Wednesday, August 29, 2018

JFK PTO Update – August 29, 2018




JFK PTO Update – August 29, 2018

Important Dates:
August 30 - First Day of School
August 30 - Cookie Social from 6:30-7:30 for Grade 6 families.
September 3 - Labor Day *NO SCHOOL
September 11 - PTO Meeting 6pm in JFK library
September 20 - JFK Open House 6:30pm
September 25  - Picture Day (Retake Day is November 1)

Welcome to the 2018-19 school year!
Tomorrow August 30th is the first day of school. Please arrive to school before 7:55am. If you are driving your student to school please use the parent/guardian drop off area accessed by the driveway closest to Look Park. We know that readjusting our schedules to school time can be a challenge for us all. Make sure to get a good night sleep and eat a hearty breakfast. Our key word for the next few days is flexibility! The JFK PTO is here to support our whole JFK school community of families, students, teachers and staff. Please contact us anytime at jfkmspto@gmail.com. We are here to help!

6th Grade Cookie Social
JFK welcomes our 6th graders and their families after the first day for a Cookie Social on Thursday evening, August 30 from 6:30-7:30pm in the cafeteria. Cookies and lemonade will be served! Get the lay of the land and check out your student’s locker and homeroom.

Snacks for our Nurse’s Office
Our school nursing staff always appreciates donations of healthy snacks to distribute to our students as needed. Donations can be dropped of at the main JFK office. No snacks with nuts please. Some examples of great snacks are pretzels, nut free granola bars and sun or veggie chips.

Call for New PTO Officers and Member Volunteers
The PTO will is seeking a new secretary this year and more PTO members to help with events. The secretary takes minutes at the monthly PTO meetings. We will also be sending out calls for volunteers for events throughout the year. Email jfkmspto@gmail.com anytime and lend your expertise to our school.

Ways to Support JFK: Amazon Smile
Do your Amazon shopping at smile.amazon.com/ch/54-2157090 and Amazon donates to the Parent-Teacher Organization of John F Kennedy Middle School Inc.

Calling ALL Florence Savings Bank Customers!
Please consider supporting JFK Middle School through the Florence Savings Bank Customer Appreciation Awards Program. Money awarded will provide after-school and enrichment opportunities for our students. If you are a FSB customer you can vote online at the link below. Select J.F.K. Middle School as your favorite non-profit in Step 2. Thanks for your support!


Need to leave this list?
If your child is no longer attending JFK and you do not wish to receive these updates, please email us at jfkmspto@gmail.com.  We do not have any way to know who is staying and who is not – so please let us know.


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Friday, August 17, 2018

Transperformance 28🎤🎸🎺🎷AmperBands!


 
On Tuesday, August 21st, 2018 it’s time to celebrate our community and the arts with THE summer music festival at Pines Theater-Look Park. This year we will celebrate connection, collaboration and the power of performing together with Transperformance 28: Amperbands! Your favorite local acts will take the Pines Theater stage to perform material from dynamic duos to famous families to superstars and their trusty backing bands.
When: Tuesday, August 21, 2018 4:00-9:30pm
Where: Pines Theater-Look Park, 300 N Main Street Florence, MA 01062
How Much:
Pre-sale - Adults $10; Senior 65+/Student/Vet $8; Kids 12 & under $5;

Day of at Pines Theater Box Office - Adults $12; Senior 65+/Student/Vet $10; Kids 12 & under $7
Tickets: ONLINE-transperformance.brownpapertickets.com, State Street Fruit Store-Northampton, Cooper's Corner-Florence, AJ Hastings-Amherst; Day of the show at the Pines Theater Box Office starting at 3:30pm.
Featured AmperBands include: Colorway as Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, The Mary Jane Jones as Ike & Tina Turner, Aloha Steamtrain as Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars, Steve Westfield and the Lonesome Brothers as Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Soul Magnets as Sly & the Family Stone, Fancy Trash as Paul McCartney & Wings, Zip Cody & Friends as Adam & the Ants, Appalachian Still as Steve Earle & the Dukes, King Radio as Simon & Garfunkel, Eric Olsson and Free Range Cats as Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention, Page Six as K.C & the Sunshine Band, Johnny Memphis Band as Toots & the Maytals, Wishbone Zoe as Siouxsie & the Banshees, Volstead Act as Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Flathead Rodeo as Bill Haley & the Comets, Bruce Mandaro as Derek & the Dominos, Jerks on the Loose as Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris.
Rain Date: Wednesday, August 22 at Pines Theater, Look Park
Rain Predicted Both Days: Tuesday, August 21 at John M Greene Hall, Smith College
More info: 
Food will be available from La Veracruzana, Bart’s Homemade Ice Cream and other local pizza restaurants including Joe's, Sam's, Roberto's, Pizza Amore, and others. Per request of Look Park: No Pets, No Coolers and No Beverages please. Look Park charges a $5 special events vehicle entry fee for all vehicles without season passes. A portion of the proceeds support arts enrichment programs in the Public Schools of Northampton, Leeds, and Florence.

