Happy spring to our JFK family!

(some are former science experiments). We have so much to do over the next month! Students will be involved in benchmark assessments to determine how much they have learned this year in various subjects. These assessments are key to our planning for next year for your child, to en-sure scheduling placements are precisely what your child needs. Many events are also scheduled for the next few weeks. The National Junior Honor So-ciety induction ceremony, Friday spirit days, our annual Career Day, field trips, and spe-cial events for our 8th graders. th grade class is a special one these students are the first to have been here for three years, since the restructuring of the K-8 schools three years ago. The last day of school is June 19.

Sarah E. Collins Interim Principal

Volume 3, Issue 4

May 2014

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e Important Dates:  May 2 & 3 -  May 5 - 6th Grade Field Trip to the Bushnell  May 7 - National Jr. Honor Society Induction  May 19-23 - 6th Grade Hartford Stage/Artist-in-Residence Week  May 29 - Career Day   June 3 - 6th Grade Band and Chorus Concert   June 6 - 7th Grade Field Trip to Lake Compounce   June 5 - PTO Meeting, 7:00 p.m. (Elections for next year)   June 13 - 8th Grade Dance   June 16 - 8th Grade Field Trip to High Meadow   June 17 - 8th Grade Breakfast and Awards Ceremony   August 21 & 27 - Open House for New Students, 5:30-7:00 p.m.   September 10 - Grade 6 Curriculum Night, 6:30 p.m.   September 11 - Grade 7 Curriculum Night, 6:30 p.m.

John F. Kennedy Middle School 155 Raffia Road

Enfield, CT 06082

Phone: (860) 763-8855 Fax: (860) 763-8888

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and Epi pens will be sent home with the students on the last day. Any remaining medica-tion will be discarded.

  Medication forms for next school year will be mailed home at the end of June. Please have the doctor fill them out and an adult bring the form and the medication during the last week of August.

  Students entering grade 7 in September MUST have all the immunizations required by the STATE of CT. If your student does NOT have the proper immunizations, a letter will be sent home at the end of June IF YOUR STU-DENT DOES NOT HAVE THE PROPER IMMUNIZATIONS BY THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, HE OR SHE WILL BE UNABLE TO START SCHOOL.

  IF will check our messages during the summer. (860)763-8880

HAVE A HEALTHY, SAFE SUMMER!!

From the Nurses...

The JFK School Based Community Health Center, Inc. is excited to announce ongoing therapeutic services for the summer vacation months. Group therapy programs such as: Transition to Middle School (incoming 6th grade only), depression/anxiety support, anger management and self esteem will be provided based on request/need. Individual and family therapy are also available by appointment. For more information please contact Elizabeth Cestero, LCSW at JFK Middle School, 860-253-5447 or cestere@chc1.com.

In sixth grade Health, we have a 9 week quarter. Each week we learn about a different unit. Here is a list of the topics we cover: Self esteem, Bullying, Tobacco, Alcohol, Illegal Drugs, Peer Pressure, Nutrition, Growing Up and First Aid. We explore these units by reading, partner and group work,

vidual journal. Students are graded on their participation in class and their effort in their journal assignments, as well as test scores. Yours in Health! Ms. S. Novak

Sixth Grade Health News...

JFK is offering parents of incoming grade 6 students a time saving alternative to the hectic job of school supply shopping. Through a company called Build My Kit The kit includes:

5 Pocket folders Blue/Black/Red pens, pencils, markers, erasers, colored pencils 3-Ring pencil pouch Ruler, pencil sharpener, blunt tip scissors, glue stick, school glue 1 Spiral notebook 1 Three ring binder, filler paper and tabbed dividers

Parents will order directly from the company (with a considerable savings over suggested retail), either on line or with a paper form. Supplies will be delivered directly to JFK over the summer, prepackaged and labeled. Students will receive their sup-plies the first week of school. Flyers and information packets will be sent home in May, from their intermediate school.

School Supply Kits

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In history class, we have recently wrapped up the Civil War and the Reconstruction Era. We will be concluding the year with units on World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II. These topics are often the most captivating and intriguing to our eighth graders and serve as an exciting way to end the school year. In conjunction with our World War II unit, JFK will welcome a very special guest to speak to our eighth grade students about his experiences living in Europe during World War II. Some students are even selected to eat lunch with the gentleman and continue to hear his stories and ask questions. The eighth grade students of the Gaskell Team have a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks as their career at JFK comes to a close!  

Mrs. Gilbert

Gaskell Team English students are showing off their skills! We have just completed the English SBAC Performance Test. The second SBAC test is scheduled for May 30th. Additionally, final scores on Argumentative benchmark essays will reveal all of the learning that has taken place in English class this year. I continue to be impressed with student elaboration, voice, and use of vocabulary in writing. Our

Tell-l end the

Mrs. Gaskell

ionship between the Sun, the Earth and the phases of the Moon, as well as how the seasons are affected by the tilt of the Earth. We will soon be investigating human body systems and genetics. We also have several labs that will help students prepare for high school science. The IPS class will continue to investigate characteristic properties - boiling point, and density - while learning lab procedures that can be used to discover them. Next we will investigate the characteristic properties related to solubility and a variety of methods used for separating solutions. June is right around the corner!

Mr. Curtin-McKenna

Students in Pre-Algebra completed the Pythagorean Theorem unit where they applied the theorem to determine unknown side lengths in right triangles and find the distance between two points in a coordinate system. Currently, this class is learning how to find volume of solids and solving real-world problems involving volume of prisms, cylinders, cones, pyramids, and spheres. Students in Algebra I com-pleted the Systems of Linear Equations unit and are currently working on adding, subtracting, and multiplying polynomials. In the Quad-ratic unit, students will be learning how to factor and solve quadratic equations by graphing, completing the square, and quadratic for-mula.

Before vacation, students participated in their final Math Concepts and Applications timed test. The scores from the fall test to the spring test showed great improvement. Students worked on a weekly basis to improve these skills and the results were a direct reflection of their hard work. The high scorers from each class were:

Period 1: Jonathan Leduke Period 2: Katherine Sulewski Period 3: Eli Smyth and Patrick Stone Period 5: Cody Dang, Isabella Duarte, and Ariana Maggio Period 6: Kyla Larusso

The following students are the recent recipients of the Math MVP award for their class participation, excellent test and quiz grades, and outstanding effort in class and on assignments. Keep up the great work, students!

Ariana Maggio, Madison Brady, Brittany Wagner, Kalli Brissette, Caroline Williams, Brittanie Cruickshank, Jaylin Kohler, Jacob Ouellette, Eli Smyth, John Barth, Nate Lavery      

Mrs. LaFlamme

with the 4th Quarter upon us, we will be focusing more on preparation and expectations for high school. We continue to do our best, as we are heading towards the final stretch!

Ms. Discepolo

News from the Gaskell team...

The last few months of the school year are always very busy here in the JFK Guidance Department. During the next few weeks, we will be welcoming future 6th graders to our school. Fifth grade students from Parkman will visit on April 28 and 30, Eli Whitney students will visit on May 1 and 6, and students from Prudence Crandall will be here on May 7 and 9. These students will be paired with a current 6th grader, and will have the opportunity to tour the school, attend a real 6th grade class, and sample the tasty JFK lunches. It is also recommended that 5th graders and their parents attend one of the Open House nights (August 21 and 27) to tour the building, try a few lockers, and introduce themselves to the counselors and administrators in their wing. All current JFK students have met with their guidance counselors to plan their schedules for next year. Seventh and eighth grade students have been given course selection sheets and asked to bring them home for parents to review and sign. Forms for sixth graders will go home at the beginning of May. Please return these signed forms to school as soon as possi-

In preparation for their move to the high schools, 8th graders will participate in the JFK Career Day on May 29. Over 30 professionals from many different fields will be here to share their knowledge and skills with your children. Careers repre-sented include: attorney, radiologist, conservation biologist, police officer, firefighter, military personnel, author, artist, ma-

If your child is planning to attend camp this summer, have them stop by the Guidance Office and pick up an application for the Hope Hart Scholarship. This scholarship was developed in memory of a former JFK student, and can be used to cover up to $500 of summer camp tuition costs. Anyone currently attending JFK is eligible to apply. We hope your children have had a successful year so far, and that they take the opportunity to enjoy the rest of the year, while still working hard in school. As always, if you have questions or need assistance, please feel free to call your childguidance counselor for help.

