MLK Family Snapshot Newsletter 11-5-26

Posted Date: 11/05/26 (04:45 PM)

November 5, 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,

Next week marks the conclusion of the first marking period. I encourage students to take this important checkpoint in the year to reflect on their overall start to our school year at MLK - both academically and socially. As parents and educators, let's build on those reflections and what we have learned from the first marking period to work together for our students the rest of this year!

All the best,

Andrew Kehoe, Principal

MLK's Calendar at a Glance

NOVEMBER

6 - No School (Teacher Convention)

11 - End of 1st Marking Period

16 - Superintendent Chat @ MLK Cafeteria 6:30pm

18 - Evening Conferences 6-8pm

19 - Evening Conferences 6-8pm

20 - 12:25 Dismissal, Afternoon Conferences

25 - 12:25 Dismissal

26 - No School (Thanksgiving)

27 - No School (Thanksgiving)

School Spirit Days

Every Friday at MLK is a special Spirit Day!

Here is a list of our Spirit Days. We invite all students to dress up and participate!

11/13: Diwali Spirit Day - Wear bright colors

11/20: Dress Like Your Favorite Teacher

Important Priority Items

Parent Teacher Conferences

Piscataway Township Schools will conduct parent/teacher conferences on November 18th and 19th from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM and on November 20th from 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM.

Parent/Teacher conferences are an excellent way to collaborate with your child’s teacher to identify strengths and needs, coordinate efforts to support learning and strengthen the home/school connection with your child’s teachers.

Chat and Chew with Mr. Glover

MLK is happy to host an upcoming Chat and Chew with our Superintendent, Mr. Erskine Glover.

This event will take place on November 16th at 6:30pm in the MLK Cafeteria.

Please RSVP in Schoology for this informative event!

TypingClub

Our students now have access to TypingClub, an interactive online program designed to help them practice touch typing. It helps students complete schoolwork more efficiently and prepares them for future academic success.

How to log in at home:

Students will use Clever.com to log into their school Clever portal the exact same way they do at school. They can use their school issued iPad or a personal device, such as a laptop.
They will click the TypingClub icon on their student dashboard.
The app will automatically log them in, and they will have access to their typing lessons. At the completion of each lesson, they will be provided with their typing speed (WPM) and accuracy. The site saves their progress.

To get the most out of this program, we highly encourage students to:

practice at home for 10 to 15 minutes per day, 3 to 4 times a week.
focus on accuracy rather than speed at the beginning; accurate finger placement matters most right now.
have a target speed of around 20-25 words per minute (WPM). This number might be lower at the beginning, but consistent practice should increase their speed over time.
have a target accuracy between 90-100%.

Please note: This is an optional enrichment tool. Lessons will not be graded or checked. This is an opportunity for your child to practice at their own pace and build upon a much needed skill.

Thank you for your support! Please reach out to Mr. Salcedo at esalcedo@pway.org if you child has any issues with accessing the lessons.

PTO Reading For Education Fundraiser

We are excited for the Reading for Education Fundraiser. Please find all of the information below about this great Program.

Important General Reminders

Bus Reminders

Families are encouraged to review and remind students about our core bus expectations.

Some notices from the first month include:

Making sure to face forward with seatbelt on
Refrain from eating on the bus
Keeping conversations at a normal volume to limit distractions to the driver.

You can check out our Piscataway Bus Expectations at this link.

Thank you as we work together as a school community to ensure safe, comfortable bus rides for all students.

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 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 Penguin Pillars 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 Penguin Pillars 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