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. |
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MLK Families,
"Life's most persistent and urgent question is 'what are you doing for others.'"
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
This Monday brings Martin Luther King Day, and a fantastic opportunity for our students and families to make a special connection to MLK. In this Snapshot and on our website we are providing a number of unique service activity suggestions for students to consider over the holiday. This "day of service" is a great way for students to find small ways to give back to others - not just in our community, but around the world. I hope you'll take the opportunity to give it a look!
All the best,
Andrew Kehoe, Principal
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JANUARY
1/19 - No School (MLK Day)
1/21 - Vocal Music and Handchime Concert at Conackamack 6:30pm
1/22 - Financial Literacy Club Assessment
1/22 - Dave and Busters Dine-to-Donate 6-8pm
1/28 - 5th Grand Band and Orchestra Concert at Conackamack 6:30pm
1/30 - End of MP2
1/30 - PTO Winter Wonderland Dance 6-8pm
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Every Friday is a Spirit Day at MLK! Here are our upcoming themes...
1/16: Hoping for Snow Day - Wear White!
1/23: Winter Hat & Scarf Day
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In this packet we encourage all families to consider devoting part of their MLK Day to acts of service to the community or world.
After giving a look through the activities in this packet, all students and families are highly encouraged to share your good works with us!
Here’s how you can share -
- Write in an email to Ms. Davis at sdavis@pway.org with the subject line “MLK Day of Service - (Your child’s name)” and include pictures of your service in action. All shared pictures will be included in a special edition MLK Snapshot Newsletter!
- If you created a kindness poster or rock, bring it to the main office and we will find a school location to hang it or place it! Make sure any items include your name!
- All students participating in any act of service will receive a special certificate!
Thank you for considering honoring Dr. King’s legacy this MLK Day with your service to others.
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All students interested in joining the Financial Literacy Club will be required to sit for a short assessment on Thursday, January 22nd.
This assessment is used to determine eligibility for the club and is aligned with the key math understandings of the program.
Please carefully review and find all of the information in the flyer. The link to sign up your child for the assessment can be found in the flyer. The deadline to sign up for this assessment is Tuesday, January 20th.
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For members of the Choir or Handchime, please find the important reminders from Ms. Kim:
Martin Luther King School's
❄️ CHOIR & HANDCHIME WINTER CONCERT 2026 ❄️
Wednesday, January 21, 2026 from 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM | Students arrive by 6:00 PM
Conackamack Middle School Auditorium
DRESS CODE: Students should wear all black attire & optional winter garments (hats, scarves, mittens)
ARRIVAL: Students should arrive by 6:00 PM, no earlier than 5:30 PM, to the Conackamack cafeteria.
DOORS OPEN: Parents are welcome to find their seats in the Conackamack auditorium after after student drop off.
DISMISSAL: The concert will end by 7:30 PM. All audience members are encouraged to stay until the end of the concert. Students will pick up their belongings from the cafeteria and meet families in the lobby.
CONTACT: Please email me at dkim@pway.org with any questions or concerns.
Looking forward to starting the New Year with music and community!
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This week your child was given a take home lanyard letting you know about a safe and easy way for our school to raise funds for essential tools our students and teachers need to succeed.
The Reading for Education fundraiser is 100% online so there is NO face-to-face selling, handling money, or delivering products. Your participation will take less than 12 minutes, and there are exciting prizes to make it fun for the students.
Here is all you need to do to participate:
2. Send form emails inviting family, friends and co-workers to support your child.
3. Return the Lanyard with the Student Prize Code to school for your child to get their fun participation prize.
Be sure to ask your child for the take home lanyard. Your participation will make a difference for our school and teachers!
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The Band and Orchestra Concerts are fast approaching. Please find the important information below...
January 28th, 5th Grade Band and Orchestra Concert
5th Grade Orchestra
Students arrive at 5:30 for tuning, performance at 6:30
5th Grade Band
Students arrive at 6:50 for tuning, performance at 7:30
February 4th, 4th Grade Band and Orchestra Concert
4th Grade Band
Students arrive at 6:00 for tuning, performance at 6:40
4th Grade Orchestra
Students arrive at 6:30 for tuning, performance at 7:30
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We are excited to host our next PTO Dine-to-Donate opportunity. Consider joining in some fun and games at Dave & Busters in Woodbridge! Check out the flyer below for all information. |
We have already received a number of great messages for staff!! Let's keep it going! We encourage all families to participate in the Passionate Penguins Project, an opportunity to submit a shout-out to a teacher doing an awesome job!!
