JFK PTO Update – April 26, 2019
Important
Dates:
May 7-24 -
MCAS Testing
May 7 - JFK
PTO Meeting
May 8 -
Teacher Appreciation Brunch - Volunteers Needed!
May 17 - Half
Day - Early Dismissal
May 19 -
Eighth Grade Mayor’s Dance
June 3 -
Eighth Grade Picnic in Pines Theater
June 4 - JFK
Chorus Concert
June 5 - JFK
Band Concert
June 14 - Last
Day of School - Half Day
Teacher
Appreciation Week -- Volunteers and Bakers Needed!
Teacher
Appreciation Week is on its way. We are seeking volunteers to help set up a
light brunch and parent volunteers to donate food or drinks. The date for the
teacher brunch is Wednesday, May 8. Sign up to volunteer at this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040949aeaa2ba75-20193
Stay tuned for
more details about our special Teacher Appreciation fundraiser this spring!
Teacher Appreciation Week is May 5-10 and we will be asking for donations to
honor a teacher during this time.
May MCAS
Schedule
May 7-8 -
Grade 8 Math
May 9-10 -
Grade 6 and 7 Math
May 14-15 -
Grade 8 Science and Technology
May 12-24 -
Make up testing
JFK PTO
Meeting (Tuesday, May 7 at 6pm in the JFK Library)
Our next PTO
meeting will take place Tuesday, May 7 at 6pm in the JFK Library. There are
only 2 meetings left this year! Help us to plan our eighth grade picnic and to
transition to a new PTO president. Bring questions and ideas!
Eighth
Grade Picnic 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). We are seeking volunteers to help during the picnic.
Send us an email at jfkmspto@gmail.com! More picnic details coming soon.
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 you can help: jfkmspto@gmail.com
JFK
Teachers in the News
JFK sixth
graders are learning about Africa through video chat with one of their teachers
in Ghana. See the story in the Gazette here:
https://www.gazettenet.com/Northampton-Education-Column-25059728
A Note from
the JFK School Nurse
Next week, 6th
grade students will have the opportunity to participate in a program to discuss
issues surrounding puberty. Students will view and discuss videos that provide
basic information about the reproductive system and some of the biological
changes of puberty. Pregnancy, sexually-
transmitted
infections and abstinence will be introduced. Please take an opportunity to
review the videos that your student will watch (see links below) and
discuss/reinforce your own values and beliefs regarding family life with your
child. It is hoped that these classes will help to supplement the education
that is being done at home.
Video links:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Dg2eMCx9TE
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_mFJ2d0qxQ
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yvw7QGytgNQ
Parents do
have the choice to opt their student out of these classes. It should be in
writing and sent to the Health Office as soon as possible. The Health Advisory
Committee, made up of parents, educators, students and healthcare
representatives, recommends, however, that you review the curriculum and/or
discuss your concerns before making your decision. Feel free to discuss this
with the JFK nurse or with Karen Jarvis-Vance, the Director of Health and
Safety (587-1364).
Below are some
links to helpful resources for teens and parents:
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! Email us to get involved in your student’s education.
JFK
Yearbook Orders
The JFK
Yearbook is available for year-end purchase for $29. 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
National
Prescription Drug Take Back Day (Saturday, April 27)
Do you or
family members have a medicine cabinet full of prescription drugs that you
don't know what to do with? Dispose of them safely at the Nat'l Prescription
Drug Take Back Day on April 27th from 10AM to 2PM at JFK School, 100 Bridge
Rd., Florence.
Circuits
& Code is here again!!! (Saturday, April 27)
Circuits &
Code is the all-ages, free project showcase of M5, the UMass Amherst Makerspace
for Solid-State Electronics and Computing Machinery. Circuits & Code will
take place on Saturday, April 27 at M5 from 3-5pm. M5 is a 5,000 sq. ft.
makerspace located in the lower level of Marcus Hall, 100 Natural Resources
Road, Amherst 01003. Free parking in any nearby numbered parking lot. For our
planning purposes, we do ask you to register and obtain your event ticket here
on eventbrite but an event ticket is not required
for admission. Come whether or not you have an eventbrite ticket. However, if
you do get an eventbrite ticket and you print it out and drop into our special
ticket box at Circuits & Code before 5pm, you will automatically be
eligible for a seriously cool door prize. There must be a name and valid email
address on the ticket in order to win! (M5 staff ineligible for door prizes. No
more than one prize per household.) We hope to see you soon. Tell your friends.
Bring your friends.
Northampton
Area Pediatrics Parenting Workshop (May 5)
Free parenting
workshop on Sunday, May 5 from 4-5:30pm: "Raising Digital Kids: How to
Manage Screens in your Family with More Cooperation and Less Yelling" with
Sharon Saline, Psy.D. RSVP by calling (413) 517-2226 or contactus@napeds.com.
Eat for
Education (May 7)
On Tuesday,
May 7, restaurants in Northampton and Florence will give 10% of their day’s
take to the NHS PTO. Eat out for breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner, support local
restaurants, and support the NHS PTO.
Northampton
Public Schools’ K-8 Art Show (May 10-31)
The art
teachers from the elementary schools and the middle school cordially invite
students and their families to JFK Middle School on Friday, May 10 from 4-6pm
for an art opening reception. The exhibition will host a sampling of original
artwork by local students. There will be light refreshments served by the
Jackson Street PTO. Please join us for this wonderful event!
22nd Annual
Northampton Education Foundation Plant Sale
The
Northampton Education Foundation needs your plants! If you’re digging up or
separating plants this spring, donate them to the NEF plant sale. You can drop
them at Smith Vocational High School (80 Locust Street, Northampton) on Friday,
May 10, from 4-7 pm or contact Francie Lin at francie.m.lin@gmail.com for an
alternative drop off.
The 22nd Annual Plant Sale is Saturday, May 11,
9am-1pm, at Smith Voke. It includes a wide range of plants, including annuals
and perennials, vegetable starters, herbs, hanging plants, trees, and shrubs,
as well as organic lawn and garden products and compost. Shoppers can buy
treasures from local artisans, including handcrafted garden furniture donated
by local woodworkers. The event also includes a raffle to win a handmade quilt
and garden furniture made by Smith Vocational woodworking students.
Last year’s
Plant Sale raised over $10,000 for books for the Northampton Public Schools and
Smith Voke. You’ll find more information on the NEF website.
2019
Northampton Public Arts Festival (May 11-12)
The
Northampton Public Arts Festival is a unique two-day event aimed at promoting
public arts through live mural painting and street art workshops for youth. The
festival will bring local and nationally recognized street artists and
muralists to convene and create beautiful public art for the city of
Northampton and the Pioneer Valley. For more info, see this link: http://www.northamptonartscouncil.org/2019/04/2019-northampton-public-arts-festival.html
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