Check out our December PTSO newsletter — lots of good stuff to share! Reach out if you have any questions, suggestions, or interest in volunteering!
Happy Holiday Season to Our JVF Community!
🥳 Welcome Back, Principal Wiggins! Thank You, Mr. Romanino!
JVF gives a warm welcome back to Principal Wiggins, who recently welcomed a new baby boy! We are delighted to have you back! We'd also like to thank Mr. Romanino for his leadership as interim principal while Principal Wiggins was on leave!
💡 Special Guests at Our PTSO Meeting Tuesday Night at 7pm
Please join us virtually tomorrow night (Tuesday, December 14) for our monthly PTSO meeting, featuring special guests Principal Wiggins and Student Council members! We'll share updates on key initiatives and upcoming plans. Click here for the agenda and click here to join the Zoom meeting at 7:00pm!
🌯 Thank You for Supporting Our Fundraisers!
Thanks to all those supported our Chipotle Night fundraiser last month — with your help, we raised $636.30 to benefit JVF! Amazing! Thank you to our VP Jaime DiTata for organizing!
Thank you also to all who shopped our online Holiday Shop! We are awaiting the final tally for what we earned. Thank you so much to Rachel Faiella for spearheading this program each year for JVF!
🌱 Help Land to Learn Meet Their Donation Match Goal by Jan. 1!
Please read this special year-end message from our friends at Land to Learn:
Land to Learn (LtL) is community powered. You drive our work forward in creating accessible, fun, hands-on garden education that connects young public school students to the food they grow and eat - a foundation for environmental and community wellness.
Like our students we too are learning. To better serve the needs of our community, we have embraced a shared leadership culture inclusive of young leadership and community voice.
When you give to Land to Learn, you join us in growing a movement that: fosters youth agency, supports food justice, and centers community wellness. Learn more about why your gift matters here. $122 brings garden education to one public school student for an entire school year! Any amount you can give is greatly appreciated and has an impact.
You [WE] are Land to Learn.
Give to Land to Learn and your dollars will be MATCHED! Up to $20,000 in matching donations has been generously pledged by a group of anonymous donors to help us make our goal of $40,000 before January 1, 2022.
You can make your tax-deductible donation here: www.landtolearn.org/donate
Thank you for your support!
🦅 Spirit Week Reminder!
Don't forget, it's Spirit Week at JVF, organized by the Student Council!
👕 Last Call for Spirit Wear Purchases!
Speaking of school spirit — our online JVF Spirit Wear Sale closes this Friday, December 17th! Now's the time to show your Falcon pride and snag a new shirt, hoodie, or water bottle, so you can be ready for the next JVF spirit day! We need to meet minimum quantities for each item to print, so please get your orders in! Special thanks to Steven Blumenthal and Dave Balogh for our awesome falcon designs!
💉 BCSD Vaccine Clinic
BCSD is hosting the team from Village Apothecary for a vaccination clinic on Thursday, December 16th from 4-6pm, at Beacon High School. The pediatric vaccine and all other doses and boosters (including the booster for 16+) for students and adults will be available. Please click here to sign up. Parents, please bring proof of your child's age with you. If you are able to volunteer to help run this clinic, please email Vickie Jackson at jackson.v@beaconk12.org.
❤️ Equity-Related Efforts
Part of your contributions to the JVF PTSO go toward our Student Equity Fund and other initiatives that help foster greater equity in our community. We were happy to contribute $150 last month to Common Ground's Thanksgiving shares program (along with each of the other three BCSD elementary schools), and $80 this month toward holiday gift cards for JVF families — thank you to Mrs. Greenspan for organizing, and to JVF teachers / staff and the Ladies' Auxiliary of St. Rocco's Society for their generous donations! Looking ahead, we plan to purchase extra spirit wear shirts and class pictures for distribution in partnership with the JVF Equity Team. Thank you to our JVF community for all your support!
📚 Little Free Library Project
We will be installing a Little Free Library near the kindergarten door in the spring, to help foster book-sharing and a love of reading within our community! If you would like to help design, build, install, or maintain the Little Free Library, please email us! Special thanks to our Literacy Chair Kristen Holt-Browning for spearheading!
Helpful Reminders
📸 Reminder to Order School Pictures Online!
If you haven't ordered school pictures and would like to, visit the Upstate Images website and enter order code 64385J to find your child's picture and order prints. If you prefer to order via mail, you (or your child) can pick up an order packet in the main office. All students who order or have ordered photo packages will also receive a composite class picture in January. If you have any questions, please contact Upstate Images at 1-855-773-3321.
📕 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 Margaux Lange for spearheading this program!
⏰ Upcoming Dates and Programs
Here are some key dates coming up:
December 17th — Last day of Spirit Wear Sale
December 23rd – January 2nd — No school!
🔖 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