Clear communication and connecting with families are two of our top priorities at MLK! The Snapshot is our weekly information newsletter sent every Thursday afternoon. Our hope is that you will be able to use this Snapshot to stay connected with important calendar dates, events, and everything else related to MLK.

MLK Families,

Thank you so much to the many families that came out for Back to School Night this week. The partnership of families, teachers, and administrators fuels so much of what we offer to our students. Please continue to support and communicate with us about any needs your child may have!

All the best,

Andrew Kehoe, Principal

SEPTEMBER

Wednesday, Sept. 17 - Back to School Night 6:00pm

Tuesday, Sept. 23 - No School (Rosh Hashanah)

Wednesday, Sept. 24 - Fundraising Kickoff Assemblies (student in-school event)

Monday, Sept. 29 - PTO Book Fair Begins

As noted, our cafeteria presentation is available to all families who may have missed Back to School Night, or would like to reference it throughout the year. This presentation will also be added to our school website.

We also welcome any community feedback from Back to School Night.

Our Music staff has been meeting with 4th grade classes and new students all week regarding ways to sign up for Band, Chorus, and Orchestra.

 

For 4th grade students, new MLK students, or 5th grade students looking to play an instrument for the first time at MLK - please see the attached letters for sign up information!

 

For 5th grade returning Band, Chorus, or Orchestra members - you do not need to sign up again as you will be carried over to this year in the program.

 

Sign-ups for our groups are due by September 19th, but students should sign-up and rent as soon as possible to secure the instrument of their choice and to facilitate lesson scheduling. Lessons will begin on or around September 29th.

IMPORTANT NOTE: At this time Orchestra is at maximum capacity. Any students hoping to play an instrument should look to our Band offerings and reach out to Mr. Plesnarski.

Attached to the Snapshot is a letter for anyone interested in further information and registration for an ensemble group.

Every Friday at MLK is a special Spirit Day!

Here is a list of our September Spirit Days. We invite all students to dress up and participate!

9/19: Hat Day - Wear your favorite hat

9/26: College Spirit Day - Show off your favorite college

Please continue to frequently visit our PTO website to look for ways to stay involved.

Updated this week: sign up to volunteer for your child's specific teacher slot at the upcoming book fair.

You can follow this link to check out the site, and find our flyer attached!

You can fill out a repair ticket for your child's iPad at any time! Coming to school with a working device is important. If your child's device has been damaged in any way please use the following link to bring this to the attention of the district IT department.

Our birthday procedures at the Intermediate level have been updated for this school year. Please read carefully before planning any celebrations!

From the Intermediate Student Handbook:

All parents are strongly encouraged to review the letter regarding Parent access to the Schoology learning platform.

In the letter attached to this week's newsletter from Mr. Chris Irovando, our district Supervisor of Instructional Technology, you will find how to view your child's Schoology resources.

Please see below for an overview of our school-wide Social Emotional Supports at King.

In addition to individual and group counseling, we provide schoolwide support to all students through two initiatives - the Second Step SEL Program and our Pillars of Penguin Pride Positive Behavior Supports (PBIS) Program.

We want your child to be successful in school and that means supporting and encouraging their whole development. While excelling in academic classes is important, children also need skills to take on learning challenges, make good decisions, manage strong emotions, and get along with others.

We utilize resources from the Second Step SEL program, a research-based social-emotional learning program designed to improve children’s social-emotional skills. Second Step skills and concepts are designed to help children both in and out of school. Four units will cover the following:

We also want to continually recognize and celebrate our students. Positive Behavior Supports programs identify desired behaviors and recognize students that practice them around the school.

At King, we have identified a core behavior each month and recognition opportunities to encourage and promote schoolwide positive behaviors. This provides a fun schoolwide way to recognize our students.

Throughout the year we offer "lunch bunches" focused on specific social-emotional needs, individual counseling, and in class lessons along targeted themes for our students. Mr. Kaiafas, our wonderful school counselor, is always here to respond to any student needs. If you feel your child would benefit from any specific programming he can be emailed at nkaiafas@pway.org. You can also call the main office any time if looking for supports for your child.

President - Melissa Lieberman-Elimanco

Vice President - Deepna Javan

Treasurer - Jennifer DeQuattro-Haskin

Secretary - Rachel Sy