JFK
PTO Update – January 31, 2020
IMPORTANT
DATES
February 4 - JFK PTO Meeting in JFK
Library
February 6 - JFK Movie Night!
February 14 - BoxTops Due for Spring Funds
to JFK
February 17-21 - No School (Winter Break)
February 28 - Sixth Grade Dance (Save the
Date! 6:30-8pm)
March 20 - Seventh Grade Dance (Save the
Date! 6:30-8pm)
JFK PTO Meeting on February 4 (6-7pm)
Stay tuned for info on our winter raffle
calendar sales, 6th and 7th grade dances, spring teacher appreciation
fundraiser, and the 8th grade picnic. If you can help with any of these events,
join us at our next PTO meeting. PTO meetings are usually held the first
Tuesday of the month, and our next meeting is scheduled for February 4 from
6-7pm in the JFK Library. If you can’t attend the meeting but can help at other
times, email us and let us know: jfkmspto@gmail.com.
JFK Movie Night on February 6 (Doors Open
at 5:30pm)
Let’s Dance! Leap Year Winter Fest
Save the dates! With the help of the
Student Council, the JFK PTO is planning two dances to liven up the winter
months. The first dance with be for 6th grade only on Friday, February 28. The
next dance will be for 7th graders on Friday, March 20. Both dances will be
from 6:30-8pm in the JFK Cafetorium. Info on ticket sales will be coming home
soon, and we’ll need lots of parent chaperones to help.
Get in the Spirit(wear)
Spirit wear orders are in and should be
going home next Monday or Tuesday. Order the wrong size and need to exchange?
Send us an email at jfkmspto@gmail.com
and hopefully we can help. We ordered a few extra sizes just in case. And be
sure to rock your new spirit wear at movie night!
A Note from the Superintendent of Schools:
Budget Survey
Dear Caregivers: We enter this budget
season without knowing the outcome of the Proposition 2 1/2 override vote. As
always, we will advocate for the high priority needs of our schools. Obviously,
we would be able to address those needs more effectively with additional
funding from the override. We will plan for either outcome by preparing
multiple budget scenarios this year. As is always the case, we will solicit
input from the faculty, staff, students, and community members to help us
determine priorities for our budget planning. We invite you to share your
thoughts by responding to this survey which is posted on the district website
and available directly at this link.
Sincerely, John Provost, Ed.D.
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 6th and 7th Grade
During the next two months, the JFK
nursing staff will be conducting annual health screenings for 6th and 7th grade
students. Letters went home in backpack mail on January 16. These screenings
consist of checking backs for 6th graders and checking backs, heights and
weights for 7th graders. If your child has any unusual findings, you will be
notified. Otherwise, you will not hear from the Health Office. If your child
has had a physical within the last 6 months and the provider has documented
these exams, your student can be excused from the screening. Please provide a
copy of this physical as soon as possible. You also have the right to opt your
child out of this screening. If you prefer to do this, please contact Karen
Schiaffo, JFK School Nurse via phone at 413-587-1488 or email: kschiaffo@northampton-k12.us
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.
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 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.
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.
The next deadline is February 14, and 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
·
Be sure to vote for us in the 2020 Florence
Savings Bank Customers’ Choice Awards.
JFK Teacher Grants Support Hands-On
Classroom Learning
With the help of your donations, the JFK
PTO is able to support teacher grant requests for special equipment to make the
classroom experience better, or, in this case, more delicious. With the help of
the PTO last year, our wonderful Family and Consumer Science teacher was able
to purchase Waffle Makers and Electric Griddles. Students make not only waffles
but have done cookies and cinnamon rolls with this equipment. Students learn
the basics of measuring and love the end result. The equipment in the Family
and Consumer Science room is also used in the afterschool programs and other
functions that students have access to. Just a small donation
goes a long way at JFK!
