JFK
PTO Update – March 13, 2020
Dear
JFK Families,
At
the request of NPS, we’d like to share with you the letter from NPS on actions
in response to COVID-19 and to remind you of the various postponements and
cancellations of community events. Please check online for the latest updates.
IMPORTANT
DATES
TODAY! March 13 - Half Day (Early Release)
March 15 - JFK Spring Antique Show to
Benefit JFK Afterschool (Postponed)
March 20 - Seventh Grade Dance (Postponed)
Calling All 8th Graders! Baby Pix Due for
Yearbook (TODAY!)
The JFK yearbook, which our wonderful art
faculty member Michelle Mallory is helping to coordinate, will have a section
in the book featuring baby pictures of our 8th grade students. Families can
email a photo or send one in with their child. Deadline is Friday, March 13.
Emailing is preferred: mmallory@northampton-k12.us
Request for Extra Paint from the Art
Department
The JFK art department would gladly take
partial containers of latex house paint - any color - but especially shades of
white!
JFK Afterschool Spring Antique Show
(Postponed)
The spring antique show to benefit the JFK
Afterschool Program has been postponed.
Seventh Grade Dance on March 20 (Postponed)
Please
stay tuned for further info about events.
The JFK Yearbook Is On Sale (Order by
March 29)
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.
JFK Student named Poetry Finalist
Diana Ajjan, 7th grade English teacher
here at JFK Middle School, inspired her students by combining a study of Greek
Mythology with a ROW field trip to the Mill River. She submitted a batch of
wonderfully diverse poems to the annual ROW contest and Trey Rivera was chosen
as a Poetry Finalist. Read the poem here.
JFK 7th Graders win PLTW Mass STEM Hub
Challenge
2019 Official Accountability Report -
Northampton
As noted in the 2/27/20 edition of JFK
News that went home with students, the School Report Card is available online.
2020 MCAS Testing will take place between the dates of April 1-May 22.
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 8th Grade
During the month of March, the JFK nursing
staff will be providing interview-based screening for 8th grade students about
the use of alcohol and marijuana. SBIRT screening sessions will be included
with the regular 8th grade health screenings (hearing, vision & scoliosis).
They will be brief (5-10 minutes) and be conducted confidentially in private,
one-on-one sessions. A copy of the screening tool was mailed home on 2/14/20 to
parents/guardians for their review. Results of the SBIRT screening will not be
included in your student’s school record and parents will be notified if a
student is referred to Guidance for further intervention.
You have the right to opt your child out
of these screenings. Contact the JFK School Nurse, Karen Schiaffo, RN at
587-1488 or at kschiaffo@northampton-k12.us
if you wish to do so. Please indicate if you prefer that your child not
participate in SBIRT, hearing, vision, scoliosis or all of the screenings.
Additionally, students may choose not to answer any of the SBIRT screening
questions as it is voluntary.
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.
JFK April PTO Online Meeting (4/7/20)
PTO meetings are usually held the first
Tuesday of the month from 6-7pm. Our next meeting is scheduled for April 7 in
the JFK library. If you can’t join us for meetings, but still want to help us
organize teacher appreciation events, please email us at jfkmspto@gmail.com.
Stay tuned for info on how to meet with us online if an in-person meeting is
not possible.
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.
We can accept Boxtop donations year-round as long as they are not expired.
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 Florence
Savings Bank Customers’ Choice Awards of 2020. This year we’re
hoping to get above 50 votes to receive support for our programs.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
The Sound of Music: Postponed
The NHS Musical, The Sound of Music
has been postponed. More information to come.
Second Annual Farm to School Summit:
Postponed
The 2nd annual Northampton Public Schools'
Farm to School Summit at the Smith College Campus Center has been postponed. http://www.northamptonschools.org/farm-to-school/
The Northampton Education Foundation
Spelling Bee: Postponed
The NEF is postponing its beloved annual
event, the Adult Spelling Bee, scheduled for March 25, until this fall. More
information will follow. Go to the NEF website
if you’d like to sponsor a team.
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/
Follow us on our JFK PTO Facebook Page
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Volunteer
with us! Sign up here if you can help the JFK PTO this year:
