What's Happening This May
Hello, JFK families!
We hope this month at JFK will be a-MAY-zing!
Please consider joining our monthly Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) meeting on Monday, May 6th at 6:00 pm. The work of our PTO brings tremendous opportunities to our students, and its success depends on our volunteers. We thank you for your support of our recent River Rat cheese fundraiser! This month, PTO brings the Scholastic Book Fair to JFK!
On Thursday, May 9th and Friday, May 10th, students in grades 3-6 will participate in the New York State Mathematics exams. Communication from Mrs. Bouchard has been shared with families, providing additional details regarding testing.
During the month of May, our Positivity Project focus will be on the character strengths of enthusiasm and leadership, as well as a review of traits we have studied throughout the school year.
Enthusiasm means approaching life with excitement and energy. It means energizing people around you. Enthusiasm is the ability to bring life and excitement to different situations. It often leads to a higher level of involvement and engagement for individuals and groups. Those who demonstrate enthusiasm bring energy and intensity to individual and group work. As a result of their outward excitement about a task or project, these people are often identified as early leaders and innovators. Look for these people to recruit new group members and generate ideas.
Leadership means you value each member of your group and inspire people to do their best. Leadership can be both formal and informal. It is concerned with getting others to do what needs to be done while maintaining group morale to ensure readiness to act in the future. This character strength’s focus is on the personal qualities of leaders rather than the practice of leadership. These qualities include the ability to understand others and inspire them toward a common goal, the capacity to mitigate conflict and mold consensus, and the desire to lead other people.
We continue to be proud of the character displayed by all of our students here at JFK!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Frank
Principal, UPK-2
Mrs. Bouchard
Principal, 3-6
Join our PTO
The John F. Kennedy Elementary School PTO is always seeking volunteers. Meetings are held monthly, with volunteers helping to provide our harvest reading event, family sleigh rides, holiday door decorating contest prizes, Art to Remember fundraiser, Scholastic Book Fairs, and much more. PTO events are much loved by our students, and we would love your support!
Our next meetings for the 2023-2024 school year will take place on the following Mondays: May 6th and June 3rd at 6:00 pm in the library at JFK. Childcare is provided during each meeting. If you are interested in joining, please email Mrs. Frank at cfrank@ogdensburgk12.org or Mrs. Bouchard at sbouchard@ogdensburgk12.org, or join us at our next meeting!
We are always open to new membership, new fundraising ideas, and your thoughts on what would benefit JFK. The PTO can also be reached at their new email address: johnfkennedypto22@gmail.com
JFK PTO Facebook Page
Don't forget to like the JFK PTO Facebook page for updates on fundraisers and PTO sponsored events. You can find it by clicking here, or search JFK Elementary School PTO on Facebook.
Mrs. Bouchard, Miss Henry, Mrs. Kearns, & Mrs. Mills
In honor of Better Speech and Hearing Month, check out the information below from our speech providers at JFK. We are so thankful for their hard work with our students every day!
What is speech therapy?
Speech therapy is the assessment and treatment of communication problems and speech disorders. Speech therapy helps to improve communication and includes:
- articulation
- receptive language
- expressive language
- social communication
- cognitive communication
- fluency
- resonance
Who needs speech therapy?
- Kids with articulation disorders – difficulty producing speech sounds correctly
- Kids with disfluencies (stuttering)
- Kids with voice or resonance difficulties
- Kids with language disorders – difficulty understanding others or sharing thoughts/ideas/feelings
- Kids who have difficulty using language in functional or socially appropriate ways
- Kids with cognitive-communication difficulties such as organizing thoughts, paying attention, remembering, planning, or problem solving
- Kids with swallowing or feeding difficulties
We hope you are excited for the JFK Student Council School Store! Students may shop on the following days of the cycle:
Day 1 (UPK, Jr. Kindergarten, Kindergarten, Grade 1)
Day 2 (Grade 2)
Day 3 (Grade 3)
Day 4 (Grade 4)
Day 5 (Grade 5)
Day 6 (Grade 6).
Available items include pencils, fidgets, keychains, erasers, and more!
Avery Carrow
Art with Mrs. Willmart
Avery (Kindergarten with Miss Beaudin) comes to art class with such excitement! He is ready to get right to work and has a wonderful imagination! Avery is always kind to his classmates, and he is quick to help others put their materials away and clean the art room, even if he didn’t make the mess! It is a joy to have you in art class, Avery! Great job!
Luke Murphy
Physical Education with Mrs. Halladay
Luke Murphy (Grade 4 with Mrs. Morley) is the PE student of the month! Luke is an amazing athlete. The only thing better than Luke’s physical ability is the coachability that accompanies it. Luke’s willingness to improve is a great example for his classmates. They look up to Luke and follow his lead. Luke’s future is bright and I can not wait to watch him flourish.
