News from JFK Middle School
Updates from JFK Middle School - 4/7/23
Principal's Letter to Caregivers
Dear JFK Caregivers,
It's been a busy week with our first round of MCAS exams nearly completed. We are still conducting a few makeups for those students who were absent. We will conclude the ELA MCAS next week. As a reminder, here are the remaining MCAS dates:
Math: May 10th and 11th
STE: May 17th and 18th (8th grade only)
A reminder that the week of the 17th is our Spring Recess.
Have a great weekend,
Lauren
PTO Breakfast for JFK Staff
Dear JFK families,
Next Thursday, April 13th, the JFK PTO is sponsoring a Teacher and Staff Appreciation Breakfast Bar. Please consider donating a breakfast item for this event. Please click the link to let us know what you can purchase or make for this event, (SIGN UP). All breakfast items should be dropped off between 7am-8am in the JFK Community Room on Thursday morning. If you have any questions, please contact Greg at (narleski@gmail.com).
If you don't have time to make something or buy something, you can make a donation. Folks can donate through https://tinyurl.com/y529vnzp.
PTO also accepts cash and checks made payable to the JFK PTO. Donations should be sent to the JFK office in an envelope marked PTOThank you for supporting the amazing teachers and staff at JFK!
Sincerely,
The breakfast club (Amy, Rachel, Melissa, and Greg) and JFK PTO
8th grade updates
8th grade families: THIS IS THE LAST WEEK to send a picture of your 8th grader as their former self to Jessica Engebretson, the yearbook club advisor. This picture will be used in the "Guess Who" section where everyone will have to guess which 8th grader belongs to the little kid picture. Please email the picture to jengebretson@northampton-k12.us by THIS FRIDAY, 4/14.
Spirit Week Next Week!
Next week, students are invited to participate in the 3rd JFK Spirit Week:
Monday: Earth Colors Day - Wear the colors of our beloved Earth: green, blue and/or brown!
Tuesday: Garden Day - Grab your muddy boots, hilarious floppy hats, and/or floral prints! Dress like you’re going to spend a day in a garden, or like you’re the garden yourself.
Wednesday: Animal Day - Make this a Wild Wednesday! Wear animal prints, or a full animal onesie.
Thursday: Elements Day - Channel some Avatar the Last Airbender (or Captain Planet if you’re old) and dress as earth, water, fire, or air!
Friday: World United - We can only defeat climate change together, united. Wear international jerseys, or drape yourself in your favorite flag!
JFK Thrift Store / Clothing Swap - Friday April 14th
REAL TALK STORY EXHIBIT ON MAY 1ST
The goal of the REAL Talk Story Project is to inspire compassionate and critical conversations about race and racism and work toward racial equity, grounded in the experiences of our school community. To that end, the exhibit is based on experiences of our students, educators and caregivers over the past few years.
The project is being collaboratively launched by REAL Northampton and an advisory team of 4 educators and 4 incredible 6th grade students at JFK. The JFK art department is also leading a corresponding school-wide art project! The event will feature the Amherst Gospel choir and the JFKeys, tours of the exhibit, and more
There is additional info on the REAL Northampton website, here: https://realnorthampton.com/share/. You can also find exhibit updates on REAL Facebook and Instagram.
We hope to see you there!
In community,
REAL Story Project Team
***REMINDERS! ***
PBIS April Incentive for Students
Thank you to the PBIS team for another awesome and exciting student incentive!
For the month of April, each day at each lunch, admin and teachers will choose one table as the daily “winner” for that grade.
The winning table will be 1.) the cleanest with 2.) no students out of seat/wandering. Our custodians, Amy and Roger will have a say in this!
Admin/Teachers will give each student at the winning table a blue ticket. Students will sign their first and last names on the back of the tickets and put them in a large, marked bucket in the cafeteria
It is possible that there will be NO Winner at a lunch if all of the tables are messy/if all of the tables have students wandering!
