JFK Elementary School
November 17, 2023
Hawks’ Herald
SOARing through the Week at JFK
Hello JFK Families!
On Monday at JFK we celebrated World Kindness Day! As a Ben’s Bell’s Kind Campus, our school community is continually practicing Hawksome acts of kindness, and on Monday our focus on the importance of spreading kindness to others certainly was amplified. Students gave out special kind notes, they brainstormed ways to be kind to others and to our school, they shared examples of kind acts during morning meetings, and many classes read books with the theme of kindness. I was able to share the book The Sour Grape with our students. The story is about a sweet grape who turns sour when he holds a grudge against others. By the end of the story he realizes that everyone makes mistakes and that being kind to others is the most important thing of all. Thank you to our PTO for generously purchasing a copy of The Sour Grape for each of our classrooms this year! We appreciate your support and partnership in our school initiatives!
During this season of gratitude, I am reminded that there are so many ways we can be kind to others in our community. Last week, JFK’s generous contributions to both the ThanksforGiving Food Drive and our candy and cookies collection for the troops were two amazing demonstrations of the tremendous kindness of our community. Thank you to all of you who donated. I encourage all of our families to consider simple ways they can spread kindness throughout our Miford community through small acts of kindness, words of gratitude, or a kind note. You never know who may need that kindness and we know that kindness is contagious! Pass it on!
I wish all of you a wonderful weekend as we prepared for the excitement of the Thanksgiving holiday just ahead of us. Please be reminded that Wednesday, November 22nd is an early dismissal day as we lead into the Thanksgiving break.
Be KIND, JFK!
In partnership,
Amy E. Rizzo
Amy E. Rizzo, Principal
Follow me on X (formerly Twitter) @JFKPrincipalRIz
Ways to be kind, generated by our PreK students in Room 2 😀
Important Dates & Information:
November 21st - Picture Retake Day - AM
November 22nd- Early Dismissal @ 1:25 PM
November 23rd-24th- No School - Thanksgiving Break
November 29th- JFK PTO Paint Night 6:30 pm registration required
November 30th - Last day to claim Lost and Found items
December 6th- Early Dismissal for students
December 6th- JFK PTO Meeting 6:30 pm
Picture Retake Day - Picture Retakes will be taken on Tuesday, November 21st in the morning. Please see the flier for very important retake information.
Kindergarten Registration for the 2024-2025 School Year
Greetings, MPS Families!
We are pleased to announce that Kindergarten Registration for the 2024-2025 school year opens on Monday, November 13, 2023. If you have a child who will be starting Kindergarten in the fall, registration information will be posted to the district website www.milforded.org. You must register your child for Kindergarten at the school determined by your street address, unless placed by Pupil Personnel Services. School/Street Assignments are available on the district website under “District Information.”
Children born on or before September 1, 2019 are eligible to register for Kindergarten. If your child is not age eligible (born September 2, 2019 through December 31, 2019), please use the online registration form to request a waiver.
Any current MPS Preschool or Ready To Learn (RTL) students will need to complete an online registration form.
If you need assistance with the registration portal, please contact the main office of your district assigned school. School contact information can be found on the district website under “ Schools.”
We are excited for your children to join us! Fully registered families, please be on the lookout for more information from your school’s Principal about an in person kindergarten event in the spring. In the meantime, click here for a sneak peek of what to expect in Kindergarten!
We look forward to welcoming the Class of 2037!
Food Drive - On behalf of the Thanks For Giving Food Drive volunteer staff I just wanted to say a quick thank you to all of you in the Milford school system for your support of this year's food drive. Although we are still working on the final numbers, we fed 280 Milford families and supplied numerous charities and food pantries in Milford with more food than we have in past years. This success would not be possible without the support of the entire community, especially the continued support of the schools. Thank you for making that possible and for helping those who need it most. Have a Happy Thanksgiving and wonderful Holiday season
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 outerwear pieces and layers with your child’s name on an inside tag so anything misplaced can be returned quickly.
❤️🩹News from the Nurse
Hello families!
The school health office will be continuing to conduct hearing and vision screenings.
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!
Reminder - all PreK students need a flu shot by the end of the year.
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 a mix of educational & fun activities. We still have room for parents to participate in our CIrcle Of Security Parent group. TEAMS "Toys 4 Tots" program is looking for donations & accepting names of children from parents for gifts. Need help with your holiday meal preparations?l We have links to Butterball, Betty Crocker & the USDA to help answer your questions. If you're looking for some family fun activities after Thanksgiving why not go to The Milford Public Library's free showing of the movie "Bad Guys" on November 24th. Or if fresh air is what you're in the mood for on November 25th why not join the free "Thanksgiving Weekend Waddle" at the New Canaan Nature Center.
Cara & I would like to wish you all a Healthy & Happy Thanksgiving Day!
Remember that the CCC Website is updated with links to community resources.
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!
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Mary-Kathryn Williams, Coordinator
Milford Community Connection Centers
203-882-6094
Hello JFK Families and Friends!
We are busy, busy in P.E. and Health these days!
In P.E. grades 3-5 are completing our learning about fitness with the CT Physical Fitness Test. We are testing flexibility with the sit and reach, muscular endurance with the push-ups and curl-ups and cardiovascular endurance with the PACER test. We are also having some fun in between testing with relaxed stations when we can! In grades K-2 we have completed our personal space unit and now are learning about being a space invader. We are practicing appropriate space invading with tag games like zoo keeper tag and trolls tag.
In addition to P.E. some of our JFK learners are beginning a health unit with me! Second grade is learning about how to use good sportsmanship and interpersonal communication skills with games like high-five bank and build a shake. In Ms. Colandro's fourth grade class we are learning about decision making. Which decisions are thoughtful and which can be quick, when to ask for help and how decision making affects our safety. Our health classes continue to have rich discussions and lifelong learning!!!
Thank you!!!
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.
Milford Turkey Trot
Come join the Turkey Trot in a 1, 2, or 3 mile run/walk on 11/23. The trot directly supports
Milford Public Schools. Can’t participate? They are also looking for volunteers.
Register atwww.Milfordturkeytrot.com
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A Glimpse at the Week:
Click here to access pictures of some of the HAWK-SOME learning and events that happened at JFK this week!!
JFK: A Community Where ALL Learners SOAR!