JFK
PTO Update – February 7, 2020
IMPORTANT
DATES
February 14 - BoxTops Due for Spring Funds
to JFK
February 17-21 - No School (Winter Break)
February 25 - Family Game Night at JFK
hosted by the Student Council
March 3 - JFK PTO Meeting Postponed /
Election Day at JFK
March 5 - Spotlight at JFK for New
Families
March 20 - Seventh Grade Dance (Save the
Date! 6:30-8pm)
Let’s Dance! Leap Year Winter Fest (February
28)
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 will be for 6th grade only on Friday, February
28. The next dance will be for 7th grade on Friday, March 20. Both dances will
be from 6:30-8pm in the JFK Cafetorium. Info on ticket sales is attached on our
flyer here.
We’ll
need lots of parent chaperones to help. Please sign up to help at our Sign Up Genius
online. Our volunteer slots include ticket sales
(Tues, Wed, Thur at 6th grade lunch), water donation, seltzer donation, snack
donation, decorating, and chaperoning. Please consider chaperoning especially
if your student is not a 6th grade student. (Sometimes students don’t want
their parents at the dance!) Not sure if your student will come? We recommend
buying a ticket just in case as no tickets are sold at the door as a safety
precaution.
Get in the Spirit(wear)
Spirit wear orders were sent home this
week! 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 we’ll
be selling spirit wear again at Spotlight on March 5th.
JFK Family Game Night! (Tuesday, 2/25
5:30-7pm)
An evening of FUN playing BOARD GAMES. Try
your skill at CORN HOLE, CAN-JAM, TWISTER, and more. Faculty, staff,
caregivers, students & their siblings--ALL ARE WELCOME to join in the fun!
Pizza, popcorn and drinks will be available (for $1 or blue tickets). Blue
ticket RAFFLE for PRIZES! Student representatives from the ASK Team, Student
Council and Scrabble Club will help facilitate activities. Hosted by the JFK
School Council. Location: the JFK cafeteria (snow date, 2/26). More info here.
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 PTO Meetings
Stay tuned for more info on our 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 from 6-7pm. In March, because
of the election on March 3, our meeting will be postponed to April 7. But, be
sure to stop by and say hello at the JFK PTO table at Spotlight on March 5th.
If you can’t attend the meeting but can help at other times, email us and let
us know: jfkmspto@gmail.com.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
NHS Funktionlust Improv LIVE! TONIGHT,
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!
Girls on the Run’s Heart and Sole
COMMUNITY team at Smith College- Spring 2020! REGISTRATION IS OPEN
Girls on the Run is a unique 10 week
(twice weekly) after-school program led by trained coaches who lead small teams
through our research-based curricula which includes dynamic discussions,
activities and running games. Over the course of the ten-week program, girls in
6th-8th grade develop essential skills to help them navigate their worlds and
establish a lifetime appreciation for health and fitness. Each season
culminates with a Girls on the Run 5K event. Learn more on the flyer
attached here.
FOUR SUNDAYS IN FEBRUARY 2020 Winter Arts
Series!
Four Sundays in February is one of the
longest running community winter arts series in the country. The Northampton
Arts Council Presents, as part of Four Sundays in February, a 32 piece live
Orchestra featuring the Panopera Orchestra and
soloists in a concert playing a variety of operatic favorites. Two hours of
music by Mozart, Bizet, Donizetti, Verdi, Purcell and Wagner, featuring
Metropolitan Opera mezzo-soprano Sandra Piques Eddy as Carmen. When: Saturday,
February 8th – 2:00 PM Showtime, Doors Open at 1:30PM. Where: Sweeney Hall at
Sage Hall-Smith College, 144 Green Street Northampton, MA 01063.
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.
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
- 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)
Learn about Vaping
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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