At the end of the month of April, we will draw the names of 50 students who can board the Ice Cream Emergency Bus!
After School Program Updates
- This coming Monday, April 3rd will be the start of our After School Ultimate Frisbee program. It runs Monday-Friday 3:05pm - 4:35pm.
- April 13th will be our last day for our After School Programs session 3.
- April 24th will be the start of our session 4 After School Programs.
- Registration paperwork can be found in the office starting April 3rd or by emailing camirault@northampton-K12.us.
- Available After School Programs can be found in the office starting April 3rd or by emailing camirault@northampton-K12.us.
4th Quarter Will Begin 4/10
If you have any concerns regarding any of your child's classes, please reach out to the teacher or guidance counselor to set up a meeting. We are here to support you and your child/ren!
MCAS Dates and Survey
Here are the MCAS testing dates for 2023:
ELA: 4/4 and 4/5
Math: 5/10 and 5/11
STE: 5/17 and 5/18
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.
NPS - Spring Sports
The following sports are available to JFK students this spring:
- Softball - 7th and 8th Graders
- Boys Tennis - 7th and 8th Graders
- Girls Lacrosse - 7th and 8th Graders
- Boys Lacrosse - 8th Graders
Registration is open and families can sign up at the following link: https://www.familyid.com/northampton-high-school-athletics/spring-athletics-2023-5
Please reach out to David Proulx, Northampton Public Schools Athletics Director at dproulx@northampton-k12.us
EARTH WEEK CELEBRATION - APRIL 10-14TH
Thanks to Ms. Terry and the Environmental Club for hosting an Earth Week celebration the week before Spring Break (April 10th-14th).
In order to make this happen we need to collect some materials to use in sustainable art projects.
They are looking for the following materials:
Rolls of craft wire
Glue sticks for a glue gun
Chicken wire (about 10 ft)
beading wire
Embroidery thread
A collection box will be in the library.
Please let us know if you have any items to donate.
Additional thanks go the PTO has approved $200, mostly for prizes.
Contact Information Reminder
Please call 413-587-1489, or email Ms. Velez at jvelez@northampton-k12.us
JFK Announcements
Policy ACF - Protections from Discriminatory Bias
"provide a means by which students, staff members, and visitors who experience bias (defined below) may have their concerns heard and receive support, conflicts may be mediated, parties may be educated regarding the impact of harm, and, when called for, effective community responses forged."
We will be discussing this document and its implications as a faculty beginning on Monday during our faculty meeting. We will be creating a presentation for staff, students and caregivers so that there is a clear process for identifying, reporting, and responding to incidents of discriminatory bias at JFK Middle School.
This tool can be used to isolate the standards for all classes and grade levels. It might be helpful in determining the expectations for your child/ren for each of their academic classes.
From DESE: The learning standards in the Massachusetts curriculum frameworks set expectations for what all students should know and be able to do by the end of each school year. Educators, students, families, and others can use the Standards Navigator to explore the Massachusetts learning standards and find related resources such as student work exemplars, quick reference guides, and definitions of terms.
Chromebook Care
-> Your chromebook is yours. No one else should use it.
-> Your chromebook is for school-related use only.
-> Keep your chromebook in its case
-> Keep food and drinks away
-> Charge your chromebook each night
-> Check your Gmail regularly and keep it clean
-> Bookmark Google Classroom and any websites
-> Check your assignment due date calendar
->Keep your Google Drive organized (folders)
Your chromebook is in your hands. Please be ACCOUNTABLE, SAFE, and KIND!
In Every Edition
Important Dates
April 10 - April 14 - Climate Week and School Spirit Week
April 12 - School Council
April 17 - April 21 - Spring Recess
Early Dismissal Procedures
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.
Technology Resources
Resources
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 Counseling Department Information
Grade Level Curriculum (please note that there is a district-wide initiative to update all curriculum)