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Alexandra Anderson Megan Belasano John Barth Caitlin Ceniglio Jason Chen Elizabeth Collins Meghan Connery Sean Cooney Danielle Delano Joselyna Delgado Madison DiLauro Sean Donohue Isabella Duarte

Caterina Fonseca Amanda Foy Alan Hanna Alyssa Haskins Tory Hatcher Madison Howell Megan Jamison Connor Juhasz Cameron Langevin Delaney Lawler Madison Lumbert Ariana Maggio Daniel Marsh

Stacey McCann Laurissa Montigny Jordan Murray Jessica Muzzulin Samuel Nash Sydney Nash

Wilfredo Ortiz Kaylee Piotte Jenna Porcello Aisha Rauf Eric Rogers Jamie Santiago

Alaina Santos Nathan Shannahan Nicholas Shannahan Kristen Slavin Kayla Simons Ashley Smith Kevin Stroiney Robert Vose Kaitlyn Wentworth Caroline Williams Haley Woods

National Junior Honor Society Update The following students will be inducted into the NJHS on May 7th.

Congratulations!

From the Phys. Ed. Department...

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Dear Parents and Students,

In the Fall do you want to play Soccer, Field Hockey, Cross Country, or Volleyball? We know it is only Spring, however the Fall sports are just around the cor-ner. One of the biggest issues we coaches have is getting students the information about the sports, and the physi-cals. The fall sports start quickly in the beginning of the new school year, so parents must make sure all kids have an updated physical. Those physicals are good for 13 months. Fall schedules should be complete by mid June and all coaches should have their tryout schedules and informational meeting dates set prior to the end of this school year. Make sure they are also listening to an-nouncements for tryout and practice times. We are build-ing the sports program here at JFK and we want all stu-dents to get involved. See you in the Fall! Sincerely,

The Fall Coaches Mr. Nuccio, Ms. Nadeau, Mr. Z, Ms. Fitzgerald, Mr. Fix and Mr. Cressotti, Faculty Manager

Congratulations to the following students for receiving the Celebrate Urban Birds: Signs of Spring Award. Their work is on display on Cornell University's Department of Ornithol-ogy's website www.celebrateurbanbirds.com.

Leilani Rodriguez's hummingbird drawing was selected as a winner in the Most Beautiful Category. Sebastyen Surdel, An-gelina Delgado, Grace Taylor, Rachel Justice, Rachel Tweedlie, Hannah Smith, and Emily Higgins also had recognized works and won a Pennington Bird Feeder for the school.

JFK Sculpture Club Students had sculptures on display in the Lamagna Center, across from Freshwater Pond at the Earth Day Celebration, which was held on April 24th. Megan Ad-ams, Rebecca Sollimi, Amelia Stage, Reagan Sperrazza, Olivia Tosen, Sydney Watts, Fabian Restrepo and Gabby Coelho created large scale fish sculptures which were made entirely of recycled cardboard.

Mrs. Young and Miss Kulinski

Congratulations and good luck to our 6th graders, Jacob Davis, Alyssa Dowding, Alex Ferris, Astrid Nassau, Olivia Sears and Sean Suleski on being selected to participate in the 31st Annual Connecticut Invention Convention, Saturday, May 3rd at UCONN! We are very proud of you! Have fun and enjoy the experience!