Wednesday, June 20, 2018

JFK PTO Update -June 20, 2018



JFK PTO Update – June 20, 2018

School’s out for Summer!

The JFK PTO would like to extend a big thank you to all our JFK families, friends and partners.This year we were able to raise over $18,000 combined through our various fundraisers such as; Make it Count, Valley Gives - Making Middle School Mobile, the annual Electronic Recycling, box tops, spirit-wear sales, Amazon Smile and more. With our new Make it Count campaign alone we retired the annual magazine drive so 100% of funds raised went directly to our students. With your generous donations we were able to fund so many great programs such as, The Celebration of Ancient Greece for 7th grade, the Connecticut Science Museum trip for 6th graders and a Day of Poetry at UMASS for our 8th graders. We also fund library projects, after school club grants, art department supplies, technology software for video production, Day of Service funding and more. We are extremely grateful for all of your generous donations that make all these programs possible for our students.

We are also very grateful to everyone who’s volunteered their time for the many events we host throughout the year. This includes our annual electronics recycling event, the fall book fair, 6th and 7th grade dances, teacher appreciation brunches and lunches, PTO board positions, meetings and more. Your time, even an hour or two, make all these events come together for our students and staff! Your time, energy and support make JFK a great place to go to middle school!  

Have a wonderful summer.

JFK PTO

Important Dates:
Thursday, August 30 is the First Day of School for 2018-2019. For more dates, see the Northampton Public Schools Calendar online: http://www.northamptonschools.org/district-calendar/

Call for New PTO Officers and Member Volunteers
Please stay tuned for emails regarding PTO summer planning events. The PTO is seeking a new president and more PTO members to help with events. It’s a great way to make new friends and get a glimpse inside the mysterious world of middle school.  Also, If you like writing and are interested in becoming our next newsletter editor we’d love to hear from you!
Email jfkmspto@gmail.com and lend your expertise to our school.

Ways to Support JFK: Amazon and Box Tops
Do your Amazon shopping at smile.amazon.com/ch/54-2157090 and Amazon donates to the Parent-Teacher Organization of John F Kennedy Middle School Inc. Box Tops for Education are always welcome for drop off in the school office. We thank you for your support! Your shopping makes a difference. 



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Si desea recibir esta información en español, envíenos un mensaje a jfkmspto@gmail.com.




Sunday, June 10, 2018

JFK PTO Update - June 10, 2018



JFK PTO Update – June 10, 2018
Important Dates:
June 10 - Last Call for Yearbooks (all cash or check orders due)
June 11 - Eighth Grade Picnic (rain date June 13)
June 12 - JFK Day of Service (rain date June 13)
June 20 - Last Day of School (Half Day)

Mark Your Calendars!
Thursday, June 14 is the next School Committee Meeting at 7:15pm in the Mark E. Warner Community Room at JFK Middle School. The public is welcome to attend all meetings, and are welcome to speak in the Public Session of the full Committee meetings.

Thursday, August 30 is the First Day of School for 2018-2019. For more dates, see the Northampton Public Schools Calendar online: http://www.northamptonschools.org/district-calendar/

The Annual JFK Day of Service is coming up on June 12 (Rain Date June 13)
Students and staff will be participating in morning community service activities that range from working in the elementary schools, landscaping in Look Park, making pet toys and blankets for Dakin animal shelter, building bird houses, playing a community jazz concert and more. To view the JFK Day of Service flyer that goes home today, click on the link below.

We need the following donations for various Day of Service activities. Please bring donations to the front office at JFK. If you are lending an item please be sure to label it with your name and phone number.

Donations List
  • Paper towels
  • Plants
  • Yarn
  • Socks (baby, kids and regular) MUCH NEEDED FOR PET TOYS!!
  • Feathers
  • Soft fabric (like fleece)
  • T-shirts
  • Tennis balls (used are fine)
  • Large trash bags
Yard tools: (for donation or lending) Please mark items with your name/number for returning.
  • rakes
  • gloves
  • shovels
  • clippers
  • 5 gallon buckets
  • wheelbarrows
If you have any questions please contact us at jfkmspto@gmail.com.


