Skip to main content

M.L. King Intermediate School

MLK Family Snapshot Newsletter 9-24-26

Posted Date: 09/24/26 (04:45 PM)


MLK Snapshot
 

September 24, 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

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

OCTOBER
10/5 to 10/9 - NJ Week of Respect
10/12 - School Picture Day
10/16 - PTO Fall Festival 6pm at MLK
10/19 to 10/23 - NJ School Violence Awareness Week
Calendar
 
spirit days

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!

9/25: College Spirit Day - Show off your favorite college
10/2: MLK Spirit Day: Wear your MLK Gear
10/9: *Week of Respect - follow whatever spirit day is chosen for that*
10/16: Sports Day - Celebrate your favorite sports team with a jersey or a hat
10/23: Flannel Friday
10/30: Halloween - Wear your costume or Black & Orange

 

MLK Picture Day

Please find all of our info on picture day at the attached flyer below!
pic day
pic day
 

PTO Meeting 9/28/26

Our first PTO meeting of the year is this upcoming Monday in person at MLK.  

We will meet at 6:00pm in the Media Center!   Hope to see you there!
 
PTO

From The PTO

Please check out the important updates from our PTO, including the upcoming Book Fair and membership information.
pto1
pto2
pto3
 

MLK Music Ensembles Update

From the MLK Music Department:

At this time, all 4th and 5th grade ensembles (Band, Choir, Orchestra) are now closed to new members. If you have any questions, please reach out to the music department faculty. Thank you!

Mr. Steve Plesnarski (Band) - splesnarski@pway.org
Ms. Danielle Kim (Choir) - dkim@pway.org
Dr. Elisabeth Sato (Orchestra) - esato@pway.org
 

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.
  • Students should always exit the car on the right side to avoid passing in front of vehicles.
  • 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

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.

 

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