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M.L. King Intermediate School

MLK Family Snapshot Newsletter 5-21-26

Posted Date: 05/21/26 (04:45 PM)


MLK Snapshot
 

May 21, 2026

 

What is the MLK Snapshot?

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 Logo
 

MLK's Calendar at a Glance

5/21 - Color Run 5pm at MLK
5/22 - Field Day
5/25 - No School (Memorial Day)
5/27 - 5th Grade Band/Orchestra Concert 6:30pm at Conackamack
5/27 - Financial Literacy Club Trip

6/2 - Incoming 4th Grade Parent Orientation
6/2 - 4th Grade Trip Rooms 28/29/30/31
6/3 - 4th Grade Band/Orchestra Concert 6:30pm at Conackamack
6/5 - Early Dismissal (Teacher In-Service)
6/10 - 4th Grade Trip Rooms 34/35/36/37
6/15 - Yearbook Signing
6/16 - 5th Grade BBQ
6/17 - 5th Grade Recognitions (in school event)
6/18 - Early Dismissal, 5th Grade Clap Out 12:00pm at MLK
Calendar
 
spirit

MLK Spirit Days

5/15: Tie-Dye Day
5/22: Wear Red, White & Blue for Memorial Day
5/29: Sunglasses Day

6/5: Vote to Bring Back Your Favorite Spirit Day
6/12:  MLK Spirit Day: Wear your MLK Gear
 

PTO Meeting Update - Accepting Nominations for PTO Board 2026-2027

Our Next Scheduled PTO Meeting is Monday, June 8th. This meeting will be in-person at MLK at 6:00pm with a Zoom option as well, At this meeting we will conduct PTO Board elections for next year.

Our PTO does incredible work, and we are always looking for dedicated board members to drive our school initiatives.

Please find all important information regarding nominations at the link below.


All nominations are due Thursday, June 5th.
 

MLK Yearbook!

Families are invited to purchase their MLK 2025-2026 Yearbook. Check out the flyer below and purchase your copy today!
yearbook
 

Student Dress Reminders

Families are reminded that as the weather warms our students should continue to come to school each day in dress code.

Relevant Highlights from our Intermediate Handbook include:

  • Bare back, bare midriff and open sided athletic shirts are not acceptable.
  • Shorts and skirts should be a reasonable length.
  • Students may not walk barefoot in school and should wear sneakers for gym and on the playground.
  • Shoes must have a back or strap to be worn in school.
 

Personal Items at MLK

Recently we have seen an increase in personal items being brought to MLK. This can lead to distractions and hurt feelings when personal items are lost or damaged. For this reason, please leave all personal and valuable items at home.

Our Handbook also addresses this:
  • Non-instructional items (including, but not limited to personal devices, candy/snacks, toys, etc.) should be secured in backpacks and remain in the classroom throughout the day. 

Musical "Petting Zoo" Event at PHS

For any current 4th Grade families whose children do not currently play an instrument are welcome to come to the Musical Petting Zoo at PHS. This event is typically reserved for 3rd grade families but would be a good chance for non-playing students to check out the instruments in person. Please see the flyer below regarding this event!
zoo
 

4th Grade Field Trips - Trailside Nature and Science Center

Will be going to the Trailside Nature and Science Center in Mountainside June 2nd, 10th, and 16th.

Permission slips have been distributed.

We will be requesting a limited number of chaperones for each trip. Please be advised that PTO members will be given priority for class trip chaperoning purposes.
 

The MLK Passionate Penguins Project

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!!

Please use this link to submit a quick recognition, and we will let the teacher know about their shout-out at our next staff meeting!

This link will remain in our Snapshot for the rest of the year. Feel free to submit any time!!
 

Reading for Education / Book Buddies Fundraiser

Our Reading for Education fundraiser continues, and it isn't too late to register. 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!
 
PTO

PTO Flyer and Website

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!

pto newsletter
 
ipad

iPad Repairs

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.

 
birthday

Intermediate School Birthday Procedures

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.
 
mlk

Social and Emotional Supports at MLK

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.

 

Pillars of Penguin Pride

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!
pillars
 

Our 2025-2026 PTO Executive Board

President - Melissa Lieberman-Elimanco
Vice President - Deepna Javan
Treasurer - Jennifer DeQuattro-Haskin
Secretary - Rachel Sy
Fundraising Chair - Deirdre Hickey-Sedor

PTO Image
 

MLK Parent Resources

Please remember that our school and district websites remain a primary source for all information related to our schools.
Piscataway District Website
MLK Website