JFKHS PTSA Updates: What’s New and What’s Next for 11/11/2024

I hope that everyone had a productive and successful first marking period. The first marking period is a great stopping point to check in, see what’s working and what’s not working and make some adjustments for the second marking period. Remember: MCPS high schools are on  a semester-based system. That means the semester grades, which is the combination of MP1 and MP2 grades, are the only things that get reported on official transcripts. 

Here’s a handy table that shows how the various combinations of MP1 and MP2 grades translate into semester grade.

Nov. 19 PTSA Meeting: Freshmen Parent Check-In

With that spirit of checking in being top of mind, for our November PTSA meeting on Nov. 19 the PTSA will be holding a Freshmen Parent Check-In. We’ll have 9th grade administrator Ms. O’Neil speak about tips, advice and other insights that 9th grade parents should know to help steer their 9th graders successfully through Freshmen year. This year, we’re going to have grade-level focuses for several of our PTSA meetings, to allow parents to ask and hear from families who are dealing with similar challenges at the same time.

We’ll also hold a student panel, so parents can hear from current Freshmen and upperclassmen to hear about what Freshmen are currently grappling with and what upperclassmen wished they knew when they were Freshmen. If you are a Freshmen parent, please make it a point to attend. And if you have any questions you’d like to submit to Ms. O’Neil or our student panel, please email them to us by replying to this email or sending them in to jfkhsmdptsa@gmail.com. 

Please join us next Tuesday at 6:30 pm in the Media Center and on Zoom. We’ll send a more detailed agenda later this week.

Today: Kennedy Cluster African-American Parent Meeting

As has been shared by the school, the Kennedy Cluster is hosting a Kennedy Cluster meeting with Frederick Hawkins, African American Community Liaison and Outreach Manager from the  Montgomery County Office of Community Partnerships, tonight at 5:30-7:00 pm in the cafeteria. 

Frederick will provide information that will empower parents to be advocates for their children’s education and provide access to tools and resources available to them as MCPS parents. We’ll have food and a resource fair. We hope to see you there.

Nov. 25-26: Parent-Teacher Conferences

On the Monday and Tuesday of Thanksgiving Week, Kennedy will hold its Parent-Teacher conferences. The PTSA will be supporting our amazing staff with food as it will be a long day for teachers who are making themselves available to meet with parents and discuss their students’ academic performance.

While the temptation might be to view this as unnecessary at the high school level, compared to say the elementary days, it’s essential that parents come out and meet with their children’s teachers. These conferences can establish powerful connections and give you meaningful insight into how your child is succeeding or struggling in school. Having conversations like this with your students’ teachers is the best way to get a glimpse of how your child performs academically outside of your view and presence. 

If you didn’t make it to Back-to-School Night, then that’s even more reason to make sure you show up for the Parent-Teacher conferences. Stay tuned to further communications from the school for specific schedules by teacher.

Sincerely,

Ricky Ribeiro, John F. Kennedy HS PTSA President