JFK PTO Update – December 6, 2019
IMPORTANT DATES:
December
10 - New Start Date for Scholastic Book Fair at JFK
December
11 - JFK Band Concert at NHS
December
16 - Desert Donations Needed for JFK Teachers and Staff
December
19 - JFK School Council Meets
December
23 - January 1 - Winter Break (No School)
The
annual Scholastic book fair will take place December 10-13 (note new start date
due to a delivery delay for books). 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.
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. Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040949aeaa2ba75-book
New this
year for the evening event: Arts Night Out. The book fair is joining forces
with the art department! During our open-to-the-public book fair event on
December 12, there will be an art show displaying wonderful works of art by our
students, including some which will be available for purchase! This event will
feature artwork displayed in the lobby from 6th-8th students that have had art
exploratory/art enrichment so far this year PLUS include some students from
science classes that turned trash into treasure! The Scholastic Book Fair will
be running in the Library during this event! The cafeteria will feature
soloists from the Chorus and Band! There will be light refreshments served,
artwork for sale, bake sale, and more! Please put this date on your calendar
and thanks for all of your support!!!
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.
⭐
JFK PTO
Fundraising: Teachers are our Shining Stars!
Here at
JFK PTO our mission is to enrich a student’s academic experience by providing
additional funding for a variety of programming. For the fall session, we are
asking families to donate to our PTO so that we can support unique cultural
academic programs that make our school special.
Our goal is 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.
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.
Would you
like to donate in honor of a teacher or staff member at JFK? Just add a note to
your donation check and we will make sure the teacher of your choice receives a
certificate of appreciation noting the donation in their honor. Your donations
help us help teachers, and we are so grateful for all the donations we have
received so far.
⭐
We Need
Desserts for the Annual JFK Open House for Faculty and Staff on Monday,
December 16
It’s a
great time to say thank you to the staff and teachers of JFK who make a
difference in our students’ lives. We need lots of desserts (just desserts!) to
be served at the annual open house for around 100 faculty and staff on Monday,
December 16. Just drop your dessert item in the office any time before 10am on
Monday 12/16. Turns out donuts, sweet rolls and yummy stuff for the morning is
good, too. If refrigeration is needed, that’s not a problem. But, no
desserts with nuts or peanut butter, thanks!
JFK
Silverware Drive
JFK is
organizing a silverware collection to reduce plastic use. You can donate your
items in the JFK office.
The JFK
Yearbook Is On Sale
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 notes. Or go to www.coffeepond.com and click “place an order”
then “yearbook”. Be sure to order before 03/29/2020 as the price will be $29
each if ordered after 03/29/20. The last day to order your school yearbook is
04/26/20.
JFK
School Council
The
School Council meets the third school day Thursday of each month at 5pm in the
JFK Library. The next meeting is December 19.
JFK PTO
Meetings in 2020
Our PTO
meetings are usually held the first Tuesday of the month. Our next meeting will
be held on January 7. 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.
5 Easy
Ways to Support JFK This Holiday Season
·
Donate online. Our fall annual appeal is happening!
This year, Giving Tuesday is December 3rd.
·
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.
·
Be sure to vote for us in the Florence
Savings Bank Customers’ Choice Awards before December 31.
·
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.
·
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
COMMUNITY
EVENTS
Circuits & Code is Here Again!!! (Saturday, December 7 from
1-4pm)
Circuits & Code is the all-ages end-of-semester student
project showcase at M5, the UMass Amherst Makerspace for Solid-State
Electronics and Computing Machinery. Kids love this expo! Some come every
December and every April… learning something new each time. Students will be
demonstrating many different types of projects they created this semester.
Bring yourself, your friends, and your family to interact with all manner of
tech projects. It looks we’ll also have community member Karen Pava Randall
demonstrating her Leyden Jar Poetry Project! Very cool. M5 is located on the
lower level of Marcus Hall, 100 Natural Resources Road, UMass Amherst. If you
are driving to M5, there are multiple parking lots near Marcus Hall that are
available and free on the weekends. The lots that comprise the so-called Lot 65
are nearest M5. Google maps:
Calling All Youth Artists!
Want to
create an original dance, song, play, poem, or video? Join us for the YOUTH
PERFORMANCE FESTIVAL coming to the Northampton Center for the Arts. The inaugural
Youth Performance Festival (YPF) will showcase the work of young artists (8-18
yrs old) in the disciplines of theater, dance, music, poetry, and video. Young
artists will be paired with mentor artists in their field, and over the course
of 6 weekends, the mentor artists will help to guide the young artists in the
creation of original work to be shared with the greater community. Co-sponsored
by the Center for the Arts and Valley Performance Playground, the Festival will
be held February 8-9, 2020. There is an upcoming orientation on Sunday, December
8, 2:30-4pm at the Northampton Center for the Arts (33 Hawley St) for anyone
who is interested.
- Are you
interested in sponsoring YPF as a business or an individual? We need your
support! Please contact Kelly Silliman at kelly@nohoarts.org
for more information.
- Are you
interested in being a mentor artist? Email Sarah Marcus at sarah@valleyperformanceplayground.com.
NHS
Funktionlust + UMass Mission Improvable! (Fri. Dec. 13 at 7pm)
Don’t
miss the 4th annual improv alliance between UMass’s Mission Improvable, the
elite short form troupe at UMass, and Funktionlust, Northampton High School’s
premiere troupe, now in its 15th season. The all-ages, family-friendly show is
Friday Dec. 13 at 7pm in the Northampton High School auditorium. Each troupe
specializes in delighting their audience with original spontaneous material
created like magic! All of their scenes burst from their enthusiasm and the
audience’s offers! Bring your ideas and objects for props! Then enjoy what
these talented improvers can do. Tickets are $5 and sold only at the door.
Doors open at 6:30pm. Bake sale too!
Upcoming
Racial Equity and Learning Meeting
Racial
Equity and Learning (REAL) is hosting a meeting for new members on January 14
from 7:30-9pm, location TBD. ALL are welcome! This will be an opportunity to
learn about REAL’s mission and work in the district; to meet others who are
interested in working toward equity and inclusion; to reflect, ask questions,
share ideas or simply listen. In the meantime, if you have questions about or
would like a one-on-one conversation about REAL, please do not hesitate to
reach out to a co-leader:
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Volunteer with us! Sign up here if you can help the JFK PTO this
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