Call for New PTO Officers and Member Volunteers
The PTO will be seeking a new president next year and more PTO members to help with events. A new secretary to take minutes and assist with the agenda at our monthly meetings is also needed. If you are interested in becoming our new newsletter editor we’d love to hear from you. Email jfkmspto@gmail.com and lend your expertise to our school.

Ways to Support JFK: Amazon and Box Tops
Do your Amazon shopping at smile.amazon.com/ch/54-2157090 and Amazon donates to the Parent-Teacher Organization of John F Kennedy Middle School Inc. Box Tops for Education are always welcome for drop off in the school office. We thank you for your support! Your shopping makes a difference.

New Podcast from our friends at the Northampton Prevention Coalition!
Northampton Prevention Coalition in partnership with Northampton Community Television, has launched a free podcast series, NPC in the 413, addressing topics such as addiction, faith, healthy development, community-building, prevention, and parenting.

The podcast aims to expand the coalition’s educational programming and generate community discussion about topics impacting healthy youth development. The Northampton Prevention Coalition is a federally-funded substance abuse prevention coalition run out of the Northampton School Department dedicated to reducing and delaying youth substance use and promoting healthy youth development. It was created in 2008.

NPC in the 413 launched March in an effort to make the coalition’s educational offerings more accessible to a broader audience, to disseminate ideas and practices that reduce risk for developing addiction and to promote community engagement and connection. The podcast features local experts on topics such as strong relationships, emotional support, living in recovery, healthy parenting and advocacy.

To date, there have been 14 episodes and sound bites released. All can be found by accessing a podcast platform and searching for NPC in the 413. New episodes are released on Tuesdays.

The podcast features interviews with local experts from various fields including Sharon Saline, an ADHD specialist, The  Rev. Sarah Buteux, of First Churches, Aaron Pitrat, a UMass student and person in recovery, John Pearson, veteran and person in recovery, and Susan Wallace, Training Director for Quabbin Mediation. To suggest topics and/or people to interview for the series, email
alennox@northampton-k12.us.

Direct link to podcast:
https://npcprevents.podbean.com/


Upcoming Community Events and Offerings:

Circus Smirkus is coming to town July 31-August 1
North Star is proudly bringing Circus Smirkus back to the Pioneer Valley this summer! Circus Smirkus (the premier traveling youth circus similar to Cirque du Soleil, but with children performing), is coming to Northampton, Massachusetts, Tuesday July 31 and Wednesday August 1 for four shows. This year will be an all new show, with a Vaudeville theme. Show times are 1pm and 6pm on Tuesday, July 31 and Wednesday, August 1 under a Big Top tent on a field at the Three County Fairgrounds. Standard prices for adult tickets (ages 13 and older) are $22, children (ages 2–12) are $18, while lap children under 2 are free. Group rate discounts of $2/ticket ($20/adult and $16/child) for groups of 15 or more are available. By doing a group rate, you will also save a $3/ticket online fee for a total savings of $5/person. If anyone is interested in coordinating a group rate ticket sale for JFK, email us at the PTO and we will get you more info.

LEGO-Inspired STEM Summer Program at Northampton Parks & Rec
Kids are already naturally gifted creators. Then they get added inspiration from our specially trained instructors in our LEGO-Inspired STEM Summer Program. They dive into our massive collections of
LEGO® parts. And while they build elaborate objects, structures and vehicles, they explore
fundamental principles of engineering and physics. They also learn to collaborate and create without fear of mistakes. The experience is joyful, the impact long-lasting.

We are excited to be offering our LEGO-Inspired STEM Summer Program at Northampton Parks & Rec:

Jun 25th - Jun 29th
Ages: 6 to 8
Ages: 9 to 12

Aug 6th - Aug 10th
Ages: 5 to 6
Ages: 7 to 12

To learn more about what to expect at camp, click here: http://play-well.org/camps-2018.shtml

The Hartsbrook School -Wilderness Camp for teens this July!
Set a fish trap, make fire, weave a basket from materials found in the woods. Join our Wilderness Camp for teens this July! Just a few slots left. Rising 7th grade and up.
July 9-13, 8:45am-3pm
The Hartsbrook School
$325, $295 for siblings


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Si desea recibir esta información en español, envíenos un mensaje a jfkmspto@gmail.com.