Lilly Tooley
Art with Mrs. Willmart
Lilly (Grade 3 with Mrs. Powers) has a wonderful sense of creativity and she brings it out in her artworks! She is a kind friend to all of her classmates, and she gives great compliments to others about their work. Lilly works hard, and she really takes her time thinking about what she wants to create! Great job, Lilly!
Vanessa Thomas
Art with Ms. Huto
Vanessa (Grade 6 with Mrs. Baxter) always works hard on her projects, putting her best foot forward. She is creative, and meticulous in her work. She listens to directions, and it shows. Let's see what she can do next!
Miles Smithers
Physical Education with Mrs. Halladay
Miles Smithers (Grade 2 with Mr. Dwyer) is the PE student of the month! Miles athletic ability is beyond his years. Miles is happy to help his team without needing the spotlight. Miles is a great teammate and leader. Keep pushing yourself Miles. I can not wait to see what your future holds.
Tanner Farr
Library with Ms. Seymour
Tanner (Grade 6 with Mrs. Guimond) is a hard worker who comes to the library ready to work on his project. An avid reader, he looks forward to checking out books. He is kind, polite, and a joy to have as a student in class. Keep up the good work, Tanner!
James Gladle
Physical Education with Mr. Sholette
James Gladle (Grade 2 with Mr. O'Grady) is the PE student of the month for May! James has been doing a great job in gym class listening and following directions. He is enthusiastic about gym and is always a joy to have in class. James enjoys playing team games with his classmates and also likes to help the gym teachers create new games. Keep up the good work James!
Steven Smith
Library with Ms. Seymour
Steven (Kindergarten with Mr. Doyle) is enthusiastic when he participates in library class. His responses to questions about books that are read out loud are wonderful! When it comes time to check out books, his eyes light up and he waits patiently for his turn to select a book. Keep up the good work, Steven!
Anastasia Henry
Physical Education with Mr. Vernsey
Anastasia (UPK with Mrs. M. Williams) is the PE student of the month. Anastasia always comes to PE with a big smile on her face. She follows the rules and is always helping other students in her class play the games. Keep up the good work Anastasia!
Loralei Polniak
Music with Ms. Sheats
Henry Shaver
Physical Education with Mr. Vernsey
Henry (Grade 6 with Mrs. Baxter) is the PE student of the month. Henry always gives 100% while in PE class. He is a good athlete in all PE games and activities. Henry is kind to his classmates and is willing to help out if needed. Keep up the good work Henry!
Maggie Mathews
Instrumental Music with Mr. McAfee
For May I would like to nominate Maggie Mathews (Grade 5 with Mrs. Woods). Maggie is an incredibly inspired percussionist and she brings an energy that the entire band feeds off of. It is always a great day in band when Maggie is there!
Amelia Sias
Music with Ms. Sheats
Amelia Sias (UPK with Mrs. M. Williams) is our Music Star of the Month! Amelia is an amazing listener and helper! She is an expert singer and is always ready to help a friend in need! Amazing job Amelia!
Christian Halpin
Instrumental Music with Mr. McAfee
For May I would like to nominate Christian Halpin (Grade 5 with Mrs. Doyle). Christian has been willing to take on the role of leader in the band since the first day he came in. Whether it is in his section or for the entire band, Christian's leadership on the drums make everyone else play better.
Kennedy students have persevered and now have earned 319,021 sticker points and solved over 957,063 math problems since September! We are extremely proud of all the students using this online math program.
This month we would like to recognize students who have reached the Champion level for sticker points. This means that they have earned 7,500-9,999 points. WOW!!! These students are: Elliana Willard, Elijah Vernsey, Isabella Farrell, Aspen Wulf, and Luke White.
FIM Shout Out: Jacob Lottie (Grade 4 with Mrs. Tebo)
First in Math always has a card of the day for students and teachers to do. You are given 4 numbers. Using any or all of the 4 operations for whole numbers, you make 3 number sentences and the final answer must be 24. Some days the card is very easy and some days the card is very challenging. Mrs. Tebo and I like to do the card of the day. There are days that the card is very challenging for us. That is when we go to Jacob for help. He is amazing the way he sees through numbers and can always come up with a correct solution. Jacob is truly a First in Math Superstar!
The information below is shared with families in the Ogdensburg City School District Elementary Handbook.
Dear Parents and Guardians,
As we head into the spring months, we begin preparations for the 2024-2025 school year. Ahead of this time, we are writing to share pertinent information regarding classroom placement.
