JFK WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
Week of May 16, 2022
Greetings, JFK Families!
We hope you had a nice weekend!
This week, Grade 5 students will participate in Science MCAS on Monday 5/16 and Thursday 5/19. We know they are well prepared; please remind them to get a good night's sleep and eat a healthy breakfast the morning of.
Math MCAS make ups for Grade 3 & Grade 4 will be on Monday 5/16.
Math MCAS make up for Grade 5 will be Tuesday 5/17.
Please be sure that all students who will be taking MCAS come to school with a charged Chromebook on their testing days.
With the warm weather coming up, there will be lots of outdoor activities; please be sure students are dressed accordingly and bring a water bottle to school.
JFK Transition Information
Dear JFK Families,
As Principal DiDonna completes her transition, we’d like to thank her for her dedication and service to the students, families, and staff of the JFK over the last two years. We also wish her and her family the best on her journey to California and in all of their new adventures.
We also wanted to communicate the plan for supporting you and the JFK community for the next five weeks. To provide consistency for staff and families, Kate Gallahue will be the main point of contact in the building and a central office administrator will be at the JFK to support her and the building through June 21. The schedule for support will be as follows:
- May 16 - 20: Sarah Shannon
- May 23 - 27: Dianna Mullen
- May 30 - June 3: Dianna Mullen
- June 6 - June 10: Sarah Shannon
- June 13 - June 17: Dianna Mullen
- June 21: Sarah Shannon
If Ms. Shannon or Ms. Mullen cannot be in the building, we will ensure that another person is available to support any immediate needs.
Please reach out with any questions. We are looking forward to a great end to the school year!
Thank you,
Derek Folan
Superintendent
Sarah Shannon
Assistant Superintendent
It's Book Fair Week!
Monday, May 16 – Friday, May 20
The book fair will be open Wednesday, May 18th from 3:10pm to 7pm for all students and their families. Kindergarten students may visit at this time.
Hundreds of books from Scholastic will be available for purchase, with all proceeds benefiting the JFK Library. Grades 1-5 will visit the book fair during their regularly scheduled library time. Please let your students do some shopping!
Please have your child bring cash or check (made payable to JFK CAPT) to the fair in an envelope or Ziploc bag marked with his/her name. We will not charge sales tax. Parent volunteers can fill in the check amount if you wish.
Purchases may also be made online at http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/jfkennedyschool2
Orders will be delivered free of charge to your child’s classroom. The online bookstore will be available until May 26th.
If you wish to make a donation to your child’s classroom, please include a note with the cash or check. Teachers will have an opportunity to shop for their own classroom library with your donations and are always so appreciative.
Thank you to all the JFK families who make these fairs so successful!
Questions? Email JFK Librarian Maura Bayliss at baylissm@cantonma.org
CAPT Corner
CAPT Family Fun Event!
What a year it's been! Please join your fellow JFK families and staff in celebrating the end of this memorable school year.
Upcoming CAPT Meetings:
- May 18 at the Waterfall Grille, 7pm
- June 15 at the JFK Library to vote on budget for 22/23
Grade 5 Student Council
Thank you to all JFK students and families. The Student Council led fundraiser, for the World Wildlife Fund, raised $955.48. We were so impressed. Thank you again for your generosity!
Wednesday, May 18th we will start collecting non perishable food for the Canton Food Pantry. This will run through May 27th.
CPS FAMILY SURVEY
We are extending our deadline once again for our community survey through the end of the day on Monday, May 16. Your voice is important so we'd ask that you take a few minutes to complete the survey, linked here. Thank you for your continued partnership.
CANTON ART SHOW VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
Mrs. Eaton needs volunteers for this awesome event! Please use this link to sign up:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/904084DACA928A2F85-artshow
We are happy to announce the return of the Canton’s Annual K-12 Art Show! This year the show will be held May 23-26, 6-8pm in the gym at Canton High School. Every student at the JFK will have at least one piece of work on display.
Students will be working this month to prepare selections for the big event. We will work together to select a very special example of their favorite artwork for show. Students will then bring home their artwork that was not selected for display. All of the work from the show will be returned before the end of the school year.
Help is needed setting up the show on Friday, May 20, during the day and dismantling on Thursday, May 26 in the evening. Please email Mrs. Eaton, (eatonk@cantonma.org),if you would like to help.
This is a wonderful event for all of our students and we hope to see you there!
CAPE's Honor Thy Teacher Campaign
Honor Thy Teacher
A donation to CAPE's Honor Thy Teacher program is a wonderful way to recognize a specific teacher, staff person or administrator who has helped make a student's school year brighter. All donations support CAPE grants.
There are so many people in our schools who have a positive impact on our children every day. We are happy to honor them!
Visit CAPE to learn more or make a donation.
Upcming Dates From Mr. Sasin
May 23- Grade 5 Mile at 9:40 on the backfield
June 3rd- JFK Olympics (Field Day) all morning (rain date:6/7)
June 10th- 5th Grade Unity Day at GMS (rain date: 6/14)
PACE Screenings for Grade 2 Students
Any Grade 2 family that would like to have their child participate in a PACE screening should request this through this link. Requests should be completed by May 26.
Thank you, and if you have any questions about PACE or the screening process, please direct your questions to Dr. Gruberman (grubermanr@cantonma.org).
2022 - 2023 Kennedy School Hours
As you may know, every two years, one of the Canton elementary schools shifts to a later schedule for a two-year period. Next year, the Kennedy will remain as we have with the same hours as this year while the Hansen transitions to the "late" elementary school. The Kennedy will follow as the "late" school, for school years 2024-25 and 2025-26.
Reminder- Bus Registration for 2022-23 is Open!
Registration will remain open until May 20.
Re-Share: Info about Upcoming CAPT Night at Fenway!
Community Connections
Canton Public Schools has a new Community Resources and Information Page on its website titled Around Town. This page lists resources that are available in our community for families and students. Information on this page will be updated periodically.
This site can be reached at this link: About/Around Town.
Absence Hotline
Daily attendance for all students is a critical element of their learning, though we understand that absences sometimes occur. As a friendly reminder, if your child will be absent from school, please call the JFK Absence Hotline at 781-821-5080, Option 1.
What's Coming Up?
- Wednesday, May 18 - CAPT Meeting at Waterfall (7:00)
- May 16-20 - Scholastic Book Fair
- Monday, May 30 - No School (Memorial Day)
Contact Info
Kate Gallahue, Team Chair/Administrator
John F. Kennedy Elementary School
Twitter: @JFKGallahue
Email: gallahuek@cantonma.org
Website: https://www.cantonma.org/kennedy
Location: 100 Dedham Street, Canton, MA, USA
Phone: 781-821-5080
Twitter: @JFKGallahue