6th Grade Band students will be sharing a Spring Concert with 6th grade Chorus on June 3rd at 7:00 PM. Concert at-tire for 6th grade band is a solid white shirt and black pants, shoes, and socks. They need to report to the school for warm-ups at 6:30. The Enfield School district has a dynamic summer music program available to all students entering grades 6-9. There is a musical theater production. There are jazz bands, con-cert band, orchestra, world drumming, and music technology working with "Garage Band". There are many options for those students looking for something fun for 16 days in July. Registration forms are available from any music teacher and online through the Enfield Schools web site-go to the music department page.

Connecticut Invention Convention...

Reminder to all current and incoming JFK students for the 2014-15 school year: Our grading policy is 60% participation and 40% skills tests and/or written quizzes. Uniforms will be available to purchase at the beginning of the school year. Make-up sheets are available in both locker rooms. The sheets must be filled out completely and have a parent signature prior to being turned in to your PE teacher for credit.

February Patriot Pride Awards Vivian Alfonso Mooney Ali Nana Amoabeng Jason Baillargeon Andrew Barnes Arielle Beaudry Tajianna Braswell Samantha Brown Billy Bryson Jason Chen Francis Crowley

Ciara DeJesus Kayleigh Ezzell Alex Ferris Jack Flavin Katrina Fonseca Timothy Fortune Taylor Geaglone Daniel Golden Matthew Halsey Nadeen Hammad Megan Hanna

Tori Hatcher Belen Hernandez Igo Horta Craig Kammerer Saisathis Karthikeyan Owen Lawler Brianna Legere Marissa Longo Rachael Mack Alex Martinez Laine Minney

Astrid Naseau Chris Oliverez Debora Oquendo Ashley Parmenter Asia Payne Richard Pierce Devan Riley Morgan Roberto Osvaldo Santos Dylan Sherman Kaitlyn Shirshac

Rachael Silva Kristen Slavin Alexis Smith Kayla Smith Naomi Tshibangu Alex Underwood Kaylee Valentin Libby Vandal

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April Patriot Pride Awards Branden Algozino Tanner Baillargeon Ryan Burr Nathan Capoldo Kim Castle Samantha Ceniglio Umani Davis Thomas Deane Isabella Duarte

Jack Flavin Emily Garrow Jailene Gomez Tyler Hinkley Angelina Hipolito Drew Holubecki Megan Jamison Tyler King Jaylin Kohler

Spencer Mailhoit Tahrell Mangano Olivia Mannette Juliana Marcano Devyn Marcotte Kailee Martin Laura Mason Gio Morales Elizabeth Mulligan

Desiree Napper Mahmoud Omar Drianna Pelletier Marissa Picard Jordan Poe Andrew Renna Greg Schipani Kathleen Scott Mahyar Shokri

Jonathan Silvestri Tallon Stager Taylor Steller Ryan Suleski Dan Woodward

Eat some ice cream for a cure! Jane's Team (JFK's Ameri-can Cancer Society Relay for Life Team) will be hosting a Family Fundraiser at Friendly's on Elm Street in Enfield on Thursday, May 15. Friendly's will donate a percentage of their profit from anyone who presents a coupon all day long. Coupons can be picked up in the main office or house offices at JFK. There will be special drawings from 5-8 PM. Hope to see you there!

The JFK Drama Club presents

Come see student actors perform the beloved musical that tells the story about Ariel the mermaid and her wish to be human. Show Times: Friday May 2, 2014 at 7:00 PM Saturday May 3, 2014 at 1:00 PM Meet and greet with the characters after the performance.

Saturday May 3, 2014 at 7:00PM Tickets are $5.00 for Adults, $3.00 for Students and Senior Citizens, Children 4 and under are free.

It's  time  to  start  thinking  about  our  annual  talent  show.    Do  you  sing,  dance,  do  gymnastics,  act  or  have  some  other  talent?    All  8th  graders  are  welcome  to  audi-­tion.    The  show  will  be  in  June.    Start  putting  your  act  together  now!  The  deadline  to  sign  up  is  May  9thwait  to  see  the  talent  in  this  8th  grade!  

Mrs.  Collen  

The 8th Grade Variety Show...

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