News from JFK Middle School

Hello JFK Families,

We have 4 short days left until we send students home for Winter Break (no school on Friday!). As a reminder, the break goes from 12/22 until 1/1. We will welcome students back here on Tuesday, January 2nd.

Congratulations to all students who participated in this week's band concerts. It was great to see such a nice turnout both evenings.

We have a few new announcements below. As always, please reach out with any questions, and enjoy the rest of your Friday.

Have a great weekend,

Lauren

A HUGE thank you and congratulations to Ms. Serio and her amazing band students!! We are so impressed with your talent and professionalism. Well done!!!

During the pandemic/hybrid years at JFK, students had been given the option to eat their lunch either in the cafeteria or on the outdoor patio. Due to security concerns and the limited amount of staff on lunch duty, we have made the decision to eliminate the option for students to eat outside during the cold winter months. In the warmer weather, we keep the doors to the patio open and can more safely monitor students who are eating outside. Until the weather is warm enough that we can keep the doors open during lunches (and not freeze students who are inside), the outdoor eating area will be closed. We will follow up in the spring!

Registration for after school session 3 is now open. Paperwork can be submitted electronically by "making a copy" of our digital form shared below OR hard copies are available in the main office. Payment should be submitted to the main office along with completed forms. See the attachment below for a schedule of offerings.

Classes are available on a first-come-first-serve basis. Baking, "Food Fight", and Weightlifting will likely fill up fast so please register early for these. REGISTRATION AND PAYMENT ARE DUE WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3rd.

Please reach out to Chris Amirault, our after school coordinator, with any questions. His email is on the forms attached below.

Our afterschool program is a thriving community of students and adults connecting around shared areas of interest. Join today to create new friendships and pursue your passions!

After School session 3 registration

After school session 3 programs

After School 23/24 calendar

On behalf of the amazing, excellent, fantastic JFK PTO, THANK YOU to those folks who have been able to donate. We would like to send this out just one more time in the hopes that some folks might be able to donate.

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FUNDRAISER: Many thanks to those who have donated to the PTO fundraiser! You've donated ~$3.5K so far - thank you!

We're hoping to raise $10K more by the end of the year!

Remember: 100% of every dollar donated stays at JFK and directly benefits our students and school community.

Gifts can be made in the following ways:

a. Mail a check payable to “JFK Middle School PTO” to 100 Bridge Rd, Florence MA 01062.

b. Send a check to the JFK office with your student in an envelope labeled “PTO”

c. Online at https://www.mightycause.com/organization/Parent-Teacher-Organization-Of-John-F-Kennedy-Middle-School.

d. Use the below QR code.

Any student who wants to participate in Open Gym in the mornings must arrive by 8:00 and must have appropriate footwear. Students arriving at 8:00, and/or without sneakers will be turned away. Please reach out with any questions.

Please remember to have your child/ren pack coats, hats, gloves etc if they want to participate in outdoor recess. We will go out evety day unless there is heavy precipitation or if temperatures are dangerously cold. As a reminder, students are allowed to go to the library or stay in the cafeteria during recess if they would prefer to.

Greetings caregivers! Is your student into reading? Do they have a book that they love that they want to encourage other students to read? We're looking for students to write "book talks" for our morning news! Students are not required to film their segments, though if they want to we can discuss that!

For more information, please encourage your students to either stop by the library to see Ms. Gilana or send an email to jfklibrary@northampton-k12.us. And for an example of a great student book talk, check out the video on the library blog.

Please check out this link for our daily announcements. A special thanks to all students involved, as well as Mr. Crescitelli for coordinating these announcements.

Here is the link:

JFK Live News

Please make sure to reach out if your contact information changes (including email address, phone numbers, and address). It is important that we have updated information so that we can ensure all outgoing correspondence is received.

Please call 413-587-1489, or email Ms. Velez at jvelez@northampton-k12.us

12/22/23 - 1/1/24 - December Break (No school)

Please see the following information from the JFK office staff regarding early dismissals:

JFK Early Dismissal Procedures:

• Please ring the doorbell to speak to someone in the Main Office.

• The office staff will call the classroom to dismiss the student.

• Students should report to the office before leaving the building.

*Caregivers do not need to call the school or send a note ahead of time (unless someone other than the caregiver is picking up the student). Students cannot be dismissed until the caregiver arrives at school.

Here is a link to JFK Middle School Caregiver Resources, including an Aspen guide prepareed by our Tech Integrationist, Mr. Crescitelli. Please reach out if you still have any questions regarding how to access your child/ren's information and grades on Aspen.

The JFK Parents Guide to Aspen

I will use this space to link accessible resources for caregivers. Please let me know what additional information would be helpful. The resources below are from specific caregiver requests. I intend on continually adding more information as the school year progresses.

JFK Middle School Webpage

JFK Counseling Department Information

Grade Level Curriculum (please note that there is a district-wide initiative to update all curriculum)

NPS District Calendar

Student Expectations

The JFK Parents Guide to Aspen

Technology Caregiver Resources