JFK Elementary School September 8, 2023
Hawk’s Herald
SOARing through the Week at JFK
Hello JFK Families!
This week sure has been an eventful one with the heat, humidity, and weather related early dismissals! Thank you to all of our families for adjusting your home schedules several days this week to accommodate for the change in hours of the school day. We certainly did not let the high temps get us down at JFK! Our learning community still engaged in fun activities together, and as you will see by the photos below, our students and staff were still smiling despite having several days of indoor recess. We are hopeful that it will be back to business as usual next week! Please make sure to send your child with a water bottle to stay hydrated. We look forward to SOARing into a Hawk-some first full week of school next week!
I’d like to take a moment to remind all families who drop off or pick up students to please bring your patience and positivity. Safety is of the utmost importance during arrival and dismissal and we are working together to expedite the process while maintaining safety and adhering to district protocols. While this week car lines may have been longer and slower than usual, we ask that you extend courtesy and respect to one another at all times, just as we would expect our students to be kind and courteous to one another at all times. A few important reminders in regard to arrival and dismissal procedures:
Please pull all the way up before allowing your child/children to exit the vehicle
If your child needs assistance to exit the vehicle, please park your car in the lot to get out to help them exit, as to not hold up the flow of the line.
Please remind students not to run towards vehicles until cars have come to a complete stop
Be especially mindful that this is a school parking lot and children and families may be walking through. Be aware of your surroundings and drive slowly and cautiously all the way until you exit onto West Ave.
Walkers please use sidewalks and crosswalks at all times.
When turning into the parking lot at dismissal, please do not block the exit lanes. Wait until there is enough room to safely turn into the lot.
Most importantly, BE KIND to our fellow Hawk families and staff! If we can all do our part to follow the rules and procedures put in place, our arrival and dismissal will go smoothly!
Additionally, I’d like to remind you of a few important upcoming dates. We look forward to seeing all of you for Open House on Tuesday, September 19th at 6pm. At that time you will have an opportunity to visit your child’s classroom, meet the teachers, and learn about the curriculum. Additionally, our family picnic has been rescheduled to Friday, September 22nd and our HAWK-SOME primary fundraiser, the Hawk-a-thon will be held on September 29th 6-8pm. Please save these important JFK community dates!
I wish you all a fun-filled and cool weekend! Enjoy the time with your families and friends!
In partnership,
Amy E. Rizzo
Amy E. Rizzo, Principal
Follow me on X (formerly Twitter) @JFKPrincipalRIz
Important Dates & Information:
Upcoming Dates to Note:
September 19th- Open House 6-7:45pm
September 20th- Early Dismissal (Professional Learning for Staff)
September 22nd - Back to School Family Picnic & Mum Sale Pick Up
September 25th- No School (Yom Kippur)
September 28th- Wear GOLD to support Childhood Cancer Awareness
September 29th- Hawk-a-thon
Picture Day is Coming - Friday, October 6th pictures will be taken at JFK. Our school prepay is now active until October 20th. If there are siblings in the same school, then you may enter the next child's name after placing the first child's package in the cart.
Also note, Robert Taylor offers the 3rd child free package in the same school. You may prepay the first and second child's orders in the school's prepay. This is a special only available thru the end of the prepay period (Oct. 20th) and at the same school.
The link is listed below and on the information sheet, along with instructions:
JFK photo prepay active until Oct. 20 code "jfks"
Fire Drills - Conducting emergency drills (fire, crisis, lockdown, etc.) is one of the most important ways we enhance our preparedness for students and staff during an emergency. Drills allow us to practice what we need to do when an emergency arises in our school.
JFK School will be conducting a fire drill next week. This will only be a drill and will be conducted in accordance with the School Incident Management Protocols established by the district, and in collaboration with our local first responders. Please discuss the importance of our emergency drills with your children. If you have any feedback please reach out to Mrs. Rizzo (arizzo@milforded.org) or Mrs. Koosa (dkoosa@milforded.org). We thank you for your cooperation and partnership with making our schools a safer place for learning.
Community Connections News - Milford’s Community providers information & updates can be found on our NEW CCC district website along with the CCC’s programs! To locate the CCC’s web page go to Milford’s main page and click on the Menu tab & scroll down under district Information to find the Community Connections Centers!
This week's CCC News contains links to TEAM for energy assistance, CT Foodshare Mobile and information for Milford's Porchfest.
Remember that the CCC Website is updated with links to community resources.
Have a Great Weekend!
Mary-Kathryn Williams, Coordinator
Milford Community Connection Centers
203-882-6094
Mwilliams@milforded.org
Milford Food Service Information -We’ve received many questions this week about snack/breakfast, lunch, and payment options among other things connected to our food service department. There are many valuable documents and resources available to you – guaranteed to provide the answer you’re looking for. Check these out!
What’s Included in a School Breakfast
What’s Included in a School Lunch
We think you’ll like this wonderful informational piece: A Guide to Milford Food Services, 2023-24. This tri-fold marketing piece will provide answers to many of your questions – written in simple, short style. Print one out and keep it on your fridge for easy access.
Questions about LINQ: This 11-page guide answers most, if not all, of the questions you might have about LINQ – the online payment portal for school meals. Clean, clear, and concise – this is a good one to review quickly and easily.
Didn’t find what you’re looking for? Call the Foodservice Department at (203) 783-3490 – they’re happy to help!
Chromebook Insurance- You Can Renew Right on the Parent Portal - Our low-cost Chromebook Insurance program is WELL worth the annual renewal fee ($25 per year). If you’ve got kids, then you already know there’s always the potential for something to happen to the Chromebook during the year: lost (~$230 replacement cost), replacement mainboard (~$90), cracked screen (~$40), broken hinges (~$15), or broken keyboard (~$60), just to name a few. For $25, you can have peace of mind and save a lot of aggravation when something goes wrong. You can reserve your Chromebook insurance right on your Parent Portal account. If you have any questions, please contact our BIDS dept. at (203) 783-3446.
.
Specialist Spotlight - STEM
Hi JFK Families! Despite the heat and shortened days this week, we have managed to get almost every class into the science lab for an introductory activity to start the year! I am looking forward to jumping into weather and states of matter with Kindergarten and Grade Two respectively in the coming weeks.
If you are looking for quick, fun, and thought provoking science experiments to try at home, please check out this folder! I have dozens of videos that I've created that you can follow along with, and new videos will be added throughout the year! If you do try any of these, please click here and fill out a super short survey about your experience!
Thanks,
Mr. Sabo
STEM Educator
News from the JFK PTO:
Be sure to check out the email from the PTO this week that includes important information on upcoming events!
Look at some of the great learning that happened at JFK this week.