COMMUNITY EVENTS
Silver Chord Bowl 2020 (Sunday, February
2)
The Silver Chord Bowl, in its 36th year,
is the oldest and most respected collegiate a cappella showcase in the region,
hosted in John M. Greene Hall on the Smith College campus. This year’s event
will begin with a performance by Northampton High School’s very own
Northamptones, followed by performances by 6 groups from colleges and
universities around the Northeast. This year we will see the Dartmouth Aires,
Berklee Upper Structure, Skidmore Dynamics, Ithacappella, the UMass Doo Wop
Shop and Smith College Groove. The Silver Chord Bowl 2020 will be hosted by
Smith College President Kathleen McCartney, Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz,
and Steve Sanderson of the Northampton Arts Council.
When: Sunday, February 2 – 2:00PM
Showtime, Doors Open at 1:30PM
Where: John M. Greene Hall-Smith College,
60 Elm Street Northampton, MA 01060 Tickets: https://silverchordbowl.brownpapertickets.com/
Learn about Vaping
Override Town Hall Meetings
Mayor David J. Narkewicz invites
Northampton residents to join him on the following dates and times to discuss
how the March 3, 2020, Proposition 2½ Override ballot question question will
allow the city to renew its fiscal stability plan after 7 years and preserve
its vital city services and excellent schools. More info here: https://www.northamptonma.gov/2076/2020-Proposition-2-Override
- Tuesday, February 4, 7-9 pm at Florence Civic Center (in the Main Room), 90 Park St., Northampton (Ward 5)
- Wednesday, February 5, 1-3pm at Forbes Library (in the Coolidge Museum), 20 West St., Northampton (Ward 4)
- Wednesday, February 5, 7-9pm at Forbes Library (in the Coolidge Museum), 20 West St., Northampton (Ward 4)
- Wednesday, February 12, 7-9pm at Ryan Road Elementary School (in the Gymnasium), 498 Ryan Rd., Florence (Ward 6)
- Monday, February 24, 7-9pm at Leeds Elementary School (in the Cafeteria), 20 Florence St., Leeds (Ward 7)
NHS Funktionlust Improv LIVE!
Friday,
February 7 at 7pm
On Friday, February 7, the NHS Improv
troupe Funktionlust returns to the NHS Black Box Theater for another always
funny, always family-friendly night of improv. Admission is $5 at the door.
Doors open at 6:45pm. Seating is limited. Funktionlust is now in its 15th year
at NHS. They are spontaneous, creative and funny. 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 6:45 pm. Bake sale too, maybe!
Substance Abuse: Why Does it Happen and
How Can Parents and Medical Providers Help (Sunday, February 9)
Free parenting workshop sponsored by
Northampton Area Pediatrics with Jonathan Schwab, MD from 4-5:30pm at 193
Locust St., Northampton.
Northampton Boys Youth Lacrosse
(Registration closes February 10)
The registration fee is $195 per child
plus a $30 US Lacrosse membership, which is required for each player. Teams
continue to be registered by age (U10, U12, U14) rather than by grade. More
information here.
Massachusetts Presidential Primary and
Override Vote (March 3)
Voting will take place from 7am-8pm at
JFK. http://lwvnorthamptonarea.org/event/massachusetts-presidential-primary/
VINS Dog Show (March 7)
Save the Date! The annual VINS Dog Show
has been scheduled for Saturday, March 7 from 12-3pm. This is a great
fundraiser for Volunteers in Northampton Schools, Inc. More info coming soon.
Doodle for Google
This year’s Doodle for Google theme is: “I
SHOW KINDNESS BY...” Friendship, smiles, thank yous, and hugs. But kindness is
so much more than just being nice. This year’s theme invites you to tell us how
you show kindness. Is it by helping around your home? Volunteering in your
community’s green space? Maybe it’s comforting someone who’s down, or picking
up trash in the park. However you define it, let us know how you bring a little
bit more kindness into the world. Take your ideas and bring them to life in
your doodle! This year’s contest is open for online and mailed entries until
March 13 at 8pm PST. Download instructions and entry form here.
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.)
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/
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