JFK Elementary School
December 8, 2023
Hawks’ Herald
SOARing through the Week at JFK
Hello JFK Families!
December brings with it many reasons to celebrate and be joyful! What a joyful week it has been here at JFK! The week began with the PTO Winter Store on Monday and Tuesday. Our students were delighted to have the opportunity to shop and boy were there some amazing items for them to purchase! On Tuesday our 5th graders entertained us in school with their holiday concert. They performed again that evening for their families and friends. It was a packed audience and the performance was Hawk-some! A big Hawk thank yous to our music teacher, Mrs. Voss, our band teacher, Mr. Boots, and our strings teacher, Ms. Robin for their work in preparing our students for the concert. It was a special week for our 5th graders as they rounded out the week with our D.A.R.E graduation. We are so proud of their hard work and learning with Officer Nesmith over the last few months.
Happy Hanukkah to those families who are celebrating during this season of light. Have a wonderful weekend Hawks and remember to Be Kind!
In partnership,
Amy E. Rizzo
Amy E. Rizzo, Principal
Follow me on X (formerly Twitter) @JFKPrincipalRIz
5th Grade D.A.R.E Graduation
Way to go JFK School! Together we raised $450 for the Connecticut Children's Medical Center.
Important Dates & Information:
December 18-22nd- Spirit Week
December 25 through January 1 - Winter Break
Please Note:
We love to celebrate your child’s birthday and make holidays throughout the year special; however, we do not allow goodie bags of any kind to come into school. Please reach out to your child’s teacher if you wish to come in and be a guest reader for the class or hand out a pencil, crayons or bookmark instead. To ensure all items are safe for all children we just ask that a gift bag of any kind not come in for birthdays or holidays. Thank you.
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 opened 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!
❤️🩹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 resources & fun seasonal activities. Among the community services you will find links for the CT FoodShare Mobile Pantry, Winter preparedness and CT's warming centers. Enjoy a free "Milford Holiday Concert", by the Miford Concert Band, The YMCA's "Cookies with Claus" or Therapy Minis, Piglet's Playdate with Santa's Reindeer.
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!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Mary-Kathryn Williams, Coordinator
Milford Community Connection Centers
203-882-6094
Staff Spotlight: World Language
¡Hola and Happy Holidays from Señorita Polansky!
It’s been an exciting few months in World Language! PreK-4 and Kindergarten have been learning how to introduce and greet each other in Spanish! I’m sure you have heard your kids singing some of our favorite songs! If you want to listen at home you can find our Youtube playlist HERE! Grade 1 has been learning how to talk about themselves and their identity, including their birthdays! Grade 2 has also been continuing our Identity Unit and we are continuing to talk about our likes and dislikes, using “Me gusta and No me gusta”.
Grade 3 is starting to focus on more reading in Spanish! We will begin to read a short story called “Carlos Celebra” and pair with reading comprehension activities. Reading to your child is really important at home too- literacy skills in English directly transfer to literacy skills in another language! Grades 4 and 5 are rocking Special Person interviews. We have been interviewing each other, asking questions and answering in Spanish. They are doing an awesome job taking risks and supporting each other in their language acquisition.
As always, please feel free to contact me at any time at rpolansky@milforded.org. Wishing you and your family a happy and safe holiday season! ¡Gracias!
Learn more about our Hawk-mazing Teacher Leader,
Mrs. Koosa!
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 view pictures of some of the HAWK-SOME learning and events that happened at JFK this week!!
JFK: A Community Where ALL Learners SOAR!