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M.L. King Intermediate School

MLK Family Snapshot Newsletter 6-11-26

Posted Date: 06/11/26 (04:45 PM)


MLK Snapshot
 

June 11, 2026

 

Our Final Snapshot of the Year


MLK Families -

I want to thank you for following our Snapshot this year. I sincerely hope it was a helpful document in keeping up with the happenings of our school.

Families are encouraged to visit our district-provided summer resources for ELA and Math linked below.


It has truly been my honor to continue to serve our school community. Wishing everyone a restful and safe summer!

Warm Regards,
Andrew Kehoe
Principal, Martin Luther King
 

MLK's Calendar at a Glance

6/15 - Yearbook Signing
6/16 - 5th Grade BBQ
6/16 - 4th Grade Trip Rooms 36/37/1/22
6/17 - 5th Grade Recognitions (in school event)
6/18 - Early Dismissal 12:25
6/18 - 5th Grade Clap Out 12:00pm at MLK
Calendar
 
spirit

MLK Spirit Days

6/12: MLK Spirit Day: Wear your MLK Gear
 

5th Grade Clap Out - Parent Guidelines

On Thursday, June 18th, all 5th grade parents are invited for a special expanded "Clap Out" for our 5th grade students beginning promptly at 12:00. Please use the additional details below for our event...

  • The Clap Out will take place in the back of the school, along our back walking path that runs parallel to the rear of the school.
  • Parents are encouraged to park in the pick-up parking lot, or along Ludlow St., or Witherspoon St., for this event and follow signage past the basketball court to the back of the building. 
  • Parents will not be permitted to enter the back area of the school until 11:45. This will allow us to clear our students from recess and ensure our Clap Out route is ready.
  • Because we will move along the entire length of the back of the building on our route, there will be plenty of room for everyone to spectate, clap and take in all the action! 
  • Students will not be able to break from the walking route during this event for individual pictures. Parents are encouraged to take any individual pictures with their students following our school dismissal at 12:25.
  • We will not permit students to be signed out immediately following the Clap Out as we will be very close to the end of the day. All pickup will take place outside of Door 7.
  • If you are planning to pick up your child on this day, and they typically take a bus, please complete this form by noon on Wednesday, June 17th to indicate this change. 
  • Because this is an outdoor event, please be mindful that we will need to cancel if weather is not cooperative.
 

5th Grade End of Year Events

We are truly going to miss our departing 5th graders! We have a number of planned June events to allow our students to say fond farewells and celebrate their time and achievements at King. Here is quick summary of those plans...

  • On Monday, June 15th Yearbooks and 5th grade class shirts will be distributed. Students around the school will enjoy a popsicle party and enjoy time with their peers!
  • On Tuesday, June 16th our 5th grade BBQ will take place during lunch periods with class picnics on the front lawn!
  • On Wednesday, June 17th we will be recognizing our 5th grade classes in the morning with a ceremony handing out certificates and special recognitions. Due to our spacing limitations, this will be a staff and students only event in our cafeteria.
  • On the last day of school, Thursday, June 18th, all 5th grade parents are invited for a special expanded "Clap Out" for our 5th grade students beginning promptly at 12:00.
 

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.
 

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. 
 

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!!
 
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!

 
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