JFK Elementary School
September 29, 2023
Hawk’s Herald
SOARing through the Week at JFK
Hello JFK Families!
While our school community was amped up for our annual Hawk-a-thon scheduled for today, Mother Nature had other plans in store! Thank you to our Hawk-mazing staff, students, and PTO who were able to adjust plans and postpone the Hawk-a-thon to this Monday, October 2nd, which is forecasted to be a gorgeous day.☀️ When faced with challenges or change of plans, I often try to look for the opportunities that the challenge provides. Here are some silver linings for that the postponement provides for our JFK community;
We now have several more days to continue to fundraise
We will now be starting a new week with a special all-school event that will make for an exciting start to the school week and will kick-off October with an abundance of Hawk spirit!
Keep collecting those pledges, every bit matters and is appreciated. The anticipation in the building over which class will raise the most money is mounting– we can’t wait for the prize reveal and to cheer on our buddy classrooms! It’s going to be a Hawk-some day!
Additionally, Mrs. Koosa and I are delighted to share that our Ben’s Bells kindness assembly last week is gaining traction. The assembly sparked our students and staff to incorporate kindness into their daily interactions at JFK. Around the building this week, students and classes have been discussing kind acts, our morning announcements have included inspirational quotes and reminders about being kind, some classes are “filling buckets,”sharing compliments, some have written kind letters, some students and staff have received “Kind Notes” for their kind behaviors, and student-generated mystery notes like the one below are popping up around the building. Kindness is contagious! I encourage you to talk with your children at home about kind acts and ways they can spread kindness to their family and friends beyond the school community.
That’s all for now, JFK! SOAR into the weekend with Hawk Pride and most of all, remember to BE KIND!
In partnership,
Amy E. Rizzo
Amy E. Rizzo, Principal
Follow me on X (formerly Twitter) @JFKPrincipalRIz
Important Dates & Information:
Upcoming Dates to Note:
October 2nd - Hawk-a-thon
October 4th- PTO Meeting
October 6th - Picture Day, Dress Your Best Spirit Day and Conference Site Opens
October 18, 19 & 20th - Early Release 1:15 PM and Scholastic Book
Fair
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 "jfks23"
Upcoming Elementary Parent Conferences:
Wednesday, October 18th 1:45-3:45 p.m.
Thursday, October 19th 5:30-8:00 p.m.
Friday, October 20th 1:45-3:45 p.m.
Please note that we will have a modified early dismissal time on the conference days to accommodate the conference schedule. Therefore, students will be dismissed on October 18th, October 19th, and October 20th at 1:15pm.
Parents/guardians will once again have the opportunity to select a conference time through My Conference Time. All conferences will be in person unless a parent/guardian requests a Google Meet link directly from the teacher. Fall conference sign up information will be live on our school website from Friday, October 6th, at 9:00 a.m. through Monday, October 16th, at 12:00 p.m. If you prefer a virtual session, please contact the teacher to request a Google Meet link to conduct your conference virtually after you have confirmed your conference time through My Conference Time Online Scheduler. We are looking forward to meeting with you to discuss your child’s learning!
Quick tip: Look for emails from “noreply@myconferencetime.com” when searching email for conference confirmation communications.
Join us for MPS Community Conversation: Think Big! Dream Big!
School Counselor News - Check out what Mrs. Swope, our school counselor, has been doing with all students this month in her School Counseling Newsletter.
JFK Parent Book Club - Are you interested in participating in a JFK Parent Book Club?
This year Mrs. Swope, JFK's School Counselor, will be holding a book club with parents/guardians. We will be reading the book "Anxious Kids Anxious Parents" by Reid Wilson and Lynn Lyons. This book is most appropriate for caring for children aged 8-18.
There will be both a virtual and in-person book club. Meetings will take place at JFK during the school day and virtually in the evenings. Members are invited to join whichever sessions best fit their schedule. The book club will meet 10-12 times over the course of the year, once a week. Meeting dates will be determined once information is collected from potential book club participants.
Books will be provided to book club members.
If you are interested and would like more information, please complete this form
News from the Nurse - For current Illness Guidelines including COVID-19 recommendations please visit the JFK Nurse’s page on MPS website and click on the Illness Guidelines icon to review the current Health Department letter to parents.
Community Connections News - This week's CCC News contains information and links for The Circle of Security Parenting Class, Bridge's Folk on Spokes event, Family Fun at the cider mill and farms!
Remember that the CCC Website is updated with links to community resources.
Have a Great Weekend!
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!
"The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members"-Coratta Scott King
--
The CCC honors all family inquiries as private and confidential unless parent permission is given or Connecticut mandated reporting applies.
Mary-Kathryn Williams, Coordinator
Milford Community Connection Centers
203-882-6094
.
Happy Fall, JFK families! Lessons are in full swing in the Library Media Center. We started the year with a welcome unit, familiarizing students with the physical space and our virtual spaces (Google Classroom and Clever). Additionally, students are using the circulation computers to check books in and out, and have begun reshelving the books (which is harder than it sounds!). In our next unit, we will be talking about digital citizenship and online safety.
If you ever need to reach me, my email address is ksoder@milforded.org. I look forward to seeing many of you at the book fair and parent teacher conferences in mid-October!
News from the JFK PTO:
Our HAWK-A-THON will be held on Monday, October 2nd! Remember to wear sneakers and bring a water bottle. It’s going to be a hawk-some day for our learning community! Thank you PTO!
Be sure to check out the email from the PTO this week that includes important information on upcoming events!
Hawk-a-thon- is Monday! It’s our biggest fundraiser of the year! We appreciate your help in supporting JFK through this fundraiser.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Look at some of the HAWK-SOME learning that happened at JFK this week!
JFK: A Community Where ALL Learners SOAR!