Check out our April PTSO newsletter below — lots of cool stuff happening this month! Reach out if you have any questions, suggestions, or interest in volunteering!
Welcome Back from Spring Break!
Hope everyone had a relaxing Spring Break! We're jumping right back in with lots of stuff going on this week and next — here is a quick snapshot by day (more details on everything below). Email us if you have any questions!
TODAY, April 18 at 3pm – JVF's Spring Flower Sale closes! Order online before 3pm! Proceeds will help support 5th grade end-of-year activities and other PTSO programming
Tuesday, April 19 –
Spring Picture Day
BCSD Student Film Festival Submissions due
7pm PTSO meeting at Dogwood, click here for the full agenda!
Wednesday, April 20 at 8:20am – JVF's Annual Walk to School Day for Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month, meet at the Roundhouse parking lot
Saturday, April 23 from 9am-12pm – Earth Day Cleanup, sign up to volunteer here. Afterparty at Hudson Valley Brewery from 12-2pm!
Tuesday, April 26 – Last day for yearbook sales. Click here to order yearbooks online ($15 each)
Saturday, April 30 from 2-5pm (rain date May 1) – JVF Springfest!
🌸 Ends TODAY at 3pm – Order from JVF's Spring Flower Sale!
JVF is hosting a Spring Flower Sale, just in time for Mother's Day! Click here to place your orders before 3pm today, Monday, April 18th: https://jvfptso.ecwid.com/. You can choose from potted geraniums, 10-inch color bowls, and discounted gift cards to Sabellico Greenhouses & Florist! The proceeds will help support JVF's 5th grade activities and other PTSO programming! All orders can be picked up at JVF after school on Wednesday, May 4th. Thank you so much for your support!
🍔 PTSO Meeting Tomorrow Night at 7pm — In Person at Dogwood!
Please join us in-person tomorrow night (Tuesday, April 19 at 7pm) for our monthly PTSO meeting! We'll share updates on recent initiatives and upcoming plans, including our fundraiser results, the Earth Day Cleanup, Springfest, and more. Click here for the full agenda!
📽️ BCSD Student Film Festival Submissions Due Tomorrow (April 19)!
If your student hasn't yet made a short film for the BCSD Student Film Festival, organized by the Foundation for Beacon Schools, there's still time! Entries are due tomorrow, April 19. With the help of friends and family, students can make a short film under 2 minutes and submit it to be included in the Film Festival taking place on Saturday May 14 at the Seeger Theater at Beacon High School. Click here for more info.
📸 Tomorrow (April 19) Is Spring Picture Day
Remember that students will be photographed for Spring Picture Day tomorrow, Tuesday, April 19th! If you'd like to purchase any prints or digital images, click here to order online.
🚶🏽 Wednesday, April 20 Is Walk to School Day
Join us on Wednesday morning at 8:20am at the Roundhouse parking lot for JVF's annual Walk to School Day, in recognition of Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month.
📖 Say Hello to JVF's New Little Free Library!
JVF is now home to our very own Little Free Library, just to the left of the kindergarten entrance! Everyone is free to donate books and take books (to keep!) as they wish. Huge thanks to parent volunteers Mandy and Daryl Embry, Valerie Shively and Hayden Cummings for painting and installing the library. More books will be added in the days and weeks to come so be sure to check it out! Thank you also to PTSO Board Members Kristen Holt-Browning and Andrea Lenci-Cerchiara for their help setting this up!
🌎 Earth Day Cleanup This Saturday, April 23 from 9am-12pm!
JVF will once again be participating in the Beacon-wide Earth Day Cleanup on Saturday, April 23 from 9am-12pm, in partnership with Green Beacon Coalition. We'll focus on cleaning up the mini hiking trail that starts near the 4th grade entrance! Volunteers needed! Click here to sign up, and be sure to choose JVF as your site! Afterparty at Hudson Valley Brewery from 12-2pm!
🥳 JVF Springfest on Saturday, April 30 from 2-5pm!
Building off the success of our Fall Fun Day, we’re collaborating with the Building Leadership Team (BLT) to plan an outdoor fun day, with live music, lots of great activities for families, and a green/sustainability focus, in line with the BCSD Board of Education's sustainability goals. We'll also have a Green Groups Fair, featuring fun stations hosted by Stony Kill Farm, Green Teen Beacon, and Scenic Hudson! Join us on Saturday, April 30th from 2-5pm (rain date Sunday, May 1st). Volunteers needed to help with activity stations! If you'd like to help, please email us!