In the Ogdensburg City School District, student placement at the elementary level for the following school year is determined with a team which includes each child’s current classroom teacher for the grade level, AIS reading providers, AIS math providers, special education teachers, speech providers, school counselors, literacy and math coaches, and the building principal. The team process takes into account each grade level classroom’s gender ratio, academics, the need for specialized services, behavioral supports, and peer relationships. A parent who has significant concerns regarding their child’s placement for the following school year may state their concerns in writing to the building principal. While shared parent concerns may guide the team’s decision to place a student, they do not dictate or guarantee placement.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Amy DiSalvo, Principal, Grant C. Madill Elementary School
Mrs. SueEllen L. Bouchard, 3-6 Principal, John F. Kennedy Elementary School
Mrs. Christina B. Frank, UPK-2 Principal, John F. Kennedy Elementary School
7 cell phone rules for kids that every parent should establish right now
Earlier this year students participated in a cyber awareness lesson with Officer Streeter, our School Resource Officer. Students are using cell phones much younger than in the past and using them appropriately and safely is important. Please see the article below regarding cell phone safety and talk with your family about proper use and how to be safe using phone and accessing the internet.
From oft-overlooked safety tips to usage limits, check out our list of cell phone rules for kids of all ages. Click here to view the article in its' original website location, taken from care.com and written by Kim Bongiorno
For years, my kids have watched me use the Internet and social media for both work and pleasure. They’ve also listened to my many, many lectures about how wonderful and dark the Internet can be and about how I decided what personal information I’d share with others — and what I wouldn’t. I shared these thoughts, fears and cautionary tales with them regularly because I wanted them to be as prepared as possible when they eventually had access to it all, too.
And, soon enough, the day finally came when I had to give my middle-schooler a phone.
Between carpools, sports, after-school activities and walking to and from friends’ houses, we knew that giving him his own smartphone would be a useful tool for us to manage life’s logistics. We also knew that once we gave him a phone, we’d have to have more regular conversations about all the little issues that would come with it: specifically, what our rules are about texting, Internet surfing, live gaming chats, apps, social media — the works.
So, I took a deep breath and got to work making sure it would be an experience that was safe for us all. (And make no mistake: there is a LOT to consider when you’re planning on giving your child Internet access.)
Here are the seven rules that we established as a family to teach our kids how to be smart device users — and, ultimately, to keep them safe:
1. Devices belong to parents, not kids
All of the kids in my house are minors. Therefore, all devices belong to us until the kids are minors no more. This means that we have full access to them at any time, and that we can take them away at any time (just as easily as we giveth them).
Having a phone or tablet is a privilege, not a right.
And since these devices belong to us, the parents, this means that we also get to dictate where they “live.” We set up a big charging station in our kitchen where the devices go when they aren’t in use — not in bedrooms, not hidden in pockets or bags. If a kid feels the need to hide their use, then something just isn’t right about how they are using it.
This is also why passwords exist. My husband and I have access to stuff on our phones that our kids should not, so they need to ask permission to use them. We also encourage using passwords on their devices since you never know who might pick up your phone and do something on it you normally wouldn’t want done.
That being said, our kids still are the day-to-day caretakers of said electronic devices. As with any other prized (and highly expensive) possessions, they’re expected to:
- Keep their devices safe (in kid-proof cases, of course).
- Keep their devices powered up.
- Keep track of their devices at all times.
2. Understand internet safety, inside and out
You can’t erase what you put online or the experiences that you have there.
Whether that means that your kid accidentally shares a photo of his sister mooning him or someone else starts bullying him in a group chat, the ramifications of that behavior can run from broken friendships to brushes with the law.
NetSmartz, by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, is a great place to learn about using the Internet safely, as well as to better understand situations like cyberbullying. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) also has its own resource for the basics on how to protect yourself and your family online.
If you have a babysitter or nanny, make sure that you have a conversation with them about your rules for social media use — especially when it comes to their posts.
Remember: As wonderful as the Internet can be, there are also some dangers that we need to look out for. The more informed you and your kids are about Internet safety, the better — and safer — your experiences will be.
3. Parents will set restrictions on devices as needed
You can set age restrictions on the apps the phone is able to download, remove apps/games from the phone, remove Internet access — and, generally, tweak the whole thing so that it becomes completely customized to suit the user’s needs.
There are also several apps that allow parents to control their kids’ phones. (You can check out this Tom’s Guide article on the best parental-control apps of 2022 to get a taste of what’s available.) These apps will range in price and level of control, but will help you make doubly sure that your child’s using their device safely.