This link will remain in our Snapshot for the rest of the year. Feel free to submit any time!!
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The Community Education After School Enrichment Programs will begin in January, but registration for the programs is open now. Check out the offerings below! |
Club information was sent home via email on Wednesday, November 12th. You can our full club packet linked here. Please make sure to give this a look, and sign up your child as desired. Please be advised that club space is limited, and some sign ups are on a first-come, first-serve basis.
We look forward to a great year of after-school activities!
Updated Notes:
- The Multi-Cultural Club is still accepting students, and begins in January. Reach out to Ms. Hunter at shunter@pway.org if interested in joining this great club!
- Full information about the Financial Literacy Club will be sent in next week's Snapshot.
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Please continue to frequently visit our PTO website to look for ways to stay involved.
You can follow this link to check out the site, and find our flyer attached!
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From Dr. Lottmann, Assistant Superintendent:
Please send your children to school with appropriate outdoor clothing for the expected weather conditions. Physical activity and time spent outdoors during recess is an important part of a child’s school day. The exercise and fresh air a child is afforded during this time gives them a break from the structure of the classroom and helps them develop a variety of skills. When properly clothed, preschool, elementary and intermediate students can safely participate in outdoor play in most weather conditions.
All nine of our preschool, elementary and intermediate schools participate in outdoor recess on a consistent and similar basis. Preschool standards adopted by the New Jersey Department of Education mandate outdoor recess on “most days unless there is active precipitation, public warnings of extreme hot or cold temperatures,” or other public warnings that it is unsafe to be outside. Our PreK-5 buildings follow these same guidelines.
If there is a situation in which your child has medical needs that prohibit their participation in recess, please contact the school nurse. If outdoor clothing is not available, please contact the school principal.
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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.
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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:
Birthday Celebrations:
• Recognitions are brief and are scheduled at a time of the day that is convenient for the teacher’s classroom schedule. Please make contact with your child’s teacher ahead of time to schedule the date/time.
• Recognitions are for students only (guests/family members may not attend).
• Birthdays are exciting for our 4th & 5th graders. Our Intermediate Schools celebrate “food free” birthdays, which means no special snacks, treats, or edible items may be brought in to share with the class. Instead, a small, non-edible item may be brought in to hand out to your child’s homeroom class. If you would like to celebrate your child’s birthday in any other “food free” way, please reach out to your child’s homeroom teacher at least 1 week in advance.
• Please let your child’s teacher know if your child is not permitted to participate in their peers’ birthday celebrations.
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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.
The Second Step 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:
- Growth Mindset & Goal-Setting: Children learn how to pay attention and manage distractions, develop a growth mindset, and apply goal-setting strategies to their social and academic lives.
- Emotion Management: Children learn how to identify and label emotions and use emotion management strategies—including stress management for older students—to calm strong feelings.
- Empathy & Kindness: Children learn how to recognize kindness and act kindly, have empathy for others and take others’ perspectives, and recognize kind acts and empathy as important elements of building and maintaining relationships.
- Problem-Solving: Children learn how to identify and state a problem, recognize if a problem is an accident, and use the STEP problem-solving process.
The Pillars of Penguin Pride PBIS Program
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.
Counseling and Behavior Supports
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.
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Each month our teachers across MLK are recognizing students in focused areas for the Pillars of Penguin Pride. Check out our focus areas below!
Every teacher in the building is nominating two students per month who shine in this particular Pillar area! If chosen, your child will receive a special certificate for their contributions to our school!
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President - Melissa Lieberman-Elimanco
Vice President - Deepna Javan
Treasurer - Jennifer DeQuattro-Haskin
Secretary - Rachel Sy
Fundraising Chair - Deirdre Hickey-Sedor
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Please remember that our school and district websites remain a primary source for all information related to our schools. |
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