JFK PTO Update – November 15, 2019
IMPORTANT DATES:
November
21 - Bingo
Night at JFK
November
27 - Early Dismissal (Start of Thanksgiving Break)
November
28-29 - No School (Thanksgiving Break)
December
3 - JFK PTO Meeting and NEF Celebration
December
4 - Half Day
December
11 - JFK Band Concert at NHS
JFK PTO
Fall Fundraising Update and Thanks!
Here at JFK PTO our mission is to enrich a student’s academic
experience by providing additional funding for a variety of programming. To
kick off the school year, we are asking families to donate to our PTO so that
we can support three unique cultural academic programs that make our school
special:
● 8th Grade Scholastic Writing Program ●
● 7th Grade Ancient Greece Program ●
● 6th Grade Hero’s Journey ●
Our goal is still attainable if every family donates $35.
JFK PTO
is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and all donations are
tax-deductible. Gifts of
any amount are deeply appreciated. 100% of every dollar donated directly
benefits our students.
Here is how your donations have made a difference to one of these
programs, as told to us by our fantastic teachers: We have 67 students in
the Scholastic Writing Program this year. We have poets. We are taking on the
environment. We have thinkers. Creators. Inventors. We have diversity in
learning styles. We have collaborative writing groups. We have a script writer!
We’ve never had one. And, we have near perfect attendance. Your work allows us
to focus on the writers, the students, the unlimited number of students. What
could be better? Thank you, thank you, thank you.
DONATE to
support special programs at JFK (2 ways to donate!):
Write a
check payable to JFK PTO. Add “Cultural Arts” to the memo line. Mail the
check to: JFK PTO, 100 Bridge Road, Florence, MA 01062. -OR- Send the check to
school with your student to drop off in the office.
To fund
these three programs, we are hoping to raise $9000. Please help!
First
Annual JFK Family Bingo Night (Thursday, November 21, 5:30-7pm)
Faculty, Staff, Parents & Guardians & Siblings of JFK
Students are welcome! Prizes and fun for all! Bingo is Free / NO CHARGE. Pizza,
drinks and cookies will be for sale, and proceeds will benefit the JFK Student
Activity Fund. Students can purchase food with cash OR with blue tickets! The
PTO will be selling spirit wear so come check out our supply of husky t-shirts
and sweatshirts for sale (limited items available). See you there!
Do you like books? Do you like art? Then you're going to love what
we have coming up! The annual Scholastic book fair will take place December 9
through 13. Students will be able to come to, and shop at, the book fair during
the day. An evening event, open to the public, will be held from 5:30-7:30pm on
Thursday, December 12. New this year for the evening event: the book fair is
joining forces with the art department! During our open-to-the-public book fair
event, there will be an art show displaying wonderful works of art by our
students, including some which will be available for purchase! For the book
fair, there is also an online shopping option! Visit http://www.scholastic.com/bf/jfknorthampton for more information
(including information on the new eWallet system) and to shop a wide selection
of books and other items from the comfort of your home! Proceeds from the book
fair allow us to add to the library and classroom libraries. We hope to see you
at our evening event!
To make the book fair a success, we need parent volunteers to help
run the cash register, especially during priority times. Training is provided
(it’s easy), but all volunteers should have a CORI background check on file
with the school. For more information, please see our book fair volunteer sign
up at this link here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040949aeaa2ba75-book
 |
| JFK Silverware Drive |
JFK is
organizing a silverware collection to reduce plastic use. Drop off your extra stainless steel utensils in the JFK office.
We want
as many parents as possible to participate in PTO. Thanks for taking a minute
to give us your feedback! Click here to respond.
Northampton
Special Education Advisory Council
The
mission of the Northampton Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SePAC) is
to work for the understanding, respect, support, and appropriate education for
all children with special needs in our community. The SePAC has both a Facebook
and Yahoo group. For more information, visit: http://www.northamptonschools.org/special-education-parent-advisory-council/
JFK
Yearbook Super Special Discount
The 2020 JFK Yearbook is on sale for a special early bird price of
$24 until December 1. After December 1, the price will increase to $27. To get
your early bird price, 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 notes. Or go to www.coffeepond.com and click “place an order”
then “yearbook”.
JFK PTO
Meeting in the JFK Library
Our PTO
meetings are held the first Tuesday of the month in the JFK Library from 6-7pm.