4. Every download must be parent-approved
Setting age restrictions on a phone is a great first step, but it’s not the only one. You’ll also need to make sure that all of their device downloads are age-appropriate — no matter whether they’re apps, games or social media accounts.
You might think that this sounds a little extreme and “Big Brother-y.” However, there are a lot of apps out there that seem innocent on the surface but actually give our kids access to way more (and way inappropriate) stuff than we realize. Take it from me: I’ve actually tried out some of the apps that I know parents let their kids to use and accidentally stumbled across a ton of inappropriate content in the process (think sexually explicit images and text, hate speech, etc.). Believe me, it wasn’t pretty … and definitely not what I’d want my kids to see.
One easy way to avoid this is by making a rule that every device download needs to be approved by you, the parent. And it’s really up to you how you decide what apps are approved and what aren’t. Some parents like to try out the apps themselves before making a decision; some parents like to do their research to see what other people have had to say about the apps. To cover all of your bases, try blending the two approaches.
To help you along with your research, check out these links to the “Parents” pages of the most popular social media networking sites:
If you’d like to find more advice about Internet safety and age-appropriate downloads, check out sites like Common Sense Media, which is an independent nonprofit organization that reviews online content.
5. Set accessibility restrictions for every downloaded app
Apps tend to default to a state in which they can access a lot of information about a user — from their “current locations” to their social media accounts.
To prevent this from happening on your child’s device, try putting every app on an age-appropriate lockdown. (You can learn how to do this by reading that app’s “privacy policy” and “settings options” on its website.)
6. Kids are expected to behave as well online as they do in person, if not better
I like to remind my kids about the importance of respecting other people’s privacy (and being mindful of their own), of being kind to others and of thinking about how others will react to their opinions and comments before they hit “post.”
I think the last one is probably the most important one. We just need to encourage our kids to think before they type in a chat message, text, comment or post. (We think that this is an obvious rule, but when you’re a kid, it’s not as top-of-mind.) We need to remind them that once their thoughts are out there, there’s no taking them back. And just as they don’t want their feelings hurt by friends or strangers online, they need to also make sure they aren’t the ones doing the hurting — on purpose or by accident.
7. We are models for healthy device use
As cool as the Internet is, we also need to make a habit of reminding our kids — and ourselves — that real life is so. much. better. In fact, prioritizing real-life moments with a shared laugh or touch, rather than focusing on capturing that moment on a device, is probably the healthiest thing we can model for our 21st-century kids.
So how do we model healthy device usage?
Well, let’s start by putting our phones away more, by turning off our notifications and by making sure that they see us without a device in hand on a regular basis. This is the best way to show our kids what truly matters in life — and will increase their likelihood of doing the same.
Have questions after reading the article? Reach out to our school counselors or social worker!
Mrs. McNichol (UPK-2 Counselor)
(315) 393-4264 x32068
Mrs. Arika Bateman (Grades 3-6 Counselor)
(315) 393-4264 x32868
Mrs. Misty Fishel (School Social Worker)
(315) 393-4264 x33033
This May we will be bringing back Saturday hours and our first Saturday just happens to fall on Star Wars Day! We will be making lightsabers and fighting off Storm Troopers starting at 11:00 am on May 4th.
Library Hours
Mondays 1:30 pm to 5:00 pm
Wednesdays 11:30 am to 7:00 pm
Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays 9:30 am to 5:00 pm
Saturdays 9:30 am to 1:00 pm
Bookstore Hours
Wednesdays 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Thursdays and Fridays 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Programs
Take Home Crafts: Available for pickup during library hours. A new craft to pick up and finish at home each week!
Music and Movement: Tuesdays at 11:00 am
A preschool movement and socialization class. Jump your jiggles out and wiggle your waggles away with music, instruments and sensory play. Designed for ages 18 months – 4 years.
Story Time: Thursdays at 11:00 am
Stories, activities and crafts for young children. Socialize, gain early literacy skills and learn to love books during this preschool program. Designed for ages 2-6.
Mother's Day Craft: Wednesday, May 8th at 5:00 pm
Make a paper cactus for your mother, designed for ages 4 and up.
Lego Play: Wednesday, May 22nd at 5:00 pm
Complete a challenge or just experiment on your own with Lego bricks. Designed for ages 6-12.
Fishing Gear Checkout
The library loans out fishing gear. Fishing equipment can be checked out by children and adults (those 16 years and older must have a fishing license) You can keep fishing items for up to one week. Available items include:
- Adult Fishing Poles
- Tackle Boxes
- Nets
- Pliers/Grippers
- Children’s Fishing Kits
Library tours and classroom visits are available upon request by emailing dlenney-wallace@ncls.org for more information.