📚🌯Split Rock Book Fair and Chipotle Fundraiser Results
Thanks to everyone who shopped the Split Rock Book Fair! Our total sales were $657.09, and we earned 20% of that to help support PTSO programming! Three lucky shoppers won $25 gift cards to buy even more books at Split Rock! Thank you also to our Literacy Chair Kristen Holt-Browning for organizing!
And, thank you to all who ordered Chipotle during our April 6 fundraiser night! With your help, we earned $239.73 to support the PTSO!
🦅 JVF Scholarships for Seniors
Each year, the J.V. Forrestal PTSO offers two $500 scholarships to graduating high school seniors who are JVF alums. Click here for the link to this year's application — all applications should be emailed to jvfptso@gmail.com by April 30th. Please help spread the word!
📕 Order Yearbooks Online
Click here to order yearbooks online ($15 each) through April 26. Thanks to our yearbook advisors, Mrs. Coleman and Mrs. Dinkins, for putting this together!
🥫 Food Drive for Fareground
Our fabulous Student Council will be collaborating with the PTSO to organize a food drive to help Fareground keep local pantry shelves stocked. Keep an eye out for more details in a few weeks. Thanks to Student Council, advisors Ms. Gall and Ms. Pezzo, and our Treasurer/Fareground volunteer Andrea Lenci-Cerchiara for organizing!
📣 Open Invitation for PTSO Board Candidates!
We're getting ready to assemble next year's PTSO board, ahead of elections in May! If you'd like to get involved, or just have questions what the board positions entail, please get in touch! We can always create or shape a role to fit your time and interests. Our programming is only as good as our volunteer support. Thank you for stepping up to support JVF!
Helpful Reminders
📕 Book Nook
The Book Nook is a free resource for all JVF students. Remind your kids to stop by the Nook, just outside the nurse's office, to check it out! Kids can take as many books as they wish and they don't need to be returned! Special thanks to our Literacy Chair, Kristen Holt-Browning, for spearheading this great program!
Mark the Marker Recycling Program
All year long our students and staff will be collecting used Crayola and Non-Crayola brand markers, Dry-Erase markers and Highlighters. We will ship what we collect to Crayola for free recycling! We encourage families to participate by sending in your used plastic markers from home. Look for MARK the MARKER, our collection box, located at the main entrance! Thank you for helping JVF do our part to protect the environment. Special thanks again to PTSO member extraordinaire Margaux Lange for spearheading this program!
⏰ Upcoming Dates and Programs
Here are some key dates coming up:
April 19 – Spring Picture Day, BCSD Film Festival deadline, and our April PTSO meeting at Dogwood (7pm)
April 20 – JVF's Annual Walk to School Day, in recognition of Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month – meet at 8:20am in the Roundhouse parking lot
April 23 – Earth Day Cleanup from 9am-12pm
April 26 – Last day to order yearbooks
April 30 – JVF Springfest, from 2-5pm (rain date May 1)
May 10 – JVF PTSO May Meeting and Board Elections for next year!
🔖 Helpful Resources
We send out a monthly PTSO newsletter and occasional special announcements to keep everyone updated on news, events, and volunteer opportunities. Sometimes you’ll also get paper flyers sent home with your child(ren). For up-to-the-minute updates, be sure to follow the JV Forrestal PTSO Facebook page (our online bulletin board) and join the JV Forrestal PTSO Facebook discussion group (our closed discussion group.)
Not on Facebook? The JVF PTSO is also on Instagram (@jvforrestalptso) and Twitter (@JVFPTSO). On Twitter, also follow @MsSessoms and @JVFElementary.
For your reference, you'll find the JV Forrestal Student Handbook here and the BCSD Code of Conduct here. Get the latest BCSD Superintendent Blog post here.
Shop and Earn Money for JVF!
Did you know that when you shop at ShopRite or purchase Box Tops products, you can easily earn free money for JVF? Follow the links below (it’ll take 5 minutes!) to set it up and watch the rewards roll in! Thank you so much for helping our school!
ShopRite for My School: Click here to register your ShopRite card and earn money for JVF each time you shop! This program will automatically redeem any Box Tops credits you get from products you buy at ShopRite!
Box Tops for Education: For any Box Tops products you buy outside of ShopRite, you can still earn 10 cents per product for JVF! The Box Tops program has gone fully digital — download the Box Tops app and scan your receipts!
The JVF PTSO:
Fostering community among JVF families and staff
Email: jvfptso@gmail.com
Website: jvfptso.com