, enabling
district leaders to reflect on progress and strengthen performance.
The district review is intended to add
value to the improvement cycle by providing an experienced team of district
leaders who will provide an objective analysis and suggestions for improvement.
The value of the district review is measured: first, by the reflection
preparing and participating in the review promotes; second, by the usefulness
of the findings and recommendations to district leaders and stakeholders;
third, by the effectiveness of the resulting action steps and goals that the
process generates; and, ultimately, by improved results.
As part of our preparation for the
District Review, we have developed a set of standards-linked questionnaires for
various stakeholder groups including parents. English and Spanish versions are
posted on the district homepage at http://www.northamptonschools.org/
Please take a few minutes to share your
thoughts by responding to this survey.
Next JFK PTO Meeting (November 7 from
6-7:30pm)
Due to Election Day, our November PTO
meeting will be held Wednesday, November 7 at 6pm in the JFK library. Mark your
calendars and join us to help us help JFK.
Shop and Support JFK!
You can support JFK at Stop and Shop by
clicking here. Big Y Express can be found at this
link: https://www.bigy.com/rs/educationexpress. Be sure to share your Boxtops for
Education with
us by having your student drop them off in the JFK office. And be sure to link
to JFK MS PTO through Amazon Smile. We appreciate your support.
Save the Dates!
The Scholastic Book Fair will be held
from December 3-7 at JFK. Stay tuned for more info.
MLK Diversity Day/Black History Month
JFK Celebration Day 2019
The School Council at JFK is seeking
parents and caregivers who are open to working with the Council on facilitating
the 2nd Annual MLK Diversity Day/Black History Month Celebration. Parents and
caregivers are the most important people in the lives of children. From the
earliest of developmental stages, children rely on caregivers to provide
protection and exposure to the exciting originality of the world we live in.
This uniqueness includes “a” diversity that is reflected not only in the global
connectedness that we live in but also here at JFK. We as a school community
are so delighted and honored to celebrate and educate a diverse array of
students from almost every culture represented from each of the seven
continents. We are in the planning stages and would like to start meeting by
November. This is an exciting event and we are asking for your help. This may
come by way of planning, fundraising, cultural sharing or other possibilities.
This is a multicultural event that will focus on embracing transformative
social change and social justice. If you are interested please feel free to
contact: Asher Hamilton at Academichamilton@gmail.com or Meg Robbins at megrobb@gmail.com.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
National Drug Take Back Day is back. On
Saturday, October 27, from 10am to 2pm. Area residents can bring their
unwanted drugs to 17 locations in Hampshire and Franklin counties for sound
disposal. Since 2011, more than 47,000 pounds have been collected in the
Northwestern District during Take Back days and from permanent collection
boxes. For more details go to the link below.
The Northampton prevention Coalition
will host its Annual Retreat on Thursday, November 8 from 9am-1pm at
Smith College. Please join us! We will have two presenters at this year's
retreat: Aaron Pitrat, a current UMass student, and Diane Fedorchak, Director
of the UMass BASICS program. There will be time for Q&A. We'd love to have
as many parents and guardians attend as possible. Lunch will be provided by Bueno y Sano. Event is FREE. RSVP is required at: http://evite.me/s2CvMx96BC
Northampton Parks & Recreation is
taking registrations for the Quabbin Valley Basketball League. The divisions
are for grades 3 & 4, grades 5 & 6, and grades 7 & 8 with divisions
for both boys and girls. All participants play in every game and are placed on
teams based on grade and skill level. Deadline to register is November 11 or until
full. Visit the Parks and Recreation website to get more information and to
register. http://www.northamptonma.gov/871/Basketball
Follow us on
our JFK PTO Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/jfkmspto/
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