MLK Family Snapshot Newsletter 9-17-26

Posted Date: 09/17/26 (04:45 PM)

September 17, 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.

Message from the Principal

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

MLK's Calendar at a Glance

SEPTEMBER

9/14 - PTO Book Fair Begins

9/16 - Back to School Night 6:00pm

9/21 - School Closed (Yom Kippur)

9/22 - MAP Reading Assessment

9/23 - Social Studies Benchmark Assessment

9/28 - PTO Meeting (in-person) 6pm at MLK

Back To School Night - Presentation Available

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.

Community Copy of Back To School Night Cafeteria Presentation 2026

Music Program Information

From the MLK Music Department:

We are starting enrollment for Band, Choir, and Orchestra for the 2026-2027 school year!

Returning Students (5th grade ONLY): If your student participated in Band, Choir, Orchestra last school year and would like to re-enroll in the same ensemble, please complete the Google Form by Wednesday, September 23.

Returning Student Registration Form: https://forms.gle/zr6LnPeX3wdUqN8cA

NEW Members (4th and 5th grades): If your student is interested in participating in Band, Choir, Orchestra for the FIRST time, please complete the Google Form by Wednesday, September 23.

*Please note: The NEW member registration form will be open from Wednesday, September 16 until Wednesday, September 23.

NEW Student Registration Form: https://forms.gle/D73JTvDtNvEMtybd8

Please reach out with any questions or concerns.

Thank you,

The MLK Music Department

Mr. Steve Plesnarski (Band): splesnarski@pway.org

Ms. Danielle Kim (Choir): dkim@pway.org

Dr. Elisabeth Sato (Orchestra): esato@pway.org

September Spirit Days

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!

9/18: Hat Day - Wear your favorite hat

9/25: College Spirit Day - Show off your favorite college

From The PTO

Please check out the important updates from our PTO, including the upcoming Book Fair and membership information.

Drop Off and Pick Up Safety Notes

Our traffic safety remains critically important in both the morning and afternoon. A few notes based on some observed instances over the first few weeks...

Drop Off Notes:

Families are asked to use the designated drop off areas in the parking lot loop or the front loop after 7:55 each morning.
Students should not be dropped off on the sidewalk on Ludlow St. while waiting in traffic. Doing so can cause a a dangerous situation and further slow traffic.
Please never perform a K-Turn on Ludlow Street or the drop off areas.

Pick Up Notes:

Please always use designated cross walks.
Families and students should never be crossing the bus loop during pick-up times. Doing so can cause a dangerous situation as busses move through the loop.

Thank you for your attention to these items as we facilitate a safe pickup and drop off each day.

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.

iPad Repair Needed? - Click Here

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.

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.

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