If you can’t attend the meeting but can help via email, sign up at this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040949AEAA2BA75-jfkmspto
We’re still
looking for volunteers! Want to help organize the 7th grade dance? Come
meet faculty and staff at our PTO meetings and let us know, or email us at jfkmspto@gmail.com.
Easy Ways
to Support JFK This Holiday Season
·
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 new app.
·
Be sure to vote for us in the Florence
Savings Bank Customers’ Choice Awards before December 31.
·
Donate online. Our fall annual appeal is happening!
This year Giving Tuesday is December 3rd.
·
Send in your Boxtops with your student to the JFK main
office; we can accept Boxtop donations year round. Online we are: JOHN F
KENNEDY MIDDLE SCHOOL| School ID: 573700.
COMMUNITY
EVENTS
Romeo & Juliet at NHS (November 14-16)
Director Stephen Eldredge and a cast and crew of 30 NHS students have
spent the past five months re-imagining the world of the play to suit the
generation of Juliets, Tybalts, Mercutios and Romeos taking the stage in
today’s Globe-al theater. Ticket info here:
Coat Drive (Sunday, November 17)
Racial Equity and Learning (REAL) is hosting our first
conversation group of the 2019-2020 school year!
Please join us on Monday, November 18 from 6:00-7:30pm in Leeds.
We will discuss and explore the impacts of race, racism and whiteness in our
lives and in our school district. All are welcome! Contact your school REAL rep
below if transportation and/or childcare would be helpful. https://realnorthampton.com/
Coin
Collection to Benefit NEF
From November 1 to 22, coins collected by students in the Northampton
public schools will go to the Northampton
Education Foundation (NEF) Endowment for amazing grants in all our schools! During
November, please bring in coins and put them in the jars in the JFK office.
Check your pockets, your couch, your backpack. Maybe your family has a jar of
coins? Those coins can make a big difference for the future of our
schools!
After School Ski with Northampton Parks & Recreation
Northampton Parks & Recreation will once again be running our
After School Ski program at Berkshire East for students in 6th, 7th, or 8th
grade. The program will run for five weeks on Wednesdays starting January 8 and
ending February 5. From beginners to experienced skiers or snowboarders, this
convenient bus trip departing and arriving at JFK will be a great time! Feel
free to check out this link for more information or
contact Rebecca Learnard at the Parks & Recreation office at rlearnard@northamptonma.gov or call (413) 587-1040.
Registration has already started!
Northampton Parks & Recreation Basketball League
Registration for winter basketball has begun. Divisions from
preschool up to 8th grade. This is an organized basketball program in which
players are placed on teams in grade divisions and play a full schedule of
games. Fundamentals, skill development, and sportsmanship are emphasized.
NEF Save
the Date: Be Part of the Change in Northampton Public Schools
Tuesday, December 3 from 6-8pm. Smith College Campus Center
Carroll Room. A festive evening to celebrate the Northampton Education
Foundation Endowment, thank our wonderful community of donors, and raise
money to bring us to our $1 million goal. A larger endowment will ensure
larger, long-term grants for all Northampton schools, forever. Please join us
for: Delicious hors d’oeuvres and desserts, live music by The Northamptones and
the JFK Jazz Band, presentation about the amazing things NEF Endowment grants
bring to our public schools. Please mark your calendars now – invitations to
come. This evening is free to attend.
Opportunity
for Schools, Parents, Guardians to attend Board of Health Meetings on Tobacco
and Vape Regulations
Please consider attending one of the upcoming Board of Health
meetings to add your voice to the discussion on restricting the sales of vape
and tobacco products. Meetings are held in the City Hall Hearing Room, 210 Main
Street, Northampton, MA and start at 5:30pm. Policy on the table that concerns
youth:
- To
restrict all vape sales to adult only retail tobacco stores, where you
have to be 21 to enter
- To
restrict ALL tobacco and vape sales to adult only retail tobacco stores, where
you have to be 21 to enter
What you can do: Speak during the public comment session of these
two meetings. Public comment takes place at the beginning of the meetings at
5:30pm, where the public is encouraged to voice their opinions. Please limit
your comment to under 3 minutes. The schedule for the upcoming BOH meetings is
as follows:
- Thursday,
December 5 at 5:30pm - Hearing for Tobacco Policy Amendments
The
Centers for Disease Control have created a collection of resources and
factsheets on vaping; see the link below: https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/features/back-to-school/e-cigarettes-talk-to-youth-about-risks/index.html
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Volunteer with us! Sign up here if you can help the JFK PTO this
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