JFK Elementary School
November 3, 2023
Hawks’ Herald
SOARing through the Week at JFK
Hello JFK Families!
Week after week the fun and learning continues to SOAR here at JFK! A special thank you to our PTO for a truly impressive Trunk or Treat last Friday evening. It was a fantastic evening of fun! Thank you to all the families who participated. The JFK community was out in full force and boy were those trunks amazing works of heart!
On Monday the community came together during our Costume Parade. It surely was a celebratory event and we were grateful that so many families were able to join us for the parade. The students’ costumes were amazing! If you missed it, we included a link at the bottom of the newsletter with many photos taken that date. Enjoy them! You may even spot a Barbie or two among the costumes. 😁 Our JFK staff really knows how to come together and have some fun!
This week we also held our November PTO meeting. At the meeting I shared a little bit about some of the instructional strategies our teachers are trying out in their classrooms this year. As a staff we are working on engaging students in thinking tasks and on making student thinking visible. One tool that many of our classrooms are trying out is vertical non-permanent work spaces, or as the students may call them “Thinking Boards” or “Wipeboards.” You may notice that in some of the classroom photos we share in the Hawk’s Herald each week students are standing up and working collaboratively in small groups at white boards. This instructional strategy is just one way to make student thinking visible. It encourages collaboration and problem solving, encourages risk taking and knowledge mobility as students share their work around the room. Our teachers have found it to be a beneficial instructional tool and the students seem to enjoy the social nature of tackling thinking tasks with their classmates. In future newsletters I will share more about some of the professional learning our teachers are engaging in around the book Building Thinking Classrooms by Peter Liljedahl. Ask your child about the work they have done so far this year on vertical thinking boards!
A reminder that next week is Election Day, so school will not be in session on Tuesday. That’s all for now, Hawk families. Enjoy the weekend, take time to relax, and most of all remember to BE KIND!
Amy E. Rizzo
Amy E. Rizzo, Principal
Follow me on X (formerly Twitter) @JFKPrincipalRIz
Important Dates & Information:
November 7th -Election Day! No School for Students
November 8th- JFK PTO Pantochino Production of The Jungle Book
November 10th - Veterans Day
November 13th- World Kindness Day!
November 15th- Early Dismissal (Professional Learning for Staff)
November 16th- Pie Delivery
November 22nd- Early Dismissal
November 23rd-24th- No School - Thanksgiving Break
November 30th - Last day to claim Lost and Found items
Food Drive - The Boys and Girl Scouts of CT is hosting a Thanks for Giving Food Drive from October 30th - November 10th. Please consider donating a canned or shelf-stable food item to the collection box.
Lost and Found - There are many items, especially sweatshirts, on the Lost and Found table in the main lobby. Please encourage your child to check the items on the table when they walk by. Items not picked up after Thanksgiving will be donated.
As the temperature is getting colder, PLEASE LABEL outwear pieces and layers with your child’s name on an inside tag so anything misplaced can be returned quickly.
Veterans Day - We’re excited to welcome about 20 veterans to JFK on Friday, November 10th. We are extending the RSVP to Sunday the 5th. Please respond by this time so we can properly prepare for the breakfast and assembly.
In recognition of Veterans Day, we will be honoring those people in our lives who have served or are actively serving as members of the armed forces. We will hold an in-school assembly on Friday, November 10th.
Complete this Google Form by Sunday, November 5th (date extended) if your family knows of a veteran who would like to visit JFK when we celebrate Veterans Day on Friday, November 10th. Our PTO is arranging for breakfast to be served beginning at 9am followed by an all-school assembly at 9:45am. Please see the form for additional details. Email or call Mrs. Koosa with any questions. dkoosa@milforded.org or 203-301-5659
We will also create a Wall of Honor to recognize and celebrate the veterans in our lives. Please click on this template to make a copy of the Wall of Honor slide. You and your child(ren) can add a picture and type a brief summary of why that veteran is special to you. Be sure to include your veteran’s name and armed service as well as your student’s name, grade, and room number. Families can honor more than one veteran too! Please send submissions to Mrs. Koosa dkoosa@milforded.org by Sunday, November 5th (date extended)
News from the Nurse
Hello families!
The school health office will be conducting hearing and vision screenings next week.
If your child has borrowed clothes from the health office please wash and return them as soon as possible.
With cold/flu season upon us please remember to be diligent with handwashing and notify the school nurse of any communicable illnesses. There is a copy of the illness guidelines on the MPS JFK website under the nurse's office tab.
Also, with the weather changing many children are getting some very chapped lips, send them with chapstick if possible!
Change of Clothes - If your child comes home with clothing from the Nurse’s Office, please wash the item and return it to school as soon as possible so it is available for other children when needed. We do encourage parents of our students to pack a change of clothes in their child’s backpack.
Community Connections News -
This week's CCC News contains information and links for CT Foodshare, Daylight savings time and CT voting information.
Fun for your family can be found by clicking on links for a list of ten great playgrounds for you to enjoy together. Learn about "Operation Gratitude" and write a note to support our veterans.
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!
Mary-Kathryn Williams, Coordinator
Milford Community Connection Centers
203-882-6094
Community Resources Fair:
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Happy November Artists!
The art room has been full of lots of creations these last few months! This month, we will be looking at various art techniques and artists that can inspire us. Pre-K has been working on their fine motor skills by creating model magic pumpkins from clay, cutting, and gluing. Kindergarten is working on creating different fall inspired artworks, such as painted pumpkins and trees. First graders are looking at the artist Gustav Klimt to create a fall tree full of different types of line and shapes. Grade two just completed symmetrical owls full of different patterns. Grades three and four are looking at artist Yayoi Kusama to create different objects full of pattern, shape, and space. Grade 5 will be starting a new project where they will be researching different types of texture within animals to create an etching. Between their projects, students from all grades have been working on a piece for our special installation to celebrate Veterans Day!
Keep creating and have a wonderful November!
Ms. Benedetti
News from the JFK PTO:
Be sure to check out the Newsletter from the JFK PTO this week that includes important information on upcoming events, programming and fundraisers! When you support the PTO you are directly supporting our school community.
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A Glimpse at the Week:
Click here to look at some of the HAWK-SOME learning that happened at JFK this week!!
Our JFK Costume Parade this week was so much fun! Did you spot any Barbies and Kens? If you missed the link for those pictures click here.
JFK: A Community Where ALL Learners SOAR!